Chapter Text
The adoption was finalized on June 4th, 1982. Severus Snape dressed for the occasion in a simple muggle suit of black and gray with a red tie that his lover Remus Lupin insisted upon. Dumbledore accompanied him to pick his newly legally adopted son, much to Severus's discomfort.
Lily Potter's sister Petunia Dursley was as unpleasant as Severus remembered. She scrunched up her nose when she saw him but looked quite determined to get rid of the nearly two year old nuisance she'd been left with almost a year ago. Severus spoke with her very little. Her gargantuan husband stood behind her with a fat, unruly toddler in his arms who screamed bloody murder about losing his pacifier.
As soon as the last bits of paper work had been signed and sent off magically, Petunia brought out the child. Harry Potter, as the child had been called before all the litigating began, was a tiny boy of twenty-three months who could walk quite well and, as Petunia scoffed, only knew a few words. Severus didn't blame him that, really. Harry had a full head of messy black hair that stood up quite on its own and huge green eyes that made Severus' heart ache. He was dressed in clothing that seemed a size too big, but considering the size of the boy's cousin, this didn't surprise Severus.
Harry stayed very quiet as Severus gathered what little Petunia and her fat husband would part with for him, stuffed it into a bag, and then shrunk it to place in his pocket. The toddler watched, openly fascinated by the magic working, but kept shooting looks at his huge uncle -what was the man's name again...? Severus didn't really care enough to remember – as if to see whether it was permissible to be so awed. Petunia's husband's face grew redder with every bit of magic performed and Severus couldn't help adding a flare to the shrinking just to make him even redder.
Finally, Severus was left staring down at the little boy and wondering if he was allowed to carry him. Harry stared back at him, curious and far too cautious at such a young age. As the seconds ticked on with Dumbledore and the Dursleys watching, Severus sighed a bit and knelt down. Harry took a step back, swaying with the balance shift, and gave Severus the most perplexed look.
“Harry, it's time to go,” he murmured, trying to keep his voice as quiet and soft as he could. Harry just stared at him and looked towards his uncle, who scowled. “I'm going to pick you up now.”
When Severus reached out to lift Harry up, the boy jerked back and lost balance, landing on his backside with a grunt. He blinked a little and then his face reddened as he geared up to cry. Severus heard Petunia mutter something about 'not this rubbish again,' but ignored it. Instead, he picked Harry up and brought him to rest against his chest as he stood. The toddler hiccuped a bit and when Severus looked him in the face again, Harry simply looked confused. Still red faced and a little snotty, but mostly confused. His tiny hands rested against Severus' collar.
“Go?” he murmured curiously. His voice was quiet and high pitched with the faintest drop in his vowel. Severus nodded.
“Yes. We're going now.”
Harry stared at him a little and then looked at his uncle before shying back to face his less frightening aunt. As Severus turned to walk back through the door, he saw Harry wave one hand a little before deciding to pick at the embroidery on Severus' shoulder. Dumbledore followed them with an infernally amused look on his face.
However, as soon as they got half way down the drive, Harry seemed to realize what was going on and began to panic. He cried out and pushed at Severus' chest, wiggling almost enough to get himself dropped. Severus tightened his hold as he could but Harry continued to struggle and he was forced to set the child down, lest he actually drop him. Harry immediately ran back towards the door sobbing. He fell twice along the way and likely scraped a knee through his overalls. Petunia's obese husband met him at the door.
“Oh no you don't!” he growled out and Harry retreated a step as tears raced down his cheeks. “I'm finally rid of you. Don't think you're welcome back in here. Go with that man. He's taking care of you now, boy.”
Harry, somewhat predictably, started throwing a fit. Glancing helplessly towards Dumbledore, who was trying very hard not to laugh, Severus realized there was no help coming. He sighed and went to retrieve the child before Dursley decided to get physical. And by the purpling look to his skin, he doubted he was far from it. Severus scooped Harry up and managed to get a better hold on the struggling child this time. The two wizards left and the Dursleys were happy to be rid of them so they could go back to their perfectly ordinary existence with their perfectly ordinary fat son.
Severus thanked every deity in the cosmos that Remus was not at Spinner's End when he got there. The house had been left to him when his father Tobias died and, since he had no reason to move, Severus had decided to live there for at least this summer. The house was certainly large enough for two men and one child. There were bedrooms enough for all of them and he and Remus had spent a good two weeks childproofing it as best they could. Remus had even brought in Molly Weasley. Her solution, of course, was to send her six hellion boys roaming through the house until they'd found every sharp edge and danger they could possibly hurt themselves with. Severus was only half sure he'd gotten rid of the Weasley aura.
Depositing the still screaming, wiggling child in the middle of the living room, Severus dragged off his jacket and fell into his armchair by the currently unlit – and spell shielded – fireplace. Harry stood where he'd been put, stamping his foot and yelling unintelligible gibberish that Severus didn't have the slightest idea how to interpret in the least.
Dear Merlin, how did he ever think he was ready for this?
Nearly twenty minutes later, Harry finally managed to scream himself hoarse and tire himself out. He sat down on his bottom, pouting mightily at the fact that his demands had not been properly accorded to. Severus just stared at him and Harry stared right back with belligerence. Surely James Potter's arrogant regard for himself wasn't hereditary? Severus sighed and rubbed his temples. Not even an hour into fatherhood and he was already regretting it.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. The child blinked at him with wide eyes. Severus frowned. Petunia had said Harry knew a few words but surely children this age could understand simple concepts such as hunger. He tried it again and felt very silly when he tried to express with his hands as well. “Do you want to eat?”
Harry's pouted lip drew out further as his brows furrowed. Merlin's beard, was he that far behind? Or perhaps his assumptions were wrong? He'd read the relevant literature Molly had suggested about children and fatherhood. He'd memorized the chapters on two year old development. The child should be able to understand by now. Unless he was mentally- No. He doubted Lily could ever produce a... challenged child. And Harry seemed to be keeping up with things just fine.
He was just being combative, Severus decided. He didn't blame him, much, but it was bloody annoying.
Giving up trying to get through to the toddler just now, He shifted to get more comfortable in his chair and picked up the novel he'd left beside it the other night. He opened it and began to read but barely noticed what the words really were. Instead, his attention was almost completely centered on listening to Harry fidget on the floor.
The toddler rocked slowly, hands resting in his lap as he stared at Severus or looked around the living room at this or that. He dragged himself unsteadily to his feet and toddled around. Severus watched him over the edge of his book. He doubted there was anything Harry could hurt himself on, but Molly's children had been rather ingenious in the regard and the stories she told him had made him wonder if he should have taken advanced mediwitch training before even considering taking charge of a child.
Harry reached up on one of the bookshelves and began dragging books from it only to drop them onto the floor. Perplexed, Severus set down his book and watched openly. The boy emptied a full shelf of books before he flopped back onto his butt and began to stack them up carefully, one by one. He paused with each one and steadied it, shifting the book this way or that to get it just how he wanted before going on to the next. The look on his face was of such pure determination and seriousness that Severus felt his lip quirk.
Harry demolished his stack and started over a few times before he grew bored with that. Then he toddled right up to Severus' chair and looked at him. Severus stared back, wondering faintly if this meant the child had decided not to be angry and petulant towards him for now.
“Me?” Harry asked as he tugged at Severus' pant leg just above the knee. Severus just watched him and wondered what the bloody hell he meant.
“Em...”
Harry pouted and tugged him again. “Me?”
When he started to climb up, Severus started to figure out what he wanted and helped the child up into his lap. Harry ended up half kneeing on one leg, holding his sleeve tightly for balance. He leaned in close and touched his face here and there, seemingly getting familiar with it. He paid special attention to Severus' large nose and arched brows. Eventually, he settled back again, leaning into the chair arm.
“Sir,” Harry said quite clearly. Severus lifted a brow and Harry felt compelled to trace his fingers along it after.
“I'm Severus,” he replied. The close contact and unfamiliar weight against his knee were both uncomfortable. He'd not thought Harry would be this... touchy. Not right away.
“Sir,” Harry repeated and his face screwed up a bit with unhappiness. Severus sighed. Well, he supposed 'Sir' would work for now.
“All right.” He wasn't sure if Harry knew he'd decided to agree with him but the child seemed more content anyway. He'd stopped touching his face and was now tracing the slightly darker red designs of his tie.
Eventually, Severus got up, carrying Harry against his chest. The boy was startled at first and gave him a wide eyed look, but when nothing astronomical happened, he settled again and even held on. Severus had been intending to put him down once he'd straightened, but Harry's weight in his arms wasn't too strange. He'd adapt.
Severus carried him into the kitchen, where he intended to make tea. For the most part, Harry was quiet, simply looking at this or that and whipping his head around with such speed that Severus was surprised it hadn't popped off by now.
“This?” Harry squeaked, pointing out one tiny hand. Severus followed the boy's direction to the potted herbs at his window sill.
“Plants,” he responded. Harry gave them a closer look and looked rather delighted that he'd been answered at all. After the first one, Harry went on a roll, pointing at virtually every object in the kitchen and demanding to know what everything was. Severus answered as best he could but was often side tracked as Harry lost interest and pointed at something else.
He eventually fed the child apple slices and then returned to the living room where Harry fell asleep against him. Severus stared down at the sleeping child, following a line a drool that was soaking a cool spot in his button up.
Was he ready for this? He doubted it, but Harry was there now and he really didn't have time to worry.