Bugger.
Who: Severus Snape, Teddy Lupin, Eventually Harry Potter
What: Confusion
When: Friday Morning
Where: Snape-Potter-Lupin residence
Status: Incomplete
Snape was under attack.
He had been sleeping soundly, when he suddenly felt his chest being pinned to the bed. His immediate thought was that the Dark Lord hadn’t been killed after all. Now Snape was going to be punished for his betrayal.
A moment later, the pressure was gone from his chest, and he sat bolt upright, reaching for his wand, but it wasn’t in its usual spot on his bedside table. He threw back the covers, ready to fight, when a small, trembling voice stopped him.
“Sev’us?”
Snape frowned. “My name is Severus. Who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom?”
The scared eyes widened and the boy took a step back, then ran from the room. “Harry! Harry!”
Harry?
Snape looked around him. This was not Hogwarts.
Seeing his wand on the dresser, he grabbed it, then went chasing after the boy, who was still shouting for Harry.
“Stop shouting,” Snape ordered, and the noise immediately stopped. But a moment later he was being held around his waist in a death grip, and the boy was trembling.
“Sev’us, go back to normal, kay?” the boy asked pitifully.
The slaughtering of his name was vaguely familiar, but he knew that nobody had ever called him that before. Only Lily had dared call him Sev, but he couldn’t think about her without a wrenching pain, so he pushed her from thought.
“What is your name?” he asked, and the boy hugged him tighter.
“Teddy Lupin. Sev’us, I don’t like this game,” he said, looking up at him with tear stained cheeks. “Be normal ‘gain ‘kay?”
Teddy Lupin. Teddy Lupin. Teddy Lupin.
The name rang in his ears, brushing across something in his mind he couldn’t quite grasp. The feeling was warm, and familiar, and it made his heart clench.
“What is Harry’s surname?”
Teddy made a face. “He’s Harry Potter and he’s my dad now, and you are too, cause you sayed you’d never leave, but I can’t find Harry. Sev’us, I’m hungry. Can we have pantakes? Then Harry will come home, ‘kay?”
“Where is Albus?” Snape asked, knowing the man wouldn’t leave him to his own devices.
“I dunno a Albus. I know Moira, and Lulu an’ Miss Laura, an’ Lily and Remus and Poofy Hairs, but Poofy is a dog, and--“
Snape froze. “Lily and Remus? Are you sure those are their names?”
“Uh huh, Lily is Harry’s mum, ‘member?” Teddy asked. “Remus gived me a pie. Oh! Can I have pie for breakfast? It has apples and everythin’!”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Snape said distractedly, barely noticing when the boy whooped and ran off.
Lily and Remus.
It couldn’t be mere coincidence, yet it was inconceivable. Lily was dead. Harry was an infant, living with his relatives, relatives whose names Albus refused to let him know. He didn’t trust him enough to tell him yet. He had no idea where Remus had gone after the war. How many people had the name Remus? It had to be Remus Lupin. Teddy had said his surname was Lupin. Yet Harry was his father?
This was too much, his head was pounding from all the thoughts bouncing around in his mind. He had to be under some kind of spell or enchantment. What game was Albus playing? Had he saved him from Azkaban, only to punish him like this? Making him believe that Lily was alive and well? And living with Remus Lupin? Next he would told that Black and Potter were alive as well. Would Albus go so far as to have someone use Polyjuice to pose as Lily? Just to torment him?
Snape refused to play that game. He wouldn’t give Albus or anyone else the satisfaction.
“Sev’us?”
Snape looked up to see Teddy standing in the door way, his face covered in what could only be pie.
“What is it?” he snapped.
Teddy’s lower lip quivered and he took a step backwards.
Sighing, Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. He was not like his father, damn it.
“What is it, Teddy?” he asked in a gentler tone.
“My tummy hurts. Can I have a potion? But not a icky one,” he added, making a face.
“I haven’t got any potions,” Snape frowned.
“Uh huh, I sawed them in your lab’tory.”
Snape rose to his feet. “Show me.”
Teddy giggled. “You’re silly, Sev’us.” Running to Snape, he grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the garage where all his potions stuff was.
When Snape entered his ‘laboratory’, he stood still, blinking. This could hardly be called a proper lab, but it was better than the one in his closet at Spinner’s End.
Teddy led him to a shelf and pointing. “The pink one! It takes like candy canes!”
Curious, Snape pulled the smile vial from the shelf and removed the cap, sniffing it, then holding it up to the light. It looked the right color and smelled right, but he had a feeling accidently poisoning the boy would not go over well with Albus. He put a drop on his finger and tasted it, cataloging the flavors before being satisfied it was indeed a stomach calming potion.
He handed it to Teddy, who drank it down without a thought, as though he’d done it dozens of time before.
As though he trusted Snape completely.
“How did you know that was alright to drink? You shouldn’t drink things given to you by strangers,” Snape said, frowning.
Teddy smacked his lips and grinned. “Yup! And no candy, and no cookies and no puppies or kitties,” Teddy recited.
“Then why did you drink that?” Snape asked, confused. “If you know better than to do it?”
Teddy rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner. “’Cause you’re Sev’us. When is Harry comin’ home? He wasn’t in your bed when I waked up.”
“Why would he be in my bed?” Snape asked, appalled. He would never share a room with a Potter, let alone a bed.
Teddy leaned against Snape. “’Cause that’s where he sleeps! Duh!”
“Watch your tone,” Snape warned.
Teddy tugged on his arm. “Sev’us?”
“What is it now?” he asked, scowling.
Teddy held up his arms, wanting to be held.
He was going to kill Albus for this.
Snape picked him up to carry into the house. Before he could take a single step, Teddy buried his face against his neck. “I love you, Sev’us. Don’t leave me, kay?” Teddy said softly, his voice cracking.
Snape put a hand on Teddy’s back, patting him awkwardly. “I won’t leave you, not until we talk to Albus.”
“Kay, but I dunno a Albus.”
“Apparently neither to do I,” Snape muttered, wondering how to get out of this mess.
What: Confusion
When: Friday Morning
Where: Snape-Potter-Lupin residence
Status: Incomplete
Snape was under attack.
He had been sleeping soundly, when he suddenly felt his chest being pinned to the bed. His immediate thought was that the Dark Lord hadn’t been killed after all. Now Snape was going to be punished for his betrayal.
A moment later, the pressure was gone from his chest, and he sat bolt upright, reaching for his wand, but it wasn’t in its usual spot on his bedside table. He threw back the covers, ready to fight, when a small, trembling voice stopped him.
“Sev’us?”
Snape frowned. “My name is Severus. Who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom?”
The scared eyes widened and the boy took a step back, then ran from the room. “Harry! Harry!”
Harry?
Snape looked around him. This was not Hogwarts.
Seeing his wand on the dresser, he grabbed it, then went chasing after the boy, who was still shouting for Harry.
“Stop shouting,” Snape ordered, and the noise immediately stopped. But a moment later he was being held around his waist in a death grip, and the boy was trembling.
“Sev’us, go back to normal, kay?” the boy asked pitifully.
The slaughtering of his name was vaguely familiar, but he knew that nobody had ever called him that before. Only Lily had dared call him Sev, but he couldn’t think about her without a wrenching pain, so he pushed her from thought.
“What is your name?” he asked, and the boy hugged him tighter.
“Teddy Lupin. Sev’us, I don’t like this game,” he said, looking up at him with tear stained cheeks. “Be normal ‘gain ‘kay?”
Teddy Lupin. Teddy Lupin. Teddy Lupin.
The name rang in his ears, brushing across something in his mind he couldn’t quite grasp. The feeling was warm, and familiar, and it made his heart clench.
“What is Harry’s surname?”
Teddy made a face. “He’s Harry Potter and he’s my dad now, and you are too, cause you sayed you’d never leave, but I can’t find Harry. Sev’us, I’m hungry. Can we have pantakes? Then Harry will come home, ‘kay?”
“Where is Albus?” Snape asked, knowing the man wouldn’t leave him to his own devices.
“I dunno a Albus. I know Moira, and Lulu an’ Miss Laura, an’ Lily and Remus and Poofy Hairs, but Poofy is a dog, and--“
Snape froze. “Lily and Remus? Are you sure those are their names?”
“Uh huh, Lily is Harry’s mum, ‘member?” Teddy asked. “Remus gived me a pie. Oh! Can I have pie for breakfast? It has apples and everythin’!”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Snape said distractedly, barely noticing when the boy whooped and ran off.
Lily and Remus.
It couldn’t be mere coincidence, yet it was inconceivable. Lily was dead. Harry was an infant, living with his relatives, relatives whose names Albus refused to let him know. He didn’t trust him enough to tell him yet. He had no idea where Remus had gone after the war. How many people had the name Remus? It had to be Remus Lupin. Teddy had said his surname was Lupin. Yet Harry was his father?
This was too much, his head was pounding from all the thoughts bouncing around in his mind. He had to be under some kind of spell or enchantment. What game was Albus playing? Had he saved him from Azkaban, only to punish him like this? Making him believe that Lily was alive and well? And living with Remus Lupin? Next he would told that Black and Potter were alive as well. Would Albus go so far as to have someone use Polyjuice to pose as Lily? Just to torment him?
Snape refused to play that game. He wouldn’t give Albus or anyone else the satisfaction.
“Sev’us?”
Snape looked up to see Teddy standing in the door way, his face covered in what could only be pie.
“What is it?” he snapped.
Teddy’s lower lip quivered and he took a step backwards.
Sighing, Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. He was not like his father, damn it.
“What is it, Teddy?” he asked in a gentler tone.
“My tummy hurts. Can I have a potion? But not a icky one,” he added, making a face.
“I haven’t got any potions,” Snape frowned.
“Uh huh, I sawed them in your lab’tory.”
Snape rose to his feet. “Show me.”
Teddy giggled. “You’re silly, Sev’us.” Running to Snape, he grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the garage where all his potions stuff was.
When Snape entered his ‘laboratory’, he stood still, blinking. This could hardly be called a proper lab, but it was better than the one in his closet at Spinner’s End.
Teddy led him to a shelf and pointing. “The pink one! It takes like candy canes!”
Curious, Snape pulled the smile vial from the shelf and removed the cap, sniffing it, then holding it up to the light. It looked the right color and smelled right, but he had a feeling accidently poisoning the boy would not go over well with Albus. He put a drop on his finger and tasted it, cataloging the flavors before being satisfied it was indeed a stomach calming potion.
He handed it to Teddy, who drank it down without a thought, as though he’d done it dozens of time before.
As though he trusted Snape completely.
“How did you know that was alright to drink? You shouldn’t drink things given to you by strangers,” Snape said, frowning.
Teddy smacked his lips and grinned. “Yup! And no candy, and no cookies and no puppies or kitties,” Teddy recited.
“Then why did you drink that?” Snape asked, confused. “If you know better than to do it?”
Teddy rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner. “’Cause you’re Sev’us. When is Harry comin’ home? He wasn’t in your bed when I waked up.”
“Why would he be in my bed?” Snape asked, appalled. He would never share a room with a Potter, let alone a bed.
Teddy leaned against Snape. “’Cause that’s where he sleeps! Duh!”
“Watch your tone,” Snape warned.
Teddy tugged on his arm. “Sev’us?”
“What is it now?” he asked, scowling.
Teddy held up his arms, wanting to be held.
He was going to kill Albus for this.
Snape picked him up to carry into the house. Before he could take a single step, Teddy buried his face against his neck. “I love you, Sev’us. Don’t leave me, kay?” Teddy said softly, his voice cracking.
Snape put a hand on Teddy’s back, patting him awkwardly. “I won’t leave you, not until we talk to Albus.”
“Kay, but I dunno a Albus.”
“Apparently neither to do I,” Snape muttered, wondering how to get out of this mess.