𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑻𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑶𝑹 || 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟕.

The next morning Harry wasn't feeling well. When Snape entered his bedroom and bent down to remove him from the crib he noticed that Harry's nose seemed red and was runny. Harry buried his face in Snape's shoulder and sneezed.

"Are you ill?" Snape asked. He didn't want Harry to be sick. "If you're sick, you are going to be irritable. And I really do not have the patience to deal with irritable children," Snape told Harry sternly. The truth was that Snape knew Harry wasn't going to want to play with the "vroom" car if he was sick.

Snape put Harry in the high chair and got him breakfast and then began looking at a potions book. He knew of several brews which remedied most minor ailments and colds, but he didn't know if it would be safe to use them on a baby. He could only imagine the trouble he would be in if he accidentally overdosed Harry Potter. Dumbledore would not be happy and then McGonagall would act all snooty, all high and mighty, the way she always did. He could just imagine her looking at him imperiously over her little glasses and saying with an air of superiority that he "clearly could not handle the management of a small child". And that simply wouldn't do. Sadly, Severus could not find any guidelines about age requirements and this bothered him greatly.

"Stupid potions book," he muttered, which was something he had never before said. He looked over and noticed that Harry wasn't eating. In fact he was fast asleep, his head resting on his folded arms on the tray of the high chair. Snape's first impulse was to grab a camera, but he squashed that down.

"What would I do with a picture of Potter sleeping in his high chair?" he said to himself. Shaking his head, he began to clean up the tray, but as he looked down on Harry he really wanted to take a picture. Snape sat down at the table and began to think. What was a logical, sound reason to take a picture? Ah! To convince others of his good parenting skills. Real parents liked taking pictures and if he didn't take pictures then people would be suspicious. Severus nodded to himself. He had always known he was clever, but this just reaffirmed it. He went to his living room and removed a camera from a drawer in the desk. He rarely used cameras, there weren't many things he wanted to take pictures of. He snapped a photo and then placed the camera down.

"There. Now I will be a convincing parental figure and don't need to be bothered with that anymore," Snape said, finishing cleaning up and then picking up Harry. Snape put Harry back into his crib and shut the door, hoping that if he got more sleep he would be in a better mood later. In the meantime, he had work to do. Lesson plans needed to be made, potions needed to be brewed. Snape was beginning to feel nervous about the approaching beginning of the school year. How was he supposed to teach and parent at the same time? He cleared the thought from his mind. He had plenty of time to sort that out later. Harry wouldn't be too much trouble. Snape just worried that if Potter made him go all soft he would loose his reputation as hardest teacher in the school, or at least grumpiest.

------------------------ ~♥~ ------------------------

Snape quit his work and went to check on Harry when he heard sniffling sounds coming from the boy's room.

"Are you still being sick?" Snape asked from the doorway. Harry looked up at Snape with big eyes and held his arms up pitifully. Snape picked him up and adjusted the sleeves on Harry pajamas. The green, fleecy material was stuck up by his elbow, and Snape pulled it back down around his wrists. He carried Harry into the living room and sat down with him on the couch.

"I think quiet activities would be the best course of action today, Potter. Do you agree?" he picked up the potions book again and began showing Harry more pictures. Harry didn't like this activity as much as he had the previous day however. He scowled and pushed the book away.

"Potter." Snape said sternly, catching Harry's wrist in his hand. "We do not push. We most especially do not push potions books? Do you ever see Professor Snape pushing potions books? No. You most certainly do not." He began trying to show him the pictures again but Harry still would not comply. He pushed the book again.

"No." Snape repeated.

"No!" Harry said emphatically, and he nodded.

"If you aren't going to respect the book, Potter, then you are going to loose your privileges. No more potions for you today. Hopefully that will teach you," Snape said, looking at Harry very seriously and placing the book on the dark wood table beside the couch.

Harry sighed and snuggled against Snape and began to suck on his fist.

"So Potter. What do you suggest we do?" Snape asked after a few moments. Harry pointed across the room at the toy box. Snape nodded like this was the best idea of the century.

"Yes, let's play with your toys," he agreed. He went over to the box and got out the little orange car with the big smiling face. "Do you want the car?" he asked. But Harry shook his head. Snape was astounded. He didn't want the car? Who was this child? What had happened to Potter?

"What do you want then?" he asked, feeling put out. Harry pointed into the toy box at a plastic frog. Frogs were good, very suitable ingredients in many potions.

"I approve your choice," Snape told Harry, pulling out the squishy green frog. Harry squeezed it and the frog made a sort of wheezing sound. He squeezed it again and it wheezed again. Well that wasn't suitable? How was that going to teach children?

"Frogs do not wheeze, Potter," Snape said. "They ribbit." He was a bit appalled at the misleading information this frog was giving off. For some reason, Harry's sickness was making Snape irritable too. They played with the wheezing frog (a major disappointment) for a few minutes longer, but if soon lost Harry's attention.

Snape returned Harry to his high chair in the kitchen and made a jelly sandwich for Harry, and a plate of chicken and noodles for himself. He tore the sandwich into little bits and placed the pieces on Harry's high chair tray. Harry normally did a good job of feeding himself when little enough pieces were provided, but Harry didn't touch his food.

"What's wrong?" Snape asked. "Is nothing good enough for you today?" he shook his head. "Maybe you are more like your uppity father than I thought."

He turned away from Harry and began eating, but after a few bites he looked back over at Harry. Harry was looking hopefully at Snape's plate. "Honestly," Snape muttered. "I am only allowing this because you aren't feeling well. You are not going to grow up a spoiled brat."

Snape took Harry from the high chair and placed him on his lap. Then he cut little bites of his own food. He raised the fork to Harry's mouth and Harry opened it eagerly. As soon as he accepted the food though he began to look upset.

"What's wrong now?" Snape said, getting frustrated. Harry had never been this difficult. Harry stuck his tongue out and began to put his fingers on it. "Was it hot?" Snape asked, his tone instantly softening. "Here," Snape put another bite on his fork and blew on it carefully, then gave it to Harry. He was much happier with this bite. He swallowed it and opened his mouth for more. Snape gave him a few more bites, then tried to feed him a piece of the sandwich. Harry ate it but pointed to Snape's plate after swallowing. As it turned out, he ate Severus' whole meal and Snape...well, he hadn't had a sandwich in years and he actually found it more satisfying than he would have thought.