Helping And Loving [√]

9

Severus sat on the couch, trying to soothe Skye, who had been crying for the past three hours. Severus had fed him, changed him, and done everything he could have thought of, but Skye continued to fuss.

An hour later, Skye fell asleep, and Severus brought him to the crib and placed him down. Just as he did, a chime sounded through the house, alerting him that somebody was at the door. Moving quickly, he opened the door, freezing in shock, when he saw who was standing there.

Lucius Malfoy and Tom Riddle stood on his doorstep, glaring at him. "W-what are you doing here?" He asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Well, we could ask you the same thing. You have been skipping meetings. You were supposed to come for summer, and you didn't, and you didn't come for yule," Lucius said as he pushed past Severus and into the house.

"I was busy," Severus said, wrapping his arms around himself.

"Busy with what? You have been ignoring us for almost nine months now, Severus." Tom snapped, "You avoided our letters and visits throughout the summer and haven't attended any meetings. So, please tell us what have you been so busy with that you can't take a minute to write a letter saying you're fucking alive. Do you know how worried we have been?" He asked, and Severus sighed as he sat down on the couch.

"It's hard to explain," Severus said, running his hand through his hair.

"Well, make it simple. Do you know how upset Draco has been? You avoided him at school, you didn't come to his birthday party, and Yule is in three days, and you haven't shown up," Lucius added, and Severus felt guilty.

"I do miss Draco. I didn't mean to make him feel bad," Severus said. "It's just been hard for me lately," he said. Tom opened his mouth to say something just as a loud cry came down the hall.

All three of them looked at each other. Tom and Lucius quickly took off down the hall, with Severus following them. They entered Skye's room, seeing the tiny baby sitting up and gripping the crib bars as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The two men froze at the door as Severus moved past them and picked up Skye, trying to get him to settle down again. He sat in the rocking chair and gently started to rock, hoping it would settle him.

"Where is Alexander?" Lucius asked, and Severus froze. "He left you, didn't he? That bastard, I'm going to kill him," He snapped.

"He is your brother, Lucius; you can't kill him," Tom said, placing a hand on the shoulder of the blonde.

Sighing, Lucius exited the room and returned a few minutes later, drying his hands. He went over to Severus and took Skye from him. He held the baby gently before placing a finger to his lips and opening his mouth. "He's teething," He said before he pulled out his wand and conjured a teething ring; casting a cooling charm on it, he placed it in Skye's mouth. "There, that should do it. I cast a spell to keep it cool, so it should be fine; don't freeze it, or it will be too hard for his gums," Lucius said as Skye stopped crying and chewed the toy.

Groaning, Severus slouched in his chair. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, and the two looked at him. "I know you warned me about him, and I didn't listen. I didn't come to you because I was ashamed, and I thought you probably wouldn't want to help me after I had been so stubborn and had not listened to anything you guys said. I just figured you wouldn't help me," he said, not looking at them.

Walking over, Tom slapped him on the back of the head. "You are an idiot; of course, we would have helped you; that's what friends do," The red-eyed man said.

"Pa," Skye suddenly said, and Severus looked over at where Lucius was busy cuddling Skye.

"What is Pa?" Lucius asked, and Severus shrugged.

"Don't know, he just recently started asking for 'Pa,'" Severus said as a tapping came at the window.

Looking up, Severus took a deep breath as he saw the snowy white owl at his window. Walking over, he opened the window and took the letter and small package the owl held. He looked at the package, enlarged it, and opened it. Looking inside, he saw a small stuffed lion. Huffing, Severus went over to Lucius and handed the toy to Skye, who took it but stared at it with wide eyes.

"Who is that from?" Tom asked as Severus shoved the unopened letter into his pocket.

"No one," He said, and Lucius raised a brow. "It's no one, I swear," He said.

"If you say so, anyways, let's go," Lucius said, walking away.

"Go, go where?" Severus asked.

"My Manor, You are spending Yule. I need to spend time with my nephew, and you need rest. You look like you got trampled by a dragon herd," Lucius said, and Severus knew he was speaking the truth. He was exhausted, and he needed rest.

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Word count: 850

Published: August 12, 2024, 12 pm 

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