The Harry Potter Parent Alternative

Chapter 3 - part 7

Severus headed over to the ice cream truck and bought them all one final ice cream to enjoy on the sand before they headed home for tea. He could tell Harry and Dudley were quite tired from their long day of fun and excitement. The three of them finished their ice creams, then headed back to the abandoned alleyway to apparate home.

Once they arrived back home, Severus magically removed the sand from them all, making a mental note to give them a quick dunk in the sink when he changed their nappies before bed to ensure they were thoroughly clean. He took their individual toys to their individual playpens and prepared a light dinner for the three of them, consisting of half a sausage for Harry and Dudley (a full one for himself) and a small amount of beans. Whilst he did this, Harry and Dudley were in their playpens, having been magically dressed by Severus into their pyjamas (bear ones for Harry; dog ones for Dudley). Dudley was stacking some blocks and noisily knocking them down, whilst Harry was watching Severus intently.

When the table was set, they all ate their dinners calmly, before heading to bed. Harry and Dudley slept almost immediately, and so did Severus, with a slight smile upon his face.

Midway through the night, Severus was awoken to the sound of crying coming from Harry and Dudley's bedroom. He waited a few minutes to see if the problem would go away on its own, but, to his dismay, it persisted, and only grew louder.

Sighing, he got out of bed and went into their room. Dudley was, remarkably, still asleep, but Harry was crying, clearly trying to be quiet, and obviously mortified he'd woken Severus, as his cries grew louder and louder as Severus came closer and closer.

Severus went over to his crib and scooped him up gently, making comforting 'shhh' noises as he did so. As he lifted him up, Severus could tell that he had a full nappy. He quickly changed it with magic, and as he went to put Harry down, he muttered his first word: 'dada'.