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Late evening sunlight bathed the small kitchen in gold. It was cramped, but well organized and Severus certainly wasn’t going to turn his nose up at it.
“I’ve never made beef bo—” Lupin stammered. “Bovingyon?” He squinted and pursed his lips as he flicked through the tattered and stained Julia Child recipe book. “I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of it?”
“Boeuf bourguignon,” Severus corrected. He lit the stove top burner and set a large yellow Dutch oven atop. “Not beef, it’s French.”
“So is the name Lupin, but I don’t hear you pronouncing it correctly,” Lupin said before raising an eyebrow at the recipe. “Did it have to be this? It couldn’t have been, I don’t know, tomato soup?” He asked, turning and watching as Severus stepped around the small kitchen, collecting the ingredients.
“No.” Severus said.
He felt Harry had chosen a fine dish, albeit one he’d clearly known nothing about nor could he pronounce. It would certainly last them a while. Severus was particularly pleased that it was close to a stew as he felt he’d have a better chance of success. Stews were similar to potions.
Lupin sighed and tapped the book as he leaned against the counter. “Where’d Harry even find this book? Molly didn’t slip it into your bag, did she?”
“Certainly not.” Severus said. He grimaced at the thought of Molly Weasley so much as looking at his bag. He wasn’t sure where Harry had found it, just that he’d turned up with it an hour or so after Severus had sent him off to work on his summer homework.
The book was half the size of him. He’d shown Severus the page he’d marked and asked with big green eyes how complicated it’d be to make.
It was very complicated, as it would turn out, but Severus was up for the challenge.
He flipped between three pages and tried to memorize the plethora of ingredients. He wondered whether Harry would want to help with some of it, but he wasn’t entirely sure how much motor control he had.
He also wanted to know what Black had done with the boy. They’d both promised to return after Harry had finished a chapter each in Charms and Transfiguration, but neither had appeared in the last half hour.
Severus sniffed and opened the package of beef as Lupin began cutting vegetables.
Harry burst into the kitchen, red faced and panting as he slid and tripped over the wooden floor. He ducked neatly between Severus and the oven as he hid himself in the folds of his black robes.
Severus dropped his knife and looked down. Worry rushed through him as he made sure Harry hadn’t managed to hurt himself, but he seemed fine. He ran a hand through Harry’s soft hair and tried to remind himself that he would likely tell Severus if he’d been hurt.
“Harry!” Lupin turned and eyed him concernedly, his mouth dropped open to speak again, but Harry shook his head wildly.
Harry brought a finger to his lips. “Shush!” He hissed. “Sirius is trying to find me and he’s won twice now!” He said, craning his neck and peeking around the kitchen. “I think he’s cheating and turning into Padfoot, but I haven’t caught him in the act yet.”
“Ah,” Lupin whispered and nodded sagely as he turned back to his work. “That wouldn’t surprise me, he was never a fair player that way.”
A door shut loudly down the hall and Black’s curious face appeared in the doorway. He tiptoed quietly along the wall before stepping into the kitchen.
“Not to be, erm, odd,” Black began in a hushed tone as he looked under mixing bowls and opened cupboard doors. “But have either of you seen Harry?” He threw open the cupboard beneath the sink with a flourish, but slumped when he realized it was empty. “I haven’t lost him if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“That makes me more worried. Did you lose him?” Severus asked. The stove top clicked as he lowered the heat. “It’s a small house Black, there aren’t many rooms.”
“Well, he’s a small kid.” Black answered.
“Come now, Sirius.” Lupin said. “He’s not that small. He’s certainly not small enough to fit into one of those mixing bowls.” He added, pointing at the bowls.
“Ahh,” Black waved his finger. “You underestimate a marauder’s skill in hiding!” He twisted and looked beneath a sugar dish and inside the kettle.
“I think I’m overestimating a marauder at the moment, actually.” Lupin said, raising an eyebrow and leaning against the island. “I’m sure he’s not in here, the kitchen is too crowded as it is.”
“That’s exactly what someone who knew where he was would say, Moony!” Black gasped and jumped forward, grabbing a hold of Lupin’s worn robes and shaking them out.
Lupin huffed and pulled his robes from Black’s grip.
“Bollocks,” Black frowned. “No small children fell out.”
Harry smothered a laugh and Severus subtly dropped a hand over his messy hair. While he would never admit out loud that Black had any redeeming qualities, he was willing to concede that the man was fairly good at entertaining. He made Harry laugh at any rate.
That laughter made Severus feel better.
“Ahh,” Black’s voice rose high and he spoke in mockery of a posh accent. He folded his hands behind his back and sidled along the stove top. “Of course, clever is the young Potter who hides where I will most certainly never be allowed.” His grey eyes widened and he blinked innocently at Severus.
“Need something?” Severus asked as he picked up a salt shaker. He could feel Harry inching around to his left.
“Yes, actually, he goes by the name Harry,” Black said. He held his hand below his hip. “About yay big with black hair. I have the strangest feeling you may have seen him, you see,” He added with an air of importance. “We are playing a highly educational game, one I think that even you’d approve of.”
Severus hummed in agreement. “And this game, I’m sure it has some way for the one hiding to win?”
“Oh yes, excellent question.” Black nodded. “You see, once the hider is found it descends into a game of tag with Harry’s bed as a safe base.”
“It certainly sounds educational.” Severus said sardonically as he stepped next to the island, blocking Black’s access to the doorway.
He flicked his robe upwards and Harry shrieked a laugh as he tore out of the room. He slid on the wooden floor again as he tried to run into the bedroom and his small feet struggled against the runner in the hallway.
“Cheating!” Black shouted as he rounded Lupin and chased after his godson. “That is blatant cheating—”
Black’s voice echoed from the bedroom, but it mixed with Harry’s laughter and any semblance of understandable English became indiscernible. Severus hoped Black would remember that Harry was too small to roughhouse with, though Harry might disagree.
“You know,” Lupin began as he turned back to his vegetables. “If things had been different, I think Sirius would’ve made a good nanny.”
Severus blinked and hummed an undecided note. He wouldn’t have said Black was responsible enough to watch anyone, including himself. Black had shown some maturity recently, but it wasn’t enough for Severus to feel as if Harry was completely safe with him.
Black appeared in the doorway again, bouncing on his heels as Harry gasped in laughter atop his shoulders.
“I’d like to inform you both that the Hide-and-Seek champion remains, Sirius Black,” Black grinned and bowed lowly, nearly tipping Harry off of his shoulders. “No need to hold your applause.”
Severus stepped forward and caught Harry before he fell. He breathed a bit better when his thin fingers curled around the fabric at Severus’s shoulder. Lupin and Black chattered happily as Severus double checked that Black’s game truly hadn’t given Harry any accidental bruises or cuts. He looked to be in good condition.
Perhaps Lupin hadn’t been entirely wrong about Black, though Severus wasn’t sure he’d be willing to leave Harry alone with Black for too long.
“Sirius caught me before I even got in the room.” Harry smiled widely up at Severus as he was set onto the counter top.
Severus couldn’t help but feel that smile had him wrapped around Harry’s little finger. He wondered how he’d managed to ignore how sweet Harry was before.
‘Spite,’ his mind supplied quietly.
“He’s much faster than he looks.” Harry said, curious as Severus turned back to his cooking.
“Well, he does have far longer legs.” Severus nodded.
Harry stretched his own legs out and looked confusedly at them. Severus supposed it was disorienting to have had longer legs before, but to now have much smaller ones.
The oil popped in the Dutch oven and Lupin tossed in several cloves of garlic.
“Would you like to help cook?” Severus asked when Harry peeked curiously at the ingredients. He worried that Petunia might’ve made cooking into a horrible task, but Harry didn’t seem nervous or displeased.
He remained watchful just in case.
They managed to complete the boeuf bourguignon, eat and finish several more chapters of Harry’s homework before finally settling into the sitting room. Black managed to stay awake for nearly an hour before he’d nodded off and Lupin hummed a quick goodbye as he stepped out to grab a few spare items from the corner store.
If he were honest, Severus would say that he didn’t mind being around Black when he was asleep. He was quiet and unobtrusive. He snored, but Severus could always cast a muffling charm on him. Every once in a while he debated throwing things into Black’s open mouth, but Lupin had always managed to appear whenever the thought struck him.
He was beginning to wonder if Lupin had some charm on Black.
A charm like that would need to be very precise. If Lupin had invented one, Severus would have to find a clever way to get him to discuss it.
The room was significantly quieter without Lupin and Black’s chatter, and it seemed to be shaping up to be a very enjoyable and peaceful evening. Severus certainly hoped it would be. Harry needed more sleep than he realized and Severus had recently discovered that earlier bedtimes produced far less cranky children. Despite Harry being fifteen mentally, when it hit a certain hour, he transformed into an overtired child who couldn’t be reasoned with.
It must’ve been biological. All manner of things became upsetting to him, from itchy clothes to loud breathing. Harry would claim they weren’t annoying and he’d sit as still and quiet as he could, likely fearful of being sent away, but Severus was unable to tolerate Harry’s attempts to placate him or anyone else.
It was startlingly painful to realize no one had taught Harry that it was alright to go to sleep when he was tired, nor had anyone promised to still be there in the morning when he woke up.
They’d work on it.
Severus had begun paging through a potions journal when Harry appeared after finishing his bath. It wasn’t very late yet, though Severus wasn’t interested in pushing it.
He watched as Harry wandered into the sitting room and flipped idly through the books on the coffee table.
They both flinched when Black snorted in his sleep, and sank a little heavier into the couch. Harry looked as if he wanted to inch closer and wake him up, but thought better of it. Instead he reached up and tried to pat down his damp hair as it dripped on him.
Severus crooked a finger at him, and Harry came closer.
“What are you reading?” Harry asked, stretching on his tip-toes to peer at the book.
“Pettle’s Potions,” Severus said as he flicked his wand over Harry’s hair, drying it on the spot. He couldn’t keep the small smile from curling across his lips as his hair sprung wild in every direction. “It’s informative, though the author has a tendency to add puns to their patents.”
Harry blinked up at him and then at the journal, seeming to consider his options and worries. “I like puns, can I read it with you?” He asked finally, his fingers curling around the fabric of his t-shirt.
“Of course.” Severus said, happy that Harry asked. He could easily imagine the internal struggle and fear of his request being denied, but the more Harry saw his needs met, the more he’d realize what appropriate adult behaviour looked like. It didn’t much matter if he was six or fifteen, Severus was desperate that Harry see his wants and needs as valued and important.
He sat forward and tugged a knit blanket out from underneath Black and wrapped it around Harry as he helped him climb up into his lap.
Harry settled comfortably against his chest and sighed as Severus leant back.
Severus couldn’t keep from threading his hand softly through Harry’s hair. He wondered if this was how Lily had felt about her son. He hoped so. She had loved him tremendously, though Severus hadn’t been able to see it at the time. He hoped that she could see now that Harry was being taken care of properly.
Harry was safe, content and warm. If he fell asleep, Severus would continue to hold him until it was truly too late to be awake.
“What’s that one?” Harry asked, pointing to pale green tincture.
“Leaf Me Alone,” Severus read. “Named for the abundance of banana leaves present in its recipe, this tincture will provide the imbiber with six to eight hours of uninterrupted solo time,” He flipped the page over and scanned the description. “Side effects include a craving for bananas and the occasional urge to make whale calls.”
“Whale calls?” Harry tilted upwards and stared confusedly at Severus.
“Indeed.” Severus said.
“Whale how about that.” Harry smiled and turned the page.