Archive of Our Own

Severus Snape felt a strong, sharp pinching pain in his arm and he immediately spun and disapparated.  Somewhere in Ottery St Catchpole, a small rodent companion for a red-haired little boy fainted from pain, and a black dog on a small island in the North Sea began to whine. On the top of Glyder Fawr, a recovering werewolf pressed his hand to his opposite arm and disappeared from the Welsh mountain, startling a mountain goat with the loud ‘pop’. 

Remus Lupin appeared on the edge of an insignificant suburban street and glanced around, unsure of what had prompted the surge of magic in his tattoo.  His tattoo linking him with his old friends hadn’t so much as twinged since the fateful Halloween night six months ago when his friends were killed and the other was sent to Azkaban. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted fluttering black robes and nearly panicked at the sight until the wizard’s profile was caught in a streetlamp and Remus saw the unmistakeable aquiline nose of Severus Snape in profile. 

“Severus,”  Remus hissed.  “What are you doing here?”  Severus whirled towards the person who hissed out his name and was startled to see the werewolf. 

“Lupin.”  Severus took in the tired face of his former classmate.  “I could ask you the same thing.” 

“My – well, I don’t know how to explain, but my tattoo flared and brought me here.  It was connected to the tattoos James, Sirius, and Peter had so I don’t know what‘s going on since James and Peter are dead and Sirius is in Azkaban.”  Severus made a non-committal noise in his throat.

“I have a similar tattoo with Lily.  We got ours the summer after we turned fourteen. We managed to convince the tattoo artist we were short seventeen-year-olds.”  Remus snorted.

“Who do you think gave us the idea?  Though Lils never told us who she was connected to. We assumed it might have been her sister.” Severus snorted at this.

“Tuney?  No chance in hell she would get a magical tattoo.  No, Lily wanted to be connected to me in case my-“ Severus took a deep breath.  He was 22 now and his father was dead.  “She wanted to know when my father hurt me.”  Remus’ eyes went wide.  He had no idea Severus had suffered under abuse from his father.  His heart sunk as he thought about all the terrible things he and his friends had done to Severus in the name of ‘pranking’.  It was no wonder Severus had become a Death Eater. Remus’ pressed a scarred finger to his lips.

“Severus, it might not be the time to say this, but I want to apologize again for what my friends and I put you through-“ Severus held up a potions stained hand.

“Later, Lupin.  We need to figure out why we’re here.  My magic is pulling me towards that house over there,” he pointed at one of the non-descript cookie cutter homes. “What about yours?”

Remus closed his eyes and held out an arm, ending with his finger pointing towards the same house.  A puzzled look came over his face.  “Severus.  If you’re connected to Lily, and I’m connected to James.  Could it be-“

“Harry!” Both men took off towards the perfectly normal house with the perfectly manicured front garden and Severus wasted no time banging on the perfectly white front door.  “PETUNIA EVANS YOU OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!”

The door was opened by a tall, thin woman with light hair and blue eyes.  Her face was drawn and tired, and she had a screaming child masquerading as a marshmallow attached to her hip.  “Who dares to knock on my house at this hour – NO!  GET AWAY FROM ME!” 

Remus looked between Severus and the woman who must be Lily’s older sister with interest.  He knew Lily and Severus had grown up near each other, but he had never stopped to think that it meant that Severus would have been familiar with Lily’s sister whom had been entrusted with Harry’s care after Lily and James’ death.  He studied the child on the woman’s hip.  If that was Harry, he had put on considerable weight since the last time he saw the boy – though he realised it had almost been a year since he had seen his friend’s child so it was possible.  Though the blond hair did cause him to pause as he was certain Harry had the dark, almost black hair of his father.

Petunia went to slam the door in their faces, but Severus threw his foot in the door.  “Tuney, you will let myself and my…associate in or you will live to regret it.” Petunia blanched.

“Can’t do magic in front of people like me. I remember that much.”  Severus smirked.

“Ah, but you know all about magic having a magical sibling and nephew. So I’m free to perform as much magic as I want.  Hmm, perhaps your perfect lawn needs a few weeds?  I could call a few birds to leave droppings on your windows? Or how about I conjure one of those delightful pink flamingo lawn ornaments and attach it with a permanent sticking charm?” 

“You wouldn’t!”

“Try me, Tuney.”  By this point, Remus was having a hard time not laughing at the exchange.  You almost would have thought Petunia Evans was Severus’ older sister and not Lily’s, the way they were acting.  “Tuney, where’s Harry?”  Petunia gave Severus a blank look.

“Harry?”

“Potter. Lily’s boy.  He’s here, and he’s hurt.” Petunia rolled his eyes.

“The boy is fine.”  Severus brushed past her into the home and Remus followed.  The house was decorated tastefully, but it was obvious the family was more interested in impressing visitors than having actual living space.  A quick glance at the photos on the wall and the mantle revealed pictures of Petunia, the marshmallow child, and a large marshmallow man.  But there were no photographs of a small boy with dark hair and green eyes, or of his mother.  Remus suddenly caught a foul stench emanating from the broom cupboard door. He tilted his head as tears sprung to his eyes. His face paled as he touched Severus’ arm and his voice came out as a whisper.

“Severus….it smells like something died in there.”  Severus brandished his wand at Petunia’s face.

“If Lupin opens this door and the child is dead, you will be answering to me.”  Severus held the wand to Petunia, all the while the marshmallow child continued to scream while Remus carefully opened the small cupboard, hoping all he was smelling was a dead rodent and not the child of his best friend.  Remus gasped and his tears finally spilled out of his eyes. 

“Sev-Severus.  It’s- oh god, Severus.  It’s Harry.”  Remus was sobbing as Severus kept his wand aimed at Petunia and moved to join the weeping man at the cupboard door.  Sitting on the floor, on a tiny stained mattress was a very small, dirty, emaciated toddler clad in an equally dirty cloth nappy that was obviously caked in days old dried urine and faeces.  The child appeared to be breathing shallowly but catatonic.

“Good grief woman, don’t you change his nappy or bathe him?”   

Remus let out a low growl and Severus swore.  The full moon had been the night before and Remus would still be feeling it. 

“Lupin. Take the boy upstairs. I’m sure there’s a nursery where you can get him cleaned up while I have a little chat with dear Petunia.”  Remus nodded and reached for the child he considered to be his cub and headed for the stairs, taking notice of how light the child was.  He was so thin, Remus could have counted Harry’s little ribs and could see his collar bone and he bet he would see hip bone sticking out once he removed the nappy. The sight made him ill, but he dropped a kiss on the baby’s dirty head.  Petunia opened her mouth to complain, and Severus turned his wand back on her.

“Did we forget to tell you, Lupin is a werewolf?  Did you know wolves consider children of any one of their pack to be their cub? And Lupin’s pack included the boy’s father and by extension, Lily?  Do you know what wolves do to someone who causes their cubs pain?”  Remus bared his teeth for show despite having normal sized, human teeth as he clomped up the stairs with Harry.  To his shock, there was only one crib in the nursery, and a quick check of the dresser and wardrobe revealed all clothing in a size 3-4, obviously for the larger boy downstairs and nothing to fit the emaciated two-year-old. 

Remus gently laid Harry down on the changing mat and began to talk to him, even though he was still non-responsive. “I know, little cub.  This isn’t going to be pleasant for you.”  Remus conjured some bubbles to entertain Harry as he carefully unpinned the nappy, but Harry didn’t even let out an excited squeal like he had in the past. “Perhaps a bath might be in order for you instead.”  Remus located the bathroom and gently gave the small boy a bath using the expensive lavender scented baby wash he found on the side. He placed several bath toys in the tub for Harry to play with, but the child just stared at them.  Harry didn’t even splash around like he had when he was younger, and Remus wondered when his last bath had been as he washed away what felt like months of grime and he had had to charm the water clean twice and had to re-heat it multiple times.

The worst part was Harry’s bottom.  Remus wasn’t even sure how he wasn’t screaming in pain as his body under the nappy was bright red and he was full of sores on his bottom, front, and in the creases of his legs.  Remus frowned.  He knew there were charms and potions that could be used to resolve the problem, but for now he’d have to use the container of Sudocrem on the changing table.  If he had anything to say, Harry would be leaving with him. Sod the rules against werewolves having children.  Harry needed him.

He carefully shrunk down a fuzzy pair of footie pyjamas he found in the wardrobe to fit Harry, and shrank a few extra pieces of clothing, some nappys, another bottle of the expensive lavender wash, and a package of wipes to put in his pocket before he lifted Harry back into his arms to return downstairs. Remus conjured a baby bottle filled with water for now.  He wasn’t sure what Harry would need, but no doubt Severus would be able to make the child nutrient potions.  Harry, at least, managed to suckle on the bottle, though Remus realised belatedly that the child was two and shouldn’t be using a bottle anymore. 

“Not so fast, little cub.  Don’t want to make you sick.” Harry stared into Remus’ eyes steadily, but surprisingly, he started to suck slower.

Petunia gasped when she saw Remus and Harry.  “Those clothes belong to Dudley!”  Remus glared.

“Considering I couldn’t find anything that was obviously Harry’s, including a proper crib, I improvised.”  He glanced at Severus.  “Let’s go. Harry needs your expertise.” Petunia moved towards the front door as if to barricade it.

“You can’t just take him!” 

“Why?  It’s clear you don’t want to look after your own flesh and blood.”  Petunia looked at the floor.

“What about the-  the money.  Bumbledoor or whatever his name was is paying us.”  Severus raised his eyebrows.  No doubt, the money was coming out of Potter’s own vault, considering the amount of money he would have inherited from his father’s family.  He sneered.

“Of course you only care about money. I’ll be sure to mention it to the muggle authorities then when I call them to report child neglect.” 

“You wouldn’t!”

“Like I said earlier, Tuney.  Try me.”  Severus nodded at Remus.  “Now, we’re going to leave with Harry and you will never have to see him or us ever again.  You will return all monies from the past ten months or there will be consequences. Good-bye, Tuney.” Severus placed his hand on Remus’ elbow and ushered him out of the house.  He didn’t let go until they were several roads away.

“We’ll go to my house. Unless you have a better idea?”  Remus snorted.

“I live in a tent at the top of a mountain in Wales.  Wizarding tent, but it’s still a tent.” 

“That explains the smell.”  Severus hadn’t thought about Remus or how he must be living now that all of his friends were dead or incapacitated.  Somehow, the welfare of an early twenties werewolf had never crossed his mind.  Remus shrugged.

“Mountain goats.” Severus made a face.

“Did you shag one?  No, never mind. I don’t want to know what you get up to on the full moon.  Hold on.  I’ll apparate us.”

Severus brought them to his parent’s former home.  His mother had passed away during his fifth year, and his father a year ago. He didn’t use the house often as his potion’s mastery was underway and he utilized his living and lab space at Hogwarts, but the house would do for now. 

“We can turn my old bed into a cot for Harry.  There might still be baby things of mine in the loft for now.  I suppose I can go shopping for items in the morning.  Do you have any muggle money?”  Remus nodded.

“My last job was a muggle one and they paid in cash.  I have a little left.”  Severus nodded.

“I can check the tin in the kitchen.  Da might not have drank it all away before he died.  The house isn’t much, but we need to regroup and Harry obviously needs medical attention. I think we’d both like to avoid taking him to Saint Mungos.” Remus let out a low growl.

“And Dumbledore.  I don’t understand how he could have left Harry there without checking in on him.”  Severus lead Remus upstairs and into a small bedroom with peeling wallpaper and wand scorch marks on the ceiling.  He glanced back at Remus.

“You were always better at Transfiguration than me.  Pass me Harry.  And I agree.  I don’t know what that old man was thinking! Tuney hated that Lily was a witch.” Remus passed Harry, who had fallen asleep, to Severus and eyed the bed.

“You know, I’m not even sure how to make baby furniture, but it can’t be hard, right?”  He scrunched up his face and soon the metal bedframe had been converted into some semblance of a baby’s cot.  The metal rungs from the headboard and footboard created bars on the side, and while it wasn’t particularly nice to look at, it would work at least until they decided what they were going to do with Harry. 

Severus gently lowered the sleeping toddler and after each man pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead, they both backed out of the room.  Remus ran his hand through his scraggly hair.

“Severus?  Can I use your shower?  Only, I live in a tent.  I can catch the occasional shower at the local baths, but…”  Severus pointed sharply at his bedroom door.

“Through my bedroom. Take your time. You  really do smell like mountain goat.  If you didn’t shag one, did you eat one last night?”  Remus sheepishly shrugged. 

“Dunno.”  Severus shook his head at the other man.

“I’ll get you a pair of pyjama pants and a towel.  Help yourself to whatever toiletries are in there.  I don’t stay here often, but there should at least be soap and shampoo.”  Remus nodded and headed through the bedroom to the ensuite. 

“Thanks.”

Severus knocked before entering the bathroom and laid the items on the sink.  “The pyjamas were Da’s, but they should fit you ok.  I’ll just bung your clothes in the wash.”

“Thanks!”  Remus cheerily called from the shower.  It had been a long time since the man had had a proper shower where he wasn’t time limited. The water felt glorious and Remus even washed his hair twice before he dried off and put on the pyjama pants Severus left him.  He walked barefoot back into Severus’ bedroom and Severus was propped up on his bed.  Severus’ mouth went dry. Remus was surprisingly muscular with a Celtic knot tattoo in a band around his upper arm.  He raised his eyebrows at his guest.

“A nipple ring, Lupin?”  Remus grinned and ran his fingers through his drying hair.  Severus saw that Remus also wore an earring and tried not to think about how sexy he found the other man. 

“Yeah…” 

“Does Black have one too?”  Remus snorted.

“Goodness, no.  He barely survived getting a tattoo. He’d never survive being queer.” Severus opted to ignore the admission and gestured to the knot on his arm.

“Is that the tattoo you share?”  Remus shook his head.

“No. Well, sort of.  I had it covered up with a muggle tattoo…. I thought it might have been defective anyway.  I felt what happened to James, but nothing when Peter died.  I didn’t like having a reminder of Sirius on my arm.”  Severus nodded in understanding.  He hated the dark mark.  It only served to remind him of how stupid he had been.  Remus bounced slightly on the balls of his feet.

“So, if you could direct me to your guest room, I’ll get out of your hair.” 

“Lupin. This is a two up two down.  There’s no guest room.”

“Oh. Well, just if you give me a blanket, I can go sleep on the floor in Harry’s room.  Or on the settee?  It’s bound to be more comfortable than the camping mattress I’ve been using.”  Severus snorted and raised a corner of the duvet he was under.

“Just get in, will you?  Bed’s big enough.”  Remus grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

“Trying to get me in bed?”  Severus covered up his gasp with a snort.

“Hardly.  I just want to get some sleep before Harry wakes up again.”

“Hmm.  I will if you call me Remus.”  Severus rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Remus, please get in bed.”  Remus smiled sweetly at the other man and joined him in bed.  He noted that Severus was clad in a nightshirt instead of pyjamas  and he had surprisingly nice legs, though he wasn’t about to point that out to his new ally.  Severus placed the book he was reading on his bedside table and turned off the lamp – Remus noticed that it was an electric lamp, not oil. 

“Goodnight, Severus.” 

“Night, Lupin.” 

Remus woke in the middle of the night to a warm embrace. Severus had managed to spoon against his back and one of Severus’ hands was lazily playing with his nipple ring while his other had was resting just above his waistband.  Remus let out a  contented sigh and slowly moved his own hand to join Severus’ and pushed Severus’ hand inside his pyjamas. Severus stilled and whispered quietly.

“Lupin?”

“Remus, please. If we’re going to do this, call me Remus.”

“Remus.  I…” Severus trailed off, but helped Remus in pushing down the pants.

“Shh, just touch me.”  

###

They woke up in a tangle of naked legs and arms.  Severus blushed and Remus just grinned and leaned over and pressed a kiss to Severus’ lips.

“What time is it?” Severus rolled over and looked at the old clock he had on the bedside table and seemed shocked. 

“Nine.  And Harry hasn’t stirred. Do you think he’s alright?”  Severus sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed for his nightshirt, tossing his dressing gown to Remus.  “Here, you can borrow this for now.  I assume you’ll go and get your things later?” 

“Er-“ Remus started. 

“What, you expect me to look after a toddler and finish my masteries without help? Besides, aren’t you working on your own masteries?”  Remus nodded.

“I was in Wales doing field research on dark creatures.” Severus rolled his eyes.

“With goats?”

“Well, no, but there were plenty of magical creatures there, too.  Are you inviting me to live with you?”  Remus wiggled his eyebrows.  “I didn’t know last night was that mind blowing.” Severus shot him a disdainful glare.

“Shut up.  Just go get your things after breakfast so I can go to Tesco and OxFam and get what we need for Harry.”  Remus wiggled his eyebrows again and snapped off a quick mock salute.

“Aye, Captain!”  Severus moved across the hall into Harry’s bedroom with Remus’ laughter ringing in his ears. 

Harry was awake, but just sitting up in the crib.  He likely had a full nappy and was hungry, but nothing seemed to upset the child.  Severus reached to take him out of the makeshift crib as Remus wandered into the room with his wand and transfigured the desk into a changing table. 

“Good thinking, Lu-Remus.” 

“I grabbed a few extra nappies and some clothing when I was changing Harry.  Did you empty my pockets before you washed everything?”  Severus nodded and flushed a shade of pink.  One of the items Severus had pulled out of the other man’s pockets had been a box of condoms. He supposed Remus might have a regular sex life, or even a regular partner and he never asked…. “Remus?”

“Yes, Severus?”

“I…ah…I was wondering…” he trailed off and glanced at the child in his arms. “Never mind. It’s not a suitable conversation in front of a two year old.”  Remus ran his fingers through his hair and grinned.

“No, I didn’t have anyone I was planning on using…what you found with. I usually passed them out at the clubs.”  Severus nodded. “Right, I’ll go grab those nappies. Er… I didn’t take any of that cream I put on Harry’s bottom.” 

“There’s some generic salve in the bathroom. Look under the sink. That’ll have to do until I can make something for him. And bring back a wet flannel? I think it might be more gentle than the wipes.” 

“Sure,”  Severus watched Remus exit the room and he jiggled Harry in his arms and managed to wheedle a small smile out of the boy. 

“Now then, Harry, we’ll get you in a clean nappy and then I think I have some eggs in the kitchen.  Do you like scrambled eggs? Or maybe soldiers and boiled eggs?”  Harry was silent.  Severus frowned.  He gently balanced Harry against his hip with one arm and moved his other hand close to Harry’s ears  and snapped his fingers first on one side, then the other.  Harry didn’t flinch.  “Shit.” He raised his voice. “Remus, we might have a problem!”

###

An hour later, Severus was sitting on the settee in his old housemate’s small house with Harry clutched in his arms watching her nine-year-old  daughter climb all over Remus as if he were a climbing frame while her hair cycled through every conceivable colour. 

“Well, then,  Severus Snape.  Never thought I’d be seeing you anytime soon.  How are my dear sisters?”

“Bellatrix is rotting away in a cell and Narcissa, well, she continues to play the part of dutiful wife to Lucius and mother to Draco.”  Andromeda Tonks smirked. 

“Naturally.  And, Remus Lupin, isn’t it?  Weren’t you one of Siri’s mates?”  Remus nodded.

“Yeah. You know, Sirius always said you were his favourite cousin.”  Andromeda pursed her lips.

“Hm. And who’s this?”  she raised her eyebrows.  “The two of you can’t have had a child together. You didn’t even like each other in school.” Andromeda studied the small boy.  He did have hair that could have matched Severus’, but his facial features were all wrong to have been Remus’ child.  Remus chuckled.

“Quite.  This is Harry.” Andromeda gasped.

“Not-“ Severus nodded.

“He is.  Strictly speaking, we aren’t supposed to have him, but we both showed up at Lily’s sister’s house and found him…well, we’d like for you to give him an exam and check him for any signs of abuse beyond a severe case of diaper rash.  And if you could check his hearing?  He doesn’t seem to respond to noises or talking, so I’m not sure if he might have lost his hearing.  Re-Lupin,” Severus said, not wanting to reveal his newly found closeness to Remus to Andromeda, “was the child responsive when he was younger?” 

“Oh, yes.  The last time I saw him with his parents he was babbling away and could say a handful of words -  the usual mummum, dada, and no, along with being able to call me ‘Ree’ and he had names for Sirius and,”  Remus’ voice broke, “Peter.” 

“Right, well, I’ll take him upstairs and give him an exam…do you need any baby things?  I think I still have some things left over from when Nymphadora was a baby.  Severus, the kettle is in the kitchen if you’d like to help yourselves to a cup.”  Her green healer’s robes swirled around her as she took the still quiet child upstairs.  Remus ran his hands through his hair again, and Severus wondered if it was a nervous reaction for the man.

“So…” 

“We might as well make a pot of tea.  It’ll at least be something to do.” 

Andromeda returned twenty minutes later and passed Harry back to Severus.  “There’s good news, and bad news.” Both men raised their eyebrows.

“Give us the bad news first, Andy.”   Andromeda nodded.

“Harry is definitely suffering from malnutrition and shows signs of having had a broken arm that didn’t heal properly.  He will need glasses, probably sooner rather than later, and he is temporarily deaf due to not receiving treatment for a double ear infection.  His lungs are weak as well, I suspect he had pneumonia and his magic must have protected him.” 

“You said temporary?” 

“That’s the good news. St Mungos can fix his hearing problem-“

“Can’t you?”  Remus interrupted.  “Only, it would look a little suspicious if either of us showed up at St Mungos with Harry Potter.”  Andromeda pursed her lips.

“Quite.  We’ll have to put a few glamours on him and I can take him and claim that he’s Ted’s magical nephew from his muggle sibling.  No one would question me.” She eyed the two men carefully. “And then what?  Will you be returning the boy to his family?” 

“No!”  Remus exclaimed.  “I mean,  I don’t think that’s an option.”  

“We thought we might raise the boy. Or at least until a suitable home could be found for him.”  Remus shot Severus an incredulous look.

“Sev-Snape, I thought—”  Severus glared and Remus bit his lip to keep himself from talking.

“I see,”  said Andromeda.  “I didn’t know the two of you were….”  She trailed off as she smoothed down her robes and observed both men turning shades of pink.  “Right, then.  If you could stay here and look after Nymphadora for an hour or so, I can take Harry in.” 

“I think we can handle that. Thank you, Andromeda.”

###

“How are we going to keep this from Dumbledore?”  Remus accepted the offered cup from Severus and settled into the worn settee.  They had returned to Severus’ home a few hours prior with a now hearing Harry, though he still hadn’t said anything to either man and Andromeda said he had remained quiet while he was at the hospital, too.  The men had accepted a trunkful of baby items from Andromeda and after a stop at Tesco and a trip to Wales to retrieve Remus’ belongings, the men were settling down for the evening after bathing and putting Harry to bed.

“I don’t know.  Do we have to tell him?”  Severus sat on the wing backed chair opposite the settee.

“Severus, we basically kidnapped the boy-who-lived!”  Severus grimaced. 

“Kidnap is such a negative word, Remus. We rescued Potter.” 

“Harry.” Severus rolled his eyes.

“Fine. We rescued Harry.”

“Surely Dumbledore had his reason for leaving Harry with Lily’s sister.  Otherwise, why not with a wizarding family? Arthur Weasley has a son around the same age as Harry.  The Longbottoms- well, no, I suspect Augustus wouldn’t want another child to raise.  Even the Malfoys would have been preferred over the way they treated him!”  Severus snorted.

“Even the Malfoys? Remus, you realise I am the godfather to Draco?” 

“No, I wasn’t aware.”

“By the way, who is Harry’s?”  Remus studied his cup.

“Sirius.”  

“Oh.” Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Was their will ever read?  Surely they had one and made provisions in case Black was…”

“Incarcerated?”

“I was going to be polite and say incapacitated.”  Remus sighed.

“I don’t know if one was read or where it might be. I suppose I could contact the law firm I know James’ parents used and ask if there had been one filed.  There’s no use asking Dumbledore or asking at the Ministry.  Maybe the goblins? I know Harry will inherit everything when he’s of age, but they must have made some kind of provisions. Didn’t Petunia say they were being paid?” 

“By Dumbledore.  Though I doubt the money was coming from his own vaults.  He isn’t that altruistic.”  Remus frowned. 

“Maybe we had better see the goblins after all.”  Severus drained his cup and rose from his chair.

“Come, let’s go to bed.”  Remus wiggled his eyebrows.

“Are you inviting me into your bed again?” 

“I cleaned out half the dresser for you, didn’t I?”  Remus smiled as he shook his head.  That was as close to a declaration out of the Slytherin he was likely to get. 

###

When Severus stretched in bed in the morning he heard a tiny giggle coming from downstairs and he couldn’t help but smile.  Giggles were a good start.  The bed next to him was empty, as he assumed Remus must have woken up before him and taken Harry downstairs.  Severus grabbed his dressing gown and wandered down into the kitchen, stifling another yawn.  Harry was strapped into a transfigured high chair, giggling as he smashed a banana around on the tray.

“Coffee?”  Remus offered.

“Yes, please.  What time dd you get up?”  Remus glanced at the clock on the wall.

“Only about a half an hour ago.  I woke up and went to check on Harry and since he was awake, I figured we might as well start breakfast and as you can see, he’s managing to enjoy himself immensely.” 

“And making a mess, I see.”  Severus accepted the coffee and drank deeply.  “Is any of that actually making it into his mouth?” 

“Ah, probably not much.  But I did feed him some porridge and he still has to take that nutrient potion you made up yesterday.” 

“It’s a start.  I have to go to a meeting with my potion’s master today for a progress report. Will you be alright with the boy?”  Remus shrugged.

“Sure.  As long as you can look after him in two days when I have to report to my master.  What stage are you at?” 

“Honestly, most of it is independent study right now. I need to create three new potions and I need to crossbreed at least one plant for use in potions.  Sprout was letting me use a disused greenhouse at Hogwarts and I have access to the potions lab there.”  Severus surveyed his kitchen.  “Suppose I could create a lab in the cellar and add a greenhouse to work at home.  You?” 

“There’s not a lot of hands on lessons for a Defence mastery, though Flitwick is working with me on my duelling skills when I see him.  I see him every other Tuesday afternoon for dualling in addition to our regular Charms meetings unless it was a full moon the night before.  Most of Defence is study and being able to reproduce the spells.  I’ve been focusing on dark creatures because, well….” Remus gave Severus a little smile and gestured to himself. “Takes one to know one and all.”

“You’re ridiculous.”  Severus moved into the living room/study area of his house and grabbed a piece of parchment off the desk that was overflowing with research notes and he enlarged it and affixed it to the wall in the kitchen.  He then created a grid and labelled it with the current month, adding a moon symbol on the next full moon.  “Did you see Flitwick this week?”  Remus nodded and Severus marked the Tuesday two weeks later with ‘Remus – Flitwick’.  He then marked off the dates he had to meet with his two masters and invited Remus to mark his days down. 

“You’ll have to mark me as not available the day after the full moon, too.  I don’t think I’ll be able to lift Harry.  Maybe once he’s toilet trained and he doesn’t require being lifted onto a changing table…..and I guess I’ll need to find a new place to transform or go back to my mountain in Wales.”  Severus pursed his lips.

“What if you get injured?”  Remus shrugged.

“Been managing alright the past year.  Just takes me an extra day or two to get moving sometimes.  Flitwick’ll check on me if I miss a meeting.”  Severus shook his head at his friend.

“That’s unacceptable, Remus.”  Remus raised his eyebrows.

“It’s not like I have any other options.”  Severus just eyed the werewolf.

“Wolfsbane.” Remus snorted.

“Like I could afford that.  I’m lucky I can afford to feed myself most weeks, let alone pay for an expensive potion.” 

“Wizarding Health don’t provide it?”

“It’s not considered an essential medication,”  he said with a shrug.  Severus shook his head and tsked. 

“Well, you live with a potioneer now.  I’ll make it for you. We can probably grow most of the ingredients ourselves to cut costs.” 

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary.  I don’t want to take charity.  How much do you want for rent?  I’ll…I’ll pay my room and board.”  Severus held out his hands in a placating motion.

“It’s not charity. I need my co-parent to be at his best. Harry needs you.  And honestly, you’re sharing my bedroom. As long as you contribute to chores and food, we’re even.  Though…we should probably look for a bigger place.” 

“Tired of sharing your bed with me?”  Remus offered a grin to his….boyfriend?  Partner?  They hadn’t really defined if they had a relationship. Maybe they were just fuck buddies. Remus thought they ought to figure that out, too.

“No, but Harry will need room to run around and play.  If we’re both going to continue our studies, we’ll need some kind of shared study or separate studies…”  Severus tapped his lip.  “Plus a large enough garden for a greenhouse and space for Harry as well as room for my potions lab…and you’ll still need a safe place to transform. No offense to you, but I do not fancy sharing my bedroom with even a tame werewolf.”

“That sounds like it will be expensive.  I told you, I don’t have a lot of money…” Remus trailed off and then suddenly his face lit up in a huge grin. “I have the land I had my tent on.  It’s not a terribly large parcel of land, but if I sell it I should have some money.”  Severus nodded.

“I am not opposed to selling this place, either.” 

“Right, then I suppose we add ‘speak with an estate agent’ to our to-do list. Can you stick another piece of parchment on the wall?”  Severus flicked his wand and a second piece appeared and Remus used his wand to title the page ‘To do’, and then added a few items to the list – ‘see the goblins’, ‘estate agent’, ‘what to do about Dumbledore’.  Severus groaned at the last one.  “Yeah, I know.”

“Well, let’s get the nutrient potion into Harry before I get ready. Why don’t you put a glamour on Harry and meet me at the bank this afternoon?” 

“You know the bank will see though a glamour.”  Severus nodded.

“I’m not concerned about the goblins…but do you really want the public to recognize Harry right now?”  Remus shook his head.

“I take your point.  Shall we say one?”  Severus nodded while he prepared a bottle for Harry with the potion.  Harry was able to drink out of cups, but the potion was just easier coming out of a bottle. 

###

Severus met with his master and mentioned making the Wolfsbane potion and was told if he could improve the potion, it could count as one of his three potions he needed to make.  After, Severus went to speak with Pomona Sprout about moving some of the plants he had in her spare greenhouse into his own and explained to his old professor he had recently become the guardian for a family member’s child and didn’t want to spend so much time away from his home.  Fortunately, Sprout didn’t question who the child was, though if it had been Dumbledore or Minerva McGonagall, he might have had to answer a few things. Severus managed to avoid running into his old headmaster and once he arrived outside the gates, he apparated to Diagon Alley. 

Remus had glamoured Harry’s hair and eyes to match his own and gave him longer hair to cover his forehead.  An old tube of concealer he found in Severus’ bathroom that must have belonged to his mother served to cover Harry’s scar.  As far as anyone was concerned, he and Harry looked like father and son.  Severus felt a small jolt when he saw Remus and Harry.  They could be his partner and child waiting for him.

“Seh!” Harry put his arms out for Severus to take him.  Remus snorted. 

“Eventually, we’ll teach him more than  a single syllable.  How did it go?”  Severus grinned and told Remus about the potion he was tasked with making.  Remus grimaced.

“Guess that makes me your Guinea pig.”

“If you don’t mind?  I can make you the normal potion if you’d rather….” Remus smiled and rested a hand on Severus’ arm.

“I trust you.  Now then, shall we see what the goblin’s have to say?”  Severus tightly nodded. 

As they had suspected, the goblins were able to see through the glamour on Harry, but fortunately, they didn’t mention the child’s name until the three were tucked away in an office.  Clagnort peered at the two men and their charge. 

“And this is Harry Potter, I presume.”  Severus nodded.

“Yes.  He is glamoured only so we could make it through Diagon Alley without drawing attention to him.”  Clagnort nodded. 

“I see, I see.  Mister Harry Potter should have been brought to us when his parents passed.  Why was he not?” 

“I…We don’t know.  We only know bits and pieces and that Albus Dumbledore made the arrangements for Harry.”  Clagnort shuffled through papers on his desk and put on a pair of spectacles to read them better and tapped his long finger on the page. 

“But he has been with you, yes?”  Severus exchanged glances with Remus. 

“Er – No.  Should he have?”  Clagnort nodded and passed the papers to the two men. 

“According to the Potter’s will,  Harry’s guardianship was to be shared between you, Mister Snape, and Mister Sirius Black.  In the event that one or both of you were unable to take charge, guardianship was to pass or be shared with Mister Lupin.  Now tell me, where has Mister Harry Potter been?” 

“With Lily’s siter, Petunia Dursley.”  The goblin banged his fist on the table. 

“The Potters’ will specifically stated that Harry was not to go there. Oh, this is an injustice.  Wait here.”  The two men exchanged looks and Harry wanted to be passed from Severus to Remus while Clagnort left the office and returned, bearing a large ledger book. 

“Now then, it seems that a sum of one thousand Galleons per month has been withdrawn from the Potter vaults and labelled as being for Harry’s care.”  Remus’ eyes bulged out.  One thousand Galleons per month?  That was enough to…well, it was more money that Remus had ever laid eyes on in one go, except for that time Sirius had taken Remus with him down to his family vault.  Severus cleared his throat.

“I believe that money was deposited into a Muggle bank account for Petunia and her husband.  However, it was clear from the conditions Remus – I mean, Mister Lupin – and I found Harry that the money was clearly not being used for his care.  Clagnort snapped his fingers and another goblin hurried into the room. 

“See to it that this money is recovered from the Muggles.  Mister Potter has been under the Muggle’s care for nine months.”  Remus didn’t even know how much money one Galleon was in pounds, let alone what 9,000 would come to.  He almost felt sorry for the Dursleys, but all he had to do was remember the state he found Harry in to not.  Clagnort focussed on the men once more.  “Mister Lupin, Mister Snape, the two of you will gain equal access to a vault where one thousand Galleon’s per month will be deposited for Harry’s needs.  You may use these funds to cover housing expenses, food expenses, medical expenses, clothing, and toys.  You do not need to keep a record of what you spend the money on, but rest assured if we think you are spending it frivolously, we will ask you to account for it."  The men nodded and Remus made a note to purchase a ledger to keep track of their expenses in. “As for the two of you, I would assume neither one of you have received your inheritances?” 

“My….inheritance?”  Severus questioned.  Remus shook his head and added his own comment.

“I received land from my muggle nan. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to pitch a tent on.”  Clagnort shook his head.

“No.  Mister Snape, are you aware you are the last of the Princes?” 

“I knew my mother was disowned for marrying my father.  I haven’t had any contact with any Prince relatives except for Elanor at school until she graduated.  I believe she was a cousin?”

“She is your cousin several times removed. I believe her grandfather was your mother’s uncle.” 

“I see.” Clagnort steepled his fingers.

“You are the Prince Heir.” Severus looked at him in shock.

“I’m the…what?  No.  That’s not possible.  My mother was disowned. I met my grandparents once when I was seven. They yelled at me for breaking a teacup and we never saw them again.” 

“You are the last direct descendant of Lord Prince. Therefore, you are the next Lord Prince.”  Severus shook his head.

“I won’t.  I refuse. They gave me nothing when they were living, I want nothing to do with them even if they’re dead.”  Remus reached out a hand to grasp at Severus’ arm.

“Sev, maybe you should….” Remus trailed off and pointed his head and eyes in Harry’s direction. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Would it give me…us…the stability to provide for Harry?  We need a larger home.  Remus and I were planning on selling our current properties to purchase a larger one.” 

“You will have access to several Prince properties, as well as access to Potter properties as Harry Potter’s guardian.  And you, Mister Lupin,  do have an inheritance from your grandfather you failed to claim.” 

“I do?  My dad never told me…” 

“You do.  Your grandfather has left you a total sum of 50,000 Galleons plus a few investments that have been on average earning around five thousand per year, for a current total of 78,000.”  Remus nearly dropped Harry. 

“Seventy-eight….thousand?”  Remus glanced at Severus.  “I guess we won’t have a problem finding a place to live now.  Seventy-eight….are you sure?”  Clagnort gave him an exasperating look.

“I am sure.” 

“I….wow.” 

“Mister Snape,  I can get for you a listing of all of the Prince holdings if you’d like.  The contents of your mother’s trust vault will be moved to yours, and the Prince main vault contains heirlooms as well as a sum of Galleons.  There are several properties including an empty shop building in Hogsmeade. Several properties are being rented, but if you wished to live at any we could easily have the tenants evicted.  Of course,  the Manor is currently empty save for the house elves….” Severus’s usual stoic face went through a myriad of emotions before he simply settled on stunned. 

“The Manor. I inherited Prince Manor?” 

“You did.”  Severus turned to Remus.

“Remus, how would you like to live in a mansion larger than the Black compound?”  Remus was speechless.

“Well…that sounds….excessive?  For just three people?”  Remus took his free hand and ran it through his hair.  This whole meeting was surreal. Any minute now, Remus was sure he was going to wake up in Severus’ bedroom with the leaking ceiling. “Is this all for real?” 

“Very real, Mister Lupin.” 

“Clagnort, May we have a list of empty Prince and Potter properties to look over to see if anything suits?  And can we make arrangements for my current residence to be sold?  Remus, we should hold onto your land in Wales.  You could build a cabin there for your….well, you know.” 

“Severus, I said I wanted to contribute to the costs of raising Harry….” 

“And you shall.  Just…we already have several properties to pick from so we might as well live in one of those instead of buying something new.  If nothing truly suits, we will go back to our original plan.”  Remus nodded.

“Alright. I can live with that.”  Severus glanced at Remus’ robes.

“Perhaps while we’re in the Ally, you might consider some new clothing? After all, you now have the money to do it with….”  Remus flushed.  He wasn’t used to being ‘rich’. He still wanted to be frugal so the money would last for a long time, but he could probably afford some new clothing…and a new pair of boots. 

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” 

“We have one more thing to discuss, gentlemen.  You both were left items in the Potters’ will. Would you like to know now or return later?” Remus let out a long breath and exchanged a look with Severus.

“In for a sickle….” He muttered.  Louder, he said, “Might as well get everything over with at once.” 

Clagnort cleared his throat.  “Mister Snape, you have been left Lily Potter’s potions notes, the contents of her lab at Potter Hall, an enamel necklace, and the sum of 50,000 Galleons.  Mister Lupin, you have been left James Potter’s auror academy books, his broom, and the sum of 50,000 Galleons with a note to use the money and to purchase yourself at least a new pair of boots.”  Remus snorted. “Shall I have the monies and items transferred into your vaults?”  Both men nodded, though Severus added.

“Could we each have a pouch with 500 Galleons each as well as a pouch with 300 Galleons from Harry’s vault?”

“Five hundred?” Remus interjected.

“You need a new wardrobe. And don’t pretend you don’t want to buy some books. I did attend school with you for seven years.”  Remus grinned. 

“We can give you ever-full pouches instead.  They contain 100 Galleons to start, and if it is emptied, it will refill.  If you wish to make a purchase larger than 100 Galleons, you can charge it to your vaults.”  Remus grinned at Severus.

“Before today, my vault had three Galleons, ten sickles, and a handful of knuts.  Oh, and my grandmother’s music box and my grandfather’s wand.”  Severus snorted.

“My vault had about ten in it, and that was only because I managed to sell a few potions last week.”

“I guess we’re rich now.” 

“I guess.” Remus smirked.

“Look out Malfoys,” he deadpanned. 

###

“We need to find a babysitter for Harry if we’re going to look at properties.” Remus announced at breakfast the following morning.  The men returned to Spinner’s End with shrunken parcels of clothing and books for the three of them, and several large carrier bags of food the evening before.  Harry had barely stayed awake long enough for his dinner and a bath before he was in bed, still in the transfigured crib, and the two men hadn’t been far behind.  Both were completely overwhelmed with the news they had had that day.  Severus accepted the cup of coffee Remus handed him and took a long sip before speaking.

“I suppose you’re right. We can’t drag him all over the country just to go house hunting.  But…who can we trust?  My friends are all former Death Eaters and yours are-“

“Dead.”

“I was going to say former order members, but alright.  So, who can we trust?”  Remus ran his fingers through his hair once more making it stick up.  Severus tried to find it annoying, but it still was rather endearing.

“My…uhm….my parents are still alive.  I just…they don’t….” Remus sighed.  “They don’t really like that I’m gay. They haven’t told me never to come home or anything like that, it’s just…hard for them.  But I think they knew they weren’t getting grandchildren from the time I was seven and was bit.” 

“I see. So showing up with another man and a baby would…”  Remus shrugged.

“I don’t know.  I mean, I would tell them the baby was Harry.  They might assume you’re my boyfriend, though.”  Severus raised his eyebrows.

“Is this a bad thing?”  Remus paused.  What was Severus saying?  Remus moved over to him and kissed his cheek.

“No,  it’s a good thing.”  Severus nodded curtly.

“Then, it’s settled. We will ask your parents to look after Harry while we look at properties.”

###

Remus flooed back to Spinner’s End after picking Harry up at his parents with a promise to his parents that the three of them would come to Sunday dinner. He was puzzled at his parent’s reaction, but for whatever reason, Severus managed to make a good impression on them.  Remus snorted slightly.  He supposed his parents thought Severus was a step up from Sirius.  While he and Siruis had never dated, he was sure his parents thought they had been when Remus moved into Sirius’ apartment after graduation.

“Something amusing?” Severus took Harry from Remus’ arms when he held out his arms to the other man and Remus smiled.

“My parents want us – all of us – to come to Sunday dinner.  I was just thinking my parents probably thought you were a better choice than Sirius.” 

“I thought you said Black wasn’t queer?”  Remus nodded.

“He isn’t. But that wouldn’t have stopped my parents from thinking we were together.”  Remus headed into the kitchen and put the kettle on while Severus got Harry settled into a playpen they had purchased the previous day.  “Want me to cook?”  Remus called from the kitchen.

“Didn’t know you knew how. Thought you just ate raw goats up on the mountain top?”  Remus stood in the entry way to the kitchen and put his hands on his hips.

“Funny. Real funny. Honestly, you show up smelling like dead goat once….”  Severus smirked. 

“But yes, if you wouldn’t mind.  I need to write up some notes. I’ve taken too long away from my potions.  We can discuss the properties after we get Harry to bed.”  Remus nodded and levitated Harry’s playpen into the kitchen so Severus could work in peace. 

After Harry was in bed, the two men settled into two chairs at the kitchen table and spread pieces of parchment out in front of them comparing the various properties. Remus tapped the Hogsmeade property.

“It’s too bad that’s so close to Hogwarts. It would be ideal for you to open a potion’s shop.”  Severus looked up at Remus with surprise.

“How did you know I wanted to open a shop?”  Remus shrugged.

“Seemed like something you would want to do. I doubt you want to go into teaching.” 

“No. What about you?”  Remus sighed.

“Well, Flitwick was hoping I would take over the younger years for him and I thought possibly the NEWT level defence students to make it a full time job, since you know the kind of education we received in Defence.” Severus snorted.

“Not much.  I think I learned more dodging Potter and Black’s wands than I did in that class.”  Remus grimaced.

“I’m sorry about that. I should have done more….”  Severus waved his hand.

“It’s in the past. How do you feel now about teaching at Hogwarts?” 

“Not thrilled, to be honest.  Dumbledore has a lot to answer for.” 

“Indeed.”  Severus shifted through the various papers.  “I still think Prince Manor is the best location for us.  It’s on a large piece of warded property – room for Harry to run, and even for your wolf to run during a full moon.  I know you used to run in the forest.”  Remus smiled. 

“With the others.  They learned how to be animagus for me so I wouldn’t be lonely.  But now…”  Severus reached a hand over and covered Remus’.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you lost your support network in one swoop.”  Remus turned his hand and grasped Severus’ in return.

“Thank you.  But I have you….don’t I?”

“You do.”  Severus released Remus’ hand and stood.  There was a quick flash and standing where Severus was was a black wolf.  Remus gasped.

“Severus?”  The wolf trotted over to Remus and nudged his hand.  Remus sunk his hand into the fur.  “When did….why did…a wolf?”  Severus transformed back.

“After the…incident…I strove to learn everything I could about werewolves and wolves in general and it just…happened.” Remus grinned.

“It’s brilliant.” 

“But, erm…no ridiculous names, alright, Moony?” 

“Hey, you can’t blame that one on me.” 

###

Prince Manor turned out to be an excellent choice as not only were the house and grounds large, but the property had several house elves, including one who had been Severus’ mother’s nursery elf and who quickly took over the care of Harry while the two men both concentrated on their masteries during the day and the little elf even shooed them away in the middle of the night when Harry woke up crying. 

“Master Severus and Master Remus need to be sleeping.  Polly will look after Little Master.”  Remus still wasn’t used to a house elf referring to him as Master and when he questioned it, Polly had replied that she didn’t think Master Remus wanted to be Lady Remus, which had Severus snorting and referring to Remus as the ‘Lady of the household’ for a month. 

Remus soon finished his Charms mastery, but decided against taking up a teaching position at Hogwarts and instead went into private tutoring and began revising a Charms textbook.  Severus completed his mastery and likewise turned down the offer of a job at Hogwarts and used the shop front he now owned in Hogsmeade to open an apothecary. When Harry was seven, he didn’t understand why he couldn’t call Severus and Remus his parents and Severus adopted Harry, but chose the name Harry James Lupin-Prince to acknowledge his other parent. 

In 2001, when Harry was 21, he finally saw his parents married under Dutch law, where the family had moved when Harry was twelve, pulling him out of Hogwarts and transferring him to Beauxbatons.