jharad17 - Whelp

"Oh?"

"Yeah, well, he watches a lot, doesn't he, before he'll enter into a game or even take food from the table, like he's checking to make sure he's doing the right thing or that he'll be accepted. And the looks he gets sometimes . . . Ron snuck up behind him once when we were playing outside, and tickled him, and I thought he was going to faint dead away, he looked so scared."

Severus nodded. "Thank you for helping out with him this week. We both owe you a debt."

Charlie grinned. "No way, sir. I liked being here, and Harry's a lot of fun to be around, even for a little kid. He even introduced me proper to Hagrid, and we had the best chats about dragons. I mean, Harry's shy and stuff, but he's a really good kid."

"He is indeed," Severus agreed, and was gladdened again that Molly had brought the boy with her.

Once the Weasleys had gone home, there were only a few days left before term started. Severus was all nerves, and found himself being rather more short with Harry than he would have liked. To try and mitigate any trouble, he pressed Nelli, Bitti and Fran into taking the boy almost around the clock, while he dealt with his pre-teaching jitteriness on his own.

After two days of this, however, Nelli alerted him to the fact that he couldn't just abandon Harry to the care of House-elves without facing repercussions.

Harry was distraught at not being able to spend time with his father, she reported, though the words Nelli used were, "Master Harry's sobbing bad now, Master Snape. He's crying that youse don't want him no more."

"Show me," Severus said, and Nelli brought him to a little used bathroom on the second floor. The bathroom's wooden cubicles were worn and ill-maintained, and even the stone sinks were pitted and chipped. Harry was tucked under one of the sinks in the row under a cracked mirror, scrunched into a tiny ball, his thin frame shaking silently.

Severus crouched beside him, but did not touch the boy, as he knew doing so was likely to frighten Harry more than comfort him, at least at first. "Harry," he said gently. "Please come out from under there."

The boy's shoulders tightened when Severus said his name, but he didn't look up. Into his arms he mumbled something that Severus couldn't catch.

"Harry," he said again, with a pained expression. "I don't speak Mumbelese. You'll have to tell me again in English."

"'M'sorry," Harry said, but only a little louder, lifting his head from his arms and swiping his tears away with his forearm. "'M'sorry, Father."

"What are you doing under there?"

Harry bit his lip and avoided looking at him. "Stayin' outta the way. Don't wanna be noose ants."

Severus frowned, and then understood. He'd used the word last evening, when he'd been trying desperately to finish up the lesson plans he had to turn in to Dumbledore this morning, while Harry had been chattering on about his most recent visit with Hagrid. "If you'd quit being such a nuisance," he'd snapped, "I could get this done and then we could have a proper talk."

Harry had been quiet after that, and he should have realized the boy was being too quiet. He hadn't spoken at all at breakfast today, for instance.

"I'm the one who's sorry, Harry," he said now. " You are not a nuisance. I was busy last night, and annoyed, and rather than ask you politely to come back later, when I was finished, I was rude."

"'S'okay," Harry said, still looking away. He rubbed his arm over his face again. "I shouldn't'a bothered you."

"Oh, my child." Severus reached out hesitantly and smoothed a hand over his son's back. Harry flinched a little, but did not jerk away, and finally looked up, his green eyes still wet with tears. "I've been under some stress lately, but it's not your fault, not at all. Come out from under there, please."

With a little more coaxing, Harry came into his arms, and Severus promised to make time every day for just the two of them, even when he was very, very busy. Remembering something that Molly had told him about honesty and directness, he said, "This is new to both of us, you know." Harry, still holding himself very still, risk a glance a glance at his face and Severus smiled faintly. "I've never had a son before, Harry. It's rather an adjustment."

Another glance, brow furrowed in confusion. "I have to get used to it," Severus clarified, and Harry's frown smoothed out as he nodded, just a little. "Don't ever think I don't want you," Severus told him, and kissed the boy's fine, dark hair. "You're my son. Always."

At last, Harry seemed to relax enough to be hugged and his tears abated. A moment later, he'd squirmed around so he could snake his arms around Severus' neck and hug him back. "Forever?" the boy whispered in his ear.

"Forever," Severus agreed.

FINIS

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A/N: ZOMG, looka here! Whelp is a finished story! This tale, of Harry and Snape becoming a family and starting to figure out how to get along together, is now complete. I will begin a sequel soon, honest, that will start up with the first days of Severus teaching school and Harry getting used to students, etc.; I just have to think of a title.

Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed through out Whelp's development! Celebratory double dutch chocolate mocchachinos for everyone!