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"As I said," Dumbledore said, his mustache trembling at Severus's surprised expression "we missed you at lunch." The black clad wizard turned to the source of his voice slowly and found an excited Harry, sitting on the large purple sofa in the headmaster's office, his eyes wide open, waiting to be picked up once again. Severus felt like smiling, and maybe he did too. "Come on Severus, don't leave the poor child waiting!" Albus urged on and Severus obliged him. He stepped closer to Harry and picked him up.
"Hello." Harry said once again, his voice coming muffled from Severus's shoulder.
"Hello to you too Harry." The potions master offered and this time smiled for real.
"You arrived just in time Severus." Albus declared standing up from his desk. "Minerva is showing James and Lily the area that is being set up for Adrian to practice at when he turns seven and I was about to head there too. I would summon a house elf to take care of little Harry here, but you two seem to like each other well enough." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You wouldn't mind watching over him for an hour or two now, would you?"
"I… no, it's alright." Severus mumbled and the Headmaster nodded.
"Lovely. I'll come by to collect him in two hours from now at your office. Until then gentlemen!" He stated, leaving a surprised professor of potions and a happy two and a half year old boy behind him. As he descended the stairs to meet with the rest of the Potters, his eyes twinkled with mischief at how Severus had just saved him a trip to the dungeons. The plan had been to leave Harry to his care from the start, but he didn't have to know that.
"It's just the two of us again Harry." Severus said to the little child as they looked at each other. "Would you like me to show you around a bit?" Taking Harry's laughter as a yes, he left the office, with the boy in his arms. "This was the Headmaster's office." He said as he climbed down the stairs carefully. "His name is Albus Dumbledore. He's weird." Harry laughed again. The two of them moved around the floors for a while. Harry was completely excited about the whole castle, or at least seemed to be, as he never stopped smiling, giggling and staring around him with awe.
"Hello professor Snape." One of the resident specters greeted them. "And hello to you too little one. Albus left the baby in your charge I see? Well move on then!" And he went through a wall. Severus just shook his head. Ghosts.
"That was the Friar, the ghost of Hufflepuff. The school is filled with spectres."
"'pectres." Harry agreed causing Severus to chuckle.
"Yes, Harry. The castle is filled with specters and portraits; they're everywhere." And to prove his point, he walked to the grand staircase. "This is called the grand staircase Harry; it allows us access to every floor of the castle. And look." He said and pointed to the walls. "All the walls are covered with paintings." Harry nodded and they started descending to wards the dungeons.
Severus couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to the child. In the beginning he thought that he felt that way because two year olds don't judge. But then Harry would giggle, or look at him with those big green eyes of his and he would realize that he felt comfortable, oddly enough, because he was talking to Harry. Not James Potter's son; just Harry.
"These Harry are the dungeons. I work here mostly. My classroom is here too; I'm a potions teacher." Severus explained.
"Potions?" Harry asked confused.
"Why yes Harry; potions." Severus said with a smile. "Come on, let me show you." And he walked towards his office hastily. He approached his desk where he had left a just brewed Skele-grow potion for the infirmary. "This is a potion." He said pointing the vial to the boy. "I made that for madam Pomfrey. She's our medi-witch." Harry stared at the vial for a while and then looked around the room in wonder. His gaze stood at a portrait Severus had hanging on his wall. It was the only one in the room and was, surprisingly, empty.
"Powtrait." Harry stated pointing at the dark blue canvas that was framed on the wall.
"Exactly Harry." Severus said as he looked at the painting himself. "Do you know why I picked that specific painting?" He asked as Harry looked at him with wide green eyes. "I was at the attic of my mother's house. I inherited it a few moths ago you know." He explained. "I was at the attic and looking at her various possessions that had been stored there by her relatives when my eye caught that painting. It was obvious that it's an enchanted portrait. The thing is, nobody knows whose. I even asked Dumbledore, but he couldn't call the person who was supposed to be depicted forward. It's a mystery that painting. It's an empty canvas where there was supposed to be a person." He looked at Harry and smiled sadly. "It reminded me of myself. So I kept it." Harry yawned.
"Sleepy." He stated, his eyes barely staying open. Severus chuckled.
"So I see." He sat down at his couch softly, and rearranged Harry in his arms so he would be more comfortable. "You know Harry, I have no idea why I just told you all that." Harry's eyes turned at him confused, as he looked at him under thick eyelashes. "It's not like you can understand so I really can't understand why I bothered either." He said with a chuckle. Harry's head fell to the side on Severus's shoulder suddenly, the boy having drifted asleep.
"Night, Sev." He whispered before fainting out completely, making the young professor smile.
"Maybe that's why I bothered." He offered and watched the boy sleep for a while. "Do you know about the Houses of the school?" He asked a sleeping Harry softly. "I guess you don't. There are four of them…" And he went on talking to the slumbering child as the minutes ticked away, lulling Harry deeper into sleep. And as he was absorbed by the two year old in his arms, he never noticed a pair of midnight blue eyes watching the two of them from a normally empty canvas. Neither did he notice the fond smile that adorned the face of the mystery person of the portrait that had finally made its appearance. By the time Albus Dumbledore knocked on the door of Severus's office to collect Harry as promised causing Severus to lift his eyes from the boy, the person of the painting had once again disappeared.
And as the potions' master was wondering when would be the next time he would see the little boy, not really daring to hope it would be any time in the near future, he had no way to hear that person answering his unasked question.
HI GUYS IF YOU WANT READ 100+ CHAPTERS THEN VISIT
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