Worst Possible Situation

by Anonymous

Summary:

An unplanned one night stand leads to unforeseen consequences when Severus is left with a son.

Now Lily won’t stop Owling him, Lucius and Narcissa are excited for Draco to have a new cousin (Severus doesn't think it works like that), and his son is avoiding him as much as a three year old can avoid someone.

Chapter 1: Unwelcome Surprise

Severus wasn’t lying when he said this was possibly the worst day of his life. He’d been through hell, but this had to be worse.

He knew they were engaged, they’d been engaged almost immediately after seventh year. This had been planned for almost a year now. He’d had time to get used to it. Severus wasn’t an optimist by any means, but he still told himself it wouldn’t really happen, that something would stop it.

But tonight was the night of Lily’s wedding. He wasn’t invited, not that he really wanted to be there, but it made him feel that much more pathetic. Crying over a woman that had most definitely moved on from him.

Not that they’d ever been a thing. Or ever would have been. Severus wasn’t stupid, people had to be incredibly tolerant to want to be with him. Lily had been the only one that liked his presence, and he’d gone and messed that up. He continuously messed that up, choosing to stay amongst the very group that wanted her dead.

The dark lord hadn’t called him in a while. Severus had been able to relax for a few weeks. He wasn’t sure why exactly he was being blessed with a break, but he figured it was because the dark lord was planning something that only involved his most trusted.

Severus wasn’t there yet. Wasn’t sure he wanted to be there yet or not. Still kind of deciding.

But right now he was in a wizarding pub, drinking his sorrows away. The dark lord was far from his mind tonight.

Was the wedding over? Were they having their reception? Was Potter gliding her around a dance floor in front of all of their friends? The image Severus was conjuring contrasted heavily with the slow, practiced movements of the events Lucius and Narcissa hosted. He chose to stay on the sidelines when he was unable to escape their invitations, never willing to embarrass himself by dancing badly amongst pure bloods that already weren’t fond of him.

He blearily looked down at his mug. He wasn’t sure how much he’d actually drunk, but everything was getting fuzzy. He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion seeping into his bones. Maybe it was time to go home. He was acting ridiculous.

“Is this seat taken?” A low, feminine voice asked. He glanced to his right and shrugged. She sat down next to him, heavy perfume assaulting his nose. She had big, curly red hair, and was covered in freckles. She had heavy makeup on, and was wearing a dress that seemed almost muggle, with how short it was.

She was speaking to him, and he wasn’t really catching anything, but when she leaned in close and grabbed his hand, he let her lead him upstairs. The last thing he remembered was her red curls bouncing in his face as he trailed her.

She wasn’t Lily, she was far from it, but if he paid attention to the color of her hair, and the freckles on her skin, he could look past the rest.

 

—

 

He was satisfied with his decision to be a double agent. Growing more satisfied with it every day.

The dark lord was defeated by Lily’s son, of all people, and Lily was okay.

And James too, he supposed.

He wasn’t sure exactly how it had worked, but he wasn’t curious enough to ask anyone. He didn’t know a single person he really wanted to ask anyway. Not even Albus, who was so insistent on befriending him all of the sudden, who definitely knew what happened. Severus wanted to blend into the shadows forever.

That wasn’t an option, though. He was in Azkaban for the foreseeable future. He’d spent the last week lying on the floor of his cell, thinking of his few happy thoughts, trying to ignore the misery all around him.

Albus said he was working on getting him out, but Severus wasn’t sure how much he trusted that old man. As far as he was concerned, Albus only started liking him when he could give him something.

He wasn’t stupid enough to trust the old man.

“Snape, Severus. Up.” He rolled his head over to look at the guard. A fellow wizard, for once. He was getting used to the rotting faces of the dementors. He groaned as he pushed himself up off of the floor.

He let the guard place a magical boundary on him, then followed the man through a maze of corridors. He could hear the jeering done by the other inmates, but their words didn’t sink into his head. He didn’t respect any of them, not anymore.

He was pushed down onto a stiff cushioned bench and left in a dimly lit room. He’d have looked around if there was anything to look at.

Was he getting out? Had Albus gotten him free? Or was he being moved to a worse section?

Were there worse sections of Azkaban?

Albus walked in, wearing bright yellow robes. Severus couldn’t help but cringe away from the sight.

“Severus, my boy, it looks like it’s time to go home.” Albus smiled at him.

“What all did you tell them?”

“I told them everything they needed to know.”

He stopped himself from asking more questions. He’d be free soon, he wouldn’t need Albus. He could disappear.

He could find the answers to his questions himself.

Did Lily know that he was a double agent?

Would it matter to her?

Who else was getting off light?

 

——

 

Life had almost been normal for the past several months. Severus had been out of Azkaban for nearly a year now, and life was actually peaceful.

He was saving up money selling potions so he could open a larger potions shop eventually. He was fine being alone for the rest of his life.

Slytherin be damned, he didn’t seek greatness anymore. Lucius and Narcissa invited him to events, tried to get him to come and be part of Draco’s life, but Severus weaseled out of those as often as he could.

The peace stopped when Lily owled him. He’d been too desperate, too needy, to throw it away like a man with any sort of sense would have done. He’d practically torn the letter open the second the owl dropped it.

 

Severus , it began. It was a decent sign.

You could have said something. You could have told me you were on our side the whole time.

 

The whole time. Those words ring around in his head.

Did she really think he’d been on the right side the entire time? Did she hope for that?

A small voice told him to take advantage of it, get close to her again, but he was done listening to that voice. He didn’t read the rest of the letter.

---

The second peace disturber came a few months later.

Albus was used to letting himself inside of Severus’s small apartment. Severus was slowly getting used to waking up to see the old man at his tiny coffee table in the mornings.

He was used to it enough that he almost didn’t register the small child standing behind him.

“Albus?” He tensed, looking from the man to the small child, which on closer inspection, seemed to be a little boy, about three years old. Albus sat down at the coffee table, as he had done many times before, and turned to face him directly.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the amount of war orphans?” It wasn’t much of a question. Severus looked back at the kid.

“I’m not adopting some random orphan, Albus.” He snapped. The kid traced the designs in the table with his little finger, avoiding his gaze.

“Oh, that’s not what I was talking about, my boy. See, Tim here, his mother has passed.” Albus patted the little boy’s shoulder. “When the ministry checked for his next closest relative, you popped up as his father.”

Severus stared at the kid.

“I don’t- I’ve never dated! I can’t think of a single-“

“Not a single woman? Never in your life?” Albus sighed. The boy, Tim, rested a chubby cheek on the table.

Severus opened his mouth to protest his innocence, when a memory materialized out of nowhere. Tim had black hair, like him, dark eyes, like him, but he also had freckles and curly hair.

All Severus really remembered from that night was freckles, red curly hair, and perfume.

He closed his mouth.

“He’s a good boy, don’t worry about that. A few months older than Draco. Harry too.” Severus averted his eyes at the mention of Harry. Albus set down a bag that he definitely hadn’t been holding before, and turned to Tim. “Why don’t you go meet your father?”

---

Tim was decently behaved. Didn’t talk when Severus was in a mood, didn’t demand toys or television or whatever else children these days whined for.

He was certainly better behaved than Draco. When Severus brought Tim to meet Lucius and Narcissa, they’d fawned over him. Draco had thrown a fit. It had been a bit amusing, but despite it all, Severus just could not get used to the presence of a child in his home.

Tim’s things, tiny shoes and a few toys, a picture of his mother (who on second glance, looked even less like Lily than Severus had originally thought) were all over the place. Tim couldn’t get dressed by himself, couldn’t cut his food, barely had the sense to clean up his things at the end of the day.

At night, Tim cried for his mother. Severus laid in the bed next to his little cot and stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know a single thing about Tim’s mother, except that she was a redhead and that she was dead. He wasn’t even sure if Tim could comprehend the fact that his mother was dead.

Chapter 2: Day in the Snow with (Unwelcome) Friends

Summary:

Severus quickly finds out that children are not easy to deal with

He’d had Tim for around a month now and it wasn’t feeling any more normal than before. Tim wasn’t really misbehaving, but just his constant presence put Severus on edge. He’d never liked kids, and he could only stand Draco because he rarely saw the boy. He didn’t know Tim that well, and Tim had the awful habit of following him everywhere, even the bathroom.

He couldn’t brew a damn potion without Tim trying to get a peek at the inside of the cauldron, which was what kept happening right now. He had orders that he needed to fill to make some decent money, and Tim just kept bothering him. He just needed a moment alone.

“Quit touching the cauldron. Go play over there.” He ordered. Tim chewed on his sleeve and nodded.

“Okay.” He squeaked. He toddled over to the cabinets and Severus just sighed in frustration. Tim’s favorite thing to do, besides bother him, was opening the cabinets. It was just another bothersome thing that he did without even trying. 

“Leave the cabinets alone! Some of those ingredients are sensitive to light.” He snapped. Tim slammed the cabinet shut and sat down on the tile floor. His pale, freckled face scrunched up in frustration. Severus didn’t have the time to deal with a tantrum. Tim hadn’t really thrown any yet, but he recognized the look on his face just from being around Draco.

Draco really was the whiniest baby in the world. Severus supposed he got a bit lucky with Tim. Not too lucky anymore, now that Tim was smacking the cabinet door in anger.

“Quit that.” Severus warned. Tim didn’t even look at him, still smacking the cabinets. The gentle thump from each hit felt like nails on a chalkboard to Severus.

“I wanna play!” Tim whined, opening the cabinet even though Severus just told him not to do that. He even explained why not to do that. It was like Tim could only listen for a few seconds at most.

Severus was busy stirring, he couldn’t set the stir stick down for another two minutes or else he risked ruining the potion completely. He glared at Tim from his cauldron. Why did people even have kids?

Tim opened more cabinets, something Severus had initially chalked up to pure stupidity, but then retracted when Tim glanced back at him with a mischievous smile.

The little bastard was doing it on purpose. Severus finished his stirring, seething every time he looked at the boy. Surely he himself hadn’t been this awful as a toddler? He distinctly remembered his mother trusting him to help with potions, which was most definitely proof that he’d practically been an angel.

He finished his stirring and stormed over to his little brat, snatching him up to look him in the eyes.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” His nose was almost touching Tim’s, which looked like it would match his in a few years. Tim wiggled in his hold, a sock coming loose from his foot and falling to the floor as he squirmed.

“I wanna play.” Tim pouted. Severus felt a migraine coming on. His head always hurt the most in the cold after the war, and today the entire village was like a winter wonderland outside. Tim gazed longingly at the snow. Severus felt an idea pop into his head.

“Do you want to play outside and let Severus make his potion so we can pay rent and not starve to death?” He gave the boy a smile. Tim smiled right back, kicking excitedly. 

Thank goodness. Severus could almost feel the relief washing over him like a cold shower. He’d have at least a few hours of quiet potion brewing while Tim played in fluffy frozen water. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of this earlier.

He didn’t have any clothes for the boy outside of the clothes he’d brought with him when he’d come, but Severus was a wizard for goodness sake. Tim didn’t need little mittens and boots and a coat.

“C’mere.” Severus muttered, carrying the boy to the countertops of his tiny little kitchen. He set him down and grabbed his wand. Tim kicked faster, bouncing with excitement. Severus cast a quick warming spell, then after a moment’s thought, a tethering ward to keep the boy from wandering too far. “You behave out there, and if the warming spell wears off, which it absolutely shouldn’t, come back inside immediately.” He ordered. Tim squealed and pulled at the doorknob, trying to get out.

Severus pulled him back, opened the door, and pushed him outside. It was about time he had some peace and quiet.

---

Seven potions in the span of two hours. That had to be a record of some sort. Severus cracked his neck and fell backwards onto his bed. He was ready for a decent nap, and maybe a sandwich when he woke up. Something with a good amount of pickles…

He rolled over, curling up on one of his two pillows, and closed his eyes.

He opened them again.

Tim. 

The boy was the clingiest person he’d ever met, and he’d actually managed to stay completely gone for two, almost three when he took a glance at the clock, hours. A pit formed in his gut. If he was tired and hungry, Tim was five times more than that. He pulled on his worn out pair of boots and raced outside without a coat.

Tim was not in his immediate sight. To be fair, his ward was a decent size, he’d wanted Tim to be outside for a while. He was only now realizing just how idiotic of an idea that was. Oh yes Severus, a three year old can definitely play outside alone for several hours. Nothing off about that.

God, he could be so stupid sometimes.

He scrambled down the stairs, tripping on the snow and sliding all the way down to a giant pile of white. He didn’t have time to be humiliated, especially when there wasn’t a soul around in the old village anyway. He sprung up and looked around. 

He could see faint, tiny, footsteps and knew they were the boy’s. He took a few breaths, cast a warming spell, and followed them. He could see small piles of snow where Tim had clearly either fallen down or tried to make something all over the snowy meadow. He could also see that Tim walked in circles half the time, little footsteps in every spot he could see. 

“-Bright little thing, you.” Severus heard from around one of the village buildings. The voice sounded familiar, but not comforting at all. It set him on edge. He ran towards it, stumbling in the snow and clasping his wand with determination. Whoever was talking to that boy would be hexed six ways to Sunday.

He rounded the corner, wand out and ready. Remus Lupin stared back at him. Tim looked up, rosy cheeked and sniffling.

“Sevrus!” He whimpered. He looked a little pink, but not frozen like Severus had worried about. Really, he was more worried about the fact that the kid clearly had no self preservation skills. He was currently holding Lupin’s hand like the man was someone he knew, even if he was crying while doing it.

Lupin stared at them both with clear surprise on his face.

“You know this child, Snape?” He was dressed properly for the winter time, a brown coat and a woolen hat. Lupin had always dressed properly for the season, even when it wasn’t necessary. Severus started to move closer, to take his damn kid back, before a big black dog rounded the other corner and barked at him. Tim started crying louder, covering his eyes with his hands.

Severus went over hsi options. He could just grab Tim and make a break for it, risk getting mauled by the massive mutt Lupin had for some reason, or he could hex the both of them and take the boy without risking injury. As fun as the second option seemed, Severus figured Lupin wouldn’t let the hound kill him without reason.

He snatched Tim away from Lupin and held him in his arms, trying to make it look natural. He picked the boy up often, but not like this.

The dog barked once, then curled in on itself, transforming into a homeless looking man. The man laid for a second, before launching himself at Severus. In the split second before the man made contact, Severus recognized him. He made eye contact with Sirius Black as the man tried to steal his child from him.

“Give me that child you bloody pervert!” Black growled, snatching Tim out of Severus’ hands. Tim was full on wailing at this point, tiny hands reaching out to him. 

“That’s-” Severus started.

“We’re trying to find his fucking mother! Did you kidnap him or something?” Black held Tim under his arm like one would hold a stack of books. Tim flailed helplessly. Lupin watched the scene, useless like always as he took his sweet time thinking.

“Sirius- Sirius wait!” Lupin stood in between them. “Look at him!”

“Yes, like I was trying to tell you morons, that’s my child that you’re kidnapping.” Severus snapped, grabbing hold of Tim’s ankles and pulling him out of Black’s grasp. He held him upside down as he tried to situate him. The second he had him in his arms in a normal way, the boy clung to him.

Black looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. 

“You? Who’d have a baby with you?” Black was almost offended, like the idea of someone thinking Severus was even close to fuckable was blasphemy. Lupin shushed him.

“His son is right there, be normal.” He hissed. It seemed Lupin grew a spine during the war. Severus struggled to balance Tim, before settling him on his nearly nonexistent hip.

“The little bugger can’t be much older than Harry-” Severus tuned out when Harry was mentioned. He was getting sick of hearing about that kid. Savior of the wizarding world, defeater of the dark lord, and the combination of James Potter and Lily, of all people.

The kid was inescapable. 

“Why’s he out alone anyway?” Lupin pulled Severus from his thoughts. It was a pretty good question, but Severus wasn’t about to be criticized by a wet dog.

“He needed to play. He’s got a heating charm and a ward to keep him from wandering too far. The most dangerous thing he came across was you two.” Speaking of, Tim was finally calming down, pulling his face from Severus’ chest to look at Lupin and Black. Lupin looked like he wanted to say something, but Severus steamrolled through. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go blabbing around about him, too. I don’t need my son going through the same gossipy nonsense I went through.” 

---

It hadn’t even been three days when he’d received another owl from Lily. He knew he fucked up expecting those two to not tell everyone they knew about Tim. Besides, of course they’d tell Lily and James. He really shouldn’t have been surprised.

He stared at the letter and sighed. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to read it, not right now. He wanted nothing more than to speak with her, but the last letter still haunted him. He knew she’d want all the details about Tim, but he wasn’t sure she’d be happy with his answers.

How would he explain the fact that he barely knew his own kid? He wasn’t sure if Tim even had a middle name, couldn’t remember his mother’s name, hadn’t even brought him shopping for necessities. There was no way that someone like Lily, who chose to have a kid, would be able to wrap her perfect mind around this situation.

Even if he wanted to read it, he placed it in his bedside drawer. He could reconsider in the morning. Right now, he was still nursing his headache from seeing Black and Lupin (and the subsequent warding of his home. They wouldn’t ever be able to enter. He couldn’t believe he’d never thought to do that). Now, he was getting ready for bed.

Tim had fallen straight asleep in his little cot hours ago right after dinner, tired from his wild day. Severus took a little longer, cleaning up the potions area so he could work again first thing the next morning. Maybe he’d wake up before Tim and have some time to himself.

He slipped his robes off, switching to the matching pajama set Narcissa had gotten for him and Tim to wear. He really hated how comfortable they were. It was humiliating matching with a three year old every night, but he didn’t have the strength to go back to just wearing his underwear every night.

He shut off the dimmed lights and made himself comfortable. 

There was a dip in the bed. Severus opened his eyes to see Tim tunneling under the covers. Maybe if he didn’t say anything, he’d go back to his cot.

“Is the doggy coming back?” Tim whispered (very loudly). Severus sighed.

“No. Black will not be back. I warded the apartment. If he tries to get in, he’ll regret it.” Severus answered. He wanted to ask why Tim was in the bed, but he realized he might be able to answer that himself. “Are you scared of dogs?” He asked.

Tim didn’t respond, curling under the covers like a little cat. He hugged Severus’ arm and closed his eyes.

Severus seriously considered a sticking charm to keep him in his cot, but decided against it. It would cause more trouble than it was worth, anyway. 

Severus couldn’t remember if he’d ever been this clingy. He doubted it. He couldn’t really conjure up a lot from his early childhood, mostly just short memories of his mother letting him put pre-measured ingredients into her potions. That had been the extent of her care, from what he remembered.

Tim’s cold nose dug into the meat of his arm.

The clinginess had to have come from his mother’s side.

Notes:

Tim doesn't call Severus dad (yet), he calls him Severus (or Sevrus since he isn't great with pronunciation), so Severus refers to himself in third person when speaking to Tim. I promise he doesn't talk like that lol

Chapter 3: Playdate With a Spoiled Snot

Summary:

Severus gets a little used to having a kid around, among other things

Tim was getting more difficult by the day without even being aware of it. It was like he was used to Severus by now, and didn’t feel the need to behave any longer. Severus could hardly understand Tim's thought process; he never would have done the things Tim was doing right now when he was a child.

Like right now, Tim was in the bathtub accidentally splashing the water all over Severus while he talked nonstop about anything that entered his tiny little brain. Severus had cast a spell to prevent the worst of it, and still managed to get soaked. He dreaded to think how chaotic bath time would have been if he’d been a muggle. 

He was mostly tuning Tim out, responding with the occasional grunt or nod as he washed him thoroughly; scrubbing behind the ears, detangling his messy curls, rubbing at dirt spots (only to realize after a good thirty seconds of scrubbing that it was freckles). He probably could have used magic for this, no, definitely should have used magic for this, but he knew hardly any domestic charms. He could clean up and get some things cooking, and that was about it. 

It wasn’t like he’d ever thought he’d need them, not when he never planned on having a kid in the first place. 

“Mum says- Mum says freckles are kisses.” Tim said matter-of-factly. Severus blinked back into consciousness. 

“Freckles are spots, that’s all.” What a ridiculous notion, freckles being kisses. Were children without freckles unkissed? What the hell did that even mean? Tim sunk under the mass of bubbles until his nose was just above the water, staring up at Severus with the same sort of solemnity that he'd had since he’d shown up with Dumbledore.

“Mum says freckles are cool!” Tim jumped out of the water suddenly, splashing Severus with bubbles and water. He groaned. He didn’t really give a damn what Tim’s mother had said about his freckles. It sounded like the sort of hubbub a mother would tell her toddler, not the kind of thing Severus should or wanted to play along with.

He scrubbed Tim’s back as Tim talked about his mother. It was better than him crying over her, but it made him a bit uncomfortable. He couldn’t add anything to the conversation, he didn’t know a single thing about the woman, other than the fact that he’d tried to replace Lily with her. 

His face grew hot. He’d never said it explicitly to himself before. He knew, obviously, that she was a poor stand in for Lily, even for the one night they'd known each other, but acknowledging it made him feel pathetic. Like a worm, or some other invertebrate.

Tim shivered as the water dripped off of his body. Severus shook himself out of his trance and picked Tim up, cursing quietly when he realized Tim was slippier than he’d thought. Tim giggled, the way he always did when Severus cursed. Severus hoped Tim wouldn't pick any of it up. If Dumbledore saw Tim cursing, he'd probably laugh. The last thing Severus needed was for that old coot to take joy in his miserable life

He dried Tim off, charmed his clothes on, and set him down.

“Now, Timothy. Severus has some brewing he needs to get done today. You need to be good, understand?” He had his hands on Tim’s shoulders, like Tim would just run off. Tim stuck two of his fingers in his mouth and nodded.

"Nasty habit…" Severus pulled Tim's fingers out of his mouth and sent him off.

Maybe he was better behaved than Severus gave him credit for.

---

“But I wanna go outside!” Tim was on the floor, sobbing. Severus rested his head against the wall, resisting the urge to give himself a concussion.

"After last time? Absolutely not!" He was embarrassed enough about last time. He never should have let the boy outside alone. Still though, Severus really wasn't in the mood to go outside today. All he really wanted to do was lie down.

He glanced back at Tim. Maybe the boy could be encouraged to take a nap?

"Why don't you come lay down with Sev? It'll be relaxing." He bent over Tim, his long black hair curtaining his head. Tim stopped crying long enough to look up at him. Tim's whole face was red and watery, and his black eyes were as shiny as a baby seal's.

Really, if Severus liked children in any capacity, he'd think Tim was cute.

"No! No No No!" Tim started pulling the carpet up, bunching it in his tiny fists as he kicked and yelled.

Where had this attitude come from? Tim was genuinely such a well behaved child, why would he start being rotten now? Severus wondered, if maybe, Tim was simply becoming a bad child because he was his father.

The kid really was being set up for failure, wasn't he?

Severus didn't have the energy for this. He didn't have the knowledge for this, which was something that was difficult to admit.

He had to go to the experts, as humiliating as it was.

---

For someone who already had a toddler, Narcissa was a special level of baby crazy.

"Oh, Sev, I can't see how this sweet little face could cause any trouble!" Narcissa ruffled Tim's dark curls while Draco glared from his spot in the playroom. Because of course Malfoy Manor had a playroom. It really put Severus's shabby one-room flat into perspective with it's over-the-top grandeur.

Tim, of course, was soaking up the attention, rubbing his chubby little cheeks against Narcissa's robes as he hugged her.

"Well, he was. Threw a tantrum when I wouldn't let him play outside by himself." Severus couldn't help but glare a little when Tim glanced back at him with faux innocence.

Narcissa chuckled and brushed Tim off, leading him to the playroom with Draco. She watched him leave, then turned back to Severus.

"Draco does the same thing sometimes. The best thing to do is give him what he wants, unless it's impossible. Money isn't everything, play outside with him." Narcissa said it like it was the first time anyone had ever said something like that.

Maybe money wasn't important to a rich lady who'd been rich her whole life so far, and would be for the rest of it. Money didn't mean anything when you didn't have to work for it. But that wasn't something he could say to her. He liked Narcissa, really, and he didn't want to piss her off today by trying to make her understand that he was hardly making enough to keep the flat running along with feeding himself and his brat. His potions business was still small.

Growing fast, for a business run out of his kitchen, but he wouldn't be seeing a whole lot of profit for a few months at least. He couldn't afford to sit outside and watch Tim run in circles or whatever little kids did.

"I just don't see why he can't quietly entertain himself. That's what I did." That, and helping his mother with her potions. His parents never followed him around watching him, and he turned out fantastic.

Narcissa narrowed her eyes a bit, the way she always did when he said something completely foreign to her.

"Perhaps he needs siblings. I know I always loved playing with my sisters and cousins." Severus tried not to choke on his own spit. More of them?

"Narcissa, I think you may be completely out of your mind." He kept his tone even as he could. Narcissa giggled, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I suppose that's the sort of thing you should save for when you eventually get married. You know, I know a lovely-"

"No touching!" Draco squealed from the playroom. Severus and Narcissa looked in on the toddlers at the same time.

Draco had all of his toys behind him, but was still focused on snatching a stuffed dragon from him. The only toy that wasn't already in his grasp. Tim's face squished together in concentration as he yanked it back. Narcissa looked especially troubled.

"Boys!" She snapped. Neither of them spared a glance at her. She turned back to Severus and sighed. "I guess I forgot about this part of having my siblings and cousins over. It's probably a good thing that we took a break after Draco."

A good thing indeed. Severus couldn't imagine the thought of more spoiled little Dracos.

"People say spoiling children is bad, but I think it teaches them important- Draco stop!" Narcissa rushed into the playroom. Severus sat down on the couch just outside of it.

Perhaps Narcissa wasn't the best to go to for advice.

---

Luckily, the play date with Draco tuckered Tim out. After the third "casual" mention of a woman Narcissa knew who just happened to be single, and the fifth suggestion that he should get a house elf (along with a bigger house), he'd made something up to escape home.

He liked Narcissa. In small doses. And when she wasn't trying to hook him up with random witches. And when she wasn't trying to spoil his son like Draco.

Really, Tim didn't need the strawberry tart she'd given him.

He carried Tim into their flat, grabbing the mail and placing him down in his cot. Tim only resisted a little bit before he rolled over and started snoring softly. Severus looked at the mail.

A bill. Muggle junk mail. Wizard junk mail. A potion order that he put on the counter to work on the next day. Potions weekly.

Severus sat down on his bed to look at that one; it'd been a while since he'd gotten to read one of those. He was still in his day clothes, but he snuggled down into his pillows and opened it.

There were some major breakthroughs with wolfsbane, apparently. Some crackpot was trying to make felix felicis an ingestable tablet. He started flipping through it to find something especially interesting, when he felt a weight on the bed. He sighed and looked at Tim. Tim looked at him with the same black almond eyes.

"Can you read me the story?" He pointed at the magazine.

"It isn't a story." Severus said. Tim looked at it again.

"Uh huh. Read it." Tim crawled over to where he was and curled up next to him, looking at the magazine.

"Fine." He might as well. He was going to read it anyway, and maybe this would make Tim actually fall asleep this time. He cleared his throat before he began.

"Fingelus Storch, disgraced inventor of the currently recalled teeth fizzies, is reportedly working on felix felicis gummies-"

---

True to what Severus had been expecting, Tim fell asleep pretty fast. He'd gotten through the entire article, which Severus had actually been fairly impressed by, before promptly passing out. However, now Severus was trapped underneath him. he could probably move him easily, but he really didn't want to risk waking him up.

Severus had been sure he was exhausted an hour ago, but now he just laid there staring through the window by his bed, at all of the village lights slowly going out, one by one.

It was a peaceful place. Probably a good place to raise a kid, if he really thought about it. Though, the idea of his son being some random village kid sounded ridiculous. Maybe they'd move somewhere more populated when Tim got older. There wasn't anyone close to his age here.

Maybe Tim could make a friend that wasn't Draco. A good friend.

His eyes lowered from the window and landed on a his desk. Lily's letter laid there, unopened.

His breath caught in his throat, and he grabbed it before he could think of a reason not to. His heart felt like it was beating in his stomach and in his ears at the same time as he slowly opened it.

Severus, it began. When had he become Severus and not Sev? He couldn't quite remember.

I'm so happy for you, even if I haven't seen you in a long time. I do miss you, every day. I have for years.

Sirius and Remus told me about your son. When they said he looked like a smaller version of you, I smiled. It makes sense somehow, that your son would be your twin. I would love to see you again, talk about life again, only the two of us.

I would love to meet your son, and maybe have you meet mine, but more importantly, I want to see my Sev again. I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I was when I learned that you weren't truly a follower of Him. It was like a dark cloud passed my heart. Please write back,

-Lily

What could he even say to that?

He already had a quill in his hand, trying to write a response that made sense while avoiding elbowing Tim in the face.

Lily. He could see Lily again.

Lily thought he'd never truly followed the dark lord.

He could lie.

He couldn't lie.

Tim squeezed him, burying his face in Severus's side.

Notes:

Sorry this took forever, I usually work best during the school year.
Ideas and requests are always welcome, I just can't promise that they'll always be used lol

Anyway who would win in a fight, Tim or Draco?

Notes:

For reference, Tim is older than Draco and Harry by like nine months x the next chapters should be less chaotic (writing wise) I just wanted to get the setting correct before I dive into the actual story