Chapter Text
Saturday, May 2, 1998
Severus stared at the memories that were softly bubbling inside the headmaster’s pensive, did the boy not understand that he was as good as dead? What good would it be if they both got in? But he saved his breath and sat on the ground accepting his defeat, his throat hurt and he was gushing blood everywhere, staring at the pensive while Potter went around looking for something, he seemed to have found what he wanted in a box that Severus didn’t have the chance o take out of the office yet, a moment later he was back at his side holding a vial of something that he couldn’t get around to analyze. Great Salazar, the boy couldn’t possibly think that Severus would let him use some unknown potion on him. His face must have been very expressive because Potter smiled knowingly at him.
“Sorry, Professor.” The boy said getting on one knee to face him. “I do need you to survive, so let’s just trust that Dumbledore taught me right about this salve and it will really save you if used in time.” He said as he took a good handful of salve, it was shimmery gold and translucent and Severus hated it, the brat started covering his neck, making sure to dab extra on the open wound. To his complete surprise, it did take the pain away as well as numbed the area. “The bleeding stopped.” Potter said and tried to smile at him, restrained and tired.
The boy used some of the leftover salve on some ugly marks on his own arms and wiped the rest of it on his shirt, Severus wanted to berate him about hygiene but he didn’t want to waste energy... and he didn't care, whatever it was, it worked wonders, and Severus couldn't help but be a little angry that Dumbledore saw fit to keep this miraculous salve for himself.
Potter took his arm and helped him up before turning to the pensive, together they faced his memories and with a final nod the boy went in pulling Severus with him and as the saying goes that’s when everything went completely wrong.
Looking back the pain was the most unbearable he ever felt, but it only went on for no more than five seconds and then he was sprawled on the ground looking up at a dirty ceiling with cracks, he faintly registered the soft sniffles coming from his side. This was a memory? He looked at his hands, they were solid and cleaner, or at least not as stained as they were from years and years of constant potion-making. His whole body was aching and cold, and the mark on his arm was burning softly, stopping to think he knew it was 1978 and he was stressed about having to send a paper to his mastery to get it in time while trying to work out a new poison that the Dark Lord asked for. Looking down he stared at the dark mark that was still burning and tried to remember if he had a meeting today.
This was a memory. Today, December 23, he had a meeting with the Dark Lord, yes, he was just back and after Regulus came around to talk and they were going to discuss the decline in his sanity in the Dark Lord, he wanted the brat to understand what Horcruxes were capable of. The brat. The brat that came with him into the pensive.
Looking around he couldn’t find Potter until he concentrated and heard the sniffing again, there on the ground was a baby, a very small and almost purple baby, the umbilical cord still hanging unattended. Before stopping to think about it his instinct to protect little Slytherins came up and he went running to get the baby up, setting a mild heating charm to his robes and bundling the child up. Only after he stopped to think about what he was doing was when he properly looked at the baby.
The child had little marks all over, now that it was not going blue anymore he could see them, but the one that shocked him the most was an angry-looking lightning bolt on its forehead. “Potter?” The child barely opened his eyes but there was no mistaking it, this was a newborn version of Potter.
He ran to the bathroom and stared at the mirror, he was eighteen, he wasn’t seeing the memory, he was living it.
Severus has always been practical, sitting on his sofa with a newborn in his arms he could only face the facts, Potter was an absolute imbecile. Whatever was that salve he used mixed with the pensive magic and now they both were either trapped on a memory reliving it or they were in the past. Knowing the brat’s luck most likely the second, what meant any moment now Regulus would drop by unannounced, in fact, he was late already.
Potter was comfortably nestled in his arms, still bundled in his robes as he had nothing else to cover the child with, he took the time to actually clean the boy with warm water and the softest washcloth he could find and cut his umbilical cord properly fixing it and setting him back on the charmed robe. As he kept the brat alive he noticed that the marks on the soft skin were disappearing, he watched mesmerized as the last one, the scar on the forehead, faded to almost nothing until it was completely gone. Severus needed to get his of it.
He could use the fact that Regulus hadn’t appeared yet to go and send it to an orphanage, but who knew what could happen to the boy. They could change his name or sell him to some couple abroad trying to skip the adoption process. What if he grows bitter and unloved, misunderstood because of his magic, or even abused, no magical child deserved it. And more importantly, Severus couldn't risk it, couldn't risk losing track of the Horcrux inside the boy.
If they really are in the past it was a unique possibility to fix the Dark Lord, he wasn’t leashed by Dumbledore, the prophecy wouldn’t come around before 1980. That gave him plenty of time to restore a little bit of Voldemort’s soul, just enough to convince him not to murder magical babies, maybe change the idea of killing magical children to just an educational reform. Why genocide if they could indoctrinate? It would take time but it would be worth it in the end. For now, he would keep the child around and alive and later he would see what to do.
He rested his eyes for a few seconds, the child was warm and not crying and the phantom pain in his throat and body was better. He would figure it all out in a minute.
Saturday, December 23, 1978
“Severus?” He opened his eyes to see inquisitive grey eyes staring at him, quite judgmentally. “You missed the meeting today, the Dark Lord sent us to find out why.” The blonde looked down at his arms pointedly. “Care to explain?”
Severus stared for a second more. “Lucius,” Well, this was a deviation from the timeline already… Potter notwithstanding. Definitely in the past. “he called? I didn't feel it.”
Lucius becomes exasperated really fast and very obviously, an uncommon sight for a Malfoy. “How could you, when you were caring for a baby? A newborn?”
Severus looked down at Potter who seemed mesmerized by Lucius' blonde hair. “Oh, you mean Potter?” Was the first thing his idle mind came out with before he could think up a lie, not that would work well, at this point he is still learning how to lie to Lucius, and his mind is getting ripped between his eighteen-year-old young behaviour and his thirty-year-old war-hardened mentality.
“Potter?” Regulus exclaimed from behind Lucius coming forth and staring down at the baby. “You got pregnant and didn’t tell me?” He looked genuinely sad, the bastard.
Severus on the other hand had a flashback to ‘that night’ the one that he promised to never think about again. He had obliterated that memory from his mind, but to his eighteen-year-old mind it was still fresh, thankfully he had forgotten all about it after a decade or two. “I was ignoring that day, thank you.”
“How can you ignore it if you have a child now?” Lucius asked, sitting by his side and playing with Potter’s fingers. “How old is he anyway?”
Severus sighed, loudly. This was his life now? Pretending to be Potter’s carrier? “A couple of hours maybe. I didn’t check the time, and I think I fell asleep for a while there.”
“Well, at least you have a valid excuse for our Lord. He was very disappointed by your dismissal.” Lucius was trying to take Potter from his arms now, inconspicuously, Severus raised a brow and just gave him the baby, his arms were tired anyway. “He is so pretty.”
“What’s his name?” Regulus asked from Severus' other side.
“I didn’t plan for that,” Severus answered unabashedly. “I’ve just been calling him Potter.”
Regulus laughed. “That won’t do. He’s a Prince first, he needs a fitting name.”
Lucius nodded along. “Does your family have a tradition? Latin names?”
“Yes, noble names as well, a lot of emperors.” Severus answered.
“That’s easy,” Regulus said. “Sebastian?”
Severus turned his nose, if he was playing Potter up as his son he would at least pick a nice name, a name fitting of a Prince. And what if the boy got his memories? Would he be confused with two sets of memories, two lives? Two names that sounded nothing alike.
Regulus chuckled. “Okay, Dominic? He proposed with a smile.
Lucius laughed, the baby still in his arms, the spoiled thing. “Really, Reggy? 'Belonging to the Lord'.”
Severus also laughed, albeit more softly. “No.”
“Vincent! It’s a strong name.” Lucius said.
It just reminded him of Crabble. “No.”
“Dante?” Regulus let out after a second.
“Absolutely not.”
“Not Cassius?”
“Not indeed.”
“Leo and Maximus are just awful I suppose.”
“You suppose correctly. I’m not naming my son Leo… Nor Serpens.” Severus blinked from where his head had fallen on the back of the sofa, his son, what the bloody hell was he doing? He shook his head and turned to the baby, Harry… fitted him, but not the Prince family, and who knew. His grandfather was still alive, one of his regrets was never going after to meet the man before his death, both of them. If he gave his great-grandson a Prince fitting name, maybe he could sweeten the meeting, and be welcomed into the family. After all, Potter was pureblood, and Harry would be one too, if a first-generation one, way more worthy of being an Heir than Severus. Even if with his Grandfather's death inherited the money and lands he could never touch the titles… and then he would die leaving no heir extinguishing the main family line. “Hadrianus.” He said.
“I like it.” Regulus said smiling. “Adri for short.” Severus snapped to his friend.
“Hadrianus. No nicknames.”
Lucius looked down where Hadrianus was trying to suckle a piece of his hair. “You heard that, Adri? Hadrianus only if dad is around.” Severus rolled his eyes.
“Regulus will be the godfather.” He said.
“That’s hardly fair!” Lucius said. “I invited you to be my child's godfather in your sixth year and that's how you repay me?”
“Oh, it’s going to be great!” Regulus said, completely ignoring the blonde man, with a bright smile. Severus was sure either, both of them would be great. But he didn’t want to cut Harry’s ties to the Black family, different brother, sure, but why change everything completely if he could just as easily maintain a sense of familiarity to the boy.
“If I have another child you will be the godfather.” Severus promised Lucius, trying to placate the man.
“You aren’t going to have another kid.” The blonde answered sulking.
“I didn’t even plan for this one.” Severus said, they all knew the possibility of another child was non-existent.