Regretting You?

Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world, is the green-eyed boy with a mop of black hair supporting his now muscular frame and round glasses to complete his appearance. Orphaned as a baby, he is brought up by his aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, maltreated by them, and tormented by their obnoxious son, Dudley. Neglected and disdained, Harry grows up to be a timid boy unsure of his abilities. His sudden fame as a wizard at Hogwarts comes not just as a total contrast to his earlier forgotten misery, but as a fate that we feel is very much deserved after his youthful suffering. Yet even after he becomes famous, Harry never lost his modesty and humility. After suffering from a horrible childhood, Harry always wished to provide his next generation with the love, he didn't have a chance on. He was happy to be classified as a guardian at the end of his seventh year, which gave him a sense of satisfaction at the thought of being able to have a chance of providing a happy childhood to one of the littles out there, but hadn't found a little yet, and was eagerly looking around for one.

It had been three years since the day Harry was able to put an end to the regime of Voldemort and survive through the second wizarding war. After the war, Harry has accepted the position of the new DADA teacher at the young age of twenty. He had initially planned on becoming an Auror, but his perspective changed with time. He had had enough of Voldemort and his death eaters. He decided to adopt teaching as a career, as his defense club in his fourth year proved to be a great success. Not only that, after Voldemort's dismissal, Harry had given it a lot of thought, and he found out how much he enjoyed teaching rather than tailing death-eaters. He decided to teach DADA at Hogwarts and dive into his passion for defense spreading his knowledge around.

HARRY

Finally, the day has ended, and I could get some rest from my hectic schedule. I walked out of my DADA classroom, locking it behind me as I made my way down to my chambers. Though my classroom had direct access to my chambers, I preferred to walk as it helped me with my stiff body. I stretched my arms above my head, continuing my track to my personal quarters, lost in my own thoughts.

My musings came to an end as a loud wail echoed thought out the almost empty corridor. A child? At Hogwarts? There were a lot of questions running inside my head, but I started tracking the source of the wails before my brain could comprehend and ponder over my messed-up thoughts. I walked further down the corridor, following the echoes till I came across a small child, not more than one, bawling his eyes out. I crossed the distance, looking around for something, anything that could give me a clue to trace the actual guardian of the small child who hadn't noticed me yet.

Kneeling beside the child, I studied him over, racking my mind for the possibilities of who this child might be because as far as I knew there were no littles currently residing in Hogwarts. Putting a full stop to my running thoughts, I bought my attention back to the still sobbing child who had his fists jammed against his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. I felt a fuzzy feeling run through my body as my guardian instincts kicked in, I stretched my hand rubbing the child's back, careful not to startle him.

Kohl black eyes stared back at me as the child lowered his fists to study me. There was a spark of understanding and trust cross those black orbs as he stretched his arms towards me, in a universal gesture to be picked up, and I obliged, happily picking up the child.

The boy was dressed in a black onesie with black flip-flops and had shoulder-length black hair. He appeared to be a small replica of Professor Snape. Black eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and all-black clothes. I shook my head to clear out my silly thoughts, bringing my attention back to the child. What's with me today? Daydreaming.

"Who are you?" I questioned, not really expecting an answer, lightly bouncing him in my arms. The child did not answer. He simply laid his head on my shoulder as if wanting comfort. I held the child close as the tears slowed, and there were only slight hiccups. Thousands of unanswered questions were storming in my head as I carried the child down to my rooms, but I didn't ponder over them and pushed them at the very back of my head, at least for the time being, till I sort out who this child was and what guardians were irresponsible enough to leave their child in the middle of a deserted corridor.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked soothingly, talking to myself rather than the boy who was content sucking his thumb. "Let's get you cleaned up and see where you belong." Taking another look around, checking if someone was searching for their child. Seeing not a single soul around, I continued my trek to my chambers.

The child was happily sucking onto his thumb, looking around my chambers curiously. I smiled at the look of amusement on his face as he glanced around with sparkling eyes. My quarters weren't one of those fancy ones, others preferred. They were comfortably laid out with a living room combined with a kitchen and a small dining area, all furnished with handmade furniture. A set of bedrooms and a guestroom, all with attached facilities. A nursery and an office which was attached to my classroom completed the look of my quarters. I liked them the way they were, as they had a distinctly homey feel to them.

I got comfortable in the armchair in front of the fireplace, sitting the child on my lap. I pushed the child back to get a good look at him. He squirmed when he was taken away from the warm embrace, but didn't cry. I was quick to conjure a warm flannel to wipe the dried tear streaks off the soft cheeks as the child was still busy getting to know his surroundings.

A slight pop from the kitchenette halted my actions as I banished the dirty cloth away. It was like a house-elf popping in. I got up confused, carrying the child to the kitchen wanting to know the cause of the sudden visit only to discover a bottle of warm milk sitting on the counter with no one around, guess I wasn't quick enough. I shrugged it off as the child squealed looking at the treat, reaching out for it.

The movement was so sudden that I almost dropped him, and my daydreaming didn't help a bit. Once I got a good hold of the child again, I reached for the bottle. The boy was quick to get a hold of it, putting it in his mouth, sucking away happily. I smiled at how cute he looked; his eyes glistened with pleasure as he devoured his treat as I took my seat back in the armchair I vacated before.

Once the bottle was finished, I sat the child up and started rubbing and softly patting his back to release any trapped air. A small burp escaped his soft, plump lips after a few seconds.
"Feeling better?" I asked, smiling, wanting to make the child as comfortable as possible.

I was rewarded with a huge smile. I felt a warm feeling spread throughout my body, seeing the child smile. It seemed to lighten the child's face. He looked very cute, smiling, small dimples decorating his chubby cheeks.

"Well," I said, "now, we must figure out your name."
"Ev," The child responded.
I looked down at the child, not able to comprehend what the boy wanted to say. "Ev," I repeated.
The child shook his head adamantly. Soft strains of hair whipping across his face. "Ev." He repeated, a small frown appearing on his face as he concentrated hard.
I laughed at the expression on his face. He looked like a small, angry puppy. Concentrating on the task on hand, I furrowed my brows, trying to decipher what the child meant to say.
"Sev?" I came to a conclusion after much thought. "Ya," Sev nodded, clapping his small hands together, a delighted look overtaking his features.

Satisfied that I now knew the child's name, I transfigured different items in the sitting room into toys and stuff to entertain the child. I sat Sev on the floor, who walked, well waddled, over to the toys and started playing, oblivious to me watching him. I was so entranced by the child playing that I soon found myself joining in without giving it a second thought.

We played for a while until there was another pop on the small table. I looked over to find food sitting there. I didn't recall calling for supper but didn't give it much thought. Gathering the child in my arms, I sat at the table for dinner. I was thankful to the house elves for slicing up the food on Sev's plate, making it easy for the child to eat. But my happiness was short-lived. I could have thought twice before letting such a small child have dinner all by himself.

After dinner, I took Sev to the bathroom to bathe him. There was so much food on Sev's clothes that I was doubtful if he got any of it in his stomach. Undressing the child carefully I rubbed the body wash on a loofah, lathering his body with soap before rising it up. I gave the child a hair wash, careful not to let any soap get into his eyes.

I wrapped the child in a soft towel, setting him down on my bed, before coming out to the living room to find cleaning supplies, along with a diaper and a new set of clothes, on the table. I made a note to thank the house-elves in the morning for their help. Getting back into my bedroom, I removed the safety charm I placed on my bed, dressing up the child and drying his hair. I didn't want him to catch a cold.

Getting Sev settled in bed, I went to the sitting room and straightened up. I went to take a shower and went to bed myself. I had never felt so tired in my life, but strangely enough, I felt content and complete? I didn't know.

The following day, I woke up to my usual routine. I got dressed, ordered some coffee from the house-elves, and read my copy of the Daily Prophet before going to the Great Hall for breakfast.

I finished my coffee, casting a Tempus Charm, and saw that I still had an hour before breakfast was served, so decided to check on my lesson plan for this morning and get the graded scrolls in my satchel.

When I looked at my desk, I was shocked to see that nothing was done. My brow furrowed, trying to think what kept me so occupied to forget about my work.
Why the fuck aren't these lesson plans and grading finished? I cursed myself. What the hell happened last night? No matter how hard I tried to recall last night's events, nothing came to me. It was like a blank space in my memory. I sat down behind my desk, pushing my thoughts aside, promising to ponder over them once I was well ahead of my work and had time for myself. I quickly put together a pop-up quiz for today's classes. It would be a review day, and tonight, I would hunker down and get the grading finished.

There were no toys scattered across the floor. There was no crib with a small toddler sleeping in his room, not that he noticed. It was just a usual morning for him. Not everyone was having a usual morning. Down in the dungeons, a particular Potions' professor was worrying about what happened last night. Severus nervously paced back and forth in his sitting room. He was distraught.

Severus Snape, the potion's master of Hogwarts, hero of the war was able to survive Nagini's attack due to the antidote he created beforehand, intercepting Voldemort's intention before he was summoned to the shrieking shack. He survived the war and had resumed teaching potions at Hogwarts, as that was the safest place given his classification.

SEVERUS

I remembered everything that happened last night. In my final year of Hogwarts, I, like every other student that reached their seventh year, had to be classified. I was classified as a Little with simulating circumstances. I could function as an adult as long as I had a few hours a day in my little headspace. If things got too overwhelming for me, I would change into a toddler. Only a few people knew about my classification, namely: Minerva, Poppy, and Albus. They weren't Guardians classified to take care of Littles, but they knew my situation and helped me as much as possible, and I was very grateful to them.

I was distraught after Albus' death. He was the closest thing to father I ever had. Keeping a straight face on the outside, I became the headmaster of Hogwarts for a short while, beating myself up every day for the evil deeds I volunteered. Little did I know of the surprise Albus left behind for me.

I wanted to keep my classification a secret because if anyone found out about me being a little, they wouldn't hesitate to use it against me. If anyone encountered Little me, they would not remember having seen me or taken care of me the very next day. I would be back in my chambers in the dungeons. Those days I didn't understand it and thought of it as Albus' plan to keep me safe. He indeed was the mastermind behind Hogwarts's protection. He, himself, had a chat with the castle using an ancient spell, convincing her to take me under her shelter and protect me till my last breath. The house-elf being closely connected to the castle's magic would get notified whenever they needed to step in.

We found out about all this in one of Albus' memory which he had given me a few days before his death, informing me that I would be able to view it once I would accomplish the task of killing him on Draco's behalf.

I had many people take care of little me in the past years, but this time it was different. I felt a connection when Harry picked me up. Harry soothed me, fed me, and played with me. Harry made me feel so special. Deep down, I knew that Harry was my Guardian, but after so many years of being alone and so many times of being rejected, I wasn't ready for yet another one.

I knew I should be happy about it, but my heart ached at the possibility of Harry's rejection.

"Why would he want to be burdened with me?" I pondered, pacing the length of my living room. "I could ask him. Why would he agree? I bullied him for six years, for Merlin's sake. What's the worst that could happen? Harry would dismiss me."

That alone made my throat burn, and tears pool my eyes. Even if I anticipated it to happen, it didn't make it any less painful.

The flames flared green, and Poppy walked out of the fireplace. When she saw me close to tears, she rushed over to me, put her arms around my waist, walked me to the sofa, and sat with me, holding me until I calmed down. Another part of my protection was provided by Poppy and Minerva. They had placed a charm on me to notify them every time I needed them. They were always there to stand by me whenever the situation aroused, no matter the time or place.

She comforted me without any words. I appreciated how everyone loved me and valued my privacy at the same time.

HARRY

I was sitting at the head table, eating, when Draco sat beside me, nodding his greeting. I was still thinking about the past few days. I have been having temporary amnesia. I wouldn't remember a specific part of my day. It never came back to me, no matter how hard I tried to recall.

The blonde Slytherin has grown up into a handsome young man with a sharp jawline and a well-built physique. and has taken over Transfiguration after Professor McGonagall.

"Everything all right?" Draco asked, filling his plate.
"Yeah," I said dismissively. "Why?" I asked, looking at Draco, not knowing the reason behind the concerned look he was giving me.
"You just seemed off," Draco shrugged.

After the war, Draco and I had become great friends. There was no more rivalry between the two of us. We agreed that the past didn't matter. We would only live in the present and look forward to the future.

No one noticed that the Potions Professor was sitting at breakfast that morning.

Two weeks passed, and I was starting to get worried. Several things were now disturbing my routine, it was havoc, things I had no explanation for. First, my relationship with Snape was changing. It was no longer just a working relationship. I was feeling protective towards the man. It was odd; the man was almost twenty years older than me. To top up with that, there were chunks of my day which I couldn't remember. At first, I had dismissed the issue, believing it would soon go away. But now, it was happening more frequently. The weekend was fast approaching again. I felt I needed to talk to someone, and Draco was my only option.

The next day, I fire-called Draco to my chambers.

"You do know," Draco said, yawning, "It's Saturday. We are allowed to sleep in."
Draco sat down at the small table. There was a tea service waiting, so Draco helped himself.

"I need to talk to you," I said in a whisper, no doubt a stressed look overtaking my features.

"Har, you all, right?" Draco asked concerned.

"I don't know, Dray," I responded honestly, sitting down at the small table across from Draco. "Something is wrong. I'm starting to forget chunks of days."

"What do you mean?" Draco questioned.

"It's not all the time," I started. "But when it happens, it's like some days I don't know what I did from the end of classes to the next morning."

"That's weird."

"I know," I said, putting my head in my cupped hands. "And there's something else."

"What?"

"I'm having these weird feelings for Snape," I confessed, lowering my hands, waiting for his reaction. "I'm drawn towards Snape. I'm noticing that I like seeing him more and more each day." I continued when I received none.

"What?" Draco exclaimed. "I thought you were in a relationship with Pansy."

"I am," I exclaimed, not liking the tone of his voice. All this was taking a toll on me.

I sighed, feeling bad for shouting at him. "Sorry. I'm not talking about romantic feelings for Snape. Just protective."

"Well, that's out of my area of expertise," Draco said, putting his cup down. "I mean, it could be something with the fact that you are a Guardian."

"I thought of that," I said. "But Snape isn't a little, so I shouldn't be having these feelings."

"I don't know," Draco said. "As far as you losing chunks of days is concerned, maybe you should go see Madam poppy."

"Yeah," I responded softly.

Draco got up and left through the floo, leaving me to my messed-up thoughts.

Two days later, Draco and I decided to meet at Three Broomsticks for a couple of drinks. When I was leaving my classroom, again, I saw a small toddler sitting in my entryway. The boy was sitting in a puddle of wet. I picked up the toddler. It felt like some kind of floodgates opened in my mind. Several memories flashed in front of my eyes. I closed his eyes, shaking my head to clear it out, before looking towards the small boy.

"Sev," I asked. "What happened?"

I was relieved that Sev wasn't crying. I took the toddler back to the classroom. There were supplies I needed to change Sev's diapers. After putting a clean diaper on Sev, I picked him up and headed towards my chambers. My attention was on Sev that I didn't know the Headmistress was walking towards us. I didn't even see the surprised look on McGonagall's face as she walked towards us.

"Mr. Potter."

Will Harry be able to accept Severus after he discovers the truth??

Italics= Third POV