Fixing the Future

6 years old:

January 1966

As soon as they got home, Hadrian gave Severus a quick tour of the cottage and then helped the boy unpack his things in his new room which was right across the hall from Hadrian’s. Once they were done, Hadrian smiled at his new ward.

“We need to go to Gringotts so that I can officially become your guardian, and I was thinking afterwards we could go shopping to get you some better clothes, maybe some books or toys if you’d like. Does that sound okay to you?”

Severus hid behind his hair and quietly replied, “You don’t have to get me anything.”

“Nonsense. I am to be your guardian, so it is my job to make sure you are provided for, and I think I will rather enjoy doing so.”

The little boy peeked out from his hair warily but nodded in agreement. Hadrian smiled at Severus once more and led him out of the cottage. Like he had in Cokeworth, Hadrian asked to pick the six-year-old up for apparition and, upon getting an agreement, took the boy into his arms – trying to ignore how small and skinny the boy felt in his arms, knowing he had probably looked worse at that age and that it would soon be fixed with regular meals – and took them to Diagon Alley. Once there, Hadrian set Severus back down and watched the look of awe on the child’s face at the sight of the Alley. He smiled, remembering his first time coming to Diagon with Hagrid; it had been like a dream after believing magic wasn’t real. Severus knew magic was real, due to his mother, but had probably never seen any display of his own accidental magic. Hadrian was glad that Diagon was a source of wonder for Severus as it had been for him.

Hadrian’s thoughts were cut off when he saw Severus face change from awe to nervousness. Silently thanking Merlin that the boy was young enough that he hadn’t perfected the art of hiding his emotions yet, Hadrian looked up to figure out what had made Severus’s mood change. That’s when he realized that Diagon was more crowded than he anticipated. No doubt the boy was to get lost in the crowd. Hadrian considered his options for a second before turning back to Severus.

“Severus?” Hadrian waited until the boy looked up at him, “Would you mind if I carried you through the Alley? It is more crowded than I had anticipated, and I would feel more comfortable if I could be assured that you won’t get lost.”

Hadrian waited patiently as the little boy considered him warily, knowing it would take time before Severus would completely trust him. After a moment, Severus cautiously agreed. Hadrian smiled and picked him back up before heading towards Gringotts. The boy was tense in his arms at first, but relaxed as they walked, taking in the shop displays around him.

When they reached Gringotts, the young man reluctantly set Severus back down on the ground, not wanting to break the boy’s trust or make him uncomfortable by carrying him inside. He was surprised when a little hand hesitantly slipped into his, but when he looked down, Severus was avoiding looking at him by reading the warning on the front of Gringotts. Hadrian smiled softly, happy that Severus was already becoming more comfortable with him, even if only hesitantly.

***

Hadrian exited Gringotts with Severus an hour later, happy to officially be the boy’s guardian. Ironclaw had been obviously – at least to Hadrian – surprised at his request to file guardianship but easily helped them fill out the paperwork so that they wouldn’t have to go to the ministry. Severus had shyly hidden behind his hair, keeping close to Hadrian the entire visit, but was polite to the goblins, which seemed to have endeared him to Ironclaw, going by the way the somewhat softer, though no less same straight-forward and respectful, tone the goblin spoke to Severus.

Hadrian was pulled out of his thoughts by a hesitant voice next to him, “Hadrian?”

Looking down, he saw Severus blush and hesitantly hold up his hands in the universal sign to be picked up. Hadrian smiled reassuringly at Severus and gave in to the silent request. When he settled the little boy on his hip, Severus’s blush darkened, and he hid behind his hair in clear embarrassment at his desire to be held.

Hadrian’s heart warmed at the adorable picture Severus made and rubbed soothing circles into the boy’s back as he began walking away from Gringotts. If he hadn’t already begun to become fond of his new charge in the short time he had known him, he definitely was now.

“Alright, Severus. We only have a few shops I would like to take you to, but I figure we might as well get the boring stuff out of the way first. Sound good?”

Severus nodded, peeking out from behind his hair to see where they were headed. Hadrian took them to Madam Malkin’s, setting Severus down once more after they had entered. Madam Malkin emerged from the back to greet them and the woman ushered Severus to the measuring area after Hadrian informed her that he would need a full wardrobe. While she worked, she and Hadrian discussed the types and clothes and colors wanted, Hadrian making sure to get Severus’s opinion as well. It took a bit of prompting, but Hadrian was able to get Severus to tell him his preferred colors – black, unsurprisingly, though he did also ask for blues and greens as well. In the end, Hadrian paid for a full wardrobe of mostly casual but a few formal clothes and robes, all with added sizing charms for when the boy grew. Most of the purchase would be delivered to their home by the end of the week, save for a few outfits which Hadrian shrunk and pocketed.

When the two exited, Hadrian immediately pulled Severus into his arms and began making his way to a children’s toy store, making the boy blush lightly, though not as dark as before. Severus remained silent even as he leaned into Hadrian. However, the young man could feel the tension in Severus’s small body. It confused him because Severus clearly felt comfortable in Hadrian’s arms, going by the way the boy relaxed into him. Concerned, he decided he was going to keep a closer eye on Severus’s reactions in the hopes that he would be able to find the cause of Severus’s stress. As soon as they walked in to the store, Hadrian once again set Severus down.

“Alright, Severus, you can look through here as much as you want. If you see anything you like, I would like you to tell me. If you don’t, that’s alright too. I remember you said you like to read so we are going to go to the bookstore after this, okay?”

Severus blinked at him, shocked, “But… You already bought so much for me already.”

It finally dawned on Hadrian why the little boy had become tense. Severus had just been bought an entire wardrobe of new clothes. For a little boy who had only known poverty, that was unimaginable, let alone getting even more on top of it. Hadrian immediately crouched down so that he was eye-level with Severus.

“Severus, do you remember what I told you before we left Cokeworth?”

The little boy frowned cutely, “You promised that you wouldn’t ever hurt me and that you’d protect me like you told my mother you would.”

Hadrian nodded, “Yes, I did, and it’s a promise I intend to keep. But I also told you that you would never have to worry about money again. That includes letting me decide how much I buy for you, okay?”

“But I don’t need that much. I don’t want to make you poor.”

Hadrian chuckled softly shaking his head at the concept. He gently took Severus hands in his own, “Severus, I want you to understand something, okay? There is no way that buying things for you is going to make me poor. I have more money than I know what to do with due to my ancestors, so money is never going to be an issue for us. Therefore, nothing will stop me from buying things for you. You may not need much, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve things that will make you happy. I want to get you those thing, no matter what they are, so you let me worry about anything else, okay?”

The little boy looked at him with wide eyes for a second. After a moment, he nodded, causing Hadrian to smile and stand, “Alright, let’s go find you something you like then, yes?”

The boy hesitated for a second longer, but before Hadrian could worry, Severus slipped his hand into Hadrian’s once more, and slowly began to walk through the store. Hadrian smiled, delighted once again at the small amount of physical affection that Severus was showing. He patiently followed Severus through the store, watching the boy’s face to make sure he wasn’t dismissing something he truly wanted. They had made their way through three-quarters of the store when Severus paused before moving on. Hadrian looked at the shelf and saw a stuffed black cat; he internally smiled, knowing Severus was probably embarrassed for wanting a soft toy. He began trying to figure out how he could convince Severus there was no reason to be embarrassed for wanting the toy when the boy stopped in front of another shelf. He was staring at a beginner’s potions kit that looked to make simple and non-dangerous color changing potions. Hadrian was amused at how early Severus’s passion for potions was showing and wondered how long it would take the boy to perfect the potions in the kit and get bored.

The six-year-old turned to Hadrian with eyes mixed with doubt, hope, and nervousness. Hadrian smiled reassuringly and picked up the potions kit, causing the little boy to light up. He motioned Severus to continue with the rest of the store and the little boy proceeded through the remaining aisles before immediately turning towards the register. Hadrian laughed and they made their way over. While Severus was watching the worker bag the potions kit, Hadrian wordlessly and wandlessly summoned the stuffed cat with his free hand. Once it was in his hand, he showed the cashier without letting Severus see it, and the young woman smiled and nodded before giving him a total. Hadrian put the toy into his pocket after shrinking it and pulled out the necessary galleons. Hadrian shrunk Severus’s potions kit and put it in his pocket.

Despite Severus’s excitement for his newest – and probably first – toy, Hadrian saw how the boy’s energy was flagging and so decided to ask, “Severus, do you still want to go to the bookstore? Or do you want to go home?”

The little boy thought about it for a second, “Can we come back another time?”

“Of course.”

Severus nodded, “Home, please.”

Hadrian smiled and exited the shop with the boy. He picked him up once more but was slightly shocked when Severus laid his head on his shoulder, hand loosely gripping the front of Hadrian’s shirt. The nineteen-year-old smiled fondly and rubbed the boy’s back soothingly. By the time Hadrian made it to the apparition point, Severus had dozed off. He smiled at the adorable picture the little boy made and apparated them home. After the long and emotional day, Hadrian wasn’t surprised the boy had fallen asleep, so he took Severus to his room to let the boy sleep. He gently laid the boy down after pulling the blankets back and then pulled out the soft toy, unshrunk it, and placed it in the sleeping boy’s arms. Hadrian tucked the boy in and couldn’t resist brushing the soft hair out of Severus’s face before placing a gentle kiss on the boy’s head. He then quietly left the room, leaving the door cracked so he would be able to hear Severus. Hadrian smiled and thought today had been a pretty good first day for the two of them.

February & March 1966

Severus had been with Hadrian for just over a week when the young man decided it was time to hire the boy with a tutor. Up until then, Hadrian had been helping the boy with some basic magical theory, math, and English, as well as answering any questions Severus had on the books he was reading out of Hadrian’s library that weren’t deemed dangerous by him – Hadrian had given the boy almost free access after learning Severus had been reading his mother’s old school books because the books he was given for primary were too easy and boring for the boy. While Severus still had trouble with words he didn’t know, his reading was better than excellent for his age, though Hadrian figured Severus probably hadn’t had very many things to do other than read while living with his mother and father.

Outside of Severus needing more than the feeble teachings that Hadrian could give him compared to someone trained to teach children, there was a Wizengamot meeting in only a week, reminding Hadrian that there was a world outside of their cottage, and, unfortunately, if Hadrian was going to continue making a political difference in the wizarding world, he was going to need to hire someone to watch the boy when he couldn’t. Since Hadrian was a little short on friends at the moment, that left him with the option to hire someone who would be able to watch Severus on the rare occasion; hopefully he’d be able to find a tutor who would be willing to do so just once a month.

The problem was telling Severus.

In the past week, the boy remained wary, flinching at unexpected movements, but had become more trusting and affectionate with Hadrian. Severus cuddled into him when the young man sat on the couch next to him and leaned into Hadrian’s touch when the young man hugged him or brushed his hand through Severus’s hair; it had taken the Hadrian’s encouragement, but after the first few days, the little boy was able to do so without hesitation. Severus now soaked up every ounce of affection given to him, and Hadrian was happy for it.

However, because it had only been a week and the boy was still very wary, Hadrian was unsure whether he should leave Severus for the Wizengamot session. Especially since Severus probably would take weeks to build trust with someone outside of Hadrian, especially since they wouldn’t have the distinct advantage of having removed Severus from an abusive home. Hadrian sighed and rubbed his face; either way, he was going to have to figure something out soon.

“Hadrian?”

Hadrian looked up to see Severus nervously looking at him in concern from the entry way. The young man smiled at his charge, despite Severus’s obvious wariness at the unknown situation, because, decisions aside, he was always happy to see the affectionate little boy that was slowly emerging from his shy demeanor.

“Good morning, Severus. Sleep well?”

“Yes… What’s wrong?”

The young man sighed softly again but motioned for Severus to join him on the couch. The little boy did so, immediately leaning into Hadrian’s side. Once the boy was settled, Hadrian spoke, “Severus, how would you feel about having a tutor?”

The boy frowned and tilted his head, “What about you?”

Hadrian smiled, “I am not exactly the best person to teach you all of the things you need to learn or that you are showing to be interested in with your quest to read the entire library. As much as I love teaching you, I want you to have the best education you can.”

Severus hesitated before quietly asking, “Will you be there?”

“Of course, though after you are comfortable being alone with them, I may have to go away every now and then.”

Severus frowned and scrutinized him in a way that was becoming very familiar to Hadrian. The young man was finding it hard to hide anything from Severus, not that he had much to hide outside of his currently suspended mission. Hadrian quickly refocused on Severus, not wanting to consider it since he knew he needed to bide his time anyways.

“You have to go somewhere?”

Hadrian heard the slightly dejected tone and immediately addressed it, “Severus, you’re stuck with me forever. Okay?”

Severus nodded and leaned even more into Hadrian. The dejected tone was gone when the boy asked, “But you have to go somewhere that I can’t go with you?”

“Yes. Once a month I meet with a bunch of other wizards with titles like mine, and we have to talk about the rules everyone has to follow.”

“When do you have to go?”

“The next meeting is next week. But if you don’t want to be alone with your new tutor yet, then I won’t go to this one.”

Severus paused and whispered, “You’d do that for me?”

Hadrian pulled the boy onto his lap, unable to stop himself from cuddling the boy at Severus’s scared voice, “Of course I would, Severus. You are the most important person to me, and I will always be here for you, no matter what you need.”

The young man felt the little boy trembling in his arms and he knew Severus felt overwhelmed with feelings. Hadrian just kept him in his arms, rocking slightly and stroking a hand through Severus’s hair. After a few minutes, the trembling stopped, and the boy finally spoke.

“I’ll try a tutor, as long as you’re there, Hadrian.”

Hadrian smiled at the extent of trust the boy was showing him and continued to card through Severus’s hair, “Of course.”

It was worth it to miss a session if it helped him gain a little bit more of Severus’s trust.

***

“I would suggest not returning to the Wizengamot, quite yet. He may not say it to you if you were to ask, but I don’t think Severus is comfortable being alone with me quite yet.”

“Yes, I thought so too. Thank you, Michael.”

The other man nodded and made his goodbyes to Hadrian and Severus before leaving the house. He had hired one Michael Todd, a half-blood with experience in both tutoring and caregiving for young children, a few days after speaking to Severus. Hadrian had immediately liked the twenty-year-old and hoped that Severus would be able to come to trust the man. Slowly, the little boy had begun to break out of his shell around Michael, but Hadrian – and Michael too, it seemed – had noticed that Severus’s habit of glancing over at his guardian to make sure he was still there had yet to abate. While it worried him, Hadrian knew the only thing that would help was time.

“Hey, Severus?” Hadrian called softly. The little boy looked up from the book he was reading to Hadrian as he walked through the entryway of the sitting room. Once he was sat on one of the couches the young man said, “I want to talk to you about next week.”

Severus tensed up, “You have a meeting.”

“I do,” Hadrian nodded, “But I wanted to let you know that I am not attending, so I was thinking we could go raid the bookstore after your studies. Mr. Flourish sent me a letter saying they have a new shipment of potion books coming in next week that he thinks you might be interested in.”

Severus paused, clearly interested in going to Flourish and Blotts, but hid behind his hair and quietly asked, “You’re not going because of me, aren’t you?”

Hadrian leaned forward and nudged Severus’s chin with his finger, careful to telegraph his movement so as not to startle the boy, until Severus was looking at him again, “Severus, I know you aren’t yet comfortable to be with Michael alone, and that’s okay. I certainly won’t be leaving you with him until you are. But there is no rush, okay? I don’t mind missing meetings because you are more important. So, I don’t want you to worry about that, alright?”

The little boy hesitantly nodded, so Hadrian pulled him into a hug. He could feel Severus once again trembling due to overwhelming feelings, though the trembling was not as strong as before – Hadrian internally cheered, taking that as a sign of Severus beginning to believe him. After a minute, when the trembling stopped, Hadrian pulled back and smiled at the little boy.

“Now, I find myself in the mood for some ice cream. What do you say we make a trip to Fortescue’s after dinner?”

The little boy lit up at the mention of ice cream, but solemnly nodded before he marked his book and followed Hadrian into the kitchen to help make dinner, as had become their ritual after Severus showed an interest in learning to cook. Hadrian smiled in amusement at Severus’s attempt to hide his excitement but began pulling out and handing the ingredients they would be using that night for Severus to place on the counter.

April 1966:

Hadrian had left.

He left and Severus didn’t know when he’d be back… If he comes back.

No, no. He’ll be back. He promised… But what if he came back violent like Tob-Father did?

No. He’s never seen Hadrian drink anything besides water, tea, or the rare cup of Pumpkin juice, so he had no proof that he’d come back drunk like Tobi-Father did.

Severus anxiously fiddled with the bottom of his shirt as the doubts continued to plague his mind. Hadrian had sat him down and asked him if he was okay to be left alone with Michael for the first time. His guardian had asked because he said that he could tell that Severus liked Michael. And he did. But this was the first time Hadrian wasn’t around to protect him and be able to take him away from people who would hurt him like Tobi-Father used to. It was also the first time his trust in Hadrian was being tested.

Severus didn’t like this feeling of doubt that had set in at all.

He had told Hadrian he would be okay because he owed it to his guardian no to be so scared all the time. But as soon as Hadrian left, Severus couldn’t stop the doubts from creeping in. Which was ridiculous because Hadrian saved him from Tob-his father, and would surely save him from Michael if he needed to – Severus was relieved that so far it didn’t look like he would need to be saved from him though, because he really does like his tutor – and definitely wouldn’t put him in danger after promising Mother… Right?

Severus swallowed and looked at the front door like he had been doing since Michael had gone into the kitchen to make them dinner. He kind of wished he had taken up his tutor’s offer of letting him help so that it would distract him, but that was something that Severus wanted to do with Hadrian, not Michael.

Severus flinched when Michael appeared next to him, as if able to read his thoughts.

“Oh, sorry for scaring you there, Severus. I thought you heard me coming. Are you alright?”

He nodded stiffly, unable to get the words out right. Panic filled him slightly when Michael frowned, and he broke eye contact to look down at his hands. Did he do something wrong? Was this going to be when Michael proved himself not to be the kind man Severus thought him to be?

Michael crouched in front of him, “Hey, little man, What’s wrong? I didn’t scare you that bad, did I?”

The panic left as quickly as it had arrived. Severus just hadn’t hidden his emotions as well as he thought – he mentally berated himself, disappointed he still hadn’t perfected a way to keeping his emotions hidden from people who could use them against him like his father did when he was drunk. He shook his head at Michael when he realized that he hadn’t answered the questions.

“Is it because you miss Hadrian?”

Severus hesitantly peeked at Michael from behind his hair. The man only had concern written across his face. Not anger or disappointment. Reassured by the man’s clear emotions – Michael wasn’t as good at hiding his emotions like Hadrian, but Hadrian usually only did that when they were in public, like in Diagon Alley – Severus hesitantly nodded. Maybe Michael knew of a way to make the stupid thoughts he was having go away.

“I know it’s scary, being away from him for the first time since he took you in, but you have nothing to worry about, Severus. Hadrian loves spending time with you and nothing will stop him from coming back to you. In fact, I bet he is as anxious to get back as you are to see him. I promise, he’s coming back, okay?”

Severus nodded, not really feeling any relief from Michael’s words, but he knew there was nothing more the man would be able to do.

“Well, I think you could use a distraction, so why don’t we go eat dinner, and then find something for us to do?”

Severus nodded again and followed Michael to the dining room.

***

Hadrian let out a breath of relief when he saw the cottage. For the entire Wizengamot session, he had worried about Severus, hoping the little boy was truly alright being alone with Michael. He was worried that Severus had told him he would be okay because the boy didn’t think himself important, despite what Hadrian has been telling him. But Severus had insisted, so he went.

The worst part about the leaving, however, was not having to sit through his worry during the session, but the socializing that occurred afterwards, as per usual. It seemed everyone was curious why he had missed the last two session and thought it their business to find out why. He politely cited personal reasons, swallowing his frustration and impatience to get home. Hadrian was genuinely surprised and thankful when Abraxas Malfoy helped him escape the vultures by asking to speak with him on his way out; it was because of the man’s help – and his attempt at appearing concerned about his absence, though he hadn’t been able to tell if the concern was genuine but at least Malfoy had the tact to at least appear so if he wasn’t – that Hadrian admitted to gaining a ward, though he did leave a few details – Severus’s identity, blood status, and past abuse – out of it. The two of them made their way to the apparition point in each other’s company before they parted ways.

Now that he was home, Hadrian swiftly made his way inside, wanting to see that Severus was alright.

Once inside, he saw Michael and Severus sitting together in the sitting room and smiled at the two of them in greeting. His heart dropped when he saw Severus looking at him warily. Had leaving the boy so soon destroyed all the progress they had made?

“Hello, Hadrian. Did the meeting go well?”

Hadrian shoved the fear aside for now and responded to Michael’s greeting, “Yes, it did. Thank you for asking. How was your day, Michael? Severus?”

Before the other man could respond, Severus rushed over to him and threw himself at Hadrian, nearly pushing the nineteen-year-old to the ground. Hadrian steadied himself in surprise, before crouching down to pull Severus into a proper hug. Concerned by the boy’s trembling, he looked up at Michael, who pointed at Severus and mouthed worried before pointing to the doorway that led to the hallway. Hadrian nodded and focused back on the little boy in his arms as Michael left, soothingly rubbing a hand up and down Severus’s back. When the trembling didn’t slow, Hadrian lifted the little boy into his arms and brought them over to the couch and sat down with Severus in his lap. He hummed softly and continued to rub Severus’s back. A few minutes later, the trembling finally stopped, but Hadrian didn’t move right away; he could feel the tight grip Severus had on his shirt and knew the boy needed a little bit more comfort.

Not too long later, Severus loosened his grip, so Hadrian repositioned them so that he could see the little boy’s face without removing him from his lap.

“Better?” Severus nodded, avoiding Hadrian’s eyes by once again hiding behind his hair, “Can you tell me what happened, Severus?”

The little boy hesitated but quietly answered, still not looking up, “I thought you might not come back or…”

“Or?”

“Or you would come back drunk like To-Father,” Severus’s voice had dropped to a whisper.

“Oh, Severus,” Hadrian murmured before hugging the little boy to his chest once more, “I will always, always, do everything I can to come back to you, okay? And I promise, I will never come back drunk or violent the way your father did. I love you too much to ever hurt you the way he did, Severus, and there is nothing that will ever change that.”

Severus nodded into his chest, relaxing into him even more in what Hadrian suspected was relief. He wasn’t sure if the relief was due to Hadrian telling the boy he loved him – how could he not? – or because of his promises, but he hoped it meant Severus was finally starting to believe him.

After another minute of just holding the boy in his arms, Hadrian asked, “Severus, what were you going to call your father, earlier?” When the boy tensed slightly, he reassured, “It’s okay, you’re not in trouble.”

Severus hesitated further, but finally responded, “Tobias.”

“That’s his name?” Severus nodded, “It’s okay to call him by his name, Severus.”

“But… He’s my father”, The frown in the boy’s voice was clear.

“The moment that man first hit you, he stopped being your father. So, if you don’t want to call him by an honorific he doesn’t deserve, that is completely acceptable, okay? No matter what anyone tells you, there is nothing wrong with not viewing him as a father-figure.”

Severus didn’t respond, but Hadrian hadn’t been expecting him to. He let the little boy process what he said, rubbing his back soothingly, content to just cuddle Severus.

They were interrupted by the sound of Hadrian’s stomach grumbling. The little boy quietly giggled in response, causing Hadrian to smile at the sound.

“I do believe that’s our cue for you to tell me about what you learned today while I eat. Why don’t you go find Michael so we can send him home?”

Severus nodded and pulled himself out of Hadrian’s arms in search of Michael. Hadrian made his way into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

June 1966

Hadrian returning from another Wizengamot session, and was immediately met with a tight hug from Severus, same as he had after the session in May. He absently wondered if the boy was going to make this a habit as he hugged the boy just as tightly.

“Hello, Sev. How was your day today?”

The boy in question looked up at him and tilted his head in confusion, “Sev?”

Hadrian blinked, realizing he had called the boy by the nickname he had begun using for Severus in his head. Well, he had been meaning to ask the boy if he minded the nickname anyways.

“Yes, I had been meaning to ask you if you were okay with the nickname. Do you mind? I won’t call you that if you don’t like it, but it’s a habit of mine to give nicknames to people I care about who have long names.”

“But… why?” Severus asked him curiously.

“Because it shows them that I care about who they are, not what their name is,” he then leaned in with a smile and whispered, “It’s also less of a mouthful when tired.”

Hadrian winked conspiratorially, causing Severus to giggle. He smiled wider, always happy when he could get the little boy to laugh.

Severus smiled at him, “You can call me Sev.”

“Thank you. Now, let’s go see if I can convince Michael to stay for dinner, even though I returned early.”

***

Severus was determined to come up with a nickname for Hadrian. He wanted to show his guardian that he cared about him too. What better way than to give him a nickname as cool as the one he gave to Severus? Afterall, Severus highly doubted anyone else would be called Sev.

All throughout dinner, Severus began to go through his options. Hade? No, that sounded too much like ‘hate’ to him. Dri? That was just weird. Hadri? No, too long.

Severus began to get frustrated. Why was Hadrian such a hard name to shorten?

He shook off the thought. No, he would come up with something and his guardian would love it. Determined, Severus went back to trying to come up with a nickname.

***

Hadrian looked up from his book to inform Severus that it was bedtime when his wand buzzed in his pocket, but stopped when he saw the boy had already fallen asleep reading his own book. He smiled at the adorable sight. Hadrian marked his page and quietly set it on the coffee table in front of him before moving to pick up the little boy. Severus made a sleepy confused noise.

“Shh, I’m just taking you to your bed, Sev. Go back to sleep.”

The little boy relaxed and cuddled into him, making Hadrian smile at the boy’s cuteness. He carried Severus to his room and tucked him in with his stuffed cat – Hadrian smiled at the soft toy, remembering how the little boy had shyly thanked him for it after waking up from his nap that first day. The young man brushed the hair out of Severus’s face before leaning forward and placing a kiss on the boy’s head.

“Sweet dreams, Sev.”

Before he could pull away very far, he heard a sleepy, “Love you, Rian.”

Hadrian stopped in shock, joy filling his chest. That was the first time Severus had said he loved him, though he hadn’t been expecting the nickname.

Severus must have belatedly realized what he said because, suddenly, the little boy tensed, even in his half-asleep state.

“Shh, it’s okay, Severus. I love you and the nickname. You can call me that whenever you want. Now go back to sleep, Sev.”

The boy relaxed and quickly dropped back off to sleep. Hadrian smiled in what he was sure was a dopey way, but he didn’t care; Severus had come to love him the way Hadrian loved him. Nothing meant more to him than that, he thought, patting the pocket that held the adoption papers he had picked up after that day’s Wizengamot session had ended.

July 1966

It had been two weeks and Hadrian still hadn’t asked Severus if he could adopt him. Not during the first because Severus had gotten a cold, and then not the second because the little boy had been cranky and tired from the previous week, causing him to be sent to timeout for the first time – which had made both of them miserable. Severus had then needed extra comfort because he had been afraid that Hadrian wouldn’t want him anymore – which he made sure go disabused Severus of that notion.

But this week, Hadrian was determined to finally ask the little boy. It was Saturday, so Severus didn’t have any lessons with Michael and they had plans to raid Flourish and Blotts again (this time for DADA books) so they would easily be able to file the paperwork at Gringotts should Severus agree.

Merlin, did Hadrian hope the little boy agreed. He would never begrudge Severus should he choose not to, but he had never wanted something more. Family had always been a dream of his, and Severus becoming his son in more than just feeling would be a dream come true for him.

The young man shook himself out of his thoughts when he heard Severus’s soft steps approaching. Hadrian marked his place on the page of the book he hadn’t really been reading just as the little boy entered the library.

He smiled up at Severus, “Good morning, Severus.”

“Morning”, Severus yawned, “Can we make pancakes today, Rian?”

“Of course,” Hadrian hesitated before pushing through his doubts, “But I want to talk to you about something first, okay?”

Severus looked at him worriedly but nodded and sat next to Hadrian when the man patted the seat next to him.

“First, I want you to remember that whatever you choose, I will always love you and want to be your guardian, okay?” Severus frowned but nodded, so Hadrian continued, “Sev, do you understand the difference between having a guardian and being adopted?”

Severus’s frowned deepened as he thought but shook his head.

“Being your guardian means that I am to take care of you until you are considered an adult the same way a parent would, however, in the eyes of our community, you and I aren’t considered to be family. If I were to adopt you, you would not only be in my care, but also become my son,” Hadrian pulled out the adoption papers and handed them to the little boy, “I love you and already think of you as my son, Severus, so I was wondering if you’d allow me to adop–”

“Yes,” a blush quickly rose in Severus’s cheeks as Hadrian blinked in surprise.

A slow smile made its way onto his face, overjoyed that Severus wanted to be his son. So much so that he didn’t even let Hadrian finish his question! Unable to resist, he hugged the little boy and laughed in happiness. When he pulled away, Severus was smiling at him.

The little boy paused, letting his smile drop, and hesitantly asked, “Do… Will you expect me to call you ‘Father’?”

Hadrian shook his head, “Only if you want to, Sev. I love ‘Rian’ just much as I would love for you to call me ‘Father’, but no matter what how you decide to address me, you will be my son and I love you,” he paused and considered for a second before adding, “though I will admit that I much prefer ‘Dad’ to ‘Father’, should you choose to address me as such.”

Severus nodded and looked down at the papers he was still holding. Hadrian summoned a quill so they could begin to fill the paperwork out.

“Can I change my name?”

“Yes,” Hadrian looked at the boy in curiosity, not having expected that question, “What do you want to change?”

“My middle name to honor my mother instead of Tobias… but I don’t know how.”

Hadrian nodded in understanding, “Hmm, lets see… you could change it to Prince for her maiden name. Or a male version of her first name, like Eli or Elliot.”

Severus considered for a second before looking up and saying, “Severus Eli Snape-Peverell.”

“I like it,” Hadrian told the boy, ignoring the small pang he felt at Severus not wanting to take only his last name. He pushed it aside, knowing it was a little petty and the boy probably did so because he was uncomfortable taking his name completely. Perhaps in a bit of time, Severus would be comfortable doing so. They had all the time in the world, once the submitted the paperwork. Hadrian couldn’t stop himself from hugging the little boy again, in his happiness that Severus had agreed. The boy giggled at his antics, making Hadrian smile that much wider.

***

“Severus Eli Snape-Peverell”, he told Hadrian, ignoring his desire to get rid of the Snape name. He wasn’t ever going to be Hadrian’s real son, so he didn’t deserve to only bare his guardian’s name.

“I like it.”

Severus couldn’t help but wonder if Hadrian would like it more or less if he dropped the Snape name like he wanted to. He shoved the thought away and laughed in surprise at Hadrian pulling him in for another hug.

August 1966

Hadrian wondered how he had forgotten that August was the time for pre-Hogwarts shopping. He and Severus had decided to go shopping that day because they needed to restock on food, potion supplies, and writing supplies, though Hadrian planned for a stop at a bookstores as he always did whenever they needed to go shopping because Severus always asked to. Had he remembered about the school-shopping rush, he would have figured out a way to make do until September, which was only a week away.

Hadrian looked down to see Severus looking at the crowd with as much trepidation as he had the first day the boy had been in his custody; since then, the boy had become slightly more comfortable in crowds – enough so that he insisted on walking, even if he gripped Hadrian’s hand tightly while in the crowd – so this was the first time in a few weeks that Hadrian was seeing the little boy look so wary.

Hadrian glanced at the crowd once more, before making the executive decision to carry Severus, even if he didn’t want to be carried, though he highly doubted the little boy would put up a fight with such a chaotic crowd.

He picked Severus up and, as predicted, Severus didn’t say a word against the action. Feeling how tense the boy was, Hadrian decided to distract him.

“Severus, your birthday is on January 9^th, right?”

“Yes,” Severus frowned and turned to him, “When is yours?”

Hadrian could have cheered when the boy asked him the question he was hoping for, “August 1^st.”

“I missed your birthday?” Severus asked hollowly before glaring at Hadrian and continuing with hurt coloring his tone, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t mean to keep it from you, but I didn’t want you to worry about it because we haven’t celebrated any holidays together yet, let alone my birthday.”

Severus frowned at him, “But that means I didn’t get to give you a present.”

Hadrian carefully hid his amusement at the little boy’s pout, “It’s okay, Sev.”

Severus only pouted harder until an idea came to him, “Can we at least get take away so that you don’t have to cook?”

The young man laughed, “Alright, Sev, we can do that.”

The little boy lit up just as they reached a shop for parchment and quills, not having even realized that Hadrian had walked them through the crowd. When they went inside, however, the store was packed, and Severus immediately went quiet and shrunk into his guardian.

Concerned, he walked back out saying, “We can get that stuff later, yes? For the time being we will just ask Michael to bring us a few extras to tide us over until then.”

Severus nodded into his guardian’s shoulder but didn’t otherwise move. Worried, Hadrian quickly made his way to Slugs and Jiggers, hoping the shop was as empty as it had been when he had attended Hogwarts. Once inside, Hadrian let out a relief to see the shop was mostly empty, causing Severus to relax and lift his head.

“Do you want to go talk potion theory with Mr. Jiggers, while I pick out ingredients?”

When Severus nodded, he set the boy down and greeted the store owner before looking through the ingredients. He quickly picked out what he needed, keeping an ear on Severus. Once he had everything, he made his way over to the boy.

He nodded to Mr. Jiggers, who smiled in response, and asked Severus, “Are you ready to go?”

“Do we have to?” The little boy almost whined.

Hadrian chuckled, “If we want to get food so that we can go home then I’m afraid so, Sev.”

Severus frowned, “I hate the crowd.”

“I know, I do too,” Hadrian sighed. He then smiled conspiratorially at the little boy, “Let’s make a pact to never go shopping for more than potion ingredients in the month of August after this.”

The boy looked at him with wide eyes, “Really?”

The twenty-year-old nodded and held out his hand to shake. Severus smiled brightly and shook Hadrian’s hand, “Deal.”

Hadrian smiled and picked the boy up before making his goodbyes to Mr. Jiggers and heading outside to face the crowd once more.

November 1966

Hadrian woke up to the muffled sound of crying. He swiftly got out of bed and made his way to Severus’s room. Hadrian found the little boy curled up into a ball, trembling as he cried into his pillow. Hadrian immediately sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Severus into his arms. Severus immediately gripped his shirt tightly and buried his face into Hadrian’s chest as he continued to sob. Hadrian carded a hand through the little boy’s hair, humming softly as he rocked Severus in his lap.

This wasn’t the first nightmare Severus needed comfort from, and Hadrian wasn’t surprised that the boy was plagued with them. He was glad that tonight’s nightmare wasn’t one of the worse ones – those ones Severus shouted a mix of ‘no’s and apologies in his sleep until Hadrian woke him up – though the worst seem to be occurring less often, luckily.

Eventually, Severus’s sobs quieted to little sniffles and the boy began his usual litany of apologies.

“Shh, it’s okay, Sev. We all get nightmares sometimes and I am glad to be able to comfort you after yours.”

Severus only sniffled in response.

“Do you want to talk about this one?” Hadrian felt Severus shake his head, “Alright.”

Hadrian didn’t move other than to continue carding a hand through Severus’s soft hair. When the little boy relaxed further, he asked, “Do you want to go back to sleep here or with me, tonight?”

“You, please,” Severus whispered.

The young man picked the boy up in response and took them to his room. It wasn’t the first time Severus would be sleeping in his bed with him after a nightmare, but it had become a more frequent response to the nightmares since Hadrian had adopted him. While he wished he could take away the nightmares altogether, Hadrian was glad that Severus had become more comfortable letting himself be comforted. Hopefully, that meant Severus would come to him if he ever woke up to nightmares and Hadrian hadn’t heard him.

***

Hadrian woke up to the sound of his door opening. He blinked tiredly and looked at his door to see a small figure standing there.

“Sev? Are you alright?”

The little boy walked over and crawled into the bed, immediately cuddling into him. Hadrian wrapped an arm around Severus and felt the boy relax in his arms.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Severus nodded into his chest and sniffled quietly.

Hadrian rubbed the boy’s back soothingly, “Shh, it’s alright, Sev. I’m here now.”

It didn’t take long for Severus’s breathing to deepen into sleep, and Hadrian smiled as he followed the boy back into sleep, content to have Severus find comfort with him.

7 years old:

January 1967

Severus woke up to the smell of his favorite breakfast: sausages, eggs, potatoes, and mushrooms. He tiredly made his way to the kitchen, wondering why Hadrian didn’t wait for him to wake like he usually did. When he got to the kitchen, Hadrian was plating breakfast.

When he saw Severus he smiled, “Happy birthday, Sev!”

The boy blinked. He had never had his birthday so happily or loudly proclaimed before. His mother had to do so quietly so as not to upset Tobias; then again, it was the first one Severus remembered ever having a dad to celebrate with.

Severus stopped, shocked at his thought. He had always referred to Hadrian as his guardian in his head, but the more he thought about it, the more it felt right: Hadrian was his dad. He had never really had a dad before. Only Tobias, and Severus doesn’t remember a time he ever considered that man more than the drunk who hit him and his mother.

“Severus?”

The now seven-year-old looked up at Hadrian, his dad. Warmth filled Severus’s chest the more he thought that. He really wanted to call Hadrian dad out loud and make the realization even more real. But did he just come out and say it? Would Hadrian even want to be called Dad? He had told Severus that he liked ‘Dad’ better than ‘Father’ but what if he had changed his mind?

“Are you alright?”

Severus shook himself out of his thoughts and realized Hadrian had walked around the counter, looking at him in concern. Deciding to just say it, the boy gathered up his courage and smiled nervously, “Yes… Dad.”

His dad froze mid-step and stared, slack jawed. Severus waited for a reaction, but none came with Hadrian frozen in shock. He began to fiddle with his hands nervously but before he could try and take it back, a bright grin slowly stretched across Hadrian’s face.

***

Severus had called him Dad. Severus had called him Dad. Severus had called him Dad.

Hadrian was so shocked that he had frozen in place as his brain processed what had just happened. When it finally sunk in, he was so happy that he hadn’t even realized he had begun grinning like an idiot. He felt like he was absolutely buzzing with joy. Unable to stay still with such a feeling he dropped to his knees and hugged his son tightly.

Severus had called him Dad.

Hadrian pulled back to look at his son, grin still plastered on his face; he couldn’t stop smiling even if he wanted to. Hadrian moved his hands from Severus’s shoulders to the boy’s cheeks.

“You are the best son I could ask for,” Hadrian kissed Severus on his forehead, smile still stuck on his face.

Severus smiled at him and hugged him again. They stayed like that for a long moment before Hadrian pulled back again.

“It’s your birthday and I made your favorite, so let’s eat breakfast before it gets cold, yes?”

Severus nodded and they made their way to the dining room. For the first time since meeting the boy in Cokeworth, Hadrian realized how much their roles had reversed due to his decision to time travel. His snarky, bitter Potions Professor had somehow turned out to be the most adorable and affectionate little boy and had become the most important person to him: his son. Hadrian couldn’t be happier with the change. Perhaps… perhaps he could offer Severus a blood adoption potion so that the world could see that Severus was his son?

Hadrian looked at the happy little boy eating his breakfast and remembered Severus asking him what a mudblood was after they had returned from Diagon Alley a few weeks before adopting the boy. He had reluctantly explained the idea of blood purity and how that degrading term was used; Severus had frowned at the realization that he would be judged for being a half-blood and told Hadrian that the concept was stupid and that people shouldn’t judge others for their blood. It was because of that conversation that Hadrian was worried that, should he offer the blood adoption, Severus would think that he only cared about blood; he didn’t, but Hadrian longed to announce to the world that Severus was his son and the blood adoption was the only way he knew how. It was that worry that made him decide to wait to offer the blood adoption when he adopted Severus. Would Severus even want to share blood since he hadn’t even been comfortable enough to drop the Snape and just be a Peverell when he was adopted?

No, Hadrian wouldn’t bring it up. Severus calling him dad was more than enough. He smiled, joy buzzing through him once more.

February 1967

“Can I help you brew?”

Hadrian stopped on his way to his potions lab to look back at his son. Severus was sitting on the couch with a book open in his lap, but the little boy was looking at him with a hope shining in his eyes. Unfortunately, Hadrian was going to have to dash his hope like he always did when it came to potion-making because potions were not safe for a child under eleven years of age; not even for the mini prodigy that he knew Severus was.

The young man opened his mouth to deny Severus when the boy spoke up again, “Please, Dad? I’ve perfected all the potions in my beginner’s potions kit, which are boring now anyways. I’ll do everything you tell me to and nothing more.”

The young man considered what Severus was saying; he knew his son had perfected the potions from his kit a less than a year ago and that he had been practicing some of his prepping skills while they cooked together – he had gotten Severus to admit to him that it was the original reason he wanted to help Hadrian cook but had ended up liking cooking anyways. He also knew that Severs had been going stir crazy since the boy had finished reading most of the potions books they had in the house, except for a few Hadrian hadn’t given him access to. Perhaps he could let his son prep some ingredients while he observed Hadrian brewing? It would keep Severus occupied since he had yet to practically learn how to prep in certain ways due to the limitations given in cooking.

Hadrian considered for a moment longer before turning to Severus and saying seriously, “You will stay behind the protection barrier I place as well as do everything I say, no matter what, including if it means you leaving the room.”

Severus eagerly nodded, hope shinning even brighter on his face as a slow smile stretched across his face.

The young man sighed and rubbed his face before finally agreeing, “Very well, then. You can join me.”

“Yes!” Severus cheered. Hadrian blinked; he hadn’t been expecting that reaction from the quiet boy, though he honestly shouldn’t be surprised that it was potions that brought out the response, “I promise, you won’t regret this, Dad.”

Severus was absolutely beaming at him, making Hadrian realize that he would do just about anything to make sure his son was always this happy. He sighed again when he realized that the little boy had him wrapped around his finger, though luckily Severus had yet to either realize it or use it. Hadrian led them to the lab, unable to believe he was about to let a seven-year-old help him brew. He shook his head at himself, as he realized that perhaps Severus had just used it with a form of puppy dog eyes (though whether Severus had realized he had done so was the question, and Hadrian sincerely hoped they boy hadn’t realized it or he would be doomed), reminding Hadrian that under all of that shyness, Severus still had Slytherin tendencies waiting to come out.

May 1967

“All done for the day?”

“Yes. Can I help?”

“No, I am just making sandwiches today and I’ll be done soon. You can go play until I call you when it’s done, Sev.”

The little boy nodded and made his way out of the room. Hadrian smiled slightly before turning to Michael, “Everything go okay today?”

The other man smiled, “Yes, Severus is showing some improvement in understanding Transfiguration theory better so maybe he will calm down on reading all the Transfiguration books you own not.”

Hadrian laughed and shook his head, “Not likely. He knows it’s not his best subject so he will probably read it even more.”

Michael laughed, “And he is still extremely interested in your Animagus form.”

“Don’t remind me,” Hadrian groaned, causing Michael to laugh again, “How’s the wife?”

As always, the other man brightened at the mention of her and a small part of Hadrian longed for something like that. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be yet, because he had Severus and his mission to worry about. Perhaps after he has taken out Voldemort again.

“She’s good. She just got a promotion at her work so she’s extra busy lately, but once things calm down she wants to meet you and Severus,” Michael broke him out of his musings.

“Tell her I said congratulations and that we would love to meet her,” Hadrian responded with a smile, “You’ll join us for lunch today?”

Michael snorted, “As if you’d let me leave without doing so.”

Hadrian smirked and handed the other man a plate with an already made sandwich before picking up two other plates and heading into the dining room. He heard Michael’s soft chuckle as he called Severus to eat. The little boy came in and sat down at his usual place and thanked Hadrian.

They had been eating in comfortable silence for a minute when Severus asked, “Dad, why don’t you have a wife or friends?”

The young man nearly choked on his sandwich while Michael snickered. He sent the man a small glare, causing him to laugh.

“I do have friends, or have you forgotten you and Michael?”

“We don’t count; I am your son and Michael is my tutor. And you didn’t answer about not having a wife.”

“Well, you two are all I need, and I am perfectly happy with that. As for not having a wife, I am gay – I like men the way Michael like women before he married Laura – so I won’t ever have a wife.”

Severus tilted his head at him, “Would you have a husband then?”

“Maybe one day,” when Severus frowned, Hadrian asked, “Why are you asking, Sev?”

“I haven’t seen you be social with anyone but me and Michael. I don’t want you to be lonely because you have to take care of me.”

Hadrian smiled at his son, “Severus, I’m not lonely and won’t be because I have you and Michael. I don’t need anyone more, so you have no need to worry about that, okay?”

Severus frowned at him but nodded before continuing eating his sandwich. The little boy seemed to get deep into his thoughts, so Hadrian glanced at Michael who was smiling in amusement. He rolled his eyes, knowing that the man was amused because he knew as well as Hadrian that Severus was planning something. Hadrian let Severus plan whatever he was going to do, figuring there was no way he was going to be able to stop the little Slytherin anyways.

***

Hadrian smiled politely, wondering how he had once again found himself confronted by yet another overly friendly witch in Diagon. He glanced down at Severus and saw the boy was glancing between him and the woman in front of them in hope before frowning at the woman. He finally realized that somehow the boy had set him up so that he was meeting someone new. Hadrian internally rolled his eyes at Severus’s antics and wondered how the little boy had made this happen when he hadn’t left his side.

June 1967

“Is he still setting you up to meet new people?”

Hadrian groaned, “Yes. I don’t understand why either; Severus is even less social than I am whenever he interacts with people his age. After he is able to escape them, he complains that they were annoying.”

Michael laughed, “Why don’t you tell Severus you know what he is doing?”

“Because he has good intentions and telling him that I know won’t stop him. I just wish I knew why Severus is so motivated. It seems like he is trying to get me to make a friend before a certain day; he gets more and more frustrated with each person I don’t become friends with.”

The other man tilted his head and chuckled after a minute. Hadrian frowned at him.

“You know something.”

“I have an idea, but if it’s what I think, you’re going to have to wait and find out yourself.”

Hadrian groaned again, causing Michael to laugh.

***

Hadrian woke up to the smell of breakfast already cooking. He frowned; Severus wasn’t allowed to cook by himself yet and he knew that. Hadrian swiftly got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, worried Severus was going to hurt himself cooking without supervision.

He was surprised to see Michael standing in his kitchen cooking sausages while Severus was putting toast in the toaster. Upon seeing him in the doorway, the little boy turned to Michael, “I told you he’d smell it and wake up. Now it’s not a surprise anymore.”

Michael laughed, “I’m pretty sure your dad is still pretty surprised, little man.”

“You got that right,” Hadrian told them, “What’s going on?”

Severus got the toaster started before grabbing a piece of paper off the counter and went over to Hadrian. He hugged him tight and quietly said, “Happy Father’s Day, Dad.”

Hadrian blinked in surprise. He completely forgot the holiday even existed since he had never celebrated it growing up. Before he could say anything in response, Severus pulled back and handed him the paper. Hadrian looked down at it and saw it was a card.

“Michael helped me make it. He also agreed to make breakfast that I was going to bring to you before you woke up, since I’m not allowed to cook by myself yet and my original gift didn’t work out.”

“Original gift?”

Severus blushed but nodded with a small frown, “I was trying to find you a friend but none of the people were very good and you didn’t make friends with any of them.”

Hadrian looked up at Michael and saw that the man was silently laughing. He rolled his eyes at the man and knelt in front of his son.

“Well I appreciate the thought, Sev, but like I have told you before, I am perfectly happy with just you and Michael to talk to, okay?” When Severus nodded, he smiled, “Thank you for the card and gaining us Michael’s wonderful cooking.”

Severus smiled and hugged him. The little boy whispered, “Love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, Severus.”

After a minute, the little boy pulled back and made him sit at counter while he and Michael finished making breakfast.

November 1967

“Hadrian.”

The twenty-one-year-old turned at the sound of his name to see a familiar white-blonde greeting him.

“Abraxas. It’s good to see you.”

“And you as well. This must be your son.”

“Yes, this is Heir Severus Snape-Peverell. Severus, this is Lord Abraxas Malfoy,” Hadrian introduced them.

Severus politely held out a hand to shake, “It is nice to meet you Lord Malfoy.”

Abraxas smiled approvingly and shook the little boy’s hand, “Just Abraxas is fine, Heir Peverell. Though I do appreciate the courtesy.”

“Severus is fine, sir.”

The older man smiled and looked back at Hadrian, “I was going to send you a letter, but when I saw you here, I thought it prudent to say hello. The invitations to my family’s annual Yule Ball will be going out, but I remembered you mentioning it was only Severus’s second Christmas with you so you’d be avoiding the usual functions as you have the past two years. I wanted to invite you and young Severus to join my wife, son, and I for dinner next month to celebrate the holidays without the vultures.”

“That sounds lovely. We’d be happy to join you and your family,” Hadrian smiled at the only other lord that he truly conversed with, let alone liked. He had been surprised to find the man was not nearly as severe as Lucius had been in his original time – Abraxas was bigoted against muggleborns and muggle-raised half-bloods, of course, but seemed much more tolerant towards wizard-raised half-bloods, leading Hadrian to believe Abraxas’s problem was more with muggles than anything. He didn’t doubt the man was still as strict as future Lucius had been over keeping the Malfoy line pure, even with his tolerance.

“Excellent. I shall send you a letter with specifics, but I’ll let you get back to your shopping. It has been a pleasure, as always,” Abraxas smiled back.

Hadrian nodded and watched the other man go.

“It looks like you do have a friend outside of me and Michael, Dad,” Severus told him absently.

The young man considered the comment as he began continuing their trip to the bookstore. There was some truth in the comment; Abraxas was the only person he had any sort of friendly familiarity with outside of his son and Michael. It seemed he had unintentionally made friends with a Malfoy, of all people. Hadrian internally shrugged. At least this guaranteed that Severus wouldn’t try and set him up to make friends any longer, and he found he didn’t mind having a friend in Abraxas Malfoy.

8 years old:

March 1968

Hadrian watched as Severus efficiently prepared the ingredients for the Pepper Up Potion they were making. As always, the required preparations were perfect. Severus hadn’t complained of boredom since being allowed to join Hadrian when he brewed potions that Hadrian wanted to have in stock for themselves, or needed restocking, like the Pepper Up. However, the young man knew that Severus probably felt rather bored with what he was limited to being allowed to do. Severus was eight now, which Hadrian still thought was young for someone to be brewing, but he knew part of that was just him worrying too much, considering Severus’s more than advanced knowledge on potions due to both skill and his access to the potion books Hadrian had allowed him. He internally sighed, knowing it was time to loosen his rules a bit.

“Severus, what is the next step in this potion?”

The little boy looked up from the ingredients he had in front of him and said without hesitation, “You need to add three sprigs of Thyme and then stir clockwise four times.”

“Good. Why don’t you come over here and do that?”

Severus’s eyes widened in surprise, “Really?”

When Hadrian nodded, the boy beamed and moved over to the cauldron. Much to the young man’s dismay, Severus was now tall enough to not need a step stool to see into the cauldron, reminding him how quickly the boy was growing up. In only three years Severus would be getting ready to go to Hogwarts. Hadrian pushed the melancholy thoughts aside as he watched Severus do the steps that he had recited, obviously enjoying himself.

Hadrian did the next steps and said, “For the most part the rules still apply, Severus, but for the potions I think are okay, you will be able to help me do some of the steps, alright?”

Severus beamed at him again and agreed. To have that smile on the boy’s face, Hadrian thought accepting that his son was already growing up would be worth it.

July 1968

Severus stared at the section of the book he had just been reading. It was the fifth that had the information of blood adoptions that he had been looking for. He had stumbled across the idea of blood adoptions in one of the wizarding cultures books he had been reading and was curious enough to make it his newest research topic. He hadn’t been able to find the potion itself so assumed it was in one of the few books that Hadrian restricted him from reading. Was his dad restricting him from reading the book because of the blood adoption potion? Or was it just coincidence? He had never wanted an answer to a question more in his life because it answered the other question that had been stuck in his brain since learning about blood adoptions.

Would Hadrian want to do a blood adoption with him?

After he had read about blood adoptions and what they meant, Severus had never wanted to do anything more. The potion would make him blood related to Hadrian. He would be as close to being Hadrian’s real son as he could! Severus would finally be able to get rid of Tobias’s surname because he would share blood with his dad! But what if Hadrian had restricted the book that had the potion because he didn’t want to blood adopt Severus?

“Hey, Sev! What’s today’s reading topic?”

Severus jumped and looked up, not having expected Hadrian to come into the library while he was so deep in his thoughts. He considered his dad for a second before gathering all the courage he could, “Why didn’t we ever do a blood adoption when you adopted me?”

Hadrian paused for a second, obviously caught off guard by the question. The young man sat down next to Severus and took a breath.

“Do you remember when I explained the concept of blood purity to you?” Severus frowned but nodded, “It was only a few weeks after that I asked to adopt you. It may not seem like it, but we had only known each other for six months at that point, and you had still been wary at times. Between your lingering wariness and your newfound knowledge about how people in our world tend to judge each other for their family or blood purity, I was afraid that if I offered you the blood adoption, you would feel pressured to trust me or that you’d think I wanted you to change or that the potion was a condition for my care. So, I decided to wait to offer it because I didn’t want you to think any of that.”

Severus considered what his dad said and understood his reasoning. He wasn’t sure if he’d have thought any of that, not with how much he wished he was Hadrian’s real son. At least he knew that his dad hadn’t purposely hid the potion now. But Hadrian didn’t really say whether he wanted to blood adopt Severus either.

“Can we… Do you…” Severus nervously began to ask, struggling to get the words out, afraid to hear that his dad didn’t want to do the blood adoption.

Hadrian smiled at him, “Severus, I don’t need you to share my blood for me to love you, or for you to be my son. We are already family with or without a few common features between us, but if you would like to do a blood adoption, I would be more than happy to do that with you.”

The boy looked up at Hadrian and saw only love in sincerity in his dad’s eyes. Maybe… Maybe he was right and they didn’t need to be related to be family, for Hadrian to be his dad, but that didn’t change Severus’s desire to be as close to being a true Peverell, rather than a Snape.

“I want to do the blood adoption,” Severus told Hadrian determinedly.

Hadrian smiled at him and pulled him into a quick hug, “I’ll get the book that has the potion instructions since I knew it’s in one of the more dangerous books in the library and we will look it over after dinner, then brew it tomorrow morning since it will take most of the day. But first, let’s go make dinner.”

Severus nodded and followed his dad out of the library.

***

Hadrian, with Severus’s help, finished brewing the blood adoption potion just in time for them to eat a late dinner. After they ate, Severus was excited enough – and therefore awake enough – to convince Hadrian that he would be okay to take the potion that night.

“Are you ready?”

Hadrian watched Severus hesitate for a second, but before he could become concerned, the boy asked, “Dad, can I drop the Snape in my name after this?”

The young man couldn’t stop the wide grin, “Of course. If you are feeling up to it tomorrow, we can go to Gringotts and have Ironclaw file the paperwork to do it.”

“Okay, I’m ready then.”

Hadrian nodded and handed the potion over to Severus, “It will make you feel tired and might sting a little because your features will be changing slightly, but it shouldn’t be more than a small ache that you feel. If it hurts more than that I need you to tell me, okay?”

Severus nodded, took a deep breath, and downed the potion. After a moment, Hadrian saw Severus wince slightly and close his eyes, just as his features began to change. The young man was mesmerized as the boy’s nose slowly became straighter, loosing its hook and the sharpness in his cheek, jaw and chin bones softened slightly. They remained sharp, but Hadrian knew they would no longer be severely so like he remembered Professor Snape’s features had been. Severus dark hair completely lost its oily quality that the boy had already begun to gain as he grew older, making Hadrian happy that nobody would be able to call the boy “greasy” anymore. The dark hair gained some volume, but otherwise remained straight. Severus then relaxed, obviously no longer in pain, and opened his eyes. Hadrian was shocked to see the coal black eyes had become a dark forest green that, had Hadrian no known Severus’s eye color so well due to 5^th year Occlumency lessons he had with Professor Snape, he would not have immediately realized the color had changed. No doubt in certain lights Severus’s eyes would look black and not the dark green they now were.

Hadrian conjured a mirror and held it in front of him so that Severus could see the changes. Overall, the young man thought Severus was going to be a heartbreaker when he was older; at the same time, he was glad that Severus was still recognizably him since the change wasn’t as major as the potion could change people.

“So, what do you think?”

Severus looked up at him and smiled, “It’s brilliant.”

Hadrian laughed and banished the mirror before hugging the boy, happy that Severus was happy.

October 1968

Hadrian,

I trust you and your son are well. Acacia sends her love and would love for you to join us for dinner again as, according to her, a month and a half is far too long between visits. You know she adores you and Severus both.

At any rate, I shall get to the point of this letter. In the three years since you have come to Britain, you have very selective in which social functions you have attended and none during the Yule season. While I understand the desire to escape the vultures as well as the desire to spend time with your son during the holiday season, especially since he is only a precious few years before he is to attend Hogwarts, I urge you to attend the expected holiday celebrations.

Therefore, I formally invite you to the annual Malfoy Yule Ball.

As a lord and colleague, I ask for you and your family’s company to celebrate the holiday with my family and our fellow witches and wizards who will also be in attendance. As a friend, I ask that you join me in fending off the vultures.

Awaiting your reply,

Abraxas

***

Hadrian sighed upon reading the letter from Abraxas. The other lord was right in that he avoided the parties he was invited to during the year in order to avoid those who only wished to associate with him due to his title – the ‘vultures’ as he and Abraxas had dubbed them. However, he had also been avoiding Malfoy parties specifically, because he had long since realized that attending parties in Malfoy manor would be his ticket to getting his hands on the diary when the time came, but using his friend for that reason felt wrong. Therefore, he had been putting off attending the parties because of the feeling of betrayal at knowing he would be secretly searching the manor in the near future.

He regretted that he knew of no other way to get his hands on the diary.

“Dad? What’s wrong?”

Hadrian looked up to see Severus was looking at him in concern, no longer reading the book he had in his lap. Knowing he would be unable to explain it to Severus without telling the boy about his mission – which he was not going to do unless he had to, and definitely not before Voldemort was dead – Hadrian smiled weakly.

“Nothing you need to worry about, Sev,” when Severus raised an eyebrow at him, Hadrian sighed again and knew he wouldn’t be able to escape telling the boy what was going on forever, “Ask me when your older, Severus. I need you to just trust me for now, okay?”

The little boy scrutinized him for a moment before reluctantly nodding. Hadrian looked down at the letter again, wishing once again that there was another way to get the diary that didn’t involve doing something that felt like he was betraying his friend. He shook off the thought and began his reply to send to Abraxas, agreeing to the dinner, but telling the man that he’d be unable to attend the ball due to him and Severus already having plans to go on a trip this holiday, which was luckily true. How he was going to get out of it next year, he had no idea.

9 years old:

April 1969

“Dad.”

Hadrian looked up at Severus, who was standing in front of him, nervous look on his face.

“I want to get a pet.”

Hadrian blinked, not having expected that.

“Before you say no,” Severus said quickly and continued after taking a breath, “I have thought of everything that you could possibly give as a reason not to get a pet and have the solutions to all of those issues.”

Amused at the unexpected technique to get his way, Hadrian nodded for the boy to continue.

Severus swallowed but began speaking, “I’ll become the main caretaker of the pet, so you don’t have to worry about anything. I want a snake, so it’ll be small and out of the way and, depending on the type, you might even be able to get free potion ingredients from it that you can use or sell. Finally, because I want a snake, you’ll be able to tell if it’s dangerous by talking to it.”

Hadrian frowned, “How did you-”

“I heard you speaking to a snake in the garden before you adopted me, but I knew you hadn’t intended me to hear so I didn’t say anything.”

The young man pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He hadn’t intended for anyone to find out because fear of the language was already changing from wariness to fear due to Voldemort. Luckily the ability was passed through the Peverell line so if someone – namely Dumbledore – learned of it from Severus though Legilimency, they wouldn’t think too much on it since he hasn’t been heard using it at all.

“Promise me you won’t tell anybody that I am a Parselmouth? People are afraid of it and I don’t want them to find out about it and put us in danger.”

“I won’t.”

Hadrian nodded, trusting his son, and turned his thoughts back to the topic at hand. Severus wanted a snake for a pet. It was rather adorable that the boy wanted a pet so much that he had created a little presentation of sorts in order to get him one. But if he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t needed it to come to a decision.

“Alright, Severus. We can get you a snake.”

The boy smiled brightly and hugged him. Hadrian smiled and listened to Severus cite all the pros and cons to owning a snake and which type he was hoping to find at the store. It was adorable and made him smile wider.

October 1969

~Hello.~

~Speaker! Are you going to take me home? I don’t like it here and you are nice and warm.~

Severus stared at the snake in shock, not having expected to understand it. Did that mean he was a Parselmouth? But he had never understood them before. He looked up at his dad, hoping he would know what was going on and saw that Hadrian was staring at him in shock.

~Speaker?~

Severus was about to respond when Hadrian stopped him, “Not here, Severus.”

The boy blinked and remembered where they and what his dad had said about people being afraid. He looked around, but luckily it looked like nobody had heard him earlier.

“Can I see her really quick, Sev?”

He nodded and held out the small black and white snake. Hadrian held the snake close to his face and quietly, but loud enough for Severus and the snake to hear, “Little one, I am also a speaker, but my son, the boy you just spoke to, has not learned to control the ability yet and other humans here consider snake-speak to be dangerous. Can I ask you not to speak until we’ve made it home? I promise to take you with us and you will have plenty of warm spaces and food.”

The snake flicked her tongue at Hadrian before nodding. He quietly smiled and quietly thanked the snake before turning back to Severus.

“Sev, for now, when you speak make sure you look directly at a person so that you don’t accidentally… speak. She will be coming with us either way as per my deal with her, but if you wanted to look at the other snakes still and decide on one of them, you can.”

“No, that’s okay. I like her.”

Hadrian smiled at him and led him to the front. His dad quickly purchased the snake and a few supplies that she would need before getting them home quickly. Once they were home, Severus saw his dad let out a breath of relief.

“Dad, I’ve never been able to speak to snakes before. How is it possible now?”

“The blood adoption. It shared my family magic with you because magic is in our very blood. It is rare, but sometimes it has been known to happen.”

Severus frowned and glanced down at the snake still in his father’s hands, ~How come that wasn’t in any of the books I read?~

~Because the books that it is in has other dangerous things that I don’t want you reading yet.~

“Oh,” Severus looked up at his dad and saw amusement on his face, “What?”

“You spoke Parseltongue again and I replied.”

“But I didn’t even realize neither of us were speaking English,” Severus said with a frown.

~I see what you mean about training now.~

Severus looked down at the snake in his dad’s hands in amazement. He still couldn’t believe he was able to understand her.

~I thank you for your silence, little one. I am going to hand you back to my hatchling now, if that’s alright, since we are safe to speak freely here, as you saw,~ Hadrian told the little snake.

~Yes, I like him. Will you explain why speaking is dangerous for you and him?~

~Of course.~

The snake hissed in what sounded like agreement, but Severus didn’t here any words. He happily took the snake back and pet her softly. She made another sound that sounded like appreciation this time.

~Do you have a name?~ he asked her, hoping he was speaking Parseltongue this time.

~My mother named me Sayah before another took her.~

~It is nice to meet you, Sayah. My name is Severus.~

Severus looked up when he heard his dad chuckle.

“I never thought I’d ever hear someone outside of myself and one other person speak Parseltongue. It is a nice change,” Hadrian’s smile faded slightly, “But you can never reveal it to anybody. Not even any friends you make, not until both you and I absolutely trust them because it is dangerous for us to expose ourselves. You also need to learn to realize the difference between speaking and hissing before either of us leaves again, just in case there is a snake.”

Severus nodded in understanding. He didn’t like that he would have to hide it, but he understood. At least he wouldn’t have to hide it when he was at home with just his dad. He smiled at the thought of being able to speak to each other in their very own secret code if they could convince people they didn’t have to be afraid of Parseltongue. For now, he would just enjoy being able to understand Sayah, even if he wouldn’t be able to respond when they were in public.

10 years old:

August 1970

It was nearing the end of 1970, and Severus would be starting Hogwarts next September. Hadrian stared at his ceiling, wondering where all the time went. It felt like yesterday he had found the wary, abused little boy in Cokeworth and decided to take him home with him. And in just over a year, he was going to have to let that little boy board the train to go to Hogwarts for nine months out of the year.

But with Severus gone through out most of the year, and because the Horcruxes were going to be available for him to retrieve, Hadrian would finally be able to continue his mission. He had been both impatient and dreading when this would come. Impatient because he wanted to get the madman out of his life, once and for all, dreading because he now had Severus to think about.

He had never considered that he would become the father to one Severus Snape when he had time traveled to the past five years ago, but he wouldn’t change a thing. Adopting Severus had given both of them a family, and, hopefully, Severus the chance for a happy childhood.

Hadrian closed his eyes, hoping against all hope that his mission wouldn’t leave Severus bitter and alone like he had been during Hadrian’s timeline. But he had to go through with his mission so that the future wouldn’t be full of the death and destruction that Hadrian had known. He took a deep breath, determination filling him once more.

He would destroy the Horcruxes and he and Severus would see a better future together.

A soft knock and head poking through the slightly open door broke him out of his thoughts. When Severus saw that he was awake, the boy smiled and ran over to join him in the bed.

“Happy birthday, Dad!”

Hadrian smiled and cuddled his son, “Thank you, Sev.”

Severus giggled and snuggled further into his chest. Hadrian would do everything he could to destroy the Horcruxes and come out in one piece if it meant that Severus would continue to be the happy boy Hadrian knew him to be.