Pomona Sprout stopped only briefly, saying she had to get back to the greenhouses and harvest the Banethistles before they went to seed and infested the entire school grounds. But she gave both boys a nod and a friendly if rather distracted smile, and Harry seemed to find her enough less threatening than Minerva that he managed to return both, with only a sidelong glance at Severus.
The next day it was time for Draco to go home, and once the blond boy had gone through the Floo to his waiting parents, Harry was beside himself with disappointment and worry, asking over and over when his friend could return. "Not till well after school starts, at least," Severus told him, every time. "It will take both of us some time to become adjusted to the new schedule, and as I have not taught before, I'm not sure yet how much free time I will have once classes start."
"But we have Nelli and Bitti and Fran!" the boy insisted. "They can take care of us."
"During the day, yes, and they will continue to do so when classes are in session, but the evenings will be busy enough with papers to grade and lessons to prepare, as well as making sure you are proceeding in your studies. I don't expect to have time to devote time to your friends, too."
Harry had pouted then, for the first time in Severus' memory, and he was surprised enough that he'd sent the boy to his room until they both cooled off.
Later in the evening, Harry had been repentant, begging for his father's forgiveness for being rude and insolent. Severus had grave doubts that the boy even knew what insolent meant, but he reassured Harry that he was forgiven and that he was not angry, not really. To prove it, he held Harry on his lap for a long time, letting the boy cling to him as he hugged him close. Reassurance, Molly had told him, was of the utmost importance to their relationship, reassuring Harry that he was loved and cared for, and that Severus would be there for him no matter what.
She'd also said that Harry, especially given his background, needed to be frequently shown physical signs of affection. Although Severus had never found physical contact reassuring, and oftimes rather distressing, he understood Harry's need for it, and had become more attentive to Harry's non-verbal requests for hugs and a reassuringly gentle touch. It was something they would both grow used to, Molly promised.
This time, his words and touch seemed to work, and though Severus thought the nightmares might be worse Sunday night, they were not. Harry was, once again, able to clear his mind enough to keep the worst of them away.
On Tuesday, Molly Weasley returned with Ron and Charlie. They were ensconced in guest quarters on the second floor, letting Harry get used to having his own room again. While Charlie kept the boys busy during the morning, Molly and Severus discussed parenting styles and she answered many of the questions he had about taking care of Harry, usually without him actually needing to voice the question. In the afternoons, they watched the boys play, and he often took cues from her on when to intervene and when to let the boys sort their own issues out, as well as when to insist on rules being followed, and when standards might be relaxed.
It was rather a grueling week.
The biggest test of his new role as father and protector of Harry came when Charlie wanted to give the two younger boys a chance to play Quidditch. Severus, at first, said, "No. Absolutely not," but Molly eventually bargained him down (though not in front of the children) to, "Only under strict adult supervision."
His fears -- that the boy would be hurt by Bludgers or falling or worse, as well that he might become quite as Quidditch obsessed as James -- were completely realized when Harry's face almost literally glowed after being on a real broom for the first time. The boy seemed to live for flying, and his skill and grace in the air were astounding, for one so young and so new to the experience. When they touched ground again, Charlie complimented Harry, and the boy was all smiles for hours afterwards. And thus, Severus could hardly say no to his repeated pleas to play again. Even he had to admit that Harry had a gift for Seeking out the snitch, but he still watched his son carefully, whenever his feet left the ground.
Harry seemed to get along well enough with Ron, though the red head was a bit more volatile than Draco, and louder as well. As long as they were outside, Severus didn't mind, but he could not abide shouting in his quarters. Aside from his screaming nightmares, Harry was really a very quiet child. Severus supposed it was yet another result of his upbringing, and a desire to go unnoticed. Severus couldn't bring himself to mind that particular trait, though he often had to cajole his son into making his needs known.
What was a surprise to Severus, was how completely Harry took to Charlie, tagging along after him whenever possible like a duckling following its mother. He looked more and more to Charlie for approval or praise when they played Quidditch, or even "Esploden Snap" and accepted the older boy's opinions as if they were inviolate.
Seemingly aware of the admiration he'd inspired, Charlie doled out praise and approval whenever possible, and Severus spoke to him about it over hot cocoa one evening after the two younger boys had gone to bed.
"Well, I have four younger brothers, sir," Charlie said. "So I'm kind of used to it."
"Still," Severus told him, "I appreciate how kindly you've interacted with Harry. He needs people . . ."
"To trust?" Charlie guessed.
"Indeed." Severus peered at the fourteen-year-old shrewdly. "How much has your mother told you about Harry's background?"
Charlie shrugged. "Not much. I mean, everyone knows Harry Potter . . . er, well, Snape now, but Potter before you adopted him, but she didn't say anything except that he'd had a rough time of it. I could tell that on my own, just watching him."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, well, he watches a lot, doesn't he, before he'll enter into a game or even take food from the table, like he's checking to make sure he's doing the right thing or that he'll be accepted. And the looks he gets sometimes . . . Ron snuck up behind him once when we were playing outside, and tickled him, and I thought he was going to faint dead away, he looked so scared."
Severus nodded. "Thank you for helping out with him this week. We both owe you a debt."
Charlie grinned. "No way, sir. I liked being here, and Harry's a lot of fun to be around, even for a little kid. He even introduced me proper to Hagrid, and we had the best chats about dragons. I mean, Harry's shy and stuff, but he's a really good kid."
"He is indeed," Severus agreed, and was gladdened again that Molly had brought the boy with her.
Once the Weasleys had gone home, there were only a few days left before term started. Severus was all nerves, and found himself being rather more short with Harry than he would have liked. To try and mitigate any trouble, he pressed Nelli, Bitti and Fran into taking the boy almost around the clock, while he dealt with his pre-teaching jitteriness on his own.
After two days of this, however, Nelli alerted him to the fact that he couldn't just abandon Harry to the care of House-elves without facing repercussions.
Harry was distraught at not being able to spend time with his father, she reported, though the words Nelli used were, "Master Harry's sobbing bad now, Master Snape. He's crying that youse don't want him no more."
"Show me," Severus said, and Nelli brought him to a little used bathroom on the second floor. The bathroom's wooden cubicles were worn and ill-maintained, and even the stone sinks were pitted and chipped. Harry was tucked under one of the sinks in the row under a cracked mirror, scrunched into a tiny ball, his thin frame shaking silently.