Not a Freak

(Sequel to Freaks Aren't Allowed)

Chapter 1 – Anniversary

Little Harry (although not nearly as little as he had been a year ago) was sitting at the desk in his room, drawing a picture for his daddy. Captain, looking as regal as ever in his dark black teaching robes and shiny glasses, was overseeing the project from his spot in Harry's lap.

It was a Very Important Day, according to his Daddy, because Harry had come to live with his Tall Man exactly a year ago. They were going to have dinner in their quarters, and Aunt Minnie was coming too, and the elves were going to make them something special for dessert!

So in honor of the celebration, his Tall Man had asked him to colour him a picture of his family now, and that's what he had done! He was working on the final touches when he heard a knock on his door, followed by the almost silent squeak of the hinges.

"Daddy!" Harry turned and scolded, running over to his Tall Man after quickly turning his picture over. "You're nots s'posed to come in yet! I'm not done!" He shouted, giving a very Snape like scowl at the imposing figure of his father.

"Dinner is almost ready Harry. You need to wash your hands and come greet Minerva," his daddy said in his crisp way.

"Five more minutes, p'ease!" He pleaded, setting his little hands against his father's hip and trying to push the man out of his room.

His daddy looked down at him with a raised eyebrow until his feet slipped out from underneath him and he fell to the soft carpet below. Harry didn't wait for a hand up though, but quickly bounced back to his feet with a scowl.

"Five more minutes then, Harry, but no more," his daddy warned solemnly, a small smile threatening to escape his lips.

"Good! So go!" He stomped one little foot hard and shooed his daddy out of the room.

Finally he was alone again and he quickly scampered back to his desk and turned his picture back over, checking it carefully to make sure no harm had been done while upside-down. He was very proud of his picture and he was fairly positive that his Tall Man would be too.

It showed the two of them (and Captain) standing outside the castle in the midst of spring, surrounded by the growth and warmth of new plant life. He had been amazed at how many flowers had come out during his first spring at Hogwarts, and still had dreams about running outside through the fresh grass of the new season.

He had drawn his daddy very tall and thin, an arm draped around a little black haired boy who was smiling ear to ear while squeezing a bright pink bear against his chest. His daddy wasn't smiling with his mouth, but Harry had tried to make it look as though his eyes were. He had learned that his Tall Man had many expressions that a lot of the "dunderheaded students" never picked up on.

Mostly though, he tried to make his daddy look safe, like a stern protector should be.

"I tink it's done," he remarked softly to Captain after adding a final couple of strokes against his daddy's hair.

"Don't forget to put your name at the bottom," he imagined his little fuzzy friend saying.

"Oh yeah!" Little Harry's eyes lit up and he painstakingly wrote out "H – A – R – R – Y" at the bottom of the picture, the pink tip of his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth as he did so.

"Come on Captain! We haveta go show Daddy now," he said excitedly, grabbing both his paper and his bear and then galloping out into the sitting area of their quarters.

"Aunt Minnie, Aunt Minnie!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, receiving a warning glance from his daddy as he rushed by him.

"My oh my, Mr. Harry! Where did you come from?" Minerva McGonagall answered, putting a hand to her heart and pretending to faint onto the sofa.

"My room! And befores that, I came from my mummy!" He answered with a wide grin, glancing at his father for confirmation of his reply. They had discussed the birds and the bees the previous week, and he was still getting his mind around how it all worked.

"What's that in your hand, Harry?" She asked him, trying to look at his Most Important picture.

"I can't show you yet, Minnie. Daddy's gotsta see it first," he answered apologetically, pretending in his mind that Captain was nodding along with him.

"Well Severus? Get over here! I want to see what he's drawn now!" Minerva ordered sharply, making him giggle as his daddy twitched and then hurriedly complied.

He waited until his Tall Man had sat down and had pulled him up into his lap before unrolling his picture and holding it up for them both to see. Without speaking, he watched as both his Aunt Minnie and his daddy took hold of their sides of the picture, allowing him to have his hands free as he explained what he had drawn.

"See? Dere's me and Daddy and Captain, and dis is Hogwarts, and dere's Hagrid's pumpkins and . . ." he babbled happily, secure in his warm position against his daddy, and beside his Minnie.

"So many flowers Harry! I can nearly smell them!" Minerva said, smiling at him proudly.

He gave her a small smile and then turned back to his daddy.

"Do you like it Daddy? I did just like you said. I drew a picture of us at our home! Do you like it?" He inquired breathlessly, bright eyes shining trustingly up at his daddy.

"It's perfect Harry," his Tall Man answered in a deep voice as he continued to gaze thoughtfully at his picture.

"I didn't make you smile like everyone else does, but like you do, Daddy," he added solemnly, leaning his head against the man's shoulder in contentment.

"Thank you Harry," his daddy whispered in his ear. "I can tell you did a lot of work on this," he continued on in a louder voice.

"Does dat mean you and Aunt Minnie will make it move?" He asked hopefully.

"Minerva?" His daddy asked, raising a dark eyebrow at the smiling woman beside them.

"Well," she said slowly, drawing the word out. "It is a special day. I suppose I could do something," she answered, giving him a wink.

"Yay!" He cheered, using his inside happy voice. His daddy nodded approvingly at him and he grinned lovingly back up at him.

He looked back to where Minerva was tapping her wand on his picture and then gasped as he saw the magic beginning to work.

"Daddy! The leaves are movin' on the trees!" He said in a loud whisper, his green eyes wide as he pointed towards his picture.

"That's not all," Minerva said, shaking a knowing finger towards them both. "Look at the two of you!"

In a move that might have been comical had anyone else been watching, both he and his daddy leaned forwards towards his picture as they sought to see the action happening.

In the picture, a robed and imposing figure, his hair long and black, was looking at a tiny green eyed boy who now, instead of just smiling, was openly laughing as he swung back and forth on the Taller Man's hand.

"Brat," the real Severus stated with a squeeze to his mid-section.

Both Severus's were now giving the small boy a smile, one that was almost visible to Minerva and Captain as they watched on in silence.