Baby Serena

A/N: I own nothing, it all belongs to J.K., except for the challenge, that belongs to Dahlias. I am making no money from this, I do it for my own pleasure.

Thanks again to Tarallyne for her betaing.

Chapter 4

When he heard Serena crying, it seemed like only a few minutes before that he had fallen asleep. Harry groaned and climbed out of the bed.

“I’m coming Serena,” he said to the wailing child. He grabbed the bottle and picked her up from the cot. He sat down on the bed and placed the bottle near mor mouth. She quieted down and began to drink the milk. A soft tap on the door pulled his attention from the child in his arms.

Draco pushed the door open and stuck his head in. “Is she alright?” he asked.

Harry motioned the blonde over to the bed. Draco came in and closed the door softly behind him, then walked over to the bed.

“She was hungry,” Harry told him.

Draco watched the baby, reaching out to touch her small toes. “She’s so amazing,” he said in an awed voice.

Harry smiled, “Would you like to finish feeding her?” he asked.

Draco looked up into Harry’s eyes, “Really?”

Harry nodded. Draco shifted around until he was comfortable, then Harry handed him the baby.

He stared down at her, using his free hand to touch each of her tiny features. “Po-Harry, how could they look at her and not fall in love with her?”

Harry shrugged, “I don’t know Draco. As soon as I saw her, I knew that I couldn’t let them take awa away.”

Draco looked up at the raven haired young man, and snickered.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Your shirt is all wet,” he stated, pointing at the large wet spot on Harry’s shirt.

“Bugger, she must need her nappy changed,” he said. He stripped off the shirt and walked over to get a clean nappy for her.

When she had finished eating, he handed the now empty bottle to Harry.

“You have to burp her,” he said. He helped Draco get the baby settled against his shoulder. He patted her gently ‘til she burped, then Harry laughed.

“She threw up on you,” he chuckled. “And your shirt is wet too.”

Draco handed Serena to Harry and pulled off his shirt. “Oh well, I really didn’t like that shirt anyway.”

Harry changed the baby and put her in the middle of the bed. Draco stretched out on one side, Harry on the other. They watched her sleeping, talking quietly.


Severus walked down the hall, listening for the sound of Serena stirring. Mopsey had told him that neither of his house guests had ventured out of their rooms for breakfast. He stopped in front of Harry’s room, and opened the door. He stood for a few minutes watching the bed where Harry, Serena and Draco were sleeping. One boy on each side of the dark haired child, as if they were protecting her.

He stepped out, shutting the door silently and headed toward the sitting room. As he sat down in a chair in front of the fireplace, the fire roared to life. Floating in the fl was was the head of Albus Dumbledore.

“What can I do for you Albus?” he asked.

“Severus, Harry has gone missing from the Dursley’s,” the headmaster stated. “We are afraid that some of the remaining Death Eaters have him.”

Severus sighed and shook his head, “Albus, have you asked his muggle relatives where he is?”

“We asked and they said that he left with one of his kind, I took that to mean a wizard or witch,” he said.

Severus thought for a moment, “Albus, the boy contacted me yesterday. He said that he was fine, but his relatives made him leave. He said that he was safe, and that he would be on the Hogwarts express on September first.”

Albus stroked his beard, “We must find him. He must return to his relatives.”

“I do not understand why you insist that the young man return to those vindictive muggles. He would be just as safe in any home with the correct warding,” Severus growled.

“They are his family, Severus,” Albus stated.

Severus stood up and stalked toward the fire. “They are not his family, Albus. Family would never treat you the way they have treated Potter. You should have allowed him to be raised in a wizarding household. At least he would have been treated well. Those muggles used him like a house elf, barely fed him and never provided him with anything that their son had not used before him.”

“Severus, he must go back there!” Albus shouted.

Severus stared at the older man in the flames. “Why Albus, why is it so important that he return to be abused?”

The headmaster remained silent. Staring daggers at the man he considered his son.

“Maybe the boy was correct when he told me that he didn’t trust you to help him when he needed it,” Severus mused. “That is why he contacted me, he said that you would try to make him return. His family, as you call them, told him to leave and not return. I will not violate his trust by assisting you in finding him.”

“Severus,” Albus pleaded. “He is not safe unless he is with them. The protection that his Aunt’s blood provides is the only thing that can protect him.”

“Albus, If he contacts me again I will request that he owl you. I will not tell you where he is, and I will not assist you in finding him. He will be seventeen years old in just a few weeks, of legal age in the wizarding world. You will no longer be able to control what he does and where he lives,” he stated.

“If he contacts you again, Severus, tell him that it is imperative that he returns to Privet Drive. Have him contact me, and Molly also. She has been frantic with worry since she found out that he is missing.”

Severus walked toward the door, “If that is all Headmaster,” he said. “Leave the young man to have his freedom. I am positive that he is safe, and you will only do more harm to your relationship with him if you hunt him down like a criminal.”

The flames flared green again and the headmaster’s head disappeared. Severus walked up to the fireplace, threw a pinch of floo powder into the flames and shouted, “Remus Lupin!”