16AN: Hello everyone. This is an alternate ending to my other story - where Snape re-ages but with only Sirius present. It doesn't go as smoothly. Thoughts and ideas would be very welcome! :) Thanks, Tabbiecatx
A Quiet Weekend: Chp 7
"When you're older again and have forgotten all about this, I'll still remember. If ever you need a shoulder to cry on after a nightmare, you know where to come." Snape froze, eyes wide. He felt like he was going to cry again. But he didn't know why. Sirius suddenly got very big and then disappeared and he felt lips being pressed against his forehead. He reached up and snagged the man before he could get away, burying his face in his chest and crying.
Finally he fell asleep.
Sirius shifted Snape to his other hip, stirring the sauce in front of him. Snape wriggled, reaching for a pot of spice on the shelf of the open cupboard above the cooker. Sirius sighed and twisted, effectively putting Snape out of reach of his next toy as he saw it. Snape grumped and whined, kicking Sirius in the stomach. Honestly - it would taste so much better with just a bit of pepper in it!
"No." Sirius said flatly. "Behave or I'm putting you down."
Snape whined, kicking Sirius in the stomach again for good measure before leaning forward and putting his arms round Sirius' neck and grizzling into his shoulder. It was so unfair being small and not being able to talk and having nightmares and needing to be changed and washed and cleaned and... He sighed, huffing warm, moist and sticky air against Sirius's neck. He couldn't wait till he changed back. How much longer would the polyjuice last anyway?
Finally dinner was ready and Snape had to sit obediently while Sirius got everything ready on the table - tantalisingly out of reach in his highchair. Thankfully it looked like Sirius would let him feed himself his own Macaroni cheese tonight.
About twenty minutes later and Snape looked expectantly up at Sirius, who was sitting on the chair next to him, finishing his own meal. "Ah!" he said, and jiggled the high chair a bit to get his attention. "I-us! Ah!" Sirius looked up and winced then grinned. Snape scowled, suddenly self-conscious of the piece of macaroni he knew he had stuck near his ear somewhere. And the cheese on his left shoulder.
He wasn't aware of the juice down his front, of the sauce swiped messily like a war-brand over his forehead, down his cheek and through his hair. Nor did he notice the mashed up strawberry sliding imperceptibly slowly over the high-chair arm, or the grape which had shot out of his fist to land between his shoulder and the back of the chair. So he scowled and felt hurt and embarrassed. And wet he realised with a dawning horror. Only not just wet - worse! He suddenly realised Sirius was now looking slightly panicked and was starting up out of his chair. He became aware that he didn't feel so well. He thought he might throw up everything he'd just eaten.
He tried to cry, only it didn't work and came out as more of a sob. Everything felt strange, everything felt really strange. He tried to reach for Sirius and realised the man was shouting and trying to get him out of the chair, but he couldn't hear what he was saying.
Then everything happened very fast and he ended up on the hard kitchen floor with a thump.
(Sirius' POV)
I looked up at Severus and saw a sight which should only ever be seen right before a hot bath, preferably with shampoo and lots of soap. It was adorable really - I had forgotten that Harry used to be like this too... until this weekend. I think I could remember seeing Neville Longbottom in the same state one lunchtime also. Snape's face started to crumple up, something was making him very tired and grumpy today - possibly the nightmare he'd had in the early hours of last night, though he seemed more tired than yesterday when he'd had a similar dream. I sighed and got up to get him out of his chair, starting with the usual platitudes, "What's up Severus? Are you tired? Think we could do with a-"
I cut off abruptly as I stared in horror at the baby before me. He was starting to contort, his body moving in and out and bulging and contracting all of its own accord. I leapt forward, struggling to remove the child-safety bits of the chair and get him out as soon as possible. "It's alright Severus. It's okay, I'm right here, I'm working on it. Don't worry now, everything's going to be fine. It's alright!"I shouted the last, trying to make myself heard over his screams. Finally I had him out, but he expanded rapidly in my arms and slipped through them, crashing to the floor as about 11 extra stone suddenly made themselves known.
Snape was breathing very fast, his body trembling from head to foot. Scraps of baby gro and nappy were casually decorating his person. One cuff was tightly compressing his right wrist and - I quickly averted my gaze - the nappy had ripped off everywhere but the left leg band which was currently stretched painfully around his left thigh. I watched as he opened his eyes and then shakily tried to push himself up, his right hand going to the back of his head.
"Severus?" I asked tentatively, crouching so I was level with him. My own hands were shaking slightly I realised. "Severus? Are you back?"
A strangled sound broke from his lips and I tried again, "Snape? You ok? You're sitting in my kitchen." I tried to laugh it off. To my dismay Snape's breathing worsened, and he bent in on himself, one hand still holding the back of his head. "Hey, hey. It's alright Severus. It's ok." I muttered, reaching out to tentatively place a hand on his shoulder. It shook under my touch. I realised the man was still trembling in front of me. Gently I eased forward, pulling him towards me. "It's ok, you're alright Severus. Let me look." I tried to peel his fingers away from his hair. Another strangled sound broke from him, followed by another and another.
I froze, one hand still holding his away from his head, the other on his shoulder. Some part of my brain told me we must look ridiculous - me crouched in front of a completely naked man wearing only scraps of babygro sitting curled up on my kitchen floor, holding hands in some bizarre dance move. I shifted so I was sitting next to him on the floor facing him. "Shh, it's ok." I murmured, reaching forward and gently pulling him into my arms.
It was unbelievably awkward, but after a few moments Snape uncurled enough to grab the front of my robes and bury his face into my shoulder. For a while there was no sound in the kitchen other than his wretched sobbing, whilst I slowly rocked the two of us back and forth on the floor.
Eventually he stopped and I sat, unsure what to do next until he moved and swiping his hand over his face pulled away slightly. "Sorry" he muttered.
"Sorry for what?" I asked, embarrassed "You mean for kicking me in the stomach earlier?" I tried to make light of it.
To my surprise he flushed almost scarlet. This was interesting. "No." He muttered, then flushed, if possible even redder. "I mean, yes, I mean, no - not for that, but obviously yes, for that, but..." he trailed off and glared at me. I tried to wipe the grin off my face and coughed to cover up the chuckle. "I fail to see what you find so amusing Black." he spat.
"Nothing, nothing." I hastened to cover up. I searched for a diversion. "Do you remember everything then?" Simultaneously I remembered what I'd said to him earlier that afternoon, and now it was my turn to be embarrassed - I almost hoped he had forgotten. But Snape had grown quiet again, looking down at the tiles.
"Yes, I... I was still an adult inside."
I debated silently as to how true that was and what I could possibly say to follow it. Thankfully Snape changed the conversation quickly.
"I should probably take a bath." He said, his face carefully controlled and distant as he gestured quickly downwards. I squirmed.
"Yeah, but I think this is far worse," I grinned quickly reaching forward and grabbing his hair to wave it in front of his face. It had grown as he had, but the ends - a good five or six centimetres in parts were solidly stuck together with macaroni cheese. He went nearly cross-eyed to see. And grinned - it was quite unexpected. I found myself laughing. "And you have some pasta in your ear." He went to flick it away. "And juice down your front." He frowned looking down and wiping a hand over his chest as though trying to brush it off.
"No I don't Black - uurgh." he finished, his hand connecting with the patches of stickiness.
"Yes, you do." I restricted myself to grinning - it wouldn't do to court danger after all.
Thankfully he now seemed more relaxed. "I suppose I'd better wash then."
"I'll help you, want a hand?" I asked, staggering to my own feet and extending an arm down to him. Snape reached up and took it and I hauled him upwards. He swayed slightly. "You alright?"
"Yes. And I think I can bathe myself now Black. I am thirty-five after all."
I hmmed in response, and began to walk towards the kitchen door, making sure Snape didn't suddenly collapse beside me. He seemed slightly out of it, but made it to the stairs under his own steam. I caught sight of the macaroni cheese again and started to laugh. He scowled. "What?"
"You were better than Harry at feeding yourself." Was he preening? "Course, Neville was better than both of you."
Snape scowled. "Longbottom is completely incompetent. I fail to see how he could possibly be better than me." He paused and frowned, "Was better than me."
"He was the son of Alice and Frank, how could he fail to be better than you?" There was an awkward silence, Snape studiously avoided looking at me and stared at the carpet. I tried to bite my tongue off. Thankfully he swayed suddenly, his body looping backwards and I grabbed him, just before he fell down the stairs.
"Careful!" I walked down a couple of stairs so I was now a step below him. I began to push him upstairs, making sure I had tight hold of his arm. We walked up in silence.
"I don't need you to help me Black."
I ignored him, pouring bubble bath liberally into the water. "I can wash myself." I was no longer surprised he had been as capable as he had been as a baby. "You can leave. Now."
"No." I turned to face him. "I'm not letting you drown." He was currently leaning against the bathroom door. "I'll let you use the loo and get ready while I contact Albus, then I'm coming back up." I left an extremely sulky 35-year-old baby in the bathroom and trotted downstairs to the kitchen.
"Sirius! How is Severus? We've just heard from Mary's parents, they say she's re-aged, Poppy and Albus are with her now."
"He's like a sulky, stubborn adult, but otherwise you couldn't tell the difference." The relief on McGonagall's face was fully evident. "Do you want him back yet?"
She laughed, "No, Sirius, Albus will come to see you with Poppy when they get back. Sophie's parents haven't contacted us yet - we'll have to check she's ok first." She paused and looked at me, the tabbycat coming out in full, "Is he really back to normal? Nothing left?"
I shrugged, "He's a bit off, think it was a shock to the system. I've left him to have a bath upstairs. I'm going to make sure he doesn't drown himself. Then he'll probably sleep the rest of it off."
I almost laughed at the disappointment on her face. "Why? Would you rather have a baby potions master?"
She flushed a light pink and laughed, shooing me back through. "Get away Sirius Black - putting words in my mouth indeed!"
Snape had managed to get into the bath and was starting to slowly wash himself. He looked thoroughly miserable. The tight band of babygro was still cutting into his wrist. I sighed and pointed to it, "Want me to take that off for you?"
"No. I don't need your help Black."
"It's cutting off your circulation." Snape scrubbed monotonously at his arm, "I can get it off if you like."
His lips pressed into a thin line, and his nostrils flared. Right, really pissed off then. Well, stubborn, pissed off 35-year-old babies I had learnt to deal with over the past weekend. Not a problem. I took out by wand and with a quick spell the band was falling into the water. A thought struck me, "Uh, did you get the other, um..." Snape sniffed, and drew in a deep breath. He was still scrubbing his arm. He was also blinking. A lot.
"Snape?"
"Go. Away." A tear slipped out. He scrubbed at his arm.
"I... Snape, I'm not leaving." Helplessly I waved my wand about near the edge of the bath.
Another tear slipped past the stony gaze. Then there was a splosh as the scrubber fell in the water and Snape covered his face with his hands.
After a few moments I slid an arm round his shoulders, "I can't leave you, you might pass out." I said quietly. "And Poppy would kill me." Snape snorted. It was a wet snort, with lots of snot involved, but he at least uncovered his face, wiping his nose and found the scrubber again.
"Fine, but I'm washing myself."
"Definitely." I agreed fervently. "Trust me, wild horses couldn't get me to wash you again!" He managed to laugh at that. And I chuckled along.
"I got the other bit off." He offered suddenly. "Two hands."
"Thank goodness!" I replied. It broke the ice.
Later he was lying in bed. I'd had to help him out of the bath, but he'd managed to dry and clothe himself. Albus and Poppy had been by, both very anxious to see him, and had fussed over him - Albus more than Poppy who had been thankfully very professional. It had been a general consensus that he should stay the night and return for classes the next day. That way the students would be less aware and - as Albus mentioned to me in an aside - he could be watched more closely just in case.
I just hoped he would fall asleep quickly. He was far pricklier now he was back to 'normal'. Add to that that he weighed about 12 stone and I had no chance to 'take care of him' unless he let me. I was assured that Poppy would be the other end of the floo all night.
Snape was lying with his eyes shut on the bed, his breathing regular. Spy though he was I knew he was faking. But I decided to let it slide. I walked across to the bed and pulled the duvet up slightly, collecting the tray with the empty cup and plate on it from beside the bed.
At the door I paused. I extinguished the lights with a spell and turned to leave. Just as I pulled the door closed behind me I hesitated. "I didn't mean to imply you weren't as good as Alice and Frank Snape."
If the figure on the bed stopped breathing for a moment I chose not to notice.