When Pigs Fly

Effect of the Child

Warning: There are mentions of the concern of rape. There is no actual rape, just a possibility. If this is triggering or you do not wish to read that, please skip the paragraph starting with "Severus tightened his hold on the child, fists clenching...".

The Slytherin rushed up the stairs, tightly clutching Harry in his arms as he sprinted towards the room they occupied. Once he reached the portrait, he managed to heave out the password, eyes dazed, a horrified expression visible on his face. The blonde gave him a pitying expression before swinging the door open, and Severus rushed in, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding the passive but curious child in his arms.

Once he was in the safety of the room, with no eyes on him (as Harry was currently held in a way that he couldn't see his papa's face), the raven began to sob, the tears falling down his face as he let the realizations of the day's events swarm him.

There had been so many times Severus had obtained something that made him hopeful, something that gave him faith in the world. And every single time it reached its fruition, it was stolen from him, robbed from him, by a certain bespectacled, messy haired Gryffindor seeker.

And once again, it had happened. The world had given him a child, a beautiful, unbiased being who loved him for him and who looked at him with those wide, innocent eyes filled with unbridled feelings of affection and care. But then finding out that the child was James', that it was their child together, crushed Severus' heart. Severus felt like his heart had been crushed beyond repair, like the blood the heart was supposed to pump was spilling out, spreading everywhere and tainting it with its dark, unyielding color. Once again, his light and hope was ruined and tainted by the knowledge of the Gryffindor's looming figure behind it.

Severus took a choked breath in. He didn't know how it would happen in the future, how the two of them were able to make a child, how they were together. He brushed his cheek against the child's hair, seeking comfort in the soft tendrils, but it also resulted in anguish as he was reminded of just from whom the child got his messy hair from.

Thoughts began to swerve in his head, imagining how on earth this would happen, doubtful. Even if they were together in the future, it'd most likely be in a toxic relationship full of hatred behind the scenes, while putting on a happy face in front of the child. But Severus couldn't fathom how on earth he would have even gotten with James to begin with.

Severus tightened his hold on the child, fists clenching as he thought of a horrifying yet very real possibility: what if Potter had raped him? But even as he thought this, he asked himself, why him? Why the Slytherin the Gryffindor hated with a passion of all people? But the reminder of their roles and attitudes towards each other led him down a path. Maybe one day at the end of seventh year, or even a little further out, the two run into each other. Potter would hex him, but instead of being satisfied with just using magic to torment the Slytherin, he decides to use the ultimate "punishment", the ultimate way to scar Severus. And then, when he finds out about what his sordid act had created, he forces his way into the "family" because of his desire for the familial bonds. Maybe that's what will happen.

Severus was taken out of his state of fear when he felt a small pressure on his collarbone. Taking a gulp and collecting himself, he looked down, towards the boy in his arms who was looking up curiously at the raven. Once Harry got Severus' attention, the boy reached his hands up and gently placed them on his father's face, hands cupping the cheekbones. Slowly, while his father just stared at him, the boy moved his thumbs to wipe the tears from under his papa's eyes.

"Papa, don' cry," they child said, looking up into his father's eyes. He smiled innocently, broad and sincere on his face. "Papa is cuter when smiling."