Touched

You are my angel and I thank God that you came into my life
You are the one thing I see when I close my eyes
in the dark of the night

I have never been touched like this by another

~Touched, by Delirium

It happened in a blur of green and silver.

Draco's fingers were just about to close around the Golden Snitch when he lost the precarious grip he'd held on his broom.

Everything went spinning before his eyes, and he wasn't sure whether he was falling towards the sky or towards the grass, whether the sky was below or the grass above. The next thing he knew, he hit the ground so hard it knocked the wind out of him. There was a sharp pain in his head, the roar of the crowd in his ears, and everything went black.

****

"Draco Malfoy is a breath away from the Snitch! He's almost- oh, no! Malfoy is losing control of his broom, he's... he's falling!"

Severus Snape jumped to his feet in the stands and watched in shock as the boy slammed into the pitch, rolled a few times and came to a dead stop with his arms thrown on either side of him.

"Malfoy is out! He's not moving!"

God, no.

Pandemonium erupted from one end of the field to the other.

Snape ran down the wooden stairs three at a time and thanked every higher power he could think of that the boy's father hadn't been there to witness his son's spectacular tumble. It was very unlikely that Lucius Malfoy would have felt anything other than shame and annoyance at the sight of his unconscious child. The Head of the House of Slytherin knew first hand what Lucius's opinion of failure was, and how it should be dealt with.

By the time Snape reached the pitch, a number of teachers were surrounding Draco's sprawled form, including Gilderoy Lockhart.

The very same man who just days ago had deboned Harry Potter's arm instead of repairing it.

"Get away from him, you idiot!" Snape said, racing towards the scene. If that damned fool harms one hair on his head, so help me...

The only other person who knew that Snape had recently convinced Draco not to accept the mark was Dumbledore. Acting on instinct and determination, the Potions Master had saved the child from Voldemort's clutches, and was now actively working to shield him from his father's expectations.

Snape then heard McGonagall cry out, and felt his heart drop. He almost tripped on his cloak, regained his balance in the nick of time, and sprinted across the field with his teeth bared. He skidded to a halt and stared down at... a pile of robes.

"I- I don't know what could have gone wrong," Lockhart said. "I've done this before, I wrote about it in Dancing with Demons, quite a riveting chapt- glrk!"

The DADA teacher was interrupted by Snape's hands wrapping themselves around his throat.

"What have you done to my student, you blithering, dimwitted numbskull?"

"He used a spell, I'm not sure what it was, Severus, calm down!" McGonagall said.

Snape had begun shaking Lockhart back and forth. "Talk, before I rip your bloody head off-"

Suddenly, a soft noise drifted from the bundle of clothes lying at their feet.

A baby's cry.

"Merlin's beard!" McGonagall said. She knelt in front of Draco's Quidditch uniform, searched the green and silver fabric, and a tiny blonde head was revealed.

For a moment, everyone froze and gawked at the infant who was looking back at them with large blue eyes. Then came Snape's thundering roar.

"What have you done?" he said, throttling Lockhart.

"Lump... on his head... t- tried to... shrink it... ack..."

"You've turned him into a baby, you imbecile!"

Draco's lower lip started to tremble, and his eyes filled with tears.

"Severus, will you stop shouting like that?" McGonagall said. "You're scaring the child-"

Snape paid no heed to McGonagall's warning, and all but spat in Lockhart's face.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, exactly what spell did you use?"

"If you'll let me explain-"

The rest of Lockhart's answer was drowned out by Draco's ear-splitting sobs.

McGonagall wrapped the baby in his now oversized sweater and picked him up in her arms. "Shhh, there, there, the mean professor won't yell anymore, shhh, it's all right..."

Draco wept all the more, and squirmed against her.

"Oh, give him here," Snape said. He shoved Lockhart aside and yanked the child from McGonagall.

"Be careful, Severus, for pity's sake!" McGonagall said.

Snape glared at her and propped Draco against his chest. "Don't cry," he said more softly, patting the infant's back. "I've got you, it'll be fine."

Draco's little fingers curled around Snape's robes and he grew quiet.

"You remember me, don't you? Do you know me?" Snape said.

The child rested a wet, reddened cheek on the Potions Master's breastbone.

"Good show, old boy," Lockhart said. "Never would have imagined you to be the paternal type-"

"Shut up, you dolt," Snape said, keeping his voice down. "You are going to dredge whatever spell you used out of that pea-brain of yours or I swear you'll wish you'd never been born." In the meantime, he'd do his own research. If he waited for Lockhart to solve this dilemma, chances were Draco would have to go through a second childhood. It didn't mean, however, that he had any intention of sparing Lockhart from the sword of Damocles.

"Professor McGonagall, I'm going to see the Headmaster. I assume you're capable of restoring order around here?"

"Quite."

"Good. I'm glad to see that for once, I don't have to do everything." He turned on his heel and strode from the stadium with the sleepy Draco clinging to his robes.

****

"ME?!"

Draco whimpered into Snape's forearm and the Potions Master continued in a whisper, "You want me to- How can I take care of an infant? I have Potions, I have -I'm a spy, Albus, I can be summoned in the middle of the night-"

"I'm certain we can adequately plan for any contingencies, Severus," Dumbledore said, unruffled. "The boy clearly seems happy with you. I doubt Lucius and Narcissa would provide a more suitable environment for him."

The Potions Master scowled. "Draco has confessed to me that his father is increasingly demanding. If we handed the boy over to Lucius now, that bastard would probably serve Draco up to the Dark Lord as an hors d'oeuvre and be done with it, rather than putting up with a useless infant again." He gazed at the bundle in his arms and blew out his breath. "I suppose... As long as I take care of the child while we search for the spell that'll reverse his condition, Lucius should be appeased."

"I can't think of anyone who would be a better guardian than you," Dumbledore said.

"Neither can I," Snape said through clenched teeth. "I'll never understand what possessed you to hire that cretin Lockhart in the first place. And let's not even mention Quirrell."

"I have my reasons, Severus... You of all people should know that."

Snape plopped himself in one of the armchairs before Dumbledore's desk and switched the baby to his other arm.

Insufferable old goat. Must he always be right?

"You'll need a few things for the child. Here, let me get you a few necessary items, just to see you through the night." Dumbledore said. He got to his feet, and set about transfiguring a number of knick-knacks into required baby supplies. "Bottle, pacifier, let's see, clothing, and, oh yes, diapers, of course."

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose.

Why me?

****

Someone had tampered with his alarm clock. It had never sounded quite like this before. He felt as though a drill was boring through his skull and making his teeth rattle. How could it be morning already? He'd barely gone to sleep after taking care of... something or other...

Not that he'd ever get his bearings with that infernal high pitched noise scrambling his brain.

"Uurgh..." He blindly groped for the clock, ready to hurl it across the room. "Stop it, you bloody idiot piece of junk, I'm awake, damn it-"

The offending decibels only seemed to increase in volume.

"Stop it, I said!" Snape said, opening his sleep crusted eyes. "What is your problem this morning?" The magical device had always responded to his verbal commands before, not to mention that, as far as he knew, he hadn't set the alarm to go off two at o'clock in the morning.

Then his dark orbs focused on the unusual piece of furniture that now graced his bedroom.

A crib.

What the-

At last his mind latched on to the previous day's events and he shook himself awake.

"Draco," he said, and got out of bed. "I'm coming..."

He reached down and took the weeping child in his arms. "There, it's all right, stop crying, Draco. Are you hungry?"

The little one sobbed against his shoulder.

Snape sat in the rocking chair next to the crib and said, "Accio bottle."

One of the baby bottles that were lined on the dresser flew across the room into his awaiting hand, and the professor thanked God for house elves. Once word got around about his tiny guest, Dobby had jumped at the opportunity to help. Snape, beleaguered as he was by a thousand tasks already, was more than willing to tolerate the creature's enthusiasm if it meant twenty four hour a day assistance.

"Here you are," Snape said, offering the bottle to the child, who immediately began sucking on it. "I see I was right."

The Potions Master laid his head back and, with Draco nestled in his lap, he began rocking the chair. "I have a feeling you're going to be the death of me."

Draco snuggled against him and sucked contentedly.

****

About a week went by. It seemed everything was business as usual at Hogwarts, aside from the strange fact that the forbidding Potions Master was never seen without Draco's miniaturized form partly tucked away in the midst of his voluminous robes. The only indication anyone had that Snape was perhaps getting less sleep than normal was the darkening circles under his eyes.

Then, one morning, he was late for class.

Hermione glanced towards the door with a concerned expression. "Do you think we should get the Headmaster?" she told Harry and Ron.

"One galleon says Draco probably just spit up over the greasy git's robes or something," Ron said, and the classmates who overheard his not so discrete comment snickered.

"You're on," Harry said, and both he and Ron started laughing.

Hermione, on the other hand, glared at them. "Haven't you noticed how tired Professor Snape's been looking? Maybe he's ill-"

"Oh, come on, Hermione. He looks just the same to me. He barely sleeps anyway, always stalking the halls at night desperate to take away house points," Ron said. "Serves him right, having to babysit Malfoy."

"Yeah, it's sure been nice around here now that we don't have to put up with ferret boy. Time for Snape to get a taste of what it's like," Harry said.

Hermione sniffed. "So far, Draco seems like a pretty well behaved baby to me."

"I can't believe you're sticking up for Malfoy after all he's done to you. Then again, you're keen on defending Snape too, aren't you, no matter how mean he is," Ron said.

Before Hermione could utter a stinging reply, the Potions Master entered the classroom, which abruptly grew quiet.

"Open your books at page eighty-five," Snape said, his voice a bit gravelly. He was more disheveled than usual, and to the students' shock, there was a hint of stubble on his face. He turned to deposit Draco in the playpen near his desk, and the children barely contained a collective gasp when they saw the state of their professor's robes. They had gotten used to the sight of the neatly folded towel he'd kept laid over his shoulder to prevent unfortunate accidents, but in its stead, a rather messy white substance was now trailing halfway down his back.

"I owe you one galleon," Harry whispered to Ron.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for muttering in my class, Potter," the Potions Master said, opening his bag and dropping a pile of scrolls on his desk. Some of them fell on the floor, but it either escaped his attention, or he simply didn't care. He sat down and said, "Twenty points from anyone who speaks one word during the rest of this session, do I make myself clear?"

Dead silence greeted his threat.

"Now get to work, and-"

"Gah."

The students flinched, but the noise had emanated from the playpen, and Snape's features lost some of their severity. "What is it, Draco?"

The baby stared at Snape with expectant eyes and held out his small hands. "Gah."

"Oh, I see," Snape said, rising. He went to the child, reached inside his robes and produced a little teddy bear. "Is this what you want?"

"Gah!" Draco said, smiling at the professor.

The students watched in stunned fascination as their dreaded professor, lips curved in a tired smile, stooped to give the toy to Draco. Then, with a quick motion that had him wince slightly, the Potions Master straightened and pierced the class with his penetrating gaze.

"Ten points from Gryffindor and from Slytherin for gaping like idiots." He returned to his seat and dipped his quill in the ink well. "I must warn you that any botched potion will be grounds for detention. Get on with it."

Ten minutes went by without incident, then a soft thump was heard and all eyes darted towards the disturbance.

Snape had fallen asleep while grading their essays; his quill slipped from his fingers, which were smeared with red ink, and for a moment, no one dared to move.

"Holy crap," Ron at last whispered.

"I told you he was tired," Hermione said, getting to her feet.

"Don't wake him!" Harry said. From the panicked looks on the other students' faces, they were evidently in agreement with him.

"Of course I won't wake him," Hermione said. She got just close enough to the slumbering Potions Master to transfigure the essay beneath his cheek into a pillow. "There." She hesitated and waved her wand again, restoring the professor's robes to their original pristine condition.

Draco began to whimper, and everyone started.

"Shut the little monster up!" Ron said.

"How about I shut you up, weasel?" Goyle said.

Snape mumbled in his sleep; the students froze, Gryffindors and Slytherins alike.

Hermione hurried over to the playpen and scooped Draco in her arms. "Shhh, you have to be quiet, Draco, the professor's sleeping... see?"

The baby gazed at Snape and stopped fussing. "Da," he said. "Da."

"Yes, now you're being a good boy," Hermione said, going back to her seat with the unprotesting child. "Have you been letting Professor Snape sleep at all?"

Draco pouted and almost managed to look offended.

"This is too weird," Ron said. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm looking forward to Malfoy being a creep again."

"Do you think he remembers anything? I mean, he sure doesn't seem to mind that you're holding him," Harry told Hermione.

"Unless he's always had this secret crush on her," Ron said.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Don't be disgusting," Pansy Parkinson said. "Give him here, Granger. He's a Slytherin, we should be taking care of him."

Parkinson's menacing tone had Draco whimpering again.

"Shhh, shhh," Hermione said, calming the child. "It's okay, Draco."

"Hand him over, mudblood."

"You need to watch your mouth, Parkinson," Ron said.

"And you need to mind your own business," another Slytherin said.

"If you want the professor to wake up with all of us arguing and Draco crying, keep it up," Hermione said, stroking the baby's back.

As though suddenly reminded of their fearsome Potions Master's presence, the rival groups checked to make sure that he was still sleeping.

"I can't understand why he's so tired," Harry said. "Dobby told me Snape asked him to-"

There was a pop and the House Elf materialized on Harry's desk.

"Harry Potter must know how hard Dobby is trying to help Professor Snape, but Professor Snape is not letting him!" the elf said, wringing his hands. His eyes grew wider when he saw the sleeping Potions Master, and for a terrible moment, Harry thought the elf was going to start banging his head against the desk.

"No, no, Dobby! You don't want to disturb the professor while he's resting, do you?" Harry said, grabbing the creature by the shoulders.

"Oh, Dobby is sorry, sir, Dobby would never want to be disturbing Professor Snape," the elf said, his voice a trembling whisper. "Not when Professor Snape is staying up so late doing everything Dobby should be doing! Poor Professor Snape!"

"What do you mean, he won't let you help him?" Hermione said.

The elf pulled on his ears. "Dobby hears Master Draco cry, but Professor Snape wakes up and takes Master Draco in his arms and sits in the rocking chair, and he tells Dobby, 'It's fine, I'll be putting him to sleep,' and Professor Snape's eyes are all red, Harry Potter sir."

"Snape rocks Malfoy?" Ron said.

"Aw," Pansy said, and blushed.

"And is singing to him," Dobby said. "Many more things he does."

The students were dumbstruck.

"Da," Draco said, his eyelids getting heavy. He yawned.

"Here, Dobby. Why don't you go put Draco in his playpen and watch over him while we finish our potions?" Hermione said.

She lowered the child into Dobby's outstretched arms and told the other students, "I think we should just continue with the lesson until the professor wakes, like nothing unusual happened."

"You'd better help Neville," Harry murmured to her.

The Slytherins and Gryffindors went back to work, sneaking glances at their Potions Master every now and then, and talking softly among themselves.

"Snape sings to Malfoy," Ron said, and shuddered. "Gives me the creeps just to picture it."

"Didn't you see him smiling at Draco when he gave him the bear earlier? The professor must really care for him," Hermione said.

"Probably doesn't want to get into trouble with Lucius Malfoy," Harry said.

"If we were talking about anybody except Professor Snape, you wouldn't be so eager to find fault," Hermione said, grinding her poppy seeds to a pulp. "No matter what he does, you always suspect him of something."

"It's not like he hasn't given us reason to," Ron said. "Now we're supposed to get all sentimental because he's bottle feeding a baby?"

"You're impossible, both of you," Hermione said. Then she suddenly set her mortar aside. "The class is almost over. And it'll be lunch time... we have to wake him."

"Don't look at me," Harry said.

"I'm not going anywhere near him," Ron said.

Hermione got up. "Fine. I'll do it."

"I'll come with you," Pansy said, after a moment of hesitation.

The rest of the Gryffindors didn't object, and neither did the Slytherins, the latter unused to seeing their Head of House in such a vulnerable position. Although he looked after them in his own fierce way, they understood it was preferable to avoid provoking the formidable man's wrath.

He hadn't moved a muscle since Hermione had made him more comfortable.

Pansy studied his relaxed features and said, "He looks so peaceful."

"I know," Hermione said. "I hope he won't be... too upset."

Pansy put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Professor Snape?" then shook him a little.

His eyes snapped open and he stood so quickly and with such force that he knocked his chair over, the noise waking Draco, who started to cry; Snape took his wand out in a flash.

No one stirred.

"Draco?" the Potions Master said. He seemed completely disoriented, and his voice was rough with sleep.

Seconds later, what little color he possessed drained from his face and he dropped his wand. A couple of Slytherins rushed to the front of the class to lift his chair from the floor, while Hermione went to pick up the now wailing Draco and Pansy gripped Snape by the arm.

"Professor? Maybe you should sit down, sir," Pansy said.

He swayed slightly, and Goyle came to the girl's aid.

"What... what on earth is going on in here," the Potions Master said as Pansy and Goyle guided him to his seat.

"You fell asleep, sir, and, well..." Pansy looked at Goyle and mouthed, fetch Madame Pomfrey.

The burly Slytherin left at once.

"Draco," Snape said.

"I've got him, sir," Hermione said.

The Potions Master attempted to rise, then paled even more.

"Professor, please, sit still," Pansy said. Ignoring the strident warnings in her head, she undid two of his collar buttons.

He narrowed his eyes at her, but his weakened state undermined the effect.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said. "I-"

"Get me a... Pepper Up potion," he said. "Blasted meddling-"

"Severus Snape! What have you been doing to yourself now?" Pomfrey said, storming in the dungeons.

With a sigh of relief, Pansy hastened out of the mediwitch's way.

"I swear, you'll never learn. If it's not one thing, it's another," Pomfrey told Snape, who glowered. She took a few readings and her mouth thinned. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't know. Yesterday, I think."

"What a shock." She waved her wand over him a few more times, and frowned. She repeated the gesture she'd just made, then said, "Children, you go on to your next class. Hermione, would you gather up Draco's things and take him to Headmaster Dumbledore?"

The students exited the classroom, leaving Pomfrey, Snape, Hermione, Draco and Dobby alone.

"Did you have a meeting last night?" Pomfrey asked the Potions Master.

"Not quite. It was more like a private..." He grimaced. "Interview with Lucius."

Dobby started hitting his forehead with his fists; Hermione distracted the elf by handing him the tearful baby.

"Why didn't you come to see me?" Pomfrey said.

"There was no need."

"After such a beating? According to my wand, your back is a mass of bruises," Pomfrey said, crossing her arms. "Honestly, Severus! I expect you'd have a bit more sense."

"When I arrived in my quarters, Draco was crying," Snape said, no longer bothering to mask his pain.

"Dobby tried to calm Master Draco, but it was Professor Snape he was wanting," the elf said. His large eyes watered. "Dobby sensed something was wrong with Professor Snape, but-"

"It's all right, Dobby, it's not your fault he's so stubborn," Pomfrey said.

"I fell asleep with the child in my arms, and I... I forgot about it. Then it was morning, and I had a full day of classes. I could manage," Snape said, ignoring Pomfrey's glare.

"Managed to swoon in front of your students, more like." She looked at the pillow on his desk. "Right after taking a nap in the middle of your class. A truly unforgettable sight, no doubt."

Snape muttered darkly.

The mediwitch conjured a stretcher and glanced at Hermione, who'd just finished putting all of Draco's essentials in his bag and was quite anxious to leave.

"Hermione, would you help me get the professor to lie down on the stretcher?" the mediwitch said.

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey, if, if he doesn't mind-"

"Come here and stop dawdling, you silly girl, and let's get this over with, now that I'm condemned to be dragged to the Hospital Wing," Snape said, jaw clenched. He struggled to his feet, unable to suppress a groan.

"Quick, Hermione, before the infernal man crawls out of the room on his own," the mediwitch said, clamping her hand around Snape's forearm, and they maneuvered him onto the stretcher.

With a sharp intake of breath, he lay down on his stomach. Pomfrey murmured a charm and some of the tension melted from his body.

"Better?" Pomfrey said.

"Fine," he said, closing his eyes. "I'd be even better if you weren't looking forward to poking and prodding me with such obvious delight."

Pomfrey sighed and told Hermione, "You can take Draco to the Headmaster now, and explain to him what happened. I'm sure he'll have some choice words for your Potions Master."

"Oh, joy," Snape said.

"Yes, Madame Pomfrey," Hermione said. She retrieved the baby from Dobby's arms, and left with the creature trailing behind her.

----

End of part one.