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Harry, gritting his teeth, repeated for the seventeenth time, 'Thank you for your concern, Severus, this works for our family. This works for our family.' If only Ginny would let him haul off and hex the old bastard one, but she was right. It would upset Remus.

He couldn't believe that he had somehow acquired Severus Snape as an odd sort of in-law. Remus wasn't like a father to him; he wasn't like Sirius had been. But he was one of the few people who had known his parents well. He was an adult who had been kind to Harry when Harry was a child. It took years for Harry to admit to himself that he was a little afraid of Remus after seeing him transform into a werewolf, but once he had, he felt closer to the man.

Now that the war was over and Harry and Ginny were married, he wanted to maintain contact with Remus. It was part of building his family. It just about killed him when he realized that Snape would have to be part of that family.

Yes, it turned out that Snape was not the evil bastard he had appeared to be. Indeed, he had shown himself willing to sacrifice everything, even his own life, to ensure Voldemort's downfall. He was loyal to Dumbledore and to Harry, and he was willing to do whatever it took to protect Draco Malfoy, or indeed, any of his students. That included Harry Potter.

But that didn't make it any easier to visit him. Snape just couldn't approve of anything Harry did. He always had some criticism or worry. Even his mother-in-law didn't bother them about their parenting as much as Snape did.

"Oh, don't be silly," Ginny told him when he suggested this to her. "Of course she does. She just doesn't tell you. She tells me. She thinks we are going to ruin our marriage by sleeping with the baby, and she knows, blah blah blah…"

She rolled her eyes. She was so beautiful. Her breasts were all full from nursing. Little James had her smile, already, those little tiny dimples. Just seeing them together made absurdly happy feelings bubble up in his stomach.

Snape did not approve of the family bed idea, either. He thought that keeping the baby close was going to hamper his independence. He had many concerns, most of which he raised with a great show of reluctance. Remus always hushed him.

"He's a wonderful baby," Remus said. "He looks so much like Lily. He has such a sweet little voice."

Ginny suggested that Remus could wear James in the baby sling, if he liked, while the four of them went out for a walk. Remus' look of obvious pleasure was nearly goofy.

Harry wished, not for the first time, that he had known his own family and that his dad could have been the one looking down at his namesake with that fond expression.

Snape walked a step behind, muttering to himself about Remus' back. "We could buy them a pram, not that they can't afford one themselves," he said under his breath.

"I'm fine, Severus," Remus said very quietly. "I'm just fine." He was smiling very broadly, and an unnoticed tear ran down the crows feet by his eye. Snape gave him a rare look of unqualified, unhidden affection.

But Harry was still angry about it.

When they got to the park, Ginny took the baby and the sling and went to sit on the bench with Remus. Harry finally said, "Nothing I do will ever be right for you, will it?"

"That's not true," Snape snapped back at him. "Why do you say things like that, Potter?"

"You just don't approve of me, do you?"

"Does it really matter to you what I think?" Snape asked incredulously.

Harry thought for a moment. "Of course it does. It always has done."

Snape looked at him evenly. "You've already accomplished the one goal I had for you that I never had dared hope I would live to see."

"What, killing Voldemort?"

"No. Living to adulthood and growing up." Snape brushed off his robes, though they were pristine as always.

Harry was speechless.