Chapter Text
Harry knew his Dad was overprotective. He knew he was babied a lot more than other ten-year-olds were and he also knew that his Dad loved him more than anything else in the world so he could deal with all the other things, usually. The thing was, Harry was finally starting Hogwarts!
This year he’d finally be going as a student and not just a faculty members kid. Sure he knew all the big kids already and he often had his dinner in the great hall but unlike every other year where he would sit beside his Dad up at the professors table, getting his food cut up for him and a napkin tucked into his shirt (Harry had to negotiate not wearing what was essentially a bib).
This year he’d be sitting with his classmates at his house table, not a care in the world if he spilt a little bit of food on himself.
That is if his Dad would let him.
This was where Harry could see one of the main issues with his Dad being so overprotective; he’d more than likely insist that Harry sit up where he usually does instead of with his classmates. Which Harry wouldn’t mind but he didn’t want to seem like a baby who needed help eating. He was sure no one would say anything to him but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t talk about Harry behind his back, which made him just cringe thinking about it.
Harry got why his Dad was so overprotective, he really did.
His Dad had come to the Dursleys when he was five and grew suspicious that the old headmaster wasn’t telling the truth about how happy he was. When he found Harry in the cupboard under the stairs he was livid and did magic to get the Dursleys sent away for good.
That was the first time Harry saw magic and he was amazed, his Dad seemed so powerful against his whale of an uncle. Then he took him away from them and the rest was history. Or well it wasn’t but Harry wasn’t sure what happened with the old headmaster.
Grandpa told him once that they were enemies and he tried to trick people into believing that his grandpa was bad when he wasn’t. Harry couldn’t get much more details out of him because Dad had come in and picked Harry up (even though he was much too old at ten to be picked up) before leaving the room, no doubt bringing Harry somewhere he couldn’t hear him giving Grandpa a piece of his mind.
Now though, he was a big boy and surely his Dad would realise that and stop the babying. Draco said that it wasn’t a big deal and no one would notice but Harry had to disagree. Surely someone would notice, when his Dad made him go for a nap (he did not need one, who cares if he got cranky around three every day?) or sat him on his lap for a cuddle after dinner in the great hall (which Harry loved and admittedly hoped that part didn’t stop), and tease him for it. He knew he was too old for naps since Draco, his best friend in the entire world didn’t have them anymore but when he told Dad this he got met with an “I am not Draco’s father, I am yours. What his parents do does not matter to me.” So yeah, he still had naps because of it.
“Harry, you ready to go? We don’t want to be late for the train.” His Dad called from the hallway. Harry took one last look around his room before rushing out. He wasn’t sure why he looked around, Dad had packed his bags the night before.
“Yeah, Dad I’m ready.” He ran down the stairs, jumping into his father's outstretched arms, giggling when he was caught mid-air and brought into his chest for a cuddle. He loved when his Dad did that, it made him feel loved.
“Good. Go say goodbye to grandpa, you won’t see him until later tonight because we’ve to take the train.” His Dad sneered the last part but Harry didn’t mind.
He really wanted to take the train to Hogwarts like everyone else this year. Dad said he could if he agreed to his rules which mainly consisted of, hold his hand at all times on the platform, no running off, stay with him on the train and a quick nap around three. Harry wanted so badly to go on the train that he agreed to it all, even the nap, no matter how much he detested them.
Harry ran into the living room where his grandpa was having a cup of tea as he read the daily prophet, he put it down when he heard Harry running in.
“Grandpa I’m going! We’re going to get the train to Hogwarts!” Harry ran into his open arms, giving him a hug goodbye.
“The train? Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? I’m sure I’d be able to sneak you some sugar quills.” His grandpa whispered to him as he gave him a sugar quill, causing Harry to giggle. His Dad hated Harry having sweets, saying that it made him ‘way to hyper’, Harry disagreed, he was the exact same with or without the sweets.
“You can give me some at the feast? Dad can’t say no when it’s a special occasion.”
“I think you’ll find that I can. Father, what have I said about loading him full of sugar?” Severus looked to his father who had Harry sitting in his lap, eating one of the sugar quills, sugar sticking to the side of his mouth.
Tom shrugged, giving Harry one last hug before letting him go to his father, “You know me, I’m an old man now, I forget these things. Isn’t that right Harry?”
Harry nodded seriously. “Yeah Dad, old men are forgetful!”
Severus rolled his eyes, but let the matter drop for now. The sugar would probably do him well. Harry was very nervous overtaking the train this year, no matter how much he tried to hide behind the excitement.
“Harry, would you like to hold my hand to aparate or do you want me to hold you?” Harry was notorious for puking if he wasn’t in his father’s arms with his head buried in his neck. Severus still gave him the option for what he wanted to do because sometimes every so often Harry would try again. This time, thankfully, he raised his arms to be picked up instead.
“Don’t wanna get sick.” He mumbled, putting his head on his Dad’s shoulder when he was picked up. “Grandpa, can I go up to you at the feast?” Harry asked worriedly, he didn’t want to not say hello to his grandpa.
“I was thinking that you would eat at the top table with me and grandpa and your aunt Minnie.” Harry bit his lip. He wasn’t so sure that would be a good idea. The other first-years might think he was a baby or something, even though he was ten!
“But- But- all of the other kids will tease me for being a baby.” He pouted at his Dad, it was already bad enough that he wasn’t allowed to stay in the dormitories with the other kids if he wasn’t allowed to eat with them how would he ever make friends?
His Dad seemed to be able to read his mind though, “Harry, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. No one will tease you. You already have loads of friends that will be starting with you. You have Draco, Neville, Blaise, Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, Seamus, don’t forget you also have friends in other years as well like the Weasley twins. I’m sure none of them will mind you sitting up there with me. I’ll tell you what though. You can have your lunch with your friends everyday okay?”
Harry couldn’t believe his luck, he got to eat lunch with them? yes! He was full sure his Dad wouldn’t compromise in any way but eating lunch was more than he could ask for really.
“Yeah! That’s wicked Dad!” Harry threw his small arms around his father’s neck giving him the squeeziest hug he could have.
“Yes,” Severus repeated, rolling his eyes at his father, ‘truly wicked.”
Tom snorted at his grandson's vocabulary. Severus had tried his hardest to get Harry to speak without any colloquialisms but it seemed a lost cause. It was an added benefit that Severus speaking the same way never failed to make Harry giggle.
Severus and Tom loved to hear the sound of Harry’s laughter. He was quiet for so long when he first came to them that they now relished in the sounds of a noisy ten-year-old running through the house instead of the little mouse that he was when he first arrived.
“Are you ready to go, Harry?”
“Yeah! See you later Grandpa! Love you!”
“Love you too little snake,” Tom replied, watching as Severus nodded his head in farewell before aparating to Kings Cross with Harry.
Nagini slithered into the room to try and find Harry only to hiss is displeasure when she realised he was gone.
“I know, you can see Harry this evening though so stop with the pouting please, we need to prepare ourselves to leave also.”
Nagini curled around Harry’s favourite cuddly toy, a stuffed lion. He had entrusted Roger to Tom until tonight and obviously, Nagini was taking the responsibility seriously. He swore it was like he lived with two children sometimes.