Disclaimer: Not mine just playing with them and I’ll put them away when I am finished with them. I make no money it is all just for fun, there I think that covers my arse!

A/N: Someone said it seemed like I was rushing and I guess going from birth till three was a bit fast so I decided to add this chapter as well as a chapter that will come much later that will show you more of the relationship Samantha and Severus has while she is growing up.

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It Takes a Real Man to be a Daddy

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Severus paced his chambers back and forth rubbing slow circles on the small infant’s back. She would not stop crying. In fact she had not stopped her wails the entire time she had been with him!

,

The sisters where on a hunt and due to the elevated demon activity Leo was up to his ears with charges summoning him to be healed; so of course, that left Severus to take care of Samantha. Thus the reason, about an hour before, a rather frazzled looking Leo had orbed into his personal chambers and thrust the sobbing three month old into his arms. Apparently, the baby would not settle down and no one knew the reason.

She was not hungry, she refused his every attempt to give her a bottle, her nappy did not need to be changed, at least not any of the one hundred times he had check, the last being less than five minutes earlier, her breathing seemed fine, her wails where a testament to that, she did not have a fever and she was not the slightest bit congested so the cause of her hysterics remained un diagnosed.

Severus was most dejected that his glare had absolutely no effect on the child. It was a testament to Snape’s luck that the one child in the entire world that didn't cow to his glare just had to be his own!

He supposed he should have felt lucky that Leo did not orb right into the middle of his class with the screaming infant and grateful that he had at least tried to take care of her for some period of time, but at the moment he was not inclined to feel either lucky or grateful for anything; especially when faced with the loss of his hearing and sanity!

The tiny child’s face was practically purple with the exertion of her sobs and Severus was at a complete loss as to what to do. He was not father material! He had never claimed to be but it would take all of his strength to swallow his pride and ask for help though he knew at this point his choices where limited. Samantha’s lungs, despite all the potions, where still weaker then they ought to be and he was truly frightened she might be doing some real damage even if, at the moment, despite the sobs, her breathing seemed fine.

He did not relish the idea walking through the halls of Hogwarts with a screaming infant in the middle of the afternoon (it was just after two o'clock Friday and though classes were still in attendance he had finished his last class of the day the previous period) but he had to go see Poppy and using the floo was out of the question. Piper would skin him alive if she knew he had taken their premature infant, with under developed lungs through the soot filled floo network.

Rushing out of his chambers his mind was to pre-occupied to realize placing a simple silencing charm around the baby would save him much un-wanted attention and un-due embarrassment. Instead he set about rushing through the halls with a screaming infant wearing nothing more than a diaper.

Snape had removed her onesy, having read somewhere that skin to skin contact soothed a baby, and hoped rubbing her bare back with his bare hand would calm her, and indeed she had relaxed a slight bit but had not stopped her sobs. He had never put it back on choosing not to wrestle with it at that point and simply cast a warming charm on the child as even in late April the dungeons where chilly.

He charged down the hall in an attempt to make it to the hospital wing with as much haste as possible, his ears ringing from the none stop screaming. He could scarcely believe something so tiny was capable of producing such head splitting, ear drum bursting noises.

He may have been preoccupied with the banshee he had somehow managed to father but he was not so preoccupied as not to notice the many classroom doors opening and the many disapproving stares he was getting from students and professors alike covering their ears. Even the portraits where glaring at him distastefully.

McGonagall rushed out of her classroom and fixed the youngest member of the faculty with the sternest look she could muster, a look Severus had experienced many a time as a student; one that now as an adult he refused to wither under.

"Honestly Severus." She admonished waving her wand over the baby and suddenly... silence.

Oh the baby was still sobbing but now she was silent.

"Really Severus, I know you are new to the entire parenting thing but you aren’t new to being a wizard. A simple silencing charm is easy enough and it would have prevented you from disturbing the entire school and perhaps even waking the dead as well." She scolded shaking her head and gesturing with her wand to the gathered students faculty and ghosts.

Severus could still hear ringing in his ears but he was grateful for the silencing of the racket. However, that did not stop him from glaring at the meddlesome women. In all honestly, he felt a bit foolish for not thinking of that himself and one thing Severus Snape could not abide by was feeling foolish.

He was actually at a loss for what to say. He lacked any witty, sarcastic, nasty biting come back and that served to further annoy him so without even talking to the stern old witch, he turned on his heels, holding the still sobbing, yet eerily quiet, infant closely and started off again to the hospital wing leaving a perturbed McGonagall in his wake.

Moments later he collided with a rather befuddled red head that blinked rapidly and then gulped looking decidedly frightened as he straightened back up and backed away slightly.

'Good' Severus though 'I have not lost my touch. It just seems I'm rather ineffective with my own child,' he added to himself dejectedly

He had been seriously worried; it did not bode well for his intimidating scary evil greasy git reputation that his glare failed to work on his own tiny infant.

"P-Professor," The red head squeaked out.

"Mr. Weasley ten points from Gryffindor for atrocious timing!" Snape spat.

Bill Weasley blinked taking in the scene in front of him...

Evil, mean, slimy, greasy, git, potion master and most hated professor, Severus Snape, rushing down the halls looking completely frazzled; not at all like his normal cool calm and collected self, toting a silent yet apparently sobbing infant in nothing but a nappy...

Well Bill reckoned, he had just about seen it all, and this was the oddest thing off the all that he had seen!

"S-Sir, what is wrong with the little mite?" He asked concerned, looking at the baby. As the oldest of seven children he had paternal instincts well ingrained in him.

"Not that it is any of your busyness Weasley but I haven’t the slightest idea. Thus, the reason I am running like a mad man through the halls of this fine establishment to get to the hospital wing." Severus stated and it was rather apparent that he was completely exasperated and unnerved.

"Who is he?" Bill asked the question that had been on the tip of his tongue

"SHE is my daughter!" Severus spat out at him realizing only to late what he had just given away. He mentally kicked himself for it.

'Bloody Gryffindors to brave and too stupid to know when to keep their mouths shut and leave well enough alone,' Snape added as a side note to himself.

"D-Daughter..." Bill stammered. He had great difficulty believing that Snape could be a father.

Bill shook his head and then took pity on the man who was so obviously out of his element with the small baby.

"Um... Sir may I?" Bill asked holding out his arms for the sobbing infant.

"Do you honestly think you can shut her up when I have been trying for...?” Severus began venom in every word.

"Sir I have a baby sister just about her age and five other younger brothers." Bill reminded him

Severus sighed he had to admit, but only to himself, that young Weasley had to know a right lot more than he did about babies

"Oh really... Here!" he huffed holding Samantha out in Bills general direction.

Bill took the sobbing infant with a gentleness no boy of his age should possess and cradled her to him, making sure to lie her head so her ear was pressing directly over his heart. He then began to rub slow circles onto her exposed tummy.

The mixture of the arithmetic thump, thump of a human heart in her ear and the soft ministrations of a bare hand rubbing her bare belly lulled the little girl and soon her face became relaxed and it appeared she had stopped crying.

Snape could not believe his own eyes; so as if double checking he waved his wand over Samantha and removed the silencing charm, and sure enough the baby was quiet looking up at Bill with large black eyes and giving out a mighty yawn.

"My you’re a pretty little thing when you face isn’t all scrunched up in sobs." Bill cooed to the infant who slowly let her heavy eyelids droop.

Snape just stood there in the middle of the corridor, gob smacked, staring at Bill and his daughter and then he did something so very out of character that it should have gone down in "Hogwarts a History".

"Fifteen points to Gryffindor for silencing the banshee." Snape drawled

Bills eyes shot up in surprise.

"Now, if you will Mr. Weasley, follow me to the Hospital wing I do not wish to disturb her now that she has calmed. So, if you would please hold onto her, I do think it prudent to have the child checked out to find the cause of the fit even if it has ceased. Oh and do close your mouth Mr. Weasley less you catch flies." Snape said before taking off again towards the Hospital wing not even turning to make sure the shocked red headed Gryffindor was following him.

"Well then, who would have thunk!" Bill said to the sleeping infant before taking off after his professor.

"What is her name professor?" Bill asked the older wizard as he gained in on him

"Her name is Samantha, and Mr. Weasley I do hope I can trust your discretion on this matter. Not many know I have a child; she lives in America and for reasons that are not of your concern it is safer for now that people not know that she is mine." Severus told him.

Bill had no knowledge of the fact that Snape was an Ex-Death-Eater. Not many outside of the ministry and the order knew he had been a Death-Eater turned spy and the only reason the ministry knew was because of those damn Death-Eater trials that had every known Death-Eater turning in every other Death-Eater they knew of in order to receive leniency.

However, with so many Death-Eaters still on the loose and the fear that Lord Voldamort would rise again any child of Severus Snape would be in great danger and thus the less people that knew he had a daughter and the longer he could keep it that way, the better.

But Bill did not know that so Severus figured that the boy would assume he simply did not wish the knowledge of him having a child out of wedlock to become public and that suited Snape just fine

Truth was that Bill did pretty much assume that his proud professor did not want the public to know he had a bastard child.

"Right Professor, I can keep your secret, though I think the entire school now knows you have a baby." Bill said and then cringed. He was rather certain he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Right you are Mr. Weasley; however, none of them but you and select staff knows that said baby is my daughter. I am unmarried and as far as most are concerned I have no family. I am a solitary man so there is no reason for anyone to believe that she is any more then the Headmaster’s granddaughter that I have been asked to look after. Seeing as, besides the omission of me being her father, it is not a lie. I have no issue with people believing it." Snape pointed out. It was well known around the school that Snape seemed to get all the crap jobs so it was not un-believable that he would get settled with babysitting the head masters grandchild as well.

"Wait, she is professor Dumbledore’s granddaughter; but how?" Bill asked wide eyed and curious.

Severus mentally kicked himself again. He was going to kill this boy for catching him so off guard that he could not come up with lies and was there for spilling all this info. Snape figured with the vast amount of children the Wesley’s had, they would not miss this one if he should just happen to... disappear.

"His great granddaughter to be exact, and before you go jumping to any conclusions the head master and I are not related. Samantha's mother is the headmaster’s granddaughter. There now I have told you far more then you ought to know." Snape sighed hating the fact more than ever that staff was not allowed to use 'obliviate' on the students and that this particular student had caught him so far off guard as to get so much information from him. He wondered how on earth he had managed to survive his stint as a double spy.

Bill had many, many more questions but he knew it would not be appreciated should he ask them so he wisely kept his mouth shut. He idly wondered how he had escaped thus far without a month’s worth of detentions.

Bill followed Snape into the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey was fussing over a third year Hufflepuff who had fallen off his broom during quidditch practice.

Turning around the first thing Poppy saw was Bill holding a sleeping infant. She was so shocked at the sight it did not register that she indeed knew said infant or that Severus was even there with them.

"Mr. Weasley!" The medi-witch exclaimed

"What in Merlin’s name are you doing with an infant? What have you been up to?" Poppy asked raising one grey eyebrow.

"S-She's not mine!" Bill defended his gaze going to Snape.

Poppy followed Bill's gaze to find a rather smug and amused looking Severus Snape.

"Oh Samantha; I should have realized." She said fighting back a blush at her over reaction.

"Indeed." Severus commented.

"Might I ask what is wrong? Why you are here and why Mr. Weasley is the one with Samantha and not yourself?" The medi witch asked sternly.

Severus glared; he hated that the staff treated him as if he were still a student especially in front of the actual students…his students; the ones he had to control and get to respect and even fear him, and being undermined all the time by the other staff and treated as if he were still a child did not help him in his crusade!

Poppy shook her head at Snape’s glare and led Bill to sit on a hospital bed with the baby before turning back to Severus.

"Well Severus?" She demanded.

"Leo orbed her here about an hour ago after my last class. Apparently she has been having these sobbing fits rather often. He and the sisters are rather busy and they felt Samantha would be safest to be cared for right here. She sobbed the entire hour until I ran into Mr. Weasley here in the hallway. I don't know what sort of magic he used that the charmed ones, a white lighter, and myself could seemed to have no knowledge of, but he got her to quiet down." Severus said rather annoyed.

"Um... Sir I did not use magic! I told you I have six younger siblings and know a little about calming a sobbing infant. It was simple really..." Bill said as Madam Pomfrey ran her wand over the infant in his arms doing diagnostic tests.

"hmm," She started interrupting Bill "there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, even her lungs seem fine. I'm afraid it appears she has Colic, which means basically there is no real reason that we can tell for the infant to sob as they do. There is no real treatment but to let it run its course I'm afraid. But you are lucky she is three months old now and most colic will not usually last past four months." She explained

Snape glared, he did not feel very lucky. How could he if he would be faced with another month of this? He wondered just how the medi-witch thought that was good news.

Bills smile brightened

"I knew it!" He said "Ron had colic and mum always used the same trick I did out in the hallway to calm him that is how I knew what to do. Mum says that the best way to sooth a colicky baby is skin to skin contact and to have the baby listen to your heart beat! Apparently mum knows a lot about it since she says that Charlie and Percy where also colicky babies and it worked for them." He told the two adults still cradling the baby.

"Yes, well, I fear I know little about babies. My line of work has me dealing with children quite a bit older." Madame Pomfrey admitted

"I think it would be a good idea if we have Mrs. Weasley floo over and give you a few pointers and let young Mr. Weasley here go to his next class. What class do you have now Bill?" Madame Pomfrey added

"Charms, Madam Pomfrey." Bill told her.

"Ah good, then Professor Snape here will walk you to your class and explain to Professor Flitwick why you are late while I floo for your mother." She ordered and got a glare from Snape. She simply smiled at him, taking the infant from Bill before shooing them out of her hospital wing.

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Severus grumbled as he headed back to the hospital wing. The chipper little charms professor really did get on his last nerve no one should ever be the cheerful, and what bothered him even more was that he did not hate the man. Sure, he was his complete polar opposite but Snape found an odd bit of relief in the fact that as dark as he himself was, someone opposite to him existed and there for the world was not completely up a creek without a paddle; besides, as much as he loath to admit it, he often enjoyed the other mans company.

The picture that greeted him upon re-entering the Hospital wing did little to calm his nerves...

Off to one side was Mrs. Weasley trying to soothe a once again sobbing Samantha who was apparently awakened by the ruckus of the room that was now filled with every last one of the first year Gryffindor and Slytherin. Apparently, during Madam Hooch’s flying lesson, brooms where not the only thing sent flying. No one would spill who started it but hexes started to fly causing many to fall off brooms while many others were hit with mild hexes that Madam Pomfrey and Madam Hooch where bustling about attempting to reverse.

"Severus please there is too much going on in here, take Mrs. Weasley down to your chambers and take care of Samantha. I simply cannot have a screaming baby in my hospital wing at the moment." Madam Pomfrey ordered.

Severus bristled; he hated being ordered around and even more then that he did not want to take Molly Weasley down to his personal chambers! He wanted nothing less than having the cheerful bossy red head in his personal space.

However even he could see that keeping the child in this chaos would be a very ill informed decision. With that thought in mind he spun on his haunches, his black robes billowing behind him, as he skulked from the hospital wing, Mrs. Weasley and screaming infant on his heels.

He whispered the password to the man with long greasy salt and pepper hair dressed in Slytherin attire in the portrait that guarded his personal chambers. Covering his ears, the man in the portrait, Snape's Grandfather Prince, quickly swung open admitting them.

Once inside Snape turned to Mrs. Weasley and glared.

"How do we shut her up?" He demanded absolutely exasperated.

"Now Severus, she is only a baby and she is doing the only thing a baby knows how to do to communicate, crying." Molly explained in a calm and even motherly tone that pissed Severus off to no end.

"Now take off your shirt." Molly commanded.

"Excuse me!" Severus exclaimed

"Oh honestly Severus; I’m a happily married, mother of seven, and I am not coming on to you. Now, take off your shirt. Skin to skin contact will help soothe the baby and it helps if it is more than just your hand. The warmth that comes from laying the baby directly on your bare torso is very soothing to them." She explained.

She took a moment to look around the chambers and could not help but smile as the rather Library like serious atmosphere of Severus Snape’s personal dungeon chambers that was hidden somewhere under colorful toys, a pink bassinette, a half filled bottle, along with a few empty ones, and diapers that had apparently found their way out of a pink whinny the pooh diaper bag.

Molly was one of the few who knew of Severus' relation to the infant. As an order member and seasoned mother Dumbledore had thought it a good idea to have Piper and Severus talk with Molly both during the pregnancy and after the child’s birth. Seeing as Piper had neither mother nor grandmother to go to ask for advice as most new mothers would and Severus himself had no family other then Samantha, Dumbledore felt that Molly would be the perfect mentor to the new parents, and Molly had proven to be a great help. In fact Piper and Molly had hit it off rather well and they found themselves talking via floo a few times a week.

Snape glanced around his chambers as well and for the first time took in the mess. His scowl deepened; Leo must have brought more things over while he was in the Hospital wing. Exactly how long did they expect him to take care of the baby anyway? He pinched the bridge of his nose and noticed that Molly was staring at him expectantly.

"You can't be...Oh for Merlin’s sake!" He huffed as he set about removing his outer robes hanging them up in his closet, leaving him in a white button down dress shirt and black trousers.

With fumbling fingers he undid the tiny buttons of his dress shirt. Feeling most uncomfortable Snape was convinced the child was doing this to him on purpose!

'Why in Merlin’s name did anyone have children?!'

He slid the shirt off his shoulders, placing it on the arm chair closest to him, revealing his alabaster skin so white it looked like it had never been kissed by the sun, which in all honesty was not too far from the truth.

His stomach was solid with little padding in way of fat over his ribs and muscles. In fact, if one was so inclined they could easily count his ribs. He did not quite have a six pack but his muscles where well formed and his body rather lean, his shoulders were broad, arms well muscled from stirring his potions. There where countless scars littering his entire upper torso each in different stages of fading, some white and nearly unnoticeable on the pale skin and others much newer where pink and raised standing out against the whiteness of his flesh.

Molly did not react; she had seen it all before. She had on more than one occasion taken care of Severus after a Death-Eaters meeting when the war was on.

True Severus was a proud man and fought tooth and nail claiming he was more than capable of taking care of himself, and most times he did. However, Albus had always insisted that he except help on the occasions that it was apparent Voldamort had been less than happy or was just in a sadistic mood and had decided to take it out on Snape's hide.

It was a well known fact that no one, not even Severus Snape said no to Albus Dumbledore.

This was why she found it rather odd as, well as childish, that he should put up a fight about taking his shirt off now. After all, it was not like it was something she had not seen many, many times before. She did not feel he had anything to be ashamed and embarrassed about; though it was rather apparent that he thought he did.

"There now that was not so terrible now was it? You are still far more dressed then the child." Molly said with much mirth, even as the child continued to scream.

Severus snorted; he found absolutely nothing funny about the situation.

Molly walked over to him with the baby and handed her over instructing him on what to do.

"Okay Severus, cradle her. Very good, just like that, make sure her ear is directly over your heart so she can hear and feel your heart beat. Right perfect, now rub her belly, right." Molly frowned the baby was still sobbing.

"It isn’t working!" Severus complained stating the obvious his voice betraying a bit of concern though his expression remained blank.

"Okay, well the same thing does not work every time. There are a few different things that may help that are just one of them. Remember it for next time so you can try it again. It is always good to know a few different tricks. Now, try it this way, keep her ear over your heart but hold her with her belly pressed to yours and rub her back. Yes, good just like that." Molly smiled wide as the baby’s sobs ebbed and she calmed.

"It worked..." Snape said in utter disbelief

"I believe so. You are going to want to keep doing that until she falls asleep." She said, a smile plastered on her face.

Waving her wand she transfigured Snape’s desk chair into a rocking chair.

"Sit in that chair and rock her." She ordered.

Snape scowled quirking an eyebrow at the bossy woman but did as he was bid to.

Sitting in the rocking chair the wood felt cool against his bare back but he settled into it trying not to move the baby to much as he found a comfortable position.

He then used his feet to push off and started to gently rock, continuing to rub small circles in the baby’s back. He marveled at how tiny she was; his hand covered her back entirely.

He concentrated on the weight of her head over his heart, unable to believe how good it felt to have her lying like that against him. How warm and connected it made him feel to have her weight against him, allowing him to feel every breath she took, every beet of her heart against him. It made him feel relaxed and content and he wondered if that was how the child was feeling as well. If it was then it was little wonder she had calmed as she had.

If Severus had eyes for anyone but daughter at that moment he would have seen the rather satisfied and amused smile that was playing across Mrs. Wesley’s lips and the rather Dumbledore like twinkle that set off in her eyes.

Conquering another chair she took a seat and watched father and daughter who both seemed rather oblivious to her continued presence. Molly was very aware she was getting to see a side of Severus Snape that not many got to see and live…a side that he would deny possessing even under virtrasirum.

It was truly a picture that brought tears of joy to the motherly witch’s eyes. Severus Snape, for all the darkness he claims he possess, was sitting shirtless rocking in a rocking chair, holding an infant, who herself was wearing nothing more than a nappy, one hand under her diaper clad bottom, the other rubbing circles on her tiny bare back as he stared down at her undoubtedly, unbeknownst to him with adoring eyes.

She wondered why Severus fought being a daddy so much, he was honestly very good at it once he let himself open to the child, she supposed he was scared and being a daddy was really so much harder than just being a father, Well she reckoned what even if his intentions at the beginning where to be no more than a father to the girl Molly could see now that he was becoming a daddy, she just hoped that Severus could open himself up and welcome it as a good thing and allow himself that joy.

After all any male could be a father but it took a real man to be a daddy.