Whelp II The Wrath of Snape

'Congratulations, Harry,' he told the boy, and they sat down for their meal. 'I'm glad you had a good day today.'

'Me, too, Father. And Mrs. Weasley said I'm real good at maths for my age.'

Severus nodded, and served out a piece of grilled chicken and a portion of vegetables and rice to his son. 'I believe I said the same thing to you, a month ago.'

Harry smiled shyly, but he ducked his head and his shoulders hunched as if he expected a blow.

Narrowing his eyes, Severus said, 'I'm glad you're good at maths, Harry. Don't ever think I want you to do less than your best at anything. All right?'

'Yes, Father.' Harry waited patiently -- as he always did -- for Severus to serve himself and take his first bite, before he picked up his own fork, speared a largish piece of chicken, and tore a bite off with his teeth. Harry's table manners had improved drastically since that first meal at table they had shared, just after Harry had been formally adopted, but he was still far behind his peers in basic utensil use. He had yet to learn to use a knife properly, for instance, and tended to fall back on a spoon when faced with loose, small foods like rice or peas.

Patience, Severus reminded himself. 'Would you like me to cut up your chicken for you, Harry?'

'Er . . .' Harry looked critically at Severus' plate, and then at his own, seeming to discern the difference between how their chicken appeared, at once. 'Yes, please, Father.'

Severus nodded, moved the plate a bit closer to himself, and proceeded to carve the chicken breast into bite sized pieces. He slid the plate back toward his son.

'Thank you, Father.'

'You're welcome.' He took a bite of his own dinner, and watched as Harry shoved a bite of rice onto his fork with his fingers before bringing the fork to his mouth. Almost half the mouthful fell into his lap on the trip up. Suppressing a sigh, Severus ignored the falling rice; that was a skill that would come with time and improved dexterity. But he could address the boy's grip. 'Harry, here . . . let me show you how to better hold your fork.'

Harry looked up at him with surprise, but handed over the fork willingly enough. Over the next few minutes, Severus positioned his fingers around the handle properly -- 'Like holding a quill, see?' -- and demonstrated how it made scooping up things such as rice a bit easier.

'Feels weird,' Harry said at one point.

'It will, until you get used to it. Like doing anything new, for the first time.'

Harry grinned at him, peering up through his fringe. '''Cept using a broom.'

'Cheeky,' Severus said in a mild tone, but he had to agree. The boy had taken to broom flying like a salamander to fire. 'Yes, your broom was one thing you never really had to learn to use, isn't it. That's a real gift, Harry. Most people have to learn to fly, just like learning to write or read.'

Harry positively beamed at the praise, and Severus vowed to call attention to his son's accomplishments more often. 'D'you think I could really be a Seeker, Father? Like on the Slytherin House team?'

Severus chuckled. 'You think you'll be sorted into my House, do you?'

Harry nodded eagerly. 'Slytherin's snakes, and I really like snakes.'

'I've noticed,' Severus said dryly.

'And I can talk to 'em and everything. So, I should be in Slytherin, shouldn't I, Father?'