The Stubborn Old Headmaster

6

Minerva chuckled, trying to sound more confident than she really was. "Is that so difficult to understand?" She took the parchment back and read its content aloud.

Name: Harry James Potter-McGonagall
Father: James Potter
Mother: Lily Potter
Date of Birth: July 31, 1980
Adopted Parents: Minerva McGonagall
Date of Adoption: July 28, 1987
Godfather: Severus Snape
Godmother: Poppy Pomfrey

Seeing her best friend and her former student glare at her, she added, "Whom could I have asked to be his godparents if not the two of you? You're the ones he chose to speak with apart from me."

"The problem is not that we didn't want to be Harry's godparents but the fact that you didn't even ask us. Have you at least asked Harry?" Poppy blurted out, incredulously.

"Normally, you decide on the godparents before a child is born, so you don't ask them," Minerva answered stubbornly. "Moreover, Harry adores you; of course he wants you to be his godparents."

She hesitated a moment before she continued, "By the way, I'm sorry to bother you again, but could one of you come here tomorrow and watch Harry for about two hours? I need to go and buy birthday presents for him."

"Oh, Minerva, I'd like to come with you," Poppy said, grinning. "I suppose you're going to Diagon Alley? Severus, could you please look after Harry for two hours, after all you're his godfather."

Severus quirked an eyebrow at the older witches and sighed. "All right, I'll take him. Does he still have to be in bed, or can I take him with me to my private lab, so that I can try to teach him a bit about potions to see if he likes it?"

Ignoring Minerva's snort, Poppy glared at the young teacher. "Severus, Harry is better but he's not completely recovered yet. He may get up for a short time, but he still needs a lot of rest. You can ask him if he feels up to learn something, but please watch him closely, because he won't tell you if he feels bad."

"Believe me, I'll take care of him," Severus promised, smirking.

ハリーと頑固な校長先生

When Minerva and Harry had breakfast together in Harry's room, Minerva told Harry that he would be spending the morning with Severus, frowning when the child cast her an anxious glance. 'He hates me and I don't know how to behave around him. What if he tells the headmaster about me?' he thought frightened.

"Harry, calm down please. Uncle Severus doesn't hate you; in fact, he has agreed to be your godfather, while Aunt Poppy is your godmother. Aunt Poppy is allowing you to get up for a while today, and Uncle Severus has offered to teach you a bit about potions. You know that he is the Potions professor here at Hogwarts, don't you?"

Harry gave his guardian an unsure nod and sent her a calming thought, 'Yes, Aunt Minerva.'

Minerva laughed. "Oh, Harry, it's still strange to hear you talking in my head, sweetie, but you're doing that really well."

'Aunt Minerva, sorry to bother you asking, but...um…what's a dogfather and a dogmother?' he thought hesitantly, hoping that his new guardian wouldn't punish him for asking.

"Godparents, Harry, are people, who are willing to look after you if your parents, or in your case I, can't look after you for some reason," Minerva simply explained, receiving an understanding nod from Harry.

ハリーと頑固な校長先生

Severus stepped through the Floo into Minerva's living room, where Harry was lying on the sofa, his head on Minerva's lap, who was reading to him from… Severus gasped. "You're reading 'Hogwarts – A History' to the boy, Minerva? Is that interesting for a six-year-old?" The man raised an eyebrow replacing the traditional sneer that he normally used when it came to Harry.