“Happy Birthday to you…” An angel sang in his ear. She had a heavenly voice and a smile in her song.

Sev’s eyes remained closed, yet he sighed happily as he snuggled deeper into the sheets and gave all his attention to singing mother next to him.

“Happy Birthday to you…”

Squeals of laughter echoed in his ears, and as the morning light poked through the window curtains to caress his cheek, faces and voices from somewhere amongst eternity resonated towards him through the halls of time.

“Come along, Sirius! It’s not much farther. You’re going to like it, I promise!”

“Come on, Teddy! Let’s go!”

“Our dads are going to kill us!”

Childish giggles filled with the promise of mischief.

“Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds 
Baked in a pie…”

“I’m gonna marry you someday.”

“Happy Birthday, dear Severus!” His mother nuzzled his ear, making him snort and giggle into the comforter.

“Look at him making googly eyes at her.”

“This is your new baby brother…James…”

“Kiss me, Sev…”

“I now pronounce you…”

“You’re going to help me barbeque, cub.”

“You dropped a dung bomb on your Uncle Sirius’ girlfriend? Are you two MENTAL?!”

A group of children bursting into joyous laughter.

“I love you…”

“Happy Birthday to you!” This time, Harry had joined in and the short song ended in a harmony.

Sev opened his eyes to find himself nestled among the cloud-like comforters and pillows on the big white bed, his parents on either side of him. It was a dream that happened to be his reality and Severus couldn’t be happier or more grateful that it was all his.

“Welcome to the family, cub.” His father greeted with a smile. Sev glanced up just in time to see his sparkling eyes peer at him from behind the morning paper.

“Sirius!” Molly’s voice bellowed from beyond the bedroom door. “Wake up, for heaven’s sake! I need you to help me set something up! And then you need to get the pastor from the shelter!”

“Molly! It’s eight o’clock in the bloody morning, woman!” Sirius’ grumpy voice croaked in reply.

“I’m busy baking his birthday cake!” This time, Molly’s voice was retreating down the stairs. “Snap to it, Padfoot!”

Severus giggled and then pulled his tiny blanket over his head to giggle some more. Several months ago, he would have never pictured himself where he was right now—having parents once again, having a crazy but loving family, and having to do the whole growing up thing once more. If someone had approached him last May and told him that, eight months later, he was going to be calling Harry Potter “daddy” and Ginny Weasley “mummy”, that he was going to think of Sirius Bloody Black as his fun uncle and the stupid werewolf as his godfather, that his best friend was going to be said stupid werewolf’s nine-month-old son and that he was going to consider the highly-irritating Molly Weasley his “nana”…If someone had tried to tell him all of that rubbish eight months ago, Severus would not have stopped until that person was institutionalized!

Yet here he was—it was the ninth of January, 1999, and he was celebrating his first birthday rather than his thirty-ninth; he had just woken up in the Potter household in between his mummy and daddy; his uncle/pet dog was doing his nana’s bidding in the kitchen; his best friend and his godparents were coming over shortly; the rest of the extended family was expected later in the day; and his most-hated second and surname were soon going to be disposed of forever. Over the course of the last seven months, Severus Tobias Snape had become Severus Henry Potter, and the infant wouldn’t have had it any other way!

This was the life he was always meant to have. These were the parents and this was the family that he should have been born into the first time! These were the parents and this was the family everyone should have been born into the first time. Heck, even Voldemort deserved that much!

Why was it that the world didn’t work that way?

Why was it that not every baby got to have a mummy and daddy like his?

It just wasn’t fair!

“Life’s not always fair, cub.” Harry replied, having caught wind of his thoughts. The sound of a crinkling newspaper caught his attention and Sev glanced up just in time to see his father throw the morning paper onto his side table before turning a smile towards him. “All we can do is make the best of what we’re given.” He shrugged.

Severus frowned. That answer didn’t quite satisfy him enough. “But…whay mo faew-ew?!”

“I don’t know, son.” Harry sighed, scooting downward and wrapping an arm around his baby boy. Severus immediately burrowed into his side. “I wish I did.”

“Think of it another way, baby.” Ginny interjected. “What is the opposite of light?”

“Dawk.” Sev replied, turning his attention towards his mother.

“And what is the opposite of hot?”

“Cowd.” The infant pretended to shiver, causing Harry to instinctively tighten his hold.

“And what is the opposite of fair?” The redhead raised an eyebrow at her son.

Severus instantly scowled and buried his face in his father’s side. Somehow, his thumb also managed to work its way in there, further muffling his reply. “Mmphoph phaew-ew!”

“Not fair.” Ginny nodded. “The world is made of opposites, my love.” She lectured softly.

“Without one, the other cannot exist.” Harry continued. He sounded resigned to that fact. “To every man, there are two sides—a light and a dark.”

“Without unfair, there cannot be fair.”

“Without evil, there can be no good.”

“Without darkness, there can be no light.”

“And without despair, there can be no joy.” Harry peered down at his son’s dark locks and couldn’t help but run his fingers through the soft baby hair. “You cannot know one without knowing the other.”

“That’s life’s definition of fairness, I suppose.” Ginny mused.

It was then that Harry decided to switch the topic to something a little less philosophical and depressing. “Hey!” He nudged the little ball attached to his side, “So what do you want to do today, cub?” He asked, trying to build up Sev’s excitement for his upcoming birthday party. “Huh? It’s your first birthday!”

Severus popped his thumb out and peered up at Harry, wide-eyed. “Stay mummy ah daddy!”

“Of course you’re staying with us, cub!” Harry snorted.

“Aw deh! Aw deh! AW DEH!” The infant emphasized, slapping his father’s chest with each repeat.

“Love, I think he means he doesn’t want to leave our sides.” Ginny pointed out. “Remember how he was yesterday? It took some convincing just to get him off your lap!”

“Aw deh, mummy.” Sev nodded, glad that someone, at least, understood him.

“Honey…” Ginny sighed and took her baby in her arms, cradling him against her chest, “…it’s your birthday! Is that all you want to do? Stay with mummy and daddy all day?” As much as she liked this clingy side to Severus, she also wanted him to assert his independence as much as he did before Malfoy took him away. She wanted him to be curious, look around, explore! After all, he had just been cooped up in a crib all week, abandoned in a room with absolutely no sunlight. Staying in her and Harry’s arms all day was the last thing he needed right now. “Don’t you want to go play with Teddy? We could put some pretend gnomes in the garden?”

“MO!” Sev snapped, sticking his thumb in his mouth and making himself comfortable in her arms.

“Severus…” Harry warned as he opened the morning paper once again, “…watch the attitude, kid!”

“Aw deh, daddy!” Sev whined in his defense.

“That wasn’t what I was talking about and you know it.” Harry replied, turning the page. “Don’t you snap at your mother like that!”

“Me steh woo aw deh!” The infant repeated. This time, he made sure to keep his voice even yet assertive.

“Alright!” The teen replied nonchalantly, turning the page yet again.

“Harry!” Ginny frowned. They were just trying to convince him to do the total opposite!

“Gin, he’ll be back to his old self in no time.” Harry reasoned, “Let him come about on his own terms.”

“Uh-huh!” Sev pointed at Harry and nodded. “Me wub ooo, mummy!” The infant continued. Crawling up to Ginny’s neck, he gave her the biggest hug he could possibly give her at the moment. When he finally felt his mother sigh and return the hug, Sev knew Ginny had melted.

“Fine.” She kissed him on the cheek. “On your own terms, then.”

The infant grinned.

You’re never going to stop this clingy business, are you? His big voice drawled, sounding partially disgusted.

Sev’s little voice blew raspberries in return.

“Sirius!” Molly snapped, just outside their bedroom door, “Honestly! All you do is sleep!”

“Stop hounding me, woman! I’M UP!”

All of a sudden, there were three soft knocks on the door before it slowly creaked open and Molly’s head poked through. “Hello!” She greeted in an altogether different tone of voice.

“Good morning, mum!” Ginny replied. Harry merely smiled at her.

Upon spotting her new grandson, the new grandmother began tiptoeing into the room. “Is he awake?” She whispered, taking care to keep her voice low and soft.

It is rather difficult to remain asleep with all that racket outside the door! His cynical voice replied, sounding completely disgusted this time.

On the outside, however, Severus merely pushed up against Ginny’s chest and blinked slowly at his now-official grandmother.

“Good morning, handsome!” She greeted, the smile on her face stretching all the way up to her shining eyes.

Sev couldn’t help it. He grinned at her. “Mahmah!”

“Aw!” Both Ginny and her mother smiled in delight and the former pulled her son close to give him a big kiss on the cheek. “Good morning, Nana!”

“Happy Birthday, darling!” Molly pulled Severus’ face close to give him an identical kiss on his other cheek.

“Whoa!” A shout came from the doorway, causing everyone to turn in its direction. “Did I just hear the word ‘birthday’ in here?!” Sirius cried, his eyes glowing with laughter.

Severus giggled and then curled himself into a ball, for he knew what was coming next.

“Did I hear the word ‘birthday’ in here?!” The animagus shouted all the louder as he snaked into the room and made a reach for the infant.

Before Sirius’ tickling fingers could even reach him, Sev squealed in laughter and began wiggling and kicking like mad.

“Yeah, you know what you’re getting!” Sirius chuckled. “You know what you’re getting, don’t you?!” The animagus tickled him until his face turned red and Ginny had to stop the tickle fest for fear of Severus suffocating.

“Happy birthday, cub!” He greeted once Sev had caught his breath. He held out an open palm and the infant slapped it in a high-five gesture. “Alright!”

“Now that you’re finally up, Sirius,” Molly barked from behind him, making the animagus groan and roll his eyes, “there’s a list of things I’d like your help with—”

“Yes, yes! I’m going!” Sirius growled as he turned and headed out the door, Molly snapping orders at his heels.

Severus giggled as he watched them go. Seeing the mutt bossed around by Molly Weasley for the sake of MY birthday party is all the entertainment I require, thank you very much! His big voice cackled at the back of his mind. This was entertaining for the both of them.

“Come on, cub.” Harry spoke up, folding the morning paper and throwing it aside once more. “Let’s get ready for your naming ceremony.” Severus felt himself being passed from Ginny to Harry. “The pastor should be here soon, as should your godfather.” The infant stuck his thumb in his mouth and pushed up against his father’s chest to study his surroundings—his true home. “We want to look nice and handsome for them now, don’t we?”

Severus cooed and grinned around his thumb.

---

“Honey! Stop tugging at it!” Ginny rebuked Severus softly.

The infant ignored her and continued to tug at the collar of his shirt. It was too tight! “Mo wike dis!” He whined. “Mo wike!”

“It looks good, sweetheart!” Ginny tried tugging at his wrist, but the infant merely wiggled his hand from her grip and continued to tug at his collar.

“Daddy!” He called, tugging at his tie this time.

“What’s going on here, huh?” Upon his approach, Harry immediately reached for Severus’ collar.

“Harry—”

“Relax, sweetheart, I’m just going to undo the top button.” He did so and then lengthened the sides of Sev’s clip-on tie. “There. Now you look suave, without looking sloppy.”

“He looked perfect to begin with.” Ginny argued.

“Mo wamp weaw dis!” Sev scowled.

“Sorry, kid, but this is a formal ceremony, not unlike a wedding. I’m not having you named in your pajamas.” He brushed the shoulders of Sev’s vest and looked him up and down one more time.

“Mummy!” Sev whined. “Mo wam ehw weaw dis!” He argued, looking around at all the guests. It was true! Almost everyone from the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore’s Army were here, along with the rest of his extended family, and none of them were wearing suits like he was!

“That’s because they’re not the celebrant.” Harry answered his thoughts. “And you missed a few people. The pastor is wearing a suit, as am I, and as is your godfather.”

“Plus, the ceremony is about to start, love.” Ginny added in a placating tone. “It’s only about fifteen minutes. After this, daddy will take you upstairs, and you both can change into something a little more casual for your birthday party.”

Sev’s ears perked up at that. “Pomeh?” His hopeful eyes kept moving between his mother and his father.

“Fifteen minutes, cub.” Harry nodded.

“Hello everyone!” A loud voice called above the din of the guests. Everyone turned to find Pastor Ed gesturing them in the direction of the big back porch, where he stood. The minister caught Harry’s eye and they exchanged a nod before he continued. “If everyone could just make their way over to this side of the backyard, please. The Naming Ceremony is about to commence.”

Harry took Severus into his arms and slowly began pushing his way to the front to stand next to the minister, Ginny following at his heels. A quick check to his right confirmed that Remus and Dora were pushing their way forward as well. “On behalf of Harry and Ginny, I’d like to thank you all for coming on this gorgeous day,” the minister took a second to grin at the bright blue sky, “and on such short notice as well!” The crowd chuckled at the minor joke. Half-a-day really was quite short notice, especially for something as significant as a naming ceremony/first birthday/house warming party. Yet nearly everyone Molly had invited the day before managed to make it this morning; and, even more miraculous, they all came bearing gifts!

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Pastor Ed smiled at Harry as the teen settled beside him, “we are all gathered here today to mark a very special occasion—the introduction of a very special young man into the Potter family.” Severus grinned around the two fingers in his mouth when Pastor Ed winked at him, and he playfully buried his face in his father’s chest, peeking out every now and then to see what was happening. “And also, from what I understand, this is his first birthday party and a housewarming bash as well. Is that right?” He turned to Ginny.

“We decided to just make it one big day of celebration.” Molly replied from the bottom of the porch steps.

“And it was well-deserved!” The minister acknowledged with a smile. The crowd laughed and cheered in agreement.

“Now, Harry, if I may?” Pastor Ed nodded towards Severus and reached out for the infant.

“Mo, daddy! Steh woo!” Sev protested, peering at his father with pleading eyes.

“Sev, someone else has to hold you for this part, cub. I can’t do it.” Harry explained. “I need to have my hands free.”

“Mummy!”

“She has to have her hands free, too.” Harry sighed when Sev scowled. “Come on, kiddo. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

“Your daddy and mummy will be standing right there the whole time, Severus.” Pastor Ed explained gently. “And I promise not to move.”

Sev peered at the pastor warily. The man looked trustworthy enough, but prior experience told him that it was the trustworthy-looking ones that he shouldn’t trust for anything!

Now you’re not making ANY sense whatsoever! The voice at the back spat in disgust.

Shut up! His little voice retorted.

Just let the man hold you, for pity’s sake! Your father said it would only take a few minutes. You’re acting like such a baby!

Sev’s little voice blew raspberries at the big voice in the back.

“Foo mimuts.” The infant babbled as he reluctantly reached for the Pastor.

“Ata boy!” Harry praised with a smile, exchanging a happy look with his girlfriend as he passed his son over to his longtime friend and mentor.

“Very good!” As soon as Severus was settled in his arms, Pastor Ed turned to fully face Harry and Ginny. “Now…Mr. Potter? Do you have anything to say to this young man over here?” He gestured towards the child in his arms.

Harry straightened his suit and cleared his throat, looking for all the world like he was about to deliver an important speech. Yet he wasn’t facing the crowd. Instead, he was looking directly at Severus. “I am Henry James Potter, Head of the Family Potter, and Master of its House.” He announced in a booming, authoritative voice. Sev’s eyes widened as he gave his father his full attention. “I hereby solemnly swear to take you into my home, keep you, clothe you, feed you, and provide for you.” Harry locked eyes with his infant and Severus held his gaze. “I swear to love you with every fiber of my being, every single day of your life, without condition. I promise to discipline you, firmly yet justly, should you need it. I promise to never lash out at you in anger. I promise to train you in the magical arts until there is nothing left to teach. I will defend you and protect you until the day I die, from all enemies, near and far. I promise to raise you to the best of my ability, so that you may grow to be an upstanding citizen of this community, this country, and the world in general. I solemnly swear to be there to guide you on this road of life, to be the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen, and the voice to help you on your way. Before these witnesses, on this day, and with these promises, I name you my son.”

Only then did Harry break eye contact with him, and it was to turn towards Dumbledore at the bottom of the porch steps. Sev watched as the Headmaster offered his daddy a small bowl full of golden powder. Harry dipped his thumb in the bowl, getting golden powder all over the tip, before turning back towards Severus. Before the infant could blink, he felt something swipe across his forehead and a pleasant tingling sensation began to trickle down his body, tickling him in all his ticklish spots. The baby couldn’t help but giggle at the funny sensations.

“Fairie dust.” He heard Remus whisper in the pastor’s ear. “It’s real, rare, and reserved for only special occasions such as these. It seals Harry’s promise to his son, almost like an Unbreakable Vow.”

That meant that Severus should probably stop giggling and squirming right about now, shouldn’t he?

It would be appropriate. The voice at the back droned.

“Hush now, child!” The minister gently rebuked in his ear. Out loud, he said, “That was wonderful, Henry. Miss Weasley?”

This time, Ginny stepped forward and fiddled with her dress nervously. Reaching forward, she took her baby’s hands into her own and, like Harry, looked him square in the eye. “I am Ginevra Molly Weasley, Lady of the Family Potter, and Lady of its House.” From the corner of her eye, she saw quite a few people exchange furtive looks, but she chose to ignore them. Right now was all about her baby and she refused to let herself get distracted by her gossipy friends. “I hereby solemnly swear to take you into my home, keep you, clothe you, feed you, and provide for you.” she began, “I swear to love you with every fiber of my being, every single day of your life, without condition. I promise to nurture you and teach you to appreciate the finer things in life. I promise to help you become a gentleman, respectful of everyone in word and deed. I will defend you and protect you until the day I die, from all enemies, near and far. I promise to raise you to the best of my ability, so that you may grow to be an upstanding citizen of this community, this country, and the world in general. I solemnly swear to be there to guide you on this road of life, to be the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen, and the voice to help you on your way. Before these witnesses, on this day, and with these promises, I name you my son.”

Severus bit his lip and grinned as she too dipped her thumb in Dumbledore’s golden powder before turning back towards him. This time, the infant was determined to watch her as she swiped it across his forehead. As her thumb approached, Sev even went so far as to tip his head back to watch her golden thumb—a feat which only served to move his forehead farther away from her thumb. His curious fidgeting caused a small chuckle to travel through the crowd.

“Hold still, lad.” Pastor Ed gently admonished with a laugh.

Reluctantly, Sev did as he was told, watching as best he could with his eyes as Ginny wiped the golden faerie dust across his forehead. There was a brief gleam of magic and then the ticklish, tingling sensation once again trickled down his body; but once that subsided, the gleam went away, and the golden powder on his forehead, he assumed, disappeared along with it.

“Thank you, Miss Weasley, that was beautiful.” Pastor Ed nodded at her with a smile. “And now, the conferring of the godparents.” He signaled towards Harry. “Mr. Potter?”

Harry stepped forward and gestured to the two people standing behind the minister. “Unto you, my son, I bestow thy godparents—” He announced in the same authoritative voice from earlier. “Remus John Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin.”

Tonks had a silly grin on her face as she rocked Teddy in her arms, and Remus cleared his throat tensely as he stepped forward and approached Severus. “I am Remus John Lupin, Head of the Family Lupin, and Master of its House. I speak on behalf of my wife, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin,” the silly grin on Dora’s face faltered slightly, “and myself. Your parents have named us your godparents, and, as such, unto you we swear this…” he looked Severus square in the eye and took a deep breath, “…we swear to be your confidants. Should there be something you cannot tell your parents, come to us and we promise to help you as best we can. Should anything, God forbid, happen to your parents, we promise to take you into our home, keep you, clothe you, feed you, provide for you, and treat you as if you were our own son. In loco parentis, we promise to carry out all that your mother and father swore—to love you, protect you, discipline and nurture you, instill in you proper values, ethics, morals and all that you may need to grow up to be a good man and an upstanding member of this community, this country, and the world in general. We solemnly swear to be there to guide you on this road of life, to be the shoulders to lean on, the ears to listen, and the voices to help you on your way. Before these witnesses, on this day, and with these promises, we name you our godson.”

Albus offered him the same bowl of golden powder that he offered to his parents. This time, Severus endeavored to stay as still as possible. Yet he couldn’t help the tiny bubbles of laughter that popped up whenever the tingles hit a ticklish spot.

“Thank you, Mr. Lupin.” Pastor Ed nodded at the werewolf before readjusting Severus in his arms so that he may look at the infant properly. “And, finally, if I may make one final blessing?” A short nod and an encouraging smile from Harry gave him all the answer he needed. The minister nodded his thanks and then turned to the now-curious infant in his embrace. “My child, as your father knows quite well, I have a keen fondness for Irish blessings, and before I officially name you, I would just like to take this time to say…” he cleared his throat and looked Sev right in the eye, a tiny smile tugging at his lips, “These things I warmly wish to you—someone to love, some work to do, a bit o’ sun, a but o’ cheer, and a guardian angel always near; may you always have walls for the wind, a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire, laughter to cheer you, those you love near you, and all your heart might desire; may your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you; may your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go; may the best day of your past be the worst day of your future; may your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night; may you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live; and finally…dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one were listening, and live every day as if it were your last.”

As the pastor mirrored his parents’ and godparents’ actions with the faerie dust, Sev’s mind couldn’t help but flash back to the day, seven months ago, when the Lady of the Lake bestowed her own blessings unto him.

“May you always remember the road that you have traveled to help you through strife; and may you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.”

“Lay-dee…” Sev closed his eyes as the tingling sensations ran down his body once more.

“Wait for her, and she will come back to you…” The Lady whispered.

Sev opened his eyes and instinctively turned towards the voice. There was no Lady of the Lake there, but there was a little girl—with stunning green eyes and bright red hair, wearing a white summer dress and a yellow summer hat—smiling at him from the backyard of the empty house next door.

“She will come back soon, Severus…” The Lady’s voice echoed in the wind.

The little girl’s smile turned into a grin and she gave him an enthusiastic wave.

“She will come back to you…sooner than you think…”

Severus blinked and the little girl was gone.

“And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you Severus Henry Potter!” There was a giant applause, soon followed by whistles and cheers. The sudden noise startled Severus out of whatever hallucination he was probably having and back into the real world.

“Come here, love.” Ginny said, reaching for him. The infant immediately dove into her arms.

“Alright!” Sirius’ voice called out above the din. “We’ll be pausing briefly to prep for the barbeque and birthday party. Stick around for free food and a ginormous cake. I’ll be taking any special orders for the barbeque over here!”

As soon as the animagus shut his mouth, the gathered crowd instantly split into two—half of the guests converged on Harry, Ginny, and Severus to offer the little one congratulations and birthday wishes, while the other half of the guests swarmed Sirius, yelling out food orders so fast the animagus had a hard time writing all of them down. The guests would then switch off, visiting the new family or accosting the self-appointed “barbeque master”, depending on whom they visited first.

“Harry, if I may, I would like to perform a house blessing now.” Pastor Ed said, as soon as the last guest had greeted them.

“Yes, absolutely!” Harry nodded with a smile. “I’ll walk with you.”

“Daddy!” Sev whined, tugging at his collar once again. “Mo wamp weaw dis!”

“Yes, we’ll change as soon as we get to the second floor.” Harry assured him, unclipping his son’s tie and unbuttoning some of those pesky top buttons Sev was fussing with. The infant immediately piped down, a look of relief crossing his face.

“We have to get some baby dress shirts that aren’t so uncomfortable.” Ginny whispered as they entered the living room.

“I don’t think those exist, love.” Harry murmured in reply.

They all watched in silence as Pastor Ed looked around the now fully-furnished living room, holding his hand out before him and mumbling something under his breath. When the minister started walking around the living room, however, he immediately collided with something big, hard, and…invisible.

“Ouch!”

“Oh! Pastor Ed, I’m so sorry!” Sirius exclaimed, popping up behind them. Harry shot his godfather a look of surprise. “Harry, I forgot to mention to you that, um…”

“There is something…” Pastor Ed began feeling around the invisible object, managing to knock on something that sounded like glass immediately next to something that felt like wood, “…here.”

“Yes, we, uh…” Sirius blushed, “Arthur—Ginny’s father—and I have a bit of a surprise for the family.”

“And I happen to have bumped into it, I see.” Pastor Ed chuckled. Now he had a taste of what it truly felt like to be blind.

“You should have put tape around it or something!” Ginny frowned at the animagus.

“I was about to!” Sirius retorted, holding up a roll of blue tape just to prove his point.

“It’s quite alright, Ginny.” Pastor Ed laughed. “That was a rather interesting experience.”

“Just stay clear of this area.” Sirius said, gesturing in the area against the new wall, between the front hallway and the bathroom.

“Will do!” Pastor Ed nodded with a smile. He rubbed at the bump on his arm good-naturedly as he continued to bless the living room.

The small group then continued to walk around the rest of the house, with Pastor Ed quietly blessing each room and marveling at their design—from the library and Harry’s now-tidy lab in the basement, to the bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and study on the ground floor, to all the rooms on the second floor, and, finally, to the attic.

It was Severus who reminded his mother of the gift she had for his father. As soon as he and Harry emerged from the master bedroom, dressed in more comfortable clothing, he announced it to the world. “Mummy! Appic!” He cried, pointing to the ceiling. “Git! Daddy git!”

“I’m a what?!” Harry exclaimed, frowning at his son. “Did you just call me a git?”

“Mo!”

“He said gift, Harry.” Ginny corrected with a roll of her eyes. She took Severus from Harry’s arms and gestured towards the ceiling. “Remember? Sev and I had a super-secret project in the attic that we were making for you?”

“Oh!” Harry’s eyes widened at the reminder. “Oh, yes! I completely forgot.”

“Would you like me to bless that room too?” Pastor Ed asked.

“Sure, if you like!” The teen smiled.

“What’s up there?”

Harry lowered his voice to a whisper as he and the minister followed Ginny and Sev to the end of the hall. “Your guess is as good as mine, sir. She and Severus have been working on this room for months, and they’ve been mum on the exact details.”

Pastor Ed chuckled and gave Harry’s shoulder a supportive squeeze. “I’m pretty sure whatever it is, you’re going to love it.”

“Here we are!” After waving her wand at the ceiling, Ginny stepped aside as a staircase fluttered down from the ceiling and appeared in the middle of the hallway.

“Ah!” Pastor Ed grinned. “A pull-down entrance! How very economical of you, Ginny.” He nodded at her in compliment. “That’s quite a space-saver!”

Ginny grinned. “If you think that’s economical, wait ‘til you see the attic.” With that, the witch slowly began leading them up the attic steps, Severus bouncing excitedly in her arms.

“Git! Daddy git!” The infant chanted. “Daddy kwi-mas git!”

Pastor Ed snorted and Harry shook his head. “I think he’s doing that on purpose.”

“Harry, welcome to the one room in the house you’ll probably never want to leave.” Ginny remarked from her place atop the staircase, a wink and a mischievous smile dancing across her face. Harry narrowed his eyes at her, wondering why she had been teasing him so much with this project.

As soon as his head cleared the attic floor, however, all his questions and comments immediately popped out of his mind. “Oh, my…!” Running the rest of the way up the stairs, Harry jumped onto the landing and simply gaped at the sight before him.

He blinked.

It was still there.

He rubbed his eyes.

It was still there.

He peered at the grinning Ginny and Severus, across from him.

And when he turned back…

…it was still there!

“Oh my!” Pastor Ed exclaimed with a smile. “Is that a pool table?”

“Gam woom!” Severus cried, giggling into Ginny’s chest.

“It’s an entire game room!” Ginny explained. “And it also doubles as a guest room good enough for two to four people.”

“Gam woom! Gam woom! Gam woom!”

“You’re right.” The minister chuckled. “That’s very economical!”

“Merlin me…” Harry approached the gleaming new pool table with something akin to reverence.

“You see the beds over here.” Ginny continued, pointing to the two twin beds on either side of the staircase. “That’s a wardrobe that doubles as a bench for that window.” She gestured to the window on the wall between the beds. “And each of these other three windows has a bench that actually double as a toy box.” The teen pointed to the windows on each wall of the attic. “On either side of each window are storage shelves for games, toys, and whatnot. Dora, the boys, and I filled them up with toys and board games before we left for New York.” She then pointed to a long table on the far left corner of the room. It had eight chairs surrounding it. “That table is for playing board games.”

“It’s family sized, I see.” Pastor Ed noted with approval.

“I used to love playing board games with my family when I was younger.” Ginny explained happily. “It’s a tradition I hope to continue.”

“It’s a fantastic way for a family to bond.” The minister nodded.

“It’s a pool table…” Harry croaked, his voice no higher than a whisper. He carried a note of pure shock in his voice, and Sev wondered idly if his daddy realized that the pool table was actually there, and wasn’t just a figment of his imagination.

“And next to the game table are three couch-sized bean bags.” Ginny carried on, as if her fiancé wasn’t standing in the middle of the room, drooling over a mahogany table with a green fur hat. “Severus loves bean bags.”

The infant grinned. “Yup!”

“And that thing across from it is just a small television with a, uh…oh…what was it?” Ginny looked confused. “I think it’s called a…Ninja Kendo?”

Severus rolled his eyes. “Mim-pem-bo!” He corrected his mother for what felt like the thousandth time since they bought it.

“Mimpendo?”

“Ah! Yes, a Nintendo!” Pastor Ed nodded with a laugh.

“My dad said something about the sixty-fourth version, or something.”

“No, ha, ha!” The minister shook his head. He simply loved the wizarding world and how most of the magical youth weren’t bothered with having the latest craze in technology. “It’s a Nintendo-64. I believe it’s the newest video game system.”

“Yes, yes…” Ginny shook her head. “And I believe that other black box is called a DVD player. I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I think all of this is just a phase.”

“HA!” The minster snorted. “From your mouth to God’s ears!”

“I LOVE YOU!” Was the only warning Ginny received before Harry ran straight into them, wrapping his fiancé and son in the biggest bear hug he had ever given anyone in his life! The teenager giggled into his shoulder as the infant laughed between them.

“You always said you liked playing pool.” She replied into his shoulder with a grin.

“This whole room is BRILLIANT!” Harry exclaimed happily. “I love it! I love it! I love it!” And just to prove his point, the teen gave his fiancé a long, slow, and passionate kiss.

“Wew-com, Daddy!” Severus cooed in their ears, making the couple grin in amusement.

All the while, Pastor Ed busied himself by blessing the room and admiring the intricate designs carved into the shelves on the wall.

“Hello! What have we here?” A familiar voice echoed from the foot of the stairs. Two seconds later, a well-known shaggy head popped up from the floor and began looking around. “WHOA! Is that a pool table?!” And, just like Harry, the footsteps double-timed it up the stairs before the owner of said footsteps leapt onto the landing. “It IS a pool table!” He breathed in shock. “Holy Merlin! It’s stunning!”

Harry grinned at his godfather. “I know, right?!” He still had his arm wrapped around his fiancé’s shoulders.

“Hey, Moony! Check this out!”

“Oooh! The attic!” Dora’s voice filtered up from below. “Oh, go on, Remus. You’re going to love it!”

“Ginny gave me a pool table for Christmas.” Harry announced down the staircase. He felt an elbow against his ribs. “Oh…and a whole lot of other stuff too.”

“No way!” Remus’ eyes widened as he took in the entire room before him. “Ginny…this is amazing!”

“Hey! I helped too!” Dora interjected indignantly, coming up the stairs behind her husband.

“Well…well, yeah. I meant all of you!” Remus corrected almost immediately, much to the amusement of his two best friends.

“See? Now you have a place to relax, sweetheart.” Dora nudged her husband on the arm with a grin. “Told you you’d like it.”

“Teddy!”

“Eb!”

As the girls took the infants for a tour of the game shelves, the boys and the minister gathered around the shiny new pool table. Sirius was drooling over it almost as much as Harry was. “I’m telling you, pup—you have got one hell of a woman!”

Harry snorted. “Thanks, Padfoot.”

“By the way, Harry.” Remus interrupted softly, before Sirius could continue doting over the table. “Dora and I came up here to let you know that, um…we would like to accept the house.”

“Really?!” Sirius exclaimed excitedly.

“What house?” Pastor Ed asked, amused by the animagus’ reaction.

“Oh, I own all the houses in this whole square.” Harry explained, gesturing out the window. “This one is my parents’ house, and I also managed to buy and renovate the other three next door and across the street.”

“Really?” The minister looked surprised. “You’ve certainly been busy!”

“So you’ll take it?” Harry grinned as the werewolf nodded in return. “Excellent! That’s fantastic!”

“Good choice, Moony.” Sirius remarked.

“I’ll take care of the ownership papers straight away.”

“You’re giving them the house?!” Pastor Ed widened his eyes at the teen, himself surprised by the extent of the generosity.

“Yes, sir. Of course!” Harry shrugged. “What am I going to do with four houses?”

“That’s a good question.” Ginny commented.

All of a sudden, an altogether familiar bellow resounded from below.

“LUNCH IS SERVED! EVERYONE COME DOWN TO THE BACKYARD! LUNCH IS READY!”

“Goodness gracious!” Pastor Ed exclaimed. “That was louder than a loud-hailer!”

“That’s my mother for you.” Ginny rolled her eyes.

The group made their way back down to the backyard, where long rows of tables, topped with white sheets, were set up, complete with place settings and everything. Even Ginny was surprised by how far her mother had gone to make this day memorable for everyone.

“Bick cay!” Severus squealed in delight, pointing to the three-layer birthday cake sitting in the middle of the center table. “Bick cay!”

“And you get to blow out the candle, sweet!” Ginny added, giving her one-year-old a light kiss on the cheek. The infant began bouncing excitedly in her embrace.

Severus had to admit—the mutt’s barbeque sure tasted good!

Harry and Ginny had cut up the meat and chicken into tiny little pieces and gave him a small plate full, complete with peas and corn. And where his bottle should have been, they instead gave him a strange-looking object Ginny had called a “sippy cup”.

“You want to try feeding yourself, love?” His mother asked, holding out a tiny, bright green spoon for him to take.

Severus had been astounded. They were letting him feed himself?!

They were letting him feed himself?!

The infant grabbed the spoon out of his mummy’s hand excitedly. “Me eah!” He exclaimed with a grin. “Me eah!”

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look of amusement. “That’s right, cub! You’re one year old today, and one-year-olds should be big enough to feed themselves. Right, mummy?”

Easier said than done.

Severus’ first hurdle was actually grasping the spoon at the right angle to pick up his food. Which would be easier to achieve if the spoon were facing in the right direction, don’t you agree? The voice in the back grumbled.

The infant grinned. After dropping the spoon onto his high chair table with a clank, he quickly picked it up again so that the head of the spoon was actually facing his plate, rather than the sky.

“Well, look at that!” Sirius snorted. “He’s halfway there.”

“Hush, Padfoot!” Ginny scolded him mildly, picking up the camera to take yet another round of photographs.

“Love?”

“Hmm?”

Harry cleared his throat. “Do you, um…do you want to make the announcement now? So that we can get it out of the way?”

“In a second, Harry.” Ginny replied distractedly, snapping another picture of Severus trying to use his spoon.

Easy does it…Sev chanted in his head. Slow and steady…

The infant’s tongue slowly snaked out of a corner of his mouth as he tried to get his wrist to cooperate and turn the spoon so that it came at his plate from a 45-degree angle, rather than a 90-degree drop. This resulted in his wrist facing upwards and his arm contorting to the most awkward position imaginable. When he stretched his arm up above his head, the position felt right, but when he tried to bring his arm close to his plate, his shoulder and wrist began to complain.

God! Who knew learning how to use a spoon would be so difficult?!

His first attempt at scooping up a piece of chicken resulted in all of his chicken and half of his peas being driven off his plate.  

It’s quite possible that you were holding the spoon correctly the first time around. The voice at the back deduced.

Severus felt like kicking himself. Rather, he felt like kicking that moron at the back of his mind!

“Ah!” He cried in frustration, banging the head of the spoon against his plastic baby plate before flinging it halfway across the yard.

“OW!” Dean exclaimed in surprise, after Severus’ spoon hit him right between the eyes.

“Oh my god!” Ginny gasped as Sirius promptly burst into laughter. The rest of the DA weren’t far behind him. Remus was discreetly laughing into his napkin, pretending to pass it off as a cough, and Harry looked like he was having a very hard time keeping a straight face. “Are you alright, Dean?”

The other teen nodded offhandedly as he shoved a laughing Seamus on the shoulder before reaching for a napkin to wipe the barbeque sauce off his face.

“Severus!” Ginny rebuked her oblivious son. “Apologize!” She demanded, pointing at a scowling Dean.

The infant blinked. He had no idea what she was talking about! After throwing his spoon away, he promptly began eating with his hands.

Harry cleared his throat rather forcefully, trying to get rid of the bubbles of laughter he could feel coming up. “You just nailed Dean right between the eyes, Sev.” He explained, unable to stop the snort that emerged at the last minute.

Ah! So that’s why he’s giving me the evil eye right now! Severus felt like giggling himself, but, instead, he took his cue from his father and did his best to suppress the laughter. “Soweh.” He replied simply, before swiftly turning back to his food. This barbeque chicken was divine!

Ginny sighed and sent an apologetic look Dean’s way.

“It’s okay, Gin.” The other teen replied, sending Seamus a death glare. The Irishman had yet to stop laughing.

“Looks like this spoon-and-fork business is going to take some time.” Sirius remarked, nodding towards Severus, who sat contentedly eating his lunch with his fingers.

“It wasn’t bad for a first try, though.” Hermione pointed out.

“Brilliant aim, too!” Ron snorted. Dean threw the baby spoon at him.

“Gin?” Harry called softly, tugging at her wrist to get her attention.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s just announce it now.” He pushed. “So that the rest of the day can be about Sev.”

“Alright! Alright! Hold on…” After wiping Sev’s mouth clean of barbeque sauce, Ginny wiped her own hands and then promptly hid them under the table, slipping an extra piece of jewelry onto one of her fingers.

Harry took the opportunity to tap his fork against a glass. “Ahem! Excuse me!” The all-familiar call to attention silenced everyone almost immediately. An entire party of curious faces then slowly turned towards Harry, who now stood at the head of the master table. “Um…” he gave them all a shaky smile, “…Ginny and I have an announcement to make.”

“Oh, I’ll bet a hundred galleons I know what that announcement is.” Fred remarked with a laugh.

“Shhh!” His mother quickly shushed him with a scowl. “Go on, Harry, dear!” She said, looking like she was sitting on the edge of her seat.

“Well…” Harry cracked a nervous smile and then gestured for Ginny to stand up as well.

His fiancé practically jumped to her feet and graced everyone with a joyous grin. “We’re engaged!” She announced, holding her left hand out so that everyone could see the gleaming ring.

“AH!” A loud cheer resounded and nearly all the guests burst into applause and began shouting out congratulations. Molly, Hermione, Tonks, and most of the girls from the DA flocked towards Ginny straight away.

“Oh! Let me see it, sweetheart!”
“How’d he do it?!”
“Oh, WOW!”
“It’s gorgeous!”
“It’s a snitch!”
“Oh, that’s clever!”
“Oh, just look at it!”
“So?! How’d he propose?!”

“How did you do it, pup?” Sirius asked, not looking the least bit surprised.

Harry took Severus from his high chair (seeing as how he was being knocked around by the girls that ran past him to get to Ginny) and settled him on his lap before turning back to his godfather. “New Years’ Eve.”

“Was it at that big party you were telling me about, mate?” Ron asked, shoving a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“Yup! I asked her right before midnight—during the countdown.”

“Sounds fantastic!” Remus remarked, feeding Teddy some mashed potatoes.

“By the time the New Year came along, we were engaged.”

“When the clock struck twelve?!” Tonks squealed, grinning madly at a nodding Ginny. “Oh, how romantic!”

“Daddy! AH!” Sev cried, pointing to Harry’s spoonful of mashed potatoes and opening his mouth wide. He wanted some too!

The teen chuckled at how unconcerned his son was at having all the attention diverted from him.

“Looks like the birthday boy doesn’t mind sharing all the attention with mummy and daddy.” Pastor Ed commented with a smile.

“Oh, believe me, Minister, he’s come a long way.” Sirius replied.

“Which makes me all the more proud.” Harry added, planting a kiss atop Sev’s head as the infant picked at his lunch with his fingers.

---

It had taken an hour and more congratulations than Sev could count, but eventually everyone finished their lunch and looked about ready for dessert.

Now was the moment Sev had been waiting for his whole life—the moment that he, Severus, and ONLY he, Severus, got to blow out his own (as in belonging to him and ONLY him) birthday candle!!!

The infant couldn’t help himself. He grinned and began bouncing up and down on his daddy’s lap as his nana and grandpa placed the three-layered cake with the lit birthday candle in front of him.

“Oh, just look at him! He’s all excited!” Molly gushed. “Alright! Ready everyone?!” The new grandmother looked around, the expression on her face promising dire consequences to anyone who dared to not sing Happy Birthday to her precious new grandson. “1…2…3!”

“Happy Birthday to you!”

Sev seeing Harry for the first time when the teen peered into his crib.

“Happy Birthday to you!”

Harry teaching Sev how to crawl.

“Happy Birthday, dear Severus!”

Ginny teaching Sev how to walk.

“Happy Birthday to you!”

Sev closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Waking up in between his mummy and daddy in the big white bed.

He didn’t need to make a wish, for he already had everything he wanted.

“And many more!”

SWISH!

Raucous applause followed the first birthday candle he had ever blown out in both his lifetimes. The infant grinned. So this was how it felt to be loved, accepted, and celebrated by a family.

“Alright, everybody, let’s have cake!”

The cake was divine (of course, seeing as how his nana made it), and after the cake came the gifts. There were three kinds—gifts for Severus on his first birthday, gifts for Severus on his Naming, and gifts for Harry and Ginny on their housewarming. The first was most plentiful, the second almost so, and the third not so much. Remus alone, much to Sev’s surprise, gave all three kinds. The housewarming gift wasn’t important (at least, not to Sev). For his first birthday, though, Remus gave him the adult stuffed lion to go with the cub that the infant already owned. Along with it was a small silver charm, meant for a necklace, of lion family—a lion with his lioness and his paws wrapped around their cub. Sev immediately wanted to wear it, but was somewhat disappointed when his daddy pointed out there was no chain for it. The disappointment soon vanished, however, when he opened his godfather’s gift for his Naming. Remus had given him a sterling silver keepsake box—shiny and gorgeous and engraved with the note: To My Godson Severus, You are a special child, chosen freely, accepted heartily, and loved completely. I will guard you forever. Love Uncle Remus. 01-09-99. Inside the box, they found a tiny pouch; and inside the pouch, they found a silver necklace laced with a charm of a silver wolf with dazzling blue eyes. Sev wouldn’t stop bouncing until both charms hung from the chain and the chain hung around his neck.

“Ank ooo, Unka Moomy!” Sev shouted, without any encouragement whatsoever from his parents. He even went so far as to reach out for a hug, to which Remus happily obliged.

The big voice in Sev’s mind scoffed in disgust, while the little voice cackled in delight. Maybe next time the big voice would keep quiet while he figured out how to use his own spoon!

After all the gifts were opened, Arthur and Sirius surprised everyone by announcing that they had one more gift to present—an engagement gift.

“No way!” Ginny frowned, remembering the invisible ‘thing’ that Pastor Ed had bumped into earlier.

Sirius’ eyes merely twinkled at her in response before he bounced towards the house, calling for everyone to follow him into the living room.

“I was the first to know that Harry was going to propose,” Arthur explained as soon as everyone was gathered in the living room, “on account of he actually asked me for her hand in marriage.” A few people chuckled at that. “And Sirius and Remus knew of it because they overheard Harry ask me, of course.”

Tonks gasped. “So that’s what he was asking you that one day we were here!” She exclaimed out of the blue. Once she realized she had actually said that out loud, a deep blush colored her face, much to everyone’s amusement. “Sorry! Sorry. Go on!”

“Anyway…” Sirius chuckled, “I figured Harry was going to pop the question at some point during their holiday to…New York City, apparently…and so Arthur and I decided pitch in and get the couple an engagement gift for when they returned.”

“We lucked out on the after-Christmas sales.” Arthur threw in.

“That’s for sure!” Sirius agreed with a laugh. “Ladies and Gentlemen! We present to you…” the animagus grabbed the blue tape he had wrapped around their invisible gift earlier, “…the latest and greatest in muggle entertainment technology!”

Sirius pulled back on one side of the invisibility sheet while Arthur pulled back on the other to reveal an entire entertainment center hidden underneath! At the center of the center, of course, sat the biggest and most unusual television any of them had ever seen.

“This, Ladies and Gentlemen,” Sirius started, sounding every bit like the salesman he probably bought it from, “is, from what I’ve been told, the latest in muggle television technology. It is called a ‘flat-screen TV’.”

“Yes, it’s a 1998 edition.” Arthur continued, reaching for the power button. “It was released last year. It’s thirty-six inches. Um…”

“We attached it to this VDR thing over here—” Sirius added, pointing to a silver box on one of the shelves of the entertainment center.

“That’s a VCR, Sirius.” Dean corrected.

“Oh! Thank you.”

“And the sound is connected to those things.” The animagus waved his wand and a giant whoosh preceded the uncovering of four speakers—two on the mantle above the fireplace across the room and two next to the television.

“What happened to all the wires?” Dean asked, perplexed.

“Oh! It turns out we didn’t need them!” Arthur replied with a tiny laugh. “We were a bit worried about the boys being electrocuted, so Sirius and I worked on a way to get the sound to connect to all the speakers without needing all those pesky cables.”

“Thanks for your help, though, Dean.” Sirius added offhandedly, fiddling with some buttons on the VCR.

“You made the whole thing wireless?!” The teen gaped at them in awe. “WICKED!!!” Some of the guests murmured sounds of agreement.

Ginny, for her part, appeared to be a bit overwhelmed and more than a bit confused; Severus merely looked curious, and Harry had a big, goofy smile on his face.

“So?” Sirius’ gaze moved from Harry to Ginny and back. “What do you think?” He asked, his voice carrying a note of apprehension.

“What do I think?” The corner of Harry’s lips wouldn’t stop twitching. “I have a pool table in my attic and a big-screen TV in my living room.” A shit-eating grin suddenly burst forth. “I’m living the dream!”

“YEAH!” Someone growled at the back of the room, causing half the guests to crack up.

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about any of this.” Ginny murmured softly, but then turned to her father with a big grin. “But thanks anyway, dad.”

Arthur smiled as his daughter gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re very welcome, sweetheart!”

“So how does it work?” Someone shouted from beside the fireplace.

“Well, you see…” As Arthur dove into a whimsical yet thorough explanation of the inner working of a television, some of the older, less interested guests dispersed throughout the house, leaving the wonders of modern technology to the younger generation.

“Harry, you, um…” Ron cleared his throat rather hesitantly and gestured his head towards the side of the room. “…do you have a minute, mate?”

“Yeah, sure!” As the two of them walked over to stand by the windowsill, Harry couldn’t help but notice the looks Ron kept exchanging with Hermione, who was staring at them from her place next to Ginny. “Is everything alright?” He asked, unconsciously mirroring Ron’s earlier hesitation.

After glaring at his girlfriend for almost a full minute, Ron turned back to Harry with a fierce scowl. “No, everything’s not alright!” He practically snapped. Harry’s eyes widened, taken aback by his best friend’s intensity.

“He’s lying, Harry.” Hermione broke in, pushing past Harry to take her place in front of Ron. Her hands immediately flew to her hips. “Everything’s just fine!”

“Like bloody hell it’s fine!” Ron returned heatedly.

“We will not be accepting the house, Harry.” Hermione told him, her tone deceptively pleasant. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s a bloody mistake, I’m telling you!” Ron snapped.

“Keep your voice down! Everyone’s starting to stare!” Hermione growled.

“Look! You’ve insulted Harry.” Ron hissed, pointing a finger at Harry’s face and causing the other teen to dodge out of the way to avoid it.

“Harry’s not insulted!” Hermione shot back.

“He is too!”

“You haven’t even looked at him over the past five minutes, Ronald!”

“It’s a house, Hermione!” Ron tried changing tactics. “It’s a bloody HOUSE!”

“We had this discussion already!” Hermione hissed in his face. She sounded at the end of her rope. “And you AGREED with me!”

“How do you expect we’ll pay for a flat in London, huh?!” Ron returned. “Shall I pull the money out of my ass?”

“Must you be so crude?!”

“I’m angry!” Ron shot back. “I must!”

“You know what—”

“GUYS!” Harry exclaimed, stopping them mid-argument and calling their attention back to him. “Let’s all calm down, shall we?”

“Humph!” Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell that to the Neanderthal over here!” She scowled at her boyfriend, who returned the scowl full-force.

“I’m not insulted.” He assured them both. “I promise you, I’m not. It’s okay that you don’t want the house.”

“Uh, SHE doesn’t want the house!” Ron corrected rather pointedly.

“Whatever.” Harry rolled his eyes. “I’m fine with it. I’ll just put out an ad in the muggle newspaper for renters. It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh, yes, it is.” Ron murmured under his breath.

“Ronald, you can be such a—”

“Hermione!” Harry held up his hands to placate her. “Just let him vent. It’s fine.” He turned to Ron, “Look, mate, if it makes you feel any better…” the teen glanced back at his godfather, who was busy fiddling with the remote control for the new TV, “…Sirius doesn’t really want to stay at Grimmauld place for the time being. He’s making his home here with us.” Harry turned back to Hermione. “If you really want a flat in London, maybe you could consider living at his place until you save up enough to buy your own house or condominium. How’s that?”

The scowl on Ron’s face lessened considerably as he gave it some actual thought; and even Hermione, much to Harry’s surprise, looked like she was leaning towards the idea.

“So?” His gaze moved back and forth between his two best friends. “Have we reached a compromise?”

No response.

Meanwhile, across the room, Ginny sat down on the new couch, facing the TV. Her father and Sirius were on the floor, at the base of the TV, trying to figure out how to get it to work with the VCR.

“Gampa ah Papoo!” Severus giggled, pointing a tiny finger at the two of them. They were now fighting over which button to push on the remote control.

“Yup. They look like a pair of big kids, don’t they?” Ginny smiled, pulling her baby back against her chest and planting a kiss atop his head. Oh, how she loved the smell of his baby shampoo!

“Ahem! Uh…Ginny?” The teen looked up to find Dean Thomas standing a few feet away from her, his hands hidden behind his back. “Is that seat taken?” He asked, nodding towards the empty spot beside her.

“UH-HUH!” Severus snapped, scowling fiercely at the other teen.

“Severus!” Ginny rebuked softly. “Don’t be rude!” Turning back to Dean, she gave him a tiny smile. “Go ahead, Dean.”

The other wizard smiled gratefully as he took the seat next her, his hands coming out from behind his back to reveal a rectangular, colorfully-wrapped package, which he settled on his lap. “Look, Gin—”

“Beh deh-ew!” Sev cried, leaning over his mother’s arm to push Dean’s leg away from Ginny’s. “Beh deh-ew! Beh deh-ew!” The infant noticed their knees had been touching and he didn’t like that one bit!

“Honey!” Ginny exclaimed, bewildered by her son’s actions. “Come now, sweetheart!” The witch sent her friend an apologetic look before readjusting Severus in her arms so that he lay nestled in the crook of her elbow. “What’s the matter, love?” She asked, straightening Sev’s shirt as she looked into his eyes.

The infant wasn’t focused on her, though. He was too busy glaring at Dean. “Daddy!” He called at the top of his lungs, pointing a finger at the black wizard. “Daddy, wook!”

The call had not only Harry turning around to look at them, but everyone else as well! Both Dean and Ginny blushed at the sudden unwanted attention.

What’s the matter, cub? The teen asked, confused as to why his son seemed so upset.

Daddy! Dean Thomas is talking to Mummy! You should come over here and beat him up!

The reply had sent Harry into a fit of laughter, which he struggled to hide with the back of his hand. Ron, apparently, thought he was choking, for he immediately began to slap his friend’s back rather strongly.

“I—I’m fine, Ron.” Harry said as soon as he calmed down. Meeting Dean’s eyes from across the room, Harry gave his friend a small smile before turning away again.

Sev…I don’t think that’s really necessary right now, son. He replied gently.

“Severus, relax!” Dean cried, looking directly at the infant in Ginny’s arms. “I’m not trying to…” he glanced at Ginny awkwardly, “…steal your m—mother away or anything.”

“Yah wigh!” Sev narrowed his eyes at him.

“Alright, Severus, that’s enough!” Ginny broke in, putting her foot down and giving her son the tiniest of shakes.

Sev widened his eyes at his mother’s rarely-used stern tone. “Wha?”

“Now, you be nice to Dean!” She told him firmly. “He’s done nothing to you to deserve this behavior. This is the only warning I’m going to give you!”

You best heed her warning, cub. His father encouraged, winking at him from his spot next to the window.

“Now apologize to him!”

Severus sighed. Hearing his mother lecture to him in that tone of voice made him feel guilty much faster than whenever his father lectured to him! “Soweh…” he murmured with a pout.

“Thank you.” The infant blushed and shifted in her arms, burying his face in her chest. Ginny ignored the half-hearted ploy for attention and turned back towards Dean. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no!” Dean waved it off. “It’s okay. I mean…I don’t…” he shrugged, “…mind.”

“So!” The teenage witch gave him a small smile. “Did you want to talk to me or something?”

“I did! Uh…” Dean picked up the brightly-colored package on his lap and held it up for Ginny to see. He had a stiff smile on his face; one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “My peace offering.” He said with a sigh.

Severus unburied his face from Ginny’s chest to study the package suspiciously.

“Peace offering?” Ginny looked confused.

“Uh…yeah. It’s more of a gift for…” he gestured the package towards Sev, “…the little guy here.”

Severus instantly sat up upon hearing that.

“See?” Ginny raised her eyebrow at him. The look on her face clearly spelled out ‘I told you so.’“And you were treating him badly a second ago!”

The infant bit his lip and blushed once again. Boy, his mummy sure knew how to make a man feel guilty!

“Look, Gin…” Dean started, his voice soft and gentle. Yet the witch could still hear a note of regret in his tone. “…I just wanted to say that, um…”

“Me git?” Sev babbled, reaching for the package in Dean’s hands. “Me git?”

“Sev…”

“Here you go, kid…” Dean put the gift on Sev’s lap before looking directly into Ginny’s eyes. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out between us.” He blurted out before he could lose his nerve.

The look in Ginny’s eyes immediately transformed from one of concern to one of pity. “Oh…Dean…” She sighed.

“Please don’t take that the wrong way or anything!” The wizard hurriedly clarified. “I’m not trying to…change your mind or anything. I don’t want to. I just…” Dean released a shaky breath as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. “Um…”

“Look…” Ginny laid a hand atop Dean’s, causing him to meet her eyes in surprise. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out as well.”

Sev stopped fumbling with Dean’s poorly-wrapped present to study their touching hands with rapidly-narrowing eyes. “Mo!” He exclaimed with a scowl, pointing at their hands. “Mo, mummy!”

“Oh, sweetheart!” Ginny rolled her eyes but removed her hand from Dean’s anyway. She then planted a kiss atop her son’s head to calm him down. “Dean, I promise—one day, you’re going to find that one special lady that will make you feel a thousand times happier than I ever made you feel.”

“Oh, I highly doubt that.” The teenage wizard replied with a small chuckle.

“No. It’s true!” Ginny assured him.

“Well, in any case…” Dean met Ginny’s eyes with the most serious look the witch had ever seen on him, “…I will always love you, Ginny Weasley. Remember that.”

The declaration made Severus freeze. A flash of déjà vu suddenly coursed through him.

If you love me, let me go.

“I will always be there for you.” The teen wizard continued. “I wish you and Harry happiness and a long, prosperous marriage; but know that I will always be here if you need me.”

The infant looked up just as Dean laid a kiss upon Ginny’s cheek, but, unlike before, he didn’t have the heart to protest the action. The emotions running through Dean’s eyes reminded him very much of what he felt that day in the cemetery, when he finally let Lily go after chasing her for most of his life.

This was the conversation they should have had before she married James. He should have told her everything that Dean was telling Ginny now. He should have told her he loved her. And he should have let her go.

“Thank you, Dean.” Ginny whispered, laying a hand on the side of his face and running her thumb up and down his cheek. “That means a lot to me. It really does!”

Oh, what Sev wouldn’t give to hear Lily say that to him; to have her touch him like Ginny was touching Dean, to have her look at him with the same look in her eyes that Ginny was wearing. What he wouldn’t give to smile at Lily like Dean was smiling at Ginny. If only he had realized back then that Lily being happy meant more to him than having her to himself.

You live and you learn, cub. Harry commented from across the room. The infant looked up to find his daddy leaning against the bookcase, nursing a drink and staring intently in their direction. That’s why Ginny and I didn’t want to oblivate you. We figured you’d enjoy life more if you knew you were living it the second time around.

So I don’t make the same mistakes twice. Sev nodded as his bottom lip slipped between his teeth. That made a lot of sense.

“Come on, kid! Are you going to open the gift I gave you or not?” Severus looked up to find both Dean and Ginny smiling down at him, the former glancing down at the package on his lap suggestively.

“Ah!” Sev had honestly forgotten about the gift the other wizard gave him. He studied it once against with renewed interest.

“Here, sweetheart.” Ginny said, running her finger over a tiny rip in the wrapping, one that Sev hadn’t noticed before. The infant wasted no time in grasping the loose flap between his fingers and giving it a hearty tug!

Riiiiiiiiiip!

The sound of the paper being ripped apart brought a satisfied smile to his face. Merlin, how he loved that noise! “Ah! Bah!” He cooed nonsensically as he began bouncing in excitement.

His mother chuckled and shook her head as she helped him rip the wrapping off the gift. For some reason, the sound of ripping paper now never failed to make her baby boy laugh until he was red in the face. The entire opening-gifts phase of the afternoon turned out to be a big laugh-fest that had Severus, Sirius, and, consequently, everyone else rolling with laughter every time the infant made a tiny rip in the paper.

“I don’t know what it is.” Ginny commented to Dean. “He never found the sound of ripping paper so funny before.”

“WHAY KEY!!!” Severus squealed in excitement, drawing everyone’s attention once again. “WHAY KEY! WHAY KEY! WHAY KEY!!!”

“It’s The Lion King!” Ginny translated for the guests’ benefit.

Severus immediately grabbed the VHS tape and began waving it up and down with a big grin.

Dean chuckled at the infant’s enthusiasm. Never in his life did he think he was going to see the day when Snape smiled, much more reacted like this! “Your dad and Sirius had me come over a few weeks ago to help them set up the entertainment center.” Dean explained. “That’s how I knew you had a VCR.”

“Excellent! Now we have something to watch on the new VCR!” Sirius remarked, holding his hand out for the tape. “We just got it working, I think.”

“What do you say to Dean, sweetheart?” Ginny said, nudging the one-year-old in her arms.

“Ank ooo!” The infant replied with a shy grin as he carefully handed the tape to his Uncle Sirius.

“You’re welcome.” The wizard answered with a satisfied smile, getting comfortable against the arm of the couch.

As the opening notes of The Circle of Life blasted from the surround sound speakers, and as everyone else in the room settled down on the couches and the chairs to watch the intriguing little lion cartoon, Harry took a seat on Ginny’s other side and wrapped an arm around his fiancé and son. He felt his future wife settle her head on his shoulder, his adopted son crawl into his lap, and a pair of eyes turn to peer at them with muted envy. Harry met Dean’s gaze over Ginny’s head and held a hand out to his former roommate and friend. Then, finally, after what seemed like forever, the muted envy melted from Dean’s eyes and a look of acceptance took its place. His friend gave him a genuine smile and took his hand. The two exchanged a secret handshake that they and their three other roommates invented back in their first year, officially mending whatever fences had broken between them, and restoring their strong friendship back to its former glory.