Harry didn’t actually mind green.  Especially when it went so nicely with the rest if his father’s furnishings.  The dungeon walls and sconces were quite homey with the dark leather furniture his father favoured; and if he was being honest, Harry really loved the plush sofa where he and his father often sat of an evening as they read together or played chess.  Despite his familiarity with the rooms however, he didn’t feel at home here.  It would be a perfectly nice place to be able to call home and he wished dearly that he could, but he just didn’t... belong.  Not here.  These were Severus’ rooms and Harry was a visitor in them no matter how many times Severus said differently.  Severus... another point of contention.  He may think of the man as his father but he’d never be able to call him that to his face.  Not when every time he hesitated over the word, Severus’ eyes flashed something fierce and he always adopted that look of disappointment whenever Harry came too close to it.  No, there were so many things that seemed... off in their relationship.  Little niggling things that didn’t matter.  Not really.  Because only the big things mattered in the end, right?  Like the fact that Severus had adopted him.  Severus did want Harry to spend Christmas with him in his rooms.  Severus did not want Harry to decorate said rooms.  But then we don’t all get what we want. 

That’s when Harry realised just how much he happened to like green.  As he sat on his father’s comfortable couch, twining the green and silver tinsel he had owl ordered a few days before into one long, shining rope, his eyes flitted restlessly around the room to see where it would make the most impact.  He wasn’t in the habit of ‘decorating’ but there was a mischief maker in him, there always had been, and one look at Severus’ comfortable but very un-Christmassy rooms and he’d simply had no choice.  Severus didn’t know of course or he wouldn’t have left Harry alone.  In his rooms.  Oh, he wouldn’t be happy... not to begin with, but when he saw just how nice Harry could make the rooms look...

Harry sighed as he reached yet another knot in the strands of tinsel he was untangling – for some reason Hedwig had seen fit to play with his purchases on the flight back – and as he twisted his fingers into the ball of shiny foil a great clump of it fell to the floor which, as he glanced down he had time to notice was covered in enough tinsel to obscure the rug atop the stones completely before the floo flared to life and spat his father out.  The man brushed soot from his robes and his hand stopped midmotion as he noticed the mess that was his new son in a pile of green and shining silver.  While a frozen, wide-eyed Harry stared up at him he realised he hadn’t seen Severus look quite so stunned before.  Possibly because this was one of those rare occasions that too many emotions were fighting to break free.  In the spark of his eyes and the twist of his mouth (and the slightest twitch of his cheek that revealed repressed laughter) Harry noticed amusement, irritation, bafflement and strangely affection as well as a dozen others that were better covered.  Harry had learned many of his father’s mannerisms and expressions in the brief time they’d been close and knew he would recognise them all soon enough. 

The expression that leapt to the forefront and made Harry’s heart beat quicken was the irritation as Severus’ eyes dropped to take in one of his expensive rugs that carpeted the cold stone of the dungeon floor that was presently covered in fallen strands of tinsel.  Many, many fallen tiny strands of tinsel.  His eyes narrowed a little before meeting Harry’s once more and his brow rose. 

“I take it,” he said in his dangerously low voice, though as it often did now, it lacked much of the heat it had once held, “that you were planning to clean up the abominable mess you’ve made and that you will pick up each and every piece of... festive metal off of the floor?”

“It’s not really metal, it’s sort of more a kind of... foil...”  Harry’s fast-paced rambling cut off as he realised his father really wasn’t impressed.  “Yes sir.”

“Good.”  Any of the irritation Severus had had he lost much like the heavy robes he shrugged from his shoulders and swung over the back of an armchair before sinking into it with a groan.  Harry pushed the pile of tinsel on his lap aside and leaned forward as he watched his father pinch the bridge of his nose tiredly. 

“Bad meeting?”  Severus shook his head before sighing. 

“Not a good one, and to top it all off Albus is insisting and now he has Minerva onside.”  Harry bit his lip a little and debated staying silent, but he wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing.

“Maybe... maybe it might be better if you just... you know... did it.”  He received a scorching glare for his trouble.

“I do not do Secret Santas.”

“But it’s not that hard and if it makes Professor Dumbledore happy-”

“We’ve discussed this before Harry, it is not happening.”

“You don’t know for sure you’ll get Trelawny.”

“It’s enough to know it’s possible.”

“You don’t know though!  For all you know you might get Dumbledore and then all you’re up for is a pair of socks that match.”  At Severus’ odd look Harry murmured, “Something he told me once.”

“Of course,” was the dry response.  He noticed Harry’s mouth open and cut him off before he could continue his arguments.  “That’s enough, I am not doing it and neither you nor the Headmaster will convince me otherwise.”

They sat in silence for awhile after that and Harry resumed unpicking the tinsel that surrounded him until he noticed his father’s eyes scrutinising the movements with a speculating look on his face.  “Just where were you considering putting that by the way?”

Harry faltered at the comment and his plans of decorating his father’s rooms vanished somewhat abruptly.  He thought he could recognise that note of irritation again in the man’s voice and he didn’t want to upset him, not on Christmas.  He wanted their first one as a... family to be fun.  Flawless.  Harry could live without decorations.

“Oh, I’ll probably just put it... um, in my room?”  He didn’t mean for it to sound like a question and really it wasn’t.  Because it wasn’t that he didn’t think he would be allowed to put them there; he just wasn’t used to calling it his room.  And every single time his father noticed.

“Harry,” and if that tone of voice was anything to go by Severus was going to call him on it like always as well.  “It is your room.  You can put them in there if you want to.  We’ve been over this.”

“I know.  Thanks.”

“You don’t have to thank me; this is your home too.” 

“Yeah,” he muttered but Harry’s eyes stayed down and he fiddled restlessly with the end of the tinsel.  He heard Severus sigh again but this one sounded sad and Harry felt guilt well in his chest.  He shouldn’t be making his father feel bad, not so near Christmas.  Not when it was supposed to be perfect.   Severus filled the silence.

“I only asked because, well, I am unused to decorating my quarters for Christmas but if you would like...”  Severus rarely seemed so hesitant and Harry found himself smiling.

“You wouldn’t mind me decorating out here?”

“Of course not, like I said – and will no doubt have to keep saying – this is your home.”  He paused and cast the floor an appraising glance, “A home I still expect to remain clean.”  Harry’s smile was huge and bright and irrepressible and Severus allowed a small one of his own.  “I am surprised at your choice in colours though,” Severus continued, studying the tinsel heaped beside and on top of Harry.

“I do like green you know, and anyway, it suits your rooms.”  At Severus’ sigh he corrected, “Our rooms.”

“And have you thought of where you might like them to go in here?”

“Well, I thought it could go above the fireplace and the bookcases.”  When Severus nodded approvingly Harry grinned.

“Why don’t I fix us some tea and we can have a game of chess then, yes?”  At Harry’s nod he stood and disappeared into the kitchen while Harry unravelled the tinsel and went to the fireplace to begin draping it.

Not five minutes later Severus was startled out of his musings as he slowly prepared tea – something he usually found quite calming – by the sound of a crash and a thump.  Dashing to the living room he saw the reason for it.  Harry lay on his back at the foot of the bookcase groaning and wriggling on his no doubt sore back like an upturned tortoise, surrounded by puddles of green and silver. 

“Are you alright?”

Harry tilted his head back to look at him up-side-down and gave him a look that quite clearly said ‘what the hell do you think’ and Severus couldn’t help it.  He laughed. 

“Gee thanks Dad,” Harry said even as his lips twitched traitorously.  It took him a second to realise what he’d let slip and when his eyes shot guiltily up to meet Severus’ he found them still shining with mirth and not the least bit dimmed.  If anything Harry saw disbelievingly, they were brighter than ever.  The whole room seemed brighter for it in fact.

“Not at all, son.”

And with that Severus went back the kitchen to finish preparing their tea and Harry finished draping tinsel around their home.  He really quite liked green.