Harry had the odd feeling that he was being watched.

He was lying in bed, on his stomach, his arm draped over Ginny’s stomach, and he was completely relaxed.

Except the hair on the back of his neck was raised with complete awareness of his surroundings.

“Love, I believe that we have company.” Ginny whispered without ever opening her eyes.

Harry heard giggles and felt movement from the end of the bed.

“Let’s jump on Daddy.” One of the boys whispered. Although the child had whispered, Harry was almost positive that the boy in question had been Sirius.

“No…” Severus hissed back, “What if he gets mad?”

“He won’t get mad! Now if it was Mum, he might get mad…”

“We can’t jump on Mummy, you dunderhead! She has a baby in there!” Severus hissed at Sirius, pointing at the bump under the blankets.

“I wasn’t saying to jump on her, dummy! I was saying jump on Daddy!” Sirius hissed.

“I’ll jump on him.” Jamie whispered, though it was verging on yelling.

“Just don’t jump on Mummy! Even if it is Christmas, I bet we’d get in trouble.” Severus told his little brother.

Ginny and Harry were both trying to not to laugh, and Harry was bracing himself for the little boys that were surely fixing to jump on him.

“UMPH!” Harry groaned as several little bodies bombarded him at once.

“Wake up, Daddy!” several voices said at the same time. Harry opened his eyes and grinned, looking at Ginny who was looking at her boys.

Severus had not jumped on Harry, but had crawled over to Ginny and placed his head beside hers.

“Boys, what are you doing up so early? Usually Daddy and I have to drag you out of bed.” Ginny said, pulling Severus closer to her, so that his head was under her chin.

The other four boys, Sirius, Teddy, and Jamie on top of Harry, and Alby between his parents, just stared at her.

“Mummy, it is Christmas.” Severus whispered.

“Oh, it is, isn’t it?” Ginny said with a laugh.

“What do you say, Mummy? Do you think we should make these boys eat breakfast before they go see what Santa brought them?” Harry asked, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“Daddy!” several of the boys chanted. (Actually it sounded more like a whine, but since it was Christmas, both adults decided to take it as a chant…)

“Are you all sure that you were good enough to stay off of the naughty list?” Harry asked.

“Of course, Daddy!” Teddy said, grinning. He really wanted his parents to hurry up so they could all go into the living room. It was a rule that the boys couldn’t go in the living room until everyone was up on Christmas. And, well, everyone was up now!

“Well, Daddy, I think we better go see if Santa brought this bunch of impish little boys any presents.” Ginny said, standing up slowly and picking up Severus as she did so.

Severus paid his head down on her shoulder. He was quiet.

“Are you excited, Sev?” Harry asked as he stood up and picked up Alby as the other boys jumped off the bed.

“Yea.” He said, grinning slightly.

“Okay, Boys, what do you say all of you go into the living room and sit on the couch? No touching any of the presents!” Harry yelled he put down Alby and the four boys ran through the hallway.

“Sev? Do you want to go sit with the boys?” Harry asked.

He shook his head and wrapped his arms around Ginny’s neck as she patted his back.

“Come on, let’s get out there before those four tear into everything they can get their hands on.” Ginny said, and walked towards the living room.

Surprisingly, the boys were all sitting on the couch staring with wide eyed wonder at the mounds of presents that were around the Christmas tree they had all helped decorate the night before.

“Come on, Mummy! Come on, Daddy!” the boys yelled.

Ginny walked over to the couch and sat Severus beside his brothers, and immediately, Gnomie flew out of nowhere and sat on Severus’ shoulder. Ginny and Harry had both noticed that the little Pixie Elf, now fully grown, never came out unless something was wrong or bothering Sev. Then, the little Elf would whisper soothing words to Severus. Usually, Gnomie made himself known only at night, the worst part of the day for Severus, and would sooth him to sleep when nothing else could.

“Okay, Boys, let Mummy take your picture!” Ginny said. She had dressed them the night before in matching pajamas: red sweat pants and green t-shirts with their names on the front of them in red.

The boys sat patiently…as patiently as they could with all those Christmas presents in front of them…and let their Mum take pictures until their Daddy, laughing, took the camera out of her hands.

“Come on, Love, let’s let them open presents before they revolt.” Harry said.

Ginny looked over at her boys with a sheepish grin.

“Sorry, Boys, I just want to remember everything. Come on, Daddy, let’s set them up so that that they can start opening their gifts.”

Soon, Harry and Ginny had shrunk the couches and all but one chair, for Ginny, and had the boys sitting in various places around the living room so that they could open their presents.

Closest to Ginny were Alby and Severus. Next to Severus, though several feet away, was Sirius, then Teddy, and then Jamie beside Harry. Together, they made a circle.

“Okay. I am going to hand everyone a present, but you have to wait until all of you have a present before you can open the one you get, okay?” Ginny asked.

All the boys nodded, and, finally, after what seemed like an eternity to them, Harry started handing out presents.

Jamie was handed a package with green wrapping from Severus.

Teddy had something wrapped in red paper from Sirius.

Sirius had his gift from Severus.

Alby’s first gift was from Jamie, in blue paper.

And, finally, Severus looked down at his lap as he was handed a gift in pale green wrapping with snakes all over it.

“Okay, boys! Go!” Harry said, and sat on the floor in front of Ginny, grinning at his children.

The boys tore into their presents, and immediately started with their ‘ohs and ahs’.

“Look Daddy! Jokes! Jokes, Daddy!” Jamie squealed.

“Mum, Daddy! I got a practice bludger from Sev!” Sirius said, amazed, turning the toy over and over in his hands.

Teddy was still gradually opening his own present.

“Look at my new shoes!” Severus quietly said, excitement causing his cheeks to flush as he held up a pair of wizard shoes that changed colors depending on what outfit he had on and the bottoms of them lit up each time he took a step.

Alby just looked silently at a new book he had received with moving pictures. He was too busy looking at the book to pay attention to anything else.

Soon, however, the entire living room was in mayhem. Presents were being opened and shown to brothers and parents proudly until the next one replaced it. It was like this until all of the boys’ presents were opened.

Sirius, besides his practice bludger, received several quidditch books, some muggle action figures that he had grown fond of called Batman and Robin, a few comic books, and several different types of joke items that he had been warned not to use on his brothers without their knowledge, as they were for fun not harm.

Teddy was ecstatic with the book that Severus had gotten him, and had already turned himself into shapes that he had never practiced before. (But had been made to stop when he scared Alby by turning into a clown, something the littlest Potter was apparently deathly afraid of.) He also received quidditch books, and a practice bludger set (from Sirius, who had laughed inside when he had opened his own from Sev, as he was determined he and Teddy, who would go to Hogwarts at the same time despite their bit of age difference, would be on the house quidditch team together and would both be beaters). Teddy had also opened several muggle and wizarding board games.

Jamie, had received nearly the same presents as his two older brothers: quidditch books, pranks (which he was also warned about), a practice quaffle and hoop (mainly because he had watched a muggle basketball game once and really loved throwing the quaffle through the hoop), and a preschooler’s version of exploding snap…that squirted water gently instead of the version for older children.

Alby, so much like his namesake and big brother Sevy, received books, books, and more books, plus the train that his Sev had gotten for him. All of their brothers had gotten both Sev and Alby different books (luckily) and the two were determined to share their newfound luxuries together. Alby also threw his arms around Sev when he realized that the toy Hogwarts Express that he had seen in his Mummy’s book was given to him by Severus.

All of the boys also received shoes, similar to Sev’s but with slight differences, as Sirius and Teddy wore the same size, as did Jamie and Severus and they didn’t want the boys to get them mixed up. Ginny had also picked out several outfits for the five boys, who all desperately needed them as they seemed to grow rougher and rougher on their clothes all the time, and she was not sure how much longer she and her mother would be able to patch them up. There was definitely no handing some of them down like her brothers had when they were younger. Though, even if that was a possibility, Harry felt that all of the boys should have their own clothes, unless there was something that they wanted handed down.

Ginny knew this was because Harry had had so little growing up, and he never wanted his children to experience the same hurt and neglect he had, even if it was in small ways such as the clothing they wore. Ginny, herself, knew that it had affected her older brother, Ron’s, self esteem tremendously.

In reality, however, Ginny, nor any of her older brothers, would have traded anything about the way they grew up though. It made them into the people they were today, and they were all able to provide for their families without any troubles.

“Daddy, I think some little boys are about to fall asleep before they get to eat breakfast.” Ginny said, giggling lightly and pointing to Alby, who had actually already fallen asleep hugging his train to him amidst all the wrapping paper, and then moving her eyes over to Jamie who was lying on the floor with heavy eyes, all of his presents close to him as well.

Harry smiled then felt a tugging on his pajama top. He looked down to see that Severus had crawled over and placed a present in his lap. Severus stood up and then walked over to Ginny and handed her an oddly wrapped present as well.

Sirius, in the corner, eyed the younger boy carefully.

Harry carefully opened his present and was greeted with a quill. It was not, however, just any quill. It was a special quill with the Gryffindor (oh how it had pained Severus to have that put on it) crest and was made especially for grading essays and had a never ending supply of red and green ink, depending on what color the grader wished to use. It was made out of a black and silver Hippogriff feather.

“Thanks, Sev. This will really come in handy when I am grading those horrible, dunderheaded, imbecilic essays!” Harry said. Severus looked at him with round and wide eyes.

“Harrison Potter! Do not speak like that in front of the boys!” Ginny scolded, though no one but Severus was listening. Severus let out a snort.

The adult Severus secretly wondered what Potter was like in the classroom. If that last statement was anything to go by, Potter finally understood what it was like to have to teach a class full of idiotic dunderheads.

Severus quickly rubbed his head, which did not go unnoticed by either adult, and then shook off his memories.

“Mummy, open up your present!” Severus said suddenly, turning towards Ginny.

Slowly, in fact, slower than even Harry, Ginny opened her oddly shaped gift and put it on the floor beside her immediately and wrapped Severus in a hug.

“Oh, Sev!” Ginny gushed, as she hugged the little boy to her chest.

“Do you like it, Mummy?”

“Of course, Sevy, I love it.”

Harry looked confused.

“Want to explain to me what it is? He wouldn’t tell me when we went bought it. Said I wouldn’t understand it anyways.”

Ginny laughed.

“It is a customizable cauldron, Love. They are mainly used to make potions for one’s immediate family. It allows the potion maker to use their magical essence to make the potions stronger, something a potion maker cannot do in general because, for instance, my magical essence may not be able to adjust to Draco, Pansy, Scropius, or Asta. But, since these are all my babies, and we have magically adopted Sirius and Severus, so they are my babies too, I will be able to brew potions that will help them even more. Especially potions like the one I had to use on Severus when he had his allergic reaction to those pecans at Aunt Cissy’s.” Ginny explained, and hugged her young son to her.

“I didn’t get it cause of that, Mummy. Only because I know that they can be useful, and I thought that you would like it. And it is a pretty cauldron.” Severus whispered.

“Oh, Love, you did an excellent job. I love it.” Ginny told him.

“Love, let’s put the sleepers back in their beds, and get the others something light to eat. Merlin forbid if they don’t show up at Mum’s hungry when we go for lunch.” Ginny said.

Harry laughed, knowing very well that what his wife said was true.

In the corner, Sirius glared at Severus, something that went unnoticed by everyone.

Had they looked at the seven year old, they would have noticed a familiar gleam in his eye. One that spoke only of trouble to come.