A Christmas Gamble by Whitetail
Past Featured StorySummary: In the Wizarding World, Father Christmas exists. Of course, not all witches and wizards know this, because only children who would not receive presents otherwise are given a present from the man himself. But when something unexpected comes up Christmas Eve, he’s in the market for two substitute Santas to tag-team his complicated route. Who better to ask than the boy whose name has been on his list almost ten years running, and the man who has forgotten what Christmas once meant for him? Either Father Christmas is crazy to put Harry Potter and Severus Snape on the same team, or he knows something they don’t. One way or another, it’s going to be one heck of a gamble if he wants all the gifts delivered on time. Entrant in 2013 Holiday Fic Fest.
Categories: Fic Fests > #15 Winter Fest 2013, Snape Equal Status to Harry > Comrades Snape and Harry Main Characters: .Snape and Harry (required)
Snape Flavour: Snape is Kind
Genres: Action/Adventure
Media Type: None
Tags: None
Takes Place: 1st Year
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: A Christmas Gamble
Chapters: 9 Completed: Yes Word count: 24757 Read: 32619 Published: 10 Jan 2014 Updated: 11 Jan 2014
The Future of Father Christmas by Whitetail

The reindeer were all squared away by twenty to eight, and at that time everyone went inside to have breakfast. Harry was ravenous, so he merely listened while Snape and Father Christmas discussed the night's events. Father Christmas luckily was able to go to France and have the book fixed in good time, and then to speed things up, helped with the delivery of the gifts in there. He managed to make a copy of part of the book and did one half of the country with the reserve team of Reindeer and an older sleigh while the other Santa did the rest.

Until Father Christmas told how things had gone over in France, Harry hadn't realized just how complicated overriding a Yuletide Time Turner was, as every operation had their own model of the device. Father Christmas explained in detail what they had to do to reset it so they could deliver the presents in time in France, as most people there opened gifts at midnight, according to Father Christmas. Either way, Harry was very, very glad they weren't late. He listened in silence, and savoured every bite of this breakfast, which had never tasted so good in Harry's life. By the end he was nice and relaxed, toasty all over and his cheeks glowing with warmth from being out all night.

"The Yuletide Time Turner activates in twenty minutes, so you two had best decide what time you want to go back to," Father Christmas said at last. "Severus, you mentioned you'd rather return after that staff party of yours is over. What about you Harry?"

Harry closed his eyes a second and thought hard. It seemed like a lifetime ago he had left Hogwarts.

"Well, I had gone to get my book in the Great Hall," Harry said, fingering his copy of Quidditch Through the Ages that he had gotten back from the wardrobe room. "I left in the middle of a chess tournament with the Weasleys. That was around quarter to ten … so I should make it back before the Holiday curfew at ten-o-clock. Besides, I want to see if Ron beats Percy."

Snape sighed slightly.

"Well, they might be a little surprised if you get that lost in the castle and show up back at your common room around midnight," Snape said heavily. "So I suppose I will have to return before the staff party is over."

"Sorry, sir," muttered Harry.

"Believe me, I am thinking of my sanity more than anything in this scenario," Snape said. "Imagine the ruckus that would be raised if anyone thought you had gone missing."

Father Christmas chuckled.

"Father Christmas, before we go, can I say one last goodbye to the reindeer?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I think you have time," said Father Christmas. "Be back in ten minutes so I can take you two to the time turner."

Without further ado, Harry threw on the jacket he had worn earlier and the boots, and ran out the door for the stables.

 

***

"That boy has far too much energy," Severus said, shaking his head.

"Oh, I don't know," Father Christmas said with a laugh, "you looked pretty spry yourself tonight. Which reminds me. I have something I would like to tell you."

"And what might that be?" asked Severus as the two of them went into the sitting room and sunk down in chairs by the fire.

"A story. A simple story."

"A story," Severus repeated, confused.

"Yes, of how I started doing all this," he said.

"Er, alright," Severus replied, wondering where this was going. Father Christmas began, and Severus listened intently.

"When I first started this job, Severus, I was twenty-three. I was unmarried. I had no family I could go to, and was working at the Wizarding Post office in Diagon Alley. I had never been good in school, and with nothing else to do I worked all the holiday hours while my coworkers were off with their families. I had done that for three years already when it happened.

"It was December twentieth. I was working the evening shift alone, as we kept the post office open late on holidays so people could get packages sent by owl. That night, when the shop was empty and not far from closing, a man came in for some mail, which he said the post office had been holding for him, and he recognized me. Knew my name and everything. He said, 'Jeremy King, I remember you when you were a boy. How have you been?'

"I told him I was alright, but really didn't know who he was. He said I would once I got him his mail, the ones the Post Office kept that were addressed to Father Christmas. He said they were often brought in by children who were alone, and maybe didn't have the money to send it, so they just sat there. He gave me a special letter of request for them, from some organization called the Order of Christmas. It looked legitimate, and the letters weren't going anywhere, so I grabbed the big old box of Christmas letters we kept, and put them on the counter. He said he just needed to see it.

"And I watched, Severus, as he took his wand and waved it over the box, and a handful of letters drifted out to him. Do you know what he said?"

"No," Severus said, wondering the purpose of the story.

"He said, 'these are the letters from children who have nobody to give them a gift. That's what I do. I find them, and these letters help me to know what to bring boys and girls that have nothing. Because I'm Father Christmas. And so was my father, and his father before me.'"

"But why didn't he just use the book" Severus asked curiously.

"When he came for me all those years ago, less magic was known, and things were simpler then. Back then the book only told the names and locations, because spells had not been thought up for the other things. Some of those children would send letters to him, and some would find their way to his workshop. But not all that were sent, so Father Christmas, as well as elves who were often employed in post office back rooms, sifted through mail, finding the traces of the lonely children's magic in the words of the their mail, and keeping those ones. That was the only way hints of what each child liked or what their home was like could be found. The others got gifts that were less personal. Things have been improved since, but back then he went to every Post Office that he didn't have helpers at. Letters were missed, but it was all that could be done. And that was how he found me."

"What happened then" Severus asked. "Did you go with him that year? Did you believe him?"

"I thought he was crazy," said Father Christmas with a laugh. "And I told him so. I hadn't forgotten the mysterious little gifts that had ended up by my bed all those years before I got into school and made friends. But I, like you, believed someone had secretly given them to me, someone who had a big heart but was not Father Christmas.

"He left soon after, and I believed that was that. Then, while I worked Christmas Eve night by the request of my employer, just in case anyone came in to borrow an owl to send an urgent message, the only customer of the night came in. The reindeer sat outside the window, and he was wearing the suit.

"And he said, 'You can't work the night before Christmas, Jeremy. Let one of my elves keep an eye on the shop, and help me make the world a better place."

"You went, I suppose?" Severus said.

"I did," Father Christmas replied. "And that year, I rode along on the night of my life, and after we were finished, he asked me if I wanted to take over, because he had no sons."

"The rest is history, isn't it?" Severus replied with a grin.

"It is, and I suppose the point of my story, Severus, is that I haven't any sons either."

"Hang on … what?"

"Severus, I may have once been a young twenty-three year old with nobody, but for a long time I have had a wife, two lovely grown up daughters, and now a grandson on the way. The only thing close to a son I have is my daughter's muggle husband, and quite frankly, I would like to spend the rest of my Christmases without the worry of not getting back to all them on time. So of all the people I have known, of all the young men, you are the one I want to continue this. I see it in you, Severus, I really do. I haven't forgotten who you were since the day I healed your arm, and I chose you tonight for a reason."

Severus just stared, wide eyed.

"Will you take over for me?" Father Christmas said.

What was he to say? How could he possibly say yes? Sure, it had been a lot of fun, Severus had to admit, but really, him as Father Christmas? For a second, Severus stared out the window, the light just beginning to creep over the earth, the sun not long from emerging. He remembered Sarah, the little girl, and the way she smiled at him and how that kiss felt on his cheek. He remembered the sound of a sleigh crashing, but also the sound of it lifting off the ground again successfully. He remembered it all, but Severus knew that he could never be that man. Once was all he could do. Maybe he wanted to, somewhere, deep down, but he was not that man.

Sure, his Christmases were bound to be lonely again after this, and he would go back to stalking the dungeons and telling children off for being so loud, pretending he didn't care when he did and spending Christmas Eve after Christmas Eve out on the Astronomy tower and wondering what the point of Christmas was. But that was his fate, because he was Severus Snape, bitter, ex Death Eater, and bearer of more sins than could be counted. No. He was not that man. He could not be a bringer of hope after doing all those things.

"I am not a good enough man, sir," he muttered at last, staring into the heart of the fire again, his heart heavy.

"Then isn't this a good way to start?" Father Christmas said, a twinkle in his eye.

The fire cracked and popped, and Severus stared into the flames, thinking.

The End.


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