… and you better make sure to get your lazy arse home for Christmas. It’s been months since I last saw you. Lots have happened around here. You’ve got a baby brother. He wants to meet you.

// Tobias

 

Severus re-read the last part of his father’s latest letter twice. A brother? When had that happened? As far as Severus knew, Tobias had been single ever since Eileen had left when Severus was fourteen. When had he met a new woman? And when had they had the time to father a child? His correspondence with Tobias was irregular and mostly consisted of a handful of letters exchanged over the years, but surely he would have heard about something like this?

Alas, the writing remained the same no matter how many times Severus re-read the letter. Unless his father was trying to speak in some kind of code, Severus was apparently an older brother. Or half-brother, rather.

“Something the matter, Severus?”

At last Severus looked up from the letter and met the eyes of Dumbledore. All around them were the noise of students chattering away in excitement for the quickly approaching holidays. In just a few days they would be on the train on their way back home to their overly indulgent families and most of them could barely wait.

“No, headmaster,” Severus replied, quickly folding the letter in half and putting it in his pocket.

“By the way, I was hoping that you could lend me a hand, Severus. See, I have been trying to contact the muggle authorities to find out where Harry might be but …”

“No,” Severus interrupted firmly.

“You didn’t even let me finish, Severus.”

“You placed the boy with his relatives,” Severus reminded the older man. “It is your fault that he is missing. You clean up your own mess.”

“Of course, Severus, of course. It is just that contact with the muggle authorities are proving more difficult than I had anticipated. And you know how strict the law is when it comes to using compulsion spells on muggle authority personnel …” 

“Again, Headmaster; not my problem.”

Pretending not to notice the angry glare the headmaster gave him Severus returned his attention to his breakfast. Eventually he would end up assisting the headmaster, of course. Severus knew that much. He just rejoiced in seeing the old man struggle to use the phone properly, not to mention trying to explain his case to the social worker on the other side of the line.

It was troublesome that the Boy Who Lived had gone missing but Severus was not overly worried. Although the Headmaster had not seen fit to inform Severus of the particulars of how the boy had gone missing he had admitted that the muggle authorities were somehow involved.

Regardless of why the boy had gone missing the headmaster still had his spells on the boy, spells that would have warned them had the boy been in any serious dangers. Since they spells had said nothing they could assume the boy was perfectly safe. They just didn’t know where he was. The boy was probably stuffing himself full on Christmas candy at this very moment.

Shivering at the thought of Potter’s spawn high on a sugar rush Severus forced his thoughts to move on. He had a letter to answer.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

“Harry?”

“You can’t come into my room!”

Harry flew up from his desk and to the door, trying to block his adoptive father’s view of the room. The man wrinkled his eyebrows and looked disapprovingly at the ten year old in front of him.

“Why not?” the man asked, suspiciously. “What are you up to?”

“You just … can’t, okay?”

Wiggling a little the boy managed to press himself through the small space of the only partly opened door, pulling the door closed behind him as he did so. It earned him another suspicious look.

“Harry James, if you are up to something, I swear I will …”

“It’s nothing bad!” the boy hurried to explain. “I promise!”

“Then why can’t I come into your room?”

He blushed and suddenly found himself unable to meet the eyes of his supposed father. It had been only a couple of months since Tobias took him in and Harry still sometimes found it hard talk to the man about some things. This was one such thing.

“It’s a secret,” he told the man.

“What kind of secret?”

“A surprise,” he amended.

“You are being awfully vague about this secret surprise of yours, Harry,“ Tobias stated, a note of warning in his voice. “Do I need to remind you that it is not in your best interest to hide things from me? Especially if those things have the potential to get out of hand, like that adder you brought into the house?”

“Yes sir, I know. It’s not an adder, I promise.”

The man sighed, eying the boy as if trying to judge the truthfulness of his words. Harry tried to look as innocent as he possibly could. The effect may have been slightly ruined by him still blocking the door to his room.

“Is what you are hiding something that is alive?” Tobias asked at last, still weary.

“No sir.”

“Is it stolen?”

“No, of course not!”

“Is it something that should be kept outside?”

This time Harry hesitated, biting his lip nervously before he answered.

“Sort of.”

“Sort of?” the man repeated. “Is it meant to be outside or not?”

“It is, eventually.”

Another sigh escaped Tobias. Sometimes that boy could be quite stubborn!

“Is it leaving muddy tracks on the floor?”

“How could it leave muddy tracks on the floor when there’s snow outside?”

“Is it leaving tracks, muddy, wet or otherwise, on the floor?”

“No sir.

“Will it do any harm to my house to have it inside for however long you plan on keeping it in your room?”

“No sir.”

Tobias appeared to be considering Harry’s answers for a moment before he spoke again.

“Alright then. I’ll allow it, for now. But it’s on your head! If I find out this is something bad then your punishment will be twice as bad!”

Wincing a little Harry nodded his understanding.                                                          

“Yes sir, I understand. It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

“How long do you plan on keeping it there anyway? I might need to enter your room eventually, you know.”

“Not that long. I just need to get it wrapped before you can come in.”

“Wrapped? This thing you are trying to hide is a Christmas present?”

Realizing that he had been caught the boy blushed again, nervously looking down at the floor. Now he felt stupid.

“Yes sir.”

“I thought we agreed you didn’t have to get me anything?”

“It’s not for you, sir.”

“Then who is it for?”

“It’s for him.”

There was no need to clarify who “him” was. Ever since Tobias had told Harry about his son Harry had been eagerly looking forward to meet him. He’d even gotten the man a present for Christmas, even though they had never met. There was no saying that he’d like Harry’s gift either. Harry just wanted the man to like him.

“Speaking of that,” Tobias said, “I came to tell you that I got a reply.”

“Really? Is he coming home for Christmas?”

“Just for a couple of days, but yes, he is. Severus will be home the twenty third and staying for about a week.”

“Yes!” Harry exclaimed, making a victorious gesture with his hands. His adoptive brother was coming home for Christmas!

“He’s quite looking forward to meet you, actually,” Tobias added.  

“Really? What did he say?”

“Not much, just that although he has a lot to do he will definitely take a few days off to meet his new brother.”

At hearing this, Harry felt like he could not contain his excitement and a huge grin spread across his face. Tobias smiled and ruffled his adopted son’s hair lovingly.

“Finish wrapping up that mysterious gift of yours and then come set the table. Dinner is ready soon.”

“Yes sir. Thank you.”

Still smiling Harry waited until Tobias had left before he went back into his room, not wanting the man to catch even a glimpse of what he had inside.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

School finished a few days before Christmas, so Harry got to spend those days helping Tobias decorate the house in time for Christmas. On one of those days they ventured out into the cold December weather to get a Christmas tree. Tobias explained to Harry that he liked to choose his own tree from the forest and cut it himself.

They borrowed a car from one of the neighbors and drove out to the forest. Once they got there they had to leave the car behind and wade through the snow, looking for the perfect Christmas tree.

“We only have permission to take one tree so we better make sure it is the best tree there is,” Tobias explained to Harry was they walked.

“What about that one?” Harry said eagerly, pointing.

Tobias walked up to the tree in question and ran his hands up and down the branches, sending the snow cascading down to the ground.

“Not very even, I think,” Tobias stated. “We’ll keep looking.”

“Ok. What about that one, over there?”

“That one is too big for our house,” Tobias stated, barely glancing at the tree in question.

“That one then?”

And so their search continued. The walked for what almost felt like hours for Harry and he was just about to give up when Tobias finally came to a halt before a medium sized tree.

“What do you think about this one, Harry?” he asked, once again running his hands up and down the tree to rid it of the snow.

It was big, but not too big to fit into their house. It was thick too, with plenty of branches perfect for hanging decorations on.

“I think it’s perfect,” Harry said.

“Perfect! We agree then. Now, time to cut it down.”

Harry stepped aside as Tobias wielded the axe he had brought, quickly cutting through the trunk of the tree.

Once they got the tree home Tobias retrieved several boxes of old Christmas decorations from the storage. They were dusty and Harry figured they probably hadn’t been used in quite a while.

“Now, let’s see what we’ve got here …” Tobias muttered, rummaging around in one of the boxes.

Harry stepped up to another one of the boxes and started looking through its content. There were glitter, long garlands of glitter in gold and silver and red. Underneath the glitter there were baubles in practically every color Harry knew.

“Ah, here it is!” Tobias exclaimed, holding up a Christmas tree stand. “Now, to get this thing onto the tree … Give me a hand Harry, will you?”

With Tobias holding the Christmas tree and Harry crawling underneath it, trying to attach the tree stand and get it to hold the tree straight, they eventually managed to get the Christmas tree standing properly.

“Time for the lights,” Tobias decided. “Help me find them, will you?”

Together they dug through the boxes then, once the lights were found, started to untangle them. Harry quickly grew bored of the task of untangling the Christmas lights and instead returned to the boxes, admiring the baubles, the glitter and all of the old Christmas figurines he found there. He politely pretended he didn’t hear Tobias muttered cursing.

They decorated the tree, complete with a star at the top, before moving on to the rest of the house. Evergreen were placed on the fireplace and around the doorways, a mistletoe hung up, the old Christmas figurines placed out randomly throughout the house, until Harry thought they had transformed the house entirely.

“It looks magical!” he commented, once all of the boxes were empty.

“Maybe so,” Tobias commented with a laugh. “We’ll see what Severus says.”

Reminded of his mysterious adoptive brother, who was apparently a wizard, Harry got nervous butterflies in his stomach. Yet, looking around the decorated house, he could not help but feel warm and excited inside as well. Christmas was going to be great this year, he decided. 

The twenty third of December finally arrived and found Harry anxiously awaiting the arrival of his step-brother. He did not know much about the man, other than what Tobias had told him, but he wanted the man to like him. It would be nice to have a brother to talk to once in a while. Maybe his brother could even give him a few tips on how to get out of trouble. Or in trouble, for that matter. Harry wouldn’t mind either way.

Before his brother would arrive though, Harry had an errand to run.

“I promised Mr. Barwick that I would come over and give him some of your mince pies,” he told Tobias soon after breakfast. “Is that alright?”

Larry Barwick was an old carpenter that lived a few houses down from their house. He was an old friend of Tobias and had taken a liking to Harry. 

“Of course, of course. Take some extra for him even! I always make too much of those mince pies anyway.”

“But aren’t those his favorites as well?”

“Of course they are, why else would he keep nagging me for them every year?”

Harry smiled a little. His adopted father sounded harsh sometimes, like now, but beneath the brusque tone there was also great fondness.

“I meant; aren’t mince pies Severus’ favorites as well?”

“You bet they are. That boy could eat himself silly on them if I’d just let him.”

“Then perhaps it’s good that you made too many?”

“Severus is silly enough as it is! You go on and take these to Larry and hurry on. Severus will be here soon!”

“Yes sir.”

Eagerly Harry grabbed the bag with the mince pies and headed out of the house. It was snowing, thought just barely, and the ground was cowered in a thick layer of snow. Harry ran down the street, enjoying the fresh air. There was something warm and fuzzy inside him, he thought, allowing a big smile to bloom on his face.

“Merry Christmas Mr. Barwick!” Harry called as he opened the door for himself, having knocked first of course.

“Harry, my boy! So good to see you! You’ve got my pies, I assume?”

“I’ve got them. He even gave you a few extra.”

“God bless him. He’s a nice man when he wants to be, your father, you know that?”

Though Mr. Barwick was old with his back bent and hands so stiff he could barely manage on his own, his mind still seemed clear as a day. Harry smiled at the man as he handed over the mince pies, teasingly snatching them away at first.

“How’d things go with our secret, by the way?” Mr. Barwick wondered, looking curious. 

“Good. I managed to get it inside without being seen but then I was almost caught before I had gotten a chance to wrap it.”

“Ah, good, good. Your brother will love it, I’m sure.”

“I hope so,” Harry agreed.

“Of course he will! You’ve made it yourself, haven’t you?”

“You showed me how to.”

“Yes, but you did all the work. My old hands aren’t what they used to be any longer.”

“I just hope he’ll like me,” Harry admitted.

He really, really did hope that this new brother of his would come to like him. Even if they were not the same age they could still talk and Harry did not have many people that he could call friends.

“He’ll like you well enough,” Mr. Barwick assured him. “What isn’t there to like?”

“I guess you’re right,” Harry said, still not convinced.

“Of course I’m right!”

“I better get going. Tobias says he’ll be arriving soon.” 

“Then off you go. And Harry? Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas Mr. Barwick!”

Back out on the street Harry stopped for a while to just enjoy the sight of the snow falling. Spinners End was usually a rather depressing area but once snow fell some of that disappeared. At least that was what Harry thought.

“Is he here yet?” he shouted as soon as he had the door open again.

“Close the door boy,” Tobias admonished him from further inside the house.

Harry closed the door and kicked his shoes off, not bothering to put them in their proper places.

“Is he here yet?” he repeated.

“He is,” and unfamiliar voce replied.

Suddenly that warm and fuzzy feeling within Harry turned into nervous butterflies. He went back and put his shoes properly in place before he went into the living room where he could hear that his father and brother had been.

Once he rounded the corner his eyes fell immediately on the dark man sitting on the sofa. Tobias and him looked quite alike, only that this man was thinner. He had dark hair that reached to his shoulders and looked like it might need a wash. Tobias wore his hair short, like Harry did. The man also wore a dark robe buttoned all the way up to his throat, which made him look somewhat menacing. Harry swallowed nervously.

“Here he is,” Tobias said, breaking the silence. “Severus, meet Harry. Harry, this is Severus. Play nicely, won’t you?”

He smiled as he spoke but Harry barely noticed. His attention was all on Severus. The man had very dark, very intensive eyes. Despite his best efforts Harry could not help squirming a bit under the man’s gaze, wondering why the man was looking at him like that.

“Hello,” he said nervously.

To his disappointment Severus did not reply. Helplessly he glanced at Tobias who seemed oblivious to anything being wrong.

“I’m Harry,” he added.

Realizing how stupid he must sound to introduce himself when Tobias had already done so Harry blushed and looked down at the floor. Right, he had to embarrass himself in front of his brother the first thing he did.

Then suddenly Severus was standing up and coming over to Harry. Harry suppressed a sudden urge to back away but could not stop the flinch as the elder man reached out a hand and grabbed his hair, turning his head to the side. The scar, Harry realized. The man was looking at his scar.

“Harry Potter,” the man said, something strange in his voice. “How extraordinary unexpected to find you here, of all places.”

A part of Harry wanted to go away and hide until Christmas was over upon hearing the tone in the man’s silken voice. Severus did not like him. The dark eyes had him focused as if he was some nasty bug and he was not quite sure what to do with it.

“Here I am,” was all Harry could think of saying.

“Have you two met before?” Tobias asked, surprised.

“We have not,” Severus replied, letting go of Harry’s hair and turning away.

Harry stumbled backwards, feeling hurt at the brusque handling and the disapproving look his brother had given him.

“Then how do you know him?”

“A better question would be; how did he get here? He should be with his aunt and uncle.”

The part that had wanted to hide twisted and turned into a hard knot it his stomach. Harry took a step backwards. This was not going the way he had thought it would. Not at all.

“For someone who has never met him you seem to know a lot about him. Mind explaining yourself, Severus?” Tobias said calmly.

“Why isn’t he at his aunt and uncle’s house? That’s where he belongs.”

No, definitely not going the way Harry had thought it would. This was quickly turning into a nightmare.

“I’m not going back there!” he proclaimed, hands turning into fists as he glared at Severus. “I’m not going back and you can’t make me!”

“We’ll see about …” Severus began but was interrupted by Tobias, who was suddenly looking very intimidating.

“You are not going back there,” Tobias assured him. “Not as long as I have any say in it. And you, Severus, can start explaining yourself!”

For a moment it looked as if Severus was going to object but a glance at Tobias seemed to set him straight. Tobias had that look, that look that he always got when Harry was in Very Big Trouble, and it seemed that even Severus knew not to argue with him then.

“He’s well known in our world,” he explained. “Everyone knows who he is.”

“How come?” Tobias asked, gesturing for Harry to sit down.

Silently Harry took the footstool and pulled it up right next to the armchair Tobias occupied, placing Tobias between himself and Severus. He was not scared, he told himself. It was just that he was not going back and his chances were a lot better if he let Tobias do the fighting. Tobias tended to get what Tobias wanted anyway.

“Because he defeated a dark wizard. His parents died but he survived with only that scar.”

Now, Harry had learned about magic and wizards since he came to live with Tobias. He knew that the strange things that happened around him sometimes were because of his magic. However he found it hard to believe that what this man was telling him was true. Him, defeating a dark wizard? No way.

“That’s not true,” he said. “Aunt said my mom and dad died in a car crash.”

“Then she lied,” the man said pointedly, before turning back to Tobias. “Fact remains that the whole magical world knows who he is.”

Severus and Harry exchanged cool looks before Severus focused on Tobias again.

“After the attack he was placed with his aunt and uncle. For his own protection. Now I’d like to know why he’s not there.”

Tobias placed a hand on Harry’s knee. To Harry the message in that gesture was clear. There was no way that Tobias would let him go back to the Dursleys. Ever.

“They mistreated him,” Tobias told Severus. “Social services intervened and he was placed in foster care.  Eventually he ended up with me and he’s been living with me since the summer.”

Naturally there were thousands of details left out. Tobias was nice that way, sometimes. Some people would have made a big scene out of it but he respected that Harry did not want people to know. Severus didn’t need to know how Harry had been shipped around from family to family, never really being wanted, until he had finally gotten enough and run away. Neither did he need to know that Harry had run into Tobias after only a few weeks but that it had taken months for the boy to come to trust him. So Tobias only told the much shortened version.

“They mistreated him?” Severus repeated, doubt coloring is voice.

“They did.”

“Was it badly?”

“Badly enough that social services felt they had to intervene.”

A silence followed. Harry had the feeling of a silent power struggle going on between the two adults. He didn’t like it when adults argued, especially not over him. But Tobias was nice and he seemed to understand Harry, so Harry trusted him.

Finally Severus sighed and looked away. It seemed he had admitted defeat. For now, at least.

“Fine. I’ll have to mention this to Dumbledore though.”

“Do whatever you must, Severus,” Tobias said. “But Harry is staying here.”

It wasn’t a question, the last part, it was a statement. Severus nodded all the same.

“Good! Then might I suggest that you get settled in? You’ll have to share room with Harry but I put in an extra bed there, so there shouldn’t really be a problem.”

Damn, Harry swore to himself. He had forgotten for a moment that he had agreed to share a room with his unknown brother. Now he wasn’t so sure he wanted to any more. When he agreed to it he had imagined lying awake all night whispering to his brother. Severus was definitely not the kind of confidant Harry had hoped for.

“What happened to my room?” Severus asked.

“Harry moved into it, so now it’s his room. Why don’t you show him there, Harry? Get to know each other!”

His father wanted him to socialize with the man that wanted to send him back to the Dursleys? Harry stared at him, horrified. Tobias seemed completely unaffected and calmly stood up.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some Christmas food to prepare.”

With Tobias disappearing off into the kitchen Harry found himself alone with his would be brother. The knot in his stomach had loosened somewhat but he still felt like running. Even so he forced himself to act somewhat calm. He would not show fear.

“It’s this way,” he said, gesturing towards the stairs.

“I know which way it is. I grew up here,” the man said, his voice cold.  

Without a second look to Harry Severus headed for the stairs. If the man had any luggage Harry did not see it. He hurried after, both fearful and curious.

In the doorway to what would be their room over the holidays Severus stopped to survey the changes that had been made. There were now two beds crammed into the narrow space, one closest to the window and one pressed up against the wall with the desk. It would be impossible to sit by the desk, since one of the beds made it impossible to pull out the desk chair, but there was just enough room to open the wardrobe.

Casually the man pulled out a small item from his pocket and tapped it with a stick he pulled out from another pocket. His wand, Harry realized, as the small item grew and grew until it was clearly a suitcase. Harry stared at it, suddenly excited again. He had not seen much magic before in his life, though Tobias had told him that Severus was a wizard.

“That was so cool!” he said.

Severus merely placed the suitcase on the desk and began to unpack his things, not bothering to reply or even glance in Harry’s direction.

“I left the top drawer empty for you,” Harry pointed out.

“Hmp.”

Severus just continued to unpack and Harry shifted nervously on his feet where he stood in the doorway. No, things were still not going the way he had planned. Maybe it had been a bit childish to hope that a grown man would like to be his friend but was it too much to ask that the man at least talk to him?

Apparently it was.

“Could you show me some magic later?” he asked after a few minutes.

“No.”

“Why not? Tobias says I’m a wizard too, though I haven’t been to school yet so I can’t really do anything.”

“I’m not here to be your personal entertainment, Mr. Potter. I am here to see my father over the holidays.”

The tone was cold and Harry felt the man might as well have slapped him. Severus definitely did not like him.

“He adopted me, you know,” he said, trying to hide the hurt behind anger. “So it’s Potter-Snape, not Potter.”

His words were not acknowledged in any way and Harry fled the room, feeling tears burn in his eyes. He’d really hoped that Tobias’ son would like him. What did the man have against him anyway? Harry hadn’t done him anything, as far as he knew. Unless Severus was mad that Harry had moved into his old room and all that. But somehow Harry got the feeling that was not it.  

As he had recently learned to do when he was upset over something Harry sought out Tobias. He found the man in the kitchen, stirring several pots at once.

“Everything alright there?” Tobias asked.

Harry shook his head.

“No,” he admitted. “He doesn’t like me.”

Tobias sighed and turned the heat down a bit before he joined his son at the kitchen table.

“He’s in a mood,” he tried to explain. “When he’s like that he doesn’t like anyone, but he’ll snap out of it eventually.”

Though Harry was not convinced he tried to smile.

“You sure?” he asked.

“I’m sure. He gets that from his mother. One day she’d be all nice and friendly, the next one she’d be cursing at me like a she-wolf! But eventually they come out if it and apologize.”

Still, Harry was not completely convinced that Severus would start to like him eventually but he tried to smile and cheer himself up a bit.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

“Actually, I do. I was planning on making cookies but as you can see I’m standing in work up to my shoulders …

Putting aside his hurt feelings Harry happily dug into his task with gusto, determined to make the best Christmas cookies ever. The baking managed to relax him and he was happy just spending time in the kitchen with his adoptive father, helping the man out. Not even Severus joining them after a while could ruin his mood. 

Later that day, once they had eaten lunch, Tobias decided that they should go for a walk through town. Harry and Severus donned their coats without voicing any complaints, still uncomfortable in each other’s presence. 

Sensing that the adults wanted to talk without him there, Harry ran ahead to play in the snow.

“So,” Tobias began, “why the mood?”

“What mood?”

“That mood, right there. You are sour and look like you want to hit something. And with “something” I mean Harry.”

Though Tobias tone was light there was also something serious beneath it. Severus did not reply and they walked in silence for a few minutes.

“Are you going to tell me what this is all about?” Tobias finally asked.

“It’s nothing.”

“Don’t try to hide things from me, Severus. I know you.”

Their relationship had always been tense. Tobias was a simple but honest man, who worked long hours in the mill and came home tired in the evenings. Eileen had been the complete opposite, a woman of magic and academics who had gone through a phase in which she was drawn to muggles. Severus was like her in many ways and had always preferred a book to playing with his father, the few times Tobias had had the energy to do so.

Of course, when Eileen left when Severus was fourteen the relationship between father and son had gone downhill too. The marriage had been failing for years which combined with the loss of his job had driven Tobias to drinking. Full of rebellious hatred Severus had steered onto a dangerous path, one he had not managed to get out of until many years later.

Now Tobias was sober, had been for many years, and their relationship had improved. It still consisted mostly of a few letters a year though. They rarely met in person. Which was why Severus found it so hard to confide in his father. Truth remained though that Tobias knew how to read his sons moods.

“When I got your letter,” Tobias continued, “I got the impression that you were looking forward to seeing the boy. What changed?”

“It’s not … what I had expected,” Severus admitted.

“Harry isn’t? How would you know? You’ve barely spoken to him at all.”

For a few minutes Severus did not reply. Tobias waited patiently and was finally rewarded when Severus spoke again.

“You remember Lily?” he wondered.

“Evans? You two used to play all the time when you were little.”

“That’s the one,”

“You were quite fond of her, weren’t you?”

“I was. We had a falling out and eventually she married someone I could not stand.”

“A rival?”

“Something like that.”

Now they were nearing the park where Lily and Severus had used to play as children. Harry had reached the climbing frame and was quickly climbing it as the adults watched.

“What does that have with Harry to do?” Tobias asked.

“Lily’s dead,” Severus told him. “Her husband too.”

“Yeah, I remember you telling me that.”

“Did I mention that their son survived? Or that he looks just like his father?”

Harry swung down from the top of the climbing frame, landing safely in the soft snow.  

“You mean Harry is Lily’s boy?”

“And Potter’s.”

“Huh. What do you know? I wouldn’t have guessed.”

Their walk continued. They met a few people, chatted politely and then moved on. Harry stayed nearby, close enough for them to be able to keep an eye on him but also far away to give them some privacy.

“He’s not them though,” Tobias commented. “He’s Harry. Just himself.”

“And with that you mean that I should get to know him first?”

“I do. He’s a nice kid once you get to know him.”

Severus made a face, clearly not believing his father’s words.

“I’ll try to give him a chance,” he finally promised.

“Do that. He’s been looking forward to see you quite a lot actually, and I imagine he’s a bit disappointed that you two haven’t hit it off yet.”

Considering that they walked in silence for another while, turning back towards Spinners End by following another road and then turning into a side street. Then suddenly they realized that Harry seemed to have disappeared.

“Harry?” Tobias called.

No answer came.

“Harry?”

This time Tobias’ voice was a bit louder. Both Tobias and Severus looked around worriedly. Had something happened to the boy?

Tobias had just enough time to dodge the snowball coming flying his way. Severus was not so lucky and it hit him square in the face. For a moment he stood frozen in place, shocked and frankly unsure of how to react.

Meanwhile Tobias had taken cover behind a trashcan and formed a couple of his own snowballs, which he threw in the general direction the attack had come from. Harry ducked behind the corner, narrowly avoiding the snowballs, before he leaned out for long enough to throw another snowball at his father.

Wiping the snow away from his face Severus fought a brief battle between anger and something akin to a laugh. His father was laughing, playing in the snow like a little child. He could not remember the last time he had seen his father like that. When Severus was younger his father had more often than not been more of a stern disciplinarian than someone to play with. Instead it was his mother, Eileen, who had chosen to occasionally spend time with her son, awakening his interest in the subject of potions making.

The anger lost and Severus felt a smile tug at his lips. This wasn’t Hogwarts, he thought. He wasn’t supposed to be an authority figure here. Potter and his father wanted a snowball fight? They could have their snowball fight. Severus was quite sure he still remembered a few tricks from his childhood.

So the battle began for real. Severus took cover behind a low wall, hugging a few snowballs before sending the snowy missiles at Potter. Potter squealed and had to hurriedly find himself a new cover. Tobias then turned his attacks on Severus, Severus returned the fire and then suddenly Potter was attacking him as well.

Two on one, huh? With a wave of his wand he sent a couple of the snowballs to attack Potter from behind. The boy’s excited squeals as he tried to fight off the attackers once again brought a smile to Severus’ face.

More than an hour later Tobias finally admitted defeat. Severus and Harry stood panting above him, snowballs in their hands. They glanced at each other, uncertain whether they should continue the fight just the two of them, but they were both cold and tired.

“Well fought,” Severus said, dropping his ammunition.

“Thanks,” Harry replied with a blush.

Together they helped their father back on his feet and they walked the few blocks back home.

Once home they all went to change into dry clothes. Since Harry and Severus were sharing a bedroom Severus decided to use the bathroom instead, giving both himself and the boy some privacy. When he was done he went to check on how Harry was doing.

“Hello? How is it going?” he asked, knocking the door.

“I’m done! I’m done!”

As Severus pushed the door open he found Potter finishing drying his hair, carelessly throwing the towel to the side in favor of a shirt.

“I’m done,” Potter repeated, turning towards him as he pulled the shirt on.

But Severus, quick as ever at noticing details, had seen something he had not expected.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“What’s what?”

“On your back ..?” said Severus, gesturing vaguely.

“Oh … that. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Yeah. It’s old stuff anyway.”

Potter bent to pick up the towel, folding it neatly before he hung it over the door of the wardrobe to dry. He very carefully did not meet Severus eyes.

“Would you like to tell me?” Severus asked, feeling awkward.  

With a shrug Potter began to gather his wet clothes.

“There’s not much to tell,” he stated. “Some people just don’t like me. I’m with Tobias now, so it doesn’t matter.”

Suddenly Severus found he understood why the boy had reacted so violently to the mentioning of his relatives. They had mistreated him, his father had explained. Severus had not understood the implications of that.

“I see. What would you like to do for the remainder of the afternoon? We’ve still got some time before dinner …”

The boy looked uncertain, glancing around the room a little and then looking at Severus almost as if he expected him to take his words back.

“D’you want to play cards?” the boy finally asked.

“Cards it is,” Severus agreed. “Do you have a deck?”

Rummaging around in one of the drawers of the desk the boy soon produced a worn deck of cards Severus thought he recognized from his own childhood. Severus took them, mixed them and dealt them out. Then the game began.

Eventually Tobias came and told them that dinner was ready. They put the cards aside and sat down by the table to eat. The conversation was slow at first but soon moved onto magic and Hogwarts. Harry was full of questions and Severus found himself answering most of them.

“The school’s in a castle?! That’s so cool!”

“Indeed.”

“Is it guarded by dragons?”

“Of course not. Having dragons guard the school would be an inconvenience and have serious implications on the activities on the school. Not to mention that there would be no way of ensuring that the dragons would not actually hurt the students or the staff.”

“Are there unicorns?”

“In the Forbidden forest, yes.”

“Forbidden forest? What’s that? Why’s it forbidden? Is it because the dragons live there?”

“The Forbidden forest is a forest on the school grounds that is forbidden because it is considered dangerous for students to go there on their own. And I told you there were no dragons at the school.”

“Why’s it dangerous then if there’s no dragons there? Where do dragons live if they don’t live at Hogwarts? Do people ever go to the forest just to see why it’s forbidden?”

“Calm down with the questions! The Forbidden forest is dangerous because there are other magical creatures living there. Centaurs, for example. And werewolves. Dragons mostly live in reserves these days, but they are not tame creatures, which is why they never live close to humans.”

“There’s werewolves? And are centaurs dangerous?”

“Yes, there are werewolves. And yes, centaurs can be dangerous if angered.”

“Cool. Are there any more creatures living there? Do the werewolves hunt the others? Like the unicorns and all that?”

The flow of questions never seemed to end but Severus forced himself to remain patient, answering most of the question to the best of his ability.

After dinner Severus performed a spell and sent the dishes to wash themselves, much to Harry’s admiration. All three of them then moved on to the living room, seating themselves in front of the TV.

Not much later Harry had fallen asleep right there on the sofa, head on the armrest and feet propped up quite ungracefully against Severus. The adults let him sleep and when it was time for them to turn in Tobias carried Harry to bed. 

“I need to talk to Dumbledore today,” Severus said at breakfast.

It was December the twenty fourth, Christmas Eve, and they were all gathered around the small table in the kitchen of Spinners End. Both Harry and Tobias looked up at his words, though Harry quickly returned his attention to his oatmeal.

“You do that,” Tobias replied. “And take Harry with you.”  

Harry’s attention snapped right back up, oatmeal suddenly forgotten.

Severus’ eyebrows met and he gave his father a disapproving look.

“I am not bringing him.”

“Yes you are. I have Christmas gifts to wrap and I don’t trust either of you to be around when that happens.”

“No, I am not. It’s a meeting with the headmaster. I can’t bring him along.”

“Of course you can. Leave him outside if you can’t let him attend the actual meeting. You’d be alright with that, right Harry?”

“Yes sir,” Harry replied, nodding eagerly. Think, to get a chance to see Hogwarts! On Christmas, none the less!

Severus sighed.

“If I go on my own I can apparate and I’ll be back in less than an hour. If I bring him I won’t be able to apparate and will have to take the train, meaning that it will take the whole day.”

“Wonderful! I’ll have plenty of time to wrap those gifts then.”

“What does “apparate” mean?” Harry asked curiously.

His question was ignored.

“I am not taking the train,” Severus argued. “The meeting itself will take half an hour, an hour at the most. It would be idiotic to spend hours on the train just for that. Besides, it will be the middle of the night before we get back. Assuming of course that there is a train to take!”

“Then why not do that apparate-thing you mentioned?”

“Because that is for adults! Children will get sick from it!”

“Can’t you do that thing your mother always did with you whenever you were going somewhere?”

“What “thing”?”

“With the fire-place. “Floo” or whatever you call it.”

“I doubt our fireplace is still connected to the floo-network.”

“Have you checked?”

“No. I assumed mother un-connected it when she left.”

“You and I both know your mother is not the responsible type. I doubt she did anything of the like.”

“Even if she didn’t then I still don’t have any floo-powder, which is needed to be able to floo anywhere.”

“That ash-like thing? I think I’ve got some of that stored away somewhere. Your mother left it behind.”

Tobias stood and headed for the living room. He returned a few minutes later, holding up a small bag in one of his hands.

“Here. This is what you need, right?”

“Yes,” Severus reluctantly admitted after inspecting the powder.

“Then it’s decided! You will floo to Hogwarts and you’ll take Harry with you!”

Severus groaned in defeat. Harry smiled broadly, looking at Tobias with admiration.

“Finish your breakfast and go get dressed Harry,” Tobias ordered.

“Yes sir!”

In almost no time at all the oatmeal was gone and Harry had disappeared up the stairs in a run.

“You got any Christmas gifts Severus?” Tobias asked suddenly.

“No,” Severus replied, taken off guard.

“Then I suggest you take today to get some.”

“Why?”

“Because Harry will be hurt if you don’t get him anything.”

“He’ll survive. You got him gifts, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did.”

“So then there’s no need for me to get him anything else.”

“He’s got something for you Severus. I sincerely believe he’ll be hurt if he doesn’t get anything in return.”

“He got something for me?” Severus asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. That, he had not expected.

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I have no idea. He wouldn’t show me. Which is all the more reason I think this is important to him.”

Severus found no objections to that. Before he could formulate a reply Harry was stomping down the stairs.

“I’m dressed!” he announced. “Can we go now?”

A long look was exchanged between Severus and Tobias, Severus’ clearly saying that he opposed this whole adventure that Tobias had forced him into and Tobias’ just as clearly saying that Severus had no choice on the matter.

With a sigh Severus got up, grabbing the little bag of floo-powder.

“Get your coat,” he ordered.

Hastily, Harry obeyed. Severus got his own coat and then they both stood in front of the fireplace in the living room.

“I expect you both to be out at least until lunchtime,” Tobias called from the kitchen.

“What are we doing?” Harry asked.

“We’re going to floo to Hogwarts, where I will talk with the headmaster while you wait outside.”

“What’s “floo”? Sounds like something bad. Like flu.”

“Floo is a magical way of traveling. One travels through the fireplace using this powder.”

“How?”

“You get into the fireplace, state your destination and then throw the floo-powder on the ground.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. You have to speak clearly though, or you might end up in the wrong place.”

Harry gulped nervously but tried not to let on how scary that sounded.

“Once you get going you will be spinning around in the fireplace. You might catch glimpses of other people’s homes or offices. I suggest you keep your arms close to your body and your mouth closed, or you might get sooth in there.”

Harry nodded, listening carefully.

“You go first,” Severus then ordered.

“Me, first?”

“Yes. Get in the fireplace.”

Awkwardly Harry did as he had been told.

“Take some floo-powder,” Severus then ordered, holding out the bag to Harry. “Now, clearly say “Hogwarts”. The floo will deposit you in the headmaster’s office. I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Ok,” Harry nodded.

He took a deep breath, bracing himself against the nervousness.

“Hogwarts!” he said, hearing his voice come out slightly shaky but still clear.

He threw the powder down and then the world around him was spinning.

Like Severus had told him he might Harry did indeed catch glimpses of other homes but never enough to actually catch any real details. The spinning sensation caused him to feel slightly ill and without thinking he opened his mouth to take a deep breath.

Sooth invaded his mouth, abruptly closing off his airways.

The spinning came to an end and Harry stumbled out of a new fireplace, coughing and trying to regain his breath. He stumbled upon his feet and quickly found himself sprawled across the floor.

“Oh dear, what do we have here?” an unfamiliar voice spoke.

Then Severus stepped out of the fireplace. Unlike Harry he did so gracefully and he was not coughing either.

“Headmaster,” he greeted, before looking at Harry.

“I told you to keep your mouth shut, did I not?” he berated, pulling Harry back up on his feet.

“Yeah,” Harry admitted. “I forgot.”

“Clearly.”

Suppressing a wince at the tone in his brother’s vice Harry looked around the room. It was large and had small tables spread throughout it, all of them with little objects that were spinning, or puffing, or vibrating or even just laying still. There was a desk to, a big ornate one, and behind the desk was … Harry couldn’t help but stare.

Santa Claus? he thought to himself. The man was dressed in a long, red, gold and green robe and had a matching pointy hat. He also had a long, white beard.

“Severus?” that unfamiliar voice spoke again., coming from the Santa-like man. “I wasn’t expecting you back quite so soon. Who is your friend?”

“He’s the reason I need to talk to you. He’ll wait outside.”

Without further ado Severus led Harry to a door in the wall, opened the door and pushed Harry into the other room, quickly closing the door behind him. Harry couldn’t help but feel a little insulted at the brusque handling.

He pressed his ear to the door, determined to listen in on the conversation. However he heard absolutely nothing, no matter how carefully he listened. With a frown he pulled away, realizing that maybe there was some magic stopping him from listening in on them.

Instead he turned his attention to the room he was now in. It was large, larger than the office had been, and round with a large, square table in the middle. Around the table there were at least thirty chairs. It must be some sort of conference room, he decided.

Tall windows provided the only light in the room as the sun shone through them. Eager to get a look of where he was Harry ran up to the closest window.

It was breath-taking. Like something from a painting. Except this seemed to be real. In the distance he could see mountain tops. There were a forest too, stretching out over the mountains and reaching closer to where he was until it finally gave way to what could only be the school grounds of Hogwarts.

There was a cabin close to the forest. He could see children playing, having snowball fights or building snowmen. Parts of the castle was also visible to him. What he thought looked kind of like gigantic green houses, lower standing parts of the castle, little courtyards, even a frozen fountain.

And over it all was a thick layer of white snow, glistening in the sun.

“Wow,” Harry whispered to himself.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” someone answered him.

Taken aback Harry spun around. He had thought he was alone. But when he looked it was no one there. Confused Harry looked around the room. Who had spoken? He was sure he had heard someone talk, just a moment ago.

“Haven’t seen a magical painting before, have you? Well, it was me who spoke just now. Me, over here!”

Harry’s eyes fell upon a painting of a thin man dressed in blue and purple robes. The man was waving to him to catch his attention but stopped once he had it.

“Hello there,” the man in the painting said.

“You can talk?” Harry exclaimed.

“Of course I can! Life would be terribly dull otherwise, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess …” Harry agreed. “But, you’re a painting!”

“A painting I am, that is correct. So I guess saying that “life” would be terribly dull is a bit of an exaggeration. Existence, maybe?”

Harry stared, unable to quite follow the man’s reasoning. He was too occupied with the realization that he was talking to a painting. A moving, talking painting!

The man in the painting sighed, apparently realizing that Harry was not finding his joke very funny.

“My name is Algernon Barnaby,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Harry,” Harry replied automatically.

“And do you have a surname, Harry?”

“Oh, sorry! It’s Potter. Or Potter-Snape, actually.”

“Harry Potter-Snape, you say? That is quite the sounding name, you know. You wouldn’t happen to be the Harry Potter, would you?”

Harry shrugged, not sure what the man meant.

“Come closer for me, will you?” the man asked him.

Harry obeyed, stepping right up to the painting. The man looked him over, scrutinizing him before his eyes locked on Harry’s forehead.

“The Harry Potter indeed,” he mumbled. “And you are wearing the name of Hogwarts potions professor as well. Interesting.”

“Whose name?” Harry asked, confused.

“Hogwarts current potions professor. Severus Snape. Would you mind telling me how that came to happen?”

“He’s my brother,” Harry explained. “Or rather, my adoptive brother. Sort of.”

“Adoptive brother, you say?”

“Mhm,” Harry agreed, nodding proudly. “Tobias adopted me.”

“How good for you,” the man in the painting said.

“He’s the best dad I’ve ever had!” Harry added.

“Good, good. A lad needs a good dad. And a good brother is good too.”

Harry made a face at that, thinking of Severus’ rough handling of him earlier. He had thought that they had come a bit closer yesterday, with the snowball fight and all that, but it appeared the man was back to disliking him today.

“Or maybe not so good of a brother, huh?” the man observed.

Suddenly feeling shy and insecure Harry neither nodded nor shook his head, just looking down at the floor.

“Mind telling me about that?” the man asked.

For a moment Harry remained quiet.

“He doesn’t like me,” he admitted at last, his voice low.

“He doesn’t?”

“No. He barely talks to me at all and he didn’t even want to bring me here today. And then he just showed me in here and locked me out.”

“Well … I’m sure he had important matters to discuss with the headmaster.”

“Yeah, he said so. But he didn’t have to be so rough about showing me in here. He could at least have introduced me to Santa!”

“Santa?” the painting asked, looking confused.

Harry blushed a little and looked down at the floor again. He was too old to believe in fairy tales like Santa Claus, but the man did look like Santa!

“The headmaster,” he explained, embarrassed. “He looks like Santa.”

To Harry’s surprise the man chuckled at that.

“Indeed he does, our headmaster,” he agreed. “And I believe he would like being compared to someone like Father Christmas himself.”

“But he’s not Santa?” Harry said, wanting to clarify the fact.  

“No, he’s not. His name is Albus Dumbledore and he is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

Yes, Harry had known that. And he didn’t believe in Santa anyway. The Dursleys had always been very clear about it being them that bought all of the Christmas presents, not some red-dressed man who flew a sled drawn by reindeers around the earth every year. Not that Harry had ever gotten any of those expensive gifts, but still.

“No need to look so disappointed, my boy,” Barnaby said. “Albus Dumbledore may not be Father Christmas but one never knows what magic is out there. There might be a Father Christmas.”

“I wasn’t disappointed!” Harry defended himself. “And I don’t believe in Father Christmas. I’m ten you know, too old for fairytales!”

“One is never too old for fairytales,” Barnaby cautioned. “As for not believing in Father Christmas … Well, that is your choice. Some people don’t believe in magic, yet here we are.”

Surprised by the words Harry took a moment to consider them. He was not used to adults telling him the impossible was real. Tobias had been the first, when he had told Harry that he was a wizard. He hadn’t believed it at first. Now, however, there were no doubts in his mind that magic was real. Did that mean that maybe … just maybe … Father Christmas was for real? The question was too complex for him to answer but Barnaby’s reasoning gave him enough reason to at least consider it.

“You think so?” he asked, looking up at the painting.

“I do. I believe that magic is so complex that there will always be things we cannot explain and cannot understand, so why not Father Christmas? However, the important thing is not whether I believe it or not, but whether you do.”

Before Harry could figure out a good answer to that a soft pop could be heard from behind him. Harry turned around to see what had made the sound and came face to face with the strangest little creature he had ever seen. It was short but had big ears and eyes.

“I am Tilly sir, a house-elf here at Hogwarts. Can Tilly do something for you sir?”

Speechless, Harry could only stare. Not only was it a really strange looking creature but it could talk as well!

“Sir?” the creature asked. “Can Tilly be doing something for sir? Maybe getting sir something to eat?”

“Oh, I … I’m fine,” Harry stammered at last. “I just had breakfast.”

“Then maybe sir would like something else? Some hot chocolate maybe? Some biscuits?”

Harry loved sweets. Chocolate was a favorite of his and was it not for Tobias Harry could have eaten it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So the offer was tempting.

“Yes please,” he replied. “If it’s not too much trouble?”

“No trouble at all sir! Tilly loves to serve!”

Another pop and Tilly was gone. Harry stared at the empty place where she had been seconds before.

“That was a house-elf,” Barnaby explained patiently to Harry. “They work in the kitchens, do laundry, clean … basically anything you ask them to.”

“That doesn’t sound very fun,” Harry commented, feeling a bit bad for the creature.

“They love to serve. She said so herself, didn’t she? Besides, Hogwarts is really one of the best places for a house-elf.”

Harry was not quite convinced. She had sounded eager to serve though and hadn’t looked like she despised having to ask him if he wanted anything.

“Tilly’s back with hot chocolate and biscuits sir,” Tilly said, having popped into the room once again.

She placed a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a plate with biscuits on the table.

“Please call for Tilly if Tilly can do anything else for sir!”

Then she was gone again. Curiously Harry approached the table, his attention on the sweets in front of him. There were chocolate-chip biscuits and ginger bread men, along with his cup of hot chocolate, which was complete with some whipped cream on top.

“Wicked,” he said, smiling as he took a seat at the table and dug in.

“The house-elves make the best food,” Barnaby commented with a smile. “I remember when I was just a student. They used to make the most amazing fruitcake. And then there were of course the gingerbread houses. When most of the students were gone they did a replica of Hogwarts, complete with gingerbread men and women walking around the halls.” 

“You have found Harry Potter?” Dumbledore asked, voice somewhat disbelieving.

“Yes,” Severus replied calmly.

“How?”

“It doesn’t matter how. I found him for you.”

“Where is he?”

“Somewhere safe.”

“And where’s that?”

And so Severus began to tell the unbelievable tale of how he had gone home to see his father for Christmas, only to discover that his father’s new son was none other than Harry Potter. He was short and precise, leaving out that he had at first believed his new brother to be a baby but including Tobias’ narrative of how the boy had come to live with him.

Dumbledore listened, a look of surprise yet relief on his face as the tale came to an end and Severus fell quiet once again.

“He was removed because they mistreated him,” the man mumbled at last, looking sad.

“Yes. From what I understand it was quite badly,” Severus said, not mentioning the scars he had seen on the boy’s back. “My father is quite insistent that he will not be going back to his relatives.”

“As he should be! I failed to make sure that Harry was treated well enough, because I assumed that blood would keep him safe,” Dumbledore admitted. “However, I agree with your father that he will not be going back there.”

Severus breathed a silent breath of relief. He did not want to be caught in the middle of a power struggle between his father and Dumbledore. Because a struggle it would be. Tobias just wasn’t a man that gave up very easily, even against magic.

“Harry will have to stay with your father, Severus, since he seemed to have settled in there,” the headmaster stated. “Do you think he will mind?”

“Not at all. In fact, I believe he would mind if we tried placing him anywhere else.”

“Good. However, we need to make sure that the premises are safe from any threat that might come their way.”

“I have already added a few wards to the house,” Severus commented.

“Good, good.  Wisely done, Severus. I believe I might come over myself to add a few wards. Boxing Day perhaps? I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you and your father too much.”

“Boxing day ought to be fine.”

“It’s decided then! Now, what have you gotten Harry for Christmas?”

A younger Severus might have groaned at the sudden change of topic. The older Severus kept the groan purely internal and kept a calm face.

“I haven’t,” he stated shortly.

“You have not gotten him a present for Christmas?” Dumbledore repeated, sounding aghast.

“No. I see no need to. My father has already brought plenty of gifts for him.”

“And that is lovely of him but you are the boy’s brother now Severus! Surely you see why you should get him something?”

Dumbledore was sounding like Tobias, Severus thought to himself. And Tobias too had been very clear about him having to give the boy something for Christmas. Why did everyone insist on the incessant giving of useless gifts this time of the year?

Then again, the boy had gone out of his way to get something for Severus, despite the two of them never having met before. Severus could not help but be a little touched at the gesture.

“I will get him something,” Severus relented. “I plan on stopping by Diagon Alley after this.”

A shudder ran down his back at the thought. Diagon Alley was full of people on any day of the year but now, the day before Christmas? It was certain to be absolutely packed with people doing their last minute shopping. Somehow he would have to maneuver both himself and the boy through the mass of people.

Not to mention that he still didn’t know what to get for the boy. What did ten year old boys wish for these days? He could barely recall what he himself had wished for at that age!

“Perfect!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “Harry will stay here while you go shopping for Christmas presents for him!”

“I will not buy him presents,” Severus immediately corrected. “I am however going to buy him one present.”

Then the rest of the headmaster’s words registered in his mind. Harry could stay at Hogwarts while he himself went to get that gift. He would not need to keep an eye on the boy too, but could simply focus on getting there, getting the present and then get out of Diagon Alley as soon as humanly possible.

“Do as you please, Severus, as long as you are getting him something, and as long as that something isn’t coal.”

Ignoring the comment Severus focused on what was important.

“Did you say he could stay here?”

“Of course! How else are you going to manage to buy a present without the boy noticing?”

Severus probably could have managed that, with some effort. He was not about to turn down this offer of help though.

“Thank you,” he said.

“No problem. Tilly!”

A house elf popped into the room.

“What can Tilly do for you sirs?” it asked.

“There’s a young boy in the conference room. His name is Harry Potter-Snape. Could you please make sure he has everything he wants? Perhaps offer him some cookies or some hot chocolate?”

“Tilly will do as the headmaster asks!”

She disappeared with yet another pop.

“There, he’s all taken care of now. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss, Severus?”

“No.”

“Then off you go. And good luck with your shopping!”

Refusing to dignify that with an answer Severus walked straight up to the fireplace and took the floo to Diagon Alley.

Then the search for a suitable Christmas present began.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Once the hot chocolate was finished and all of the biscuits and ginger bread men were gone Harry looked around the room once again. Getting something sweet to eat had been nice but he had been stuck in this room for quite a while now and was starting to get bored.

He walked up to the window again and longingly looked out over the grounds, watching the children play. He could almost hear their laughter and he wished he could be out there with them.

With Harry busy looking out the window Barnaby quietly left his painting. He didn’t go very far, just to the room next to the conference room. He found the headmaster busy with paperwork, as usual.

“Excuse me for interrupting, Headmaster …” he began.

“Ah, Barnaby. Let me guess, our young guest is getting restless.”

“Indeed he is.”

“Boys,” the headmaster chuckled. “Always looking for a new adventure.”

“Perhaps you could show him the grounds?” Barnaby suggested. “A child that age rarely appreciates being still for too long, in my experience.”

“Excellent idea, Barnaby.”

When the door to the conference room opened Harry jumped in surprise, having lost himself in day dreams. To his surprise it was not his brother who entered the room, but rather the headmaster that looked so much like Santa Claus.

“Good day there Harry,” the man greeted him. “I’m Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster here at Hogwarts.”

“Good day,” Harry replied, suddenly a little shy.

“Severus had a quick errand he needed to run,” the man explained to him. “Would you like to see the grounds while he’s away?”

His brother had left him here? Without so much as a word? Harry was a little hurt by the fact but the prospect of getting to see more of the school made any such thoughts secondary.

“Yes please,” he said eagerly.

Dumbledore lead him back into the office and then out another door, where they found a spinning staircase. Harry stared a little but quickly followed the headmaster as he stepped onto one of the steps and let the staircase take him down.

Then they found themselves in a corridor, where a large gargoyle stepped up to cover the staircase they had just come from. This time Harry could not help but stare. The gargoyle was, for all appearances, made entirely out of stone. Yet it had moved as swiftly and easily as Harry himself. As Harry stared the gargoyle finally winked at him and Harry turned away, hurrying to catch up to the headmaster.

The corridors were decorated with holly. Suits of armors stood around the walls, and as Harry and the headmaster walked by they would start to sing Christmas carols.

“We wish you a Merry Christmas, We wish you a Merry Christmas …”

“Jingle bells, jingle bells …”

“Oh Holy Night …”

“Feliz Navidad …”

Harry’s head was twisting and turning to catch everything he saw and he nearly bumped into the headmaster twice before they had even reached the staircase.

“Charming little spell, don’t you think?” the headmaster commented. “I myself find it particularly festive to have the armours sing carols. Adds a whole new level to the decorations, don’t you think?”

They reached what could only be the grand staircase of the castle. Dumbledore did not hesitate to step onto one and Harry quickly followed. The banisters were decorated with icicles that did not appear to melt, no matter how long or how carefully Harry stared at them.

“Another handy little spell,” the headmaster explained to him.

They reached the ground floor. Harry spotted a magnificent pair of double doors that opened to a large dining hall, where four large tables were lined up. He could see Christmas trees full of ornaments in there, towering over the students sitting around. There were more holly, mistletoe, evergreens wreaths, tinsel in every imaginable color … More Christmas decorations than Harry had ever seen in his whole life before. And was it snowing inside?

Finally they reached another set of grand double doors, which the headmaster pushed open. They stepped out into the cold weather, the sun shining down on them from above. A thick layer of snow covered the ground and the laughter of children could be heard in the distance.

As they walked the headmaster pointed out the way to the green houses and other locations. Harry listened with half an ear, too busy looking around to fully pay attention to what was being said.

A stray snowball came their way from a snowball fight. A group of girls were making snow angels. Another group of students were sleighing down a small hill.

“Most students chose to go home of the holidays,” the headmaster explained. “However, this year we’ve had an unusual amount of them stay here at Hogwarts.”

They had almost reached a lake, upon which a few students were ice skating. Harry looked on in awe, wishing that he could join them.

“Do you want to skate, Harry?” Dumbledore asked.

“Yeah, but I don’t have any skates,” Harry replied, his voice a little sad.

Dumbledore just smiled and pulled out a wand. A minute later Harry’s shoes had been transformed into ice skates and he was heading out onto the ice on wobbly legs, smiling widely.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

“Let go woman!” Severus exclaimed, tugging hard on the box in his hand, only to find that the fat little woman opposite of him, who was also holding the box, would not let go of it so easily.

“You let go!” was her reply, and she glared at him from below her fluffy Santa cap. “I saw it first!”

“I saw it first!” Severus argued. “You tried to take it out of my hands!”

“You stole it just when I was going to take it! It’s mine!”

She tugged but Severus was just as determined not to let go of the box.

“Why don’t you get another one?” he asked instead, trying to remain calm.

“This is the last one! And I’m getting it for my Timmy!”

“Your Timmy will have to settle for something else, because I am getting this for my brother!”

This time she actually growled at him. Severus was so taken aback by the sound that he actually lost his grip on the box when she yanked at it once again. A moment later she was gone, having disappeared into the crowd gathered in front of the checkout station.

A frustrated sigh escaped him. Getting a suitable Christmas gift for his brother was proving harder than he had anticipated.

“Excuse me,” he said, trying to make his way through the crowd as he spotted a shop assistant a few shelves away. “Excuse me …”

People seemed ruthless in their rush to buy the last Christmas presents, some even going as far as trying to knock Severus over in their haste to get past him. Eventually he did manage to make his way to the poor shop assistant though and patiently waited for her to finish with the little man she was currently helping.

“Ms. Bolton,” he greeted her as soon as she was finished with the previous customer.

She spun around, a look of shock and a little terror on her face.

“Professor Snape!” she said.

“Would you mind getting me another Children’s Potions Set? The last one was stolen from me.”

“Children’s Potions Set, sir?”

“Yes. Today please.”

“They’re over there, sir,” she said, pointing to the shelf Severus had just come from.

“The last one was just taken. I need you to get me one from the back. Surely you have more of them on storage?”

The terrified look on her face was answer enough. Eleanor Bolton had been a decent enough potions student but had lacked any real talent for the subject. As such she had learned to fear her potions professor’s sharp tongue. Now days he was only a former professor of hers but it seemed the fear hat stuck.

“I’m sorry, but we don’t. If there is none of the shelf then we’re all out. We’ll get more in January though.”

“I don’t want it in January, I want it now! Today!”

“I’m sorry sir. Might I recommend a Beginners Potion Kit instead?”

She moved over to a nearby shelf, gesturing at a box.

“What does it contain?” Severus asked with a sigh.

“A standard cauldron, a stirring rod and a set of the most common standard ingredients in some simple potions, as well as a booklet with instructions on how to brew them.”

“What potions does the booklet contain?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but I believe there is the cure for boils, sleeping potions, some cosmetic potions etcetera. Simple things, most things learned in first and second year at Hogwarts.”

That wouldn’t do. What had appealed to Severus with the Children’s Potions Set was that it had allowed the brewer to brew perfectly safe potions with perfectly safe ingredients, where there was absolutely no way that anything could go wrong and blow up into the brewers face.

However, even a cure for boils might blow up if the brewer was negligent enough. The presence of an adult wizard would be required to clean up any messes made, and seeing as Tobias was a muggle that would not make a suitable gift for the boy.

“No thanks,” he said. “I’ll look elsewhere.”

“Alright. Good luck. And happy Yule tide, professor!”

Where would he go now? The apothecary had been his first instinct as far as useful presents went. Looking around the mass of people Severus took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Masses of people had always made him uncomfortable and almost every instinct he had was telling him to go somewhere less crowded.

He could not return without a gift though. That was more or less unthinkable. Not only would Albus Dumbledore no doubt send him straight back here, Tobias would do the same if Dumbledore somehow failed to do so!

So back into the mass of people moving about the alley it was. The sooner he could get a gift the sooner he could be out of there.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

It was almost dark outside when Harry and Severus finally returned home to Spinners End. Harry stepped through the floo first, closely followed by Severus. Tobias was sitting in the sofa, watching TV, and looked up at their arrival.

“There you are,” he commented. “Almost thought you’d gotten lost!”

Severus made a low sound in his throat, almost a growl at the comment. Harry barely noticed, too excited to tell his father about all the magical things he had seen.

“It was amazing!” he said, throwing off his coat. “There were elves and talking paintings and moving staircases and caroling suits of armour! And Santa Claus! Or, not the Santa Claus of course, but a man that looked just like him! And he took me ice skating!”

“Sounds like quite an adventure there. Why don’t you come here and tell me all about it?”

Harry eagerly joined his adoptive father on the couch while Severus disappeared up the stairs, looking as gloomy and angry as ever before.

That nigh Harry went to bed with a warm feeling of eager anticipation in his stomach. This had been the best Christmas Eve ever and he was certain that Christmas day would be even better!

On the twenty fifth of December Severus was awakened at 6.30 in the morning by a shout of “It’s Christmas! It’s Christmas!”

After that was the sounds of feet clattering on the floor and a door being swung open, before the clattering of feet continued down the stairs to the living room. Severus sighed and pulled the covers over his head. It was too early for this much excitement!

“Santa’s been here! There’s presents under the tree!” a shout soon came.

“Calm down there a little!” Tobias voice came. “Breakfast first, then presents!”

“Aww!”

Despite Severus wanting to sleep in for longer a smile tugged at his lips at the loud groan. Suddenly he remembered his own childhood Christmases. His parents had always insisted upon a full, proper English breakfast, which of course took ages to prepare while Severus sat staring at the pile of presents waiting to be opened.

Slowly he got up, stretched and then moved on to the bathroom to take a shower. He knew from experience that there were plenty of time before it was time to open the presents.

Meanwhile Harry was moving between the kitchen and the living room, staring at either Tobias preparing breakfast or the presents under the tree. There were so many of them! Nowhere near the amounts that Dudley had received of course, but still plenty of them, and he could already tell that several of them had tags with his name on them!

Severus joined them after a while, fully dressed in his usual black robes. In contrast, both Harry and Tobias were still dressed in their pyjamases and dressing gowns. Not that his state of dress was anywhere near the top of Harry’s priority list right now.

They sat down in the kitchen together to eat. The table was full of various dishes, from scrambled eggs to bacon, sausages and toast. Harry ate quickly but was disappointed to discover that the adults were in no hurry to finish their food.

Then finally, finally it was time to open the presents.

“Open this!” Harry said, reaching for the gift he himself had so carefully wrapped.

Severus accepted the gift, looking curiously at the gold, silver and green wrapping paper. It was surprisingly heavy for its size. He gave it an experimental shake bout found that it did not rattle. The tag read:

 

Merry Christmas

To: Severus

From: Harry

 

“Thank you,” Severus said, carefully putting the gift down in his lap and starting to unwrap it.

The boy was practically squirming where he was sitting on the floor, excitedly looking at Severus as he opened the gift. Severus resisted a smile and removed the last piece of wrapping paper.

“Do you like it?” was the immediate question.

Severus stared.

“A bird house,” he stated.

“I made it myself! Do you like it?”

While there was nothing wrong with the birdhouse itself it was painted in garish red, gold, blue and orange. The color combination was worse than any of Albus’ festive robes and stung in Severus eyes.

“Severus?” Tobias said. “Answer Harry.”

The tone, and the look in his father’s eyes, told Severus that he had better like the gift. Severus forced a smile.

“Thank you,” he said. “I love it.”

“Will you put it up?” Harry wondered.

“Of course I will. At Hogwarts, maybe?”

“That’d be so cool! Can you do that?”

“Sure.”

“Why don’t you open a few of your presents, Harry?” Tobias interjected.

So Harry turned his attention onto the remaining gifts, of which most of them bore his name.

Unwrapping the first present he found a pair of new mittens in green and red. They were soft to the touch and felt wonderful on his hands. The next present contained a matching scarf and a third even a matching sweater. All three were from Tobias.

There were boxes of candy, a toy train, a ball, a few books and even, much to Harry’s surprise, the bike he had wanted. Granted, he would not be able to use the bike with the snow outside, but it still made him squeal with joy.  

Finally he had reached the last two gifts. One was wrapped in paper that was red and green, while the other was a simple brown paper with a small, red bow and tag on it. Harry reached for the red and green present first, on which the tag read:

 

Merry Christmas

To: Harry

From: Severus

 

 “You got me a present?!” Harry exclaimed, surprised but happy about it. Judging from his brother’s brusque and unhappy mood yesterday he had not expected the man to give him anything.

“Of course I did.”

If Severus tone was dry and somewhat ironic Harry did not notice, nor did he notice the look that was exchanged between the adults. Instead he tore the paper off, eager to see what his brother had gotten for him.

“Hogwarts: A History,” he read out loud.

Curiously he flipped the book open. It was thick and full of text, pages up and down, with barely any pictures at all. Harry resisted a groan. He would never be able to read this!

“Since you were so curious about Hogwarts, I thought this might answer some of your questions,” Severus commented awkwardly.

“Thanks,” Harry said, his voice a little too light and his smile a little too bright.

He appreciated the book, he really did, and he would probably read parts of it. But he knew, just from looking at it, that there was no way he was going to read the whole thing. Harry just wasn’t that fond of reading. He did really appreciate that his brother apparently liked him enough to get him a present though.

Putting the book aside he then turned to the last gift.

 

Merry Christmas

To: Harry Potter

From: Father Christmas

 

“Huh?” Harry said. “This can’t be real!”

He showed the tag to both Severus and Tobias and both looked equally confused at the tag. Harry shrugged and began to open the gift.

Tobias glanced questioningly at Severus. Severus shook his head. Tobias shook his head too. Neither of them had brought that particular gift.

“Children’s Potions Kit,” Harry read from the box, once the wrapping paper had been removed. “What’s that?”

He looked up at the adults only to find them both looking at least as confused as he was.

“I have no idea,” Tobias replied. “Severus?”

“It’s a kit for children, to learn to make potions. It’s completely safe, unlike any other potions kit, and contain a lot of useful information.”

“Is it from you?” Harry asked. “Thanks!”

But Severus shook his head.

“I was going to buy it, but they were out of them,” he admitted. “I have no idea of how that ended up here.”

And it was true. Having found one reasonably suitable gift Severus had hurried to leave Diagon Alley as soon as humanly possible. How this gift had ended up under their Christmas tree was a complete mystery to him. Because it couldn’t be like the tag said, right? Even the thought were ludicrous.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The rest of the day passed by in the kind of joyful and peaceful mood that comes with Christmas time. They ate a late lunch consisting of roast turkey, Brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. For desert there was a delicious Christmas cake and, of course, the mince pies Severus loved so much.

They went to bed early that evening, all of them tired from a long if happy day. Severus was just about to fall asleep when a quiet voice spoke.

“Hey … you awake?”

He considered pretending to be asleep but finally turned towards his adoptive brother.

“Yes. Why?” he replied.

“Nothing. I just can’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know. Too happy, I think.”

There really was no doubt about how happy the boy was; his eyes were glimmering with joy and even now, obviously tired, there was still a content smile on his lips.

“Well … try to sleep anyway,” Severus advised.

“I will.”

Silence settled in between them for a moment, until …

“Hey … you still awake?”

“Yes,” Severus sighed. “Someone keeps talking, making it impossible to fall asleep.”

“Sorry,” the boy said sheepishly. “I just … I was thinking.”

“About what, pray tell?”

“About my gifts. Or, the last one.”

“What about it?”

“Was it from you, after all? Because you can tell me, if it was.”

“It wasn’t from me. Like I said, I intended to buy one but the last one was taken by someone else.”

“Oh. Then who could’ve gotten it for me?”

“I have no idea.”

Severus himself had pondered that the whole day. He might have suspected Dumbledore, had it not been that there was no way for the headmaster to know what Severus had intended to get for his brother. Besides, how had the gift ended up under their tree? Severus’ wards should have alerted him to anyone entering their house, even if it was only to place a gift under their tree.

“Maybe someone put it in my shopping bag,” Severus said.

He didn’t believe it though. There had only been the one gift there when he came home and he had only placed one gift under the tree. But how else had the package gotten into their house.

“Yeah, maybe …” Harry agreed, as unconvinced as his brother.

This time Severus really was almost asleep when Harry spoke again.

“Hey … Merry Christmas, Severus.”

“Merry Christmas, Harry,” Severus replied.

A few minutes later they were both asleep.

And at the North Pole a man leaned back in his armchair in front of his fireplace, content with himself. He had delivered many gifts the last twenty four hours but the nicest gift had not been his to deliver. A boy had gotten a family this year; not only a father but a brother too. A father and his grown son had gotten a little closer this holiday. And that was beyond even the power of Father Christmas to give. That was true Christmas magic.