Ron and Hermione had gotten used to the news quickly, and Harry was thankful that they acted as though he had always had a family. Even before he had been adopted, they had treated him like a normal person, and now they acted as though Snape had always been his father and it was nothing out of the ordinary. Harry liked that. He liked the thought of never having been an orphan, never having lived with the Dursleys, and never having been the strange kid at school who didn't have a home to go back to, because now he did have a home.

For the first two weeks, Harry happily answered questions kids at school asked him. At first people thought it was a rumor that he'd been adopted. Then when he confirmed it a dozen times over, the school thought it was a rumor that it was Snape who had adopted him. How could Snape adopt Harry Potter? Draco had once asked Harry how he had the bad luck to be adopted by the one wizard who hated him so fiercely, and Harry had downplayed it as nothing. He had a harder time doing that however when two dozen kids from different houses asked him the same thing, and when ten more tried to commiserate with him about how miserable he must be living with Snape.

"It's nothing," Harry told them. "He's not like that at home." He said it over and over again until they quit asking him about it. It wasn't until the end of November that the chatter about him and Snape died down, and Harry felt like he could finally slip into a new routine at school, a routine which included occasionally going down to the Dungeons to play chess with a father that seemed to want him around. Harry wanted to believe he was wanted more than anything, and told himself that he did believe it.

It was a week into December when questions started coming at him again, and if Harry hadn't been so surprised that it was a Professor asking them he would have been annoyed. He wanted people to act like Ron and Hermione did, that it was nothing to be part of a family now, that he had always had a home to go back to, and that he was a normal kid who was wanted.

Remus Lupin was the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher this year, and aside from having classes with the man, Harry hadn't spoken much to him. They had bumped into each other outside his office on a Sunday afternoon though, and Lupin had asked Harry to come into his office for tea. Harry had never been invited to have tea with a professor before, and wondered if he was in trouble for something.

Lupin asked a house elf to bring a pot of tea, and motioned for Harry to have a seat in the visitors chair in front of his desk. A moment later the elf popped back in with tea and Remus poured him a cup.

"I'm not in trouble, am I sir?" Harry asked, accepting the cup of tea. He was wracking his brain for anything he might have done to warrant detention and couldn't think of anything. Fred and George flitted across his mind. They had just started a month-long detention for flooding the dungeons with two inches of water and turning it into an ice skating rink. Harry had had nothing to do with that though.

"No, you're not in trouble," Lupin said warmly, giving Harry a small smile. "I just wanted to have a chat."

"Oh," Harry said with a little frown.

"Harry, I understand you've been having trouble with the dementors stationed around the school boundary."

Harry brought his eyes up. He had been having trouble with the Dementors. "I guess," Harry said.

"There is a way to counteract the effects of the Dementors and to keep them away from you."

"A Patronus," Harry said.

Lupin looked surprised. "You know about Patronuses?"

"My dad has been trying to teach me."

Remus pursed his lips in thought and then took a sip of his tea. Harry took a sip of his as well, feeling awkward.

"How have you been faring with it?"

"I haven't managed yet. I'll have all Christmas to practice though." He had been looking forward to going home for Christmas for a number of reasons, and one of them was that he would be away from the school and the Dementors. After he'd fallen off his broom during the last Quidditch match and ended up in the Hospital Wing, Hermione and Ron had described how Snape had looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Harry and his friends had heard Snape ranting at Dumbledore about the Ministry and the Dementors, and a man named Black who was some sort of criminal on the loose, but they hadn't gotten all the details they would have liked and Hermione had been doing research in the library since then.

"Can you explain to me the theory behind casting a Patronus?" Lupin asked, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"Dementors feed on your worst memories," Harry said. "A Patronus is like a shield that can protect you, because Dementors can't feed on happy memories. So to cast one you have to think of a really happy memory, and feel like you're there again living that memory."

"That's right," Lupin said. "It can't just be a good memory though, it has to be your very best memory. It has to fill you up with a feeling of warmth and happiness. A memory that fills you with warmth and happiness and protection is even better. Have you been shown a Patronus yet, so you can see what a fully corporeal one looks like?"

Harry shook his head. His father couldn't cast one, though Harry didn't know why. He was such a powerful wizard. It seemed as though Lupin also knew he couldn't cast one.

"I'd like to show you. Keep in mind, each Patronus will be different depending on the caster, so yours will look different than mine."

Harry nodded and Lupin set his cup of tea down and pulled his wand out. He said loudly, "Expecto Patronum!" and a glowing blue white wolf rushed out of his wand and stood between Lupin and Harry. Harry was nose to nose with the wolf, who started into his eyes for several moments, and then sat down and began wagging its tail. It yipped a couple of times and then disappeared.

"That was cool!" Harry said.

Lupin smiled and put his wand away.

"The memory you use must be able to overpower the worst memory the Dementor makes you remember."

"That's what my dad said," Harry said quietly. He hadn't shared with Snape what his worst memory was though, and Harry had been struggling to find a memory that could overpower it. So far the best one he had was of Snape dragging a teenage boy who had beaten Harry up down the lane by the ear to apologize to Harry in the middle of the summer. In that moment Harry had felt vindicated, and triumphant, and happy, and warm. The memory didn't push back the scent of death though, or the oily feeling of Voldemort casting the killing curse at his mother, or the wash of the killing curse that came over Harry before rebounding on Voldemort and killing him. Harry had begun to think there might not be a good enough memory to cover all of that up.

"What is it you see when the Dementors come?" Lupin asked.

Harry's eyes came slowly around to meet his Professor's. "I don't want you to tell my dad."

"Is there a reason why?"

"Yes."

"Hm. I won't tell him."

Harry fidgeted with his fingers for a moment. "When the Dementors come, I can see the green flash of light, and hear her screams. I can smell death... and I can feel the curse. I can feel the dark magic."

Harry looked up to see what Lupin's reaction was to this and found the man looking sad. "I'm sorry you have to deal with that Harry. You were so young, I had no idea you would remember that."

"I didn't until the Dementors came to school."

"I see. And what memory have you been using for the Patronus?"

Harry told him about getting beaten up over the summer, the things the boy had said about Snape, and about Snape dragging the teen whimpering a mile down the lane to apologize to Harry. As soon as he had apologized, Snape had let go of his ear, which was bright red from where Snape had gripped it, and the teen had run off as though he was scarred for his life.

"That's some memory," Lupin said.

"I never had anyone do anything like that for me before," Harry said.

"And it's the best memory you've got?"

"Yeah."

"It may be that you need to keep trying with that memory. Or you may need to come up with a better one in the future. Some wizards don't have a good enough memory to overcome their bad ones and never manage to cast a Patronus as it's advanced magic."

"Oh," Harry said.

"I didn't mean to say you never will," Lupin said in a consoling voice.

"I'll get it," Harry said quietly. He was certain he could get it eventually, but his mind was on Snape, who couldn't cast one. Did he not have good enough memories?

"Do you enjoy living with Professor Snape Harry, since he adopted you?"

Harry looked up again. He'd begun to hope people had forgotten to ask him about this as it had been a couple weeks since the kids at school had stopped asking.

"Yeah," Harry said, "I have a nice room and we do fun stuff together."

"Are you looking forward to going home for Christmas?"

"Definitely," Harry said with a smile. He had asked Snape if his family had any traditions, and Snape said they did, though he hadn't followed them in years. Snape usually spent Christmas at the castle, but was going home with Harry this year. "We're gonna get a Christmas tree, and I'm going to get to go shopping to buy my friends gifts this year." He and Ron had also been hatching up a plan to ask if Harry could go to the Burrow for a night or if Ron could come stay in his new room for a night. Harry had watched Dudley have friends over before, and had always been jealous.

"You were living with your relatives before, weren't you? Your mother's sister?"

"For a few years," Harry said. "I was in an orphanage before Hogwarts though."

"I didn't realize." Lupin finished his cup of tea and looked thoughtful for a few moments as though he was trying to decide something. Finally he said, "Did you know that I was friends with your parents?"

"You were?" Harry asked, surprised. He set his tea cup down on Lupin's desk and leaned forward.

"We were in the same year and house in school. I was friends with James and two other boys, and later on when he and Lily started dating I became friends with her too."

"No one has ever told me much about them really," Harry said. He occasionally heard things about how he looked like them, and Professors sometimes said things about how good of a student his mother was, or how his father had been Head Boy and had played Quidditch, but that was it.

"Your new father doesn't tell you about them?"

Harry shook his head.

"He doesn't have anything to say about James, or about me?"

"No," Harry frowned. Snape had told him that James had bullied him in school, and how that had led to him thinking Harry was just the same when he came to school, but that was all. "I know they didn't get along."

"Hm." Lupin grew thoughtful again. "After the holidays, if you'd like we can have tea again and I can tell you about Lily and James."

"That would be great," Harry said. "I have some pictures of them from Hagrid, but that's it."

"They loved you very much."

"I know," Harry said. They had to, because they had done everything they could to get him away from Voldemort, and had paid for it with their lives.

* * *

"Did you know Professor Lupin was friends with my parents?" Harry asked Snape a few days later. They were in his quarters packing to go home. The other students had left on the train that morning, and Harry had spent the rest of the day in his father's dungeon quarters.

Snape froze, back to Harry, then carefully set down the vial full of potion he was packing away and without turning to face him said, "I did."

"He said after the holidays he would tell me about them," Harry said.

"I'm certain he has much to say."

Harry frowned. His father's voice was stiff. Harry was good at reading people. He had to be growing up with the Dursleys. It was important to be able to detect the change in his aunt and uncle's moods so he could know what kind of trouble he was in, and how to act around them at any given moment. "You don't like him do you?" Harry said.

Snape turned and gave him a calculating look. "How do you know?" he asked calmly.

"I can read people," Harry said. There had been one embarrassing incident after they'd returned to the castle where Snape had raised his arm up quickly to rub the bridge of his nose when he and Harry had gotten into an argument, and Harry had thrown his arms up to shield his face. Aside from that, he was usually very good at reading people and their intentions.

"You recall I told you about a prank your father pulled that almost killed me?"

"Yeah."

"I was almost eaten by a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" Harry asked, surprised. He knew there was a section in his third year Defense book about them, but they hadn't read that far yet, so he didn't know much about them.

"I was almost eaten by Lupin."

Harry's eyes grew wide. "Him?"

"Yes."

"On purpose?"

Snape paused. "No. He was not involved in planning the prank. Your father and his other friends led me out on the night of a full moon to where Lupin was fully transformed. A werewolf has no power over what they do when transformed."

"He seems nice though," Harry said. "When he's human."

"Yet he was friends with your father and his other friends, who tormented me and other students relentlessly."

"And he was mean too?"

"No," Snape said shortly.

Harry could tell Snape was growing irritated, so he stopped questioning him about it and went instead to his trunk to look through it again and make sure he had what he wanted before they left for Bainbridge. Harry was startled a few minutes later when Snape questioned from behind him, "He has not been talking about me?"

Harry looked up and then sat back on his rear end next to his trunk on the floor. "No, except to ask if I liked living with you. Actually he asked if you had been telling me about my parents, but that was it."

His father seemed to relax some at that, and Harry wasn't sure why.

"Do you have all your things?"

"Yep, ready to go."

"We will be using the Floo."

A few minutes later, and Harry had stepped through the Floo into the living room of their home in Bainbridge with his trunk. Snape stepped out after him a moment later. The house was warm and it smelled like Mrs. Mayer had put a roast on so it would be waiting for them for dinner when they arrived.

"Take your trunk up to your room."

"Ok," Harry said happily.

He levitated his trunk up the stairs and didn't bother to open it to unpack when he got into his room. Instead he laid eyes on his soft blue plaid blanket and fell face first into it. He was so happy to be home where he belonged, and he couldn't wait to go down the lane tomorrow to visit with Millie and Arran, and Mrs. Allan. He couldn't wait to spend his first Christmas in Bainbridge with his father, and then to go back to Hogwarts to tell his friends all about it.

The next morning his father was at the table in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee and eating eggs and bacon. There was a plate waiting for Harry with a heating charm on it when he came downstairs.

"Good morning," Severus said quietly, lowering his paper to look at Harry.

"Good morning," Harry said brightly.

"You have plans for the day I assume?" Severus asked.

"I don't have to," Harry said.

"I have several things I must do today. We'll need to make several trips to gem dealers over the break from school to distribute the excess of gems we mined over the summer. Today would be a good day for you to go visiting or attend to your own plans."

"I was going to go visit Mr. and Mrs. Mayer."

Severus nodded and went back to his paper to finish reading an article about something having to do with Diagon Alley.

"We will also go shopping this week," Severus said, "and we'll need to get a tree. I need to arrange a day with Mr. Mayer."

"Can I help decorate it?" Harry asked.

"Yes."

"With fairy lights?"

"Yes. There are several boxes of decorations in the living room closet. Mrs. Mayer may also want help decorating the house."

"I'll ask her this morning," Harry said. He tried not to feel nervous as he finished his eggs and bacon. When it looked like Severus was finished with his own breakfast and getting ready to leave the table Harry said quickly, "Sir, could I- I mean, over the break could we- I mean, could me and Ron-"

Severus raised his brows as Harry fumbled over his words. He was clearly nervous. "Take a breath and ask what you want in one sentence."

Harry gave him a nervous glance, took a breath and said quickly, "Could I have Ron over one night for a sleepover? I've never been allowed to have a friend over before because the orphanage didn't allow it." He wanted to add that the Dursleys would never allow such a thing either but preferred to mention the Dursleys as little as possible.

"A sleepover?"

"Yes sir."

They were silent for long moments as Severus seemed to be considering him. "If his parents are amenable."

"Really?"

"Yes. There will be rules however."

"Yes sir."

"You are not to take him into the mines without me, nor are the two of you to spend hours pestering Mr. and Mrs. Mayer. Perhaps he can come Friday evening before dinner and then spend the day Saturday. He could return home through the Floo Saturday evening after dinner." When Severus turned to look at Harry again, the boy's face was bright and hopeful, and Severus was happy to see it. He didn't let himself smile until Harry had jumped up and thanked him profusely and then asked to use the Floo to firecall the Burrow.

Severus listened as Harry firecalled the Burrow on his hands and knees, head in the living room fireplace as he described the arrangement to his friend. Severus didn't care to have extra children about the house, but if it made Harry happy, he could stand to have one of his friends over for a 24 hour period. The boy had had such a lack of a childhood that Severus didn't mind indulging him now that he had a home to call his own.

* * *

There was an inch of snow on the ground as Harry hurried down the lane to Millie and Arran's house. It seemed Millie had been waiting for him or had seen him coming in the gate, because as he reached the front door she opened it and pulled him into a hug.

"Harry!" she said happily, "I'm so happy you're back. Did you have a good term at school?"

Harry nodded and came inside so she could close the door and keep the cold air out. "Me too. I did have a good term. I got good grades in all my classes."

"That's good, come in and have some hot chocolate."

"Is that Master Snape?" Arran called from another room. He came in a minute later, looked Harry up and down and smiled at him, chin rough with stubble. "Not Master Snape, just Harry," he corrected himself, seeing that Harry wasn't in his nice visiting clothes.

Harry grinned up at him and set to telling them how school had been for the last few months. He didn't tell them about the Dementors, and thought Snape must not have told them either since they didn't ask about them.

"And Friday my friend Ron is coming to stay the night," Harry said happily half an hour later. "I'm going to take him into Hawes to get donuts and coffee. I've been getting an allowance now so I have some money to spend."

"Oh an allowance," Arran said, nodding in approval. "What does a young master make these days?"

"8 Sickles a month, but then I got 5 sickles at the end of the term for every O I got, and two for every E. So I have 43 sickles saved up now."

Mrs. Mayer looked like she was doing maths in her head and said, "Is that about 30 pounds?"

"Yeah, just a little under. And I had ten pounds still from last summer. I'm gonna ask the neighbors if I can shovel snow for some extra money."

"You still want to make more money?" Arran asked.

"I was gonna save up and ask my dad if we can buy some toys and balls and stuff to take to the orphanage. The only things we got for Christmas when I was there were what people donated. Sometimes no one donated anything so the only thing the kids got was Christmas dinner."

"Before you go to buy toys Harry, we'd like to give you some money as well."

"I can earn it all," Harry hurried to say. "Just tell me what you want me to do. I have today and there's only a few days where we have to do things for the mine."

"We'd still like to donate some money for toys," Millie said.

"Do you have a snow shovel?" Arran asked.

Harry shook his head. "They sell them in town right?"

"They do. I have to go into town today to the hardware store to get some wood and nails. You can come with me if you want."

"Yes please."

"Get your coat on then. You have gloves right? You won't be able to shovel for long without warm gloves."

"I have some," Harry said.

Arran told Millie they would be back in forty five minutes and then he and Harry took the truck into Hawes.

The small hardware store only had a few people browsing the shelves when they got in. Arran helped Harry pick out a heavy duty snow shovel that wouldn't break easily, then got his wood and nails and they checked out. The shovel had cost Harry 12 pounds, but Arran told Harry he could earn that back shoveling just a few walkways.

Later that afternoon when Harry returned to the house for his gloves, Severus eyed the snow shovel in his hand and asked where he was going.

"I'm getting my gloves so I can go shovel Mrs. Mayer's walkway. I'm shoveling Mrs. Allan's too and then I'm going to go down the lane to the houses I did yard work at over the summer."

"You are earning money again?" Severus asked. "Is your allowance not sufficient?"

"Well, I had to spend some money on the shovel," Harry said, "but I can earn that back. After that I'm gonna buy toys with what I earn."

"You still play with toys?" Severus asked.

"For the orphanage," Harry said. "I was hoping you could take me once I buy some things."

"You wish to buy toys for others with your own money?"

"Well they might not get anything this year if I don't."

"Hm."

Harry hurried out with his gloves and shovel, leaving Severus deep in thought. At least he wasn't trying to earn money to buy his own clothes. Severus had wanted him to be confident that he would not go without the clothing he needed again. He had planned on taking him shopping for more winter clothes later in the week. Perhaps he would have to take him sooner if he was going to be out shoveling snow.

* * *

Harry was charging three pounds to shovel walkways and sidewalks. It was hard work, but not so bad when there was only a couple inches of snow on the ground. That first day he shoveled 10 walkways and made 30 pounds and added it to the jar in his room he was storing money in to buy toys with.

The next morning Severus apparated them to Kendal to a shopping center and bought Harry a new warm beanie, warm waterproof snow gloves, a snow coat, two pairs of thick wool socks and thermal underwear to wear under his clothes to keep him warm. Harry already had a pair of waterproof hiking boots, and when they got home Severus poured another waterproofing potion over the top of them to be sure Harry's feet would stay dry out in the snow.

That night it snowed heavily and Harry went into Hawes to see if he could bargain with the shop owners to shovel their sidewalks for a higher price. As it turned out they were happy to pay him five pounds to shovel the snow out from in front of their shops as there was almost five inches on the ground. The space that needed to be shoveled in front of each shop wasn't a very big section of sidewalk, so Harry felt like he was making a good profit for the amount of work. He was so warm in his new clothes he had to take his snow coat off and left it in his favorite coffee shop over the back of a chair until he was ready to move to the other side of the road. The shop owners on the other side were ready for him and didn't wait for him to come in and ask if they wanted him to work. The first shop owner he came to on the other side of the road opened the door, handed him five pounds and told him to come back when it snowed heavily again for more work.

By the time Harry got home that evening he was hungry and tired and his arms ached from all the work. He'd bargained at a coffee shop for donuts and coffee instead of money, so he'd at least been able to eat lunch.

Harry flopped into a dining room chair at five pm and shrugged out of his heavy winter coat. Snape eyed him for a moment and set to work making him some tea. A few minutes later and Harry had a hot cup of sweet orange tea in his hands and a plate of biscuits in front of him.

"How much have you made?"

"I did twenty shops in Hawes today at five pounds a piece, and one shop I shoveled for lunch."

"How many children are at the orphanage?"

"When I left it was 34. They only have space for 35."

"And what are you planning on buying?"

"I don't know. It's all boys. I was thinking some Muggle footballs and baseballs. Maybe some toy trucks for the younger boys. Mrs. Mayer said they were donating forty pounds, and Mrs. Allan said she would donate forty as well. So with all that I have 210."

"Will you be spending any money on your friends for Christmas?"

"I've gotta earn some money for that too."

"You have helped mine nine hundred galleons of crystals since you came here," Severus said. "I see no reason why you should not see some of that profit." He narrowed his eyes as Harry sipped his hot tea and said, "You've shown yourself to be business minded and I know that you've finished reading the book about conducting business in the wizard and Muggle worlds. Negotiate with me for what you would like to get out of what you have helped mine, and what you would like to earn in the future."

Harry set his cup of tea down and looked at his father. He tried to push the nervousness down in him. He didn't want Snape to laugh him out of the house or get upset with him for whatever he asked for. If he asked for too much, his father might decide he didn't want to buy him clothes anymore, or food, or school things. It wasn't about the money for Harry. Harry wanted his new father to do what parents did and take care of him.

"If I get something, or if I get nothing," Harry hedged, "will that change how things are between us now?"

"Explain what you mean."

"Will you... I mean, you've been real nice to me lately. I didn't have to earn money for clothes to keep warm and stuff."

Severus straightened and sat back in his chair. "As a child in this family... as my child, you will never be responsible for buying the things you need. I will buy your clothes and school supplies, and anything else you should need. That will not change based on any earnings you receive as part of this family's gem business."

"Ok," Harry said. "I want seventy percent of what we earned this summer."

Severus snorted, though he didn't look mad. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"What are you basing your high percentage on?"

"You're supposed to negotiate before work, and you didn't. That gives me the upper hand to ask for higher amounts and take you to court over unpaid earnings if you don't agree."

"That is- underhanded." Severus said, though again not disapproving. "I never imagined you were so Slytherin."

"Seventy percent," Harry said again, all confidence.

"Assuming you don't go to court over it, because you can't afford the cost of a barrister, and because anything less than ten thousand galleons isn't worth going to court over, tell me what you're basing your 70% fee on."

Harry wasn't sure what to say to that. He and Snape had worked equal hours and had worked equally as hard, though 70% wasn't really his goal to begin with.

"My fee is based off of the extra time spent outside of the mines learning the trade."

"It could be argued that I should make 70% based on the years of learning and experience I have put in to be able to teach you the trade. 70% would be my fee for teaching you. An apprentice rarely makes more than 20%."

"I'm not an apprentice, I'm your son."

"Very clever," Severus said, taking a sip of his tea. "As my son I'll give you 30%."

"I worked equal hours to you, not counting the time spent studying. I couldn't settle for less than 65%."

Severus narrowed his eyes in approval. He supposed all the time he'd spent working for the neighbors over the summer had given his practice in negotiation.

"I had to pay 60 galleons for the ingredients for the potions used in mining, and you were allowed the use of tools I had already paid for in order to work in the mine."

"It's because of me that the mine doesn't belong to the Malfoy's right now," Harry countered.

"Fifty percent."

"Done," Harry said happily, reaching for another biscuit.

"When we go into town to take gems to the dealer later this week, you will do the negotiating," Severus said.

Harry started to look nervous again. "Really?"

"I wanted to see how you would do in a negotiation, which is why we just conducted this exercise."

"Oh, so I don't really get anything?"

"You will get 50% of what we earned, which will be placed into an account you will be able to access on your 17th birthday, with the exception of 50 galleons which will be paid to you before you go to buy things for the orphanage."

"What!?"

"You failed to negotiate how and when you would be paid before you closed the deal."

"I won't make that mistake again," Harry said angrily.

"See that you don't," Severus said with a smile.

"What about what we make in the future."

"That is still open to negotiation."

They agreed on 40% for the next three years as Harry was still just learning, and they agreed that it would be paid as soon as any earnings came in from the gem dealers and Ministry.

"I will also give you 100 pounds for the orphans."

Harry went to the kitchen drawer where they stored extra paper and began doing math. "I'll have 810 pounds altogether with what I have already, which is about 23 pounds per kid I can spend at the orphanage. Do you know how to get in contact with them sir? Could I call them on the phone and ask if they could get each kid to tell them one thing they want for Christmas so I could know what to buy?"

"I will contact them and ask them for a list."

Harry grinned at him and Severus decided that he'd do whatever he could in the future to continue getting that look from the child. A look like the boy was thankful to have him, and would rather be there in Bainbridge with him than anywhere else.

"Think they'll all be too big now?" Arran asked. "Haven't planted anything new in years."

"A fire swept through almost ten years ago. Fires have a way of renewing the land and making new trees sprout up."

It was only a thirty minute drive to get to the property before they turned down a dirt lane covered in snow and had to get out and walk. They trudged through a foot of snow for several minutes before they made it to a stand of large trees that could be cut down for Christmas. As Severus had predicted, there were a dozen smaller trees that would be good for taking home.

"You pick first master Harry," Arran said, and Harry and Severus walked through the stand of trees looking for one that was round and about nine feet tall.

"What about this one?" Harry asked.

Severus nodded and Arran showed Harry how to climb under the tree and how to start sawing it. Harry struggled with the saw in the snow and only made it halfway through before Snape finished and the tree fell into the snow with a soft woosh. A few minutes later Arran picked out a much smaller tree that was about as tall as Arran was and they dragged both trees back through the snow and down to the truck. In short order they had the trees secured and Arran brought out a thermos of hot cocoa and poured Harry a cup.

When they made it back to Bainbridge Arran dropped them and their tree off at their house and then took his own tree home for Mrs. Mayer to decorate.

Severus brought out a box of ornaments and Muggle lights and helped Harry put the tree up and add the lights. Then he made a pot of tea while Harry set to work putting up the ornaments. Harry had always watched his aunt and uncle decorate with his cousin but had never been allowed to participate.

When they were done forty minutes later, they stood back to admire their work. The tree had white lights, silver ornaments, and pinecones that looked as though they had snow on them. There was also a long garland of muted red wood beads on a string that Harry had strung up all over the tree.

"It's perfect," Harry said with a grin.

"Mrs. Mayer will be over in the morning to help decorate the house. Have you confirmed with your friend's parents what time he will arrive tomorrow evening?"

"Five fifteen," Harry said.

"Good. Come to the table for dinner."

* * *

Harry had a good time with Mrs. Mayer the next morning. His father was busy finishing a few fire crystals in his office, but had excused Harry from working that day since there was decorating to be done.

Harry stood on a chair and hung green garlands up where Mrs. Mayer directed him to, helped put together a wreath that they hung outside the front door, and changed out some of the kitchen dishes and hand towels for red, white and green replacements which they would keep out until Christmas was over. The whole house felt festive to Harry and he loved it.

"There's an extra string of lights," Harry said.

"Where would you like to put them?"

"I get to choose?"

Millie nodded.

"Can I put them in my room?"

"I think we can manage that."

A few minutes later and they had the colorful lights strung up around the ceiling in Harry's bedroom. It was still daylight and Harry couldn't wait to see what it would look like at night with his bedroom light turned off.

They baked cranberry oatmeal cookies, and an apple crumble cobbler and Millie let him help put a roast in to cook. By the time five fifteen rolled around the whole house smelled like roast and cookies and looked like Christmas, despite that it was still almost two weeks away.

At five fifteen on the nose, the floo came to life and Ron stepped out, looking wary. Harry was there to greet him though.

"Hey," Harry said brightly.

"Hey." Ron looked around, taking in the large living area and tree.

"Is erm, your dad around?"

"He's in his office. He told us to start on dinner without him."

"Really?" Ron asked. "I'm starving."

Harry took Ron up to his room so he could put his backpack and blanket away and then brought him back down to the kitchen. Harry pulled out the roast and vegetables and set them on the table.

"Wow Harry, he cooked all this?"

Harry laughed. "No, Mrs. Mayer and I did."

"Mum'd flip if she had enough money for a servant."

"She's not a servant," Harry said, cutting some meat off the roast to put onto his plate. "She's family."

"She is?"

"Yeah, her and Mr. Mayer. We went out and got our Christmas trees together yesterday, and she and I cooked all day today and decorated the house."

"They don't live here do they?" Ron asked. Harry had told him as much as he could about his new home while they were at school, but Ron hadn't understood all of it.

"They live down the lane."

Ron was just serving himself seconds when Severus finally came in from his office and sat down at the table to eat. Ron was sitting in the spot he usually occupied at the head of the table, though Severus didn't comment about it. Instead he greeted him with, "Mr. Weasley."

"Sir," Ron said, growing quiet.

"We were just talking about the latest match the Cannons had with the Arrows," Harry said, getting up to retrieve the apple crumble cobbler.

"The Arrows don't have a chance to make the finals this year."

"They dropped the Quaffle sixteen times," Ron said, forgetting to be uncomfortable around his Potions Professor now that the man seemed interested in talking about Quidditch. "It was painful to watch. It wasn't even a challenge for the Cannons."

"You got to go to a match?" Harry asked.

"Dad called in a favor and got us tickets. Even mum went."

"That must have been fun," Harry said. "I want to see the Falcons play the British National team. I think they could both end up top two in the finals this year."

"Only if the Falcons can beat the Harpies first," Ron said.

Severus settled in to eat and listen to the two boys talk. He rarely got to listen to Harry interact with his friends up close. Ron had thirds and then a piece of the cobbler before boy boys disappeared up to Harry's room for the evening. Harry came back down around nine to make popcorn and then Severus didn't see either of them again that night.

"Here," Ron told Harry, and pulled out a few Quidditch magazines. "I brought these to look at, and I brought my chess set."

"Perfect."

The boys settled onto the floor to play chess and after Ron had beat Harry twice, he looked up and spied the many crystal fragments on the shelf above his desk and on his window sill. The Christmas lights around the ceiling glinted off of the crystals in red, green, blue and yellow.

"What are each of those?" Ron asked. Harry spent a long time explaining what they all were and what they were used for before the boys decided to read Quidditch magazines. After midnight Harry took Ron back downstairs, though the house was dark, and showed him all of his books in the bookshelf under the stairs that he, his father and Arran had built.

"All these are yours?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, look at all the Quidditch books."

They picked a few books and went back upstairs. Harry finally fell asleep around one thirty, happy that his friend was having a good time, that he had liked his room and his crystal collection, and that he finally knew what it was like to have a friend over. Each summer Dean and Seamus talked about how they had visited each other over summer holiday, and Hermione told of having a muggle friend over when she was at home. Now Harry could tell his friends about having Ron over, and wouldn't have to sit out of the conversation like he always did.

* * *

"Ron," Harry shook his friend. "Ron, c'mon."

"Wassit?"

"C'mon, get dressed."

"Why? It's not time for class is it?"

Harry laughed and threw a pillow at him, causing Ron to sit up, startled.

"Wait, what are we doing? What time is it?"

"Eight. We gotta hurry so we can go into town for donuts and coffee."

"Donuts? What's that?"

"You'll see."

The two got bundled up and Harry loaned Ron a winter hat and a pair of gloves and they headed downstairs.

"What about breakfast? Where's your dad?"

"We're gonna go into Hawes and get breakfast and bring it back. He's probably in his office or still sleeping. We gotta hurry if we're gonna be back and ready to go by ten."

"We're going somewhere at ten?"

"Dad's taking us Christmas shopping."

"You're allowed to go out on your own without him? Mum won't let me out of the house with Sirius Black on the loose."

"Because we used to own all the land between here and the other side of Hawes, there's protection spells all over. No curses or hexes or binding spells can be used here. So long as no one pops out from the bushes and tries to pin us down we'll be good."

When they neared the Mayer's house the door to Mrs. Allan's house opened and she waved them down. "Master Harry, are you going into town for pastries?"

"Yes maam."

"Would you bring me some if I give you a few pounds?"

"Yes." He went into her yard through the gate and took five pounds from her and a piece of paper with the kind she wanted, and told her he'd be back before ten.

"Harry, who was that?"

"Mrs. Allan."

They made it into Hawes in good time and Harry led Ron to his favorite coffee shop and ordered he and his friend two coffees and let Ron pick out a couple kinds of donuts. He also bought Mrs. Allan's donuts and then they drank their coffee as they went to the next shop.

"What are these anyway?" Ron asked, looking into the bag with the donuts he'd picked.

"Try one."

Ron reached in and pulled out a raspberry jelly donut with powdered sugar on top and took a bite.

"Harry," Ron said, "Mum's gonna have to learn to make these."

Harry laughed. "Good aren't they?"

"What's this other place we're going to?"

"They have more kinds of donuts."

"‘Oom all ‘fer it," Ron said with his mouth full.

Harry bought Ron another donut and then added several more to his bag and they headed back towards Mrs. Allan's house. She thanked Harry when he delivered them to her and then they made their way back home. Snape was in the kitchen drinking coffee when they got there.

"Here," Harry said, "putting the bag of donuts on the table. And here's the change."

"You may keep it with you to use on our trip today."

Harry pocketed the five pounds that was left from what his father had given him to take his friend into town that morning and sat at the table to have his own breakfast as Ron finished off his third donut.

"I can't believe the Muggles have something like this," he said. "If someone learned to make these and opened a shop in Diagon Alley they'd make a killing."

"Perhaps you should learn about running a business then," Snape said. "So you will have something to do after school."

"Yeah, that sounds right," Harry said. "Ron running a sweet shop after graduation."

"I could make pumpkin donuts and butterbeer donuts too," Ron said. "And donuts with bacon on top."

Harry laughed and Severus was glad once again to see the child smiling and feeling comfortable over the holiday. Perhaps he'd have to allow him to have his friend over again over the summer.

At ten Severus apparated both boys to Kendal and took them to a shopping center. Severus had given Harry fifty pounds to spend on his friends, plus the five pounds change he had let him keep from that morning. Harry and Ron found a book about drawing to give to Ginny, and a fancy pen to give to Hermione. Harry told Ron they could put both of their names on the items since Ron had helped him pick out the gifts.

"You can't come in this store with me," he told Ron outside of a sports store.

"Why not?"

"I gotta get your gift. You have to stay with my dad. And when I come out you have to not look at what I have so my dad can shrink it down."

Harry hurried inside and came out with a huge box, which Ron turned around for so he wouldn't see. Severus raised his eyebrows at the gift but shrunk it down and put it into a bag they had other items in without comment. Harry had gotten Ron a lawn chess set. The chess board was actually a blanket that spread out over a large area, and all the pieces were round discs with pictures of the chess piece they represented. It wasn't huge like the giant chess set they had played across at the end of their first year, but it was different than what Ron already had and Harry thought he would have fun playing with it at school when the weather got nicer, or in the common room.

Severus took them to lunch where they got fish and chips, and then took them home. It was three when they returned, and the boys disappeared upstairs to wrap their gifts for Ginny and Hermione, and to play games. After dinner that evening, when Ron was ready to return home, he looked at Harry and said, "Your house is cool Harry. Next time you'll have to visit mine."

"Definitely."

"Maybe you could send some donuts with Hedwig so mum can try one and see if she can figure out how to make them."

"The next time I go into town I'll get some to send to you."

Ron waved and then threw a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, stepped inside, and was gone.

There was still a week and a half until Christmas, and Harry thought that it had already been the best Christmas he had ever had.

He turned and found Severus leaning on the doorframe leading into the entryway.

"Thanks," he said.

"You are welcome."

"I mean-" Harry said, "thanks for letting me have my friend over. But thanks too because this is the best Christmas."

"It is not yet Christmas."

"Yeah, I know, but it's already better than any I've had."

"You may have him over again sometime. The next time I will take the both of you into the mines."

"Really?"

"You were both well-behaved. I see no reason why he cannot return."

"Forty seven Galleons," Harry agreed, holding out his hand to shake on it. The man took Harry's hand and gave it a quick shake and then pulled out his money pouch.

Not looking up as he counted out money he said, "He picked up negotiatin' a lot faster than you did when you were younger Severus."

Harry looked between the dealer and Snape and wondered at the comment.

"He had a good teacher."

The dealer laughed. "Let your granda' hear that from beyond the grave. He'll be back to haunt you right quick. This can't be his first deal," he commented, nodding his head towards Harry as he counted out the last of the gold coins.

"It is."

"On your da's first deal his grandda' cuffed him about the head when he was done for haggling down instead of up." He handed the coins to Harry, who put them in the black suede money pouch they used for conducting business. His father had made one for him and given it to him the evening before. "Woulda laughed myself silly if my da' hadn'ta done the same to me for paying out more'n he woulda liked on that deal."

Harry looked up at his father again in awe, trying to imagine the tall dark Potions Master getting cuffed for doing poorly on a gem deal by his grandfather, who had been running the Prince gem business at the time.

"We will return in the third week of June with more fire quartz," Severus told the dealer, and the man waved, thanking them for the delivery.

Harry and his father walked out of the large wooden shed and into the pasture, boots squelching in the wet grass as fog rolled across the hills around them.

"You really got hit for not doing a deal right?" Harry asked when they were a bit further from the workshop.

"Hit, no. Cuffed lightly, yes. My grandfather was a smart business man and was very particular about teaching his descendants the right way to do business so the family legacy could continue. He was however, not interested in abusing his charges. He was strict and I was made to re-read the book about bartering and made to practice haggling with my older cousins for months before I was allowed to make another gem deal."

Severus held out his arm and Harry took it so they could apparate home. When they arrived inside the entryway, Harry pulled off his muddy boots and set them by the door and then followed his father to his office with the money pouch so his father could write the transaction in the books and balance the accounts.

As Severus pulled out the business ledger Harry stood on the other side of his father's desk and fidgeted for a moment. "If I hadn't done the deal right, would you have cuffed me like your grandfather did you?"

Severus looked up at Harry and found both anxiety and curiosity on his face. "I will never hit you," he said. Harry seemed to take his word for it and came to the other side of the desk when beckoned to do so a moment later to watch as his father entered the transaction into the ledger.

When they were done entering the information, Snape closed the leather bound book and slipped it back into the desk drawer. Then he pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it to Harry. "This is the list you asked for from the orphanage. They called back yesterday evening. As you no longer reside there, they can't share the names of the boys."

Harry's eyes scanned down the list. It was numbered instead of listing names. 1. A fire engine that makes noise. 2. A really warm blue coat - boy's size medium (child requested this item so children at school would no longer make fun of him for his coat). 3. A regulation sized football.... the list went on. Harry found the bottom of the list. 33. There were 33 boys still at the orphanage. There had been 34 when he'd left last summer and he wondered who else had been adopted.

"Bet the coat is for Eddie. He loves dark blue and always complained about not having anything good to wear." His eyes scanned down the list to number twelve. "Twelve has to be Noah because he loves board games."

Severus listened as Harry guessed several other boys he had known living at the orphanage.

"When can we go get gifts?"

Severus looked over the list again. "I do not believe you will have enough money to purchase all the items on the list. It is supposed to snow heavily again tonight, and tomorrow, perhaps after you have earned some more from shoveling?"

Harry nodded. "So Friday? That's still a couple days until Christmas."

"We will go Friday morning. Perhaps Mrs. Mayer would like to accompany us into town."

"I'll ask," Harry said brightly. He turned to head for the door but turned back again and said, "Can I go over there?" It was dark out and he didn't want to go out without permission.

"Yes. Hurry back."

Harry pulled his coat and boots back on and raced down the lane to ask Millie if she wanted to come buy Christmas gifts Friday morning to deliver Saturday to the orphanage. She told him she would love to come.

"I've got to shovel snow for a few more days so I have enough money. It's supposed to snow a lot tonight and tomorrow."

"If only you had a friend to shovel with you," she said. "How many places do you shovel in a day?"

"Twenty if I'm doing the shops in town," Harry said.

"There's thirty five in Hawes I think," she said.

"Yeah. I can only do 10 if I'm shoveling walkways at houses because they're not as close together as the shops." Harry told her goodbye and set back out in the darkness, shoes crunching on the snowy lane as he made his way home. By the time he'd returned a few minutes later a plan had slowly formed in his mind and he found his father in the living room reading on the couch in front of the Christmas tree.

"Could I have Ron over again tomorrow and the next day?" Harry asked. "Not to spend the night," he clarified. "If he could come help me shovel walkways we could do twice as many."

"You assume he wants to shovel snow with you."

"Well, he might not," Harry agreed. "But could I firecall and ask him?"

Severus looked over his book at Harry and motioned to the spot on the couch beside him. Harry came and sat down.

"You want the money for the orphans," Severus said.

"Yeah."

"You cannot expect your friend to want the same things as you do, or to put all of his effort into working for free as you have done. He may agree to help you for nothing, or he may want some of the profits."

"If he helps me and keeps a couple pounds per shop, I'd still have more than I had before," Harry said.

"He may wish to keep the entire amount from the shops he shovels."

Harry hadn't thought of that. Millie and Arran and Mrs. Allan had been so generous offering to donate money to buy gifts for the orphans as well that Harry had assumed everyone would want to help.

"Well," said Harry, "if he does want to keep it all, it's ok. It would still be fun to have a friend to shovel with."

"You will also need to provide lunch for your friend, and dinner if he is here late."

"I can make him dinner here," Harry said.

Severus narrowed his eyes at him. "Firecall your friend and ask to speak to him in person, either here or at the Burrow. This is a conversation best had in person with his parents. Tell him you will buy him lunch in town and that I will provide dinner both days. We will also provide the shovel and warm gloves. I will give you money both days for the two of you to eat in Hawes."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yes. That is assuming his parents agree to let him work with you for the next two days."

Harry jumped up from the couch and asked excitedly, "Can I firecall him now then before it's too late?" It was already nearing six.

"Yes. If his parents agree you may step through to the Burrow provided you are not gone for more than an hour."

"Thanks!"

Harry took the floo powder from the mantle and threw a handful into the grate calling, "The Burrow!" It was only a few minutes before he'd been invited to come all the way through, so he stepped through, shouting to his father that he'd be back soon.

The Weasleys had just finished with dinner and were happy to see Harry for the holidays. Ron was especially happy to see his friend a second time.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" asked Ron, bringing Harry into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was cleaning up after dinner and Mr. Weasley was reading the evening edition of the Prophet at the dining table.

"Hello Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley said, and he returned her greeting and then Mr. Weasley's greeting.

"I came to ask if you would help me for the next two days," Harry told Ron, sitting at the wooden table with him. "Or just one day if you can. I've been shoveling snow to earn money so I can buy a gift for every kid still at the orphanage in Leeds for Christmas, because they only get whatever people donate. We're going to get gifts Friday but I haven't earned enough yet. It's supposed to snow pretty good tonight and tomorrow so there will be lots of shoveling to do. I can do 20 shops on my own each day, that's 100 pounds. If you helped we could double the amount of shops we shovel in front of. I understand if you don't want to do it for free. I thought maybe if you wanted to keep half from the shops you do and put the other half to the presents? Or if that's not enough you could keep all of what you earn. It'd be fun still to have a friend to spend the day shoveling with. We'd feed you and everything... my dad's going to give me money for lunches, and he'll make dinner both nights. And we have a warm pair of snow gloves for you and I'm going to borrow a second shovel from Arran."

Harry had said it all rather quickly, hoping to get it all out before his friend could say no. At least this way he could make sure he heard the whole spiel.

"How much do you have so far Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I have enough to spend 23 pounds per kid at the orphanage. There's 33 this year."

"You earned almost 800 pounds shoveling snow?" Mr. Weasley asked, surprised.

"No," Harry said, I earned some selling gems and my dad is donating some money, and Mr and Mrs. Mayer and Mrs. Allan donated some too. I earned half though.

"That's about 160 Galleons," Mrs. Weasley said, doing some quick maths.

"I know I won't have enough to buy them candy or anything. We called the orphanage and asked them to ask each kid for one thing they wanted. A lot of it's toys. Some of the kids asked for things like warm coats or scarfs and mittens though, so 23 pounds per kid won't be enough. They have room for 35 kids, and I was also kind of hoping to buy two extra gifts... just in case they get someone in on Christmas, you know? The year I went I came in on Christmas Eve."

"You did?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Harry nodded. That day he'd been out in the snow all morning with no coat, no gloves or hat... when someone had called the police and he'd told them why he'd run away they'd put him into a car in front of a heater to warm up and taken him later that evening into Leeds to the orphanage. Harry shook himself from the memory, not wanting to think about it. The next morning the other boys had all been given gifts that had been donated. Mostly it was little things, but Harry had nothing. He had pretended not to be upset, because he was finally warm and fed and had a safe place to live, but it hurt to know he was having yet another Christmas where no one had thought of him.

"Harry," Mrs. Weasley said, "I'm going to make candy to give to them. When are you dropping off the gifts?"

"Saturday morning... Christmas Eve."

"I'll have Ginny and the twins help me," she said. "That way every child can have something sweet Christmas day. I'll bring them to you Friday evening through the Floo if that's all right."

Harry nodded. "That'd be great. Thank you," he said brightly.

"What do you think Ron?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Of course I'll help. You're buying donuts again right?"

Harry grinned. "Yup, dad said he'd give me money for lunch in town."

"Then I don't need to keep any of the money from shoveling then. You're gonna show me how to do it right?"

"Yeah, it's hard work, but not too bad once you figure it out."

Mr. Weasley turned to Harry and said, "Ron said there are wards on the entire area you live in. I hope you can understand Harry that we're a bit worried about Sirius Black."

Harry explained to him about how the area around Hawes used to be owned by the Princes, and how it was all warded against curses, hexes and binding charms.

Mrs. Weasley gave Harry a piece of cake she'd made earlier and then disappeared upstairs. Before Harry left to return through the Floo a few minutes later she came back downstairs with a thick warm coat and a wool hat and an old scarf for Ron. "I'm not sure about keeping your shoes dry though," she said. "I'll have to look up a spell in the household charms book."

"Oh," Harry said. "We have a waterproofing potion we put on my boots. We have enough left for another pair. Could I use your Floo to go get it?"

"That must be a very expensive potion," Mr. Weasley said.

"We brewed it ourselves," Harry told him.

They gave him permission to use the Floo again and he was back five minutes later with the potion and with his father, who insisted he be the one to pour the potion over the boots so none be wasted as they didn't have more.

Severus and Arthur worked the potion over Ron's boots outside the back door and then set them to dry by the fire. Severus promised they would be dry and waterproof by the next morning.

"I'll come through at seven," Ron promised, and Harry waved at his friend before he and his father went home through the Floo.

"It's going to be great," Harry enthused when they made it back through to their own living room. "Mrs. Weasley's going to make some candy for the orphans and everything. She said she'd bring it all Friday night."

"And you are certain you did not impose your own wishes upon them?" Severus asked.

"I was polite," Harry promised. "I just explained what I was doing and they offered to help."

"I see." He looked at his watch. "It is eight. If you are to rise early to greet your friend, you should go to bed early."

Harry told him goodnight and hurried upstairs, flopping into his soft warm bed on his back with a grin. Images of delivering gifts to the orphanage in a few days danced before his mindseye as he stared at the ceiling of his room, Christmas lights making him feel cozy and at home in his space.

* * *

Ron's mother had sent breakfast through the Floo with Ron the next morning. Apparently he'd woken too late to eat and she'd insisted he take some for Harry as well since Harry and Severus were providing lunch and dinner. Harry and his friend ate quickly and then Harry gave him the warm gloves and they went down the snowy lane, bundled up, to ask Arran if they could borrow his snow shovel for the next two days.

"Lucky for you I know two young masters who will shovel my walkway since I'm not going to have my shovel with me," Arran said with a wink as he handed the shovel to Harry. Harry grinned at him as he handed it to Ron and the two boys thanked him and shoveled the walkway from the Mayer's front door and out to their front gate.

Once they made it to Hawes, Harry showed Ron how to ask each business if they wanted their walkway shoveled. There was six inches of snow on the ground that morning and the shopkeepers seemed to be waiting for Harry. The first shop owner handed Harry eight pounds and said, "This is going to buy presents for some orphans right?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "But how did you know?"

"Arran came down and told us last night when his wife sent him into town for flour and sugar."

"Oh," said Harry. "Thank you!"

Then he took Ron back outside and showed him how to shovel the snow, and gave him a few tips on doing it quickly and in a way that wouldn't cause his back to hurt later on. "Push it off to the side here like this instead of lifting it up and dumping it out. If it sticks to the shovel tip the shovel over and tap it on the ground and the snow will fall off like this, see?"

Then they were off. Harry went across the street and started there, and together they made their way up the street, getting further than Harry had done previously on his own. As before, the shop owners seemed to be waiting for them with money. They usually gave Harry five pounds to shovel, but now they were giving him seven or eight. One shop gave him twenty. Harry asked why he was giving him so much, to make sure he wasn't expected to come back and work again for the next few days without pay, and the bakery worker said, "For the orphans. Buy ‘em somethin' good."

"Did Arran tell you?" Harry asked.

"I think he told Peter down at the grocer. Peter called around last night and told us why you've been out shoveling the last couple weeks. You shoulda told us sooner. We want to help."

Harry was stunned and felt like tears were prickling his eyes. Why was he tearing up? He'd cried a lot during his life because he'd been hit, or because he was sad or lonely, or even angry. You weren't supposed to cry because you were happy, were you?

"Uh, thanks," Ron said, accepting the twenty pound note. "We'll put it to good use."

The baker smiled and went back inside and Ron slapped Harry on the back and turned away as Harry wiped his gloves across his eyes.

"Sorry," Harry said a minute later.

"For what?"

"You know."

"Nah, didn't see nothing."

They grinned at each other and finished shoveling that street and made their way down a couple of the side streets with businesses on them.

It was four and the sun was starting to set when they left Hawes and headed back towards Bainbridge. They decided to see if they could shovel a few walkways before dinner and Harry took Ron to a few houses he'd shoveled for before. They seemed to be waiting for Harry and Ron and were glad to have the help removing the snow as it was starting to snow again and they were supposed to get three more inches that night. Generally Harry had only been charging three pounds per house, but now they were giving him random amounts as well, from three to twelve pounds.

It was dark and the temperature was dropping when they made it home at six that evening. Severus was inside with Chinese takeaway and a pot of hot tea waiting for them.

"You were out later than expected," Severus commented when they both came in and began stripping wet clothing and shoes off by the front door.

"We shoveled all the businesses in Hawes except one," Harry said, "and then we got five houses between here and Bainbridge."

The boys sat down to eat, hungry and tired, and Severus cast a warming charm on both of them.

"How much did you make?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"We will count it after you eat."

When both boys were full, they emptied their pockets onto the center of the table and counted out the money. "Two hundred and seventy one pounds," Severus said, impressed. "I thought you were only charging five pounds for each business."

"We were," Harry said. "I guess Arran told them why I was shoveling. All day people just kept handing us more than what we were asking for."

"One guy gave us twenty," Ron said, "and a woman down the lane gave us twelve." Harry was grateful that Ron didn't mention the tears that had sprung to his eyes earlier in the day.

Severus made Ron drink another cup of tea, asked how his boots had held up in the snow with the waterproofing potion, and then told him to go home and get a good night's sleep.

"No arguments there Professor," Ron told him. "I'm wiped out. I didn't know so many muscles could hurt all at once."

Ron told Harry he'd be back again in the morning and went home through the Floo. Severus added the money to what Harry had already earned, which they were keeping in a box locked with a spell in the office and Harry went up to bed as well.

Before the orphanage he'd only known life with the Dursleys. They had been horrible and stingy when it came to providing even the basics for Harry. Harry had only known cruelty when he'd lived with them. Though he knew other people had the capacity for kindness, he had never seen it aimed at him.

Then Harry had gone to the orphanage where the Father's were strict, but kind, and where kind strangers occasionally donated clothes or toys or things for Christmas to the orphanage. Harry had found some of that same kindness at Hogwarts from Professors and friends as well.

It wasn't until Harry had come to Bainbridge though, and met Millie, Arran and Mrs. Allan that he really started to see generosity in his life, and felt loved for the first time. Even though it had taken a full summer, he had started to feel respected and wanted by his father too. His father also seemed to be generous in letting Ron come to stay the night, in giving Harry all he needed, and agreeing to help him with the orphanage. Harry hadn't expected it from others in town though. He had never been able to be generous before, though he wanted to. Now he felt like he would be able to be generous to the orphans because of the generosity the people in Hawes and Bainbridge had shown to him. The people today who had given him extra money, who had been waiting for him to come shovel snow... they'd made Harry feel wanted in a way he never had before. They'd made him feel welcome. They'd made him feel as though Bainbridge was really home.

* * *

Harry stood still in Millie's kitchen, mouth hanging open. Tears were prickling his eyes again and he was feeling that same sense of awe he'd felt in the past two days at the generosity of the people who wanted to help him by paying him extra to shovel snow. There were plates piled with freshly baked soft sugar cookies, chocolate fingers, and mince pies. Millie was bustling about directing Mrs. Allan to put them into certain boxes when they were all wrapped up in plastic before she could leave with Harry and Severus for the day to go shopping. His eyes roved around the kitchen and found sugared almonds, brownies, and blueberry muffins as well, wrapped up and ready to be packed away into boxes.

"But- why?" Harry asked. The two women turned to him. He'd come to collect Millie Friday morning so Snape could apparate them to the shopping center, and found that the two women had spent the entire day before baking goodies to take to the orphanage Saturday morning for Christmas. Now Mrs. Allan was going to spend time wrapping them all up and preparing them for transportation the next morning since Millie wasn't going to be there.

"What do you mean why silly child," Millie admonished him with a little laugh. "Can't have children going Christmas day without goodies to eat."

"But- you both already donated money, and Arran let Ron borrow his shovel, and you're going to help us buy gifts. You didn't have to do this too." Harry was desperate to know. He was passionate about doing this for the boys that had been left behind at the orphanage. He didn't understand why everyone else was as well.

Millie and Mrs. Allan looked at each other and then back to Harry. Mille stepped towards him and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Because it's important to you Harry, so it's important to us."

"I don't understand."

"We're family," she said. "This is what families do."

"Why?"

"Because they love each other."

Harry looked around at the kitchen full of baked goods again. This was for the orphans, but it was really for him? Was Mrs. Allan his family now too? He felt like she was.

Harry hugged Millie then, surprising her, but she quickly wrapped him up in her arms. "Thank you," he said.

She murmured her assent into the top of his hair, and then he pulled back and gave Mrs. Allan a hug too. She hugged him back and then took a dish towel and wiped gently at Harry's wet eyes with it. "Come now, can't have you going out with your eyes all wet can we? Master Snape will come after us thinking we've treated you poorly."

Harry laughed and said, "He might drag you down the lane by your ear to apologize."

Both women laughed. Millie had heard the story and Mrs. Allan had seen Snape dragging that boy down the lane in person. "Oh no, can't have that," she said.

"We'd better hurry," Millie said, "or we'll be late. I want to get down to the Master's house and get a roast in to cook before we leave and that will take a few minutes. Don't forget to package those muffins in airtight containers," she said. "I don't want them stale by Christmas morning."

"Yes yes," said Mrs. Allan, tutting. "I have baked before you know."

As Harry and Millie went back home, Harry thought about what Millie had said. They had done it for him. The people he'd shoveled for weren't family though, and they'd still paid him extra. Why? Because Arran had told them what Harry was working for. Arran had done that for him, and then the townspeople had wanted to help.

When they returned to the house, Harry was surprised to find Ron sitting at the table drinking hot cocoa.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Professor Snape came through the Floo and asked me to come buy the gifts with you guys. I was glad to get out of the house before mum roped me into making candy. I just want to eat it, not make it. He said I helped earn the money so I should help buy the gifts too."

His father came into the kitchen before Harry could question him more and brought in the money and the list, which was now split onto four different pieces of Muggle lined paper. He sat at the table with Harry and Ron as they waited for Millie to finish putting in the roast to cook. When she came to the table a minute later and sat down, Severus handed a list to each of them.

"We will stick together as much as possible, though it may go quicker if we each focus on finding certain items. Mr. Weasley, your list has toys for many of the younger children."

"Two toy fire engines, a set of L E G O," he read, saying each letter instead of reading it as one word, "a tip lorry, a set of Hot Wheels in cool colors," Ron paused and asked, "what are Hot Wheels?"

"Small metal toy cars," Millie said.

Ron nodded and scanned down his list to look at the other toys listed there, eight items in all.

"Harry, your list is geared towards sports items like footballs."

"Got it," Harry said. There were things like footballs, basket balls, rugby balls, and cricket sets on his list, which also had eight items.

"Your list has clothing and miscellaneous items," Severus told Millie. Harry noted one of the items on her list was 35 pairs of fabric gloves. "Apart from your items, we will be buying each boy a pair of fabric one size fits all gloves. This was a request from the priests who run the orphanage."

"At this time of year those are only about a pound for a pair," Millie said.

"Yes," Severus agreed. "My list has board games. We currently have 38 pounds per child to spend," he went on. "There is also 44 pounds left for a pair of fabric gloves for each child, and 30 pounds left for wrapping paper, which we will give to the orphanage to wrap the gifts. I will be getting the wrapping paper along with the board games."

Severus divided up the money according to how many children were on each list, making sure to give Millie an extra 44 pounds to get the extra gloves.

"Do not lose the money. Check each item off the list as you find it and stay within the budget of 38 pounds per child," he said, handing each of them a Muggle style pen. "Once you make your purchases we will come together again to see how much money is left, and to ensure that the gifts are of equal value. Stick together as much as possible. Mr. Weasley, do not stray too far from one of us. I don't wish to be the focus of your mother's wrath should we lose you two days before Christmas."

"Yes sir."

Severus found himself in an awkward situation a few moments later as he needed to apparate three people, when he was used to only apparating one, or occasionally two. Harry and Ron ended up holding onto his left arm while Mrs. Mayer held on to the right. Severus apparated them to an alley next to huge rubbish bins behind the shopping center in Kendal.

"It's been a long time since I've been apparated," Millie said, looking down at her hands as if to make sure she was all in one piece.

They went around to the front of the shopping center and went into a large store that had many of the items they needed, and agreed to meet in the toy section in forty minutes. Ron and Millie split off to head to the toy and clothing departments, and Harry and Severus went to sporting goods, where Severus left Harry to go and find board games and wrapping paper.

Harry had 8 children on his list. On his list he had three footballs, one cricket set, one basketball, and three rugby balls. Harry found the cricket set first, which was over his budget. He only had 38 pounds to spend on each child but the set for the first boy was 42 pounds. It was the only option though so he put it in the trolley. If he stuck to his budget with the other gifts he would still have just over 37 pounds to spend for the other 7 kids on his list, which turned out not to be an issue as all of the other items were far under budget.

Harry had fun picking out rugby balls with fun colors. He put a green, black and white one into his trolley, followed by a blue, black and white one, and then finally a yellow and blue rugby ball. He hoped the boys using these would have a lot of fun and imagined big games of rugby going with all of the kids that lived there. Sometimes the Father's would have all of the kids walk down to the park and spend the day there.

Harry also picked out bright and colorful footballs. There was a green, blue and black one, an all gold football, and a bright blue football with large white x's on it.

The last thing on his list was a basketball. Harry found a handsome black basketball with bright teal letters and put it into his cart.

Harry had 304 dollars to spend on the children in his list, and after totaling up his purchases of the many balls and the cricket set, he still had 149 pounds left. He desperately wanted to go back and get rugby socks, football socks and other items to give to each of the boys on his list with the leftover money, but decided to do what his father had said instead and went to meet the others in the toy department, marking down how much extra money he would have on the list at the bottom next to the total of what his purchase was going to cost.

Harry found Ron putting his last item in his trolley. Harry peered inside. There were many large toy lorries, a big Lego set, and one box with five small Hot Wheels cars inside.

"How much will you have left?" Harry asked, and Ron looked at his list.

"I haven't totaled it up yet. I marked what each item costs next to it though. I know I spent less than what I have to spend on each kid, especially that one that wanted Hot Wheels."

Harry waited for him to do the maths, and when he was done, Ron still had 172 pounds left. "I mean, the pack of Hot Wheels was only 8 pounds, so that kid should still get some other toy that's 30 pounds right?"

Harry agreed. "I know. I have 149 pounds left and I wanted to get some cool sports socks or rugby shirts or something."

Snape was the next to finish his shopping and find them a few minutes later. His trolley was full of packages of brightly colored wrapping paper, board games and card games.

"How much do you have leftover?" Harry asked

He didn't even have to look at his list or count the totals as he knew off the top of his head. "52 pounds." Harry peered into the cart. "That one kid just wanted a deck of cards?" he asked. "Ron and I have a lot left over... enough to get each kid a second gift on top. Especially the one kid that got this," Harry said, holding up the small pack of Hot Wheels.

"We will see how much we each have left when Mrs. Mayer returns." She did a few minutes later with her items. She had 32 pounds left.

When they had totaled up what money they would have left after their purchases Severus said, "That leaves approximately eleven and a half pounds left per child."

"I have an idea," Ron said, and they turned to him. He held up the box of Hot Wheels cars with 5 cars inside. "This is for the one kid that wanted it. But hear me out, this was 8 pounds, it has 5 cars inside, there's 35 kids. If I can have-" he paused and did some maths in his head, "-if I can have 56 pounds of what's left, I can get enough of these packs so each kid can have one of these little cars that's inside. I don't know what Muggles do with these things, but seems like if everyone had one, they could all play with them together."

"So each kid would get a pair of gloves, a little car, and their gift," Harry said, thinking that would work out well. Severus did some maths on his list again and said, "If we do that and I add a few more pounds out of pocket, there will be enough left for 10 pounds for each child to get another small gift."

"The kids that got clothes could get a toy each," Harry suggested, "or a sports ball. A lot of the ones I put in the cart were about 10 pounds. And for the kids that asked for sports balls, I was looking at rugby and football socks. They had some that looked neat that were on sale for just under 10 pounds."

Severus pointed to the Hot Wheels pack in Ron's trolley and said, "Find something different than cars to give to that child with the Hot Wheels as a second gift." Then he looked into his own cart and said, "I will find something bigger to give to the child that asked for a deck of cards, and perhaps books for the other children that asked for board games."

Plan set in motion, they re-divided the money that was left over, giving Ron an extra 56 pounds and split up again. Harry hurried back to the sports department happily and picked out 3 pairs of striped rugby socks, all in different colors, 3 pairs of bright football socks, and then turned in a circle trying to figure out what to get the last two on his list. One had asked for the cricket set, and the other had asked for a basketball. He only had 10 pounds to spend on each of them and didn't want to get them socks, as that wouldn't go with either gift. Harry had no idea, because he hadn't really ever played basketball or cricket. He knew there had to be other accessories, like there were in Quidditch, but didn't know what to get. He supposed he must have looked lost or confused because an employee working in the sports section came up to him after a few minutes.

"Finding everything you need?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," Harry said, and explained his situation about only having 20 pounds left and needing to get something else basketball and Cricket related.

"Well what about a ball pump and needles?" the teenage employee asked. "Got all those balls and no pump for when they go flat, especially that basketball."

"I didn't realize," Harry said.

"Got a budget one over here. You screw the ball needle on and push the needle into the little hole there in the ball, then push down on the pump yourself. Yeah, here it is, eight pounds."

"Perfect," Harry said, though he felt like it might be kind of a lame gift when the other kids had gotten socks. On the other hand, the one kid with the ball pump would be popular because everyone would come to him to get their sports balls filled with air.

"And this," the guy said, sticking a foil packet of basketball cards into Harry's trolley. "Two pounds, that makes the ten you had, yeah?"

Harry nodded.

"Ok, cricket, let's see, that cricket set has everything needed to get started," the guy said, looking at the box, "kid's size cricket bat, a pair of batting gloves, a cricket ball, 4 stumps and a bail, yup looks good. What about-" he turned and led Harry to another aisle. "Yeah, here we go. How about a cricket magazine? Got The Cricketer, four pounds, or you can skip that and get him this book," he flipped it over. "Nine pounds. Look inside, it's got all kinds of interesting cricket facts and talks some about the famous teams, and the section in the back there talks about the rules and how to play and it has tips and stuff."

Harry put the book in the trolley and looked up at the teenage boy who had helped him. "Thank you. All this stuff is going to kids in Leeds in an orphanage. You've helped a bunch."

"Really? Glad to help then."

Harry took his items and went back to the toy section where Ron's trolley now had twice as many toys, and where Millie's had toys piled on top of clothing and gloves. Severus came up behind them just as Harry arrived. His trolley now had several books on top of the board games and wrapping paper and also a few extra games.

"Are we still within the budget?"

"Perfectly," Millie said. Harry nodded and Ron gave him a thumbs up.

"It is time to check out then."

Ron it turned out was over budget by one pound, but it worked out because Millie, who was in the next checkout lane over was under budget by one pound and handed it over to him so he could pay. Harry and Severus both had a few coins left, but that was it. They took their numerous bags and went to the back of the shopping center, though it was obvious there was no way Severus could apparate them all as well as their bags at once.

"I will take Mr. Weasley back to the house first with his bags, then I will return," Severus said. Ron slid his arm through the bag holes so they were all hanging heavily off of one arm and held tight to Severus who had done the same with his, and then they popped out of sight.

"You're a good boy Harry," Millie said when they were gone. "I don't know of many other young people your age that think of others like this."

"I just remember what it was like to be in the orphanage for Christmas and to have nothing but what I was wearing," he said. When he'd arrived that first night on Christmas Eve, he'd had only the clothes on his back and the hope that he'd never see the Dursleys again. It had taken a few days before the Fathers had managed to scrounge up some other clothes for him and get him enrolled in the primary school the other boys went to. He'd settled in after that and tried not to look back, determined to make the orphanage his home... that was until he'd gone away to Hogwarts and had determined to make Hogwarts his home. It was strange now, because he'd wanted to escape Hogwarts at the end of the term and come home to Bainbridge. Harry hoped Bainbridge would be his home for a long time yet.

Severus came back and seemed to be debating internally for a moment before Millie said, "I'm a grown woman and will be fine for the two minutes you're gone."

"I will return in one," Severus promised. Harry gathered his bags and Severus took his arm and apparated him home, where Ron was waiting in the kitchen. His father didn't say a word before apparating away to collect Millie again.

"How much was all that that we spent?" Ron asked. "In Galleons I mean?"

"Eh, 280 or something," Harry said, and Ron whistled.

"Not sure I've ever seen that much at once," Ron said. Severus came back with Millie before they could talk more about it.

They got their lists back out and Severus brought out a pad of Muggle paper. Millie wrote each child's number and wished for items on a separate sheet of paper and set it on the counter, table or floor. Then they began placing items from the bags onto their correct sheet of paper, until each paper had a little pile of gifts. Harry looked at what he had bought for the 8 boys on his list. Each boy on his list had gotten the item they wanted, the extra item Harry had bought for them, a little metal Hot Wheel's car, and a pair of gloves in colors of bright blue, dark red, orange, black, or other colors boys tended to gravitate towards. With the gifts, the baked goods, and the candy Mrs. Weasley was making, Harry really hoped the boys at the orphanage would have an excellent Christmas and feel wanted and loved. Harry had thought about each one of them through the hours of shoveling snow, planning, and purchasing the items.

* * *

There was no way Snape could apparate to the orphanage with 35 small boxes of gifts, ten rolls of wrapping paper, 5 boxes of baked goods and a box of homemade candy. It was only an hour and forty minute drive to the orphanage, so Arran loaded up his toolbox into the back seat of his truck the next morning and they carefully packed all of the boxes with the gifts, food and candy into the truck bed, covered it with a tarpaulin, and strapped it down. Then together, Harry, Severus and Arran made the drive to Leeds.

"I called ahead last night. They're expecting us at ten," Severus said told Arran when they were halfway there.

"We'll make it on time," Arran said.

When they got there, Arran couldn't remember where to go because it had been more than ten years since he'd been to Leeds, but Harry was more than familiar with the area and directed them to the orphanage.

"I'll unstrap the load," Arran said after they pulled up. "You go figure out if they want us to bring it in through the front door."

"Only one door in or out," Harry called back happily, hurrying up the three steps to the large front door. He opened it and stuck his head inside. There was no bell and the Father's didn't like when people knocked because the building was big and they couldn't hear when someone was at the door.

"Should you be going inside without permission?" Severus asked.

"Yeah, we have to go to Father Connor's office." Harry led Severus down the long straight hall with a high ceiling to a door halfway down and pushed it open. Somewhere in the distance they heard a thump and several boys laughing, and for just a moment Harry missed rough housing with the other boys he'd spent a few years growing up with.

"Harry!" Father Connor said, surprised to see him. "Come in! And Mr. Snape."

Severus gave him a nod. Father Connor had met Snape before when he'd gone out to meet him to see if his home was suitable for Harry. This was just days before Harry had returned on the train from Hogwarts the previous summer, only to be told he was getting adopted.

"How have you been?" Connor asked Harry. "You look well."

"I'm good!" Harry said brightly. "We brought presents, homemade candy and baked goods. Can we bring them in?"

"Of course, let me find Father Cooke so he can help." He picked up the phone on his aging wood desk and dialed one. A moment later all the phones in the house started ringing. They stopped after a moment and Harry knew it was because one of the other Father's had picked up somewhere else in the building.

"No, I need Father Cooke," Connor said into the phone. He hung up the phone, picked it up again, and dialed one. The phones all started ringing again. Again they stopped, and Connor said, "No, where's Cooke. Shout out for him to pick up."

Harry held in a laugh. The building was big and this was how they found each other. Harry and the other boys had frequently played jokes on the Father's by picking up the phones scattered throughout the house and dialing one to make them ring. Connor repeated the process again and finally it seemed he had found Cooke. "Come to the front and help unload gifts. There's someone here to see you." He smiled at Harry, and Harry felt awkward. Father Connor wasn't a bad guy, but he was strict. He ran the orphanage and Harry had often found himself on the receiving end of Connor's stern words while he'd lived there. It wasn't often that the man had smiled at him or seemed happy to see him. Harry had gotten along best with Father Cooke, and had been glad it had been Cooke who had driven him out to Bainbridge so long ago to go to his new home.

"Harry!" Father Cooke didn't give Harry a chance to turn around and instead gave him a bear hug from behind, lifting his feet off the floor momentarily before setting him down. Harry turned and hugged him.

"You look so good lad," he said. "Things seem to have turned out well for you."

"Yes sir."

They went back out front to where Arran had unloaded several boxes onto the sidewalk. "All the ones with a note on top are food," he said. "The rest are gifts."

"Each box has gifts for one child," Severus said. "We understand you have 33 boys in residence here?"

"We do," Connor said.

"There are two extra boxes in case you get a boy on Christmas."

"I see," Connor said, "thank you."

"We have included wrapping paper and tape. Inside each box is a paper with the number of the child you gave us and the item requested. There is more than the requested item in each box."

Father Cooke opened one of the cardboard boxes with gifts inside and smiled. "They'll love this," he said. "They're all like this?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "We earned a lot of money so there was enough to get all the kids some gloves, the gift they wanted, a little car and a second little gift. My friend's mum and his siblings made mint humbugs, candy canes and orange jelly slices, and our family down the lane made soft cookies and brownies and muffins for Christmas day." Harry didn't see the odd look Severus was giving him at his comment about having ‘family down the lane'.

"What a thoughtful young man you've grown to be," Cooke said. "Come on, let's get all this into the kitchen before the boys decide to disobey and come downstairs. They're banned from the kitchen until tomorrow so we can wrap gifts." He picked up two boxes stacked on each other and Harry did the same and followed him in.

"What do you have that needs to be fixed?" Arran asked Connor as he pulled his toolbox out of the truck.

"Fixed?"

"We'll be here a couple hours. If you've got something that needs done, I'll do it."

"You're too kind. As a matter of fact, there's a few wires poking out of the wall in the downstairs hall, and one of the shower heads in the upstairs bathrooms isn't working, and one of the toilets runs constantly."

"I'll take care of it," Arran said, "just show me where to go."

While Arran worked, Severus, Harry, Father Cooke and Father Connor moved the rest of the boxes into the kitchen and began unpacking food to put away. Harry didn't need to be told where things went because he remembered, and Severus watched as he retrieved two pairs of scissors from a kitchen drawer without being asked and brought them to the table to start wrapping gifts.

"Someone else went home after I left?" Harry asked.

"He was adopted by a family in Norway," Cooke asked.

"Who was it?"

"You know I can't tell you," Cooke said as they began laying out wrapping paper to wrap packages. Father Connor left to check on Arran's progress with the wires a minute later and Cooke leaned in to Harry and whispered loudly, "But I won't stop you from seeing who left for yourself."

Harry flashed him a grin, looked to Severus for permission, and when Severus gave a little nod, Harry jumped up, peeked out of the kitchen door into the hall, and disappeared into the building somewhere.

"I will assume you did not send him to check files in Father Connor's office."

"Oh no, he gets into enough trouble as it is. No need to ruin his Christmas by giving Father Connor a reason to scold him," Cooke laughed. "We haven't gotten any new boys in since Harry left, so he knows everyone here. It's not really breaking confidentiality by letting him go visit the other boys."

"Hm." Severus wrapped one gift, labeling it with the name, Dane now that he had a list of names to go with the list of numbers he'd been given over the phone. Then he moved on to the next box.

"Were the extra gifts Harry's idea?" Cooke asked.

"Yes."

"He came to us Christmas Eve one year... freezing cold, chapped hands and face. Police brought him when he'd run away because he hadn't eaten in days. He didn't want to spend Christmas smelling good food he wasn't allowed to have," Cooke explained. "We had a donation of gifts that year, nothing like what you've brought us, just little things, some used books and toys, you know. But there was nothing for Harry that year, because he'd come so late Christmas Eve. He watched all the other kids open gifts the next morning. Acted like he didn't expect a gift because he'd never gotten one before."

"I did not realize."

"He was a special case," Cooke said. "The other boys have mostly lived here since they were babies, or some of them came to us young. This place is all they've known. Harry had come to us from a family though... has he told you about them?"

"Some," Severus said. Harry had never told him too much in detail, but he'd indicated that he'd been locked in a closet under the stairs and that his family had mistreated him. Even years after leaving the Dursleys, Harry had still been affected by their actions. Even now, some days he still didn't feel able to go into the cramped stairwell leading down to the mines. On those days, Severus didn't push him to go to the mines and instead let him go outside where there was a lot of open space and where he wouldn't feel confined. Harry seemed to prefer being outside and working outdoors.

They wrapped boxes silently for several minutes. "He seems well... happy," Cooke said. "He looks warmly dressed and he smiles a lot. I'm happy to see it. He was always so serious. It was rare to see him smiling, even when he was playing with the other boys or telling me or the other Fathers about Hogwarts."

"There was a period of- adjustment. We did not get along well at first," Severus admitted.

"That tends to happen with kids who get adopted. I can imagine it must have been harder for him. You'd be his fourth home you know. His parents, then his relatives, then here, then with you. Connor said you're a professor at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. I teach Potions."

Cooke shook his head and smiled. "You're the one Harry always came back from school complaining about."

"We- did not get along, as I said."

"But now?"

Severus stopped wrapping the box he was working on and looked up in thought. Cooke was right, the child did smile a lot now, and Severus always felt gratified to see it, because he was oftentimes in part responsible for the boy's happiness. He was unsettled when the child was struggling, when he was unable to go into the mines to work because he was remembering being trapped in a closet, or when he was upset with Severus.

"He is my son. I am happy to provide him with a home and the things he needs. It has been nice to- have a son to spend time with at school as well," he said. Harry had often come down to his office or quarters during the last term to play chess or do homework. He'd grown accustomed to Harry's presence and couldn't imagine going back to a quiet life alone now.

Cooke smiled as he wrapped another gift. He was glad Harry had finally found a father and a home.

* * *

"Do you know where Harry is?" Severus asked Arran. Arran had finished the list of tasks given to him by Connor and was now standing on a tall ladder in the main hall screwing in a new lightbulb.

"Seen him run up the stairs behind me twenty minutes ago with a raucous bunch of boys," Arran said. "You done with the gifts?"

"Yes. We are ready to go when you are."

"You could always apparate back to the house with Harry and leave me to drive the truck home," Arran said, holding a screwdriver in his mouth as he worked.

"I cannot," Severus said. Then remembering Harry's words from earlier that day he said, "We are family."

Arran looked down at Severus and took the screwdriver out of his mouth. "It took a long time, but I'm glad you finally realized that Severus," he said with an approving look in his eyes.

Severus turned away, hoping his cheeks weren't turning embarrassingly red. Arran never called him Severus, only Millie did that, and even then only occasionally. Well, he supposed, if they were family...

Severus went up the long set of stairs to the second floor and found another long hallway with doors on each side, some of them open and revealing bedrooms packed with beds and dressers. There were a few toys to be seen, but in general the rooms were depressing, and he didn't want to think about Harry having to return here each summer after a year away at school. He didn't want to think about how he had wanted to send Harry back here... how he had thought the child was spoiled and attention seeking, and that he had run away from the Dursleys because he hadn't been pampered enough.

‘In an orphanage Severus? He's pampered more in an orphanage than in his own home?' Millie had once challenged him. No, he could see now that Harry hadn't been. Especially not that first night he'd turned up... he'd come on Christmas and not expected anything according to Cooke.

Severus heard a ruckus down the hall and went to investigate, hoping to find Harry. Around a corner and down another short hall he found Harry in the midst of a pile of boys laughing and giggling as they wrestled on the floor together. Harry was usually so reserved, even with his friends at school, that Severus was surprised to see him roughhousing like this.

"Who's that?" a boy asked, and the writhing mass of wrestling fell apart. Harry looked up and said, "That's my dad."

There was a chorus of, "whoa,"s from the boys as they stared up at the tall, dark haired Potions Master. Then one boy asked, "Is he gonna eat us Harry? You sure you don't wanna come back to live with us again?"

Harry grinned at the boy that had asked and got up off the pile. "No way, if I move back in here Saint Nick will skip me again for Christmas because he won't know where to find me."

"St. Nick skips here sometimes too," another boy reminded Harry.

"Not this year," Harry said.

"You don't know," yet another boy said, exasperated.

"Sure I do," Harry said. "I bet you get loads of gifts."

"Yeah, whatever," the boy who had challenged him said.

"It is time to go," Severus told Harry, and he gave him a nod.

Harry turned and waved to the group of boys, all who looked near enough in age to Harry that Severus couldn't be sure if they were younger than him or older.

"Merry Christmas!" Harry called back to them.

"Bye Harry!"

"Come visit again!"

"Bye!

When they were back downstairs, Arran and the ladder were gone, and Severus wondered if he had moved on to another task or gone back to the truck.

"He took his toolbox back to the truck," Father Cooke said, coming up behind them. Then he turned to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. "You've done a good thing here Harry. I'm so proud of the strong young man you're becoming. I hope you have a merry Christmas."

Harry smiled at him and nodded. "Merry Christmas to you too. Don't let Father Connor yell at the other boys too much when they rough house."

Cooke laughed. "Didn't put another hole in the wall upstairs did you?"

"Not this time."

Cooke followed them out to the street and gave Harry a solitary wave as they drove away. Harry watched out the back window until they turned a corner and lost sight of Father Cooke. As they made the hour and a half drive back to Bainbridge, Harry tried to think back to living in the orphanage, to spending Christmas hoping someone would donate a present just for him, to sharing a room with several other boys, and rough housing with them and playing hide and seek and trying to stay out of trouble so he didn't get chastised by Father Connor. He had lived it, he'd been back and had a reminder of it, but he couldn't imagine living it now. He couldn't see himself being any other place than Bainbridge and Hawes, where people were generous... where he had family that loved him, a father who cared enough about him to let him have friends over, and a home to share with those friends.