For the first time in the entire Hogwarts’ history, and after the defeat of the evil warlock Grindewald that is, the whole castle was left empty. It seemed that in period of great danger the students rushed to visit their houses, as if it was their last chance they had to visit and say goodbye to their parents. Therefore, it was no surprise that all students had taken the chance to visit home. Since last year’s confirm, from the Ministry of Magic, about the Dark Lord’s return, every wizard studied the ‘Daily Prophet’ awaiting to know about his moves.

“This is preposterous! Why on Merlin’s Portion Vial would the Dark Lord wonder around that woman’s garden.” Snape thought in anger tossing ‘Daily Prophet’ away from him. “Stupid Rumours! No wonder people are getting all jumpy.”

Severus Snape stood up and looked outside the window. The Grounds were covered by a carpet of shimmering snow and the lake had frozen solid. The raven-haired man lowered his eyes towards the castle’s Main Entrance. The last carriages were waiting for the few students to embark, while the Thestrals moved their heads upwards trying to grasp the coolness of each snowflake.

Snape could not help but to think on the Irony of the whole situation. Every time there was great danger, the students would abandon Hogwarts so easily, forgetting that it was the safest place any wizard in danger could be in. He turned to look at the luminous clock. Granger and the Weasley boy and girl, who were about to depart, were with, the still, 17 month-old Potter. He turned around, opened the door and headed to the Gryffindor Tower.

-)-)-)

Some say children are a source of an endless happiness. Severus Snape seriously believed that anyone with such a perception had never seen a child in his entire life. The truth was different and he knew that. Children are the source of an endless chaos. Children are little monsters that they are going to eat you alive if you are not too careful. That was exactly what children were. Snape knew it well. After all, he was the guardian of the most ferocious one that ever existed.

It seemed that the empty castle made baby Harry very cranky. It was probably the fact that this place was very huge and extremely quiet, that made the boy feel extremely irritated. Snape, who was always affected by the castle’s ‘Deadly Silence’, as he would say, was also feeling much irritated and unfortunately baby Harry’s behaviour would not help at all.

“OUT! Me wants get out!” baby Harry whined and stomped his foot on the floor.

“I hate my life,” Snape thought in desperation. Why couldn’t the boy understand?

“Boy. . . Harry,” he said shrugging as he remembered Madam Pomfrey’s speech of having to address the boy by his name, “It’s snowing outside. We can’t go.”

“Me wants to get out!” baby Harry whined louder.

“Stupid blizzard!” Snape thought looking outside the window as the air was blowing dangerously mixing with the heavy snow. For nearly two whole days that the blizzard was taking place; Potter got more and more anxious to get out of the castle. The day before, he had managed to convince him into staying inside. But he suspected that the current day was not his lucky one.

To confirm his suspicions, baby Harry fall into a tantrum. Hogwarts’ professor stared at the toddler, who had started kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs. He suspected that a hint of headache was about to develop. Unless. . .

“There is a way to stop tantrums my son. If, you are willing to do it,” the voice of his mother echoed inside his head. Snape sighed in defeat, took his wand out, charmed the room so that no one could hear him from outside; and hoped that this incident would never escape his chamber’s walls.

He moved forward and lied next to the toddler. Then, and as if a signal was given; Severus Snape, Potion Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, started hitting his fists and legs on the covered-with-mattress floor and let out small yelps and screams as if he was having a tantrum himself. It was not for long when baby Harry started calming down and for a moment Snape was tempted into shouting a loud ‘Mean Harry! Mean, mean Harry’. Yet he instantly told himself to get serious, doubting however that pretending to have a tantrum was a serious action.

After pretending for some time, Snape turned his head and let out a pretended sniffle. Baby Harry was looking at him seriously and the man could not help himself but to thank Merlin about Potter’s ability to empathize.

“Sad” baby Harry stated and rubbed his miniature hand on his Guardian’s face, who nodded. “Sowwy” he said quietly, while the man made an effort to smile but not to smile.

“Umm. . . It is fine, Boy. . . Harry” Snape said quietly and sat up.

While he stared at the boy moving towards his toys, the man could not help but notice that pretending to have a tantrum was a rather stress-releasing experience.

-)-)-)

There are rooms in Hogwarts’ castle that no student knew about. They were undetectable on the Marauder’s map and only the ones who would know the password could enter inside. That day Dobby the house-elf entered one of those rooms and engaged into cleaning it. He opened the windows for fresh air and light to enter. Feeling the cold breeze entering the room the freed elf lit the fireplace and started rubbing a dustpan against the chairs’ wood to clean them. He first paid attention to the one that had Hogwarts’ emblem embroidered on it. Suddenly his eye fell on a small wrapped parcel that was under it. Leaning down, he took the wrapped package and in surprise he saw that it belonged to him. He unwrapped the package to find a pair of mismatched, hideous-to-any-other-eye of socks. The one was vivid pink and had little turquoise dots and stripes going vertically across it. The other one was strawberry-red with little bananas stamped on it. And around them there was a piece of parchment.

‘Dear Dobby

‘I would like to wish you Merry Christmas for tomorrow and a well rest. I hope that you will like my gift of socks, as I truly believe that no one can have enough of them.

‘Regards

‘Albus Dumbledore’

Dobby smiled happily and then placed his gift for Dumbledore under the chair and magically chanted it for only the Headmaster to see. Minutes later, having cleaned the whole room, Dobby retreated back to the kitchens. It was not long after Dobby’s retreat that many footsteps were heard approaching the room. The wooden door opened slightly and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s faculty entered the room and sat down.

-)-)-)

“Ha, ha, ha! Very funny!” Severus Snape commented sarcastically looking at the rest of the faculty who were all chuckling; except Dumbledore, who was laughing his head off.

It seemed that his ex-professors, now ‘fellow’ faculty members, had decided to joke with him on the present exchange. Minerva McGonagall had gifted him with a magical book named ‘Working Wizard and a Father: Looking after your Bundle of Joy’, while Flitwick had given him a potion-kit for little children. Yet Dumbledore’s present was once again the one to make Snape shudder. Dumbledore gave him a black t-shirt that had the sentence ‘Best Daddy Award’ shining, and magically stamped to change color, on it.

The hook-nosed man closed his eyes into slits as he looked at the rest of the faculty who were laughing at his expense. “Christmas! What a stupid holiday! If it wasn’t for the presents no one would care about it at all,” he thought in disgust.

“Oh come on Severus, it was just a joke!” Madam Hooch said chuckling as the real, and much better, presents were given to Snape.

“Now as you all know,” the Headmaster started while he shoved a tear away “there are no students staying here for the holidays. Thus tomorrow, you can enjoy your Christmas day with your family or wherever you want. Before you leave, Severus, I have a message from Sybil Trelawney. Be aware of the two-headed troll.”

Snape let out a snort, while Professor McGonagall raised her eyes in desperation. As the others were standing up to leave, Dumbledore gave Snape, secretly, a piece of paper. When Snape was finally alone, he unfolded the piece of parchment and read.

“Meeting at the Order’s Headquarters tomorrow morning.”

-)-)-)

o-o-o

“No, Quirinus, please don’t!” the woman inside the portrait pleaded over and over again as the tall hook-nosed man rushed towards the enchanted canvases, unchanged them and destroyed them.

A young, pale boy with black hair, big beetle-black eyes and a hooked nose peeked into the room and saw his father destroying all the enchanted canvases that his mother’s magical portrait used to inhabit. His mother’s death had hit his father hard. For some days he had fallen silent, as if his mind was in hibernation, but then, that day, his father woke up to be more fierce than ever. The boy listened to his mother’s screams and to his father’s cries.

“If I can’t have you in body, I don’t want you in soul either!”

The seven year old boy wondered why his father would want his mother’s spirit dead along with her body. He started in horror as the canvases were getting fewer and fewer. Three. . . Two. . . One. . .

Quirinus Snape stopped to look at the last canvas. The woman’s beetle-black eyes enlarged with fear. Her usually pale cheeks were flush-red and her long raven-black hair was messed up. The seven-year old boy looked at his mother’s state and thought that she was beautiful. His father grinned for a moment and with a swift movement he threw the last canvas into the fire.

o-o-o

Severus Snape shot up with a gasp. Sweat-beads rolled down his forehead as he strangled to make his heart-beats and breathe fall into the normal levels. He gulped and felt his sore throat moisten. That Dream! That. . . Memory! He shot out from his bed, walked in the dark across the room; and opened the door that was near his mahogany desk. His mother’s snoozes were barely heard. He approached the painting and looked at the woman sleeping peacefully. Sighing in relief, he turned around. Yet before he could reach the door, the woman’s groggy voice was heard.

“Severus? Honey is that you?”

Snape turned to look at her. His voice escaped soft from his lips.

“Yes mother. I just needed to get something. I am sorry to disturb you.”

“In the middle of the night?”

“Yes, I am; making a potion,” he lied.

The woman looked at her son in skepticism. She doubted on her son telling the truth. Though it was not the first time to have listened to that explanation, that particular night she could not believe to his words. Yet she held her tongue. After all it was useless to try making her son speak when he did not want to.

Severus Snape sat up into his bed thinking. He wondered whether he had seen a dream or whether a ‘particular someone’ had tried to enter his mind. He huffed to himself feeling worried and kept thinking until he doze off to sleep once again.

o-o-o

After Sirius Black’s death the Order’s headquarters had changed and; though Snape was never going to admit it out loud, the man felt relieved. The new headquarters were placed a little outside London and they were also undetectable due to the strong wards Mad-Eye Moody had placed on them. Snape stood in front of a two-storey, large, stone building that looked as if no one had taken care of it in years. There was an enormous garden, fully covered with a thick blanket of snow and only a small clean trail that led to a wooden door seem to stop the snow’s unity. Snape walked carefully in that slippery trail and knocked the wooden door. It was not for long until someone would open the door.

“Harry!” the red-headed woman cried out happily taking the toddler into her arms. “Oh Arthur, isn’t he adorable?” she asked her husband as she hugged the boy tightly.

Arthur Weasley stared at the green-eyed boy, who tried to move inside his wife’s grasp. He was about to say something to her when there was a rumble at the stairs. For a moment Snape thought that the old wooden house was about to collapse. Swift beating footsteps descended towards him and loud mixed-up voices were roaring. A loud hooting was heard and the black-robed man barely caught, with the corner of his left eye, a tiny grey ball of feathers swooping near the side of his head and flying outside the door.

“PIG!” a chorus of voices echoed as the sound of footsteps became louder and louder.

“This is entirely your fault!”

“Our fault?” two identical voices protested in unison, “Ron your stupid owl ate our latest prank invent...”

Ron Weasley, having forgot that an Order meeting was about to begin, had stop in shock seeing his professor standing in the headquarters’ doorstep causing the Twins to land on him. Luckily Ron had not lost his balance after his brothers’ abrupt stop, but he had fallen silent, as silent as his brothers were. Yet, this silence did not last for long. Suddenly the last Weasley son cried a ‘Pig’ of desperation and ran outside the old house immediately.

The Twins were about to follow Ron when they saw baby Harry in their mother’s arms. Maybe it was a Twin thing but they both looked at each other with gleaming eyes and nodded to show that they were thinking exactly the same thing.

“Oh mum!” they both exclaimed in a mocking desperation.

“Not another. . .” Fred started.

“. . . one of those!” George continued into finishing his twin’s sentence and looked at baby Harry in a mocking terror.

“At least you could have warned.”

Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth to say something, but to her misfortune her two jokesters-of-a-sons had not finished.

“But wait!” Fred called out triumphantly, “There is something not quite right.”

George took the expression of a scientist that was examining something very strange. Baby Harry giggled as the Twins would move around their mother and examine him from every different angle.

“Alas, I found it my dear brother!” George cried out enthusiastically. “This outlandish specimen of his kind had black hair, not red.”

With those words they both turned to look at their mother, as if they were waiting an explanation for the infant’s ‘peculiar’ hair-colour. Molly Weasley looked at them sternly and gave the infant boy to one of them.

“Very funny boys,” she said seriously,” Now go upstairs and engage with Harry for a while.”

“Sure mum!” Fred spoke while George gave the toddler a funny face. Baby Harry giggled as Fred turned to face him.

“After all, young Harry over here is perfect for testing our new magical toy-invention. Ok Harry, let’s go upstairs”

Baby Harry waved to his guardian and giggled even louder to one of the Twin’s grimaces.

“Don’t worry Snape,” Arthur Weasley said bringing the big-nosed man back to reality; and making him realize that he had been staring at the old wooden staircase for some time, “you know the Twins. They wouldn’t hurt a fly. . .”

“I am not so sure that this rule applies to babies too.” Snape thought sarcastically.

“. . . and if anything happens to Harry, Molly and I will have something to say on the matter.”

Snape turned to his heels and was about to follow Mr. Weasley to the kitchen when he remembered something. He glowered at the balding red-headed man and stated:

“I do not care about the Boy’s welfare, Weasley.”

Mr. Wealsey just stated an “Uh ha” and entered the kitchen, followed by a slightly irritated Snape. A wonderful mix of different aromas struck the professor as he entered. Mrs. Wealsey had engaged herself with preparing the gravy, checking on the pudding and mixing lemon with oil for the turkey. Tonks, who, currently, had spiky short green hair and faint-blue irises, was vexing Mad-Eye Moody to help her decorate the kitchen with freshly-cut pine-tree branches and magical sparkling balls that changed colours.

“Oh come on Mad-Eye! It will not hurt you to gimme that ball yo’ know”

Moody growled and tossed a small ball at her, which she caught and put on the braches above the kitchen window.

“Oh and that big one now.”

“Nymphadora, I may was your mentor for the last couple of years, but some respect never hurt anyone.” he said to her grumpily, making her shudder in disgust as he uttered her name, and then tossed her the ball. “In my times. . .”

“In your times there was no Draught Potion” she snickered, “Oh and that one – please.”

Alastor Moody growled and turned to face the new-comer. His magical eye moved upwards and then downwards, scanning the Potion Master. A black wand was hidden in a secret inner pocket, insight the man’s shirt. It was the real Snape alright. Admitting to himself, though never out loud, it was good to see someone having a hold of his head, despite the so called ‘Christmas environment’.

Snape on the other hand felt uncomfortable to see Moody. The old Auror waked insight him a feeling of apprehension. Therefore he sat as far away from him, on the table, as he could; which it wasn’t much. Just three seats away. A quarter of an hour later, Albus Dumbledore arrived, accompanied by a very worn-out Lupin. And the meeting began.

-)-)-)

“The Goblins at Gringotts have started moving the treasures away from the tombs. More and more gold is ‘safe’” Bill stressed the word safe as if to tell something was bothering him greatly. The others looked at him in anticipation but he remained silent.

“Oh come on Bill,” Tonks said and looked at him with her new yellow irises, “no one is going to tell you off for sayin’ something you believe it’s important.”

“It’s just. . . Something is bothering me. . . Once – When I was searching for Lycos’ tomb, one of the wizards in king Medas’ court, in Greece, an old witch told me something. Translating her saying . . . Well it was something like – ‘Beware of not losing both the eggs and the basket in the end. You know, as if saying that we must be aware not to keep everything in one place because we might end losing everything. I know that Gringotts is regarded to be the most secure place in the wizarding world, after Hogwarts. But what if? What if You-Know-Who finds a way to enter insight our Main Vault? Everything is stored there. Gold – Silver – Copper – Gemstones – Everything.”

“The whole economy is going to collapse in a few hours.” Snape stated in a monotonous matter-of-fact tone.

The attention turned to him, waiting to hear more. Snape however shrugged his shoulders.

“As long as I know; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has not called for a meeting for a long time.”

“Something. He is preparing something!” Moody grumped.

Snape was about to continue when it happened. A hot piercing pain spread across his left forearm making him let out a yelp of discomfort. Clutching his forearm he stood up immediately, opened the door and rushed out into the garden, crossing it as quickly as he could. The moment his feet touched the wardless soil, he apparated to thin air.

-)-)-)

Snape apparated outside the same old filthy-looking manor he always did when the Dark Lord called them for a meeting. He wore his cloak and mask and cleaning his head of thought he entered the building. Though it was still morning there was no light at all insight the rooms, which were only dim-lit by some candles. Some of the Death Eaters entered behind him and the all moved to meet the others in the room where the Dark Lord was waiting for them.

“Welcome my followers. I hope that I had not interrupted anything important” Voldemort sneered. “No, I think not. Now shall we begin?”

-)-)-)

It was a fact that Snape never liked too much attention towards his face. Yet he, somewhat, felt really good inside when he returned back to the Order’s headquarters. The moment he reached the doorstep of the old manor, he was greeted by Arthur Weasley, who led him immediately into the kitchen. Everyone turned to look at him as he sat down.

“Come on Snape, spill the beans out.” Moody grumbled impatiently.

“We are rather impatient aren’t we?” Snape said, while Moody looked as if he was about to kill him. “I am afraid I have no great things to tell. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had called for a meeting. Well not really a meeting. A lecture I would say. He wanted to lecture his followers, terrorize them and then send them back home. It’s a good method to keep everyone in perfect order.

“Perfect order?” Tonks asked in puzzlement.

“The Death-Eaters were formed many years ago. Almost during Tom Riddle’s last years at Hogwarts.” Dumbledore said softly.

Bill and Tonks kept staring at Dumbledore and Snape waiting for more.

“Let me explain,” Snape started.

“Hogwarts, as you know, was formed many centuries ago, a little after the Witch-Hunting in Europe. Salazar Slytherin, unlike the other founders, believed that children with magical abilities coming from Muggle families were not to be trusted, thus not to be taught. And it is true that he chose to teach the children coming from Magical families rather than from a Muggle one. This is source of all our problems. The children that worked under Slytherin’s guidance formed the perception that wizards coming from Wizard families are regarded to be better than the others who came from Muggle families.

“So one day Salazar Slytherin leaves Hogwarts and centuries pass by. The ‘so called’ Mudblood-Pureblood perception gets stronger and more exaggerated, like true stories turning into myths as they pass from mouth to mouth over time. Another problem appears. Some wizards marry Muggles, even though it is still risky, others marry, if I am allowed to say so, Mudbloods. They form something called a Half-Blood race. So what happens now? Of course for the matters of a good policy everyone is regarded to be equal by the Ministry. . . Even though wizards and witches that are Muggle-born cannot be easily hired in the Ministry, well they are equal. And then it happens.”

“Tom Riddle came to Hogwarts.” Albus Dumbledore whispered.

“A boy comes to Hogwarts that eventually proves to be the last descendant of Salazar Slytherin. He gathers some fanatics and forms the first Death-Eaters. He anagrams his name and gives himself a new one.” At that point Snape stopped and took a deep breath. “He speaks to his fans and convinces them that as the true followers of Salazar Slytherin they must destroy all the Muggles, so no Muggleborns can now be born, and try to control the Half-bloods and Muggleborns, so that true power will return to all Purebloods.

“And so it happens. The first, original, Death Eaters called their action the ‘Cause’ and did all those horrible things. Of course their children were obliged to follow, wanting it or not. One day Voldemort disappears. The new generation of the Death-Eaters is not as obliged to their ‘Master’ as the old one was. They do not look for him, most of the dangerous fanatics are locked in Azkaban and they eventually die. Those who are still wondering among us, try to forget You-Know-Who’s existence and their involvement to his plans. Yet two years ago He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named rises again. . . Don’t forget wizards or not; we are humans. You-Know-Who is still regarded to be the most fearsome wizard ever lived. As the Death Mark burns back to their forearm, a nightmare comes to life. If they do not return to him they risk their family’s death and their own.

“Now you must understand that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is aware of that. He feels that he is surrounded by people that are afraid of him. He knows that his followers are not as loyal as they say they are. Therefore every once and a while he calls for a meeting and throws hints at everyone about how unfortunate it will be if they fail him. He is also very careful. He tells us nothing of his plans, while he forms them, so that no one will spoil them.”

Snape took a deep breath and paced for a moment around the crammed room.

“I must admit that spying is much more difficult now. Before his first disappearance Voldemort felt secure and talked too much. Now he had very few loyal followers and trusts nobody. No, he trusts Bellatrix and Pettigrew, who never abandon him, not even for a second.”

Half an hour later the meeting came to an end and a new topic appeared. The ‘How-to-convince-Severus-Snape-to-stay-for-Christmas-Lunch’ topic. At first Snape was against the idea of staying for lunch. Yet after quite some vexing from Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley’s crystal-clear saying that she would not take “no” for an answer, Snape and Harry were forced to stay for Lunch. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley prepared the turkey, while Moody, Dumbledore and Snape, who was uncomfortably pinned between them, entered the big Dining Hall. Of course what they met made Moody smile faintly, Dumbledore beam and Snape stop in shock.

Fred Weasley was walking on four around the room having baby Harry on his back, who was giggling and shouting ‘horsy’ as Fred was imitating horse-sounds. George, Ron, Ginny and Hermione, of course, were sitting on a sofa and the couch and were watching them laughing their head off.

“Oh very funny,” Fred said sarcastically, “When it will be your turn, I will be the one to laugh. My back is killing me, y’ know.”

Moody and Snape coughed to get their attention, something that made Fred stop in shock and blush, something that was very peculiar for the Potions Master.

“And may I ask what you are doing?” Snape asked slowly.

“It’s a game sir,” Ginny said immediately, “Horse-ride. Harry was getting bored and we thought to entertain him. Children love it, sir.”

“Time to eat children,” Mrs. Weasley called cheerfully.

“Bummer” Ron whispered when he saw Snape sitting at the table with them, only to be nudged in the ribs by Hermione immediately that moment.

“Don’t worry Mr. Weasley” Snape said with a really small tone of enjoyment “I promise not to bite you”

-)-)-)

Snape pulled the end of a large magical silver-green Cracker that Dumbledore had offered him, making it erupt like a booming cannon and shot into the air spreading a silvery-gold glitter around the room. Baby Harry, who was currently sitting on his lap, let an ‘Aww’ of satisfaction that was followed by the word ‘Pweetty!” From inside the Cracker fell a hair-garland with bunny-ears that Snape wore to baby Harry, feeling shocked with the fact that for the first time in his life he was enjoying himself so much during a Christmas Feast. He mentally told himself to avoid drinking wine ever again, though deep down he knew that the wine was not to be blamed.

Harry himself, with his guardian’s aid of course, had tug the end of a red cracker won a bright gold ribbon that was currently trying to tie around the raven-haired man’s wrist. For a moment he stopped and turned at George and said happily “Babl”.

George comply the boy’s wish immediately and took out a small bottle from his pocket. Hermione had once described to his brother and he; about a Muggle toy that worked with soapsuds. Apparently someone used to put a stick with a kind of a ring in its end into the soapsuds and then blow at it causing many bubbles to erupt. Fred and George took the Muggle idea, experimented on different potions and, after many explosions, they discovered a liquid that created bubbles that changed colours and lasted even when someone touched them. Yet when someone imposed pressure on them, the bubbles would just disappear with a ‘plop’ refreshing the air with a fruit-scent.

Harry was immediately won by that game, something that made the Twins secretly promise to buy Hermione a book every Christmas and her birthday until the day they, or she, would die. As the place was filled with beautiful bubbles that plopped to leave behind the beautiful smell of strawberry, orange, apple and banana; Snape felt his defenses rising. He feared that if he stayed to that place for too long, he would start singing Christmas carols. Coughing slightly, he took baby Harry into his arms and announced his departure.

“Oh come on Severus. Just stay for the pudding.” Molly Weasley asked in euphoria, while her husband was holding her hand under the table.

“I am afraid; Harry and I will have to pass.” he said seriously as he stood up.

Mrs. Weasley nodded in agreement only when Snape had agreed to take a piece of pudding with him, and they both entered the kitchen while the teenagers were saying baby Harry goodbye.

“I must admit you are doing a great work with Harry Severus” Molly Weasley said as she put some pudding in a small plate. “I must admit I had my doubts, but you proved me wrong. But be warned, great things are yet to come. You are aware that when he turns eighteen-months old he will start remembering his life with those Muggles, don’t you?”

“I suppose so.”

“Just be patient, ok Severus?” she asked him kindly, but received only a deep sigh.

Snape leaned down, took Mrs. Weasley’s hand and kissed it softly. Praising her cooking, he took the covered plate that contained pudding and entered the living room. Harry ran to him, as fast as his little legs could do so, and showed him the “bubble-toy” the Twins gave him as a present. Lifting the toddler to his arms, he stepped outside the house, and taking an empty-can from down the street he was portkeyed back to Hogwarts.

-)-)-)

It was near dark and Severus Snape was enjoying the remaining of Christmas Day reading a book near the fireplace. Suddenly he felt someone tugging his left trouser and looked down to see baby Harry smiling wide at him, having his hands behind his back. Snape looked at the toddler in curiosity as Harry showed his a piece of paper covered in colours.

“Pwesent” the little boy said smiling as he gave him the picture he had made. Snape looked at the picture and let a somewhat happy-and-moved sigh and then, in the spur of the moment, he leaned down and gave baby Harry a hug. Baby Harry’s eyes enlarged for a moment, almost in shock, but then he let a giggle, that was followed by a small yawn.

Later that evening when baby Harry was tucked in bed, Snape moved to change into something more comfortable. Only then he realized that the small boy had managed to tie the golden ribbon with a knot on his left wrist.