“Hey Dad,” Alec greeted. “Can I ask you a question?”

“You just did, but you may ask another,” Severus responded with a smirk.

Alec rolled his eyes, “Do you have time to work with us on the Animagus stuff before Josh and Lisa leave for Winter break?”

Severus mentally went over his schedule before nodding slowly. “I’d presumed that you three would ask me that, knowing how eager you are to start the transformation.”

“They leave tomorrow morning though so maybe we can come by this evening after dinner?” the raven-haired boy suggested.

“That’s acceptable. I expect you three to be completely knowledgeable in each of your forms and I may ask questions to assure myself that you have studied enough material,” the potions master responded.

“Okay,” Alec replied before heading off to the library where he was meeting his friends.

Passing by crowded tables, Alec made his way over to his two friends seated in a corner section.

“Hey guys,” the Ravenclaw greeted.

“What took you so long? I though you just went to get your bag,” Lisa questioned as Alec slipped into an empty seat.

“I also stopped by to visit my dad and asked him if he was busy this evening. He isn’t so you guys can come over tonight and then he’ll test our knowledge on our forms,” he explained.

“I think I’ve read just about everything I can find about the anatomy and habits and-”

“We know,” Josh interrupted with a smile. “Every time you learn something new, you seem to share it with us.”

“Let’s get started on homework, shall we?” Alec suggested lightly before they started bickering.

“Have you three been studying your forms excessively?” the older man asked as they made themselves comfortable in the sitting area.

“Yes,” they answered together.

“Ms. Bellini, tell me some general information on the raven.”

Lisa took a deep breath, “The raven is a bird of high intelligence and there are eight known subspecies of ravens with little variation in appearance. The Common Raven is between 56 and 69 centimeters in length and has weights ranging from 0.69 to 1.63 kilograms. They have a wingspan ranging between 115 to 130 centimeters. Common Ravens typically live about 10 to 15 years in the wild, although lifespans of up to 40 years have been recorded. Young birds may travel in flocks, but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending a territory. They-”

“I believe that is a sufficient amount of information. Mr. Johnson?” Severus prompted.

Josh cleared his throat before beginning, “The polar bear is a bear native to the Arctic. It is the world's largest land carnivore, with most adult males weighing from 300 to 600 kilograms; adult females are about half the size of males. Its fur is hollow and translucent but usually appears as white or cream-colored, thus providing the animal with effective camouflage; however its skin is actually black in color. Most adult males weigh from 300 to 600 kilograms and measure from 2.4 to 3 meters in length. When standing upright, an adult male can stand up to 3.35 meters. That is about as tall as an elephant. Polar bears gradually molt their hair from May to August and-”

The potions master interrupted, “That will suffice. Alec?”

“Weighing from 35 to 55 kilograms,” Alec began, “the Snow Leopard can be distinguished from other similar species by its longer tail, which helps it maintain its balance on the rugged terrain and unstable surfaces of its habitat. The Snow Leopard's tail also doubles as a warmth cover and is used to cover its nose and mouth in very cold conditions. Its tail is striped and can reach up to 90 centimeters long. It is an opportunistic feeder, eating whatever meat it can find; it often kills animals three times its size, including domestic livestock. It ambushes prey from above when possible, as it can jump as far as 14 meters. Well known for its beautiful fur, the Snow Leopard has a soft grey coat with ringed spots and rosettes of black on brown. The fur turns white in the winter. Its tail is heavy with fur and the bottom of its paws is covered with fur for protection against snow and cold. The lifespan of a Snow Leopard is normally from 15 to18 years-”

Severus interrupted again, “From what I’ve just heard, I believe you are all well informed in each of your subjects. You may begin practicing, but as I stated in the beginning, you may not practice unless I am supervising. I especially do not want you two,” he motioned towards Lisa and Josh, “to be practicing over winter break. I will not appreciate a frantic floo call from either of your parents after you managed to get stuck in a partial transformation.” They nodded in agreement.

“First, you will each attempt to change a small portion of yourselves. For example,” Severus held up his hand and concentrated on only changing his hand to that of a paw.

“I do not expect you to achieve this feat within this first lesson but perhaps you might manage to gain fur or feathers on your hand. In order to succeed, you must will your hand to change. It’s difficult to get the hang of, but once you manage to change something, it will become easier each time,” Severus lectured.

The three Ravenclaws shared a glance before looking down to their hands and concentrating on changing them slightly. It was quiet for the first few minutes as each student attempted and failed to change anything.

“I will be in my lab. Alert me if you need any assistance or if you manage to change anything.” Severus swept out of there with his robes billowing behind him.

After a few more minutes of frustrating silence, it was broken by Josh.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything else we need to do? This isn’t working,” he muttered.

“There isn’t anything else we can do. I’ve read several books and they all explain it basically the same way. We have to will ourselves, in this case just our hands, to change into our form. Like dad said, once we can get it to change, it will become easier each and every time,” Alec explained.

They practiced for over an hour, occasionally pausing from their concentration to chat. Finally, Lisa had a little success.

“Look!” Lisa shouted eagerly. She held up her hand and revealed that her hand had changed. Several feathers had sprouted along the length of her hand. “Now what do I do?”

“Let me go get my dad,” Alec said before jumping up and entering his father’s lab. He waited patiently for his father to finish the step he was on before pulling the man back into the sitting room, where Lisa was still examining her claw.

“Well done,” Severus praised. “In order to change it back, do exactly the opposite to what you’ve been doing this evening. Will your finger to change back to normal.”

Lisa tried, but had no success. “Keep practicing. Once you manage to change it back, continue practicing changing it between a claw and your normal finger,” the potions master said.

The three students went back to practicing and shortly after, Josh was able to succeed. On the back of his hand, a while patch of fur had sprouted. Severus repeated the same instructions for Josh as he attempted to change it back.

Alec was thrilled for his friends, but couldn’t figure out why he had yet to succeed. Lisa had just managed to change her hand back before Alec finally succeeded somewhat. On the back of his hand, Alec had grown three thick white hairs.

“That’s it?” Alec asked incredulously. “After all this practicing, I only manage three hairs. Lovely,” he added sarcastically.

“At least you managed it. You’re lucky that you’ll be with your dad over break so you can practice as much as you’d like,” Lisa replied.

“That’s true,” Alec agreed before attempting to change it back.

“It’s getting late,” Severus announced a while later. “Finish up soon.”

The three managed to get their hands looking like normal and spent a while longer chatting amongst each other.

“Have you two been practicing your Occlumency?” Severus interrupted their conversations.

“I have sir,” Lisa said. “Would you like to test me?”

Severus pulled out his wand, “Legilimens.” He entered her mind and she managed to push him out fairly quickly.

“That’s good progress. Continue practicing. Have you practiced Mr. Johnson?” the potions master asked.

“Umm… Not a whole lot lately. It’s been a bit hectic with end of the first term tests,” he admitted.

“Practice over winter break,” Severus instructed. “It is an important skill that helps you retain information quicker and allows you to protect your secrets from others. Remember that as you study.”

Severus looked at a clock and stood up, “Now I suggest you three head back to your dormitory.”

“Night dad,” Alec said as he and his two friends left.

“Yes. Lisa and Josh had to leave just after breakfast so I figured I might as well come over here,” Alec explained. “Will it be alright if I practice some more?”

“Go ahead. I’ll be in my lab again if you need me,” the potions master said, draining his cup of tea and leaving to work on potions for the hospital wing.

Alec sat on a chair and made himself comfortable as he practiced changing his hand. It was a lot easier this morning without being so frustrated and he managed to get more hair on the back of his hand. Taking a break from the transformation, Alec pulled out his assignments that were due once school started up again and began. He alternated between homework and practicing the transformation for the rest of the day. By the evening, the top portion of his hand was covered with white fur. Like his father said, it was much easier to change it back and forth after each successful change. After dinner, he showed the transformation to his father, who was impressed by how far he’d achieved in just this one day.

“So what are you guys doing here?” he asked.

“We came to visit you actually,” Remus said. “We’ve only been able to communicate through letters while you are in school so we figured we’d stop by during winter break to see what you’ve been up to.”

“So how’ve you been, kiddo?” Sirius asked as he ruffled Alec’s hair.

“I’ve been pretty good. I have something cool to show you. Come on,” Alec said as he led the way to their rooms. His father was nowhere in sight, most likely once again working on potions for Madam Pomfrey.

“Watch,” the boy instructed as he held out his hand. The two men watched as Alec’s hand slowly grew white fur.

“Congratulations!” Sirius exclaimed. “Is that the furthest you’ve gotten?”

“Yes,” Alec said. “I’ve been practicing for the last few days. I’ve got the hang of this hand but I haven’t managed to get any further though.”

“Alec?” Severus’ voice rang out from the office. “Who are you talking to?” he asked as he entered the room.

The potions master scowled. “Black, Lupin,” he greeted unhappily. “What brings you two here?”

“I’m here to visit my godson,” Sirius snapped.

“Please don’t start fighting,” Alec interrupted before either man could get another word in.

Severus nodded stiffly. “I’ll be in my lab if you need me,” he said to his son before turning and leaving with his trademark exit.

Sirius muttered something that suspiciously sounded like “greasy git” under his breath. The grim animagus stood up and looked around before he spotted a pair of fencing swords.

“How about I teach you how to use these, Alec,” the black-haired man said as he held up the two swords.

“I don’t-” Alec began before he was cut off.

“It’s okay. I’m a good teacher. I won’t let you get hurt or anything,” Sirius said as he handed one to the boy.

Alec was about to explain that he already knew how to use these but stopped, deciding he’d have some fun first. So when he received the sword, he held it awkwardly in his hand, as if he didn’t know what he was doing.

Severus had heard Black instructing his son and decided to watch from the doorway of his lab to see how this turned out. Obviously his son was messing with Black, since he didn’t mention that he already knew what to do.

“Hold it like this. No not like that. Here let me show you,” the older man demonstrated. Alec complied and matched his hold.

“There you go. Now position yourself like so. No not like that. Stop, stop. Like this.” Alec was purposely standing in wrong positions and watched amusedly as Sirius tried to correct his movements. “Good.” Sirius praised when Alec decided to stand properly.

“Now, I want you to block this. All you need to do is hold up you sword like this and block it like so when I come towards you.” Sirius slowly swung towards Alec, who stepped forward and used his sword to meet Sirius’. He pushed the man backwards with the force of his block. A book was on the ground and Sirius started to loose his balance. He almost managed to stay on his feet, when his godson stuck out his own foot and purposely tripped him. The sword left his hand and Alec swiftly caught it then used both swords to place against Sirius’ throat as he lay on the ground, slightly stunned from the fall.

A sudden laugh caused all three people to look towards the door of the lab, where Severus was standing. When they looked his way though, he stifled his laughter and settled for a smirk. Alec smirked at his father and turned towards his now disarmed opponent lying on the ground.

“You little brat,” Sirius exclaimed playfully. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew what you were doing?”

“I tried to tell you at first but you cut me off. I figured a little fun wouldn’t hurt,” Alec said, still smirking.

“Well that was pretty good. Care for another round?”

“Dad! It’s Christmas! Come one dad! Get up! There’re presents out there that need to get opened!” Alec exclaimed happily.

Severus grunted in response and tossed a pillow at his energetic son. “‘Tis too early,” he managed to mumble out.

“No it’s not. Please…” Alec gave his father the puppy-eye look and Severus caved.

“Go ahead and look through your stocking. I’ll be out in a minute,” he said.

“Yes!” The boy raced out of the room and immediately began pulling candies and such out of his stocking. He was half way through it when he father emerged form his bedroom, looking a little more awake. With his father’s permission, Alec tore into the gifts that he received from his friends. Alec was rummaging around under the tree when he came across one for his father. He handed it to the man.

“Who is that from?” the boy asked as his father opened the package containing a bottle of wine.

“Lucius Malfoy. He sends me a bottle of wine every year for Christmas,” Severus replied as he set the bottle aside.

“Oh. What do you usually send him?” Alec asked as he shook a box that the Headmaster sent him. He opened the box and it revealed exactly what he was expecting – Lemon Drops.

“Usually a rare or difficult to make potion,” the older man replied as he opened a box also from the Headmaster. It looked exactly like Alec’s and inside was a bag of Lemon Drops as well. He tossed the bag to Alec, who seemed to like the horrid candies.

“Wait here for a moment,” Severus instructed as he entered his room and returned carrying a small box with several small holes in it. “Open it slowly.”

Alec opened the box slowly and peeked inside. Curled up on the bottom of the box was a beautiful red, black and yellow snake. Alec gasped and looked to his father with wide eyes.

“Where did you find him?”

“Hagrid did, actually and I thought you’d like him,” the potions master explained.

The snake started hissing, causing Alec to look down. “Stupid humans can’t tell that I am a female.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know you are a female,” Alec hissed back.

“You are a speaker?” the snake asked in surprise.

“Yes. Do you have a name?”

“No, that is for you to decide. What are you called?” she asked.

“Alec. I’ll decide on a name for you later. May I hold you?” The snake curled around his hand as he reached into the box and pulled her out.

“I have an enchanted cage that contains all the necessary items for him such as fresh food, water and heated rocks for her to relax on,” Severus informed his son.

“Does this man mean you any harm? I will bite him if you ask of me,” the snake hissed.

“No. Don’t ever bite him. This is my father,” Alec hissed back before turning towards his father. “Thanks dad. By the way, the snake is a female and she doesn’t like being called him.”

“Later this evening, I’d like to collect a sample of her venom to prepare an antidote in the event that she bites someone. Inform her that she is not allowed to bite any students, should she ever come across any.”

Alec relayed the message to the snake who agreed not to bite anyone. The raven-haired boy placed his new snake into the enchanted cage and let her explore it. The cage on the outside was small but it was enchanted to be much larger on the inside and it contained rocks that were warm, as if from sitting in the sun. Several mice were darting across the dry dusty landscape, trying to find places to hide from the snake. It was the perfect home for a serpent.

“Thank you very much dad!” Alec said as he hugged his father.

“Get dressed, breakfast will begin soon in the Great Hall,” Severus suggested after looking at the clock.

Both made their way to the beautifully decorated Great Hall, where several teachers and the few students who remained behind were eating. HalH

Halfway through breakfast, Sirius and Remus showed up and decided to join them. Since they arrived so late, most people had already left. Sirius eventually passed a gift to Alec, who tore into it. He pulled out an old looking hand mirror.

“It’s an enchanted mirror that allows you to contact me whenever you’d like. Just say my name and if I have my mirror on me, I’ll be able to communicate with you.” Sirius explained.

“Neat! Thank you!” Remus then handed the boy a small wrapped package, and he quickly tore into it, as well. Inside the box were a couple of small books.

Remus explained, “They are not text books or anything. These are just a few books that you might enjoy reading for fun. One is filled with a mystery story and the other is one about Wizarding myths.”

“Thank you Remus!” Alec gave both men a quick hug.

While Alec was talking with Sirius, Severus pulled a vial of Wolfsbane and handed it to Lupin.

“Thank you very much Severus,” Remus said sincerely. Both wizards stuck around for a while longer and Alec walked with them to the edge of the gates. He gave them goodbye hugs and headed back to the castle doors, where his father was waiting for him. The man was currently talking with Professor McGonagall and not able to see the incoming snowball that smacked him in the back of his head.

Both professors stopped their conversation and turned towards the culprit who stood there guiltily smiling. Severus said a quick goodbye to his colleague and walked outside towards his son. His wand was hidden in his hand and he discreetly flicked it towards his son.

A snowball had just smacked Alec in the back of his head and he turned to see where it had come from. No one was there and he turned towards his father, just as another snowball came flying in. He ducked just in time to avoid it, but he was unable to avoid the next one that came from his father. Alec just started laughing and started throwing them back at the man, who would never admit to having a snowball fight.

Sucking on a Lemon Drop in his office was the Headmaster, who looked out his window and saw his potions professor engaged in a snowball fight with his son. His blue eyes twinkled merrily at the sight and he just smiled and then popped another candy in his mouth.