In the two days that followed, Holly became more comfortable with Healer Keegan, who encouraged her to speak about her feelings regarding her father, and also Severus and Harry as well.  For the first time in her life, Holly found herself feeling furious over her father's betrayal instead of devastated.  The hurt at Lucius' abandonment had morphed into a fiery anger at the man who had not wanted or cared that his only daughter had nearly died due to his callous neglect. 

"Write down how you feel in this journal, if you'd like," Susan told her, handing her a soft powder blue journal with a sapphire ribbon marker.  "Any time you feel upset or happy or very strongly about something or someone, you should try and write it down.  That will help you organize your feelings and not let them overwhelm you.  I keep a journal near my bed and write down my thoughts for the day every night before I sleep.  And I also write in it first thing in the morning."

"Do you write things you dream, Healer Sue?"

"Sometimes.  I find that writing things down helps me to clear my mind and focus.  Try it for two weeks and let me know how it works."

"Okay.  Uh . . .will you ever want to read it?" she asked uncertainly.  The journal sounded a lot like a diary.

"Only if you wish me to look at an entry.  Otherwise, the journal is your own private one, and I will not pry into it, child." Susan reassured her, giving her a smile.

She played a game with Holly called "Tell Me How You Feel" and made believe that she were a person Holly wished to tell her feelings to, and encouraged the child to speak her mind without fear of censure or ridicule.  The first time, Susan pretended to be Lucius, and ordered Holly to tell her "father" what she thought of him.

"Don't be afraid, hon.  Tell me exactly what you think of my abandoning you in the snow and not coming to your mother's funeral. Go on, Holly, give it to me straight!"

She projected encouragement at the little girl, and suddenly Holly found herself glaring at the Healer and yelling, "You're an awful horrible person for throwing me out in the snow!"

"I am? Why?"

"Because I'm your little girl, that's why!"

"So?"

"So . . .you stupid idiot, you're supposed to LOVE me, not hurt me! But you only pretended, Dad! You never loved me or Mum either, did you?"

"Me? Love a Squib? Don't be ridiculous."

Holly clenched her fists.  "You're mean and nasty, Dad! No real dad would do what you did to me and . . .and . . I HATE you! You ruined my life, you ruined Mum's life too and . . .and . . .I wish you DIED!" she shrieked, tears of anger streaming down her face.

"Why, you ungrateful brat! How dare you?"

"You're an ungrateful father . . .I loved you and you never cared! YOU should've died, not Mum! I wish you were never my father!"

"And who, pray tell, would you have in my place?"

"Severus!' Holly cried triumphantly.  "I'd have him over you quick as a wink, he cares for me. He wants me.  And I want him! So there!"

Susan allowed Holly to rant and rave at "Lucius" for another ten minutes, letting the child get all the negative feelings she had harbored towards her father out in the open. 

When it seemed that Holly had wound down, Susan clapped her hands and said, "Bravo! That's telling him a thing or two.  How do you feel now, honey?"

It was a moment before Holly was able to reply, she felt strangely tired after that outpouring of emotion. 

Just then, Severus stuck his head in the door and glanced up and down the study. "Is everything all right in here? You're both still breathing?"

Susan grinned up at him, her eyes twinkling.  "Yes, but I think we've just killed Lucius."

"Good.  Keep going," Severus said, a satisfied smirk stealing over his face. Then he nodded and departed.

After that, Susan thought perhaps a Silencing Charm cast over the room might be a good idea, so the rest of the household would not become alarmed.  All in all, she thought the sessions were progressing nicely.

Meanwhile, Severus continued to instruct Harry in the finer points of meditation, finding his son a most receptive student.  Harry learned how to breathe correctly after their second session and Severus was showing him how to use his breathing to see his magical core and recognize auras surrounding another wizard. 

"Every wizard has his or her own unique aura," Severus told him.  "You can learn how to recognize another wizard by the aura he gives off and sometimes even tell what wizard cast a particular spell by the aura imprint he leaves upon his working."

"Really? Then you could tell who cast a spell just by reading the aura?"

"Yes, provided I am familiar with the wizard's aura signature and he or she is not using a spell to mask their aura.  But, we'll get into that subject later.  For now, I want you to memorize your own aura and mine."

Harry concentrated, going into his special place and then breathing deeply.  One.  Two. Three. Four. Then he peered into his magical core and allowed himself to look at his own aura.  It was a mixture of deep blue, green, and golden streaks.  The blue was wider than the green or the gold, but each color complimented and harmonized with the other. 

He concentrated harder and then tried to ‘see' Severus's aura.

That was a bit harder, since he needed to leave his own magical core and peer across an odd misty place until he saw a bright flash.  When he started to breathe and count again, the bright flash intensified, until he could see a corona of colors haloing Severus.

Severus's colors were a deep emerald, a paler blue, gold, and violet.  The emerald predominated, but the other three colors were nearly even in their distribution.  He wondered what the colors meant. 

Then he felt a sudden tugging and he could not keep Severus's aura in his sight.  He opened his eyes and rubbed them, they felt slightly gritty. "Dad? I saw your aura."

Severus looked pleased.  He handed Harry a piece of parchment and several colored pieces of chalk.  "Draw it for me, please."

Harry did, and then he drew his own for good measure.

Severus examined the pictures and nodded.  "That was very good for a first sighting." He gently corrected a few mistakes on his aura, making the purple strand more wavy and intertwined with the blue one.

"Dad, do the aura colors mean anything?"

"Yes.  The colors can indicate what types of magic you have an affinity for.  But I'll explain more about that later on.  Right now it's more important for you to memorize what your aura and mine look like."

Harry exhaled softly.  "Okay.  I guess I can do that."

"I know you can, Harry.  You're very bright, and memorizing auras should be a snap for you." Severus handed his son the parchment.  "But let's have lunch.  I am famished and you probably are too."

Harry laughed.  "I sure am!" Then he rose from the sofa and headed into the kitchen to rummage through the pantry.

* * * * * *

 Wednesday arrived cool and clear, and Severus decided to spend the day up at the cottage in Yorkshire near Wolf Wood, figuring it would be more peaceful there and Silver could roam around as he pleased, instead of being cooped up inside all the time, the way he was at Spinner's End.  And the children could have fun playing in the snow.  Harry had always enjoyed spending holidays up there, frolicking in the snow with Silver and on rare occasions Severus as well.

He Floo-called Susan and told her where they would be, so she could still have her session with Holly that afternoon, then he instructed both children to pack an outfit and some nightclothes.  The cottage was actually known officially as Snow Vale Cottage, an appropriate name for such a residence. Severus had it on a permanent rental with the owner, who hardly went up there except to maintain the cottage twice a year, and was happy to find a renter who enjoyed using the house. Both children were very excited to be going there, Harry had told Holly all about his adventures there when he was seven, which was the first time he had encountered Silver, his fall through the ice and subsequent rescue by Silver, how Severus had been afraid Silver had hurt him and quarreled with Harry and the fact that Silver was no ordinary wolf.

"He was once a person like you and me?" Holly repeated, astonished.

"Yup.  Once he was a wizard named Remus Lupin, my dad's schoolmate, and he was under a werewolf curse." Harry told her the story of A Wolf in Winter and how the spirit of Silverstrike the wolf Prince had come and transformed Remus into a silver wolf to break the curse, but the transformation was permanent.

"But Remus didn't care, he was happy not to be a monster every full moon.  I can show you where I met him once we get to the cottage." Harry said.

"I'd really love to see that!" Holly declared, her face shining. "Is that where Silver goes to hunt?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, picking out a pair of jeans and a longsleeved shirt and some pajamas. 

"What did Father Christmas bring you for Christmas that year?"

"Uh . . .a really cool broom called a Blizzard.  I outgrew it last year though and my dad got me a Silverstreak 2000."

"Was that all?"

"Uh, no.  He also gave me a bunch of books about Greek and Roman mythology and Egyptian mythology too.  And some new clothes and a coat and candy.  Oh, and a junior potions kit.  What did he bring you this year?"

Holly smiled.  "The one thing I wanted most.  A place I belonged and . . .people who care about me," she answered, a faraway look in her eyes.  She hesitated to use the word family, because with Lucius still having a claim on her, she couldn't really belong to the Snapes yet.  But maybe someday . . . "That's the best present of all."

Harry nodded.  "You're right.  He gave my dad the same gift a long time ago, when I was a baby.  He brought me to him, I think, and we became a family too.  I was an orphan too once, till Dad adopted me."

"You mean, you're not . . .his real son?"

"No, not by blood.  But I'm his real son in here," Harry touched his heart.  "And that's what matters.  Dad always says a family isn't defined by blood, but by your heart.  Meaning that if you love someone enough, then they can be your family same as if you were born to them."

"Oh." Holly said softly, and she grew quiet for a long moment.  I wonder if Severus will ever feel that way about me one day?  Or Harry?  And then I can be their heart-sister and daughter.

Then they heard Severus calling, asking if they were ready yet, and they hurried to get their clothes together and their presents before Apparating away to Yorkshire.

* * * * * *

The snow in Yorkshire seemed whiter and brighter than the snow in London, perhaps it was the fresh country air here, Severus mused, inhaling the frosty clean breeze in delight, it tingled as it hit the back of his throat.  Funny, but though he had grown up in London all of his life, he felt most at home here, in this remote cottage at the edge of what the locals swore was a haunted wood.  Haunted because occasionally they had caught glimpses of  a great silver wolf running or heard one howling.

Here the snow seemed to glisten with an unusual radiance, and the wind sprites seemed to prefer this place, Severus and Harry always saw several more here than they did in London during the winter. 

Harry released Severus's black-gloved hand and raced off to jump into a large snowdrift alongside the walk, shouting, "Yippee! We're back!"

Holly giggled at Harry's enthusiasm, and glanced about, squinting a bit as the sun struck the snow and made it glitter like a thousand stars.  She shaded her eyes with one pink mittened hand and looked at the small stone and wood shingled cottage, which had snow surrounding it like a cocoon.  All except the side of the house with the stone chimney, that only had snow coating the lower portion, since the warmth of the blazing fire melted the rest.  Smoke drifted into the air, making lacy patterns in the sky.

"Wow! It's so pretty here.  Like a fairytale cottage," she murmured. Oddly enough, seeing the snow here didn't make her feel all cold and shivery inside, the way seeing the snow in London did.  There was so much more of it here that she knew she should be afraid, but she wasn't, and she had no idea why.  She glanced off to the left and saw a long snowy expanse of lawn sloping down to a large wood.

"That's Wolf Wood, right?"

"Yes, and Silver is somewhere in there, hunting." Severus replied.  He went up to the front door and unlocked it.  "Come along, Holly. Might as well get settled.  Harry! Come inside and put your things away.  You can play in the snow later."

"Aww, Dad!  I can unpack later.  C'mon, let's have a snowball fight."

"Not now, Harry.  Right now I want nothing more than a nice hot cup of tea and perhaps a cinnamon scone."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, then closed it when he recalled this was Sev's birthday and he shouldn't disagree with his father today.  Then he got a naughty little idea.  He quickly formed a small snowball and then half-rose from the drift he'd jumped into, snow coating him like a living snowman, and lobbed the snowball at the back of his father's head.

"Catch, Dad!"

SPLAT!

The snow struck Severus square  on the shoulder.

Severus whirled around.  "What in Merlin's name?" he brushed the snow off his great coat and frowned.  "Harry, did you just throw a snowball at me?"

"Uh . . .my hand slipped," his son replied, looking as guilty as a three-year-old snitching biscuits from a biscuit tin before dinner.  He concealed a smile behind his red mitten.  He knew Severus would never buy his lame excuse and also never allow his son to get the better of him.

Indeed, the Potions Master scowled at his mischievous offspring, hissing, "You've got some nerve, boy, starting a snowball fight with me on my birthday, no less." He gave Harry a mock-glare and cried, "You cheeky brat! You forget who's the champion snowball thrower around here."

"What champion?" Harry pretended to glance around.

"Me." Severus challenged, then he scooped up  a large handful of snow and sent it flying at Harry.

Harry tried to dodge, but half-buried in a snow drift didn't give him much time to avoid a superfast misslie coming right at him, thrown by an expert like Snape. 

SMOOSH!

It landed smack in Harry's face, and he was nearly knocked down by the impact.

"Ooof!" he sputtered, and brushed off the snow.

"You were saying, mister?" chuckled Sev wickedly.

"Sneaky, Dad!" laughed Harry when he was able to talk again.  Then he made another snowball and threw it at Holly.  It struck her sleeve and she jumped.  "C'mon, Holl.  Play with us.  You can be on my team if you want.  Us against Dad."

"But two against one's no fair."

"Yes it is.  He's the champion, remember?" Harry coaxed. "C'mon! It'll be fun."

Holly hesitated for a moment.  She hadn't played in the snow like this since Valina died.  Valina had loved winter, and she always made time to play in the snow with her daughter, building snow witches and angels and having snowball fights too. She stared at the powdery stuff, noting how it glistened in the sunshine.

"Okay!" she grinned, and grabbed up a handful of snow and threw it at the Potion Master's side.  It caught him on the leg.  "Bullseye!" she cheered, then ran to help Harry out of the snowdrift and to somewhere they could hide and duck Severus's barrage of precisely aimed snowballs.

Within minutes, the air was thick with snow, and the shouts of children's laughter echoed through the still air, sweet and joyful.  The sprites whispered and spun around, ecstatic to see another child here, enjoying the lovely winter day, even if she could never see them.

They gleefully tossed snow crystals down upon Severus's head and chuckled, their laughter like the chiming of multiple silver bells. 

Harry and Holly raced through the snow, pursued by Severus, who could run quicker than they could because his legs were so much longer and he was not hampered by the deep snow quite as much as they were.

He chased them around the cottage and across the yard, they fled, shrieking in pretend fear. 

"Help! Help!"

"Quick, Holly, he's after us!" gasped Harry, grabbing Holly by the arm and practically dragging the smaller girl after him.

"We'll never get away, Harry.  He's too fast," the little girl shook her head.

"Wanna make a bet?" laughlll laughed Harry.  "We've got a secret weapon."

"We do?" Holly looked around, puzzled. "What?"

Severus had nearly caught up to them, when suddenly a silver shapr flew out of the trees and slammed into the Potion Master's knees, knocking Severus flat on his back in the snow.

"Silver!" shouted Harry. 

The big wolf shook himself and grinned wolfishly at the children. There was a slight dusting of snow upon his coat that made it glitter a bit, and his amber eyes sparkled with humor. 

"Silver, you blasted cheating overgrown puppy!" sputtered Snape, sitting up and brushing frantically at the snow all over him.  It clung to his gloves and the back of his coat and small rivulets were melting and trickling down the back of his neck, he flinched, then growled, "This means war, wolf!" And tackled Silver, knocking the massive animal into the snow. 

The two scuffled, rolling over and over, Silver mock-growling and snapping at Sev's feet and hands.  Severus mock-cuffed the big animal about the ears and poked him lightly in the ribs, thumping the great wolf's sides playfully. 

Then Silver managed to wriggle free and sprang away over the snow.

Severus staggered to his feet, a snowball forming on his glove to fling after the impudent animal, when the two children jumped on him, knocking him face first into the snow again.

"Got you, Dad!"

"Surprise, Severus!"

The Potions Master coughed, gasped, and then grabbed both impudent little scamps and tossed them into the snow beside him. 

"Ahh! It's cold!" yelped Harry, who now had snow down his collar.

"No fair, Severus!" Holly protested, but she was smiling, her pale cheeks colored with a rosy tint. 

"Very fair, my sneaky little snow sprite! All's fair in love, war, and snowball fights."

Harry stuck his tongue out at him, and Severus pulled his son across his knees and lifted a hand.

Holly whimpered, sure he was going to spank Harry, but all Severus did was bring his hand down across the back of his son's knees, his slender fingers tickling him unmercifully.

Harry giggled uncontrollably, squirming.  "AHH . . .HAHAHA . . .Please, Dad, no more! . . .HEHEHEAHAHA . . .Stop! . . .I'll be good, promise!"

"I'll believe it when I see it, you impudent scamp." Severus smirked, his fingers moving up Harry's neck, making his son explode in mirth.  "A Snape takes no prisoners!"

When he had sufficiently subdued his son, he turned and tickled Holly as well, making her laugh helplessly.  She fell half into the snow, the laughter welling up from somewhere deep inside of her, warming her to the depths of her soul, until tears of mirth glistened on her cheeks.  For the first time since Valina's death, the icy ball sheathing her heart began to dissolve, as Harry and Severus laughed with her, sitting in the snow, warm despite the cold.

* * * * * *

Eventually, Severus declared a halt to their romp and said it was time to go inside, and they all trooped into the cottage, which was blessedly warm, shed boots and coats and gloves in the entryway, and Severus dried off their hair with a Warming Charm.  Then he went into the kitchen, fixed them all cups of steaming cocoa, and plates of scones, and they ate relaxing in front of the roaring fire.

The exertion tired them out, and the children fell asleep soon afterwards, leaving the Potions Master a few hours to relax and unwind before Susan arrived, bearing a cake. 

"Happy birthday, Sev! And here's your birthday cake, courtesy of Keegan Bakery," she announced.

"Sue, you didn't have to do that," he protested faintly.

"Of course I did!" she waved off his embarrassment.  "And you get dinner too," she indicated the grocery bags sitting by her feet, enlarged and removed from her pockets.  "Barbecued beef sandwiches, mashed potatoes, and salad.  Just like my mom used to make."

"Thank you."

"For what? What's a little dinner between friends?" she smiled, then looked over to where the two children were sprawled on the sofas, sleeping peacefully.  "Tired them out, huh? What did you do, make them get up at the crack of dawn and cook you breakfast?"

Severus snorted in disbelief.  "Hardly." He told her of the impromptu snowball fight.  "I haven't played like that since . . .Lily and I were their age." He smiled reminiscently. 

"Good for you, Sev! See, it's like I always say, you're never too old to have fun."

He blushed faintly.  "I'm thirty."

"So? It's just a number, Severus.  Not a prison sentence.  There's no earthly reason why you can't enjoy yourself every once in awhile, and playing in the snow is such fun!"

"Oh sure," he mock-grumbled.  "And so is getting sat on by a hundred-seventy-five pound wolf."

"What?"

"Silver knocked me down," he elaborated.

The little Healer shouted with laughter.  "Too bad I wasn't there, Snape.  Then I could have sat on you." She winked at him playfully.

"Watch it, Keegan.  You're married, remember?"

"I love Billy, Sev, but if I had met you first, Potions Master . . ."

"You'd not have wanted me then.  I was damaged goods," he said self-deprecatingly.  "Tainted by association."

"No.  Never that.  You were never one of them, Sev.  Trust me, I know.  No one knows the stench of evil and corruption like an empath. Your soul is clean, Snape.  My talent cannot lie." She gazed at him, and there was nothing in her eyes but sheer honesty.

He coughed uncomfortably.  "I'm too old to start a relationship now.  I have a son and a . . .daughter."

"Sev, don't be ridiculous! You're never too old to love again.  Don't shut yourself up in a box, old friend, and let yourself molder away like a batch of agate moss.  Just because Lily is gone is no reason to live your life in mourning."

"I'm not . . ."

She shook a finger at him.  "Never lie to an empath, Sev.  You're alive and young and you deserve to be happy.  She's out there, somewhere, waiting. All you have to do is find her."

He chuckled.  "Ever the optimist."

"Always.  Take a chance, Sev.  You won't regret it."

"Are you a Seer too, like Holly?"

Susan shrugged mysteriously.  "All Mind Healers bear a touch of Sight.  And mine tells me that somewhere out there is another who can teach you how to have fun and to be happy, like your Lily did once.  When you meet her, you'll know."

"Love at first sight?" he scoffed.

"Listen to your heart, Sev.  It's wiser than you know," was all she replied.  Then she waved a hand and all the bags were levitated into the kitchen. 

Severus followed to help her unpack them, and asked how Holly was doing with her therapy.

"Quite well.  Though it will take time for her to heal.  But she will heal, Sev, she's amazingly resilient . . .Got any tea, sorcerer?"

He smirked and summoned a cup for her and watched as she assembled ingredients for dinner, and he spoke of Harry's lessons in meditation and taking the children to Hogwarts at the end of the week.

* * * * * *

After Holly's therapy session, they all ate dinner, which was delicious, and sang ‘Happy Birthday' to Severus, and ate cake.  Severus opened his gifts from the children, saying they were first rate, and thanking them.  The new quill and ink went on his desk and the beakers in his lab and the potions book he would read that night. Then Susan said she had to be going, Billy would be home from his job soon, and she hugged both Children and Severus goodbye before Apparating away. 

Severus stood on the back porch, watching the snow gently falling over the wood, the last rays of the afternoon sun making it glisten like diamond dust.  From further away, the eerie cry of  a hunting wolf swelled in the air, and the Potions Master smiled.  Good hunting, Lupin.  This was a wonderful birthday after all.