Christmas morning dawned bright and early, not that Harry knew that, since his room was underground. He awoke to the sounds of Remus and Severus’ whispered voices outside his bedroom door, seemingly arguing about something. Throwing his covers aside, Harry slipped his feet into his slippers and walked over to the door. Remus and Severus paused in their whispered arguing as the door opened to reveal a sleep ruffled Harry.

“What are you two bickering about this early in the morning?” Harry asked incredulously, running a hand through his helplessly rumpled hair. He was amused by their sheepish expressions, but he tried to hide it.

“Well, it’s a moot point now that you’re awake. Come, there are gifts to open,” Severus said, pulling Remus along down the hall by his sleeve. There was something concealed in his right hand that Harry couldn’t exactly see, but he didn’t even try to spy what it was as he followed the two men into the sitting room.

It had taken some convincing and a little bit of begging on both Remus’ and Harry’s part, but they had finally gotten Severus to allow a small Christmas tree to be set up in the sitting room. Remus had charmed some fairy lights, and Harry and bought a few ornaments to hang upon the tree. They’d even convinced Severus to hang his own monogrammed ornament on the tree while listening to Christmas carols on the Wizarding Wireless. They’d allowed him a stiff drink that night.

There were packages of many shapes and sizes lying under the tree, the soft glow of the fairy lights gleaming off the shiny wrapping and sparkling bows. Harry felt his heart swell as Remus plopped himself on the ground beside Harry instead of taking an armchair, and he nearly lost control of his emotions as Severus rolled his eyes and joined the powwow on the floor. Remus leaned forward and grabbed three similarly wrapped packages, which Harry recognized as the Weasley jumpers. He couldn’t wait to see Severus’ reaction.

They all three opened their packages at the same time, Harry ripping the paper clean off, Remus carefully undoing the spell-o-tape, and Severus meticulously removing the paper so that not even a corner was torn. Harry snorted.

The Weasley jumpers were noticeably nicer this year, which seemed a bit strange to Harry. His jumper was a soft grey, made out of what looked and felt like cashmere instead of the usual yarn-like material. A little note was tucked into a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, and he pulled it out.

‘Harry,

I hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas! We miss you here at the Burrow, but it’s good that you have your own family to spend the holidays with now. I learned a nifty charm over the summer hols that could knit cashmere jumpers! So much nicer, don’t you think? Make sure Severus wears his at least once! Happy Christmas, Harry; we love you!

Molly and the Weasley family’

Harry looked over as Severus unfolded his own jumper, which was a beautiful muted sapphire. The lack of adornment was obvious, but that could only be considered a good thing, in Severus’ opinion. He cocked an eyebrow as Harry smirked at him, and Remus chuckled softly, holding up his own ruby jumper.

“It brings out your eyes,” Harry said to Severus with a snicker. He received a half-hearted glare before he shockingly watched the Potions Master pull the jumper on over his night shirt, which he was still wearing.

“It looked warm,” he said in explanation as Remus followed suit and pulled on his own jumper. Harry shrugged and slipped his on too, noticing that the new material was indeed warm and much less scratchy than the material Molly usually used.

Remus leaned forward once more and dug around under the tree. He made a noise of discovery as he pulled out a particular package and handed it to Harry, smiling warmly at him. “It’s not much, but I saw it and it reminded me of you.”

Harry took the small rectangular package and tore the wrapping off. The box inside was black and velvety, reminding Harry of jewellery packaging. He carefully opened the lid and smiled when he saw what was inside. A gentle silver bracelet lay wrapped in red velvet, the links in the shape of snakes and lions, alternating. He lifted the bracelet out and held out his wrist so that Severus could put it on for him. He turned to Remus and smiled, launching himself at the man for a tight hug.

“Thank you, Remus.”

Remus held him close and sighed contently before releasing the young Gryffindor. “You’re very welcome, Harry.”

Harry reached under the tree and pulled out a gift that looked to be the shape and size of a book. He handed it to Remus and smiled shyly, but offered no explanation until Remus had carefully torn away the paper to reveal a beautiful glittering picture frame, sans picture, that had the word ‘family’ engraved on it in ornate letters.

“We don’t have a picture to put in it yet, but we will. I guess it’s my way of reminding you that even though Severus will be my father legally, I still consider you to be just as much a part of my family,” said Harry, blushing slightly as he saw the moisture gathering in Remus’ eyes. He hadn’t meant to make the man cry.

“Oh, Harry. It’s beautiful; thank you,” Remus choked out, pulling the teen into another hug. He looked over the untidy black hair to Severus, who had cleared his throat and blinked quite rapidly in order to control his emotions. They locked eyes for a minute. Remus had never been so happy before in his life.

Harry finally pulled away and wiped the tears from his cheeks, laughing slightly as Remus did the same. This was proving to be a very emotional Christmas indeed, and he knew it wasn’t going to stop there, either. He reached for another package, feeling his heart beat double time as he handed it to Severus. He was so nervous; he was surprised no one else could hear his heart pounding.

Severus accepted the gift and unwrapped the silver paper, letting it fall to his lap as he opened the small black box. He gasped as he recognized immediately what lay inside. His gut instinct was to get angry, but he quickly pushed it away as he lifted the now shining, golden pocket watch from the velvet lining of the box. He flipped the clasp, watching as the spring-loaded door clicked open to reveal the face of the watch, newly restored and working, the hands ticking the seconds, minutes and hours away. He immediately looked for the initials engraved in the gold; E.P.S. His mother’s initials.

Severus looked up at Harry, who looked like he was ready for an explosion of epic proportions. A glance at Remus revealed a hopeful expression. He looked back down at the watch in his hands, the gold chain curled neatly underneath it. It looked just as he remembered it when his mother had given it to him, telling him to keep it safe for her while he was away at school. The reason it had stopped working was because his father had smashed it under his heel in a fit of rage. It had never worked the entire time Severus had had it. That was the summer before his mother had passed away. He felt the moisture on his cheeks before he even realized that they were tears. He had no idea what to say.

“I...Harry, this is...I can’t even begin to explain how much this means to me...” Severus whispered, closing his hands around the watch and subconsciously holding it close to his heart. He remained speechless for a few moments before reaching towards Harry and pulling the boy into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Harry was shaking quite noticeably as Severus held him close. He’d been so afraid that the man’s reaction would be one of anger and betrayal. This emotional display was certainly not what Harry had expected. The pocket watch obviously meant much more to the Potions Master than even Harry had suspected. “You’re welcome, Sev. I knew it meant a lot to you, and I had it fixed up completely the muggle way. No magic was used on it.”

Severus felt a sort of relief at that. He had thought it had been fixed by magic for sure, but Harry had been considerate enough to respect his wishes. He didn’t know why it was so important, but he didn’t want this watch to be touched by magic. Maybe it was because magic was the reason his father had inadvertently killed his mother.

“It means the world to me, Harry, truly it does,” Severus said as he released the boy. He took a deep breath as he reached underneath the tree for a slightly larger, flat package. His hands shook as he handed it to Harry, sharing a significant look with Remus.

Taking the package carefully, as it was obvious that it was fragile from the way Severus had handled it, Harry slowly tore the paper away, revealing the back of a picture frame. He turned it over once the paper was gone, and felt all the air rush from his lungs as he read the flourishing script at the top.

Certificate of Adoption

This document hereby states that Severus Tobias Snape is now the legal guardian and father of Harry James Potter-Snape, approved and signed by the Head of Wizarding Family Services and the Department of Magical Adoption. It is recognized as a binding document by the Ministry of Magic.

Head of Wizarding Family Services      Casewitch and Curator Ad Litem
Gerald H. Cooperman                               Adeline Luther

Minister for Magic
Cornelius Fudge

Harry hadn’t realized he was crying so hard until Severus – his father – pulled him into another hug, smoothing his hair down as Harry clutched the framed document to his chest as if his life depended on it – actually, his life did depend on it. He clung to the sapphire jumper as he cried himself out into his father’s shoulder.

“Merry Christmas, Son,” Severus whispered into Harry’s hair, earning himself a tighter hug and a mingled laugh-cry from the Gryffindor as the teen pulled slightly away, wiping at his blotchy face embarrassedly.

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to cry all over you. It’s just...I can’t believe it’s finally real. I have a father now...I have a father,” Harry gasped out, tears still sliding down his cheeks even as he smiled at his new father. He took a deep breath and looked down at the framed certificate once more before looking back at Severus, feeling his heart doing somersaults in his chest.

“Merry Christmas, Dad.”

And that was when Severus lost the last of his iron-clad control over his emotions. He looked over at Remus, who was looking the worse for wear as his bloodshot and streaming eyes met Severus’. The Potions Master gestured for the werewolf to move closer, and a sort of group hug was initiated.

The door to the dungeon quarters opened, admitting Draco, who was smiling broadly as he held up his own Weasley jumper to show it off. He paused as he saw the tender moment being shared by the new little family, and felt suddenly bereft and awkward.

Harry looked up and smiled a watery smile at his boyfriend, extracting himself from the group hug so he could attack the Slytherin with a hug and a quick kiss, encouraging the blonde to put on the jumper.

Remus and Severus stayed close together on the floor near the tree, smiling as they watched Draco and Harry show off various gifts, including the framed adoption certificate. Remus reached across Severus’ lap towards the tree, lifting one of the few gifts left there and handing it to Severus. It was small and square, wrapped in shining green and silver paper.

“It took me a long time to figure out what to get you. I knew it had to be something special, something less typical than potions ingredients or anything of the like. I very nearly gave up and bought you a new cauldron, until I thought of this.” Remus gestured then for Severus to unwrap the gift, subconsciously holding his breath as the Potions Professor tore away the paper to reveal what was unmistakeably a ring box. Severus’ head snapped up quickly to meet Remus’ eyes, his jaw hanging slightly open. Neither of them noticed that the two teens in the room had turned to watch the exchange.

“Remus...” Severus whispered, afraid to open the box, but beyond excited for what it could possibly mean.

Remus smiled as he gently opened the ring box in Severus’ hand, drawing everyone’s eyes to the contents. A simple yet elegant titanium ring lay inside, gleaming off the light produced by the fairy lights on the Christmas tree. Engraved in tiny letters on the inside of the ring were two words; Nunquam Unus.

“Never alone...” Severus whispered as he lifted the ring from the box and studied the small engraving.

Remus took Severus’ left hand and the ring and slid it onto the man’s ring finger, showing that he also wore a similar ring on his own left ring finger. He must have just slipped it on. “We cannot get married because of the laws still governing against same-sex marriage, but I want you to know that if we could, I would marry you in a heartbeat. This, at least, will represent what we mean to each other. I love you, Severus.”

Severus sighed contently as he pulled Remus close for a kiss, cupping the werewolf’s cheek as he lingered against his lips. Severus heard a sniffle and broke away from the kiss, looking up towards Harry and Draco, who were beaming at the two men in a very watery way.

“It’s all so surreal...” Harry whispered, earning himself smiles from his parents as Draco kissed him gently on the cheek.

“One more, then I think I’ve reached my emotional quota for the next ten years,” Severus said in an amused voice as he reached for another package and handed it to Remus. He felt his gift would pale in comparison to the one he had just received, but it was too late to change it now.

Remus chuckled as he accepted the gift and carefully tore away the paper. A small wooden chest was revealed, made of fine smelling cedar. A saying had been burned into the wood, a saying that Remus would never expect to show up on anything Severus ever gifted to him.

“I Solemnly Swear...” Remus whispered, clicking open the latch and opening the chest. Inside laid two spun glass figurines; a stag, and a shaggy dog. The inside lid of the chest had the rest of the saying burned into the cedar, and Remus read it out loud as well.

“...To Accept You; Past, Present, and Future.” Remus had no idea what to say. This meant so much more to him than he could ever explain. That Severus was willing to cast aside his feelings towards the people who had made his life as a teenager a living hell for him; it was priceless. He was broken out of his reverie by Severus getting to his feet. He was afraid he had offended the man, but in the next second his breath was stolen once more. Where Severus had stood there was now a rather large, rather sleek black panther, it’s dark eyes immediately recognizable as the Potions Master’s.

A squeak of surprise sounded from the two teens standing a few feet away, but Remus paid them no heed as he reached forward and gently caressed the panther’s silken head. He laughed as Severus-the-panther nudged his hand and gave a soft purr of affection. As Remus drew slowly away, Severus transformed back into himself, smiling down at his lover, who quickly got to his feet and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I did it for you,” Severus whispered against the werewolf’s ear, causing the man to shiver slightly in his embrace.

“I know. Thank you, Severus,” Remus replied, kissing the man firmly on the lips as they pulled away from each other.

Harry was beaming at the two men, though he fixed Severus with an indignant look a second later. “Why didn’t you tell me you were learning how to become an Animagus? I want to learn!” he exclaimed, Draco nodding beside him that he too wanted to learn.

Severus sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, though it was obvious he was only putting on a show. “Maybe I will deign to teach you both over the summer, when we have more free time to do so. Trust me; it is not an easy feat. I commend James, Sirius, and Peter for managing to do so while still students.”

Remus smiled indulgently at his lover, causing Harry and Draco to both roll their eyes and snicker at the doe-eyed expression.

“Come on, I want to give Harry his gift!” Draco announced, pulling Harry towards the door with him.

“Hold on just a few minutes, Draco. There is no way in Salazar’s name that I am leaving my quarters in my night clothes,” Severus said with a slight smirk. He and Remus went to go change their clothes as Harry pulled Draco into his room, changing his own clothes as well.

Once everyone was dressed, all in their Weasley jumpers still, of course, they all headed up to the Entrance Hall.

“Where are we going, Draco? Please say you didn’t get me something huge and expensive,” Harry groaned as the Slytherin dragged him out of the main doors to the school, the two Professors following behind. A thick layer of snow already covered the Hogwarts grounds, and the white sleet was still falling steadily to the ground.

“You’ll see,” Draco hedged. They walked across the grounds, past Hagrid’s hut and pumpkin patch, past the greenhouses, and over a steep slope just behind the castle.

Harry could see that a large portion of the land had been fenced off with short, white picket fences. The snow couldn’t touch the ground there, as if it had been charmed. As they got closer, it was clear that they were looking at a garden, although Harry only saw two different types of flowers. He looked over at Draco, his expression questioning.

“You told me in Hogsmeade that even if I couldn’t place a gift in my mother’s hands, I could still give her something. I thought the same was true for you, so I asked permission from Dumbledore, and got Professor Sprout’s help in planting this garden. The yellow ones are daffodils, part of the Narcissi genus, and the pink and white ones are Stargazer lilies, part of the Lilium genus.”

Harry knelt down beside the fence, reaching towards one of the Stargazer lilies and brushing its soft pedals with his fingertips. They were exotic looking, but so beautiful. Beside it was a simple, yet still elegant yellow daffodil. They actually looked quite nice together.

There was a marble plaque set into the ground just in front of the fence that Harry hadn’t noticed before. He brushed the snow away from the engraving with his gloved hand.

In Memory of Lily Evans-Potter and Narcissa Black-Malfoy

Semper Nostrum Viscus

“The Latin means Always in Our Hearts, or some variation of, at least. I’ve never been good at that stuff,” Draco mumbled with a frown. He’d asked Dumbledore to pick out the phrase simply because he couldn’t think of anything significant or heartfelt. He was happy with the simple words the Headmaster had chosen.

Harry laughed gently as he traced the words, his knees growing wet and cold from kneeling in the snow for too long. He didn’t care.  He allowed Draco to help him up by the hand, brushing the snow from his trousers and cloak. Harry pulled the Slytherin close and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, smiling as Draco seemed to melt in his arms.

“Thank you...I love it,” Harry whispered, returning the embrace as Draco pulled him into a tight hug for a few seconds. When they parted, Harry had another gift in his hand, taken from his inner pocket where he had hidden it.

“It’s not nearly as great as your gift,” Harry said with a shrug as he handed the ball-shaped package to his boyfriend.

Draco carefully unwrapped the heavy thing, whatever it was, before giving Harry a bemused look as the glass orb in his palm glowed with a swirling red mist. He recognized it, vaguely, but he couldn’t quite remember what it was. The mist turned a soft blue even as he watched it swirl.

“It’s a Rememberall, but it’s a special kind; a Memory Jogger. Hermione started researching ways to help jog your memory a bit faster than it’s been coming back on its own, and she found out about these. It’s charmed so that the mist will turn blue whenever something around you starts to jog your memory. It’s best that you not be told outright about the things you’ve forgotten, but to just help your memory along by reminding you of familiar things. With this, you’ll know if there’s something that’s going to help you remember. There are other colours of mist as well, all with different meanings. Once you have all of your memories back, the mist will disappear. After that, there’s a charm that will turn it into a normal Rememberall,” Harry explained, hoping Draco wouldn’t be offended by the notion of the gift. He was afraid Draco would take it completely the wrong way, but Hermione assured him that Draco would understand and be appreciative.

The swirling mist faded to a blood red again as Draco gripped the ball gently in his palm. He sighed, wondering what memory the little glass sphere had jogged, and why it seemed to have ebbed away. As he looked up at Harry, the orb turned blue once more.

“First year...flying lessons. I stole Neville’s Rememberall and threw it, trying to get you in trouble when you flew off to get it. I’m the reason you were the century’s youngest Seeker,” Draco said, as if in a trance. The mist turned a murky red, then swirled a bright purple.

“That means the memory is slightly warped, or wrong. I think taking the credit for my Quidditch position might have done that,” Harry chuckled, watching as the mist turned red once more.

Draco smirked and shook his head at the Gryffindor, feeling a slight sinking feeling in his stomach as he remembered the anger and jealousy he had felt on that particular day. He didn’t like that feeling at all, but was sure that he’d get to feel it many more times before he got his full memory back. He was careful not to display his emotions as he hugged his boyfriend and thanked him.

S~S~S~S

Christmas dinner was slightly more crowded this year than previous ones, as more parents had let their children stay at the castle for more protection. Dumbledore still insisted that they all share one table, however, and so they all gathered at the Hufflepuff table for the succulent feast.

Harry was sitting between his father and his boyfriend, with Hermione sitting across from him still gushing over the book on ancient love spells that Harry had gotten for her. The Potions Master had rolled his eyes a few times already at the girl. Harry spotted a new shiny bracelet on her wrist, and she sheepishly admitted that it had come from Ron. Harry had only received the traditional Weasley jumper; nothing from just Ron. He tried not to let this bother him as he pulled a cracker with Draco, getting showered in confetti as Draco’s ears were turned into elf ears.

“Severus, take them off of me!”

The Potions Professor just continued to guffaw into his mug of mead as Draco pulled helplessly on his pointy ears.

Remus and Hermione pulled their cracker next, and a loud bang reverberated around the hall as Remus sprouted two rather large reindeer antler. Severus laughed even harder, garnering most of the table’s attention as they became entranced by his laughter; they’d never heard him actually laugh before. When they noticed the antlers currently bedecking Remus’ mussed hair, the whole table joined in on the raucous laughter.

After all the wizards cracker had been pulled, nearly everyone at the table was covered in confetti, or was sporting some type of festive body part. Hagrid’s snow white beard and hair looked quite fitting underneath his Father Christmas’ hat. Professor McGonagall, however, was not very pleased with her blinking red nose. Severus was grumbling as he tried to remove the giant angel wings from his back. They actually looked quite stunning on him. Hermione giggled as Harry cracked a joke about the angel of death. Severus cuffed him on the back of the head.

The feast came to a close after Dumbledore had risen and thanked everyone for a most joyous holiday, finally giving out the spell that would undo all of the festive cracker’s spell work. Most people left their strange holiday decorations in place, though Severus and Draco both immediately removed theirs. Remus cursed under his breath as his antler got caught on the door frame on their way out of the Great Hall.

Down in the dungeons, Harry, Draco, Severus, Remus, and Hermione all sat in front of the fire, sipping eggnog and relaxing after a fun and eventful day. Hermione was curled up with her book beside the fire, Harry’s blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Harry and Draco were playing a game of wizard’s chess with the new board Remus had given Draco. Harry was losing badly. Remus and Severus sat together on the couch, watching the chess game commence as the fire warmed them.

“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had. It’s hard to believe the world is in such a horrible state of affairs when it feels so peaceful in the castle,” Severus said quietly, smiling faintly as Remus toyed with the ring on his finger.

“We should enjoy it while we can. Something is bound to happen soon. It’s all been too quiet, and even the Order have absolutely no leads. Things will happen soon, bad things, so remember this day,” Remus said just above a whisper. He looked quite forlorn as he watched Harry lose for the third time in a row. He hoped the boy’s duelling strategy was better than his chess skills.

Severus frowned at his lover, reaching up to turn the werewolf’s face towards him. “I thought being overly pessimistic was my job? Remus, everything will be alright. Harry has much to learn still, yes, but he’s much more powerful than anyone gives him credit for. Do not underestimate him.”

“If anything happens to him, Severus, I don’t think I could take it. It would kill me...”

Severus brushed the hair back from Remus’ worried eyes, caressing his slightly stubbly cheek with the back of his hand. “Nothing will happen to him, Remus; I’ll make sure of that.”

Remus sighed heavily as he leaned into Severus’ touch, taking comfort from the man’s affection. “I wish I could be as confident as you about it, but I’m so scared for him. I wish I could do something to take that burden off of his shoulders.”

“I told you that you would make a very good father, Remus, and I was right. I feel the same way, and so much more than that as well, and Harry’s only been my son for a day. We’ll get him through this, I promise.” Severus pulled his lover close, kissing him gently on the lips. He rolled his eyes as the two boys and Hermione made ‘awing’ noises.

Remus smiled as he pulled away, still with eyes only for the Potions Master. “Teenagers...” he drawled in a precise mimic of Severus’ voice, earning a smirk from the man and chuckles from the teens. It had been a wonderful Christmas indeed.