With the sun's rays just barely touching her face, she slowly woke up to the new day. She smiled as she felt her daddy's strong arms around her. Her daddy would protect her from everything. She knew he would. For one, he made first-years cry. Well, that was sort of mean, but she wasn't going to tell her daddy that. For two, he was some sort of crazy ninja or something. Why else did he dress all in black?

"I love you, Daddy," she softly whispered before leaning up and pressing a kiss against his cheek. When her daddy's eyes slowly opened and he glanced at her, she bit her bottom lip. "Merry Christmas," she said barely above a whisper.

"Indeed," he replied quietly, just staring at her.

"Can we go downstairs yet, Daddy?" Her big brown eyes glanced up into her daddy's eyes.

"Yeah, Dad, can we?" her brothers asked with loud laughs from their separate beds.

"I'm half tempted to say no," her daddy drawled, glancing down at her. However, he sighed and inclined his head.

Unable to control her happiness any longer, she started to vibrate happily in her daddy's arms. She was going to be opening presents really soon. She couldn't wait. Biting her lip, she kept moving against her daddy's strong arms. She had to go. She had presents waiting to be ripped to shreds. Her daddy, however, kept holding her back.

"Daddy," the little blond whined. "Presents," she simply said with her bottom lip protruding.

"You can wait."

"Nuh-uh," Angel replied, giving her daddy the famous puppy dog look.

"Yes, you can," her daddy responded firmly. "I have faith in you."

"What about us, Dad? Do you have faith in us too?"

"I gave up on you two long ago, Harry," her daddy answered with amused eyes.

"Always knew Slytherin was synonymous with—ow! What was that for?"

"You were going to say something stupid, little brother."

"You didn't know that."

"Harry, even Angel knew you were going to say that," her daddy said with a look.

"Daddy's right. I did," the little girl replied seriously.

"Thanks, El. You're a lot of help."

"Can we please open presents now, Daddy?"

"No." The little girl's smile fell immediately. "However, we can go downstairs."

"Bu-but—" When her daddy suddenly picked her up and stood up, she squealed loudly, burying her head into his shoulder. She hadn't expected her daddy to do that. She thought about pounding her little fists into his broad shoulders, but that'd just be dumb. Nothing hurt her daddy. With a soft growl that likely could have come from her daddy a moment later, Angel surrendered. She wrapped her arms around her daddy's neck and rested her head against him. "I want pancakes, blueberry pancakes with bacon and peanut butter."

"Together?" her daddy softly asked, giving her a strange look.

"That's yucky, Daddy," she answered with her little face all screwed up in disgust. "Yucky, Daddy, that's just wrong."

"Then why'd you—never mind," her daddy muttered, clearly after realizing something. His eyes then held their familiar firmness. "You'll get the same as everyone else, my Angel. I did not raise you into being some spoiled princess."

"I'm a Prince, though, Daddy," she responded with big eyes. "Just like you, aren't I?"

Her daddy softly chuckled before shaking his head. "Yes, you are a member of the Prince line, but you're also your mother's little princess."

"So I'm not a Prince then?" she asked clearly confused. Her dark eyes glanced at her brothers who had big grins plastered on their faces.

"El, Dad means someone who is royalty, not a member of the Prince family."

"Aren't Daddy and Mommy royalty, though?"

"No."

"But they're Princes."

"Let's just agree to disagree, all right?" Draco interrupted, giving her daddy and brother a look.

"K, Draco," Angel softly said before burying her face back into the crook of her daddy's neck. She was very silent as they continued towards their destination. However, soon the silence became too much for the little girl. She lifted her head up once more and glanced around. They were headed for the dining room it seemed, likely for breakfast.

"So, it's breakfast first and then presents, Dad?" asked Harry.

"Yes. There's no need for you three to starve just because of your gifts."

"But, Daddy," the little girl whined.

"Angel Celestria Prince," he quietly admonished, giving her his famous disapproving look.

"I sorry," she softly replied, hanging her head. She caught her brothers' badly hidden amused looks as they walked beside her daddy. Why was she getting in trouble? She hadn't done anything.

"There you are, Severus," her mommy said with a soft smirk as they walked into the kitchen. "I was beginning to wonder if I needed to send the house elves after you."

"There was no need. I spent the night with our daughter."

"Oh," her mommy replied, quickly glancing at the little girl. "Well, it's Christmas morn now, and I'm certain our little one has learned her lesson."

"She has said that numerous times. I am not convinced."

"Yeah, but you're never convinced," joked Harry.

"If I were you, I'd not smart off in front of my father on Christmas morning, Harry."

"Dad, honestly, I've got the best gift a person could ever have," the fifteen-year-old replied. "I've got my family all here, safe and sound."

"Getting sentimental there, little brother," Draco said with a snort. "Maybe we should ask the Headmaster to resort you into Hufflepuff."

"Shut it or I'll tell Dad how you used the Floo to talk to 'Mione." Harry then laughed heartily before smiling guiltily. "Oops, sorry, Draco, let it slip."

"You little—"

"Boys," her mommy softly admonished with a sigh. "It's Christmas morn." She gave them a reproachful look. "Please let me have some peace today. Otherwise, you might find yourself scrubbing some of the spare rooms with a toothbrush instead of opening presents. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mum," Harry quietly replied, looking semi-ashamed.

"Yes, ma'am," responded Draco, following Harry's lead.

"And just what have my grandsons done this time, Aura?" asked Angel's pajama-clad Grandpa Orin as he entered the room with twinkling brown eyes.

"Disturbing the Christmas peace," her mommy answered.

"Ah, yes, can't be having that," Grandpa Orin said with a chuckle. "Now, can we, boys?"

"No, sir," Harry and Draco replied.

"How is it today, Aura?" the little girl's grandpa asked mysteriously as he gently pressed a kiss against her mommy's cheek.

"Still the same as yesterday and the day before that and the day before that, Dad," her mommy responded with a sigh, flexing her wand hand.

"And you, Severus?" Angel's grandpa asked with a hint of concern in his velvety chocolate eyes.

"The same, Orin," her daddy answered politely, glancing very briefly at Angel before looking away. "However, it is more of an annoyance than pain."

"No doubt," her grandpa muttered.

"Has it affected the children yet?" Grandma Syra, a pale witch with long golden blond hair, asked as her seemingly unnatural blue eyes fell on each of her grandchildren.

"No," Angel's mommy answered with a slight growl.

"Peculiar, isn't it? That the children are unaffected," her grandma drawled with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps the Prince family has more secrets than Severus is willing to admit."

"That may be, Syra," Angel's daddy replied, inclining his head respectfully. His dark eyes had no anger towards the elder witch. "However, my mother has stated that she knows of no familial curse that would affect either of us like this."

"Pity," Grandma Syra responded with a very thin smile. "Then again, it is not as if Eileen would trust you with all her secrets, would she? Considering your pedigree—forgive me," Angel's grandma said with a forced laugh of embarrassment immediately, "I mean, your lineage, Severus?"

Angel's dark eyes glanced back and forth between her grandma and daddy. She didn't like what her grandma was saying, even though she didn't necessarily understand it. Then again, she still didn't know what was wrong with her mommy and daddy. However, judging by her mommy's glare, Grandma wasn't being very nice to Daddy.

"Keep your snide little comments about my husband to yourself, Mother," her mommy hissed.

"Oh, yes, whatever you say, Aurora," Grandma Syra drawled, smiling very thinly. "However, I am only informing your … husband," she said, spitting the word out with pure venom, "that his bloodline has numerous secrets that they tend to keep from their kin until it is nearly too late."

"And you would know this how, Mother?"

"I've had … dealings with his kind before."

"Just what kind are you insinuating he belongs to, Mother? Half-bloods? Undesirables? What?" Angel's mommy snapped.

"Aura," Grandpa Orin quietly said with a pained look as he motioned with his eyes towards the children looking on.

"Your mother means those who are deemed a threat in her eyes," drawled a familiar voice.

"You!" snarled Grandma Syra, her blue eyes flashing dangerously towards the intruder.

"Indeed," replied the black-clad witch, standing in the entryway to the dining room behind everyone. "I am still invited to this quaint gathering. Am I not, Orin?"

"You are, Eileen," the little girl's grandpa quietly replied, inclining his head.

"You—you invited that—that thing into our house?" Grandma Syra shouted, clearly outraged.

"She is their grandmother, Syra. I thought it would be best for all if she was here."

Angel's big dark brown eyes immediately darted to her grandpa. Had Wrackspurts taken over his mind? Her grandmas hated each other. Even Grandma Minerva didn't necessarily get along with either of the witches. Glancing towards her parents, the little girl saw the well-hidden shock in their faces. Her brothers, however, wore twin looks of sheer disbelief. What was happening?

"You thought wrong," Grandma Syra snarled, glaring at Grandma Eileen.

"Perhaps, but it won't kill you to act cordial for a few hours, Syra," Grandpa Orin replied. He then lowered his voice. "Do it for our grandchildren."

"As if the boys care that their miserable old bitch of a grandmother is here," Grandma Syra snarled, still sending soul-piercing glares at Grandma Eileen, who only smirked and raised an eyebrow back at her as she leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed in defiance.

Angel wanted to cry as she heard the fury in her grandma's voice. Grandma Syra seemed so mean and nasty right then. Burying her little blond head into her daddy, she did her best to get away from the anger, the meanness, the nastiness, and the hatred.

It was Christmas, wasn't it? Wasn't that supposed to be a time when old enemies set aside old fights in lieu of the Holiday spirit? Her daddy had read a story with that just the other day. So why didn't her grandmas set aside their open contempt of one another for one day?

Lifting her little head back up after getting the tears back under control again, she glanced towards Grandma Syra once more. The meanness was still there in the crisp blue eyes. Angel whimpered softly. Grandma Syra was scary. The loathing her grandma had for Grandma Eileen was utterly terrifying.

Tucking her head back into the crook of her daddy's neck, the little girl whispered, "Grandma Syra's a Grinch, Daddy." Angel then closed her eyes and softly repeated it as the tears openly fell from her rich brown eyes. "Grandma's a mean, nasty, green Grinch," she whispered once more with a slight coldness added. She could imagine Grandma Syra perfectly dressed as the Grinch.

"Angel!" her daddy, mommy, brothers, grandpa, and grandma both yelled a few seconds later.

Raising her head up just a bit, the little girl glanced up at her daddy. He looked funny in her opinion as he stared back at her. The corners of his lips twitched strangely as if he wanted to laugh, but couldn't for some reason.

"What's wrong, Daddy?" she innocently asked before realizing that Grandma Syra had been the only one who hadn't yelled at her. Her irritated eyes slowly wandered over to the nasty Grinch before her eyes widened.

Grandma Syra was green from head to toe, and the little girl didn't mean her grandma's clothes. Her grandma's skin was actually green … like the Grinch's skin was. In fact, Grandma Syra's golden blond hair actually was the same color green as her skin.

"Uh-oh," the little girl quietly said, staring at her glaring Grinch grandma. This was not going to be good. "I'm sorry, Grandma," she whispered, digging her little fingers just a bit more into her daddy. Grandma was going to kill her. Angel just knew it.

"Well, least it's a Slytherin color, Syra," Grandpa Orin said nervously. "It could've been worse."

"Worse?" hissed Grandma Syra. "I fail to see how this could be worse, Orin. I'm green."

"Well, yes, but you could've been a Hufflepuff color or something."

The vein in her grandma's temple throbbed as she clenched her teeth and glared at her grandpa. If looks killed, Grandpa Orin likely was deader than the Bloody Baron. Grandma Syra then whirled towards Angel with ice blue eyes.

"Your parents better teach you to control your magic soon or I will, child," she hissed.

"I'm sorry, Grandma. I didn't—"

"Oh, don't apologize to her, my favorite grandchild," Grandma Eileen replied contently with a vindictive smirk. "You did nothing wrong, and the nasty Grinch knows it, too. You aren't to blame for being scared and accidentally using your magic to retaliate. It's a perfectly natural thing. Isn't it, Syra?"

"Yes," her grandma hissed nastily, glaring at her other grandma.

"And I'm sure it's taught your grandma a thing or two about frightening you so badly, right?"

"Yes," Grandma Syra snapped, still glaring daggers.

"May I?" Grandma Eileen asked, holding her hands out as she stood in front of Angel's daddy. Grandma Eileen inclined her head towards Angel's daddy after Angel was passed into her grandma's waiting hands. "Now, there is only one way to rectify this … unfortunate incident."

"Yes there is, but I shall do it," Grandma Syra snarled before drawing her wand and tapping it against herself. Nothing happened, however.

"I thought that might happen." Grandma Eileen paid no attention to the witch wanting to kill her as she walked with Angel in her arms close to Angel's grandma. "It seems as if our granddaughter is the perfect mix of our blood and magic, Syra. Don't you agree?"

"What are you doing? I do not wish to be touched by such—"

Gently thrusting the little girl towards her Grandma Syra's face, Grandma Eileen smiled softly and said calmly, "Child, kiss your spiteful, vile grandmother."

Without a second of hesitation, Angel kissed her grandma's cheek. She then closed her eyes and bit her lip before glancing back at Grandma Syra. Sure enough, her grandma was back to normal without a speck of green on her.

"Did I do that, Grandma?" the little girl asked, glancing back.

"Yes, child, you did," Grandma Eileen replied calmly. "Luckily for your nasty Grinch grandmother, accidental magic is easily fixed and relatively harmless for the most part." Her grandma then glanced towards her other grandma. "Don't you have something to say to our granddaughter?"

Grandma Syra's eyes flashed angrily once more before she glanced towards Angel. "Thank you," she grudgingly said.

"Well, on that note, how about we open presents?" Grandpa Orin said with a nervous glance between both witches.

"I was hoping the children would have some food in them prior to that," Angel's daddy quietly informed. Her daddy's eyes then followed her grandpa's gaze before inclining his head in unspoken acceptance to their secret plan. "Perhaps that would be prudent, however."

A few seconds later, Angel found herself back in her daddy's strong arms as her grandma passed her back. She could barely contain her excitement anymore. They were going to open presents now. She said nothing, though, as her daddy and she walked into the drawing room. However, when she saw the presents, her brown eyes became as big as saucers.

"Whoa," she whispered, staring at the numerous presents of all shapes and sizes under the gigantic Slytherin-decorated Christmas tree. There hadn't been that many last night when she had snuck a peek. Glancing back at her daddy, she gave him a look. Leaning towards his ear, she whispered, "Did you check them to make sure Santa did wrap them with poison, Daddy?"

"Yes, my Angel, I did," he replied back so just she heard him.

"And you checked to make sure that there was nothing bad in them that could hurt any of us?"

"Yes, my Angel," he replied again. "I checked them twice. They're perfectly safe."

"All of them?" she asked, making sure that he wasn't being sarcastic again.

"Yes, Angel, I checked all of them. Now, can I put you down so you can run over there or are you going to continue to fuss about your presents?" He kissed her cheek when she shook her head. "Wise girl," he softly said before setting her on the ground. However, he kept a hand on her shoulder to hold her back for a moment. "Angel—"

"Severus, what's that big present in back there?" her mommy interrupted, causing Angel's daddy to hold onto the little girl just a bit longer. Her parents then glanced towards the tall, green wrapped rectangular present. "Did you get that for her?"

"No. Likely Dumbledore sent it," her daddy replied quietly, still holding her back.

"Daddy, please?" Angel begged, glancing up at her daddy with the best puppy dog look she could muster on such short circumstances.

"Yes," he said, releasing his hold on her. His dark eyes stared at the present with a questioning look on his face. Where had that come from? It hadn't been there this morning. He was sure of it.

As the wrapping paper was ripped to shreds by the tiny little girl, the box started to shake. His eyes narrowed on it more. What was in the box? Slowly, he drew his ebony wand. Something about that strange box set off alarms in him.

Barely raising his wand underneath his pajama sleeve, he kept it trained on the box at the ready for anything. As he watched his daughter slowly remove the silver ribbon tied around the box's lid, he swallowed to get rid of the dryness in the back of his throat that signaled his apprehension.

Without warning, the box's lid suddenly shot up into the air. At once, he started to cast a quick Petrificus Totalus, expecting whatever it was to attack his four-year-old daughter. However, when he saw red, the curse died on his tongue in pure shock. It couldn't be—

"Merry Christmas, Professor Snape," a familiar redhead replied with a wide cheeky grin.

"FRED!" Angel's high-pitched voice squealed in delight.

"WEASLEY!" her daddy snarled simultaneously, glaring at the red-haired menace that had been wrapped in the present.

"The one and only," the seventh-year Gryffindor replied, holding his hands up as if to surrender.

So Angel did get to spend her Christmas with Fred after all. Before embracing the grinning Weasley, however, she gleefully ran over to her daddy and fervently kissed her daddy's cheek all over.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Daddy," she happily exclaimed, accentuating each expressed-gratitude with a kiss to his cheek. "This is the best Christmas ever!" Her daddy, however, felt otherwise, but that was lost on the little girl as she squealed and ran back to her Fred. Christmas was awesome and truly magical.