All was quiet in Snape’s quarters…except for the scratching of quills, that is.

Harry sighed, putting his down, and shaking out his hand. He scowled at his father, who was busy writing in his journals at his desk.

"Why did you have to give us such a long assignment over the holidays?" he grumbled at him.

"Yeah, Uncle Sev," Draco, who was sitting across from him at the coffee table, added his gripe. "None of the other professors assigned us three foot essays!"

Snape glanced up, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Since when I have I ever done anything based simply on ‘the other professors’?" he asked them, pointedly.

Harry sighed. "You still could have given us a break," he told him. "It is the holidays!"

Snape sniffed. "That may well be, but I have never believed in letting students be idle for three whole weeks," he told them, seriously. "Idle hands usually find mischief if they’re not kept busy."

"Ahhh…" both Harry and Draco groaned at this.

"And if I hear another complaint," Snape informed them, firmly. "I will cancel our trip tomorrow and you both can spend the day cleaning my classroom with a couple of toothbrushes!"

Harry quickly shook his head no, and got back to work. Draco followed suit.

The Potions Master had promised to escort them down to the village of Hogsmeade to do some Christmas shopping, since the holiday was only a week away.

So far, Harry’s ‘detentions’ were working.

Ron did not even blink after the first couple of nights when he said he had to go the dungeons.

Unfortunately, this seemed to only cement the idea that Snape truly was up to no good.

"You be careful, ‘Arry," Ron had told him tonight before he’d come down there. "Don’t ever turn your back on that greasy git, you hear me!"

Harry had merely nodded and promised to be careful, and then headed for his father’s quarters.

It has been a week now, and so far a steady routine had been formed.

He would come down right after dinner in the Great Hall, and for an hour he and Draco were required to work on their school assignments.

"If you get them done right off the bat," Snape had told them, when they had grumbled about this, "then they will be finished and you will have two whole weeks free."

They couldn’t exactly argue with the logic behind it…although that didn’t stop them from grumbling.

They had finished their Transfiguration assignment the first night, their Charms’ assignment the second, the DADA the third, the Herbology the fourth, their History of Magic the fifth, and tonight they were working on their potions’ essay.

Leave it to Professor Snape, Harry thought as he continued ‘scratching’, to assign a three foot essay on the effects of a Sleeping Draught…

Getting another paragraph or two down, he glanced back up and asked, "Sir?"

Snape, who had now moved to his favorite armchair and was reading from a potions’ journal, lifted an eyebrow to show he was listening.

"Will Grandpa Toby be coming by tonight?" Harry asked, curiously.

‘Grandpa Toby’ is what Tobias had told him to call him that first night, when he’d stopped by his son’s quarters to talk for a bit.

"Your grandmother always called me ‘Toby’, for short," Tobias told him, smiling. "So, I suppose you can call me ‘Grandpa Toby’."

Harry had been delighted by this. He’d never had a grandfather before, after all.

Even Draco was allowed to call the professor’s father by the name, even though technically he wasn’t his biological grandfather.

"I was married to your grandmother, though," Tobias had told the blonde Slytherin, "and Sev is your uncle…so I am kinda like your grandpa, too."

"I suppose he shall," Snape told him, shrugging. "He has the last five nights…why would he stop now?"

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door and when Snape gave permission to enter Tobias stepped on through.

"Hullo, boys," he greeted them, smiling. "Busy working again, I see? What’s it tonight?"

"Potions," Harry, Draco, and Snape all three answered, causing him to chuckle heartedly.

"Let me guess," Tobias said, grinning at his son. "It’s the hardest of the lot, right?"

"Uh huh," Harry and Draco both groaned, wrinkling their noses.

"Please, Tobias," Snape said, his lips twitching. "Don’t encourage them…"

"All right, Sev," Tobias said, chuckling. "Shall we continue our game?" He walked over and sat in the other armchair.

This had become a routine as well over the last week, the older Snape would join them about an hour or so after Harry arrived and while the boys finished their assignments he and his son would play chess.

So far, they were still playing the game they had begun that first night—apparently they were both excellent chess players.

Ron would go balmy, Harry thought with a smile as he bent back to his potions homework. He’d love a real challenge!

His best friend was a ruthless chess player, as he only knew too well, and easily beat just about everybody he played—including his brothers.

"I believe it was your move," Snape told his dad, putting his potions journal down and focusing on the chess board.

"Hmm, I think you’re right," Tobias said, narrowing his eyes. "I think I’ll…"

He then reached and moved his knight—taking one of Snape’s bishops and endangering the Potions Master’s King.

"Check," he told his son, smirking wryly.

"Indeed," Snape said, narrowing his eyes. He then moved his King out of harm’s way and the game continued.

For over thirty minutes, they played to the sounds of scratching quills. Finally, having put the finishing touches on his essay, Harry put his quill down and glanced up.

Snape moved his queen into the space directly beside Tobias’ cornered King. "Check mate," he declared, a satisfied smirk on his face.

Tobias smiled. "Indeed it is," he said, reaching out a hand. "Good game, Sev. I taught you better than I thought!"

"Thank you," Snape said, shaking the man’s hand.

"You finally finished?" Harry asked, hopping up. "That took forever!"

"Oh, really, Harry," Snape said, shaking his head. "Don’t be so dramatic! Have you finished your essay?"

Harry nodded, handing it to him.

"I have too, Uncle Sev," Draco said, bringing him his essay, too.

Snape took them, looking them over quickly. "Adequate," he told them, nodding. "See there? I told you it woudn’t be that hard…"

The boys sent him mutual glares of distain, causing Tobias to laugh.

"Would it help you boys to know that even Severus hated doing homework, too," he told them, smirking.

"I did not!" Snape snapped at him.

"Well, maybe not here at Hogwarts," Tobias said, grinning, "but before he started here—when he went to the local school where we lived—his mum and I practically had to glue him to his chair to get him to do it."

"Humph," Snape said, scowling. "That is because I was so intelligent—the work they assigned was boring and useless."

"You told us there was no such thing as a ‘useless’ assignment," Draco accused, smirking.

"Yeah," Harry piped up, gleefully. "You said, ‘Homework reinforces what you are learning in the classroom. It also helps your professor determine if they are actually teaching you something.’ Remember?"

Snape scowled at them.

"And I was right," he said, and then glanced at his father. "Just as my parents were right to make me do my homework when I was a child—though if you tell anyone I said that I shall—"

"Wouldn’t dream of it, Severus," Tobias told him, smirking. "So, boys, does this mean all your holiday homework is done?"

"Yes," both Harry and Draco told him, smiling.

"Excellent," Tobias said, smiling. "That means more time for fun, doesn’t it?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, and then thought of something. He glanced at his father. "Can Grandpa Toby come with us tomorrow?"

"What’s this?" Tobias asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am taking Harry and Draco down to the village tomorrow to do some Christmas shopping," Snape told him. "I did not think to ask…but you are welcome to come along, if you like."

"That sounds like a splendid idea," Tobias said, smiling. "I haven’t had a chance to go down there yet—I’ve never been in a completely wizard village before."

"Me, either," Harry told him, smiling. "I can’t wait!"

"I still think it’s not fair that Third Years and up get to go down there regularly," Draco complained, "but First and Second Years aren’t."

"There is a very good reason for that," Snape told him, sternly. "And if I ever catch either of you attempting to make an unauthorized visit—"

"We won’t," both boys exclaimed, knowing full well what more than likely would happen.

"See that you don’t," Snape said, smirking.

Tobias chuckled. "Albus told me about the pub his brother owns down there," he told him. "He told me I should stop in and say ‘hi’ for him, since he doesn’t get down there nearly as often as he would like."

"Yes," Snape said, sighing. "The Hog’s Head is owned by Aberford—Abe, for short—Dumbledore."

"Professor Dumbledore has a brother?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yes, he does," Tobias told him, and then glanced at his son. "That’d make him your great-uncle, wouldn’t it?"

"Yes," Snape said, sighing. "It would."

"It would!?" Harry and Draco exclaimed at the same time, wide-eyed.

"You haven’t told them, I take it?" Tobias said, raising an eyebrow at the younger Snape.

"I did not feel it was necessary for them to know right now," Snape said, sniffing. "Of course, now that the cat is out of the bag…"

"How come Professor Dumbledore’s brother is your great-uncle?" Harry asked his father, curiously.

"Because Professor Dumbledore is my grandfather, Harry," Snape told him, surprising him even more. "That would make him your great-grandfather—yours, too, Draco."

"How’s that?" Draco asked him, frowning. "Mother and Father never mentioned it…"

"Probably because they do not know," Snape told him, smirking. "Lucius would have a coronary, if he knew, in fact… Hmm…"

"Severus," Tobias said, shaking his head.

"It was just a thought," Snape said, wryly. "At any rate, my mother was Professor Dumbledore’s daughter."

"But I thought she was a Prince?" Draco said, frowning.

"She was," Snape told them. "Technically…"

"Just not biologically," Tobias said, smirking.

Snape glared at him, but then sighed.

"Boys," he told them, quietly, "Professor Dumbledore is perhaps the most powerful wizard of our age—as well being the finest Headmaster this school has ever had—and because of that he deserves a great deal of respect. However, he is still only human—and therefore not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. He has made his share of mistakes. One of those was that he fell in love with a married woman: Ambrosia Prince. She was my grandmother."

"Wow," Draco said, blinking. "Who’d have thought ole fussy-faced Dumbledore—"

"Draco!" Snape snapped, sternly.

The blonde Slytherin blushed. "Sorry, Uncle Sev," he said, quietly.

"My mother, Eileen," Snape said, continuing his explanation, "was the result of their relationship—although neither she nor her mother nor Professor Dumbledore ever told anyone that. My grandmother allowed her husband, Nero Prince, to believe he was the father and therefore my mother had his name."

"D-Does the professor have any other kids?" Harry asked, curiously.

"Only one, and she too is no longer living," Snape told him. "Once, a very long time ago, Professor Dumbledore was married. Sadly, his young wife died while giving birth to their daughter: Ariana. Ariana was twenty years old when my mother was born—she had already graduated Hogwarts and was married. She married Thomas Potter and eventually—though both she and her husband were much older at the time—had a son: James."

Harry eyes widened at that. "B-But that means…"

Snape nodded. "Yes, Harry, James and I were first cousins," he told him. "Though neither he nor I were aware of it…though, Dumbledore certainly was."

"How’d you find out all this, then?" Draco asked him, curiously.

"When my grandmother died, I was the sole surviving member of the family," Snape told him. "All the Prince family wealth came to me, including their possessions. I discovered the letters that Professor Dumbledore wrote to Ambrosia during their…uh…romance. In one, she asks him to be sure to look after her ‘little Eileen’ who would be starting Hogwarts that year. Dumbledore, who was the Transfiguration teacher at that time, wrote her saying that he would ‘look after their daughter with every fiber of his being’. And as far as I know, he did."

"Eileen knew who her real father was," Tobias told them, "although it wasn’t until after she was nearly an adult when she found out. It’s why she wasn’t very upset when her ‘father’ disowned her for marrying me."

"And apparently," Snape said, "the Headmaster also provided for her—and by extension me—financially, as well."

"Wow," Harry and Draco said, wide eyed.

I’ve gone from having no family, Harry thought to himself, to having a really big one!

"Have you spoken with him, yet?" Tobias asked his son, curiously.

Snape shook his head. "No," he told him, scowling. "He had no right to railroad me like that!"

"Severus," Tobias said, quietly. "You’re his only surviving grandchild. He’s lost his wife, Ariana, Eileen, and James…and he’d rather not claim your brother, I am sure. No offense, Drake."

"That’s okay," Draco told him, sighing. "I know my father is a real…uh…not nice." A stern look from his uncle had him changing his answer slightly.

Snape sighed, shaking his head.

"Very well," he said, scowling.

He got up and went to the fire place to fire-call the Headmaster. "Albus, I’d like a word. Will you please come through?"

A few minutes later, the Headmaster exited the fireplace and glanced around. "Good evening, Tobias, young Mr. Malfoy," he said, "and…why, Harry!? I did not expect to find you here?"

"I’m, uh, serving a detention, Sir," Harry told him, quickly.

"No, he is not," Snape snapped. "It’s time you knew a few things, Albus. That’s why I wished you to come here."

The Headmaster frowned. "I do not understand," he told him, quietly.

"Sir, are you sure?" Harry asked his father, curiously. "I thought…"

"Albus knows how to keep a secret," Snape told him, snorting. "Better than anyone I know, besides myself."

"You might want to sit down, Al," Tobias told him, nodding to the chair his son had vacated.

"What is this all about, Severus?" Professor Dumbledore asked, frowning.

"Harry is your great-grandson, Albus," Snape told him, bluntly.

The Headmaster blinked at a moment. "I’m well aware of that, Severus," Dumbledore said, hesitantly. "James was—"

"Not his father!" Snape snapped, smirking triumphantly. "Through me, Albus—Harry is your great-grandson through me!"

Dumbledore blinked at him. "W-What?" he asked, clearly confused.

"He is my son," Severus told him, smirking.

"Severus, do you realize what—" Dumbledore started to say, but Harry interrupted.

"It’s true, Professor," Harry spoke up. "The potion confirmed it."

"Potion?" Dumbledore asked, curiously.

"The Relative Potion," Snape told him. "I had them brew some of it in class back in October. It showed Harry and Draco were related by blood."

"Of course it would," the Headmaster said, quietly. "James and Lucius are first cousins."

"True," Snape told him, "but as you know that particular potion only changes color completely for close blood connections. Had Harry and Draco been second cousins, it would have remained green—merely going from a darker shade to a lighter one. It did not, however. It changed completely—from green to a very bright yellow."

Dumbledore’s eyes widened at that, and he glanced at Harry and Draco. They both nodded their heads, confirming what the Potions Master was saying.

"Oh, my," the Headmaster said, his eyes losing their customary twinkle.

"Indeed," Snape snorted. "Upon seeing this, I realized that the only way they could have a closer blood connection was through me. So, using one of the other student’s semi-completed potions, I tested myself and Harry. Again, it changed color completely. What’s more…I did a silent paternity charm, as well. It confirmed it, for certain."

For several moments, the Headmaster merely sat there…staring. "I am so sorry, Severus," he finally spoke, glancing up at Snape. "Lily never…she didn’t tell me. I truly believed as everyone did that Harry was James’ son."

"I’m sure you did," Snape said, scowling. "Lily intended it that way. The only ones she apparently trusted were James himself and Tobias."

Dumbledore glanced at his former son-in-law, who nodded.

"It’s true, Al," Tobias told him. "Lily wrote to me right after that battle. She felt I should know my son was missing, presumed dead, but that the Snape name would live on: through their son."

"Why did you never tell me in our correspondences?" Dumbledore asked the older Snape, curiously.

Harry glanced at his grandfather, who shrugged. "It never came up," he said, simply. "Beisdes, I thought you knew… I had no idea Lily never told anyone."

"I see," Dumbeldore said, swallowing. "Severus, if I had known…I would never have left Harry with the Dursleys."

"You mean you’d have let me live with the professor?" Harry asked him, smiling.

The Headmaster nodded. "Yes, of course," Dumbledore told him. "He is your father, after all."

"I’m glad to hear it," Snape said, smirking, "because he will not be returning there. Ever. Petunia and her husband have neglected him outrageously, boarding on physical and emotional abuse!"

"I, uh, I was never certain," Dumbledore said, quietly. "Arabella’s letters mentioned him being a bit small and quiet and very biddible, but of course she was never allowed inside the house to see for herself."

"Which is why you should have let me," Snape informed him, firmly. "Invisibility spells exist for a reason, Albus!"

The Headmaster flinched at that. "Yes, child, I know," he said, quietly. "Very well. I shall transfer the blood wards to you."

"Blood wards?" Harry, Tobias, and Draco all asked at the same time.

"Yes," Dumbeldore explained. "I used a spell—centered around Harry’s blood connections to his aunt through his mother—to protect the Dursley home. No one who was in league with Voldermort (he ignored both Snape’s and Draco’s flinches at this) could find them."

"I believe, Albus," Snape told him, hesitantly. "That you will find the wards have disappeared…"

Dumbledore frowned. "That’s impossible, Severus," he said. "Lily’s sacrifice ensured that they would endure permanently."

"Had Lily’s sacrifice been a permanent one, yes," Snape said, "they would have. But…it wasn’t. Lily is not dead, Albus."

"Severus, I saw her lifeless body with my own eyes," the Headmaster told him, firmly.

Snape smirked. "What you saw was a transfigured stuffed toy," he told him, bluntly. "By the time you arrived, I had carried Lily from the remains of the cottage."

"I…do not understand," Dumbledore said. "Why would you have done such a thing?"

"Because she was not dead!" Snape growled at him.

"She was hit by the Killing Curse, Sev—" Dumbledore started to say…

"Yet, like Harry, it did not kill her," Snape told him, triumphantly. "The spell she weaved around Harry that night to protect him was a very strong protection Charm, Albus. Lily wasn’t aware how strong, nor of the fact that she had inadvertently linked it to herself, but it combined with her intense love for our son and her willingness to die for him made it even stronger—strong enough to encompass them both that night. When the Curse hit her, it merely put her into a state of suspended animation…a magical slumber, if you will."

"Then, where—?" Dumbledore spoke again.

"In a private room at St. Mungo’s Hospital," Snape told him, quietly. "I paid for it and have been caring for her all these years."

"Only," Harry spoke up, "she’s not asleep anymore! I woke her up!"

Snape chuckled. "Yes, you did," he told him, reaching out and ruffling his hair. "You gave her back what she had given you, son."

"What was that?" Harry asked him, curiously.

"Love," the Potions Master told him, gently. "When you told Lily you loved her, your magical essence gave some of itself back to her—enough to pull her from the state the Curse had left her in, anyway."

"Is she…all right?" Dumbledore asked, curiously.

Snape nodded. "She’s well on her way to making a full recovery," he told him, smiling. "Her magical core is slowly returning and she has begun physical therapy sessions that are strengthening the muscles she has not used in a very long time. According to the nurse I hired to care for her, she should be ready to leave the hospital by summer."

"I see," the Headmaster said, quietly. "It seems I am older than I thought…"

"Why is that, Sir?" Harry asked him, curiously.

"Because, my boy," Dumbledore told him, reaching out a hand to place on top of his head, "it seems I am not as clear sighted as I once was."

"Near sighted, more like," Snape sniffed, earning a glare from Tobias. "Well, Albus, now you know everything."

"Indeed, I do," he told him, smiling. "Thank you for tell me, my boy. I know I have not been the most caring of grandfathers…"

"You were when it mattered most," Snape told him, quietly. "That is why I have always strived to do as you asked of me."

"I never asked that which I did not think you capable," Dumbledore told him, standing up. "You have given me much to think about tonight. I shall leave you all to enjoy the rest of the evening."

"We’re going down to Hogsmeade in the morning, Al," Tobias told him, also standing up. "Would you like to join us?"

"Alas, Tobias, I cannot," the Headmaster said, sighing. "Minister Fudge as asked me to sit in on a last minute meeting of some kind or other."

Snape snorted. "That man would lose his ass if it wasn’t attached to his backside," he said, rolling his eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Possibly," he told him, smiling at Harry and Draco. "Here you go, lads."

He reached into his pocket and produced some chocolate frogs, handing them to his great-grandsons.

"Thank you, Sir!" Both Harry and Draco exclaimed, happily taking them. They ignored the disapproving glare from the Potions Master, of course.

The Headmaster chuckled. "Good night," he said, and then returned to his office via the fireplace.

Tobias glanced at his watch.

"It is getting a bit late," he said, glancing at the boys. "Harry, would you like me to walk with you back to the Tower?"

"That’d be great, Grandpa Toby," Harry said, gathering his school books and things.

"Do not forget," Snape told him. "Meet us at the entrance right after breakfast in the morning."

Harry nodded. "I will, Sir," he told him. "I promise."

"Go on with you then, Fledgling," Snape said, ruffling his hair. "And don’t you dare stay up half the night with Mr. Weasley devouring those frogs!"

Harry laughed. "We won’t," he told him. "We’ll just stay up ‘til midnight…"

Snape narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth for a sharp retort.

"Just kidding!" Harry told him, as he started for the door—out of reach.

"Impudent brat," Snape called after him, but he heard the amusement in his voice.

"But you love me, any way," Harry told him, smirking. "Bye!"

"Good night, Drake, Sev," Tobias said, and then the two of them headed out of the door.

Harry smiled as they walked up the stairs to the main part of the castle. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

HPHPHPHP

Severus glanced at his pocket watch. It was fifteen minutes ‘til nine o’clock in the morning.

What was taking them so blasted long?

He and Draco had eaten breakfast in his quarters, instead of going to the Great Hall, which was why they had arrived early.

However, breakfast in the Great Hall should have been over at eight thirty at the latest!

"Here they come," Draco said, pointing to the stairs.

Severus looked up to see his father and his son coming down the stairs.

"Why aren’t you coming from the direction of the Great Hall?" he asked them, suspiciously.

"Oh, breakfast was a little…messy…this morning," Tobias told him, chuckling.

"Fred and George started a food fight," Harry said, smiling. "It was wicked!"

"And where were Minerva and the others?" he asked, glancing at Tobias. "Where were you?"

Harry laughed. "Grandpa Toby nailed Professor McGonagall in the eye with some whipped cream!"

"She started it," Tobias reminded him, smirking. "She threw the spiced apples at me!"

"Are you trying to tell me that instead of preventing the absolutely unnecessary waist of perfectly good food," Severus growled, through clenched teeth, "that my collegues—not to mention yourself—actually joined in!"

Draco sighed. "I miss out on everything," he grumbled sourly.

"No, you did not," Severus snapped at him. "Had I been there, it never would have happened!"

"Ah, Sev," Tobias said, smiling. "It was only a bit of fun."

Severus snorted. "Had I engaged in such 'fun' at Harry's age you and Mum would have blistered the seat of my pants," he reminded him, scowling.

"Yes, probably so," Tobias chuckled. "But I suppose that's one of the perks of being a grandparent. Besides, it only took a wave of Minerva's wand to clean everything back up again."

"Indeed," Severus said, but then sighed. "Well, what’s done is done. Shall we go?"

"Yes," Tobias said, winking at Harry and Draco. "After you, Sev."

"So, what did you tell the Weasel?" Draco asked Harry, as they made their way out of the castle.

"Don’t call him that," Harry growled at his cousin. "His name is Ron—"

"And he didn’t have to tell him any thing," Tobias said, "as I went by the Tower and picked him up myself."

"I’m sure he naturally assumes ‘the mean git of the dungeons’ was to blame," Severus said, quietly.

"Yeah," Harry said, sighing. "Probably."

"If it bothers you so much," Draco told him, sneering. "Why don't you just tell him the bloody truth!?"

"Language, Draco," Severus growled back over his shoulder. "Or do you need a reminder...?"

His nephew winced. He knew a 'reminder' meant a mouth full of soap suds.

"No, Sir," he shook his head quickly. "I'm sorry." Severus nodded, and then continued down the path towards the village.

"I am," he heard Harry tell him, scowling very much like his father. "After Christmas...that way I can tell him and Hermione together."

It took a good ten minutes to walk from the castle to the outskirts of the village. Once there, Severus stopped and glanced at them.

"All right, then," he said, much as a commander issuing orders to his troops. "This is how we're going to do this. We're going to split into two groups: Tobias will accompany Draco and I shall accompany Harry. Here, this is the money Narcissa sent for Draco to spend." He handed a small bag of Galleons to his father.

"Hefty sum," Tobias said, jostling the bag. He winked at his step-grandson.

"It is his customary allowance," Severus told him. "He is to spend it and only it...and he is to spend it only on others. This is, after all, a Christmas shopping expedition and that does not include buying for one's self."

"Ah, Uncle Sev..." Draco groaned. "What about Honey Dukes!?"

Severus sighed. He supposed Harry would want to visit the candy shop, as well, and this was the boy's first visit...

"You may spend no more than a single galleon there," he told him, firmly, "but that is all. Harry, it shall be the same for you. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir," both boys answered him.

He nodded. "Very well," he said. "We shall all meet back at the Three Brooms Inn in a couple of hours, have some lunch, and then return to the castle."

"Why can't we go to the Hog's Head?" Harry asked him, curiously.

"Two reasons," Severus told him, simply. "One is that it is not open right now. It only opens after the sun has set, and also because it is no place for children."

"But I wanted to meet Professor Dumbledore's brother," Harry told him, quietly.

"You shall meet him at a later date, I assure you," he told him. "Now, let's hurry up and get this over with."

Entering the village proper, Tobias and Draco took one side of the street while he and Harry took the other side.

"Did you remember to do as I told you and write down a list of all those you wished to buy for?" Severus asked the dark haired boy beside him.

Harry nodded, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a list. "I sure did," he told him, smiling. "Ron and Hermione, of course, and then Mum. Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore, Grandpa Toby, and, um, you--but I can't exactly get yours since your with me...but that's okay. I already have an idea what I'm gonna get you... Do you think I should get something for Draco, too?"

"I am sure he is not expecting it," Severus told him, "but it would be very nice of you if you did. I would also like to say how proud that you are attempting to be civil to him."

"Yeah, well, right now its easy," Harry told him. "He only acts like a prat once and while with everybody gone...I can't promise anything once school starts again, 'cuz then he'll have Crabbe and Goyle back and he'll probably start being one again."

Severus grinned at that. He was amazed at the logic of children sometimes...

"So long as you do not let him cause you to do something you both shall regret," he told him, "simply walk away or tell me. I shall deal with him if he starts anything."

Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir," he said, quietly.

"Do you have any idea what it is you'd like to get everyone?" Severus asked him, curiously.

"Well, I thought I'd get Hermione some kind of book," Harry told him, "and something to do with Quidditch for Ron...do they make posters in the Wizarding World?"

"I...believe so," Severus said, hesitantly. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Ron really likes the Chudley Canons," Harry told him, smiling. "I thought I might get him a poster of them...if they make them."

"We can check the Quidditch shop here," Severus told him. "I am sure they will have something. Any idea what kind of book for Miss Granger?"

"Well, she did mention she really wished she had a book that told more about the history of the wizarding world..." Harry said, glancing up at him. "Do you know one?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Severus told him, smiling. "It is called Magic and Muggle: A Conjoined History. It goes into great detail about both magical and non-magical history."

"Wicked," Harry said, smiling. "Hermione will love that!"

Severus nodded. "Yes," he said, smiling. "I am sure she will. What else?"

"Well, I thought about getting Hagrid a pet or something," Harry said, "since he likes magical animals so much..."

"Hmm, I am not certain that would be wise," Severus told him, gently. "It is still a week 'til Christmas and animals do tend to make a bit of a mess..."

"Yeah," Harry said, sighing. "What do you think he'd like?"

"He loves Black Forest tea," Severus told him. "Perhaps you should get him an extra large canister of it..."

"Hey, yeah!" Harry exclaimed, smiling. "Great idea! What about Professor Dumbledore? Do you think he'd like a book?"

"No, actually," Severus said, his lips twitching. "The one thing Albus asks for every year, and nobody ever really gets him, is socks."

"Socks?" Harry asked, wrinkling his nose.

Severus chuckled.

"Yes, that is precisely the reaction he usually gets," he told him, smirking. "The clothing shop here in the village is rather famous for their socks. I think it would be nice if you gave him what he truly wanted, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "All right," he said, smiling. "What about Grandpa Toby?"

"That is a difficult one," Severus replied, scratching his chin. "I am only just reuniting with him myself, and while I remember what he once liked when I was a child—that doesn’t necessarily mean he still likes those things now. People’s tastes do tend change over the years."

"Well, what do you remember him liking from when you were a kid?" Harry asked him, curiously.

"He loved wood-worked things, naturally," Severus told him. "Chess, automobiles—especially antiques—and as I recall he had an abundant sweet tooth. Mum loved to bake…so I suppose they were a nice match for each other, after all."

"Then, how about I get him something from that Honey Dukes place," Harry said, smiling.

"Hmm, he would most definitely enjoy their Cauldron Cakes," Severus told him, nodding.

"Great," Harry said, smiling. "Now that just leaves Mum…and Draco."

"Draco should be no difficulty," Severus told him. "He is as Quidditch crazed as Mr. Weasley…and I believe he has been complaining that his old dragon-hide gloves are a bit small now…"

"Then, that’s what I’ll get him," Harry said, nodding.

"And your mother?" Severus asked him, curiously. "What do you intend to get her?"

Harry stopped, biting his lip. "I don’t know," he told him. "I want it to be really, really special. You know?"

"Indeed, I do know," Severus said, smiling.

"What are you getting her?" Harry asked him, curiously.

Severus smirked. "Would you like to see?" he asked, and the boy nodded fiercely. "Very well, follow me."

He led the way down the street to a small jewelry shop and entered. The door chimed as they walked through it, and a skinny salesman that always reminded him of a younger looking Ollivander smiled.

"Professor Snape!" he exclaimed, happily. "I was just about to send an owl up your way to let you know your order was ready, Sir!"

"I am glad to have saved you the trouble," Severus told him. "May I see them?"

"Certainly," the young man said, happily. "They’re some of my best work, if I do say so myself!"

From behind the counter, he pulled out a small black tray and set it on the counter.

Upon it was a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. They were obviously a matching set.

The earrings and the necklace each held a single lily, the pedals of the flower were made of emeralds, while the bracelet was made of a string of lilies with small round rubies in-between them.

The settings were done in a mixture of silver and gold.

"Wow," Harry said, smiling. "They’re beautiful!"

"They are indeed," Severus said, smiling. "Lily’s mother once owned a set nearly exactly like this. Lily admired them very much. Unfortunately, as per her request, they were buried with your grandmother…so I thought I’d recreate them for your mother."

"Oh, and I have the other thing you requested," the young jeweler said, pulling out a small black box. "I hope it meets with your satisfaction."

Opening the box, it was revealed to be a ring.

The ring’s setting was the same mixture of silver and gold as the set with a large square-cut emerald in the center and small, round rubies embedded into and around the band.

Harry glanced at him, smiling. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, hopefully.

Severus smirked. "If you think it is a wedding ring then you’d be correct," he told him. "As soon as your mother is well enough, I intend to ask her to be my wife…again."

"We’d be a real family then," Harry told him, happily. "Mum is gonna love this gift!"

"I certainly hope so," Severus told him. "Would you like to look here for your mother something? Orin has some really nice pieces…"

"Indeed I do, Sir," Orin, the jeweler, said proudly. "What did you have in mind, young man?"

Harry bit his lip, thinking. He began looking through the display cases. His eyes lit up when he saw a beautifully crafted hair comb.

"Mum was wearing this in your wedding album!" he exclaimed, glancing back at him.

Severus came over and peered at the ivory comb with the lily carved upon it.

"You are correct," he told him. "I still possess that comb, in fact."

"Oh my, that was one of my very first pieces," Orin said, smiling. "You ordered it, I believe."

"I did," Severus said, smiling. "I designed it myself, if I remember right."

"You did," Orin told him, happily. "I liked it so much I recreated it. It has actually been one of my most sold pieces."

"I want to get it for Mum," Harry said, smiling. "That way she’ll have a matching set!"

Severus smiled. "Very well, son," he told him, patting him on the back. "We’ll take the comb, as well as my order."

Orin nodded. "Will you be paying separately or together?" he asked him, curiously.

"Together," Severus told him, before Harry could say otherwise. "How much?"

"For you, Professor," Orin said, grinning. "I’d say…100 Galleons and 25 Sickles."

Severus nodded. "Very well," he said, depositing a small bag upon the counter. "There you are."

Orin quickly did an ‘add-it-all-up’ charm and smiled. "I shall box these for you," he told him, and did just that.

A few minutes later, he and Harry were headed out of the shop. "Mum is really gonna like these," the boy said, happily.

"I am sure she will," Severus told him, "but do not forget, Harry. As nice as the gift is, it’s always the thought behind it that counts more."

The boy nodded, but was still all smiles. It made Severus happy to see him smiling.

He was certain he’d few to no happy Christmases while living with his aunt and uncle.

They proceeded to obtain the other items they had discussed, their last stop being Honey Dukes.

Here Harry got his grandfather an entire assortment of Cauldron Cakes, as well as himself a rather large carton of chocolate frogs with the one galleon he was allowed to spend on himself.

"You and Mr. Weasley had better not consume all those in a single night," Severus told him, sternly. "If Madame Pomfrey has to fire-call me to get her more Unset-Upset Potion I will not only dose you with my worst tasting potion I have, but I will also send you back to bed with a stringing behind!"

Harry simply nodded and said, "We won’t. Besides, I’d share with Percy and the twins, as well as Ron."

"The same goes for them," Severus sniffed, his lips twitching again despite himself.

They met up with his father and nephew at the Three Broomsticks, where they proceeded to eat a rather delicious lunch.

Then, they headed back up to the castle.

"Well?" Severus asked, curiously. "Did you enjoy your first trip to Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah!" Harry exclaimed, happily. "This is going to be he best Christmas ever!"

"Indeed," Severus said, smirking.

He knew the boy was right. This would indeed be the best Christmas.

For them all.

SSSSSSSSS

Lily smiled as she finished wrapping the last gift. "There," she said, happily.

"All done, dear?" Gretchen asked her, smiling.

"Yes," she said. "Do you think Severus will like it?"

"Its coming from you, dear," the nurse told her, smiling. "Of course, he will."

"I can’t thank you enough," Lily told her. "For going and getting these for me…"

"You picked out everything," Gretchen told her. "I merely was the delivery service."

"I do hope Harry and Severus will enjoy these," she said, "and Tobias, too. Of course, there’s also little Draco—Sev’s nephew—and Professor Dumbledore…"

"A gift for me, Lily," a soft spoken voice said from the doorway. "I’m deeply touched, my dear."

Lily and Gretchen both looked up to find the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry standing there.

"Albus!" Lily exclaimed, smiling brightly at the sight of the older wizard.

"Well now," Gretchen said, getting up. "I have other patients to see to, so I’ll just give you some privacy." With a wink at Lily, she exited the room.

Dumbledore came in and sat in the chair the mediwitch had just vacated. He stared at her, his blue eyes twinkling like always—only they were twinkling with unshed tears.

Lily gazed down at him, smiling kindly. "Severus told you, I take it," she told him, smiling.

Dumbledore nodded. "He did, indeed," he said, quietly. "I did not wish to believe it at first…"

"But here I am," Lily said, smiling. "I hope you aren’t angry with him…for keeping a secret all these years."

"I am used to Severus and his secrets, child," the Headmaster assured her, quietly. "I am so overjoyed to see you…alive and well."

"Not entirely well," Lily told him. "Though I am gaining strength physically, I am able to stand on my own now and even walk short distances; my magical core is taking its own sweet time recovering, but Gretchen and the Healer who is overseeing my therapy that I should be fully recovered by summer."

"Just in time to join Severus and Harry," Dumbledore said, smiling. "They will be immensely pleased, I am sure."

Lily smiled. "They come to visit me regularly," she told him. "As does Tobias—how are he and Sev getting on?"

"Remarkably well," Dumbledore told her. "They took Harry and Draco down to Hogsmeade today to do some Christmas shopping, in fact."

Lily smiled at that. "I’m glad," she told him. "Severus has missed his father…even though he would never admit to it."

"Indeed," Dumbledore chuckled. "My grandson can be a bit…stubborn, at times."

"So could his cousin," Lily said, and then glanced at him sadly. "I am so sorry about James, Albus. I know how much he meant to you…"

"He died a heroes death," the Headmaster said. "His mother and father would have been proud of him for protecting you and Harry—and so am I."

"I’m sorry we did not tell you everything," Lily told him. "We felt the fewer who knew the less likely it would be for anyone to discover that Harry was really Severus’ son."

"No need to explain, dear," Dumbledore said. "I understand perfectly." He stood up.

"Thank you for coming by to see me, Albus," Lily told him. "I hope you’ll visit as often as Severus and Harry. Tobias, too."

"I shall, my dear," the Headmaster said, bending down to kiss her cheek. "I shall. You get some rest now. I’ll look forward to opening my gift on Christmas morning."

Lily smiled. "I think you’ll like it," she told him. "Good night, Albus."

"Good night, dear Lily," Dumbledore said, his eye twinkling merrily. Then, he was gone.

Gretchen stuck her head in the room a few minutes later. "Have a good visit, dear?"

Lily nodded. "Yes, we did," she said, glancing at the gifts sitting in front of her. She smiled.

This was going to be perhaps the best Christmas of her life!