Chapter 6 – A Hard Act to Follow

Harry nodded dumbly.

“Go use the bathroom and meet me in my room,” she ordered.

Harry obeyed on autopilot. Nana headed to her bedroom while Harry quickly used the facilities. By the time he gently knocked on Nana’s door, the old bird had already settled herself beneath the covers.

“Sit down, Harry,” she said, gesturing him towards a convenient armchair that looked as old as the woman herself. “Use the blanket if you feel cold.”

Harry silently made himself comfortable in the vintage armchair and gratefully draped the considerably newer blanket around himself. They sat in silence for several minutes, each gathering their thoughts and Harry waited patiently for the explanation to come. The silence dragged on so long that Harry almost thought to break it himself. He might have done, if he hadn’t seen the calculating look on Nana Bea’s face.

Finally, looking at Harry directly, Nana said, “Let’s make a deal, you and I, Harry.”

Immediately Harry sat up, alert. This didn’t sound good. Making deals was how he ended up agreeing to accompany Snape in the first place.

“I’m sure you’ve got questions, and I’ll answer them honestly, as long as you answer my questions honestly. If there’s a question one of us doesn’t want to answer, then we’ll stay silent. We won’t tell each other lies. Deal?”

Harry nodded cautiously at her expectant look.

Nana gave her own look of satisfaction.

“You go first, son,” she prompted when he said nothing further.

Harry thought hard about how to phrase his first question. He didn’t want it to be a closed question with a simple yes or no answer. As much as he hated to admit it, he learned something valuable about how Vernon dealt with his clients. The man was a shark when it came to sniffing out information to make a good deal. And given his promotions and subsequent splurges on the latest cars or holidays, he was also good at it.

Having said that, Harry always took the brunt of the man’s failings, of which Vernon had his fair share.

“Why are you pretending to be in a wheelchair when you seem able to walk fine without it?” Harry asked. It was best to start simple.

 “For my grandchildren’s and Severus’s benefit,” the wily old woman says, neatly dodging his question. But then, seeming to understand what he was thinking, she continued, “I’m not prevaricating. I will explain in more detail, but I did it for all of them.”

Harry looked at her in confusion and hoped he’d get a better explanation.

“Now, remember, Harry, no lies,” she reminded him with a smug smile on her craggy face.

Harry was immediately wary, wondering what she could possibly ask.

“Why are you pretending to be Severus’s son?” There was a look of triumph on her face as she looked at him expectantly.

Harry’s breath caught in his throat. It was the last thing he expected her to ask. He thought furiously; how had he given himself away? He thought he’d done well in presenting himself as Snape’s son, albeit one without a good father-and-son relationship.

No one who saw Snape interact with students, with his own nephews and nieces, would expect Snape have a good relationship with his son. Especially one who came from a broken relationship.

At his continued silence, Nana’s triumph melted away to be replaced with a pleased look.

“I’m glad you didn’t lie,” she said gently, reminding them of their deal. “However, your silence is an answer in itself. Go ahead. Ask your question?”

“What gave me away?”

Nana smiled mischievously at him.

“Oh, it was nothing you did, lad,” she assured him. “You’ve fitted well with the rest of the family. Too well, in fact.”

Harry felt like the dumb look on his face would be a permanent etching at this rate.

“I’m going to tell you a story,” Nana said calmly. “I’ll try to keep it short, but bear with me, child, if I begin to ramble.”

Harry nodded silently, curious about what the revelation would be.

“I had three children,” she began sadly. “Zachary was the eldest. He was Alfred and Jacky’s father. Teresa, she was my middle child. Clement kicked her out when she was fifteen. She liked girls, and he didn’t tolerate that. It didn’t matter to me, but I couldn’t get my husband to change his mind. Tobias, Severus’s father, he was the youngest. Ran off with Eileen at nineteen. All my children are dead now.”

She said this with little emotion, already having come to terms with their deaths.

“Clement wasn’t the best of fathers or even a good husband. He was intolerant and abusive, and he passed those traits onto his sons, who followed in his footstep and hurt their own children. Before she was forced out, Theresa didn’t suffer any less for being a girl. She died on the streets. I never saw her until I identified her body. She was only sixteen.

“Alfred and Jacky suffered harshly under Zachary,” she confessed. “Tobias wasn’t any better. Severus was sixteen when Tobias died. Eileen’s family didn’t want to acknowledge his existence and refused to meet with him. I was the only one willing to take him in. He was an angry teen, a tough little nut to crack. But I don’t regret it for a second.”

Harry continued to listen to the tale of her family history. He already knew more about Snape’s family than the man wanted, and here, he was learning even more – stuff he was sure Snape wouldn’t appreciate him knowing. Yet, he couldn’t stop listening to this insight into what made Snape the greasy git he was today. The fact that Snape was abused by his father didn’t excuse the man’s bullying behaviour.

Alfred and Jacky seemed to have become friendly people, but Snape was horrible. Harry never did anything to Snape, but just like his aunt and uncle, he seemed to take the brunt of his anger out on Harry. The only difference was that Snape didn’t beat Harry like his relatives did, which made him glad Snape wasn’t his real father.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Nana continued with her story.

“Severus was reticent, to begin with. He didn’t trust me straight away. I didn’t push,” Nana told him. “I just made sure he was looked after and that he knew I wouldn’t hurt him. He spent most of his time locked up in his room. He liked studying, at least. He valued his education, and I encouraged him where I could, even if he didn’t share anything from his school with me.”

She was referring to Hogwarts and magic, Harry thought to himself.

She paused to ask, “You go to the same school Severus went to?”

“Yes,” Harry confirmed.

“You’re a wizard, too,” she said with relish.

Harry was aware his jaw was on the floor. He snapped his mouth shut rapidly. What the hell was going on?

“What do you know?” he asked.

“I didn’t know for the longest time,” she admitted. “Severus graduated from school, went on to do his Mastery, got himself a job, and I had no clue he was magical. The owls outside his bedroom, the bizarre school books I never saw again, the stick – his wand- he liked to wave around when he thought he was alone – I rationalised them all away somehow. Then one day, I get a visit from his former Headmaster Albus-”

“Dumbledore,” Harry blurted out. “You know Dumbledore?”

“The oddest man appeared on my doorstep one day, entirely out of the blue. He wore the brightest dress and had the longest beard,” she smiled in memory.

Harry nodded. Yep, that sounded like Dumbledore.

“He told me Severus was a wizard and was going through something deeply personal. Severus should have told me about being a wizard. Legally, I was allowed to know as I was Severus’s guardian. After what he went through with Tobias, I imagine he was too wary to trust me.”

“Didn’t that hurt you?” Harry questioned.

“It did. I suppose I’m still waiting for him to trust me with this secret.”

“So, S – he thinks you don’t know, but you do?” Harry clarified.

Nana nodded placidly.

“Why didn’t you tell him you know?” he asked, confused.

“Secrets should be freely given. It took him an age to tell me what he went through with Tobias. Trusting someone with something so huge wasn’t easy, so I contented myself with that. Besides, Severus isn’t as good a liar as he thinks. You should have heard some of the excuses he came up with when the owls came into the house. I found what I later realised was his potions kit; he tried to convince me it was his experimental chemistry kit. When I asked what he learned in chemistry that he needed bat wings for, he said it was a dissection. Now, I might not be the most educated of women, but dissection comes under biology, not chemistry. Daft boy,” she said, shaking her head in fond exasperation.

Harry smiled with her.

“I believe that’s why he spends as little time here as he does,” she added sadly. “I don’t think he likes lying, so he writes every so often and visits for Christmas every year. If we can manage to persuade him to visit during the summer, he’ll spend a day here or there.”

Harry didn’t think Snape didn’t visit because he couldn’t lie to his family. He didn’t visit because he was a selfish git who didn’t appreciate them. He’d been observing them quite a lot himself. The kids didn’t seem keen on him and knew very little of him. The adults tried to involve him in conversation, but he practically ignored them and answered as little as possible. Nana was the only one he was free with. But she was getting on in years. If Snape didn’t keep the others sweet, he’d never get invited back if Nana passed away.

Snape had dug himself this hole. Harry came here to avoid the Dursleys, and yes, he could admit it wasn’t altruism on his part, but he still counted it as a good deed. Snape lied to his family about having an ex-wife, girlfriend, or whatever, and about having a son for years. He made excuse after excuse for years as to why he couldn’t bring his fictitious son to visit, which his family took at face value. On some level, they must all feel unwanted by Snape. The children certainly felt like Snape didn’t care about them. His token gift of fifty quid for Christmas and birthday lacked effort on his part, and from what the others told him, he never put much of that into the presents for anyone other than Nana either.

“Is that why you didn’t believe he had a son?” Harry asked. “The bad at lying part?”

Nana chuckled again, “Oh yes. Severus came up with the most ludicrous excuses for not bringing you to meet us.”

She held up her fingers and began to list off the excuses, “You’ve had pneumonia twice because of your mother’s carelessness. Chickenpox three times. You broke your arm playing football. Your mother hated letting you out of her sight and was a spiteful witch. You seemed to suffer one catastrophe after another.”

Harry huffed lightly; the catastrophe bit was right. He’d had his broken bones and share of illnesses over the years with the Dursleys and at Hogwarts.

“We had a good old laugh about Severus’s excuses. In fact, we were convinced years ago that Severus was lying to us.”

“Why did you keep insisting he bring his son if you suspected he was lying?”

“We wanted to know how long he would keep stalling us,” Nana told him. “Alfred and Jacky were getting annoyed, however. I send Severus Christmas and birthday presents for his son every year, nothing expensive,” she said at Harry’s questioning look, “but enough to make him feel guilty.”

Harry smiled at her wicked look.

Continuing her earlier point, she said, “I slipped in the garden a few months ago. It was nothing serious, though everyone made a hoo-ha about it. I was able to walk fine enough, as you saw earlier and don’t need to be in the chair full time. But the doctors said I should use a wheelchair. I’m getting to that age now where my legs aren’t as strong as they used to be. I suppose I’ve been trying tell myself I’m still young.

Anyhow, Jacky decided to use the opportunity to tell Severus it was serious but didn’t go into details. Guilted him into bringing his son as it might be my chance to meet Severus’s boy.”

The wicked look didn’t go away.

“Alfred was ever so shocked when he saw Severus had, in fact, brought a boy with him. We all were. I told you we were convinced you didn’t even exist. We kept watching you both, waiting for you to slip up. You played your part well.”

Harry felt pleased. It wasn’t him who gave the whole thing away.

“Severus made us believe you were a troublemaker, and you showed us Severus didn’t know you well, at all. You were much more convincing than Severus. Good heavens, every time you behaved well, Severus couldn’t keep that grumpy look off his face.”

Nana demonstrated exactly what grumpy look she meant – it looked the Snape sported when he didn’t get his way. Like he was sucking on a lemon. Petunia got the same look when she had to include Harry in family stuff in front of her neighbours. The Snapes, at least, were more astute than the Dursley’s neighbours, who didn’t seem to notice Petunia’s look resembled someone with trapped wind.

“The little ones love you, and the adults wished they could keep you forever.”

“That’s only because they don’t want to put up with Jacky’s cooking,” Harry quipped. He ignored the pleasant feeling of being wanted. Wanting was a terrible hope.

Nana laughed, “Oh, they definitely appreciated your food. But they love how you’ve set a good example for their children.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Harry said uncomfortably.

“You’ve done more than you think,” she said gently. “And I don’t mean the cooking and cleaning. I mean the way you clearly care.”

Harry felt a blush but repeated quietly, “I didn’t do anything.”

Nana shook her head but didn’t press the point. “Now, I believe it’s your turn. What made you agree to this anyway? Didn’t your parents want you home for Christmas?”

Harry was prepared for this question. He didn’t want to say anything about the Dursleys, so he stuck to the truth as much as possible, though he wouldn’t lie.

“My parents died when I was one. I have my relatives, my mum’s sister and her husband, but they didn’t want me. I usually stay at school for the holidays. There were some safety issues at the school, and the Ministry wanted the castle empty to fix the wards, so everyone was told to go home for Christmas. I felt miserable because I had nowhere to go, so I snuck out for a lark. Sn- the Professor caught me and threatened to give me detention for the following term and ban me from the school sports team until next year. So Dumbledore gave me a choice. Detention and ban, or help a professor out.”

Nana gave him a rueful look, “You’re a much smoother liar than Severus.”

“I didn’t lie,” Harry protested indignantly.

“You didn’t tell the whole truth,” she corrected gently. “Still, I won’t force you to tell me your private business.”

“I didn’t lie,” Harry said insistently.

“I know,” Nana acknowledged calmly. “And if you want to talk to me about whatever you’re holding back, you can speak to me any time, child.”

Harry nodded, though he had no intention to do so.

“I’m not a troublemaker either. Snape just thinks I am,” Harry told her quietly.

“I know, son,” she said, giving him a gentle look. “You’re a good boy.”

“Are you going to tell the others?” he asked after a silent moment. At her questioning look, he clarifies, “About me not being his son?”

“Are you going to tell Severus and the children that I don’t really need a wheelchair to get around?” she shot back at him with an arched brow.

“You mean the others don’t really know about the wheelchair thing?”

“The adults know. Gloria’s the one who borrowed the wheelchair for me,” she told him, the wicked look back in her eye. “The children were shocked, and we felt it was unfair to ask them to play along. Of course, it’s also unfair of them to believe I’m in a wheelchair in the first place; however, like Severus, the children aren’t very good at keeping secrets.”

“What about me not being…”

“Severus’s son?” she finished when he trailed off. “No, that can be our little secret, Harry.”

“They have their suspicions, but if they want to know the truth, they’ll have to bump into you themselves and sort out their own deals,” she winked at him.

“Yeah, I might wake up tomorrow morning and discover that Jacky isn’t pregnant or Alfred doesn’t have a Vet practice,” Harry snorted in laughter.

“You’ll just have to take my word for it that both those things are true,” Nana laughed with him.

Harry gave the wheelchair at the foot of her bed a significant look.

Nana huffed in more laughter.

“You’re a good lad, Harry. You’re welcome here anytime,” she told him.

“Thank you,” he said gratefully, though he doubted very much he’d be back. Snape hadn’t thought this through. As much as Harry would like to come back every year, he didn’t think Snape would bring him back to meet his family again. Snape would have been better off admitting the truth and taking his lumps. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to his family.

Then a thought occurred to him.

“Why did he tell you he had a son anyway?” What had started the whole thing?

“Jacky and Alfred were angry at the world, even after their father passed away. Alfred found Gloria, and Jacky found Barry. The change in them was profound. I wanted the same thing for Severus. I wanted him to be happy and settled, thinking it would change him too. When he told me about Claudia, I believed him at first, and it broke my heart to think his first love ended so horribly that he’d never trust anyone again. When I realised Claudia wasn’t real, I was relieved. I simply accepted he wasn’t ready for that type of love yet and hoped one day he would find someone who would change the way he looked at the world.”

Privately, Harry believed anyone who put up with Snape would be as bitter as he was.

Thankfully they moved on to other topics. He realised this was the most extended conversation he had had with Nana, as usually Snape kept Harry away from her completely or monopolised her time for himself.

Nana was telling him how they came into the farm when they were startled by a knock from a suspicious Snape.

“What’s going on here?” the Potions Master asked stiffly. “Harry, are you disturbing Nana?”

“Oh, Harry wasn’t disturbing me,” Nana assured her grandson. “Harry came to use the bathroom, my goodness, is that the time? And he helped me back into bed and kept me company like a little darling.”

“Why didn’t you call for someone else to help, Harry?” Snape’s suspicious look didn’t abate.

“I asked him not to disturb anyone,” Nana said sharply, startling fake father and son. She hadn’t spoken to Snape like that the whole time he was here. “I was up in the middle of the night, and Harry happened to be up to use the loo as well. I needed help, and he helped me. What ever is your issue? He’s a polite and helpful child. Would you have rather he ignored me and carried himself off to bed?”

“I would rather he call for someone more qualified to assist you? What if he accidentally dropped you?”

Though from the look on Snape’s face, he genuinely believed that Harry would drop Nana out of carelessness rather than clumsiness.

“Whatever her faults, Claudia’s raised a good boy,” Nana Bea said assuredly.

“What’s going on here? Is everything okay?” Gloria came down in her pyjamas, tightening her belt on her bedrobe.

“All is well, Gloria,” Nana sighed. “Now, if the boys can vacate the room, Gloria can help me into my chair since you seem to insist someone more qualified assist me.”

Snape flushed. “I just wanted to make sure you were taken care of,” he mumbled in a completely un-Snape-like manner.

“Harry took great care,” Nana said firmly. “And now Gloria will. Off you trot, both of you. I’m sure everyone will be up to open up their presents soon. Gloria, if you’ll help me into my chair, I’ll help you in the kitchen. If you’ll let me in, that is.”

Gloria, who’d been watching the proceedings with a confused look, stepped forward and gave the wheelchair a rueful glance.

“Harry’s worked too hard scrubbing that kitchen floor to take that wheelchair in there,” Gloria laughed. “Why don’t you relax this year, Nana? Sit near the fire with Severus and watch over the children. I hear the others stirring. Harry, why don’t you go use the bathroom before they do. With so many people in the house, it’ll be ages before anyone gets out.”

Harry nodded.

“Merry Christmas,” he wished them and left.

He heard the soft ‘Merry Christmas’ in return as he slipped past Snape and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

He quickly used the bathroom again, brushed his teeth, and returned to the den to check on Andrew and Brian. The boys were stirring, blearily rubbing their eyes.

“Merry Christmas,” Brian said through a yawn, which was echoed half a second later with his twin.

He returned the greeting, picked out last year’s Weasley jumper from his trunk to throw over his pyjamas, and padded out to the kitchen as the boys headed to fight for the bathroom.

“Can I help?” he asked Jacky, who was already in the kitchen reaching for glasses from the cupboard.

“Oh, Harry,” Jacky said, spinning around, dropping the glass in startlement. It crashed first on the counter before slipping off and hitting the ground, where it smashed into pieces.

“Sorry,” Harry winced. “I didn’t mean to make you jump.”

“It wasn’t you, Harry,” Jacky assured him. “Be careful, Harry. Let me go get the dustpan.”

“Let me help. I’ll pick up the big pieces.”

“Don’t cut yourself,” she said as she disappeared towards the store room.

“I won’t,” Harry assured her as he gingerly crouched and picked up the pieces of the broken glass. Then, he ripped off a piece of kitchen roll, ran it lightly under the tap to wet and carefully wiped the floor with it. The wet paper towel would pick up the smaller stray shards of glass. He wiped the damp floor with a dry piece of kitchen roll. He carefully threw both away into the bin, confident he’d got all the broken glass. Still, when Jacky brought the dustpan and broom, he swept the whole floor thoroughly while she continued to reach for the rest of the glasses.

“Can you grab the orange juice for me, Harry, love?” Jacky asked as he returned the dustpan and broom to where they came from.

She reached down in the lower cupboards for some trays.

“You’re a good lad, Harry,” Jacky complimented with a smile as she poured orange juice into everyone’s glasses. “The other children will go straight for the tree if they haven’t already. But you’re in here helping me.”

Harry shrugged, uncomfortable at the observation. Only at Hogwarts did he get to rest during Christmas. He would have been in the kitchen with his aunt and uncle anyway. And the Snape family was so appreciative that he didn’t even resent having to cook. At least here, everyone pitched in.

“I don’t mind,” he mumbled as he placed the half-filled glasses onto the tray.

Alfred and Andrew popped their heads through the kitchen.

“You need any help carrying the trays?” Andrew asked.

“I won’t say no to that,” Jacky said playfully.

“I heard a glass smash,” Alfred commented. “Did you break it?”

“It slipped from my hand,” Jacky said negligently. “It’s in the bin now.”

Alfred took one tray while his nephew took the other.

“You couldn’t break the ugly ones?” Andrew commented. “You know, the ones with the blue rims.”

“Hey,” Jacky protested, picking up the juice boxes while Harry grabbed the tray of snacks and mince pieces. “I bought those for Alfred and Gloria for their tenth anniversary. They’re not ugly.”

“They’re special,” Alfred added dryly.

Harry smiled at their good-natured banter as he followed them back to the sitting room.

The trays were placed on the coffee table.

Nana’s wheelchair was wedged between the two sofas; Snape took his place next to her as always.

The other kids were on the floor around the tree while the adults were on the sofa, leaving one space which Jacky took. After relieving himself of the tray, Alfred sat with the children on the floor. Harry found a space at Jacky’s feet, sandwiched between Brian and Sarah.

“Can we open our presents yet?” Laurel asked impatiently, who was seated closest to the tree.

“Don’t you want to drink your juice first?” Gloria asked teasingly, holding out a glass. “Maybe a biscuit for breakfast?”

Beth reached for shortbread in exasperation and bit into it irritably. Where the Dursleys liked to have a full English breakfast for Christmas morning, not that unusual from any other day of the week, Snape’s family indulged in biscuits and pastries first thing in the morning.

“These are nice,” she mumbled through a mouthful, reaching for another.

Alfred reached out for one, handing it over to Lexi, who was half draped across his lap, before taking one himself.

“These don’t taste like they’re from McVities tin,” Alfred commented.

“I made them,” Andrew bragged, nabbing a handful. “Gerroff!”

He lurched away from his twin to stop him from nicking his biscuits. Too late, he didn’t see Maya reach over and steal one from his unsuspecting hand.

Rolling her eyes at their antics, Gloria corrected, “Harry baked them. Andrew helped.”

Andrew winked, unrepentant and not the least put out that he’d been outed.

“Is this what you were doing when you wouldn’t let anyone into the kitchen all day?” Barry asked.

“How come we didn’t smell them baking?” Sarah frowned.

“We kept the window open,” Gloria laughed. “Andrew wanted it to be a surprise.”

“Well done, boys,” Alfred said, raising his biscuits as if in a toast.

“Presents now!” Laurel demanded, though she, too, had a biscuit in hand.

“All right, all right, you can start handing them out. Pick out one for each person,” Gloria conceded with a smile, though she reached for a mince pie.

Laurel stuffed the rest of the biscuit into her mouth, chewed vigorously and looked for the first present. “This one’s for Andrew,” she announced and passed it on.

She continued to distribute the presents until everyone had one each, even Harry, though he didn’t expect one.

The children excitedly ripped into their presents while the adults and Harry opened theirs more sedately.

Harry’s first present was from Sarah, which brought a small but genuine smile to his face. It was a silly toy, a Slinky. He took it out of its box and played with it.

“Thanks,” he told her, flashing her a wider smile.

“I didn’t know what else to get you,” she said apologetically.

Harry waved it away, “I love it. Lexi and I will test it out on the stairs, right?”

Hearing her name but not understanding what was said, Lexi nodded enthusiastically nonetheless. Alfred laughed at her antics and helped her with her present. A little doll which she waved around with a smile. Alfred’s first present, fluffy socks, was already on his feet.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Maya squealed as she opened her first present, which happened to be from Harry. “I love it. I love it.”

She scrambled over everyone’s laps to come give Harry a hug. He flailed a little as she threw herself at him, but Brian steadied him, almost getting beaned by the gloves and pads she was holding.

She sniffed against his chest.

“What did you get?” Alfred asked, looking curiously at her reaction.

“Harry got me boxing gloves and pads,” she said, releasing them. “You’ll help me practice while you’re here, won’t you?”

Looking at her pleading look, he stammered, “I’ve never boxed before.”

“We’ll learn together. Please?” she begged.

Harry nodded, and she threw herself at him again. When she let him go, she hugged the gloves and pads to her. Instead of moving back to her original place on the floor, she plonked herself to Harry’s side, forcing Sarah to shift to allow her some space.

“Thanks, Uncle Severus,” Brian called out, holding out his obligatory card with fifty pounds.

Harry had left fifty pounds in an envelope yesterday, which he’d shoved under the door of his room when the man had been salting the drive. So he expected a similar envelope with his name on it.

“Laurel, why don’t you hand out the rest of the presents now?” Jacky suggested. “Time for a free for all. Alfred, hand out the stockings will you, so we can light the fire.”

Andrew helped Laurel hand out the presents, while Lexi helped her father hand out the stockings so he could light the fire.

“The camera’s an amazing idea, Harry,” Nana Bea praised but handed it to Barry to help her set it up. “And it’s not too heavy for me, either.”

“And Harry’s given you plenty of extra film,” Barry added as he opened the packaging for the batteries also provided.

“All right, here goes,” Alfred shook his head as Nana excitedly prepared to take her first photo.

“Everyone smile!” Jacky laughed.

The flash went off a few seconds later.

“Thank you, Harry,” Nana smiled at him. “Oh, I’m too far away. Someone give Harry a hug for me.”

Maya obligingly threw herself at Harry again, squeezing him tight.

“You’re welcome,” he said to Nana as Maya released him.

Nana continued to take pictures, neglecting to open her presents in favour of capturing everyone else’s reactions.

“How did you know I hadn’t read this one?” Barry said, holding up the autobiography Harry bought him.

“Harry’s clearly been paying attention,” Gloria commented, testing the perfume he’d gifted her. “This is lovely, Harry.”

“Lexi helped me pick it out,” he said, embarrassed. Then to Barry, he said, “And you were talking about it wanting it on the first day I was helping in your office.”

“You know, Harry, you’ve only been with us for a few days, and you’ve picked out the best presents,” Nana told him, then snapped another picture.

“Hm, I’m not sure about that,” Jacky said, holding up her half-opened recipe book.

Barry snorted in laughter.

“Maybe I can share that with you,” Andrew said, looking up from his present. “But I love the football shirt, Harry.”

“Me, too,” Brian said.

The twins looked at each, then simultaneously stood up, took off their pyjama tops and put on their new football shirts.

Harry was pleased with everyone’s reactions to his gifts so far. Snape still hadn’t opened his present from Harry. Harry found himself anxious at Snape’s reaction. Snape said to get him a book of some sort because that would have fit in with what everyone expected to get him. Perhaps he should have just stuck to a generic Christmas jumper and one book on Chemistry or something.

He hadn’t realised until he’d been wrapping up Snape’s present why the books he’d bought looked familiar. He recognised the author from the library in Snape’s house in Liverpool. He spent more money on Snape’s present than he’d intended, but not detrimentally so, even before the discount had been applied.

Even if Nana knew the truth, it would give the others pause. Jacky and the others suspected Snape had brought a fake child, but by giving him books that looked like something he would buy himself showed he knew his ‘father’ well, but getting fifty pounds in an envelope from Snape would show the others he knew his ‘son’ as little as he knew his nephews and nieces.

And truthfully, he’s enjoying the scowl on the Potions Master’s face at everyone’s praise. Now that he knows it’s there, he can see Nana’s hiding her amusement too.

He got several Christmas jumpers from the others, which he honestly didn’t mind, even if they were generic presents. They might not be hand-knitted like Mrs Weasleys jumper, but Harry felt they weren’t any less precious for it. This year, at least, he had a variety of warm jumpers to choose from.

Nana Bea gave him a watch and smiled at his reaction.

“I noticed your current watch is a little battered, so I thought you’d appreciate a new one,” she smiled at him.

“Thank you,” he said and went about taking his old one off and replacing it with his new one.

Snape didn’t seem to like the present Nana gave Harry but couldn’t say anything in front of everyone. Harry knew he’d have to give back all his presents to Snape at the end of the holidays, and as much as he’d hate the loss of the watch, which wasn’t even that expensive but still new to Harry, he hoped Snape let him keep the jumpers.

“Now, that’s more like it,” Jacky laughed as she opened her second gift from Harry, testing the scent on her inner wrist. “You have excellent taste, Harry.”

“Wow,” Andrew said. “Harry clearly has his favourite. Mum gets a Christmas jumper, a recipe book and perfume. We only get two things.”

“Actually,” Jacky said, holding out another gift with her name. She stuck out her tongue as they booed at her.

“Oh,” she said in delight and laughed as she opened her gift and pulled out the red onesie.

Barry laughed as he read the words.

“That’s so sweet, Harry,” Jacky said emotionally, awkwardly leaning down and giving him a one-armed hug. “This was thoughtful of you.”

Harry blushed as she planted a kiss on his head, giving him another squeeze before letting go.

“Thank you, Harry,” Maya said, even though she’d already thanked him and hugged him again.

“Oh, someone’s got a new favourite cousin,” Sarah teased.

Maya didn’t deny it, smiling widely at Harry.

“You are my favourite,” she announced, then kissed him on the cheek.

“You’re everyone’s favourite,” Brian declared solemnly. “Because of you, we’ve had something decent to eat.”

“Let’s all hug, Harry,” Andrew beckoned, moving forward.

“You don’t-” Harry protested – or tried to. Harry, and his words, ended up buried under a dog pile of Snape and Rogers children.

“Don’t kill him,” Alfred pleaded, though Harry could hear the smile in his voice. “Or you’ll have to eat Jacky’s dry Christmas turkey.”

There was an immediate shuffling of people getting off Harry. Harry saw a flash go off through the gap between people.

Barry snorted in laughter as Jacky lobbed wrapping paper she’d wadded into a ball at her brother.  

“Just for that, no more biscuits for you,” Jacky threatened, picking up the tray of biscuits. “You can starve until dinner. And no sending your sweet innocent child for them either.”

Another flash went off just as Harry straightened his skewed glasses.

“You’ve created a monster, Harry,” Gloria shook her head as Nana snapped another picture.

“I’ve never had a camera before,” Nana said unconcernedly through her beaming smile. “And Harry must have spent quite a bit of his pocket money on this.”

“Your mum must be generous when it comes to pocket money, Harry,” Sarah commented. “Maybe you can work your magic on my parents.”

The last time Harry had spent anywhere near this amount was when he’d first bought all his equipment for school before he started at Hogwarts. Living with the Dursleys, he’d never got a penny from them. Instead, he got a lecture on how much he was costing them, which he considered complete dragon dung considering he got everything second-hand from Dudley and barely any food. Dudley got everything he demanded, and Harry never bothered asking for anything, knowing he’d be denied. He took out the money from his vault so he’d have cash on hand for emergencies and did the same for muggle currency during the summer but rarely bought anything for himself that wasn’t necessary.

For his friends’ birthday or Christmas gifts, he usually stuck to books or study aids for Hermione or sweets or Quidditch stuff for Ron. He also sent Honeydukes gift cards for the rest of the Weasleys.

This was the first time he’d spent so much in one go on other people and only managed to stay within budget as he took advantage of discounts and offers available. The most expensive gifts he’d bought were the camera, the charms bracelets and charms and Snape’s books.

He doubted Snape would be as appreciative of his gift as the others.

“All right, come on,” Gloria getting everyone’s attention. “Let’s open the last of the presents, open up the stockings and then get started on Christmas dinner. Brian, pass me my stocking, please.”

“Here’s another for you, Harry,” Laurel said, passing Harry an envelope from Snape. “And yours, Sarah.”

Harry opened up his card, revealing his cash as expected.

“Thanks, Dad,” Harry said with as much enthusiasm as he could.

Snape nodded, but his attention was on Sarah.

“What? Are you serious?” Sarah said, looking stunned. “Uncle Severus – I don’t know what to say.”

She looked helplessly at her father and held out the paper to him.

Everyone looked over in curiosity. Sarah was holding a piece of paper instead of the fifty pounds cash she was expecting.

Alfred reached over to pluck the paper from his daughter’s hand. Gloria got off the sofa, slightly concerned when Alfred stood up, his brows snapped together.

Sarah’s siblings and cousins looked confusedly over at the girl in question.

“What’s the meaning of this, Severus?” Alfred said, holding the paper aloft.

Harry recognised it for a cheque but couldn’t make out the amount. He subtly inched closer and squinted until he could make out an amount.

He blinked in surprise at the figure written on there. That was significantly more than fifty pounds.

“I thought it was a generous offer,” Snape said stiffly, though Harry could tell he was surprised at the belligerent tone.

“I don’t need your generous offer,” Alfred repeated sarcastically.

Gloria attempted to be more diplomatic, “Severus, I’m sure you mean well, but we truly don’t need the money.”

“Sarah will be starting university next year,” Snape said slowly, immediately getting a lot of people’s back up by talking them like they were idiots. “She will need to pay for her tuition, books, and equipment: I’m simply trying to ease the burden of taking more loans than necessary.”

“Are you saying you think I can’t afford to educate my daughter?” Alfred hissed, and for the first time, Harry thought the kind man reminded him of Snape.

“That’s not what I’m trying to say,” Snape said in frustration.

“Lads, help me take this mess back to the kitchen,” Jacky said quietly.

The children were looking between Alfred and Snape in concern. However, they quietly gathered the glasses and food onto the trays and followed Jacky quietly back to the kitchen.

“Sarah, can you help?” Jacky beckoned.

Sarah looked at her parents helplessly. Gloria gave her a reassuring nod.

“Daddy mad?” the little girl asked, tugging on her father’s robe.

“No, love,” he said, smoothing his expression and kneeling down to hug her. “Go help Aunt Jacky.”

Harry quietly took Lexi’s hand and followed the others to the kitchen. Sarah took Lexi and sat at the kitchen table, but Harry helped Jacky clean up by washing the glasses while she put away the drinks in the fridge.

“How much was it for?” Brian asked in curiosity.

Even Jacky turned around to hear the answer.

“A thousand pounds,” she said in a small voice.

Andrew and Brian made shocked noises.

“Generous indeed,” Jacky snorted.

Harry said nothing as he placed the last glass on the draining board.

“Did you know he was going to do that, Harry?” Sarah asked.

Harry turned around and silently shook his head.

“I’m sure he meant well,” Harry said, his defence half-hearted. He’d been around the family and talked to the children enough to know that Snape was tolerated by them. By the way the children spoke about their uncle, their parents made every effort to include Snape in more than just Christmas but have always been rebuffed. However, speaking to Nana this morning, he had some insight into the man. His relationship with Harry was nothing more than student and teacher, so at the end of the day, those insights didn’t make any difference to Harry.

But the man had some affection for his cousins and their children but struggled to show that he cared. In all honesty, Harry believed Snape brought this on himself.

“Look, Harry, I know he’s your dad, but –” Sarah looked at Jacky hesitantly but seemed to get no guidance from her aunt. So the girl took a deep breath and plunged right in, “You’re a great cousin, Harry. Before you came here, we thought you’d be just like him. So we’re glad you’re nothing like him. But the fact is, he’s never here. Sending money for our birthday is great, but there’s no effort involved in that. I’m surprised he even remembers our birthdays. You’ve been here a week, and you know that Andrew and Brian love football, and Maya wants to do Kickboxing. You know I like puzzles, but instead of jigsaws, you got me the kind that involves logic. Even the Charms bracelet you picked out for the girls is something the girls are interested in. You put in the time and effort to know all of us in the short time you’ve been here with us. Your dad didn’t bother with any of that.”

“We just don’t feel like he’s family,” Andrew added with a shrug.

“Andrew,” Jacky admonished, though it was half-hearted.

“It’s true,” the boy said defensively. “If Uncle Severus stopped turning up for Christmas every year, the only thing we’d miss out on is fifty quid. Even that’s no big deal. I mean, sure, the money is nice, but it’s not like our parents can’t afford to buy stuff if we want it.”

“He’s got an organiser on his desk that has everyone’s birthdays on there,” Harry said when everyone fell silent. “He has pictures of all of you in his library. It’s the room he spends the most time in when he’s home.”

When Harry stayed with Snape for two days, the man spent more time in the lab than anywhere else, but Harry could tell by how well worn the furniture, particularly the desk and armchair, that Snape spent more time in that room than anywhere else.

Looking at Sarah, he says, “You’re wearing a yellow top and blue jeans, and you’re holding Lexi. I think it was taken in the hospital.”

Turning to the twins, “There’s a picture of both of you – you’re wearing your school uniform, and it says ‘Boys first day at big school’. There’s another one of Beth and Laurel together. I think it’s at a school party. Laurel’s dressed for the school nativity, and Beth’s trying to steal her hat. He’s got one of Maya hanging from a tree. And another of Lexi with Marley.”

Everyone listens with rapt attention.

“He barely told me about all of you,” Harry shrugged, “but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. He just doesn’t know how to show it. Trust me, I know.”

 “That still doesn’t mean he can just hand over a thousand pounds,” Sarah argued weakly.

“You don’t have to take it,” Harry pointed out. “He’s trying to show you he’s aware of what’s happening in your life the best way he knows. When he found out about Nana being ill, he was agitated.”

If Jacky felt guilty for that lie, she didn’t show it.

“He’s more comfortable around Nana than anyone else. She supported him when he needed someone in his life, but he still doesn’t know how to build relationships.”

“What’s he like as a teacher then?”

Harry shrugged again. “He knows his stuff, but he’s crap at communicating that to his students.”

“Doesn’t he tutor you in stuff because you’re his son?” Brian asked.

“No,” Harry said, and he couldn’t imagine spending more time with Snape and giving him the opportunity to rag on him even more. “I don’t care about P-Chemistry. I like Maths better.”

He definitely wished that he’d taken Arithmancy over Divination. He blamed Ron’s influence on that choice. Harry never had anyone caring about his school works before. The Dursleys didn’t care about Harry’s work as long as he didn’t call attention to himself by performing too poorly or well enough to have them called in to meet the teachers. So Harry settled himself in the middle of the pack and continued that trend even after he started at Hogwarts.

He’d followed Ron’s lead on Divination because he didn’t know any better, and he was nowhere near as studious as Hermione. And certainly, the Dursleys didn’t care enough about Harry and his Hogwarts schooling to guide him and advise him on electives. But listening to the others over the last week, he realised he would never have anyone caring about his schoolwork, no matter the pretend going on now. So it was up to him to look out for himself. Hearing Sarah say she wanted to be a doctor or Brian saying he wanted to be a Vet made Harry realise he had no idea what direction he wanted to go in.

Ron had grown up in the wizarding world and knew all about the different careers, and Hermione had probably researched every single one of them. Harry felt he was still surviving day to day in school, no different to surviving day to day with the Dursleys.

He knew his end goal was to leave the Dursleys as soon as he was on age, but beyond that? He had no clue. As much as he liked Quidditch, he never considered going professional in that sport. When he returned to Hogwarts, he would switch from Divination to Arithmancy at the first opportunity and look into careers for the future. He might only be thirteen, but he had no one to talk to about his options other than himself. Hermione might be the most driven of the trio, but even she could speak to her parents about her future.

He wished he had what Sarah and Brian had – parents who cared about him and his future.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts,  he looked at Sarah, “He’s showing an interest in your future. It’s up to you and your parents to decide whether you want to take that.”

“You have a better way with people than your dad does, Harry,” Jacky said ruefully. “It’s obvious you’re not close, but you know him a heck of a lot better than he knows you.”

“So, what now?” Beth asked.

“You all go get changed for Christmas dinner. We’ll lay out some more snacks for anyone who has the munchies. I’ll get started on the Christmas dinner then.”

“I want to help with Christmas dinner as well,” Andrew added quickly. Looking to Harry, he asked hesitantly, “You are still helping, right?”

“If I’m allowed in the kitchen,” Harry replied.

Sarah snorted in amusement as she hugged her silent sister and rested her chin on her head, “You’re the only one who’s allowed in the kitchen.”

“I hope no one’s made a mess,” Andrew said, inspecting everyone. “Harry and I were scrubbing this place on our hands and knees.”

Jacky pointedly cleared her throat.

“I swear, I helped,” Andrew protested. “Tell her, Harry.”

“He helped,” Harry repeated dutifully. “He cleaned the fridge and all the cupboards.”

“Thank you,” Andrew huffed.

“I hope this tradition of cleaning continues at home,” Jacky said with a raised brow.

“Eh,” the boy shrugged, looking unconcerned.

Jacky threw her tea towel at him.

“Can we go play in the snow?” Laurel asked, looking out the window.

“Go get dressed first,” Jacky ordered.

Harry scrambled after the others. He didn’t want to get changed in front of the twins, so he made an excuse to use the bathroom first. He heard the girls rush upstairs and the muted voices of Alfred, Gloria and Snape from the Sitting room.

Harry used the bathroom and slowly made his way back to the den, hoping he’d given Andrew and Brian enough time to change. By the time he entered the den again, the boys had changed their pyjama bottoms for jeans but opted to keep on their new football shirts. They threw on their new Christmas jumpers and were ready to go.

Harry quickly dug out his clothes from his trunk and got changed. He picked out his Weasley jumper from last year, since his new jumpers were still in the Sitting room. He stepped out of the den, wondering whether he should go to the kitchen or the Sitting room.

Thankfully, the decision was made for him when Sarah came back down with the other girls, all dressed for Christmas dinner and headed to the Sitting, though Sarah entered cautiously.

The boys were already there; Andrew held the bin bag as Brian dumped the discarded wrapping paper into it.

Gloria ambled in calmly, though the other adults were nowhere in sight. Even Nana was missing.

“All right, kids. Pick up your presents and take them away. Sarah, I need a quick word.”

Sarah followed her mother into the Dining room as Harry and the others picked up their unwrapped gifts and proceeded to take them back to their rooms. Brian and Andrew helped the girls carry their things up, who insisted on leaving a few things down to play with. Harry made two trips to the den to take his and the twins’ things. Lexi decided to follow him, insisting on helping, so Harry allowed her to carry some jumpers for each trip.

He noticed Snape had taken all his things up already. Maya insisted on leaving her new boxing things down, wanting Harry, in particular, to practice with her.

“Harry?” Lexi got his attention by tugging on his jumper.

“Yeah?” he asked, turning from folding his jumpers away.

“Hole,” she said, pointing to the small but noticeable hole on Harry’s side.

“Oh damn,” he said as he poked a finger through it. “Sorry, that was a bad word.”

Lexi nodded solemnly.

“Daddy say that.”

Harry displayed his new Christmas jumpers and asked, “Which one shall I wear?”

Lexi gave it serious thought as she examined all four of them and pointed to a red one.

“Rudy,” she said.

Harry nodded seriously. “Good choice.”

He took off his Weasley jumper, with a bit of regret, turning slightly away from Lexi. His t-shirt rode up, but he quickly pulled it down, hoping the four-year-old didn’t notice. When he glanced back at her, he realised he needn’t have worried as she was busy playing with his new Slinky from Sarah. More calmly, he pulled on his new jumper, not realising his back was to the open door, where Maya was standing with her boxing gloves in hand with an uncomfortable look on her face.

She ducked out of sight as Harry turned to check the door and then knocked as Harry put away his jumpers.

She thanked him again for her present, “It’s the best thing ever. I’ve been trying to get mum and dad to take me for ages, but I knew they already got my present for Christmas, and I don’t think they were planning on getting me lessons until my birthday next year. Now, they don’t have to worry about getting me gloves for next year.”

Harry listened silently, and uncomfortably, as she rambled her gratitude.

“One of my best friends is a girl,” Harry said when she stopped for breath. “She’s the strongest person I know, and it doesn’t matter that she’s a girl. She’s stronger than me.”

Of course, Harry meant magically than physically, but that made no difference to him.

“If you like Kickboxing and find you’re good at it, then you keep practising. Especially on those idiot boys at school who think you’re less of a person for being a girl.”

Maya giggled nervously and gave him another hug.

“Do you want to go practice now?” he offered.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Let’s check with your mum and Aunt Gloria about what time they’re starting on dinner first.”

Maya nodded agreeably but, for some reason, still looked uncomfortable.

“Can we go see Marley?” Lexi added hopefully.

Harry laughed, took Lexi’s hand and walked back to the kitchen.