This would make a lot more sense if you've been following along to Fixing a Family, but it can mostly stand-alone as a non-canon SSHG piece. If you haven't read Fixing a Family and like Snamione, I highly recommend it! :)

The only reason I upped my game and got into weekly updates for Fixing a Family was because I really wanted to write cute festive scenes when it was also the holiday season in real life. But darn, when Severus doesn't know them there's a limit to the fluff! This takes place in the future, and yet it's before the events of Fixing a Family… the intricacies of time travel, I know.

Enjoy this brief look into Hermione, Severus, and their children cozying up over the holiday season.

23 December 2015.

The snow had fallen so heavily this year—two feet—that the boys were almost tired of playing in it. Almost. Earlier, Severus had helped ten-year-old Bryan and seven-year-old Johnny pile more snow onto the stairs of the deck before pushing it down, making the slope sturdy enough to sled over. The many steps leading up to the second floor of the outdoor deck provided such a convenient slope when covered in snow. It really was quite an ingenious idea, and Severus and Hermione were surprised that they hadn't realized the steps could be used for such a purpose till recently. Though the process could have been made faster with magic, Hermione insisted that being cold, miserable, and tired was part of it. Not in those words, of course.

Hermione and Severus were sitting on the porch swing, Severus sipping on a mug of warm tea while Hermione cuddled young Roman in her lap. Her youngest looked adorable all bundled from head to toe, but he'd been wary of the snow when actually placed in it, choosing instead to peer wide eyed at his brothers from a distance. Together, they watched as Bryan and Johnny went again and again, taking turns sledding down the homemade hill before treading back up and repeating the process.

"Can you say 'snow'?" Hermione said, her voice unnaturally high as she spoke to her baby. "Snuh-oh."

"No!"

"Roman!"

"In his defense, I think he's actually trying to say it and not telling you that he won't," Severus chuckled. "Roman, say 'sled.'"

"Sled."

Hermione looked at her husband in frustration. "How come every word that you get him to say he manages to get on the first or second try? No fair."

"That's because you keep trying to get him to say big words. Like avocado. Roman, say 'avocado.'"

"Da-da-da."

Severus burst into laughter, knowing that that was what Roman always said when asked to say avocado. "See? Don't let the Healer get to you. He might be much slower than Bryan or Johnny were at the same age, but he sure as hell wasn't stillborn. He'll be all caught up way before Hogwarts."

"I haven't thought about—what was her name?—Gillian Peneven since the last time I saw her, and that was way long ago. I didn't believe her then and I don't believe her now. Besides, I'm half convinced that Roman just likes driving me mad." She cooed at the baby. "Can you touch your nose?"

Roman looked at her, as if to say I'm too old for this, and then reached out and touched her nose instead. Both parents guffawed loudly. Bryan and Johnny looked over at them.

"What's so funny?"

"Your little brother may have few words, but he's a cheeky one," Hermione said. "Tired of doing the same thing yet?"

"A little bit," said Bryan. "Is there more tea?"

"Yes, help yourself. Take of your shoes before you go back in!" Severus called over his back.

"As if you couldn't just scourgify any snow prints," Bryan yelled back, but he still respectfully took off his shoes and set them on the doormat.

Johnny whooped at having the mountain all to himself, but he soon got bored of it too. Setting the sled to the side, he joined his family on the swing when Bryan came back out holding his own cup of tea. The chains attaching the swing, now stuffed with two adults and three little people, creaked in protest at the extra weight.

"Daddy," Johnny said, reaching for his mug and asking for some of his father's tea without using so many words. Severus handed it to him right away, making sure not to let go until the boy had a firm grip on the handle.

"Careful, it's—"

"Ah! Why is it still burning?"

"Warming charms will do the trick," Severus drawled. "Let me see your tongue." Johnny stuck it out, and he spotted the bit of swelling already starting. With a flick of his wand, he healed it quickly, not wanting to see his boy in discomfort even if he knew that it was so minimal that it would naturally go away within hours. Hermione gazed knowingly at him before leaning in and giving him a sweet peck on the cheek.

"Mum!" Bryan grumbled.

Smirking at her firstborn, she looked him straight in the eye before kissing her husband—though briefly—on the lips this time. "That was for complaining. Honestly, Bryan." She reached forward and ruffled his hair, and he shrunk away. She laughed.

Together, they rocked back and forth, not needing to say much. The chatterbox boys would've been louder if they hadn't already been exhausted playing in the snow earlier. Hermione felt utterly content, her one finger unconsciously stroking Roman's little face.

"Severus," she called suddenly, "let's make use of this sled too."

He raised his eyebrows at her usage of make use. She swatted his arm. "Not like that, you animal! Let's go sledding down our makeshift hill ourselves."

"Like what, Mummy?" Johnny piped in.

Hermione didn't miss a beat. "Like a bat. Remember when I told you how his former students liked to call him a bat?"

"Of course. Greasy bat of the dungeons," Bryan said playfully. Severus laughed along. Somehow, his children were able to say it endearingly.

"Batman Daddy," Johnny added.

Severus groaned. "Not that again. I thought you'd outgrown it!"

Johnny giggled and burrowed into his father's side.

Neither of the boys questioned what bats had to do with using sleds.

Hermione shifted Roman off of her lap and placed him gently in between her two other boys. "Mummy and Daddy are going to enjoy the snow too," she said, getting up and grabbing Severus with her.

He looked at her with disbelief. "You were serious? That sled's so small, it can barely fit Bryan!"

"Are you a wizard or not?" With a careful swish of her wand, she'd enlarged the sled to reasonably fit two adults. Bryan and Johnny observed silently and without complaint, as they knew their parents would return it to its original condition when they were done.

"Now, Roman," Johnny whispered, quietly so that his parents wouldn't hear. "Say 'Batman Daddy.'" Beside him, Bryan stifled a laugh.

The toddler looked at him cluelessly before giggling.

"No, don't laugh! I know you can say daddy. Can you say 'batman'? Baaaat-maaaan," he stressed.

"Merlin, you sound like you're training a dog," Bryan said with a laugh.

Johnny laughed in agreement. "Batman," he said again, slowly and clearly.

"Baman!" It was kind of loud, and so Johnny peered over at his parents to see if they'd heard. Not that he'd get in trouble or anything if they did. Luckily, they were too absorbed in their own world to hear or see what was going on.

"Good job, Roman! Only it sounds sort of like badman, and we don't want that. Ba-tuh," he emphasized in two syllables. "With a tuh sound at the end. C'mon, Ro, can you say ba-tuh?"

Roman squirmed on the bench, somewhat tired of his brothers' antics.

"We'll give you candy!" Bryan added. As if automatically, Roman stilled. "Bata," he said.

"Ugh, you know you're not supposed to offer candy unless it's a last resort!" Johnny cried in dismay. "Come on, Roman, you're obviously capable of this. Now say bat-uh-man-dada!"

"Candy!"

"We'll give you the candy later, alright?" On the side, he whispered to Bryan, "Way to go, offering candy when we don't even have any in the house right now."

"I'm almost sure he'll get some for Christmas. Little dude's obsessed. Besides, Scorp's coming over tomorrow, and Draco almost always gives us candy."

Roman stoutly refused this time, his promised candy not in hand, and the elder brothers sighed. "Another time, then." For both the candy and the phrase.

"I'm so happy, Severus," Hermione murmured as they climbed to the top of the hill and sat in the sled, Severus's arms wrapped tightly around her middle while she gripped the sides of the device to keep them both in place. "I'm so glad we found that old spell to buy you more time." Gingerly, she touched the scars on his neck. He'd had a particularly bad experience just before Roman was born, and they were almost certain they were going to lose him for real that time. Even now, just about three years later, it was still constantly at the forefront of her mind. Though the spell they found was clearly described to be only temporary, it had worked way better than any of them had expected, completely confounding the Healers.

"None more than myself," he said gruffly. "My biggest fear was leaving this world without seeing you bring our child into this world. Now suddenly that child is three already."

Neither of them knew that his greatest fear would come true less than seven years later, although both knew that it was a possibility.

"I want another one."

"You've been saying every year since Bryan turned two, including the years when you'd just had Johnny and Roman."

"I can afford to say it when I know the chances of it coming true are so slim, no matter how much I want it," she whispered.

"There's always adoption," he said, reiterating the conversation they had every year.

"I know. But then the ministry would have access to all the information we've worked so hard to keep secret. Can you imagine if they prowled around Schwalmstadt to get a photo in? The neighbors wouldn't be pleased."

He crooked a smile. "That's more words than you used to say. In previous years you stopped at the ministry having our address on file."

"Moving here was one of the best things we ever did, wasn't it?" She gave a shriek when he unexpectedly pushed them down the hill after they'd been perched at the top, focusing more on the conversation than the fun.

"Of course it was. Just look at our three." As one, they turned to see the boys talking amongst themselves. Well, Roman not so much. Despite the fact that his brothers were speaking in short but full sentences by the time they were his age, Severus and Hermione hadn't let Roman's slow development worry them, as he was also visibly smaller than a typical three-year-old. He still had plenty of time, and his existence itself was a blessing enough, given their situation. Presently, it seemed Johnny was coaxing him. "They're going to take Hogwarts by storm. Bryan first. Are you sure we made the right choice in not taking their names off the magical scroll?"

"We have to let them go sometime, Hermione. Durmstrang's not the best, and we both trust Minerva. Oh how I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they realize that I have a child."

"They're pretty daft not to have made the connection between your and my departure from wizarding Britain. But can you imagine if Roman was just a year older? Then there'd be three Snapes at Hogwarts at once. Three!"

"Could have been more if that damn snake hadn't bitten me," he said.

"Yes, well three's a crowd for some, I suppose. Draco and Astoria are done and happy at two."

"But you're not."

"Neither are you, Severus, and you know it." She put a hand to his lips to stop his forthcoming answer. "But your health and wellbeing are more important to me than the things we cannot have. Besides, we've been blessed with three absolutely wonderful boys already. Four, if I count you," she added.

Their home from the inside was well and truly festive. Though Severus had decried the lights as ghastly the first time she'd put them all up, he'd come to accept them and even looked forward to it. Their tree, an artificial one they'd used since their first Christmas together, sagged slightly under the weight of all the ornaments, lights, and photos that the family had taken to putting up each year. The two sentimental parents easily got lost in the photographic memories hanging from the tree.

There were already a couple glittering boxes tucked under the tree, and the boys had set their hungry eyes on them days ago. More 'from Father Christmas' would find its way with the rest of the gifts tonight, but the Snapes never had more presents than necessary. For one, they weren't too well off, with Severus working only part time at his owl order potions service and Hermione taking months off at a time from her bookshop to either have children or look after her ailing husband when his condition worsened without warning. Gold aside, the Snapes could only benefit from it all, as they spent an inordinate amount of time around their children and each other.

Luckily, Bryan and Johnny were much bigger fans of the activities surrounding the holiday season—caroling, Christmas village visiting, cookie making—than the presents themselves.

That night, they were all gathered by the fire, enjoying each other's presence amidst the holiday season. Roman's bedtime was hours past, but they had decided to let him indulge in the familial activities even if he hardly knew what was going on. The youngest Snape was clearly tired and somewhat withdrawn, but he hadn't thrown a sleepy fit yet. Bryan and Johnny were warring with themselves, unable to decide whether they wanted to stay enjoying the moment or head to bed now to have Christmas Eve and therefore presents come sooner.

Severus clapped a hand on Bryan's back proudly. "Enjoy it while you can, son. You'll really appreciate the moments next year after spending a couple months up at the castle so far away from home."

Bryan smiled at his father's touch. "Are you sure you can't go back to teaching there again? I'll really miss not seeing you every day."

"Don't tempt me," his father said with a smile. "I'll miss you too." He coughed. "I swear your mother has changed me into such a sentimental mess."

"You've always been like that, Dad. Don't try to pretend," Bryan laughed. "Besides, I still have months before I'm off."

"That's right," Hermione piped in. "You still have a lot else to look forward to before September. Namely Christmas, your birthday, and the new year."

"As long as you don't combine my birthday and Christmas presents again!"

"That was entirely your imagination!"

Johnny laughed. With a July birthday, he never had to deal with the December birthday struggles.

Roman squirmed from where he was sitting in Hermione's lap. Johnny smoothed over his toddler curls before giving him a significant look, hoping the little tyke was on the same page. He wasn't. Leaning over to put his mouth by Roman's ear, he whispered, "bat-uh-man-da-da." The three-year-old responded with indiscernible babble.

Johnny sighed and shared a look of defeat with his older brother. Their parents looked at them curiously.

"Well," Severus said, making to get up, "we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I know you two have been debating whether to sleep earlier or later. It's indeed getting pretty late for two little boys to stay awake."

"Daddy! Roman's little. We're not anymore."

"Oh, Johnny," Hermione said lovingly. "I'll carry you up the stairs like old times if you admit you're little."

Just this once, Severus didn't interject with the usual he's too old for this. Johnny warred a bit with himself before conceding that he might still be a little bit little.

As five, they trod up the stairs, Johnny being carried by Hermione while Severus held Roman. Bryan skipped ahead at the front. He turned around in surprise and merriment when he heard Roman say it:

"Batman Daddy."

They all looked at the youngster in shock. Roman preened at the attention and said it again, this time louder and with more confidence.

"And you, Severus, said he wasn't capable of bigger words. He got you good!"

Severus chortled, giving Roman a soft kiss on the forehead. "I see your big bad brothers got to you first."

"Batman Daddy!"

"Can you say something else? Say 'I'm cute.'"

"Bat!"

Hermione snorted. Severus rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Alright, I guess I'll never escape my reputation from years past."

They reached each of the boys' rooms up on the landing by now, and they went without protest, eager for tomorrow to come. Without even looking into their heads, Severus knew exactly what their little minds were thinking of.

"And now, Mrs. Snape, how about… making use of the night?"

"Even knowing that we'll have to get downstairs again to put the presents under the tree and that we'll be woken at Merlin knows what hour by some overeager boys?"

"Exactly, we weren't going to get much sleep anyway."

"You're incorrigible, Severus," Hermione said, but both knew that they were on the same page.

"Might as well keep trying for the next one," he said silkily. "We might be pleasantly surprised again, like we were with Roman."

It would take another six years, but their lives would be wholly different by then.