The snow was softly falling, almost silent in the night. He was just standing there out in the snow listening, just listening to the snow falling. So much had happened this past year and he just needed…… time. Time to reflect, time to think; time to be, well at peace. And that's when he heard it from a distance. The church bells: Ding dong ding dong…
For some unknown reason, Harry needed to hear these bells, like they were calling to him. Ding, dong, ding…
And then in the distance, Harry heard singing…
Hark how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say
Throw cares awayOne seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From everywhere
Filling the air
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
To young and old
Meek and the bold
Ding dong ding
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
Oh how they pound
Raising the sound
O'er hill and dale
Telling their tale
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer
Christmas is here
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas
On they send
On without end
Their joyful tone to every home
Dong ding dong ding
And as Harry stood there in the falling snow, he felt tears falling down his cheek and could not understand why one song could produce this much feeling in him and that's when he finally noticed he wasn't alone.
Harry started for a minute, never hearing the man come up from behind him several minutes ago nor turning around to look at his father. "Hey Dad, what are you doing out here?"
His father was looking past Harry towards the church and where the music was coming from. When he didn't respond, Harry turned around and was surprised to see tears coming from his father's eyes. "Dad, are you okay?"
Severus was looking past Harry towards the direction of the church and said softly to Harry: "Carol of the Bells, it was your mother's favorite song at Christmas time."
Harry's eyes grew wide, "I never knew that".
"You were too young to remember but she used to love Christmas and used to sing to you all the time. But her favorite was always, Carol of the Bells. She loved it even when she was a little girl. It was something that I could never forget even after all of this time." Severus than looked at Harry, his adopted son, no, his son, and said in such a soft tone, "you are so much like her, I regret not seeing that along time ago".
"Dad, it's okay, we are together now that's all that matters". And with that Harry walked towards his Dad and was enveloped into strong arms that gave him such warmth, security and love, and he knew, just knew that he was at home.
And as Severus held his son, he thought, finally I'm home.