December the 24th 2017, London
The only positive thing about white gloves and Santa hats was that they kept your hands and ears warm when it was cold outside, but other than that, they were an utter pest.
"Stop scratching," Rachida told him tersely, "Your nose is starting to look irritated."
Severus Snape sat awkwardly on a chair in a cluttered office at the back of Holland and Barrett, London, and tried to come to terms with the white, fake beard pasted under his nose. The itching didn't help. He glared at the woman and grumbled: "Remind me why I am doing this again?"
Rachida shot a look at him and her face softened as she winked at him: "Because you're an angel, off course."
Severus huffed and shook his head, as he pulled on the surprisingly heavy black boots. There was a pillow stuffed beneath his clothes, and it was bothering him as he bent forward to lace his boots. He should have kept the pillow for last.
"I shall tell you why I'll do it, because you and I both know I am no angel," Severus countered, "I'm simply doing this because you are my boss and you'll pay me handsomely for it."
Rachida shrugged and threw him a smirk: "Works for me, darling."
"I'm no darling, either."
"Ssh, stay still," she shushed him, as she tried to carefully put the Santa hat on top of the wig.
"Well, it sure isn't because I want to stand in for 'Donkey'…"
"It's Duncan!" she chastised him, "And give him some credit. The guy only works here for two weeks."
"Exactly. Two weeks in and already he becomes ill, and today of all days?"
She didn't answer and frowned in concentration as she fussed over the hat and the wig.
"There, perfect! I'll fetch you a mirror," she said.
A moment later Severus was frowning at his own reflection.
"This is ridiculous, Rachida," he tried one last time, "I'm just too old for this."
Rachida didn't listen to his pleas, crouched down next to him and put a hand on his knee.
"You will be a great Santa, Severus," she promised, "The kids will love it."
"And you will… I mean, the company will forever be in my debt?"
"Naturally."
SS
December the 24th 2017, Cornwall
Harry knew Ginny Weasley well enough to know when she was up to something. More precisely, he knew the exact moment he opened the door and saw the too-bright smile on her freckled face and the small Honeydukes bag with fizzing wizzbees she held in her hand.
"Hey Harry, wow, you look great! I brought you a present. Your favourite, right?" she asked lightly, thrusting the candies towards him while ushering the kids inside. Harry absentmindedly petted Lucy's hair when the little girl flung her arms around his legs, but he kept his gaze on Ginny.
"You're awfully cheerful," he wondered suspiciously.
She just shrugged and said: "Can't a girl be chirpy? It's Christmas."
Harry wasn't fooled in the slightest.
"What are the candies for?" he inquired.
She shrugged again and repeated: "I told you, it's Christmas and I'm feeling cheerful."
Harry raised an eyebrow and shook his head, smirking.
"Ginny, I know you. You secretly despise Christmas. You couldn't be cheerful if you wanted to."
"Well, that's a bit harsh," she spluttered, but Harry just gestured with his head, as if saying 'Out with it, woman.'
Ginny pouted and hung her head.
"You don't think I can be cheerful?" she mock-complained.
Harry couldn't help chuckling: the crestfallen look on her face was priceless. He'd almost reached out to muss up her hair like he used to, when he noticed that his son, Liam, who apparently had only been pretending to play with his Gameboy, was watching them with questioning eyes. He refrained. It would be cruel to give their children the wrong impression.
"I don't think so, no," he said instead, "Being cheerful is a girl's sentiment."
Harry thought the punch against his chest was rather deserved. He rubbed the painful spot, remembering belatedly that Ginny didn't hold back when she was irritated.
"You're a lousy ex-wife, too, forgetting my birthday," he told her, tagging on a smile to show he was only joking. She hit him again. Twice.
"But," and he raised a finger to keep her from molesting him a third time, "You are a really great mother to our kids, Gin."
The comment ironically seemed to deflate her like a balloon.
"Oh Harry, I'm a terrible mother," she sighed, while her shoulders sagged in defeat, "I've been so busy preparing for Christmas dinner tomorrow, I completely forgot Lucy needs a new winter coat."
Harry's shoulders slumped in relief.
"That's the favour you wanted to ask?"
Ginny nervously bit her nail.
"I will pay half the price, off course. Samuel's just got his end-of-year bonus, so money is not…"
But Harry was already shaking his head.
"No, no, no," he argued, " I don't think so, Gin. If I let you contribute, what do you think will happen? You'll want to have your say and it'll be a coat with those disgustingly pink elves on it again. I absolutely forbid it."
Ginny chuckled and shook her head, cheeks red like she'd just been found out.
A small hand tugged on his pants and Harry looked down. It was Lucy.
"But daddy," she piped up in her high little girl's voice, "I like elves."
She looked at him with puppy eyes and Harry picked her up.
"You're wrong, grumpy," he told her, "You only think you like elves. But don't worry, daddy's going to get you a nice blue winter coat that'll match your ginger locks perfectly."
He looked Ginny in the eye, silently daring her. She just snorted.
"You're so gay," she said and looked away absentmindedly.
"I'm not grumpy," Lucy complained quietly.
Harry couldn't have agreed more.
HP
It had been a simple matter to convince his eleven-year-old son to go shopping for clothes. He only had to drop the word London and Liam had been all for it.
"Oh dad, can we go to the Lego store then?" he'd begged, "There's this new Star Wars ship that I really have to see. Please, dad!"
Ginny and Samuel had moved to a muggle neighbourhood a year ago, and ever since Liam had been taken in tow by his two muggle friends, Star Wars was all that mattered. Never mind that his own parents and his uncle Ron and aunt Hermione had fought in a real wizard war. Harry wasn't in the mood to argue, so he'd agreed. His son had hugged him to death and swore that he was the best dad in the whole world.
Harry was secretly glad Liam wasn't showing much interest for the war. It meant he didn't have to answer painful or awkward questions or talk about a past he was still trying to come to terms with. Of course, Liam did get grilled by his classmates about his famous dad, or so his son had admitted to him once. But Harry always got the impression Liam was a bit confused by his friends' curiosity, like he couldn't wrap his head around it. It was just his father, you know. Big deal. It's not like he had ever seen him do anything heroic apart from unclogging the rain gutter.
Lucy on the other hand was a different kettle of fish. She was only seven, so still a bit too young to grasp the impact of everything that had happened in the war, but she did have an affinity for things she didn't need to know yet. Especially when it came to her dad. A year or so ago she'd wanted to know why he had married mum if he knew he liked boys better (she always talked about 'boys', never about 'men', even though Harry was pushing forty by now). And if he preferred boys, then why hadn't he yet found one he wanted to be together with, just like mum had with Samuel. It wasn't easy to answer questions like that without turning red, but he felt he ought to at least try when her concern seemed so genuine. Contrary to Liam, whom Harry suspected had always clung to a shred of hope that he and Ginny would one day get back together, Lucy wanted nothing more than that her dad found himself a nice, easy-going boyfriend. Preferably one who was the owner of a unicorn farm.
"Daddy, was that boy flirting with you just then?" she innocently asked when the three of them left the Lego shop and tried to make their way through the huge crowd at Westfield shopping center. Harry shot a glance at Liam, who was busy admiring his new toy, and shook his head, amused. Lucy was really much too young to be asking questions like that.
"What makes you think that?" he asked her, as he tried not to let his incredulous smile show.
In fact, the shop assistant had been very obvious in his attempt. Once Liam had told him his dad had neverseen a Star Wars movie, the man had been more than eager to introduce him to them. He'd given Harry his phone number, looking way too innocent when he did so. Still, for a seven-year-old girl to pick up on such a thing…
"Well, he wanted to take you on a date to the movies," Lucy succinctly analysed, "so I just thought…"
She trailed off and Harry hummed in agreement.
"Mmh, you might be right, pumpkin. Perhaps he was flirting. But don't you think he looked a little bit too young for me?"
His daughter nodded decidedly: "Yes, I think so too. Way too young. Maybe erm… only a bit older than Hugo?"
Harry laughed. Hugo was Ron and Hermione's son. The boy was twelve.
"I think he may be a bit older than Hugo, wouldn't you agree? This boy already had a job, so he had to be at least eighteen."
"Oh… yeah," Lucy muttered, smiling. Harry mussed up her hair and Lucy pretended to be annoyed about it, but a few steps further down, she took his hand and leaned against his leg. Harry hugged his daughter closer to his side and smiled. He looked at Liam, who was walking next to them, still mooning over his space ship.
"You seem happy with your new toy, Liam," Harry remarked. Talk about stating the obvious.
"Mm-mmh," Liam mumbled, and graced him with a quick smile before he continued investigating the box.
Harry sighed dramatically: "Oh boy, you're not going to speak for the rest of the day, are you?"
That got Liam's attention at last. His son looked at him with blushing cheeks.
"Sorry, dad," he apologized, "Thanks. You're the best." He hugged Harry's other side.
"I know, son, I know. But," Harry said, and grunted as Liam poked him in the ribs, "remember to tell your mum that this is a present from me. Not from Santa, all right?"
He didn't know if Liam understood the reason behind it, but he nodded easily enough.
"Well, let's see if we can find… Oh, there it is already!"
Harry led his kids towards the next shop for Lucy's new winter coat. They didn't have to search for long. The saleswoman took one look at Lucy and said she had just the right thing. She came back with a thick, pale blue woollen coat with a double row of buttons and a blue, velvet collar. Lucy looked perfect in it. As he looked at his daughter, who was twirling and admiring herself in front of the mirror, he noticed the saleswoman was watching her with an almost dazed expression. After a few seconds, she blinked out of it, turned to him and smiled.
"Wow, she really is adorable," she chuckled, almost as if she couldn't really believe what she was seeing. Harry fixed his gaze on his daughter again and nodded thoughtfully. He'd noticed Lucy having that effect on people before. He'd wondered if it was just her personality shining through, or if it had something to do with her own, special brand of magic. Fact was, she moved people.
"Yes, she's something special, isn't she?" Harry acknowledged, "She gets it from her mum."
"I bet she gets it from you," the woman replied. Harry blinked at her. He couldn't help thinking about the coincidence. Twice in a row now? It must really be his lucky day. He chuckled. The woman looked like she only just now realized what she'd blurted out. She put a hand on her forehead. Her cheeks were flaming as she mumbled: "Sorry. That just came out. I apologize." Harry didn't know what else to do but to laugh and thank her for the compliment. At the cash desk Lucy was the perfect distraction for the awkward silence when she asked if she could wear the coat already. She wanted to take a picture so she could send it to all of her friends.
"Or maybe I shouldn't," she backpedalled a second later, as she looked to be contemplating something.
"Why not?" Harry asked, curious, as he took out his wallet. But his daughter only pressed her lips together and flushed.
"She's just afraid Jessica will buy the same coat as hers," Liam spilled. Lucy blushed as everyone laughed, but she retorted quickly: "It has happened before! You know, dad, with the brown boots I got for Christmas last year? Guess who's got the same pair now? Like there aren't tons of shoes to pick from!"
Harry just shook his head.
"You're absolutely right," the saleswoman encouraged Lucy, "If I were you, I wouldn't tell a soul where you got this coat."
"You realize that's bad for business, do you?" Harry remarked.
"Ssh, I know," the woman hissed, playing along rather well, Harry thought, "Don't tell my boss, all right?"
"My lips are sealed," Harry promised and then cursed himself for saying that as the woman's gaze flitted to his lips for just a second. She blushed. Harry paid for the coat, not wanting to stay in the shop any longer than necessary. As he steered his kids out of the store, Lucy remarked with a sly smile: "Was that girl also flirting with you, dad?"
"Just shut up, you," he said, as he chuckled and lightly jabbed her forward. Liam had picked up on the banter between them and looked at his dad with a slight frown on his face.
O- oh, a distraction, Harry thought. Quick.
He looked at his watch and proposed: "We've still got plenty of time left. Perhaps we can stop by the playground in Kensington Park?"
Lucy had been all for it, but Liam was a tougher nut to crack. At least the distraction had worked.
"Dad, that's at least an hour long walk!" he complained.
"Half an hour," he corrected, and then, more quiet, "And we'll Apparate, off course."
"Playgrounds are stupid," he grumbled.
"Well, you can sit on a bench with me and stare a bit more at your space ship. That's not too bad now, is it?"
"I want to go play with it," Liam lamented, "Why do I always have to do what Lucy feels like?"
For want of something better, Liam kicked the floor.
"You know that's not true," Harry argued, "Only last week we all went to that baseball game just for you. Did you hear Lucy complain then?"
"Yes, Liam. Did you hear me complain then?" Lucy piped up with a smirk on her face. Liam was about to reply to that and Harry decided to step in before things got out of hand. Sly devil, he thought and smiled inwardly, as he rebuked Lucy.
"If we stay at the playground for one hour," Harry reasoned, "it will be four o'clock. Then we'll Apparate home and you'll have until six until your mum picks you up. That's still plenty of time to play, Liam."
Not long after that his son reluctantly agreed, so they left the shopping center and tried to find a secluded space on the parking lot.
"You two aren't easy to please," Harry mumbled, as he hugged his kids to his sides, and with a muted 'pop', they Apparated. They arrived on the edge of a reasonably crowded street, and Harry immediately understood he had somehow miscalculated. They were supposed to appear in the park, somewhere between the bushes, where nobody would notice them.
"Shit," Harry whispered, as sweat broke out on his brow. He stood stock-still and inconspicuously surveyed his surroundings to check if anyone had seen them popping out of thin air. His children were anxiously clutching at his arms, but they as well didn't move an inch. As it slowly dawned on him nobody was throwing them suspicious looks, he allowed himself to relax a bit.
"All right," he spoke, "all right, nothing's happened. Daddy made a mistake, but nobody saw. So we're good, right?"
His gaze trailed down at Liam and Lucy, who were looking at him with round eyes.
"I don't know how I could have misjudged," he admitted to them, "Maybe you shouldn't tell mum. Apparently I'm getting sloppy."
He winked at them to try and get them out of their stupor, and luckily they laughed at his remark. Still a bit shaken, they started walking down the street. Harry could already see the park, so at least they weren't far off. He shook his head and again wondered what exactly had gone wrong. Perhaps all off the flirting was getting to his head. It had been a while since his concentration was so shot he couldn't even properly Apparate. Harry tried to remember if anyone at work had said something about him not being focused lately, but he couldn't recall. Off course, that might be part of the problem, Harry thought. As he worked at the Department of Muggle relations, he did need his wits about him, so he intended to ask his colleague Monday morning, just to be sure. He and Kingsley did have a meeting with the muggle minister of internal affairs next week. It was only informal, to deliver the wizarding world's New Year's wishes, but still…
His kids had gone a bit quiet, until they saw a small gathering of people a little further down the street. It turned out to be a queue leading up to a raised platform. A portly man, dressed in red and white was sitting on a large, purple throne. Liam and Lucy turned around as one, excitement in their eyes.
"Go on then," Harry laughed, as he gestured towards the line of people waiting, "You go ahead and save me a place." They didn't need any more encouragement than that. Park and incident already forgotten, they ran towards the queue. As Harry walked closer, he saw that one shop in particular stood out. The front of 'Holland and Barrett' was rather ostentatiously decorated with red lanterns and gold garlands, flickering lights, a huge Christmas tree and gift-wrapped presents. It was a little over the top, but then again, it was Christmas. It seemed like someone had put a fair amount of work in it, though, and Harry could appreciate that at least. Christmas carols spilled out of the shop and flowed onto the street, and, together with the Christmas street lights display, Harry had to admit the overall feel was quiet alluring. He put his hands deep in his pockets to keep them warm while he made his way through the small crowd of people already gathered behind his children. Now people did stare at him, Harry thought, finding this quite ironic. Miracles might be happening right under their noses and they didn't notice, but cut in line and they immediately got all worked up.
Harry was a bit surprised Liam had been so excited. He knew for sure his son didn't believe in Santa anymore, but here he was, all nervous about meeting Saint Nick. He'd talked about it with Ginny once. Her theory was that Liam was indeed becoming a teenager, acting tough when he was with his friends and all. But you could always pick out the moments, she'd claimed, when Liam hesitated and you could clearly see on his face he just wanted to be a child sometimes. Maybe this was one of those moments, Harry thought. And why would he ruin that by reminding his son he didn't believe in Santa anymore?
Santa, by the way, looked to be making his way through the children at top speed. Only seven minutes had passed, and already they were fifth in line. At least he won't be getting rid of Lucy that easily, Harry thought a bit frostily. He scrutinized the man, trying to determine if his kids were about to land on the lap of Mr. Jackass of the Year. Santa's head was bent forward, as he was presumably listening to what the girl on his lap had to say, and only his long, straight nose was clearly visible from this distance. Strange, Harry thought, that nose almost looks like…
The next moment Santa looked up and for a second it felt like Harry's blood turned to ice. Harry unconsciously took a step back, he was so surprised, and as he did so he collided with the woman behind him. He profusely apologized, but she didn't seem to mind much. Harry willed himself to calm down as his gaze was drawn back to the man on the throne. It was really him. Shite, Harry though. All right, take a breath, this was just his old teacher. He'd talked civilly with him before; after the war he'd even made amends with the man, for Merlin's sake, so there was no reason at all why his hands should feel so sweaty. Taking a few unnoticeable breaths, Harry managed to cool down after a while. He shook his head. It was just the shock of seeing him here, he reasoned, but everything's cool, he was a grown-up man now and he could talk to him like he was just a normal person.
Harry woke from his trance when he heard people around him, parents and children alike, start to laugh about something. He looked at Severus Snape in his Santa costume and blinked. One of the mothers was perched on his lap. Her cheeks were flushed and she smiled a self-conscious smile, which Harry would have found quite endearing in other circumstances. As it were, he could only manage a half-hearted smile as Lucy and Liam were pulling on his sleeve, pointing and honestly beaming with amusement.
"What would you like for Christmas this year?" he could just make out Severus asking. They were third in line now. Harry noticed that the man was red-faced himself, and was trying to ignore the lewd catcalls from the crowd. The woman mumbled something Harry couldn't hear, but Severus leaned closer and as the woman repeated her answer, Harry heard the short bark of laughter. He turned his head.
He purposefully picked at a spot on his sleeve. What on earth was Severus doing here? His gaze wandered back to the brightly-lit shop. He assumed Severus was working there now. But why? He was the most talented potioneer of the century. It didn't seem like the kind of job Severus would want. Unless, perhaps,... Maybe he was just trying to keep a low profile. He'd said something like that the last time he'd talked to the man. There'd been no news from Severus in the Daily Prophet or the Quibbler, so if that was his strategy, it apparently paid off.
It didn't explain why somebody had deemed it safe to put Severus on that throne, though. Seriously, what had they been thinking? Harry shook his head as he watched the man lean back and stare at the boy on his lap as if he had just crapped on him. The image startled a laugh out of him and Harry whispered to himself, amused despite everything: "Severus, everyone can see that. Try and act your part."
There was only one person in front of them now, and as Severus absentmindedly let his gaze linger, it fell on Harry and his kids. Harry didn't think he would be forgetting the look on the man's face for a very long time. As their turn finally rolled around, Severus didn't say anything, but as it was he didn't have to. Lucy didn't waste any time in crawling on his lap and introducing herself. Severus looked at Lucy for a second, then back at Harry and rolled his eyes.
"Figures," he muttered quietly and Harry, despite his nerves, couldn't help but smirk. Lucy asked for the usual: she wanted a white unicorn for Christmas. Not just the regular kind, though. This one had to be able to talk, she would name him Bubbles and he would love the cupcakes she made for him. Harry could see Severus blink a few times, but he kept a straight face. Lucy could be uncommonly mature for her age, but also startlingly childish. When Santa asked Liam what he wanted, his son honestly admitted he already got what he'd wished for. He showed him his space ship and Severus at least had the decency to react with the appropriate 'Oh's' and 'Ah's'. It seemed Liam was a bit intimidated by Santa, though; he fell silent after a few moments. He quietly thanked Santa for the sweets he'd given him and got up from his lap.
"Now daddy, you wish for something as well," Lucy piped up, as she pulled him forward towards Severus.
Crap, Harry thought. Maybe he should have expected this.
"I've already got everything I need," he tried, but Lucy had immediately found an accomplice in Liam and they were now both pulling at his sleeves.
"I'm pretty sure this is only for mummies," he stressed. He could feel his armpits leaking. Bad, bad, bad. Severus, in the meantime, had pulled up an amused eyebrow.
"I think your father might be a bit afraid of…" Severus was starting to say, but then Lucy and Liam had pushed their dad onto Santa's lap. Surprisingly, there were those catcalls again. Harry tried to cling to his dignity and suppressed the urge to hide his face behind his hands. He could hear Severus' quiet laughter behind him, but honestly, he couldn't detect the joke.
"Very well," Severus said, "What would you like for Christmas?"
Harry looked at his giggling kids and answered with the first thing that popped into his head: "I guess I just want for my children to be happy."
He saw Lucy and Liam roll their eyes at him as he tried very hard not to be aware of the feel of the man behind him.
"No daddy, you have to pick something else," Lucy said, "Doesn't he need to pick something else, Santa?" Off course Severus easily agreed.
Harry racked his brain to come up with something that would let him off the hook.
"The new Comet 3000, then," he said, "That's what I would really like."
Lucy suddenly inhaled sharply, and her eyes grew round as saucers as she called: "Oh, daddy, I know, I know! Why don't you tell Santa about your Half-Blood Prince?"
Harry wasn't so far gone that he couldn't feel the reaction behind his back.
"Half-Blood Prince?" Severus asked. Harry could hear the hint of confusion and surprise in his voice. He signalled to his daughter to please keep quiet, but the gates were already open, he could sense it.
"Yes," she explained enthusiastically, even though he had told her again and again that it was a secret, "he was daddy's professor when he was at school. Daddy's been madly in love with him for like forever. It's so romantic!"
Harry hung his head. Merlin, could this day get any more crappy?
"Harry?" came the confused question from behind him. He did hide his face behind his hands for a brief moment now. God. As he got up, he noticed Lucy and Liam were frowning at him, looking uncertain. He turned around to face Severus, who was staring at him.
"Harry?" he asked again.
"Overactive imagination, I'm afraid," Harry apologized on a shaky intake of breath. He tried a smile. "Don't mind them. You don't really believe that, do you? Haha, that's just ridiculous, isn't it?"
Severus closed his mouth and shook his head.
"Harry, I'm sorry," was all he said. Harry swallowed.
"Does he know you, daddy?" Lucy asked, voice small and unsure.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Harry said, blinking, "Come on, kids, let's go. Santa's a busy man."
He steered Lucy and Liam away, ignoring their questions, feeling Severus' gaze on his back until he reached an alleyway. He didn't wait and Apparated home, without mistakes this time.
HP
