A/N: Anything you recognize belongs to the great and powerful J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing behind the curtain for a bit. I am not making any profit from this story.

This was written for The Great 2016 Cotillion Challenge on HPFC.

Christmas Memories

Today was one of the best days of Severus Snape's life. He was 54 years old and he didn't know how life could get any better. Today was a perfect day and it made his life perfect.

Christmas had never been a particularly happy time for Severus Snape. He had never had a good Christmas as a child and his Hogwarts years were filled with Christmas' that weren't much better. In his adult years each Christmas was again spent at Hogwarts. During both wars, Voldemort would call his followers together for a "celebration." All those previous Christmas' were not days he wanted to remember.

After Voldemort was finally defeated, Severus had decided to spend every Christmas alone in his quarters, trying to drink away memories of his previous Christmas'. That worked very well until one Hermione Granger took it upon herself to make sure Severus had at least one happy Christmas in his life.

Hermione had come back to Hogwarts to finish her education. After graduating, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall had offered Hermione a position at Hogwarts. She had declined that year saying she didn't feel comfortable teaching students that she had been in school with. Severus had understood her decision. Minerva said the offer was open as long as she was headmistress. It wasn't until seven years later, just before Hermione's 27th birthday that she decided to take Minerva up on her offer.

I just need to get out of the ministry, she wrote to Minerva. I need something that is not too demanding on my time, and that give me the break I really need. Also I need to get away from Ron. We broke up over a year ago and his constant attempts to get back together with me are affecting my job. I'm hoping a position at Hogwarts can keep him at bay for a while.

Minerva had eagerly accepted Hermione onto the staff. There were several professors that were thinking of retiring as soon as Minerva could find a replacement. Septima Vector, arithmancy professor, wanted to spend more time with her family; Irma Pince, librarian, was just finally ready to retire; Filius Flitwick, charms professor, wanted to do more research and travel.

Hermione had agreed to be the librarian while taking over the first and second year charms students from Professor Flitwick with the option to take over if no suitable replacement could be found within a few years. Severus thought it was a waste of her talent to be the librarian and told her as much while in the staffroom one evening.

She had told him her reasoning behind her decision. He agreed that Hogwarts could protect her from her dunderheaded ex-boyfriend and a friendship was forged. They started meeting for tea in the quarters of one or the other after dinner. Sometimes they would discuss books, sometimes recent potions or charms publications, and sometimes their pasts. It was during one of these latter discussions that Hermione found out about Severus' dismal Christmas'.

She let him be the first year. She had hoped he would join the rest of the staff and try to make new Christmas memories that could overshadow the old.

"It's no use, Hermione," Minerva had told her that first year. "I've been trying for seven years. He's just going to get blind drunk, and then tomorrow he'll pretend he didn't receive the gifts we sent. At least he doesn't do the same on his birthday anymore."

On Boxing Day, Hermione started making plans. She was going to show Severus that Christmas could be a happy time for him if he would only let it.

Hermione had to wait a year, but in the meantime they kept up their tea dates and discussions.

The next December, she slowly started slipping little Christmas baubles into his quarters. One day, he returned after classes to find a fully decorated tree in his sitting room. When she stopped by for tea, she feigned innocence.

"I'm going to give you some happy Christmas memories if it's the last thing I do Severus," she told him.

He left the tree, but told her in no uncertain terms that his tradition of getting drunk was not going to stop.

It took a full three years before he would show up to the staff party and another year before he would stop getting drunk on Christmas. That was the same year he and Hermione had started seeing each other. It was also the same year Ron had stopped trying to get back together with Hermione. Severus had told Ron that he needed to realize that Hermione was no longer in love with him and she was just playing hard to get. Hermione had thrown herself into Severus' arms and kissed him for that. They spent the entire night together. He didn't have time to get drunk.

Severus proposed to Hermione on her 32nd birthday. The Christmas party that year was also a wedding reception.

On 9 October, Hermione gave birth to their son, Michael Severus. "Named after the two most important men in my life," Hermione told Severus. "My father and my husband."

It was 6:00am on Severus and Hermione's third wedding anniversary. It was also the day their daughter Minerva Rose was brought into the world wrinkled and screaming and perfect.

"I hope you're not upset I didn't name her after you," he said as he watched his daughter nurse.

"Of course not," she told him smiling. "Hermione is a bitch to learn to spell and pronounce."

He laughed just as Minerva brought Michael in to see his new baby sister. Severus picked his son up to look at her. "She's eating right now, but when she's done I'll help you hold her," he told Michael.

Michael nodded. "Okay. She name?" Michael looked up at his father.

"Minerva Rose." Severus looked at Minerva who was tearing up. "For two of the most important women in my life. A woman who helped me through some bad times and my mother."

Michael was looking at his sister. "We're going to call her Rose. We won't get confused about who we're talking about that way."

Minerva chuckled, tears still in her eyes. "That's okay. Minerva is a bitch to learn to spell anyway."

Severus and Hermione laughed. "I said the same thing about my name," Hermione said. "I had to reassure Severus I wasn't mad that he didn't use Hermione or Jean."

Minerva watched the little family for a moment. "Wait a moment. Wasn't your mother's name Eileen?"

"Yes," Severus answered. "Rose was her middle name."

"I'll leave you alone now so you all can get some rest. I'll bring your gifts up later so you can open them." Minerva paused at the door and looked at the little family. She smiled and left the hospital wing.

A few hours later, Severus was holding his sleeping daughter while watching his sleeping son curled up beside his sleeping wife. "You were right Hermione," he whispered. "I can have happy Christmas memories. This one is perfect."

A/N: This story isn't one of my best. There's a lot of exposition, very little dialogue, a TON of back story. It's not my favorite, but I'm okay with it. Hope you enjoyed it as well. Leave a review if you want.