Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. This was written for Wattpad's seventeenth contest where we needed to write a holiday story between 1,000 and 10,000 words. A bonus was to write a story off of someone's wish lists, and this one was written for Wolfie_Pie_Lord over on Wattpad, who simply wanted a Snape/Lily story. This idea popped into my head instantly, so of the wish lists I picked up from the comments this request is the one I picked to use for my entry.
Mittens, Mistletoe, and Magic
"Christmas time is a magical time of the year where miracles happen, so don't forget your Christmas cheer."
Soft snowflakes fell down from the sky like lost Christmas memories as Severus ground his teeth together, and shoved his boney hands into his worn out coat pockets. His dark eyes darted temporary to the Muggle televisions shouting out their abysmal messages of commercialism, and continued on his way attempting to mind his own business, but instead saw a head of red hair turn around the corner. Mentally Severus cursed his luck at having run into one Lily Evans, no, one Lily Potter.
The red Christmas decorations some how managed to pull out the redness of her hair, and the green of her eyes to make them stand out even more. Snow also landed on top of her head as she continued to smile down at the boy at her side. Her left hand reached up to brush the soft snow flakes away, and Severus stopped to think of the various stories involving the snow queen he'd heard over the years, but for some reason he placed into the position of the snow queen a snow prince.
Lily's right hand continued to hold onto the small hand of the five year old boy who likely looked like the spitting image of his father at that age, except of course for the fact the boy had Lily's eyes. The fact the child looked like James quickly left the man's mind as the child broke out into a grin similar to the one Lily wore on her face as a child. "Hello! Mama and I did some Christmas shopping before she has to go to the ministry for some business."
Snape drew in his breath tightly, and his eyes darted up to look at the second pair of the matching set of eyes. "Hello..." The man bit down on his tongue as he almost called her by James' last name, Lily's actually legal name, but quickly switched to the one everyone who knew Lily was expected to use in the situation. The memory of what happened that Halloween night four years ago still remained an icy wall between them preventing Severus from pursuing a relationship with Lily, and yet in some ways some of his wishes were granted. "Hello Miss Evans. How are you and your son Harry doing today?"
"Oh, we're doing just fine. Harry's actually done quite well this year of primary school, and if you'll stop by the house and show you his school work." Lily continued to smile at him as if nothing were strange about the situation. Her eyes sparkled as if she couldn't tell how self-centered he felt about the possibility of having a second chance with her at the expect of another person, nor could she imagine the guilt he felt.. "And Severus, do call me Lily. There is no reason for you not to do so."
"There is plenty of reason for me to not do so." Severus kept his hands in his pocket. "For example, if you regain your memories, and remember the day I called you Mudblood. Or the fact I became a Death Eater. Or the fact you were married to James. It's my fault though for following Voldemort like I did."
Harry blinked up at the man, and the five year old's voice drew Severus' attention away from Lily, and to the child. The boy remained completely oblivious to the man's feelings, and instead wished to get to know the Hogwart's professor better. "Would you be able to come over for Christmas dinner later this week, mister Severus? Momma invited Aunt Petunia, and Dud-Duds over."
Severus felt himself drawing a deep breath as Harry mentioned Lily's older sister, and his eyes darted at Lily. The red head's mouth twisted up into a slightly pout. "Come on Severus, we're not children anymore. That said, Remus was supposed to meet me here at the entrance to the ministry, so he could take care of Harry, but the meeting in question was postponed, and now he couldn't make it. I don't wish to watch Harry, so could you watch him for me."
The man's face remained without emotion hoping he'd scare the boy enough for Lily to change her mind, but without even waiting for an answer the woman handed the child over to him as if Severus Snape could be trusted. Severus let out a sigh, and let Harry tug him over to a nearby park bench. The boy waved his feet back and forth while he looked at the falling snow, and the man found himself wondering what all he would do for Lily – Harry was after all James' son.
"Why are you here?" The lilt of Harry's boy came out in an innocent manner, and reminded him of the boy the snow queen broke the heart of. Snape brushed off the image from his mind, and instead noted the fact Harry's hands and head were missing mittens and a warm hat.
"I'd business at the ministry for Dumbledore that I just completed." Severus wished Dumbledore hadn't decided at the strange hour to have him go to the ministry to deliver some important papers. Snow continued to fall down from the sky, but the flakes barely nipped at the man's skin.
"Whose Dumbledore? How come you didn't use the flu-flo stuff?" For some reason the boy's curiosity reminded Severus of Lily's curiosity prior to the two of them entering Hogwarts, and he wondered if Harry might actually favor his mother's like for books, and yet he'd not seen the boy take much interest in sitting down.
"You're not around much due to your job, nor should you be getting close to Lily when her memories aren't completely there." The man's dark eyes quickly darted down to the boy who still smiled, and kicked his feet in a steady rhythm. The fact the child looked like James quickly melted as Lily's personality showed through even more. The man still remained silent as he looked at the boy, and only answered when Harry looked up with his Lily like eyes begging for an answer, with his Lily like smile to boot. "Dumbledore is the headmaster at the school I teach. You'll likely go there some day. I also don't always like using magic."
"Oh." The child remained silent, and continued to watch the snow fall. Severus' eyes darted up, and he wondered why Lily hadn't placed a hat and gloves on the boy, but then figured the weather was still nice enough when they left their small cottage. This didn't explain why Lily let the boy drag him off to the small park near the entrances to the ministry, but then perhaps it was Severus' imagination that the outside was colder then it really was. The next question however startled the man. "Are you my father?"
Severus didn't blink once, and instead looked down at the boy with a look that said Harry had grown two heads, when he had in fact not. The jingling sound of Christmas bells sent a shiver down the man's spine. "What?" The man knew Lily raised Harry on her own since James died, but he couldn't imagine why the boy would think such a thing, so he asked the obvious question. "Why would you think that?"
"You're always checking up on things at the house like Uncle Remus is. He'll be at Christmas to." Harry leaned forward to whisper into Severus' ear in a rather innocent manner. "I know why he's not my daddy." Severus blinked a couple of times wondering if the boy somehow correlated the fact Remus was missing to the fact the full moon was out. Harry continued to whisper to Severus. "He's not my daddy because I don't look like him."
Severus let the words tumble around his head for a few minutes, and the corners of his mouth twisted down at the Christmas decorations nearby, but then realized Harry referred the darkness of his hair. The man's response came out without any thought to how Harry would react. "I'm not your father."
Realization hit quickly that the response wasn't the right thing to say to a five year old, and Severus turned his head to look right at Harry. The boy however simply frowned. "I was afraid of that."
One of Severus eyebrows went up. "You knew?"
"The other kids kept laughing and telling me I'm not an Evans like momma. I'm not a Dursley either."
"I should hope not." Again the words came out of Snape's mouth without thought to how the child would take them, but Harry continued on.
"Did you know my real father?" Harry looked up at Severus. A shudder ran down the man's spine at the thought of James Potter, but the boy's mouth twisted into a pout, a pout Lily gave him as a child. Severus still found himself unable to answer. "I can't ask momma, 'cause I don't think she remembers him. I tried asking Uncle Remus, but he turned into a ghost."
"You mean he turned as pale as a ghost." For some reason Severus remembered the Christmas Carol from Charles Dickens, and remembered his mother reading the book out loud to him one Christmas, but brushed it off as a mere imagining of childish fancy long forgotten.
"Yeah, that."
"You're a very smart kid, so I'll honestly tell you that I never liked your father. That said..." Severus thought back to the night James Potter died, and out of the corner of his eye he took in the scar on Harry's forehead. "For all the things your father did wrong, there is one thing I know he did right. All you need to know is that man gave his life for you and your mother."
"So I'm not to know why Uncle Remus doesn't like daddy either?" Young Harry's eyes went wide, and his tone rose as a child would when something amazed him.
"No. He's likely to remember more good things about your father. I think he was more bothered by the fact you found out who your father was."
"Mister Potter!"
"Yes, Mister Potter, always being yelled at by Professor McGonagall for everything. And I mean everything."
"Professor McGrouch sounds mean."
A sudden wave of discomfort washed over Severus, as the conversation somehow managed to turn rather personal. Lily however appeared from one of the ministry's secret entrances, and rescued him from the five year old. Thus the man need not admit he was more afraid of the child than he ever was of one James Potter. Harry waved at him as Lily left, and the boy said something about taking care of his mother. Lily of course had to remind him he was invited to Christmas dinner, to come early, and if he wasn't there she would personally make his life miserable.
If his life wasn't miserable enough already.
M
The fact Harry wasn't wearing any hat and gloves bothered Snape, and while he normally didn't spend money unless he absolutely needed to, he found himself buying the five year old a pair of gloves and mitts. He let the young lady at the store pick them out for him, as he didn't wish to offend Lily by buying her child an ugly set, but he also knew she wouldn't want him to spend to much money on the simple gift.
He wrapped the gloves in simple tissue paper, and planned on setting out when an owl came with the newspaper. His hand reached out to look at the heading, and both eyebrows went up as the title "infamous serial murder Sirius Black to go free". Severus' eyes quickly scanned the article, taking in the fact the Black case had been thrown out based on new evidence, and that more details would be forth coming.
A deep sigh escaped Severus' mouth, and he began to walk briskly to street and held out his finger for the Knight Bus. He got on despite the bumpy ride he would entail, and grimanced at the Christmas decorations covering the bus, and wondered how they kept the items within the Knight Bus from falling off the wall. A Christmas ornament dislodging form one of the garlands would lead to a passenger getting injured.
Severus finally got off near Lily's home in their old childhood neighborhood. Lily had adorned her house with garlands, and lights for the season. Snow covered the yard, and Severus let out a sigh just as a snowball hit him in the face. A sharp childish voice told him Harry threw the snowball. "Sorry mister Severus!"
"Yeah, sorry mister!" Severus wiped the snow away to see Harry out in the snow with a round ball with arms and legs. For some reason Harry and the round ball were wearing the same hat and gloves, and both would reach up to scratch their heads. After a few minutes the man realized the round ball was Lily's nephew dressed in a winter coat so he could barely move, that or the child simply was that oversized. The next thing he knew the round ball took a few steps and fell over into the deep snow.
"Dud-Duds!" Harry moved forward with his own arms flailing only to trip over this "dud-duds" foot, and landed on top of the other boy, causing his cousin to let out an undignified sound. Harry quickly got up and attempted to pull his cousin up off the ground, only to pull "dud-duds" over on top of him. For some reason this "dud-duds" began to make snow angels while on top of the smaller boy, and Harry let out a loud groan.
One of Severus' eyebrows went up, and faintly he felt the corner of his mouth curl up. The cousin began to yell. "Help! Dudley can't get up! Dudley killed Harry! Help! Help!"
The door opened and Remus came hurrying out of the house muttering something under his breath, and then scooped up the two boys. Despite the full moon having passed the man's features were still pale. Words came out of Severus' mouth. "I take it you saw the newspaper as well."
Remus' head darted up. "You're here?"
Severus didn't respond to the negative tone in the man's voice, and turned back to Harry who was dusting the snow off his body. He swore Harry squinted at him, and might be in need of glasses. "Since you have gloves I guess you don't need these."
The man held out the package of tissue paper, and Harry reached out to grab the package. A sparkle appeared in the boy's eyes, and his mouth twisted up upon seeing the gloves and hat. He held out the gloves and hat. "Now I don't have to wear these! Mom said I had to wear these despite the fact they itch since Aunt Petunia's here! Since you brought me a pair I now get to choose between the two because you're both here!"
"Yours itch too?" A frown appeared on Dudley's face, and the boy held out his mitten clad hands to Harry. "Take them off! Take them off!"
The hollering made Harry reach out to grab his cousins gloves only to pull the round ball on top of him. Severus simply continued walking in as Remus attempted to extract the two boy's from each other. The werewolf noticed suddenly, and barked out. "Wait! Don't go in there!"
Severus knocked on the door, and let himself in as usual, but stopped short upon seeing one Sirius Black sitting in one of Lily's nice arm chairs with his legs crossed, and a gawping smirk on his face. The ugly sweater Sirius wore looked like an old sweater Severus remembered James once wearing, perhaps something Lily had made. "What's going on?"
The smirk on Sirius' face quickly left as he saw Severus enter Lily's house. "You! Shouldn't I be the one asking what's going on?"
Remus shooed the two five year old kids into the house. "Actually, I've been trying to ask you what's going on myself, so I really think Sirius that you're the one who needs to explain things. I understand why Lily let you in, as she hasn't got her memories of that time, but still..."
Sirius glared at the other two men as if he felt Remus betrayed him, but choose to say nothing. The three men didn't notice the two boys gathering the matching mittens and hats up, and heading over to the small fire crackling over by the wall. Instead they stared at each other until the smell of burning wool drifted to their noses, and they looked up to see Harry and Dudley by the fire.
Severus simply stared while the other two men blinked their eyes at the two. Dudley's eyes darted over to one side of the fireplace where the garland placed on the mantle, and Harry looked over at the tree.
She-who-must-not-be-named hurried out of the kitchen with a wail that would rival a banshee, and Severus felt a shudder run down his spine at the sight of Lily's sister. "What are you two doing! Why didn't any of you notice?"
"They itch." Dudley's mouth began to pout. "The coat itches too!"
"They keep you warm! Don't you dare burn your coat! And Harry, you should know better!"
"They're awful Aunt Petunia! How can you be so cruel to Dud-Duds!"
Petunia's eyes blinked a couple of times as Lily came into the room, and pulled the heavy coat off her nephew before taking Harry's off. Why don't the two of you go and help Aunt Petunia in the kitchen with fixing up a trey of cookies?"
"Cookies!" Dudley nearly bowled Lily and Petunia over as he ran to the kitchen.
"I'll let you three talk." Lily followed after the two.
Severus let his hand drift down to his wand as he looked as Sirius who let his hand tug at his collar, and yet no one made a move, or made a sound. Remus finally let out a sigh, and pulled out his wand. "Tell me why I shouldn't force you out of this house right now Sirius? You killed James, and you killed Peter."
Sirius simply shoved his hands into his pants. "I didn't kill James, and Peter isn't dead." One of Severus' eyebrows darted up at the news, but watched as Sirius pointed his finger at Remus. "How can you let him into James' house?"
"He was actually around like everybody else when Lily was in St. Mungo." The werewolf continued to point his wand at Sirius. "What do you mean you didn't kill James, and Peter's alive."
"Seriously! He's a Death Eater!" Sirius stood up and pointed his finger at Severus. "Why is he in James' house, near James' kind, and near James' wife!"
"James' widow, and there would have been no Secret Keeper for the Potters if Severus hadn't changed sides! You're the one who went off to Lord Voldemort!"
"That was Peter! We switched to Peter!"
A silence fell over the room as the door open and Lily came out with some refreshments while Petunia and the kids followed after her. The two kids plopped onto the couch, and Lily's sister clucked her tongue at the boy's. The red head let out a laugh, and shook her head, telling Petunia to let them be kids. Sirius pointed his finger at Severus. "Lily, why is he here in James' house?"
"My house." Lily shook her head at Sirius as she handed the boy's a couple of hot cocoas along with a cookie. Dudley shoved his into his mouth, and Severus grimaced as the Santa lost it's head, and crumbs fell onto the boy's chin, and sweater.
"Why indeed." Petunia muttered, her eyes darting over to Severus as if he were filth.
"Seriously? Lily, he's a Death Eater. He called you a Mudblood when we were in school! He, he's evil incarnate!"
Lily glared at the man as Harry stopped drinking his coffee. The boy looked up at the man. "Uncle Sirius?"
The man calmed down, and turned his attention to the boy. "What Harry?"
"You should act your age."
A silence fell over the room as Harry went back to drinking his cocoa. The two eyes squinted at the cup, and then he took a bite of the Christmas wreathe cookie, and slowly ate away at the treat blowing every so often at the hot cocoa. Severus couldn't figure out if the boy was more interested in cooling his drink down, or watching the melting marshmallows float around on the top.
Sirius muttered under his breath. "Still... Lily, him of all people? He's a Death Eater."
"Sirius, if I want to have a romantic relationship with Severus that really is none of your business. As such Harry's right. Grow up."
Severus felt his eyebrows go up. Sirius turned to look at him, and pointed his finger. "You're just taking advantage of the fact she's lost her memories. You did say that! That she lost her memories. She doesn't know all the bad things you've done!"
"The person who became an Animagus illegally, and stormed off after our house was destroyed to go after Peter doesn't have the right to say anything. This is also not a conversation we should have around the kids, so if you don't stop I'll get out the mistletoe so you'll have to kiss my sister."
Petunia's voice tightened up, and Severus mentally smirked at the older sisters discomfort. "Lily!"
"Good. I hate daddy." Dudley folded his arms across his chest. "He refused to come."
"Severus, would you come and help me in the kitchen for a bit. You stay where you are Sirius! I don't want to see you move from that chair!"
Severus moved into the kitchen with Lily, and watched as she bustled about preparing the dinner. "Did you make the food, or Petunia."
"Petunia of course. At least things have gotten better since everything happened." Lily set various dishes onto the table. "I know that you wanted to do more, but never stepped in because you didn't feel it was right."
"I don't know what you mean Po... Evans."
"Lily, and don't you dare call me Potter even though that is my married name now. I know you didn't feel right doing more when I couldn't remember being married to James, and I appreciate that. You aren't Harry's father, and you didn't want him to think you were. Again, I appreciate that. You and I also didn't end on best terms, but things are right between us."
"And?" Severus took the plates she gave him to set the table.
"And?" Lily pushed her lips together. "You still don't get social situations very well Severus." A laugh escaped her mouth. "Well, when I didn't have my memories I was a bit confused as to why you kept your distance, considering how close we were up until our fifth year. Really though, I wouldn't have a problem with going forth in a relationship with you. Still..."
"How did you get your memories back?" Severus watched Lily carefully, but she simply smiled at him.
"It's rather hard to register your son for school when you don't have the right name from his birth certificate. I started remembering then, and then knew Sirius was stuck in jail for something he didn't do. Well, I wasn't sure about the killing of all of those people, but still. Dumbledore helped me." Lily's mouth twisted into a frown. "That said, I asked Petunia tonight, and she filled in some gaps. Voldemort showed up, and tortured me in front of Harry and James. James broke free, and Voldemort killed him, and then went to kill Harry. The rest of the details are fuzzy."
"I asked Voldemort to spare you." Severus looked Lily in the eye. "That was self-centered of me, that night, but I knew I couldn't ask him to spare Harry. I knew though. I knew."
"Dumbledore told me. You don't need to say more." Lily handed him a plate of food.
"You like doing this the Muggle way?" Severus took in the decorations on the table, and the effort Lily put in wondering if there wasn't an important reason for her putting as much work in.
"Doing this the Muggle way takes more time, and thus lets us talk."
Severus stared at her, and wondered what to say knowing Lily wished for him to say something more, but the magical moment was broken when Harry came hurtling through the doors between the living room and the kitchen. "Dud-Duds can do magic to! Dud-Duds can do magic to!"
The two adults stared after Harry as he hurtled back through the door, and then Severus found himself not saying what he wanted to, but something else. "You mean to tell me I'll have that thing as one of my students?"
Lily laughed before going to get everyone else to come and eat. "You would think that Petunia's husband's blood line would kill off any magical potential."
Severus let out a sigh as the door clicked shut, and cursed his luck. "Maybe another time."
He couldn't help but think that some kind of magic went on that night, and he wondered if this magic had something to do the power of a parents love, a father's love, but he pushed the memory of James to the back of his mind as even the best memory reminded Severus of the bullying. He could say though that this Christmas wasn't that bad.