Chapter 7

Christmas day came bright and early. Harry opened his window and walked into the living room and made two cocas for him and Sev. Unlike every other eight-year-old kid, Harry didn't believe in Santa Clause. He stopped believing in him at six years old. After all he knew he was not bad and still never got anything. Also he lived in his cupboard and would have heard someone come in, but never mind that. Santa Clause wasn't celebrated in the Wizzarding world. He put the cocas on the table beside the huge fluffy green rug he usually sat on to read his book, not expecting anything.

He wrapped up his presents for Sev. 'He's made me so lucky, the least I can do is give him something for Christmas. I love it here; it's the best home in the world.' With a huge smile he wrote: To Sev, from Ems and put them at the end of the rug, drinking the rest of his coca.

"Merry Christmas Sev," said Harry as he bounced over and hugged him, then dragged Sev to the rug where his coca waited. He then dumped Sev's presents into his lap. Sev looked at them in wonder, opening the headmaster's one first. 'Figures, sends me them every year blasted lemon drops.' Dropping them he went for the other ones, looking at the labels. When he saw from Harry he asked, "How did you get these?"

"I went to the shops in Diagon Alley when we went shopping and met at the ice-cream shop," beamed Harry. "Open them then c'mon open!" squealed Harry, rubbing his hands together. He just hoped Sev liked his presents. There were three and he opened the smallest one first and gasped at the pendant that must have been expensive. "How, how did you get the money for this?" Harry went very red.

"If we both wear them, we will know how the other feels and where the other is. You could even get around anti-apparition shields and portkey's too. It kind of acts like a apparating and portkey. You hold the necklace and say 'Harry be safe' and apparate and you will be beside me. I would do the same. We can even talk through them through any and all wards wherever we are." Sev was in awe. "They must have been expensive. Again, how did you get the money?"

"Well I told you people always looked at me like I'm a god, always giving me gold coins. I saved them up all those years, I have them in the bag I had when I first got here. I also have a load of muggle money too; I always took my cousin's money and made duplicates out of notes from uncle Vernon's wallet. I was going to run away as soon as I could because I hated it there. Gulps. Especially when uncle Vernon beat me and locked me up in the dark." He stopped, not wanting to remember them, especially not now. "Well, what you waiting on? Open the rest; they're not going to open themselves."

"You've spent too much time with me," replied Sev with a huge smirk on his face.

"Really, I'll have to remember you on my will," drawled Harry.

That did it; they both got out of their depressing mood and busted out laughing. 'Yes,' thought Sev 'He's definitely spent too much time with me and the Slytherin's.'

Opening the second present, he was surprised to find rare potions ingredients.

"Wow how did you get these? They are very rare and no eight year old kid could get them." 'How the hell did he get them? He better answer me or I will throttle the potions shop owner …'

"Ah, but Sev I'm not any normal eight year old. The man stopped thinking clearly when the Wizzarding world hero came in. 'M.m.m.Mr. Potttteerr' Haha it was funny. The guy practically threw them at me in awe. It's so cool, I got a discount in everything I bought, and going in all innocent and pulling my hair back so they can see the scar. It was too easy."

Sev burst out laughing again while Harry just smirked. 'Scratch that he is definitely going to be a Slytherin,' thought Sev as he laughed himself silly.

Opening the last one he saw that it was the nicest present. It would last for a long time. It was an album filled with pictures of Harry and Sev, all six months of them. He smiled at some of them. He was not scowling in any of them cuz he had always been caught off guard. He pushed his fingers on the picture of him Bringing Harry into a hug that would have shocked Hagrid and Molly Weasley. His life a year ago had been dull and not worth living, but now Harry had come along and brightened it up. He couldn't thank him enough.

Harry opened his presents from Sev and was positively bouncing with glee at his potions book and kit. He immediately dragged Sev to the workroom with his small potions kit. Sev made a healing draft in a large cauldron while Harry made it too, only in a wee bit smaller cauldron. They went on for hours.

Sev was practically beaming with pride of Harry's potion. He had done it right and it was his first potion. Not a stupid one like boiled cures, but a healing draught. 'He is definitely going to be a brilliant potions brewer. Bloody hell, first potion and a third year potion at that.' Only then did he realize what he had made and he hadn't used a book. 'Bloody hell, he knows the healing draught by heart! If he keeps going he will be brilliant, better than me.'

He put the potion into vials, named them, put 2 in his kit and gave the rest to Sev. Unaware they had been busy for five hours; they left the potions lab to find their dinner already there.

"Sev I can't wait till I make another potion. I'll have lots of different potions in my new potions kit!" said Harry happily as he drank his juice. "Well a Potter can officially make a potion Sev," smirked Harry as he stuck out his tongue. Harry then headed into his room and…

"AAARRRGGGGGHHHHH! SEV COME AN SEE!" yelled Harry looking around his room in awe. There were at least a hundred owls scattered around his room along with parcels the birds had managed to get free from by themselves.

::Sev's POV::

He had just settled down to read a book when Harry yelled from his room. He was at Harry's side before he could say anymore and his jaw nearly hit the floor. He shut his eyes then opened them again. 'No still there, jeez fuck that's ridiculous!'

Together they took the parcels and cards from the owls, sent them off and put them in boxes. Harry recognized most of the handwriting from people he got on with. Seekers, friends from all houses and he had gotten something from almost everyone. Half of them were sweets, books, fairytales, ingredients, teddies, storybooks, wizard culture books, clothes, cloaks, some jewelry and Mrs. Weasley's package of mince pies and fudge with a green jumper.

They settled by the fire as Harry opened the rest of his packages. Harry with juice and Sev with some wine. He opened all his new stuff with awe, having never gotten so many new things before.

There was a lot of stuff having to do with potions. Everyone knew how much he complained about Sev not letting him get his own. There were more books and ingredients, new cauldrons, spoons, vials, money and a new wallet pouch for the money, bags, hair accessories, and wood planks from Nott. He had seen him try to sculpture a panther and how good he had been. There was new color ink and paint, parchment and Wizzarding pencils. Some of the kids from the school really knew him.

Sev watched him proudly. 'Look at the way he looks at everything. He appreciates it all, even the small stuff. He will never be spoiled, he will never forget the Dursley's. The boy really made friends with them all. He did what people had been trying to do for ages. Harry is special, not that I can tell him that. He would tell me he's not. I like having someone to take care of, to cuddle in at night. He knows me too well; when I'm serious, angry, playing or having a laugh. Also he appreciates my sarcasm and is picking up on it…' He was startled from his thoughts when Harry climbed onto his lap and looked at the photo album, leaving the presents in a neat pile in a big blue box. (There are 6 boxes.) And cuddled into him. 'He does this all the time. I believe he does it to make sure it is truly real. He is probably scared of it being taken away from him poor kid. Hey, I don't ever want to lose him. God, what happened to me? I've never loved anyone before or since Lily. I swore I wouldn't let anyone in. I'm not entitled to happiness, but Harry is. I've let him in and I'm scared of them taking him away. They will eventually, after all I once was a death eater. At least Harry already knows. I would hate for him to find out and not hear my side of the story.' Tightening his hold on Harry he sat there gazing into the fire.

Harry curled up in Sev's lap, getting comfortable and looking at the pictures. Soon he fell asleep from the heat, the smell of Sev and the sound of his heartbeat, the album falling from his lax hand. When Sev finally came out of his thoughts, Harry was sound asleep. He picked him up, noticing that he definitely had put on weight, now he was heavy. 'Good, that's brilliant. His hair is like mine now, silky midnight black. Tucking him in, he went off to his own bed.

Over the rest of the Christmas break they ate junk food and had lots of fun with Bertie Bott's. He told Sev all about his time down in the dungeons. How they were teaching him chess, gob stones and eating sweets with them.

Much to Sev's, Harry's and everyone else's disappointment, Christmas break was over and school was back in session. Sev was making his way back to his quarters where Harry was already waiting for him with hot chocolate and a headache cure to go with dinner. Harry had asked one of the house elves to bring it because Sev hadn't been there. He had done that a few times.

Harry settled down and ate his fill only after Sev had drunk the potions. He sniggered when he heard Sev mutter, "Insolent brats can't ... bloody... even ... brew ... A potion to save themselves.

There you go! Another one done. R&R bye