Chapter Seventeen: The Christmas Spirit
"Did I just hear that correctly?" Severus questioned his niece with a raise of his eyebrow. "Did you just say that you told them about Harry and his location?" He asked her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to,.. it's just that they all seemed so nice and_" she began and before she could finish the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Lily said as she headed to go answer the door and she was in a state of shock and disbelief after she did. For right there before her was her sister Petunia holding her two-year-old son inside her arms.
"I'm sorry Lily, please forgive me, I didn't know where else to turn." She said anxiously with a shake of her head. "Vernon started beating me again and threatened to break Dudley's legs." She explained.
"It's alright, come in,.. I'll have Severus brew you a healing potion and you're just in time for supper." Lily told her as she allowed her inside. Petunia set Dudley down and then walked over to Harry and knelt down in front of him.
"I do believe that I owe you a really big apology." She began as Harry just simply looked up at her with confusion. "I don't expect you to understand, but I really shouldn't be taking my anger and frustration on you little one. After all, it's in by no means your fault." She told him.
Harry didn't respond he just started picking his nose and then sticking his finger inside his mouth. "Eww gross!" Stevie exclaimed while Petunia made a look of repulsion.
"Harry, how many times do I have to tell you to stop picking your nose!?" Severus cried with a roll of his eyes.
"You want to set a good example for your cousin and baby sister don't you?" He questioned him.
"No." Harry replied.
"I wouldn't take that response too seriously. Most two-year-olds say no even if they don't mean it." Petunia told him.
"Well,.. come with me Stephanie." Severus began and since he used her full name Stevie sort of already realized that she was about to be scolded. "I'll brew up a healing potion up for Miss Petunia while I speak with you and then we can all have dinner." He said before leading her downstairs to the basement.
"How many times have I told you not to mention Harry's name to anybody!?" He hollered.
"Well I'm sorry Uncle Severus but I do believe that these people are different. They wouldn't harm him." Stevie told him.
"Well even if that's true you're bound to be certain that once they meet the famous Harry Potter they will open up their mouths to somebody else and the word will be spread around." He told her before turning to face her. "Look Stevie, all I'm saying is just be careful. It's hard enough trying to protect Harry and his mother as it is. And now that Sarah has been born the dark lord might decide to use her for bait and go after her as well." He explained.
"However, now that you told the neighbors about Harry there isn't much we can do about it. We've just got to make sure that nobody else on this street finds out." He added.
"Does that mean that you're just going to keep him isolated? He needs friends." Stevie pointed out.
"Not as a two-year-old he doesn't. As for when he gets older we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now it's just my job to protect him since he can't protect himself yet. He doesn't even know how to count or say his ABC's let alone deliberately fight off the dark lord that isn't based on his mother's love and sheer luck." He explained.
"Well now that the Weasleys know about Harry then_" Stevie began and Severus just simply groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Did you just say the Weasleys? Were there a bunch of kids running around with bright red hair by any chance?" He questioned her.
"You met them too?" Stevie questioned him back and that's when suddenly without warning he slammed his head up against the wall and then kept bumping up against it.
"What's that noise?" Petunia wondered. "I'm hearing a thudding sound coming from the basement." She told her sister while walking into the kitchen as she was just finishing up making supper.
"Oh bother, it's probably something that Severus is doing." She replied while slightly shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "Can you please watch the boys for me? I'm going to go check and see what he's up to." She told her.
"Yes, certainly." Petunia replied with a nod and with that Lily disapparated from the room and reappeared down in the basement behind Stevie and tapped her on the shoulder. Stevie suddenly let a rather astonished and horrified shriek.
"Stevie," she began.
"Don't do that!" Stevie cried with her heart still frantically pounding against her chest.
"I'm sorry sweetheart, I just wanted to know what was going on down here that's all." She explained.
"Basically, my niece invited a bunch of children over here that have never been disciplined in their lives." Severus explained.
"Well Harry's never really been disciplined before either except the time you smacked him at the mall." Lily pointed out.
"That's because Harry's only a toddler and I can't believe I'm saying this about the son of James Potter,.. but he hardly does anything wrong anyways as he is a very well-behaved child." He told her.
"Are you actually admitting that you were wrong to judge him so quickly before?" She questioned him with uncertainty and a rather large grin.
"Yes,.. I thought that that was already well established?" He questioned her back while raising an eyebrow again. "Anyways, the only question that remains is what in the world am I supposed to do about it?"
"Well it's going to be Christmas in less than a week, Petunia and Dudley are staying with us now anyways, so why not try inviting them over here for Christmas dinner? Harry and Ron might get along really well and Ginny's only a year behind them and not that much older than Sarah." Stevie suggested as Lily smiled rather warmly and lovingly at her.
"I think that's an excellent idea Stevie." She told her.
"Well I don't!" Severus grouched. "If you invite those weasel demons over here then the good Lord only knows what will happen!" He exclaimed as Lily giggled.
"Come on Severus, where's your Christmas spirit?" She questioned him before kissing him on the cheek.
"Bah humbug!" He cried.
"Now, now, weren't you just talking to Harry about setting a good example?" Lily asked him.
"That's different, I don't pick my nose." He pointed out to her.
"No,.. that's true,.. but don't you want Harry and Sarah to grow up showing kindness and compassion to others? Especially around Christmastime." She told him.
"Fine, you win." He began. "Just don't expect me to be happy about it." He told her curtly.
