A/N: Thank you for the reviews and the support, guys. I appreciate all the favorites and the follows. It keeps me hyped up to continue writing.
Chapter 20
Severus Snape officially loved Christmas.
Waking up at 4 in the morning to his two-year-old bouncing in excitement at the end of the bed where he and Harry spent the night making love to each other was both horrifying and gratifying. Thank Merlin they managed to put on their pants after the vigorous Christmas sex.
Harry was groaning at Sebastian's hyperactivity, mumbling to himself about needing to strengthen the lock on their room but Severus found the toddler's excitement for Christmas a very welcome sight in the morning.
"I'm sorry I forgot to warn you about Seb's enthusiasm for Christmas sunrise. We watched it last year and he thinks it's the best thing in the whole world," explained Harry with a husky voice both from last night's passionate screaming and this morning's grogginess as he slowly rose from his sleep, massaging the bridge in between his eyes before putting on his glasses.
"I find it endearing," smiled Severus, pulling little Sebastian on his lap. "Do you want to watch the sunrise, my love?"
Sebastian nodded enthusiastically and hopped off the bed pulling on Severus' hand.
"Come, papa! dada! watch sun now!" exclaimed the boy as if it wasn't too damn early in the morning.
Severus nudged Harry by his elbow and the younger man playfully growled, "Alright, I'm up! Jesus!"
Harry and Severus summoned their clothes and cloaks, bundled up Sebastian, and followed the toddler out of the room heading to the fountain court, the perfect place to watch the sunrise. They were lucky this year's Christmas morning isn't gloomy and snowing as Seb might not have his special event of the year.
The little family sat on one of the benches fronting the fountain. Severus called Tinky and asked for three mugs of hot chocolate. Although it wasn't snowing, it was still very cold in Wiltshire where Prince Manor was located. The three weren't exactly talking, just basking in each other's presence. Sebastian sat in between them while Severus had his arms around Harry, locking the little boy in the middle. Seb held his little dragon mug filled hot chocolate on both hands close to his flushed face, relishing on its warmth as puffs of fog formed when he breathes.
It was still a little dark, a gradient of blue and purple stretching the vastness of the sky above them, not a single cloud in sight, but you could see the faint orange strip glowing in the horizon, the sun perhaps hidden behind the small hills and mountains ranging across the county.
Severus had never done anything like this before but he wished he did. It was calming, the serenity of the wonderful picture of nature's wonders mixed with the company of two of the most important people in his world make up the best of moments. For once, he witnessed something majestic outside the comfort of the four walls of his potions laboratory.
And he was humble to admit he would never have experienced anything close like this if it wasn't for Harry and Sebastian. The two certainly showed him a part of himself and the world he never even knew existed.
They sat there for minutes just watching the sun rise in the horizon, finally brushing their skin with the soft June day hue reflecting from the sky.
Severus could hear the little boy sigh in content. The father loved how Sebastian had an old soul in him, maybe because he grew up surrounded by older people. Sebastian created his own paradise in his head, completely different from the boisterous, unruly children Severus usually encountered when he went to Diagon Alley.
"So pwetty," whispered Sebastian, awed at the sight.
Harry smiled and combed his fingers through the toddler's bed hair. "It is pretty. Merry Christmas, my darling boy." He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on his head.
"Mewwy Cwistmas, dada, papa. Sebbie love you," mumbled Sebastian happily, standing up on the bench and kissing both his parents on the cheek.
"Why don't we proceed inside and have breakfast?" Severus suggested. "You have presents to open."
The two-year-old squealed and climbed off the bench to run back inside. Harry could faintly see one of the house-elves dashing after him, making sure their little master wouldn't fall or trip.
"I owled Mrs. Weasley we won't be coming to dinner tonight since it's our first Christmas together. We will come to boxing day instead," said Harry, coming up to stand and head back inside.
Severus held his hand as they walked, "That would be agreeable. Thank you."
Like their practiced morning routine, they had breakfast in the kitchen, something the elves initially was appalled of but soon understood why the preference. The Prince dining room was so large it could probably house twice the Weasley brood.
Harry and Sebastian easily maneuvered the manor but preferred to stay within the right-wing, Harry not wanting to meet the Princes yet and Sebastian spending most of his time in Severus' office.
After breakfast, the couple finally allowed their son to head to the family room where the Christmas tree was placed. Sebastian probably had twice the number of gifts he had last year, not that he remembered and probably won't remember this one either when he grows up.
Harry's friends from Australia sent their gifts through the floo. The Weasleys who decided they needed to make up for the past Christmases and Birthdays sent Seb a ton of gifts. Minerva, the doting grandmother, looked as if she bought an entire toy store.
And of course, there was Severus who couldn't seem to choose the perfect gift so decided to build one himself. It was his surprise for Sebastian, a project he had been working on for the last week.
The little boy enthusiastically ripped the wrappers off the presents, stopping for a minute to gasp at every gift whether it was a simple trinket or a complete art set. He marveled at each gift he received, telling both his parents to thank whoever gave him this and that.
Severus handed Harry a small box while their son enjoyed his presents. Harry looked up at Severus and smiled, "This is for me?"
"Obviously," droned Severus but Harry could hear the mirth in his voice.
Harry pulled off the ribbon that tied the box in place and found that inside was a beautiful pocket watch. He gasped when he opened the locket. Right there was a photo of them having a picnic on their backyard back in Australia, Sebastian perched on Severus' shoulder while Harry held onto the older man's waist, all three waving at the camera.
Harry threw his arms around Severus' neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss. "This is beautiful, Sev. Thank you so much."
The younger wizard then summoned a bigger-sized box but was made of wood and handed it to his lover. "This is for you," smiled Harry.
Severus took the box reverently and opened it. Inside were twelve vials filled with memories and a shrunken pensive.
"Harry? What is this?" asked Severus.
Harry placed a hand over his cheek and said, "You always said you wished you had been there to witness Sebastian's birth and milestones. I made a copy of my memories of when I first held him in my arms, when he first had a fever, his first smile, word, step... I wanted you to have this, something I am sure you will treasure with all your heart."
Severus hadn't realized he had tears in his eyes until he felt Harry wiped them off. With all that he could muster, he leaned and brushed his lips delicately against Harry's and whispered softly, "Thank you, my love."
Their little moment ended when they heard their son gasp and squeal at one of the gifts he received. They glanced at him and as it turned out, Harry gave Sebastian an explorer tent, something to exchange for his little teepee from his old bedroom. This was much larger since his bedroom in Prince Manor was twice the size of his old one. It was something Severus discovered living with the boy for months. Sebastian liked small, covered spaces that was why Harry placed a teepee tent on his room so he wouldn't hide under the furniture. It was where he spent most of his time playing.
Sebastian had a playroom connected to his bedroom which apparently was something the little boy decided to be his 'office'. When he told Severus he wanted a big boy room like his papa's, Severus re-arranged everything and made it look like his own office but with toys filling the shelves instead of all books, walls painted much lighter than his, and furniture made from either soft or child-proofed materials.
But no, it wasn't Severus' Christmas gift.
"Are you ready for your gift, little prince?" asked Severus, smiling.
Sebastian nodded happily and held onto his papa's hand when he offered it to him. Harry was curious of what Severus had for Seb that needed stepping out of the room.
He followed the two of them to the backyard and Severus muttered a revealing spell on one of the stronger but shorter trees.
Harry gasped and Sebastian shrieked in happiness at the sight of a majestic treehouse.
"It's completely child-safe. I added every safety charm I know and then some including an alert charm on this whenever Seb's inside it. This also acts as a tracking device, I directed a beacon charm on Seb and had it connected in this." Severus handed Harry a bracelet.
Harry beamed at the older wizard and pulled him in for a sweeping kiss. "This is wonderful, Sev. I had a tracking charm on him but this is much better."
Sebastian who was giddy and bouncing on his feet finally had the go signal to check out his tree house. Both parents accompanied him inside, Harry in awe at what Severus made for their son.
The tree house wasn't that high off the ground, which soothed Harry, not that Severus would ever allow his precious son to play inside something dangerous. It wasn't that big either, probably because he knew Seb preferred the smaller space. There was a little mattress on the floor in one corner, littered with stuffed toys. One wall was purely made into a blackboard, perhaps something he might find more use of in the future other than drawing.
"Fank you, papa! So pwetty!" exclaimed the little boy, hugging one of his legs.
"I am glad you like it, Sebastian."
Christmas dinner was a lively event even if there were only three of them. Severus supposed having an energetic two-year-old around, lively was the new normal.
Harry invited the elves to eat with them but all three refused, like most house-elves, they rather liked their solitude, especially since these were Severus' house-elves. Severus did inform Harry his elves were free to do whatever they wanted and that not many house-elves were mistreated like Dobby and Winky.
They had all the basics for a family Christmas meal: turkey served with stuffing, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, cranberry sauce, roast and mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and parsnips, with plum pudding and trifle for dessert.
While Harry missed the Australian informal backyard barbecue during Christmas, this traditional dinner with his family was something he found he very much loved. Severus was still in his serious and stern face but Harry could feel his joy seeping out of his persona. The stern expressions never bothered Sebastian. He knew papa loved him very much and papa had very nice smiles for him and daddy.
That night, after dinner, the family of three laid together in one bed with matching pajamas much to Severus' reluctance. Sebastian was in the middle, cuddled in between his parents as they read him The Fir Tree, a story about a tree wanting to grow up very fast, forgetting to live in the present. Harry initially thought it was too dark for Sebastian but Severus argued it was one thing Seb must understand while he was still young, that negativity and impatience breeds suffering, something Severus learned a little too late. Although both did change a few words, not wanting to traumatize the two-year-old.
As the two slept peacefully into the night, covered warmly under the blankets, and wrapped around one longer and larger arm, Severus thanked all the gods who were listening for giving him a family even if it came, ironically, on the form of the previous bane of his existence, and a little package of miracle.
Harry decided he wanted the apothecary.
Severus was happy for his lover. It was only the second day of the new year and Severus already decided he would be finishing his research on the improvement of Wolfsbane, an endeavor he took a break from when he decided to move to Australia and spend his time with his newfound family. Harry thought it was time for him to return to his initial researching projects, something he wanted Harry to also do for himself.
Harry owled Gringotts to send him a list of his properties, hoping to find one on Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade. He wanted to owl Dennis but he needed to make sure his plan was doable before introducing another person in the picture. He also looked into other potions and potions ingredients he could supply. The Wizarding World in the UK need much more than his old clientele in Australia, though, he might still be providing rare plants from Sam.
It was then when Harry finally had the courage to venture on the left-wing of the manor. Severus mentioned the Prince library had books that may rival the Black's but without the added dark magic. The Princes had great brewers and business people in the family. Harry would have great use of the books.
The left-wing of the manor, like all other manors, was a reversed copy of the right-wing but in-place of Severus' office was a huge library. Harry remembered reading in one of the Black's pureblood doctrines that the Princes were one of the wealthiest families in Britain, and their library shows exactly how wealthy they are. One whole area was dedicated to the rare books and scrolls. He'd heard the Malfoys had the biggest collection of rare books before but it seemed like it was one of those things Draco bragged about that's mostly exaggerations.
There weren't many portraits in the library. Harry only saw two and they were placed on the study area.
"Hello, young man. Who are you and what brings you here in Prince Manor?" asked one of the two portraits in the library.
"My name is Harry Potter, and I am actually hoping to find something that might help me in starting my apothecary business," explained Harry, carefully hiding his nerves.
The old woman in the other portrait chuckled, "A Potter, you say? That is a good family. Marius Prince married a Potter in the 17th century, I believe. Are you betrothed to a distant Prince relative?"
Harry shook his head, "No, but I am in a relationship with the current Head of the Family."
"Ah, young Severus. A very fine man, smart and suitable for a Prince. Though he did mix himself with bad company. I suppose it was inevitable being born from that muggle," she replied, the distaste in her voice clear when she mentioned Severus' past as a Death Eater and his muggle heritage.
Harry felt angered for Severus and needed to defend him against his dead relatives. "Severus was a spy for the light. If it wasn't for him, the war would never have ended. And I am half-blood too, there is nothing wrong with having muggle blood. Blood is blood, no matter where it came from."
"You misunderstand me, young man. Although I did not know of his change of heart, I meant no offense to his muggle heritage, only to the one who sired him. My little Eileen was a precious, carefree girl. That muggle drunk seduced her and got her pregnant. Eileen married him in hopes Severus might still be considered the heir of the family. The Princes do not recognize heirs outside marriage and her brother Cassius was infertile, brought by the generations and generations of inbreeding. Severus was the only heir left of our line. I do remember giving my son a mouthful for disinheriting dear Eileen. He must have gotten that from his father," said the old woman, rolling her eyes at the last part.
"Forgive me, ma'am. I kind of felt the need to defend Severus. He's a good man," explained Harry, bowing lightly in apology for his outburst.
"That is alright, Mr. Potter. I am Adelia Prince nee Proudmore, Severus' great-grandmother," smiled the witch, "And that one right there is Cassius, Severus' uncle."
Harry sat down on one of the armchairs facing the portraits, "If you don't mind me asking, why are there only two portraits in this room? The Potter's and the Black's library littered with them."
"Ah, that is my doing, but we are not the only ones here. My uncle Artemus, and another ancestor Marcus Prince are upstairs, on the resticted section of the library," chuckled Cassius, "The library is our favorite part of the manor. The rest of the family were placed in their favorite rooms in the left-wing, mostly just in the gallery, honestly."
Harry nodded in understanding. If he ever had a portrait of his own, he would have loved to be placed in his favorite room as well. He remembered Severus mentioning once that it was his uncle who reinstated him in the family, making him heir. "Excuse me, you were the one who made Severus the Prince heir?" Harry inquired.
Cassius smiled at Harry, eyes filled with regret. "Yes, that was me. I always liked little Severus. I used to watch him play in the dodgy playground when he was younger but I couldn't come close. You see, I found out I was infertile a year before Eileen left the family. Father was as pureblood as one can be, saw Eileen's actions as a disgrace and disowned her. She was my baby sister and I had to look out for her. That Tobias man was a bastard, hurting my sister and my little nephew. Mother knew I used to go to the muggle world for them both but reminded me never to let myself be seen unless I wanted Father to disown me as well.
I couldn't talk to Eileen without my father not knowing so I had to know about Severus from the neighbors. I didn't even know his name until I heard my sister call him Severus. Father forbid us to look at the Prince tapestry for information. He was such a sweet child, always helping younger children when they fall in the park.
Severus used to have these bruises on him when he was younger and I did what I could to heal him from afar. I sometimes left him meals on the bench and I think he thought it was his mother or that friend of his with the red hair doing that. I stopped coming when Father started doubting my whereabouts. Severus was on his second year in school then.
When mother died, she told me to reinstate Eileen back to the family after father's gone. But father did not die until a few years later and it was too late. Eileen had died and Severus was all alone. I found out that he joined Voldemort's Death Eaters and I couldn't help but feel guilty. The sweet little boy turned to a mad man and all because I didn't have the courage to stand up to my father and welcome Eileen and Severus into the family.
Father died two years after Severus' graduation and I immediately reinstated Severus into the family, no matter his affinity for the dark magic. I knew he was still the kind little boy I watched growing up. I made him heir but I didn't introduce myself to him. I couldn't.
The first time we talked, I was already dead. It was about three years ago. It wasn't a long discussion. He just asked me the reason he was made heir and I told him the truth, that he was the only Prince left and because of his mother's sacrifice of marrying his father, Severus is eligible to inherit."
Harry listened to Cassius Prince's retelling. He could hear the regret in his voice and see the sadness in his eyes when he talks about Severus' childhood. "Why didn't you tell him you were watching him all those years?"
Cassius looked away. Adelia Prince smiled at him and nodded as if she was asking the same thing. "I couldn't tell him I've been watching him for years and didn't do anything to help him and his mother."
"But you did. You healed him and fed him, and you made him your heir," argued Harry. "Severus is happy now. Well, I think he is. I really think you should tell him."
Cassius smiled at Harry, thankful for his words, and decided to change the flow of conversation. "So you are dating my little Severus? I never knew he liked men," said the man in the portrait, not a bit upset by the fact that the only Prince left preferred men. It may be because homosexuality was fairly common in the wizarding world and with the help of magical surrogacy, the lines still continued. They even had two homosexual couples in the Prince line before.
Harry ignored the description of Severus being little. The man wasn't little at all, in more than one aspect, not that he'd ever tell his uncle that. "I didn't either. We saw each other again last year. Severus used to be my Potions Professor and I hated him, to be honest," snorted Harry.
"A student and a professor!" exclaimed Adelia, appalled by the idea, "Wait until his grandfather Marcus hears about that! He used to be a Headmaster at Hogwarts, that young man will have an earful!"
Harry could not help but laugh. He supposed he should be insulted at being thought of as someone who engaged in a relationship with a male professor as a student but he only found the idea funny. "No, forgive me Ma'am, Severus and I did not have a relationship when he was my professor. It's a long story."
Cassius chuckled, "Well, we have all the time in the world."
So Harry told them in small details what happened the past three years including bits of his student life under Severus. Gasps were heard when Harry mentioned having carried his and Severus son so Harry had to explain exactly how they think it happened. Of course, the two Princes were shocked and uncertain of the tale until Harry told them about the Prince family tapestry.
Adelia Prince was giddy of having a great-great-grandson and wanted to meet him very soon. Cassius was almost in tears, if it was possible for a portrait, when Harry told them of the time when Sebastian first called Severus 'papa'. Harry didn't know if Severus would be okay with Harry telling his dead relatives about their lives in the first place but he thought they deserved to know. There was no way they could have hidden it from the portraits if they lived in the same place.
"Harry, we know it is not our place but to be acknowledged as heir to the Prince line, the parents must be married. It is one of the traditional requirement our ancestors placed in the family," said Adelia.
Harry merely smiled. "I'm not sure what Severus thinks but I know he is the only one I will ever choose to marry. But if marriage isn't for us, my Sebastian will still be heir to two families: the Potters and the Blacks. He will not need for anything."
"Aurelius will have a conniption when he hears the grandson he disowned is in a relationship with the head of not one but two noble and ancient houses. And a Potter and Black heir for a great-grandson? Merlin!" exclaimed Adelia. The old witch will definitely have fun taunting her son with his foolishness.
That night, when Harry and Severus laid in bed, the younger wizard confessed he talked to two of the portraits: Severus' uncle and great-grandmother. Severus didn't mind though. Just like Harry, he knew it would be inevitable that his ancestors would find out about his little family. He was mainly concerned, however, that both portraits may have mentioned the little detail about marriage but Harry didn't seem to bothered when he shared his tale. Maybe the portraits never mentioned the marriage thing at all.
Harry did tell Severus to talk to Cassius Prince. He was quite insistent, in fact. Severus supposed it was something he should have done before but was perhaps fearful of what the man who made him heir of a very wealthy and old family thought of him.
He used to want to know how his uncle knew where to find him when his mother had been disowned even before he was born. He also knew the man had kept something from him when he asked of the reason he was reinstated in the family.
Nevertheless, he decided it was a conversation long overdue.
Lance Pierce was seething.
Henry finally moved out from New Clethall, a mission he spent nights planning, yet the boy still managed to keep himself hidden from the public. He only heard from his accomplices that the pair only surfaced a few times since moving back to Britain, and always observant of their surroundings.
That boyfriend and brat of his should already be dead. He did not follow them for hours, applied heavy glamours, and pretended to be a waiter just so they can detect the poison and survive. He didn't know what it did but he personally bought that specific poison from the black market after being told it was from a dark lord's collection of poisons, made by a competent potions master who was said to have been one of the cruelest and most evil of his followers. They weren't supposed to live through that.
His accomplices were getting impatient. They kept insisting they be killed once and for all but Lance refused. No, Henry should not die yet. He must feel pain. He must know he should never have chosen someone else.
Lance needed a new plan.
A/N: So I finally added a little perspective from Lance. I know he's kinda stupid for not realizing Severus was the "evil" potions master but consider that he wasn't that informed of what was happening in the Wizarding World, much more in the UK.