Christmas Holiday:

Eileen was perched in an armchair, staring around the sitting room at her family. She was completely unnoticed.

Her parents and older sister were tranquil, their noses buried in books.

Esme laid on her stomach on the floor, occasionally scribbling down notes in her potion book. Her mother and father were on the sofa. Her mother absentmindedly stroked at her father's hair as he laid with his head in her lap. Both were engrossed in their reading, but Eileen noticed that her father seemed to have a slightly smug look on his face as he often did when he was near her mother.

It was late November, and the girls were home for a weekend with their parents. They both saw their father daily and their mother came up to the school several times a week, but Rose insisted that they spend at least one weekend a month at home. Esme had complained about this once in front of Ephraim, saying that none of her friends left school on the weekends. Ephraim quickly reminded Esme, in a hard tone, that she was lucky to have parents who wanted her around. After that, Esme never complained about the arrangement again.

Eileen cleared her throat. No one looked up. She wanted to ask for something and she had been waiting for the perfect moment. She had planned on asking last night but someone had thrown a dung bomb into a cauldron during a third-year potion class yesterday and her father was in a particularly bad mood. Eileen needed him in the right frame of mind before asking her question. Seeing her father looking so relaxed and content told Eileen that this was her moment, and she was unsure when she would get this opportunity again.

"Excuse me," she announced in a small voice.

Her family looked up from their books simultaneously.

"Yes," her father said smoothly, brows raised.

"I just have a question," Eileen said, nervously.

Severus sat up. "You have our attention."

Esme sat up too.

Eileen vaguely thought it would have been more prudent to ask her mother first.

"Well?" her father pressed.

"I was invited somewhere over Christmas holiday," Eileen explained. "I would like to go."

"Go where?" Severus asked flatly.

Eileen rang her hands together. "I was invited to the Potters'," she said.

Esme threw a curious glance at their father. Rose's eyes flicked to Severus too.

Severus's face was unreadable.

"Al Potter's birthday is over the school break and I was invited to stay with a few others," Eileen said hurriedly.

"I was not aware that you were friends with Albus Potter," Severus said in a straight tone.

"I'm not really," Eileen admitted. "Frank is, sort of. He asked if I could be invited too. Al doesn't have many friends, he only hangs around with Scorpius Malfoy. But Frank says that he doesn't think Scorpius will be allowed to come," Eileen added quickly.

Rose pressed her lips together.

At one point or another, all their children had been sat down to discuss certain events in their parents' past. Rose and Severus figured that they better be ahead of it before others told their stories for them.

"I don't like the idea of you spending nights with a bunch of boys," Rose said.

"Yes," Severus agreed at once.

"I would sleep in the room with Al's sister and Rose Weasley," Eileen explained. "Frank thinks I will get on well with Lily and I like Rose a lot. We always share a workstation in herbology when Gryffindors and Ravenclaws have class together.

"Would you miss Christmas?" Rose asked.

"I would be back in time for Christmas," Eileen said. She could not see how her parents could rationally refuse her. Eileen saw the same realization on both their faces.

There was a knock on the door.

Rose stood at once. "You can come in," she called, hurrying towards the door.

"We will discuss this later," Severus said.

Ephraim and his wife, Gabrielle walked into the cottage.

"Gabi," Esme said in delight, jumping to her feet and hurrying to hug her very pregnant sister-in-law.

"Hello Esme," Ephraim said with mock irritation. "You could show some enthusiasm for your only brother."

Esme laughed and then flung herself at Ephraim.

"Gabi," Rose said, taking her daughter-in-law's hand. "Come sit down, Sweetheart."

"Zank you," she replied in her thick French accent.

Rose settled Gabrielle in a chair and then gave Ephraim a tight hug.

Esme perched herself on the arm of her sister-in-law's chair.

"Eileen," Ephraim said, looking at his youngest sister. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," she said quickly.

Ephraim looked skeptically at her.

"We really don't need to be babysat," Eileen complained.

"Babysat?" Ephraim said with raised brows. "I can't come over to see my sisters.

"Esme's of age," Eileen continued, "and I'm old enough to carry a wand." She was feeling very frustrated that her parents did not just tell her that she could go to the Potters.

"Oh," Esme said mockingly, putting her hands up in false terror. "Everybody look out for the big bad first year."

"Enough," Severus said, "both of you."

Esme instantly quieted herself. Eileen still looked annoyed with her arms crossed.

"Eileen," Rose began, "Ephraim and Gabi are not here to babysit you."

"Ve just vanted to spend time vith you," Gabi said sweetly.

"Severus," Rose turned towards her husband, "we better get ready to go."

Rose and Severus exchanged a look and then walked towards their bedroom.

"Who's got your knickers in a knot?" Ephraim asked Eileen, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Eileen wants to go to the Potters for Christmas holiday," Esme said.

"Oh," Ephraim said.

"And it gets better," Esme continued.

"Shut up," Eileen told her sister.

Esme ignored Eileen. "Scorpius Malfoy might come too."

"Oh," Ephraim said again.

"If you're going to talk about it, at least keep your voice down," Eileen hissed.

"You shouldn't have even asked them to go," Esme told her.

"Why?" Eileen shot back in a low voice. "It's not fair."

"Vhy es zis a problem?" Gabi asked, turning to Ephraim.

Ephraim looked thoughtfully at his wife. "It's not really," he said, giving Esme a sharp look. "You know about my dad's past with Harry Potter's mum."

"Of course," Gabi said in a matter-of-fact tone. The whole wizarding world seemed to know about that.

Ephraim nodded. "And the man my mum was engaged to, the one who… Well, he was a Malfoy."

"Ah," Gabi said with understanding. "I forgot 'e vas called Malfoy."

"Right," Ephraim said.

Eileen plopped herself onto the sofa beside Ephraim.

"It's weird, right?" Esme implored, looking around the room. "Eileen shouldn't have asked to go."

Eileen was fuming. "But it's not fair. It's not my fault mum and dad-"

"It's not your fault we what?" Severus had stepped back into the room unnoticed. He was wearing dress robes and a hard expression. He gave his youngest daughter a sharp look.

Eileen pouted. "Nothing."

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Eileen," he said with forced calm.

"I just…" she looked helplessly back at her brother and sister. They remained quiet.

"Come with me," Severus said, pushing gentleness into his tone.

Eileen nodded somewhat reluctantly and followed her father into her parents' bedroom.

"Severus, do you mind helping me with the zipper," Rose said, her back turned to the door. She was wearing deep blue dress robes and her hair was pinned back into an elegant knot at the nape of her neck.

Wordlessly, Severus moved towards her. His long fingers delicately pulled at the zipper. He leaned in and pressed his lips briefly against her shoulder blade before closing the back of her dress.

Eileen dropped her gaze, feeling uncomfortable.

Rose smiled to herself and turned towards Severus, her lower lip caught in her teeth.

Then her eyes found her youngest daughter before she could say something only for her husband's ears.

"Eileen," Rose said, surveying her daughter. She could tell that she was upset. "You want to talk to us about going to the Potters." Rose sat on the edge of the bed and patted the spot beside her.

Eileen did not hesitate to sit beside her mother.

"It would seem so," Severus said, sitting on the other side of his daughter.

Rose put an arm around Eileen's shoulder and Eileen nuzzled closer to her mother. Rose gently stroked at her daughter's hair. "Sweetheart, what is it that you want to say?"

Eileen glanced up but remained in Rose's arms. "I'm very cross with you and dad," she admitted.

Rose pressed her lips together. "Alright," she said, exchanging a glance with Severus, who was looking rather impatient.

"If Esme wanted to spend Christmas holiday with her friends you would have said yes right away," Eileen said.

"Esme has never asked to spend Christmas holiday away from home," Severus pointed out drily.

Eileen shot her father a narrow-eyed glance. "That's beside the point," she said.

"My mistake," Severus said flatly.

"Eileen," Rose said, "we haven't told you that you can't go. We just said that we need to talk about it first. Perhaps we want you around during the holiday. We sort of like you, you know."

"That's not why you hesitated," Eileen said coldly. "You both acted weird about it."

Rose sighed. Her daughter did have a point. It was a bit strange. Rose wished that she could look at the white-blond hair and gray eyes of a Malfoy and not feel a sharp prang in her chest, but she couldn't. Similarly, looking upon the emerald eyes of Harry Potter or his son Albus, gave Severus a mixture of beautiful and painful memories.

"We did act strangely," Rose allowed. Severus raised his brows at his wife. "Well, we did. I'm sorry for that."

"Esme said I shouldn't have even asked," Eileen said.

"Esme was out of line," Severus said.

"You can ask us anything," Rose assured her.

"However, that doesn't mean that we will always say yes," Severus said.

"What about this time?" Eileen asked, looking towards her father.

His daughter's large dark eyes were imploring. Ephraim and Esme had learned long ago that Severus had a very difficult time denying his children anything.

"If your mother agrees to it," Severus said.

Eileen grinned. "Mum?"

"Sure," Rose said.

"But we need to make something quite clear," Severus said firmly.

"What, dad?"

"Despite whatever reaction you and your siblings presumed that your mother and I had to your holiday invitation, I hope you know that your mother and I are…" Severus trailed off somewhat awkwardly.

"We know you and mum love each other," Eileen said, understanding. "You both can be downright nauseating at times."

"Yes," Severus chewed on the word. "Well, I'm glad you understand."

Rose laughed. "Are you happy now?" she asked Eileen.

"Very," Eileen said, jumping to her feet. She rushed from the room to rejoin her siblings.

Rose and Severus glanced at each other.

"We made her evening," Rose said.

"I suppose," Severus breathed. He leaned in a kissed Rose's forehead. "You should probably finish getting ready. It would not do for the guest of honor to be late."

Rose rolled her eyes.

"It's a big accomplishment," Severus said.

"Have I mentioned that I hate giving speeches," Rose said.

"If you refuse, it might start a riot," Severus said facetiously. "I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," Rose said, with a light smile. "It's not a cure, but it-"

"It's a huge improvement to the Wolfsbane potion," Severus finished. "I'm sure it means a lot to lycanthropes to not have so much pain during transformations."

"I wish Remus and Tonks could have been around to see this," Rose said sadly.

Severus chewed his tongue, making his face appear gaunt. His past with Remus Lupin and his friends had not been a pleasant one. Then Severus had made Lupin pay and then some later in life.

Now and again, Rose would bring up Remus and Tonks. Especially since she started her endeavor to improve the Wolfsbane potion, their names had come up more and more frequently. Severus knew that Rose attributed knowing the Lupins to coming back to herself after Tiberius's death. Seeing their love and having the ability to help them, she had told Severus, made all the difference. Severus usually kept quiet when Rose mentioned the Lupins. Yet he wondered what it would have been like if they had lived. Severus imagined how awkward it would have been to have the couple over for tea. With the war well over, perhaps Remus would have resumed his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and he and Severus would have been colleagues again.

Rose once asked Severus if he and Remus had been friends, stating that she thought they would have gotten on well. At that time, Severus scoffed at the idea. However, now that his life had taken on a wonderful yet completely unexpected turn, Severus wondered if they could have been. Maybe.

He gave his wife a tight smile. "Their son will be there?"

"Yes," Rose said, "Teddy will be there on his father's behalf."

Severus nodded. "We should get going soon."

XXX

Dear Readers,

I had not intended to write more of this story. However, I had a portion of this chapter laying around for almost a year, so I thought I better finish it. I also started thinking about Rose again because she appears in a later chapter of my Tonks and Remus story 'Lycanthropy, Love and Other Curses.' Please let me know in the reviews if you have any suggestions for one-shots. I might just come back again to add a few more chapter when I miss these characters. As always, thank you for reading my work. It means so much to me.

Sincerely,

Thora Jane