A/N: In the following dream/memory, some of the dialogue is taken directly from Book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, since I am trying to be as accurate as possible with Sirius's memories. (Disclaimer- I do not own the rights to that book… blah, blah, blah… yada, yada, yada). I have taken some liberty of changing the scene slightly to take in account Sirius's perspective and emotions. I hope that it is not too confusing. Remember, Harry is reliving these memories as Sirius, so he has to interact with himself at times. It's rather hard to write and I hope I have done a good job. In some ways Harry feels the emotion that Sirius would have felt then, but he also is able to interpret the memory in his own way and have his own feelings about what is going on. Does that make sense?

Chapter 12- Christmas Celebrations

Harry found himself sitting in one of the mahogany chairs that surrounded the large desk in Dumbledore's office. His chest was gripped with fear and the longer he waited the more likely it seemed that something awful had truly happened. The walls were adorned with several paintings of the previous headmasters of Hogwarts, and they were currently whispering to one another, frantically spreading gossip about the events that had taken place recently. No longer able to stand their incessant whispering, he soon found himself begging the paintings for any bit of information that they could provide. News traveled fast through these magical oil canvasses, and he hoped to find out what had happened only hours ago.

"What's going on… I need to know… please," he begged one painting in particular.

Phineas Nigellus turned to him as if just now discovering he was in the room and gave him a sad smile, "Young master Black, how are you doing?" he questioned.

"I'm not doing well at all Phineas… I need to know what happened to my godson… please tell me what you know," he implored of Sirius's great-great-grandfather and former Hogwarts headmaster. Harry suddenly realized that this memory must be about what happened during the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

"All I can say is that Harry Potter has returned, although from where I cannot begin to guess. We know for sure that his classmate, Diggory... I think, is dead, but we are not sure about the condition Harry is in."

"What… what do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"Well, people don't often survive that kind of thing. Goodness… look what happened to the Diggory boy. God knows what unspeakable things happened to those poor boys once they disappeared," the oil painting replied casually.

"You don't mean that Harry could be dead as well, do you?" he asked. His heart was pounding with anticipation. He dreaded what he would hear next.

"We believe that he was found alive when he returned, but that doesn't mean much. Many people have died even days after being placed under torture so we really can't say for sure," said the Phineas matter-of-factly.

Torture….Harry… dead…. It was all too much to take. He felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack waiting to find out what had really happened. Throwing caution to the wind, he rose from his seat and decided to search every room in this castle until he found his godson. He didn't care that he could be captured and taken to prison again as long as he knew that the small boy would be okay.

Suddenly, the door to the office opened and Harry noted that a younger version of himself limped into the room followed by Professor Dumbledore. In one swift motion, he crossed the room to him. "Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?"

His hands shook as he helped the other Harry into a chair in front of the desk. Harry, living through Sirius's memories of that god awful night, watched himself in reverie. He hadn't realized until now just how haunted and traumatized he had been that night. His clothes were filthy with dirt and blood, and his own emerald green eyes were filled with despair. Not having the luxury of interacting with himself the way he wanted to, he was confined to reliving the moment through Sirius's actions.

"What happened?" he felt himself ask, more urgently. He listened as Dumbledore relayed the information obtained form Barty Crouch, growing more and more worried with each passing detail. Finally, the time came when Harry knew that his other self would have to relive the events that took place at the graveyard. He wished he could prevent it from happening again, because it wasn't a memory he wished to relive even if it was from a different perspective.

"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze, Harry," said Dumbledore.

"We can leave that 'til morning can't we, Dumbledore?" he said harshly. He felt himself place a hand on the other Harry's shoulder. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."

Dumbledore instead expressed the concern that postponing the moment in which he had to think about that night would not numb the pain in anyway. No, it was better to get it done and over with. He listened quietly as the young Harry before him retold the nightmarish tale of that horrid night. Once or twice, he made a noise as though about to say something, his hand tight on the boy's shoulder, but Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him. In some way the headmaster knew that the fourteen year old Harry before him needed to tell his tale without interruption. It was already too difficult to say without the interference of his godfather. Harry, as Sirius, listened carefully to himself with a heavy heart. He wished in some way he could have prevented any of this from happening, but knew that it was impossible.

He listened as his younger self came to the part of the tale in which the priori incantum took place. "An old man," the younger Harry said. "Bertha Jorkins, and..." he looked as if he would not be able to continue. His eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Your parents?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Yes," said the young Harry.

Harry tightened his grip on the younger boy's shoulder in front, and he remembered how painfully tight that grip had been. He tried to ease up, but his actions were controlled by Sirius's actions in the past. He listened to the last part of the tale in which his parents had spoken to him, and at one point it looked as if the Harry before him could no longer continue, which was just fine because he didn't think he could take much more.

After hearing the tragic tale, he placed his face in his hands in great sorrow. He could feel not only the despair as it was recounted through Sirius's memory, but also his own sadness as he reflected on the death of Cedric, the rise of Voldemort, and witnessing the shadowy echoes of his long dead parents. That night had been truly horrible, and it had been the first time he could ever remember really seeing his parents. It was sad and painful memory, one he would not forget from either perspective.

Harry suddenly awoke with his own hands covering his face, tears streaming down with silent tears. These memories were becoming more and more real especially now that he had begun seeing himself in each one. He wiped away the tears and took a glance at the alarm clock. It was still fairly early in the morning and Ron was snoring softly in the other bed. Harry knew that he would not be able to get back to sleep so he crept softly out of the room and downstairs.

For a long time, he just sat before the window staring at the snow-covered landscape. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them to try to maintain some sort of warmth. He didn't have a clue as to what to do about these strange dreams, and he felt for certain that they were not just going to go away. He knew deep down that eventually he would have to tell someone besides Draco about them so that he could get some help. He was afraid however, that people would go back to treating him like a fragile egg that was about to break. He had just started to gain some sort of normalcy in his life when all this began.

In some ways he still felt like he was going crazy, but a part of him knew that his sanity couldn't be in question. There was no way he could have known about some of the things he was dreaming and yet he dreamt them as clear as day. The more he pondered about that thought he realized that Sirius had never told him about his conversation with Phineas Nigellus in Dumbledore's office that night. How could he have known about it? Where were these memories coming from?

Harry decided to fix himself a cup of tea just as the sun had begun to break over the horizon. He brought his cup over to the window where he had sat thinking for so long. The colors displayed as the sun rose over the snow-covered hills were mesmerizing. It had turned out to be a breathtakingly beautiful Christmas morning.

Not knowing what else to do with his time alone this morning, Harry decided to begin making breakfast for the others. He figured that the Weasleys might be early risers on Christmas morning, like most families, and that Molly would be relieved not to have to cook another meal for her large family. Harry smiled as he began to cook. He had remembered Mrs. Weasley mentioning that they always had pancakes and bacon for Christmas breakfast, and he gathered the ingredients he would need. Mrs. Weasley was capable of doing everything with magic, but since Harry didn't know a lot of domestic charms, he decided to do the cooking the old fashioned Muggle way.

He had cooked breakfast for many years for his own relatives, but it had never been out of pleasure or love. He had truly feared what would happen to him if he had burnt their breakfasts each morning, and he had suffered the wrath of his uncle on several occasions for not doing the job properly. He had learned quickly how to prepare a decent meal so that he wouldn't have to endure the consequences.

But here, in the Weasley household, he felt no such fear. In fact, he felt slightly unencumbered and giddy about being able to surprise the others. He had just begun to set the table when he heard Ron come plodding down the stairs. Harry suspected the smells of the morning meal may have awoken him. He watched as the red head peeked around the corner curiously.

"Harry, wh-what are you doin'?" he asked lamely rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Harry rolled in his eyes as he turned over one of the pancakes with the spatula. "What's it look like I'm doin', dimwit?"

"Making breakfast?" said Ron looking thoroughly confused.

"Uh… yeah," he said sarcastically. He smiled at his friend's disbelief.

"Why?" asked Ron curiously as he grabbed a rasher of bacon.

"Because… I wanted to do something nice for you all. Okay?"

"Oh…. You didn't have to do that. Oh no…." said Ron looking truly distraught as he just realized something.

"What?" asked Harry seriously.

"Mum is going to love you more than the rest of us now. Just great…" said Ron grinning madly.

Harry laughed at his friend's teasing and pushed him slightly in jest. Ron then left the kitchen to go check out the presents under the tree while Harry finished putting the food out on the table. The excitement of Christmas morning was too overwhelming for him. Ron was in some ways a really big kid, and it was always fun to watch him at Christmas time. Ron located his stocking from the nine lined up across the mantle and excitedly began to rifle through the many items. Inside he found a variety candy, including Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, a Satsuma, 5 Knuts, and some Wizard trading cards that the boy secretly still collected.

Harry rinsed the cookware he had been using after he had finished cleaning up a bit. As he dried his hands, Harry watched his friend as he looked through his trading cards looking for the ones he was missing in his collection. Soon the other Weasleys and Draco began coming down the stairs, each one still clad in their pajamas, robes, and slippers. They all looked utterly amazed at the spread on the kitchen table. Mrs. Weasley had been surprised by Harry's kind gesture at making breakfast for everyone, and enveloped him in a big hug as her eyes got all watery. Apparently, no one had ever thought to do that for her before.

They all gathered at the kitchen table and tucked in. It took some convincing to call Ron over as he was still shaking the presents under the tree. He was somewhat irritated that they were eating first before opening presents, as it was somewhat unusual, but Mrs. Weasley insisted that the presents could wait and that they should enjoy Harry's breakfast first. They were highly appreciative of Harry's thoughtful gesture, and everyone commented on how lovely the meal was.

Once they were all thoroughly full, they retired to the living room where they began to sort through their stockings and open their presents. Harry, Ron, Draco, and Ginny each got a hand knitted sweater and a tin of homemade treats from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry had bought Hermione and Ginny silver charm bracelets, but he would have owl Hermione's to her if she couldn't come to dinner tonight. Ginny was absolutely ecstatic about hers having never owned something so pretty. He got Ron some practice Bludgers, and a woolen hat and mittens for Mrs. Weasley. For Mr. Weasley, he got small electronic game that ran on batteries since the man had an odd fascination for such Muggle contraptions. The oldest Weasley couldn't get over the fact that Muggles had created moving pictures without the use of magic, and it was an effort to get him to put his new toy down. Harry had gratefully received a Quidditch Monthly magazine subscription from Ron and Ginny, and he spent a good deal of the morning reading over many of the tips on executing dangerous maneuvers and articles about famous players and teams.

Harry and Draco waited to exchange gifts with each other until the room had cleared up a bit because their gifts were rather personal. Each held their carefully wrapped packages wondering who should open theirs first. Finally they decided to open them at the same time.

Excitedly Harry quickly ripped of the wrapping paper to discover a silver picture frame with a picture of himself and Draco sitting beside the lake together. Although it was a wizarding photograph, meaning that the pictures could move, it had been developed in black and white rather than the usual color photographs. Harry realized that Draco had must have coerced Colin to take the photo without Harry knowing about it. The picture was a candid moment in which Harry was sitting back against Draco on a rock near their favorite spot. Draco's arms were wrapped tightly around Harry pulling him back against his body so that his head was propped up against Draco's shoulder. The blonde's head rested softly sideways on top of Harry's dark hair. Although he had not known his picture was being taken, they both wore soft grins on their faces as they looked out across the water. Occasionally they would look up into each other's eyes and Draco would kiss him softly on the forehead. The fact that it was developed in black and white made the picture feel timeless and added to their strikingly different features. Draco's pale hair contrasted nicely against Harry's dark mop.

He looked up from the precious photograph into Draco's eyes and was at a loss for words. Draco looked worried. "I know it's not much, but…"

Harry didn't even allow him to finish the sentence before he had captured his lips in a kiss. "It's perfect," he said, kissing him again. "Thank you."

Draco smiled deeply and looked down at the small unopened box in front of him. He gently lifted the lid and peeked inside.

"Oh, Harry…." he said taking the silver ring out of the box. The ring was covered an intricate design, much like the necklace Draco had given him on his birthday. A dragon wrapped around the entire length of the thin ring and contained one tiny emerald green eye.

"I hope you like it. It reminded me of the necklace you gave me and I wanted you to have it."

"You shouldn't have. Harry, this must have been expensive?" said the blond amazed at the ring's beauty. Harry laughed inwardly remembering how stuck up and snobbish Draco had been all through Hogwarts. Now that he was virtually penniless his perspective had changed entirely when it concerned matters concerning money.

"Shhh… I said I wanted you to have it. Do you like it?" Harry asked cocking his head to the side.

"Of course I do. It's perfect," said Draco as he slipped onto the ring finger on his left hand. Harry had watched curiously to see what finger he had put the ring on and was touched that he put it on the one finger that was so symbolic. "I love you," said Draco.

"I love you, too," said Harry looking deep into his boyfriend's pale eyes.

"Would ya cut it out already? You're going to make me lose my breakfast!" whined Ron who had been watching from afar. Harry and Draco looked up at him laughing and knew from the smile on Ron's face that he was happy for them.

Harry slipped another quick kiss on Draco's lips as he rose from the floor. There was still much that would happen on this festive day so Harry decided to head up to the shower. He hoped that any lingering thoughts of Sirius would disappear when he drowned himself in a much needed hot shower.

Harry thought for certain that Christmas was going to be hard this year after the loss of his godfather and the strange dream last night, but he soon found that he had many distractions. Christmas seemed to have come rather quickly and with its impending arrival came the rest of the Weasley clan and their guests. They seemed to pop in all day long. First came Fred and George, whose arrival was met with much noise and excitement. Immediately conversations about Quidditch and new products available at their joke shop were flying left and right. It was hard to feel gloomy around these jovial beings, and Harry felt himself get carried away in the excited discussions.

Later that day, Charlie and Bill arrived. Harry found both of Ron's oldest brothers to be rather fascinating. They led quite interesting lives and he enjoyed hearing about their adventures. Charlie who was the second oldest, arrived at the Burrow first. His entrance was loud and obtrusive. Draco had been walking from the kitchen to the living room carrying a plate of homemade cookies for the twins, when Charlie came busting in the door shaking the snow off his head in the process.

Draco got the scare of his life seeing another red head come rushing in like that. "Ahh! Another one! Do they like, clone the Weasleys or something?" He asked looking at Harry seriously. Harry chuckled as he turned back to the game he was playing with the twins.

"Hey everyone, when's dinner mum?" he asked, his good-natured face smiling broadly. He hung up his cloak beside the door and went in search of his mother.

Charlie was much more like the twins in his build than the rest of the Weasleys. He was shorter and stockier than Ron and Percy, and was rather strong looking from his years of working with dragons in Romania.

Bill arrived shortly afterward, but his entrance was much more subdued. He had simply flooed over and casually walked out of the fire place dusting off the soot. Harry wished he could floo that easily. Bill was no longer working in Egypt, but had still been working for Gringott's in London so that he could continue to work for the Order. Although he occasionally lived at home now and again, his work caused him to travel quite a bit so he was rarely seen. Ron had long speculated that Bill was doing so reconnaissance work for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, but that it was strictly hush-hush. No one really knew for sure.

Bill found his mother and father talking to Charlie quietly in the kitchen. Molly rose to greet him, but clicked her tongue sadly as she took in her son's appearance once again.

"I know long hair and earrings used to be the fashion, dear, but I believe that you are in serious need of a haircut. Why don't you just let me get out my scissors and I…."

"No, thanks, mum. I'm fine," said Bill as he shoved a cookie into his mouth. The tall red haired man approached Harry and the others who were taking turns playing Chess and Exploding Snap in the living room to pass the time.

"Hey Harry, Draco," he said nodding to them both through a mouthful of cookie. In some ways Bill reminded Harry of a cooler version or Ron. "How are you?" Bill asked curiously.

"Fine," said Harry quickly as he looked away. Bill had been there last summer when the others discovered what had happened to him at the Dursleys'. He hated the fact that so many people knew about his past. It made him uncomfortable to know that even Bill knew some of his deep dark secrets, and he hoped that he wouldn't bring up his past.

"Doin' pretty good," replied Draco. "How has work been going for you? Anything interesting happening?" Draco was just as curious about Bill as Harry was and had developed a fascination for Ron's oldest brother's career.

"Nothing I can really talk about," said Bill with a smile. He sat down across from them and lounged back into the comfortable old couch and watched the other's playing their games.

Soon it began to grow dark and smells of Christmas dinner wafted through the air. Everyone was growing hungry and stomachs growled and mouths salivated as the delicious aromas from the kitchen enticed them. Ron and Draco tried to sneak into the kitchen when Mrs. Weasley had her back turned and tried to steal a bite to eat. Caught in the act, they were scolded and shooed out of the kitchen. The Weasley clan all moaned and whined as they were reminded once again that they had to wait for the rest of their guests to arrive.

As if on cue, someone flooed into the kitchen fireplace and stepped out and greeted the others. "Hi, everyone, I hope that you don't mind that I dropped by."

"Hermione!" yelled Ron as he ran across the room and enveloped her in a hug. He twirled her about the kitchen placing little kisses on her face. "You came, you came, you came."

"Yes! Now put me down Ronald Weasley," she ordered playfully.

"I thought you wouldn't be able to make it," he said.

"So did I, but thankfully my grandmother always has Christmas dinner painfully early so I was able to floo over here once I was done making my pleasantries there," Hermione explained.

"I am so glad you are here," said Ron. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," said Hermione. Before she could greet the others Ron was dragging her through to the living room where they could exchange their gifts to one another. Being the impatient person that Ron was, he couldn't wait to exchange gifts after dinner like everyone else.

Harry gave her a shy wave as she was led away from the rest of them. He also noticed that Ginny was looking a little gloomy in the corner of the living room. She had owled Neville earlier that day and he confirmed that he would not be able to come to dinner this evening. She watched disappointedly as Ron and Harry interacted with their significant others. Ginny was never really good at hiding her jealousy, and Harry gave her a sad smile.

Soon Remus and Snape arrived having flooed over from Hogwarts directly. It appeared as if Remus had convinced Snape to come and the Potions master spent a good deal of the evening mumbling under his breath about, "That confounding werewolf forcing me to come here… perfectly fine on my own… red heads everywhere…."

Remus merely smiled at his difficult co-worker and was determined, like the others, to kill Snape with utter kindness. It seemed to make him little more irritated and uncomfortable then before, and set the normally controlled man severely off balance.

Remus greeted Harry warmly and placed a loving hand on top of his head and let it slide down to his cheek. For once, Harry didn't flinch at the touch. "Happy Christmas, Harry."

"Happy Christmas, Prof- Remus," said Harry smiling. Harry was grateful to the Weasleys for having invited the professor to Christmas dinner. Harry now thought of the man as family, and although he couldn't ever replace Sirius, he was thankful to have the man in his life. He was sure that Remus appreciated the invitation as well seeing how he doesn't really have any family either. Holidays must be equally difficult on him, especially after the loss of his best friend.

"I need to talk to you later privately. I have a gift for you and some things to discuss." Harry nodded his head in understanding. "How are you doing? Are you sleeping well?"

Harry looked away knowing that he couldn't lie to the man he had already opened up to so much. He tried to think of something to say, but he was at a loss for words. "I will take that as a no. We'll talk about it later. For now, let's enjoy ourselves," said Remus.

"Yeah," said Harry smiling. He looked around and found Draco watching him with a smile as well. Draco knew how important Remus was in Harry's life and he had been encouraging him to let the man into his life. Snape was standing close to his godson trying to engage him in a conversation about a potion he was creating, the only thing he really enjoyed talking about, but Draco was only half listening.

Harry noticed that Molly had been looking out the window for the majority of the evening with great sadness in her eyes. Although she loved having almost all of her family home with her this year, there was still one person missing from this glorious occasion. Her beloved son, Percy, had chosen to side against his family and said many hateful things. She had been so hurt when she learned of the letter he had written Ron and when he sent back his Christmas gift last year. Harry was surprised that she had even hung his stocking up again this year. Harry knew that deep down she wished that her once prized son would return home. He wasn't sure how he felt about all that, especially since Percy had tried to convince Ron to stay away from him.

The noise level had grown considerably after each person's arrival and the Burrow had quite a party started. Christmas music and laughter filled the room as they sipped their spirits. Finally, the time had come for everyone to sit down to Christmas dinner. Harry had been wondering how they were all going to fit in the tiny kitchen, and he had thought that Mr. Weasley would just simply extend the room to accommodate everyone much like he had with the rest of the top heavy little house. Harry soon discovered that he had been completely wrong.

"Come along now, right this way," motioned Arthur to the others as he led them outside the Burrow.

Harry was now thoroughly confused and wondered for a moment if they should all go back and get their outer cloaks. The sight that met him was not what he had been expecting. It was dark outside and the temperature should have been freezing, but Harry felt as warm as he would on a summer day. A large table had been placed just outside the Burrow, and was set with a long white table cloth, red napkins, beautiful ornate dishes and goblets, two candelabras, and sprigs of holly that had been placed just so. The nighttime atmosphere was softly illuminated by the glow from the candles and waning gibbous moon above them. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the stars twinkled merrily as they looked down at the festivities below them.

Upon closer examination, Harry realized that the table and the pathway from the Burrow out here had been enchanted to keep everyone warm. A bubble of sorts could be just barely seen keeping the warmth that had been created in, and the cold crisp night air out. It seemed so surreal to be dining in the middle of the yard amongst the snow-covered landscape.

"Whoa," said Harry as he took in the sight before him. It reminded him vaguely of the Great Hall at Hogwarts which had a ceiling that was enchanted to reflect the sky outside, but this obviously, was a million times better.

"Whoa is right," said Draco. "I have never seen anything like it."

Later, Harry discovered that Molly Weasley had inherited the china when she was very young and they had never had the heart to sell the expensive set of dishes even during the hardest of times. Apparently the Weasleys had been dining like this on Christmas as long as any of them could remember. It had become something of a tradition and a long kept secret until now. On this night, whenever possible, the entire Weasley family dined like kings under the night sky. Thirteen people in all made their way to the table and took their seats. Within minutes the entire table was filled with the delicious foods that Mrs. Weasley had been preparing all day. It had appeared much like the way the meals did at Hogwarts. There was roasted turkey, a large ham, parsnips, breads, sweet potatoes, various dressings and gravy, mashed potatoes, a myriad of vegetables, pumpkin juice, wine and ale, Christmas pudding, and an assortment of cakes and pies. It was a meal like no other.

With dinner came many excited conversations as the Weasleys caught up with one another on what was going on in their lives. Laughter was commonplace at any Weasley table, but tonight seemed especially merry. The atmosphere had everyone in a rather joyful mood and even Snape seemed to be having difficulty maintaining his composure. The poor man was so out of place it was funny. He tried sticking to serious topics while talking briefly with Remus and Draco, but he couldn't keep himself from overhearing the loud conversations at the other end of the table as the Weasleys remembered embarrassing stories about one another growing up. At one point, Harry swore that he had seen Snape snicker at a fine comment, but the Potions master looked away determinedly. Draco merely shrugged at Harry in amusement. He was used to his godfather's odd behavior, but made sure that the man didn't stay in his normal sullen stupor by asking him a thousand annoying questions about anything and everything.

Reflecting back on that enchanted evening, Harry swore that they must have dined outside for nearly three hours before the conversations died down tiredly and everyone was completely full from third and fourth helpings. They all decided to retire back into the Burrow where they could lie about, groaning about how they would surely die from eating too much.

Now that dinner was over, the Weasleys began to open the presents again now that the rest of the family had joined them. There was wrapping paper literally covering every square foot of the floor as the redheaded clan liked to throw the sparkly paper about in an attempt to open their gifts the fastest. Everyone oohed and ahhed as each gift was opened. Draco was currently flipping through the pages of the book Snape had given him about defensive spells. The blond had developed a keen interest in the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts since using the soul mate spell that protected Harry from dying on Halloween. He had been begging his godfather, who was always keen on obtaining the DADA position anyway, to teach him more about how he could defend himself. Harry was sipping eggnog beside Draco in front of the fire enjoying himself immensely when he was approached by Remus.

"Hey, Harry can I talk to you now?" asked the graying man.

"Sure," said Harry politely. He set his mug down beside Draco and began to follow Remus to the kitchen. Remus motioned Harry to sit down when they were interrupted by Snape.

"Lupin if you don't mind, I would like to speak to Mr. Potter first. I need to be on my way soon so I hope you do not mind terribly," said Snape rather quickly.

"Well, actually I wanted to…" Remus began looking at Harry's confused face.

"Listen Lupin, I don't have all night. Just let me speak to Potter privately. It won't take more than a few minutes," said Snape sounded somewhat irritated.

"Well, I guess," said Remus sounding rather put our. "Is that okay with you Harry?'

"Yeah," said Harry nodding his head.

He was completely bewildered as to the reason why Snape would need to speak with him privately, but he waited quietly nonetheless. Remus left the room and joined the others who were still opening gifts. Harry watched as Snape sat down across from him. He set his palms down on the front of the table as if he were bracing himself for what he was about to say, and looked outside at the falling snow. His obsidian eyes had a far away dreamy look that was unsettling on a man who was usually maintained a stoic glare. While the professor collected his thoughts momentarily, Harry noticed something under his sleeve. It seemed as if Snape was now a wearing leather arm band on his left arm. It was secured firmly with several intricate buckles and leather straps. Upon closer inspection, Harry saw what appeared to be surgical gauze sticking out a fraction of an inch from under the arm band.

"Sir?" asked Harry.

"What? I am sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. Please excuse my behavior…."

Harry interrupted the man out of curiosity. "Sir, how is your arm?"

Snape looked at him oddly and then realized that he was hinting at his Dark Mark and how Voldemort had been torturing him through it. He unconsciously grabbed his left arm with his right hand, but winced in pain as he gripped it too tightly. "If you must know, the Dark Mark has been removed…." said Snape absentmindedly.

"Really? How?"

Snape sighed deeply in frustration. Apparently this was not going according to his plan. "Pomfrey has removed the tattoo, but unfortunately she had to take a good chunk of my arm in the process. Unfortunately, I am somewhat disfigured now, which is why I wear this leather arm band."

"So Voldemort can't touch you now? You're free?"

"I guess you can say that," said Snape with a smirk on his face.

"That's great. Draco has been so worried about you," said Harry honestly.

"Yes, I know. He is a good boy," said the dark man, more to himself than to the small boy across from him. There was another few moments of silence and Harry caught Remus looking their way again.

"Sir? Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Hmmm… oh yes. Actually I have something to give you?" Snape reached into his robes and pulled out an old leather journal and placed on the table in front of Harry. Harry looked at his professor and then at the book feeling rather confused. Why would Snape give him something? Was this a Christmas present? What was it?

Snape saw Harry's confusion and reached across the table and turned the cover over so that Harry could see what was inscribed on the first page.

Defense Against the Dark ArtsResearch and NotesBy Lily Evans PotterMy hope is that one day my research will be invaluable in defeating the Dark Lord. The ancient texts hold many answers to our questions and we are only now realizing how important this ancient magic can be. Let the light prevail!

Seeing his mother's handwriting for the first time, Harry reached out gingerly and fingered the words on the page hoping to somehow feel his mother there too. He then looked up at Snape quizzically.

"You mother's research has been in my possession for a very long time. I found it amongst the rubble when the house in Godric's Hollow was destroyed. Lily had a brilliant mind, and she did extensive research into finding ways to resist the unforgivable curses. It was one of the reasons why your parents had to go in hiding and use a secret keeper.Voldemort did not want anyone learning of a way to stop his progression into power. She was unable to complete her research because of her untimely death, but I kept her journal in hopes that myself or someone else could continue to explore what she had begun."

"My mum?" Harry said softly.

He had always been told about his father, but he had little information about his mother and he was amazed at the dangerous research she had been conducting. He had always assumed that it was because of his father that they had to go into hiding, but it now seemed that his mother was equally responsible for their fate.

"She was a remarkable woman…" said Snape. He got a far away look in his eyes once again.

"Sir? You cared for my mother didn't you?" Harry wondered aloud.

"Yes, I did. But I made some mistakes in my past… and well, she chose the better man. Didn't she?" Harry was at a loss as to what to say about that. He looked at the Potions master in amazement that he was being so open with him.

"Turn to the page that I have bookmarked," said Snape turning his attention back to the boy in front of him.

Harry did as he said and found the spell that Draco had used to protect him on Halloween night… Solara Amicus.

"This is the spell…." Harry began.

"Yes, I am the one who told him about your mother's research when he came to me worried about you. Look at what is written at the bottom there."

October 31, 1996- Draco Xavier Malfoy successfully used the Solara Amicus spell to save his soul mate Harry James Potter from the killing curse cast by the Dark Lord himself. Both boys entered a coma like state while their souls crossed the threshold into Limbo, where they had to come to terms with had happened in their lives and choose to live once again. Both Malfoy and Potter soul's returned to their bodies, and they are now leading productive lives.
- Severus Snape, Potion's Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry stared in awe as he realized that he had now become a part of his mother's research, and how once again his mother had effectively found a way to save his life. He was eternally grateful for the gift.

"Thank you, professor. You don't know what this means to me to have something that belonged to my mother. But don't you need this book to help the Order?"

"Don't worry. I made myself a copy already, but I felt that it was important for you to have the original."

"Thank you," said Harry again.

"Well, I need to be on my way. Give my best to Draco."

Without another word, the Hogwarts professor flooed away, leaving a very stunned boy sitting alone at the table lost in his thoughts. He thumbed through each page looking at the tireless effort his mother had put into her work. He was sad to be reminded that he had never had the chance to really know her, but he was happy to have at least something to get to know her better.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked Remus. He had apparently been eavesdropping from his location in the living room.

"Yeah, I am really good actually," said Harry looking up at Remus as he sat down.

"Well, that's good because I have something to give you as well."

"Okay. Oh wait…" Harry ran to the living room to get the gift he had placed under the tree where it had waited to be opened. He sat down back at the table, and said, "Open this first."

Remus nodded at the boy in front of him, and Harry watched as he unwrapped the gift. The older man smiled as he pulled the muggle watch from the wrappings. "I thought of you when I saw it in the shop. It shows the phases of the moon across the top," said Harry.

"Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Now go on, open yours."

Harry unwrapped the present and lifted the lid to the small box. Inside, nestled on a pile of purple velvet, was a key attached to a key chain in the shape of a Golden Snitch. He wasn't sure what to say since he really didn't know what the key implied, so he looked up at Remus hoping he would explain. Remus looked very nervous as he took a deep breath.

"Harry, I have been working on something for quite a long time now. Actually since this summer, and it seems like it may be a real possibility now. There may be some unforeseen problems, but I felt confident to give this to you now."

Harry looked at him still completely bewildered. He had no idea what Remus was talking about, and he wondered if he should or something.

"Harry, what I am trying to say, is that if you want to, I would love to welcome you into my home and make it your own," said Remus finally.

"What?" asked Harry as the reality of what Remus was implying took full effect.

"That is a key to my home… our home… if you would like to come live with me… permanently…."

"Really?" asked Harry as his heart began to pound.

"Really," said Remus wholeheartedly.

"I thought you couldn't take me in because you are a werewolf?"

"Well, I have been trying to find a way around that fact and Dumbledore and I found a loophole in the child custody system. Technically, wizards are no longer seen as minors at the age of sixteen even though you are still in school. Fortunately for us, the laws regarding werewolves and guardianship are also somewhat vague for teenagers over the age of sixteen. We think that you will be allowed to be in my care as long as I do not adopt you. I am still under probation though so we are just waiting on a final verdict from the Ministry."

"What about when you transform?" Harry asked.

"Well, I think the Weasleys wouldn't mind a visit from you now and again seeing how they love you so much. Besides, they can lock me up in the dungeons at Hogwarts like they usually do so I will be no danger to you."

"So, I can really come live with you. You want me to?" he asked almost doubtfully.

"Yes, of course. I love you Harry…" And with that Harry began to crumble.

Tonight had been somewhat overwhelming. Christmas dinner was everything he thought it would be. He had received his mother's journal from Professor Snape who he seemed to have a better understanding of, and now he learned that he would finally have a home of his own. Harry felt…. happy. Remus saw that Harry's chin had begun to tremble and came around to comfort him.

"It's okay. You don't have to come live with me if you don't want to."

"No, please… I want to. I had no idea where I would go now that I can't return to Privet Drive. I'm just… overwhelmed, I guess."

"I understand," said Remus. He hugged the boy fiercely. "Wait until you see the place. It's not much, but it's home!"

"I love it already," said Harry chuckling. For the first time that Harry could ever remember, he was looking forward to going home this summer.

A/N: Whoa, another long chapter. I think this is the longest one yet. And to think I had originally planned Christmas to be all one chapter instead of the last three. Damn muse! Not many reviews for the last chapter, but that could be because I had to remove the disclaimer and author's note as a separate entry. I had to include it in the prologue due to new guidelines. The chapters all got shifted up so they may have told you that you had reviewed for the last chapter already. I know not much happened, but trust me the next chapter is going to be rather interesting and exciting. I had to throw some fluffiness in with all the angst. And I can't wait to write what happens on New Years…. Any way, please review… I am begging you….