(13)Yuletide Season

Harry whirled around. "He........WHAT?! Hey! That's just a fancy way of saying "kiss," Ronald Weasley!"

"What do you care? You don't even like your aunt or Snape?" Ron defended.

"Actually, I don't mind my aunt," Harry answered. "We get along just fine!"

"You just don't want Snape in your family!" Ron said.

"Excuse me!" Harry retorted. "I'm in love with his daughter! I don't mind having a Snape around at all!"

"I mean Professor Severus Snape, Harry!" Ron glared at him. "By the way, Merida? How do you like this?"

"I don't care what he does with himself!" Merida stated matter-of-factly. "I'm not speaking to him, remember?"

"Let's go!" said Harry. "There's nothing I can do now! I'll get him in the morning!"

The next morning, Harry marched down to the Potions classroom. Draco & his friends were hanging around the door as usual, up to no good. "Out of my way, Draco!" Harry pushed him aside into a Gargoyle, breaking his nose a second time. Crabbe & Goyle helped Draco up & then turned onto Harry but he had already closed the door in their faces. Harry marched up to Snape's desk.

"Putting in extra time over the holidays won't make me give Gryfindor points!" Snape said icily.

Harry crossed his arms. "Explain what you were doing last night? Messing with my aunt? Hmmm? Ron, Merida & I saw you!"

Snape glowred at his desk, thinking of any good recovery statement for that! One finally came to him. "I've have every right because YOU are messing with MY daughter, are you not?" Snape smiled triumphantly as Harry let that sink in!

Harry sighed. "Look! My aunt is on the rebound from Uncle Vernon!" Then Harry smiled as he remembered something. "Come to think of it, you're on a type of rebound to!"

Snape put on a poor accent. "Rachelle died years ago! I should think I am over her by now!"

"Merida's mother was French?" Harry laughed. "No wonder you were doing that to my aunt!"

Snape's unhappy smile was frozen to his face! "You were....close enough to see THAT?!"

"Oh, yeah!" Harry smiled. "But i wasn't referring to Merida's mother! I was referring to her! She still isn't speaking to you, is she?"

"No, I'm afraid not!" Snape sighed. Then he glared at Harry. "You don't even like your aunt or me! Why should you care if we are together?"

Now it was Harry's turn to be frozen in time! When he finally decided to thaw out, he glared back at Snape. "You---NO!! You didn't? You went beyond a kiss didn't you?"

Snape took a moment to figure that out! "Mr. Potter! How could you think that?" he finally said. "No we didn't! Why? Was I supposed to? I don't know much about muggles because I met Rachelle here at Hogwarts!"

Harry turned away from Snape to hide a laugh! "Yes, you were!" he said! "You should have gone all the way!" Harry fled the scene before any Occlumency spells could reach him! This would be a great way to separate them! Getting Snape to do all the wrong things!

"Enjoying your holidays?" came a sudden voice.

Snape practically left claw marks on the ceiling! "Albus!!" he hissed. "Why do you DO that?! & I'm not into Christmas! You know that!" He continued on towards the Great Hall.

"Sorry!" Dumbledore lied, smiling softly as he walked beside Snape. "But this year, you have someone to share Christmas with!" He raised an eyebrow.

"Tell the whole castle, Mr. Potter!" Snape muttered to himself. He glowered at Dumbledore. "I only kissed Petunia once, OK?"

Dumbledore raised both eyebrows. "I was referring to your daughter!" Snape glanced around as if looking for a hole to hide in! "So you've met Petunia as well?"

"Hmm? Who?" Snape tried to get out of this one!

"Ah! The wild Severus we once knew is returning to us!" Dumbledore laughed.

"Don't bet on it!" Snape snapped. "Besides, Merida won't even look at me! Perhaps I'm not meant to be her father after all!"

"I know how it is in your class, Severus!" Dumbledore said.

"But what she said to me in the hospi---!" Snape began.

Dumbledore put a hand up to stop him. "Every word of it is true," Dumbledore said gently. "you know that! You can be frightfully trying on the children at times! Ease up a bit! After all, they're only children! Now," Dumbledore added. "I believe Petunia may be in the Great Hall?" he teased as he entered through the doors, leaving a stunned Snape standing outside!

The next few days were spent in anticipation of Christmas Day. The castle was decorated with garlands & bright lights as colorful pixies flew to & fro & a large Christmas Tree graced the Great Hall. It was the day before Christmas & Merida was lying on a sofa in the library, reading a book on unicorns when she sensed that she wasn't alone. Peering over her book, she saw Snape. Ignoring him, Merida returned to her reading.

"Come on, Merida!" Snape sighed exasperated. "We have to start somewhere!" Merida turn a page & continued reading. Snape eyed her or rather the book that was in front of her. She won't even let me look at her? Snape told himself darkly. "Are you mad at me for seeing Petunia? Potter told me you saw us!"

"Actually I'm glad you're with her!" Merida suddenly said but kept her eyes on her book. "It shows you can be capable of love! I'm just mad at you for the way you treat us in class & for simply.....EXISTING!"

"Well if I didn't exist then neither would you!" Snape tried a joke. Merida, however was more silent then a grave! "I'm trying, OK? It' hard & awkward for me, too!"

Merida laid her book down for a moment. "You never did answer my question! What's wrong with you anyway? Always picking on everyone in class!"

"Bad times change a man!" Snape winced. "I hope you fare better!"

"Riding horses is better than anything!" Merida was getting excited. "Did you know I won my first race?"

"I don't know anything about you since you won't talk to me!" Snape almost snapped but checked his tone at the last minute.

"I even had my own horse but,"Merida glanced to the floor. "Someone poisoned Moonrider afterward. He died!"

"I'm.....sorry to hear that!" Snape said. Could I feel any more awkward?!

"Oh, but I know who did it!" Merida declared. "The owner of Flight Of Death!"

"Flight Of Death?! I'm beginning to dislike this muggle-riding business!" Snape stated.

"No, father!" Merida laughed. "Flight Of Death is the name of another horse!"

Snape smiled shyly at being called "father"! "A muggle notion!" he finally said. "What of our world?"

"That's why I'm reading this book on unicorns!" Merida picked it up again.

"Stop reading then because you won't find what you're looking for!" Snape said. "Most unicorns are wild & very few are kept as pets, but only pets!"

Merida sighed. "What did you really want?" she got onto the subject. "I know you! You're so predictable! Always buzzing around like a vulture & preying on us poor Gryfindors!"

"I'm not preying on anyone, Merida!" Snape hissed through gritted teeth. Though I am "PRAYing" to Merlin right now! "I just wanted to give you this! It's called a Christmas present!"

"Christmas present? From you? Really?" Merida exclaimed. "Wow! There is a God!"

"You're impossible!" Snape snapped.

"So are you!" Merida laughed. "Professor Lupin is right, I guess!" She gazed curiously at Snape as he handed her two presents.

"Just making up for lost time!" Snape muttered stiffly.

Merida opened the smaller package first. Inside was a photo album & the first picture was a young lady with long silvery blonde hair, looking for all the world like an older Merida! "Who is she?" Merida asked. Snape didn't answer. "Mom?"

"Yes," Snape finally said. "Rachelle Serge---well Rachelle Snape, later on of course!"

"Thank you, father!" Merida said after a moment. "I always wanted to know what she looked like!"

"Just look in a mirror, Merida!" Snape said softly for once. "You look just like her." He got up to leave as Merida opened the larger package.

She stared into the box! "What the...? Father? You actually approve of this?"

"Not at all!" Snape declared. "But since you insist on being with Potter & his mischievous little minions, you might as well have it!" he glared at her for a moment. "Besides, it may help to protect you from the Dark Lord!" he added more to reassure himself, as he left the library.

Merida just stared into the box. Did she really have one? She touched it all over. It was soft as velvet. "I can't wait to show Harry this!" Merida jumped up & ran to Gryfindor Tower.