My goodness, it is almost done, just the epilogue… so sad actually…

Christmas

Hogwarts woke up to a picturesque Christmas morning. There were not many students staying at the castle that year due to over protective parents wanting their little ones to be close to them during the time of need. Reports of dark activity coming ever closer to Hogwarts chilled their hearts. So other than the six teenaged heroes and their new Slytherin friend, only the teachers and ghosts occupied the halls. Not that they minded anyway, just more reason for them to run around like idiots.

"It is Christmas, right?"

Harry and Neville had no chance of sleeping during that questioning shout. Ron rand up and down the rows of beds set up in the seventh year Gryffindor boy's room. Sheets left their pristine perfection in the empty beds, drawers unloaded onto the floor, trunks mixed places as Ron searched for something.

"What are you doing?" Neville demanded, jumping up when Ron started his search in his bed.

"Presents!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air, "the pride of Christmas is missing!"

Neville just looked back and forth between the best friends as they started a throwing fight with old socks. Do they do that each year? Some sort of crazy ritual? And he was about to miss this?

"What?" Harry paused long enough to question his silent friend only to be pelted in the nose by a sock.

Did he say that out loud? A quick shake of his head encouraged the Boy-Who-Lived to further reprimand his friend using socks. "You do know that we agreed to open the presents in the Great Hall so that we could be with the others."

Ron just sat there for a few minutes, just blinking away without a care in the world. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh, Ronald."

But Ron wouldn't allow the usually silent Neville Longbottom to use such a sarcastic tone with him. And used his full first name as well! So as payback, a pillow just happened to find its way to his dorm mate's head. A pillow fight to end all pillow fights was heard throughout the castle.

"Black?"

Sirius was just trying to get the fact that he had died but now was allowed, legally, to walk the halls of Hogwarts. Even before he would walk around in the school, but he had to be in his animagi disguise to do so. But by the sound of the voice, it seemed as if someone didn't think he should get that privilege.

"Yes, Snape?" he sneered back.

"Be careful, Black, you don't know who might be listening."

They both knew what was being implied. Harry wouldn't want to hear the two of them, his parental units, to be fighting. And they had agreed that they would allow the past to become the past, for Harry. They owed it to him. But old habits die hard, don't they?

"You can't control what I do or say, Snape, and you know it. Don't hide behind Harry."

"Who said I'm hiding?" Severus' voice went dangerously low. Who did Black think he was accusing him of hiding behind Harry, anyone really, when he spent almost half his life being a spy in Voldemort's ranks? But to use Harry, his son! Okay, maybe Harry would be powerful enough for a whole world to hide behind in a time of need, but he would never.

Sirius knew he pushed the buttons a little too hard too soon as he saw Severus' wand slither out of his robes. He tried to back away, showing his hands unarmed to calm the Potion's Master as much as he could. "Now, now, you wouldn't attack an unarmed man, would you?"

"You did," Severus countered nastily, "many, many times if you would just remember. Would you like me to remind you?"

Sirius couldn't back down from a challenge any more than he could resist a bone in his Padfoot form. So he took out his own wand and raised it to an attacking position. "Oh, do tell, Snivilius."

"I will not allow you to make a fool of yourselves. Put down your wands, now."

No one could go against an order from Albus Dumbledore, probably not even Voldemort if the headmaster really tried. So the two placed their wands back in their wand holsters like reprimanded little kids. It was if their hands had got caught in the cookie jar before dinner.

"Now, before you do anything else stupid," hearing the word 'stupid' from the headmaster just sounded the strangest possible, "you will be going down to the Great Hall with everyone else, and enjoy the time of Christmas. I believe they are serving freshly collected syrup from the Forbidden Forest with the pancakes this morning. Imagine, Hogwarts is providing for herself now."

The headmaster was acting so kid-like in his persona that he didn't even notice the strange looks he was being given from the two rivals. He just continued walking down the halls, expecting the two to follow him, which they did. You just couldn't go against an order from the man, actually said out loud or not.

"I would think that you two would give up on your petty rivalry to get on with your life. You are not sixteen any longer if you haven't noticed."

"I know," the two middle-aged adults complained, sounding even more like little kids being reprimanded.

"But you sure are not acting like adults. Even Harry and Draco have given up their rivalry to bring good to the world. Why won't you follow their example and put the past behind you? Especially when you promised to a special someone that you would." The Great Hall was coming ever closer, you could even see it in the distance. "You will go into there with a broad smile on your face and enjoy the meal that is being provided for you."

"I don't think that Snape could smile long enough," Sirius muttered under his breath, but the look from the headmaster showed him that he spoke a little too loudly.

"Maybe I should not go, Headmaster, though I don't mean any disrespect. I have other obligations to do before the week is out. The Dark Lord does not take the holiday off as we do and I must make potions that will take all of my time."

"It's Christmas, Severus," Albus admonished, "couldn't you just take the day off? It is your first Christmas with your son."

Severus just couldn't walk any longer. "Yes, I admit that I should take the day off, but I do not think that I could go in there, Headmaster. You know I do not have good experiences with crowds."

"But what of your son?"

"Could you ask Sansone to join me in my private quarters after he is done with his friends? I would like to see him alone if you would allow it." And without an answer, Severus turned around and stalked back to his rooms knowing the headmaster would do as he asked.

"I more than allow it, my son, I encourage it."

"The headmaster told me you wanted to see me?"

Severus Snape did not look up from his position on his favorite couch. In his hands was a green and gold box, held with care. It held the Potion's Master's full attention as he seemed to debate whether or not to crush it into little pieces and forget it's existence, or to deliver it to its new master. Finally he set it on the ornate coffee table in front of him and looked to his son.

"Sit," he said with his usual tone of voice though his eyes betrayed the slight nervousness he had. But in a blink of an eye, that emotion could have been imagined as the strong walls fell into place defensively. "I have something for you."

"Did you get my gift?" Harry asked uncertainly. His fears were calmed once he saw the figuring of his black panther form and a Slytherin snake on the mantelpiece behind him. "I didn't know what you would have wanted."

"It was a fine idea," Severus answered, looking as well to his Christmas gift, "though I do not know if you would appreciate mine as well."

Hesitantly, Harry pulled the gold ribbon tied on top off. H wasn't afraid that it would hurt him for any reason, but it was the first exchange of gifts. If it wasn't personable, like a calendar or food, then it showed he just didn't care too much about his son. And that would hurt him much more than loosing of a gift. Next off was the Slytherin green wrapping paper. The lid slid off to reveal a book, a plain black book with glowing green eyes glaring down at him.

"It's a journal made especially for you. T open it, you have to look into the eyes on the cover until they close. And you don't have to sue any ink for it, you just open the book to the page you want it to write on and imagine the words on the page. The war will build up emotions that will take you over, creating an imbalance in your magical energy. I found that when I wrote down the hardships I faced instead of dwelling on them, reduced problems. And I hope that it will help you as well."

Harry was touched by the gift. Not only was it pretty cool in how it worked – something he wished he had in muggle school – but he gave it to him because it would help him in the long road. His father was looking out for him, using personal experiences to predict what would be best for his son. Wasn't that what adults were for - well parents in general? Weren't they there to make sure that world was better for their children? SO that they don't suffer pains of the past? But that wasn't all that was in the box. A medium in thickness silver chain presented a medallion of pure silver and jade. It was a family crest that Harry recognized as Snape from his heritage book which still rested at the bottom of his trunk. A jade snake wrapped stealthy around two crossed wands.

"The Snape family crest…"

Severus nodded, not understanding the implications of the statement. Was it good or bad? Or even a strange incident with both? "If you want, you could war it or just keep it in your room. I know you don't really need a parent right now, but I would appreciate it if you don't reject it." He would have gone on if it weren't for his son practically tackling him to the ground in a fierce hug.

"Thank you," he answered slowly, "you don't know how much this means to me. I might have been wanted as the Boy-Who-Lived, but it's not the same as from a parent. Sure the Weasleys have tried their best in everything…"

"But they are not yours."

"Exactly! You understand! So hopefully you'll also understand that it will take me awhile to truly get through this – don't worry, I accept it, its just living it that will take awhile. And… I heard you saying that this isn't how I'm supposed to look like?" A nod for an answer. "I would like to see it."

Severus was flabbergasted for the longest time. His son wanted to connect much more than just spending time together living, he wanted to show the world. "You can't change it back afterwards; I don't know what charm your mother did to disguise your look for so long. But I have a hunch that you'll need something of James to use. And you can see the problem in that."

"I have thought about it and I know of the problems that could happen from it. I'm okay with it. But I want Sirius, Hermione, and Ron there when it happens okay?"

"I understand," Severus said promptly, but inside he was elated. "The headmaster has the right to attend as well. We will meet up here right after dinner, shall we?"

Harry nodded in acceptance. He was practically inching to start the spell right then and there, but the others were busy then and they had to be there, they just had to.

So he would wait.

Keep tuned for the last one! Do you have anything that you thought wasn't explained enough? Because this is the last time for it to be added to a chapter.

Athenakitty: You know, I don't know really… maybe I'll add something in the epilogue for you okay? It would be nice for poor Gregory to find someone, I couldn't believe I actually tortured him so much…

Joou Himeko Dah I think I created one of those characters that everyone likes, but there really isn't anything else that happens to the person as you are the second person to mention Gregory… and don't worry, my sis got better the next day… I think she's the only one that could be sicker than sick and then the next morning be ready for camp…

Trinity 101: Well, I'm sorry to say that I wasn't able to get the dose of Draco, but I did get Harry and Severus interaction. I liked how it came out actually. It did show Harry was worried about the reaction from his father a bit.