Disclaimer: Not Rowling, or Dickens, although I love their characters and think of Snape whenever I watch the musical version of 'A Christmas Carol' and Albert Finney as Scrooge sings 'I hate people'!
Don't Call Me Daddy
Chapter 7- Holiday Happenings
Although not as relentlessly festive as Muggle sections of London, Diagon Alley was still excessively decorated in Severus Snape's opinion. Were white fairy lights twinkling in draping strands from lamppost to lamppost really necessary? Did every shop entrance have to visually assault customers with a bedecked evergreen wreath? Strolling along the alleyway with his wife, the Potions Master curled his lip at a street vendor calling,
Chestnuts, get your chestnuts roasted over an open fire!
The sound of bells made Lorelei smile delightedly. She pulled him toward the small crowd gathered around a group clanging hand bells in some rendition of a carol. Lean muscled shoulders hunched inside his greatcoat. Wishing he had worn his hooded cloak to ensure no one could see him appear to encourage the travesty of music, Severus bent his head so that long black strands fell forward to obscure his features.
Glancing sideways, the wizard admired the glow on his wife's face. The green cashmere poncho she wore with a black turtleneck and low waist trousers concealed the changes pregnancy had wrought. It amused him to observe appreciative glances of men become startled when a winter wind caused the fabric to cling and her expectant condition became plain. Catching sight of yet another admirer staring, he let go of her fingers to raise his and trail a possessive hand down over the burgeoning curve of her abdomen. The gawker's eyes widened humorously and shifted away in embarrassment. Snape smirked. The performance ended. Refusing to give false praise, he refrained from clapping. Lorelei did enough for the both of them,
"I love bells- they're so merry, merry, merry, Christmas!" At his sardonic look, she grinned, "Come on, Ebenezer, don't you like The Carol of the Bells, Silver Bells…"
"All the damn bells…? No, and I'll thank you not to refer to me as Scrooge unless you wish a certain present to be returned to the jewelers in emulation of his parsimony."
"No, no, dear, darling husband, you're not a scrooge." Fluttering her lashes, the siren said breathily, "You're Santa Baby…"
A huff of amusement escaped. Her peal of laughter brought the attention of an auburn haired woman bundled up in scarves and a tweed coat,
"Happy Christmas Lorelei, Snape…out doing last minute shopping…?"
Molly Weasley was as observant as ever. He inclined his head affirmatively while his partner smiled,
"Yes, there's always something, isn't there? And you?"
"Oh, Ginny and I just came into the city for lunch and a bit of holiday…"
The woman's exuberant voice trailed away as something across the street caught her eye. Following her gaze, Severus noted that through the Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe window, a blond man could be seen sliding a ring onto a redheaded young woman's finger. She threw her arms around him, lifting her face for a kiss that became increasingly passionate. Stygian dark eyes rolled. A quick wave of his wand sent a few chestnuts from the nearby stand clattering against the window. The couple startled, parting. Lorelei quickly said,
"I'm really looking forward to the party tomorrow night. Silky tells me that you're a whiz at party planning and Grimmauld Place is the epitome of Christmas Cheer."
Distracted from her obviously mixed emotions about her daughter's romantic attachment to Malfoy, the motherly woman beamed,
"It will be a lovely party, if I do say so myself. Silky is the most enjoyable partner to work with. So nice after Kreacher…"
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Weasley, Professors Snape…"
Meeting coolly amused grey eyes, Severus drawled,
"Professor Malfoy…and Ms. Weasley…doing a little extra-curricular studying?"
Draco smirked while his girlfriend blushed and said shyly,
"Happy Christmas Professors… Mum, Draco wants to take us ice-skating…will you come?"
Flustered, Molly stammered,
"Well, I…I haven't been in years…but…if you'll prop me up, dear, then yes, I'll come."
Waving goodbye, the three set off for the Muggle rink a short walk away. Severus heard a sniff and looked down to see his wife smiling mistily. She sighed,
"Wasn't that lovely?"
He chose not to comment, failing to see the beauty in an accepted invitation to go skating. Nodding in an amicable manner, Snape diverted hormonally influenced attention to a shop down the sidewalk,
"Didn't you mention procuring a gift for the son of your cousin Ariel?"
Tucking a curl behind her ear, Lorelei smiled,
"Yes, that's the perfect shop to find Diddums a Christmas present."
If there had been an award for 'most garish', Number 93 Diagon Alley would have won hands down. Across the front window outlined in multicolored fairy lights was a painted Father Christmas saying, 'Ho Ho Ho…what a savings!' Beside him, two maniacally grinning redheaded elves assured passerby 'Weasley Wizard Wheezes has something for everyone on your list- naughty or nice!' Inside, an evergreen covered in tinsel and a number of hazardous looking ornaments dominated the center of the shop. Last minute shoppers thronged the aisles searching for the perfect joke present.
While Lorelei perused a shelf of exploding and imploding toys, Severus noticed that a toddler standing by her mother a couple of meters away was staring at him. He ignored her. After a minute, he glanced casually over and saw that the diminutive blonde with a blue bow and pigtails was still looking his way. Irritated, he tried to outstare her. Round blue eyes never blinked. Huffily deciding that the child must have a vision problem, Snape turned away and made non-committal noises when his wife asked whether he thought Diddums would enjoy a self-destructing pop star doll, or an exploding lorry. A tug on his coat brought his gaze down to where a small hand was still clutching black cloth. Expressionlessly, he asked the importuning child,
"What do you want?"
Rosebud lips curved sweetly as the girl in pink silently offered him a candy cane. Brows drawn in consternation, he debated telling the child to go bother someone else. The little mouth started to turn down. Severus quickly took the candy and muttered,
"Thank you"
A big smile displayed tiny white teeth. The child's mother called,
"Cindy Lou, come over here, its time to go!"
Lisping 'Mewy Chwistmas', the toddler ran back to her mother. Beside him, an 'aww' preceded,
"She's so adorable!"
"Who?"
Giving him a chiding look, Lorelei said,
"Cindy Lou, that's who." Watching the child leave with her mother, she smiled, "Since she wasn't more than two, I'll be generous and not jealous that you accepted candy from a stranger."
He replied dryly,
"Maybe she thought my disposition needed sweetening."
Giving him a sultry look, his wife insisted,
"Putting sugar on your tongue is my job."
His head was lowering to the mouth lifting toward his when voices behind them laughed,
"No need to ask how she got that bun in the oven, George."
"Or worry that it's the milkman's baby, Fred."
While his eyes narrowed at the tasteless levity, his wife hugged the Weasley twins and asked the identically bothersome proprietors,
"Which would annoy my cousin more? Imploding pop star doll or exploding lorry?"
"Imploding pop star"
After speaking in unison, one grinned,
"Letters from satisfied customers in the 8-13 market say their mum's love the doll's falsetto voice and the sappy love song he sings."
The other finished,
"When the doll implodes, some even cry."
Immediately choosing the doll over the lorry, Lorelei thanked the brothers who insisted on ringing her purchase up personally. Leaving the redheads behind, Severus remarked,
"Since they don't have more than two brain cells to rub together, I'll be generous and not jealous that those boys are always trying to sweet-talk my wife."
Hugging his arm and laughing, the siren suggested they go home and sweeten each other up. Out of concern for healthy blood sugar levels, he steered her toward the nearest floo.
The next evening, the wizard stood before the mirror of his dresser, fastening the collar of his tailored black tunic while watching his wife smooth a thigh high stocking up a shapely leg. Turning from his reflection, Snape frowned,
"Why does every maternity outfit seem to bring attention to your breasts? Are clothing manufacturers trying to raise the observer's eye from your increasing abdomen?"
Looking down at the silky red camisole she had paired with a black skirt, Lorelei said thoughtfully,
"The empire waistlines accommodate a woman's increasing abdomen, but even when I wasn't pregnant, I noticed a lot of gazes focusing on my chest." She winked at him, "Are you finding your attention becoming fixed? I think it's because they're growing along with my belly." She laughed at his accusatory stare, "I'm not doing it on purpose…they're functional as well as decorative, you know!"
Irritably tugging his collar, Severus picked up his wife's wrap and draped it over the controversial area. Complimenting Lorelei on her appearance while nobly refraining from mentioning the word buxom, he escorted her to the stairs. Within their frames, the portraits of Snape ancestors looked over the current master and mistress and nodded their approval of the attire chosen, although one puritan muttered 'humph!'
Downstairs, Glas, the house brownie who wore green to match his name, looked up from polishing silver in the dining room to pronounce that they went together 'go halainn'- beautifully. Bidding the cousin of his father in law's Brownie goodnight, the wizard accompanied his wife outside in preparation to Apparate. Looking at the evergreen boughs decorating the doorframe, the green wreaths hanging from red ribbons on each window, and the enchanted candle softly illuminating each interior windowsill, intense features softened. His wife asked,
"Do you like it? I tried to keep the decorations classic."
Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he nodded,
"It's pleasing, but you are…alainn…"
Inside the formerly gloomy House of Black, a witch and a house elf had transformed the home into a red, green, gold, and silver bedecked Christmas fantasy. Although Voldemort was defeated, the Order of the Phoenix still met from time to time to discuss Death Eaters still on the Ministry's Most Wanted list and the current political climate. This party marked the first time the members had gathered solely to enjoy each others' company. Severus personally would rather have stayed by the fire reading a new text describing Wolfsbane experiments in Latvia. His wife was a more social creature, therefore he conceded to the outing. Surely he could endure alcohol induced good wishes and pointless frivolity for a couple of hours.
The former and current DADA professors moved to greet them the moment they entered. Tonks carried his wife off to the kitchen after handing her wrap to Silky. Lupin was naturally impressed by his 3-0 winning streak over Gimli and amused by the 'Rumpelstiltskin' story. With studied casualness, Remus asked about the Wolfsbane potion trials.
"No luck so far."
Members of the Order crowded the lounge. Feeling stifled, and weary of repetitive holiday chatter, Severus left Remus conversing with Albus and Minerva and headed downstairs. In the kitchen, two women were laughing over some joke when the back door opened. From the shadows, he watched a wizard step inside. The young man looked much the same as he ever had, from the affectations of unruly hair and glasses to the annoyingly warm gleam in his eyes,
"Harry!"
Tonks and Lorelei greeted Potter like a long-lost friend. Scowling over the exuberant greeting…the boy always garnered more than his fair share of affection and attention…the silent observer curled his lip when The Famous Harry Potter stepped back from hugging his wife and laughed,
"Your postcards mentioned that you were becoming well-rounded, but it was hard to imagine." Fingertips brushing her abdomen, he grinned, "Seeing is believing." Bending down, Potter said, "Can you hear me, kid? I'm Harry. I'll teach you how to ride a broom."
Stepping into the light, Severus drawled,
"Your time will be spent signing autographs and avoiding the press. I will teach my child, Potter."
Green eyes widened,
"Professor Snape, I was just…"
"I heard."
Placing her hand on Harry's arm, Tonks said, "I'll come upstairs with you. Remus and eggnog will lead to karaoke later if I don't watch him."
"Thanks"
Lorelei smiled and kissed the young man's cheek,
"Happy Christmas, Harry…you're at The Burrow?"
He nodded, "Yeah, it's been great. Happy Christmas."
Potter returned his former potions professor's civil inclining of the head with a nod. Tonks began to ask the Wizarding hero about Romania as they ascended the stairs. Prowling toward his wife, Severus growled,
"If there is anything my child needs to learn, I will be the teacher."
A delicate eyebrow winged upwards,
"Just you? What if we have a girl? Are you going to teach toilet training and braid her hair?"
Lips twisting, he conceded,
"We will teach our child."
Standing before Lorelei, Severus looked away before he admitted,
"I still have…difficulty…dealing with Potter in a reasonable manner."
She smiled understandingly. Taking his hands, she placed them on her abdomen,
"I've been feeling the baby fluttering around like a little butterfly for weeks, but today, it's been so strong, that I wonder…"
He wondered too,
"Where do you feel the babe now?"
"Underneath your right hand…" While he pressed lightly, she assured, "You are the man that I love, that our baby will love. No one else will ever come close. You're our hero."
Something pressed against his hand. Instinctively, he pressed back. The pressure was promptly returned. Disregarding his wife's laughing protest; he pushed up her camisole to watch the area carefully. When no movement was detected, Severus said sternly,
"I order you to move."
Nothing… Lorelei suggested,
"Press again…and this time…use that dark silky voice that always gets you what you want."
He pressed and coaxed,
"You are the most brilliant child on the planet. You want to show your parents how clever you are by sticking out a heel, or an elbow, or a knee…"
His voice trailed off as a small bump poked his palm. Removing his hand, Severus looked in awe at the outward manifestation of the child growing inside. Placing her hand over his against the tiny protrusion, Lorelei sighed,
"Isn't our baby wonderful?"
Beneath his palm, the child nudged with a strength that filled the father with tenderness.His lips curved,
"Why don't we go home and play with our baby?"
Cupping his face in her hands, Lorelei kissed him and said,
"Let's go."
A/N: I think of Snape as a bit grinchy before love makes his heart grow, lol. I was feeling very Dr. Seuss this chap- Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, Maybe Christmas is a little bit more… I get vaclempt every year over that! Whether or not you do too, Review!