Merry Christmas, Baby

SeverusxPetunia, Harry

Rated T

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters from the franchise. That honor belongs to JK Rowling

Author's Note: This is a little follow-up/side-story in lieu of the holiday season from my main story Raising Harry. If you don't wish to read that beforehand, that is fine. All that will need to be known, or what I think is important to know to follow along, is that Severus and Petunia are married, Harry is their child as they view him their son and them his parents, and they have an infant girl together; also, Petunia is a witch and not a simple Muggle. I'm also aware of certain characters possibly coming off as OOC, but it does follow after the main story. I hope you all enjoy this little story, and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. XOXO, SehunsBae37.

Merry Christmas, Baby

Severus Snape frowned as he woke up that morning, trying to figure out what had disturbed him enough to wake him. It was quiet for a moment before he heard the sound of a small coo that was beginning to turn into a whine. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, black eyes landed on the little white and pink bassinet, the bassinet that held his one-month old daughter, Eileen Lillian Rose Snape. Hearing Eileen begin to whine again, he slowly extracted himself from where he was lying with his wife Petunia, before getting out of bed and walking over to the bassinet. Peering inside, he couldn't help but smile softly at the sight that greeted him.

Eileen, her eyes still closed, was fussing under the baby blanket that covered her, her little lips smacking and obviously searching for something to put in her mouth. Knowing that she more than likely was becoming hungry, Severus reached in and picked her up, holding her tiny body close to his chest, softly shushing her before walking out of the bedroom to head downstairs, repositioning her baby blanket around her small form. Petunia breastfed their daughter and he truthfully should wake her up to feed Eileen, but he didn't want to disturb his wife from her slumber unless he absolutely had to. So long as Eileen wasn't making a big fuss, he could hold out a little longer.

As he headed down the stairs, Eileen was already settling down, her father's presence calming her as she leant against his chest. His feet hitting the bottom stoop, Severus looked in the living room and raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Before him was Harry Potter, his adoptive son, busy hanging garland on the living room walls, humming Christmas tunes as he did. He glanced at the decorated Christmas tree with the presents underneath, as well as the fireplace with stockings hanging from the mantle before asking, "What are you doing?"

Harry jumped a bit and looked up at his father, giving him a smile before greeting, "Good morning, dad. I'm just hanging garland for mum."

"Did she ask you to?"

"No, but I'm doing it so she doesn't have to. Also, I want it to be really festive in here for Eileen. It will be her first Christmas, you know. I want it to look perfect, even if she doesn't remember any of it." Harry walked over to Severus and smiled down at Eileen. "Good morning, little one."

Eileen smiled slightly at Harry before she squirmed in her father's hold, whining as she smacked her lips, letting her hunger be known. Severus looked down at her before looking at Harry, asking him to go wake up Petunia. Harry nodded and set down the garland, going up the stairs to his parents' bedroom to wake his mother. Severus looked at the garland that still wasn't hung up and waved his hand, watching as it hung itself, as well as the other decorations Harry had wanted to put up put themselves in place. Satisfied with how it looked, he walked into the kitchen and set a kettle of water to boil on the stove for tea. Just as Eileen was beginning to become even fussier, Harry returned downstairs followed by Petunia, the blonde wrapped in her winter house robe.

With a small yawn, she smiled at her family and greeted, "Good morning everyone. Happy Christmas Eve."

Severus blinked, realizing that it indeed was Christmas Eve. Now it made sense that he wanted to get some last-minute decorations up. Usually Petunia would have done so but taking care of a newborn after sixteen years was tiring; she loved it all the same. So instead, Harry took it upon himself to make their home festive for the holiday, Petunia helping when she could. Coming out of his thoughts, he smiled as Petunia walked over to him, giving him a sweet kiss before taking their daughter from him, telling her, "Happy Christmas Eve, darling. Let's go get you fed; you must be hungry."

Petunia turned to her husband and son asking, "Can you two prepare breakfast, please?"

"Sure mum," Harry responded, pulling out necessary ingredients to make breakfast, Severus pulling out pans and plates. The two of them worked together in the kitchen for a while, and by the time they were plating the plates with food, Petunia had returned with Eileen, the infant fast asleep in her mother's arms. Severus served tea to drink and the three of them ate a lovely breakfast together, all of them talking about enjoying each other's company.

When breakfast was over, Harry announced that he was going to spend some of the day with his friends Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, as well as his girlfriend Luna Lovegood. From the sounds of it, the four of them were having a double-date day before spending Christmas with their respective families. Telling him to be careful while he was out, Petunia and Severus watched him go up the stairs to get ready, leaving them alone with Eileen still sleeping.

Turning to look at the younger man, Petunia said, "I saw that those last-minute decorations are up. Did Harry do that?"

"He had done some of it. I caught him doing it and finished it for him when I sent him to wake you. He made it clear to me that this was going to be a memorable Christmas for Eileen, as it would be her first despite knowing she wouldn't remember anything about it."

Chuckling, Petunia replied, "Well, I think it is thoughtful, nonetheless. Speaking of thoughtful, have you gotten your gift for Harry ready yet?"

Severus took a sip of his tea before simply saying, "It will be ready to be given to him before tomorrow."

Shaking her head, Petunia stood with Eileen and stated that she was going to get them both ready for the day. Severus nodded and stood up from the table as well, magically maneuvering the dirty plates and teacups from the table to the sink where they began to wash themselves. Petunia did still like cleaning the Muggle way, but in times like this, cleaning by magic was much more convenient. Once things were clean, the Potions Master nodded to himself before returning upstairs, intent on getting ready for the day as well. With it being Christmas Eve, he was now against the clock to get Harry's Christmas present ready before tomorrow. He had already gone over it with Petunia, and with encouragement from his wife that the boy that was like his son would love it, he was determined to make the gift happen.

Later that evening, the Snape family sat in front of their television set, watching Charles Dickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol; it was the 1984 television movie. The fireplace had a warm, crackling fire in it where Harry was toasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate. Petunia was snuggled up against Severus on the sofa under a warm blanket, Eileen settled in the extra bassinet for the living room, slumbering peacefully as the snow drifted down from the night sky. It was a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the tele and the crackling fire, and they were all enjoying one another's company as the evening dwindled down.

Petunia looked up at her husband at some point and asked quietly for only him to hear, "Did you get it? Is it done?"

In response, Severus simply nodded. Looking into her blue eyes, he asked, "And you're sure he'll like it?"

"Of course, Sev. He won't just like it, he'll love and appreciate it. It is a meaningful gift and Harry will know that once he sees it. And with it coming from you, it will mean much more."

Glad to have that reassurance, Severus pressed a loving kiss to his wife's forehead before turning back to the movie, watching as Ebenezer Scrooge was taken to observe the Cratchit family by the Ghost of Christmas Present. It wasn't long before the movie went to commercial, giving the family time to stretch their limbs if they wanted. Little Eileen took that time to awaken from her slumber and began to whimper and whine. Petunia stood from the sofa and walked over to the bassinet, picking up her daughter and leaving the living room to head upstairs, recognizing the infant's whining as that of her being ready for another breastfeeding.

While they were gone, Harry turned to Severus and said with a smile, "I've filled Eileen's little stocking and put gifts under the tree for her."

Black eyes looked above Harry's head to the fireplace mantle, looking at the stocking that Petunia had gotten for Eileen to see it indeed had things in it, before looking to the Christmas tree to see that there were extra, smaller presents underneath it. There was one large present under the tree for Eileen from himself—a crib for when she was a bit bigger—but he could only imagine what the boy bought his sister. Looking back at the bespectacled boy, he said with a smirk, "Again, I say that she won't remember this Christmas; she's too young."

"And I say that she should still have a memorable one despite not remembering it herself," Harry retorted with a cheeky grin.

Rolling his eyes, Severus simply replied, "Cheeky brat."

Harry laughed as he ate the marshmallow that was perfectly toasted, turning his attention back to the television as the movie started again after the commercials. Severus too returned his attention to the movie, looking up when Petunia returned with Eileen some time later. As she settled back down next to him, their daughter nestled soundly in her arms, Severus couldn't help but silently hope Harry would like his gift. He looked down at Eileen's sleeping face and smiled at the precious sight. And maybe, just maybe, this would be a memorable Christmas for Eileen.

Christmas morning came upon the Snape household quicker than they thought it would, but the day had finally arrived. The first one up was Harry, him getting out of bed and going to the bathroom to relieve himself, as well as wash his face and brush his teeth. Putting his glasses on his face, he quietly walked to his parents' bedroom and opened the door, finding them still sleeping. Green eyes moved to the bassinet and he walked over to it, peering inside only to smile seeing Eileen awake and staring back at him.

Reaching inside, he picked up his baby sister and greeted her saying in a whisper, "Good morning, Eileen. Merry Christmas."

Eileen simply stared at him with her blue eyes like Petunia's before letting out a small sound. Feeling her bottom, he felt that her nappy was full, and quietly grabbed a clean one and baby wipes before leaving his parents' bedroom and heading back to his own. Lying Eileen on his bed, he began to change her nappy, gently shushing her when she whined at the draft she felt. Once she was clean and the clean nappy was on her, the soiled one and soiled wipes thrown away, he redressed her and picked her up, leaving his room to take her downstairs. He didn't make it though, as he met Severus at the top of the stairs.

"Merry Christmas, dad," Harry greeted.

"Merry Christmas," Severus replied. Looking at the baby in the boy's arms, he asked, "What were you doing?"

"I was just changing her nappy and about to come downstairs. It's time for Eileen to open her gifts."

"Not quite yet, it's not," Petunia said as she exited her bedroom. Walking over to her family, she said, "I need to feed her first before we open presents. Thank you for changing her nappy, darling."

Giving her son a kiss on his head, she took Eileen from him and returned to the bedroom to feed her daughter, leaving Severus and Harry at the staircase. The two wizards went downstairs to the living room, Harry beginning to separate the presents in piles while Severus made cups of hot cocoa for Harry and Petunia; he made a cup of black coffee for himself. Just as Harry finished sorting the presents and had stood to grab the stockings from the mantle, Petunia came downstairs with Eileen to join them.

Settling on the sofa with Eileen on her lap, she smiled at Harry and said, "Alright Harry, let us begin."

And begin Harry did. He began to pass out presents, though he knew that they either weren't going to be opened right away. The three of them enjoyed their Christmas morning opening presents, though Petunia couldn't help but laugh at the surprised expression on her husband's face from receiving brand new brass and copper cauldrons from Harry, the man having just been griping a week ago about his current ones wearing out. Petunia received a lovely dress from her son and a gold necklace decorated with diamonds and amethysts from Severus, among other presents. Eileen's presents were mostly things needed for a newborn baby and for when they would grow into a toddler, though Harry had made sure to handle the toy portion of her gifts. And from the amount, Severus had to keep his eye from twitching. Petunia thought it sweet and thanked Harry, Harry taking Eileen from her and holding her.

"Merry Christmas, baby," Harry said to Eileen, the baby girl smiling up at her brother before closing her eyes sleepily, content to fall back asleep.

Harry looked up at his parents and said, "She fell asleep, and there are still more presents for her."

"Trust me, they will still be here when she wakes up again," Severus replied, looking relieved that no more of his daughter's presents would be opened for a while. He loved her and was glad that Harry had gone out of his way to buy her more Christmas presents than what she already had before yesterday, but it was really too much.

Deciding it was time for a break, Petunia announced that she was going to make Christmas breakfast. She told Harry to put Eileen in the bassinet and help her, Harry doing so before walking into the kitchen, Petunia following him, but not before the blonde winked at Severus. As the two of them busied themselves in the kitchen, Severus summoned a flat, prettily wrapped box from his bedroom, catching the gift in his hand easily. Looking at it, he could feel himself becoming nervous, though it did not show outwardly. This was his Christmas gift to Harry, the one that Petunia insisted he would love.

Wrapped in his thoughts as he stared at the gift, he was nearly startled at Harry's voice cutting into his thoughts saying, "It's time to eat, dad."

Harry walked over to him and took notice of the gift in the Potions Master's hand. Looking at it he asked, "Who is that for?"

Turning to look at the teenager, he handed it to him saying, "It's for you. It is my Christmas gift to you."

"Can I open it?"

"That is the purpose of a gift."

With curious eyes and fingers, Harry began to unwrap the flat box. As he did, Severus turned to look at Petunia who was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, a reassuring smile on her face. Severus turned back to Harry, watching as took the lid off the box, only to reveal an envelope. Frowning in confusion, he stared at it for a moment before taking the envelope and saying, "I'm going to assume the gift is in here."

"You assume correctly, brat."

Harry chuckled, knowing that name was more of an endearment after being called it for years by the older man. Opening the envelope, Harry reached inside and took out the folded pieces of parchment inside. Finding words written on them, Harry began to read them, Severus watching as the boy's green eyes went from looking curious to confused, and then to disbelief, and yet there was also hope in them, hope that what he had just read was real and not some hoax. Looking from the parchment to Severus still seated on the sofa, he asked through the forming lump in his throat, "Is this for real, dad?"

Nodding, Severus answered, "Yes, it is real. I discussed it with Petunia and she agreed, and we thought to make it official. I've always viewed you as my own son after all these years, and you've made it clear to me that I am your father in every sense of the word, even calling me as such. I know you will be of age in two years, but I thought it better late than never. So, like your mother did legally some years ago, I decided to adopt you, making you my son in every sense of the word."

"He thought you wouldn't like it, dear," Petunia spoke up from where she stood.

"Like it?" Harry looked from her back to Severus, happy tears welling up in his emerald green eyes. The tears spilled over as he hugged Severus, crying as he said through his tears, "I love it. And I love you. Thank you, dad."

Feeling his heart warm in his chest, Severus returned Harry's hug, telling him that he loved him as well, allowing the boy to cry his tears of joy at being adopted by him into his shoulder, a smile on his own face. As for Petunia, tears were standing in her own eyes at the beautiful sight before her. Severus had really grown emotionally since having herself and Harry in his life for the past eleven, almost twelve years. There was once a time Severus wouldn't have dared given Harry a hug or allowed him to, but that had changed. He had changed, and for the better.

Returning to the kitchen to plate their breakfast and set the table, the blonde couldn't help but smile, wiping her tears from her eyes. She knew that Harry wanted this to be a memorable Christmas for Eileen, but she knew that this would be a memorable Christmas for Harry, one that he, Severus, and herself would treasure forever. With a smile, she went back to the living room, watching as Harry finally pulled away from Severus, a wide grin on his face as he wiped his tears.

In a soft voice, a whisper, she wished her son, "Merry Christmas, Harry."