A/N: First up, Lily, Harry and Azalea meet Janet, Kelly and Bryce for the first time; followed by their first Christmas together with Severus.
Chapter 15 Friends and Family
"All right Harry, Azalea," said Lily, as she straightened out her kids' clothes. "Kelly and Bryce will be here in a few minutes time, Mister Wayne and Missus Janet too, okay? I want both of you on your best behavior," she said sharply, earning nods from both her kids.
Her expression softened a little and she smoothed out a slight crinkle in Azalea's jumper. "Good, but I want you both to have fun as well and enjoy yourselves, all right? Remember, Uncle Sev is working really hard today to make this possible, so, let's not give him any trouble."
"Yes mummy," said Harry, bobbing his head up and down.
Azalea was nodding too, her hazel eyes wide and eager.
"Is he with the birdies now?" she asked quietly.
Lily nodded. "Today's a Sunday, remember? Uncle Sev works with the birdies on Sundays since his employees have their day off, pumpkin. Thats why Mister Wayne and his wife Missus Janet are coming to visit."
Recognition dawned on Azalea's face as she nodded.
Today was December fifteenth, a Sunday, and the long-awaited date of Harry and Azalea's playdate with Wayne and Janet's kids, Kelly and Bryce. They'd agreed to host the get-together at the Farmhouse with Severus' permission, since it'd make logistics a little easier for all parties involved. Wayne and Janet's kids hadn't yet used the floo, so Wayne planned on driving them over in his car, dropping them off with Lily, and then heading back home while Janet stayed behind to help Lily look after and corral four unruly kids. Though Harry and Azalea were rather well-behaved for their age, Wayne warned Lily that his kids could be mavericks at times and that if given too much sugar, they'd keep her on her toes throughout the day. Lily assured him that she was up to the task, recalling her prior experiences babysitting Harry and his friends Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnegan and Hannah Abbott. Corralling unruly kids had proven to be a hidden talent of her's, it would seem. With Severus out on the range going about his duties, all that was left for Lily was to wait for the arrival of their guests.
"Mummy, it's cold, can we wait inside?" Azalea asked, her little arms wrapped around her midsection.
Lily beckoned Azalea and Harry over to the bench and sat them down. "This'll warm you up a little," she said softy.
She waved her wand once over Harry and Azalea, a mild heating charm enveloping both her children and restoring some warmth to their chilled bones. Even though it wasn't snowing and the skies were relatively clear, it was still close to freezing, and Lily felt a little cold herself. Her pale cheeks and nose were flushed red, as were her kids'.
"But why can't we go inside?" Harry asked, sounding less cold than before.
"Because it's good manners to wait for our guests and to welcome them to our—erm, excuse me, to Uncle Sev's home. We want to make a good impression on Kelly, Bryce and Missus Janet, don't we?" Both children nodded eagerly. "So, then we shall wait for them, and welcome them with open arms."
"Okay," said Harry, smiling a little more broadly now that he was warmer.
Thankfully for Harry and Azalea, they weren't kept waiting long as they soon spotted a car in the distance driving towards them along the dirt road. As the car drew nearer, Lily beckoned Harry and Azalea to their feet and they all stepped off the porch and stood at the base. Lily could see that the car obviously wasn't Severus' cobalt-blue mustang, nor was it his beige pickup truck. As the car came nearer, Lily managed to identify it as a maroon, late 70s Oldsmobile station-wagon; and its driver as none other than Wayne. In the front passenger seat was a middle-aged woman who Lily presumed was his wife Janet, and behind them were their two kids Kelly and Bryce. As the maroon station-wagon pulled off the dirt road into the driveway, Lily offered up a smile and wave, one the front two occupants of the car returned as it came to a stop. The woman, Janet, exited the car first, followed shortly by Wayne, Kelly and Bryce, the latter two stepping out of the car with wide eyes and awestruck expressions. Clutching Harry and Azalea's hands in each of her own, Lily descended the steps of the porch to greet her guests.
As they approached, Wayne and Janet gave Lily, Harry and Azalea a pair of warm smiles, though their kids' attention remained firmly focused on the impressive farmhouse just behind them. Janet and Wayne certainly made for an interesting couple, in terms of physical distinction, at least. Wayne wasn't exactly short, but he was stocky and broad-shouldered. His shortly-cut crop of golden-blonde hair spoke of his prior years in the army, his features hardened and stern, though he wasn't averse to smiling and laughing from time to time. His skin was fairly tanned too, another source of contrast to his wife's fairly-pale complexion. Janet, on the other hand, was exactly her husband's height, her heart-shaped face and kind eyes providing a stark contrast to the more tired look on Wayne's face. She had long, chestnut hair which manifested in both of her kids and bright-blue eyes like her husband, and again, like her kids as well. Janet looked to be about ten years older than Lily, though Lily knew better than to assume. With a smile, the family of four approached them and so began their introductions.
"You must be Janet," Lily said with a kind smile. She held out her hand. "I'm Lily, it's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our—erm—to our home."
Janet grasped Lily's hand daintily in her own. Her smile was very wide, almost seeming a little bit forced. "It's great to meet you too, Lily. Wayne hasn't said much about you, but from what he has, you seem like a very pleasant person," said Janet.
Lily's smile brightened a little more in turn. "As do you, Janet," she said graciously. "Perhaps we'd better head inside? It is supposed to get a little colder out soon, so—"
"—Yes, let's do that," agreed Janet.
The two women turned their attention to Wayne, who appeared to be talking to both his kids, and then hugging them one after the other. After hugging Bryce, he stood to his feet and turned to face his wife. "I'll be off now, honey. You've got it from here?"
Janet nodded. "Sure thing, dear," she replied.
"Great. Now if you don't mind me, I'm gonna enjoy my off day," he chuckled.
After saying goodbye to his kids one more time, Wayne apparated away.
"All right, well, Janet, kiddos, right this way," said Lily, gesturing back to the house.
"Are we going into your house?" Kelly asked excitedly.
Before Lily could reply, Janet spoke first. "Remember your manners, Kelly," she said sternly.
Kelly's pale skin flushed a little. "Right. Erm—are we going into your house, ma'am?"
"Yes we are, Kelly. I've got lunch all prepared for us so please follow me," Lily said kindly. "Oh, and one more thing, I prefer to be called Lily, or Miss Lily, if that's okay with you."
Kelly and Bryce turned to their mother who nodded as if to say; 'if it's fine with her, it's fine with me.'
Janet and the children followed Lily back into the house, with the guests removing their coats in the foyer and hanging them on the rack. They then followed Lily into the dining room where their lunch, prepared by Poesy, awaited them.
"Severus will be along soon enough, but he'll only be able to stop by briefly," Lily announced.
"He's working alone today, isn't he?" Janet inquired.
"He does on every Sundays," said Lily, as she adjusted one of the settings on the table. A smile crept on her face, and Janet could see Lily's adoration for her new beau etched clearly onto those porcelain features of her's. "It's…tiring stuff, but since it's only once a week he just about manages."
Lily and Janet then sat the four kids around the table before claiming seats at either end, facing one another. Once they were all situated, Lily asked for Poesy to deliver their meal, which she promptly did. Sandwiches, wraps and a large bowl of soup appeared in the middle of the table, much to the delight of the four kids who eagerly helped themselves to their wrap or sandwich of choice. Lily and Janet ended up settling for the remnants of the kids' choices, a wrap and a sandwich each for them. Throughout the meal, Lily couldn't help but notice that Kelly seemed to be darting fairly frequent glances at her, the brunette girl's bright-blue eyes frequently flickering to and fro Lily and her plate. Eventually, Lily set her sandwich down on her plate and turned to face Kelly, wearing an easygoing smile that she hoped would help put the girl at ease.
"Is there something on my face, Kelly?" Lily asked teasingly. "Some dirt? Or perhaps some food?"
"N-no ma'am, sorry," Kelly stuttered, blushing a deep red.
Janet sighed and shook her head. Lily's gaze drifted from Kelly to Janet. "I'm sorry about this Lily, I really should've mentioned it beforehand…but Kelly is what you might call, a fan of your's. She's—uh, aware of your role during your war," she said exasperatedly.
Lily's green eyes widened a fraction. "Really?" she asked, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.
Ever since she'd come to America, she'd hardly been recognized by anyone, only one of Severus' staff, Tabitha, knew of her exploits as a revolutionary fighter back in England. Only a handful of people at MACUSA seemed to recognize her vaguely as a war hero of sorts when she was there to submit the patent for Exstinguere Tenebris Flammalia. To hear that Kelly apparently knew of her past exploits, even that she was a fan of her's, came as quite the shock.
"You…you know about me?" Lily asked quietly, her gaze fixed intently on the blushing brunette.
Kelly nodded quickly. "I've read loads about you," she blurted out. "Erm—sorry, ma'am—"
"—Miss Lily, or Lily, please," she corrected.
Kelly's blush deepened some more and Bryce, who was sat next to her, laughed.
"But I am happy to hear that I have…fans, that's, well it stokes my ego nicely," Lily joked, earning a couple laughs from Janet and grins from Kelly and Bryce.
"So," Lily went on, now looking straight at Kelly, who blushed but held Lily's gaze. "What do you want to know?"
"I have so many questions!" she blurted out, earning her an admonishing look from her mom. "I…there's so much I want to learn about, about what you did, how you became…you know, you. How the coolest witch on the planet ended up here of all places!"
"Coolest witch on the planet?" Lily echoed, chuckling despite herself. "I believe you're overlooking your mum there, sweetheart."
Janet flashed Lily a small, but honest smile and shook her head in amusement. "Tell you what, Kelly, how about you and I have a chat after lunch and you can ask me whatever you want, all right? If you have questions for me, I'd be very happy to answer them."
Kelly nodded eagerly.
"But you'd better finish your food, young lady," said Janet. Kelly's vision swiveled to her mom and she nodded again.
Lily smiled and refilled her bowl with her second helping of tomato soup.
"Mum, after lunch, can we go outside again?" Harry asked.
"As long as you stay out of trouble and near to the house, I don't suppose why you can't," said Lily, meeting Harry's gaze.
Harry flashed her a broad grin, and the shy Bryce even mustered up a small smile himself.
"Thanks mum," said Harry, Lily nodding in reply.
Lily's gaze drifted from the boys to the other side of the table, where Kelly and Janet were speaking to one another in hushed tones, Azalea trying her best to listen in. Whatever it was they were discussing, Lily couldn't hear it, though she did catch Kelly smiling once in her direction when their eyes met.
They finished up their meal a while later, and the boys headed outside to play in the snow while being watched-over by Janet. Lily remained indoors with Kelly and Azalea, the younger girl deciding to tag along with her new friend and her mother as the former asked the latter her questions. Lily sat them both down on the sofa and claimed a seat across from them, she then summoned some juice glasses for the girls and a mug of tea for herself.
"So, Kelly, what would you like to know?" Lily asked gently, giving the young girl an indulging smile.
Kelly shifted nervously in her seat; her hands clasped together tightly in her lap. "How did you defeat that—umm—Riddle?"
Lily gave a small smile, one that Azalea was astute to notice didn't reach her eyes. "That's a difficult question, Kelly," she said slowly. "Riddle was…well, he was a very powerful wizard. Evil, yes, but powerful and a very difficult enemy to defeat. Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to reveal anything more than that," she said with a tight smile.
"And what happened to you and Mister Potter? Why are you here but not him?" Kelly pressed eagerly, her inner gossip showing itself.
Lily inhaled a deep breath and briefly shut her eyes. As she exhaled, a sense of calm descended over her, chasing away the twinge of anger she felt at the mention of James. "Mister Potter and I are no longer together," she explained.
Kelly sighed, and her expression of disappointment caused Lily to tack on; "That's all I'll say on the matter, I'm sorry."
Kelly had the sense to realize that her question had tread upon somewhat sensitive territory, so she quickly changed her tack.
"Erm—so, what's it like being a Healer?" she asked timidly.
Lily's tense look immediately warmed into a soft smile. "Well…you should know that I'm not a licensed healer, though I did learn many tricks of the trade from healers and applied them in my own work," she said, Kelly nodding vigorously. "In any case…I primarily focused on spell-creation, but I gained fame and notoriety for my healing work, despite the fact that to this day, I'm not a licensed healer."
Kelly hadn't spoken, but the look of adoration on her face told Lily what she was feeling all too clearly. Before she could respond, the front door swung open and multiple pairs of footsteps trudged in from the cold.
"Ah, I think that'll be them," Lily said, smiling.
Sure enough, Harry, Bryce and Janet entered the room one after the other, the boys' faces flushed red from the cold. Though it wasn't snowing currently, the air outside had dropped to ten below freezing that quickly sapped at the boys' energy wells, which in turn lead to their hasty retreat indoors.
"These two are all tuckered out," said Janet, chuckling.
Lily chuckled as well as the boys sat down on a sofa and Janet, across from them.
"Mum, can we watch some TV? It's too cold outside to play," Harry said.
"I don't see why not, just so long as you keep the noise down, all right?"
Harry gave her a small grin; one she couldn't help but notice bore a certain resemblance to Severus'. He and Bryce shuffled off the couch and Bryce sat down just in front of the TV while Harry went to fiddle with the dials.
"So, how was it, Kelly? Is your curiosity satiated?" Janet asked, smiling at her daughter.
Kelly bobbed her head up and down at her mom, but then turned to Lily. "But I have so many more questions!" she blurted out.
Janet turned to Lily and cocked her head sideways in silent question. The expression of apprehension on the older woman's face clued Lily in to what she was asking of her; she smiled.
"Well…if you have any more questions, Kelly, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can," Lily said.
Kelly grinned and didn't waste another moment before launching into another question.
Meanwhile, Harry and Bryce were sat on the floor, the two boys were watching The Transformers, one of the shows Harry started watching recently with their new TV set. Lily had sat with her son and watched a few episodes with him to ensure it was appropriate, and now Janet was observing the tv screen intently for any signs of unsuitable material for her younger son, Bryce. Deeming the show just a little too violent for three-year-old Bryce, she asked Harry to change it. Harry briefly thought about defying Janet's words, but a quick look at her insistent expression told him he'd better not, and he quickly changed the channel.
By the time the day drew to a close, Lily could confidently say that Harry and Azalea made two new friends that day and that they'd have many more days like this planned out in the future. Just before Janet made to drive Kelly and Bryce home, Severus returned to the farmhouse and extended a spur-of-the-moment invitation for Christmas dinner. Sadly, Janet declined his offer, stating that she and the kids would be spending their Christmas afternoon and evening at her parents' place.
The next few days passed by fairly quickly, with Severus and Lily carrying out covert Christmas shopping and the family working together to decorate the expansive farmhouse with all things Christmas. Within a matter of days, the house was transformed from a bright, if a little bit plain farmhouse, to one covered in Christmas lights, tinsel, and of course, with a tree in the middle of it all. Harry and Azalea gleefully took charge of decorating the tree, with Severus and Lily contributing to the decorations in and around the house. With the reserve embracing the festive spirit with each passing day, Severus eventually decided to let Lily in on a little secret, which wasn't exactly a secret per se, more so something he'd neglected to inform her of until that moment. In the years since Severus took over stewardship of the reserve following Michael's passing, Severus always held a Christmas Brunch for the rangers working at the reserve that day. This year would be no different, and when he told Lily, she thought it was a great idea and volunteered her help to plan and set-up their brunch. She got to work casting expansion charms in the dining room, expanding it so that they'd have more than enough room for the four of them in addition to the four rangers who'd be working that day.
As Christmas approached, Severus wrapped up his planning work for brunch, hosting the rangers; and for dinner, for which he had something private planned for Lily, Harry and Azalea. While Lily was fully involved with brunch planning, Severus opted to keep his dinner plans a secret for the time being.
Come Christmas morning, Severus was awoken by Lily kissing across his jaw and neck, gentle love bites dotting his sharp, pale jaw. He breathed a sigh and rolled onto his side so he faced her, a contented smile curling his lip. She returned his smile salaciously, grinning, then pecking him on the lips.
"Happy Christmas, Sev," Lily murmured.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Lily," Severus replied. He peeked over Lily's shoulder to spy the alarm clock on her bedside table.
"It's only four-thirty, neither of us needs to be up for another half-hour, Lily," Severus muttered.
"Oh, I know, but it'll give us plenty of time for you to receive your first present." Lily winked and then rolled down the covers.
"What're you—oh, ohhh—"
Palming him delicately through his trousers, Severus let his head flop back down onto the pillow as Lily whispered her request to remain still, and then got to work giving him his first present of the day. Severus finished quickly, and he made to stand up but was quickly joined on his feet by Lily.
"I'll keep my hands to myself, I promise, I know you want to get clean," Lily said with a salacious grin.
Chuckling, Severus went over to his dresser and retrieved some clothes for the day. "As long as you keep to that promise, remember what happened the last time we tried to get frisky in the shower?"
Lily's meek grin told Severus she remembered just as clearly as he did. After she retrieved her clothes from her wardrobe and the two stepped into the bathroom. Despite Lily's blatant attempts at stalling him, Severus wasn't to be deterred and finished his morning rituals in record time. He was out of the shower, shaved, cleaned and dressed just as Lily stepped out of the shower. He brewed a pot of coffee swiftly, and after all but inhaling a cup's worth and leaving the rest for Lily to drink, he was out the door by five-twenty seeking to get a head-start on his morning rounds. Ideally, he'd meet with Maryanne first just as she arrived, and then with Frank afterwards, and hopefully he'd make it back to the farmhouse before Harry and Azalea awoke. Severus informed Maryanne that brunch would be held at the farmhouse at eleven o'clock sharp. The experienced ranger nodded, telling Severus that she'd inform the other three; Ahmed, Jacob and Marcia, of the arrangement and that they'd be there promptly. He then apparated away back to the farmhouse and used his whistle to summon Frank.
Unfortunately for Severus, Frank wasn't in a good way, the flock leader unable to respond to Severus' call. Severus waited a few minutes, then tried the whistle again, but there was no response. All of a sudden, he heard the flapping of wings and raised his gaze to the soupy sky in hopes of seeing his friend approaching. Alas, his hopes were dashed as the dark-blue form of Lysander, not the white-grey pelt of Frank came into view. The look on the senior's face told Severus that all wasn't well with Frank, and he quickly apparated to the base of Frank's nest atop Scamander Hill. Arriving with a soft pop, Severus quickly found the ailing bird and hurried over to his friend's side.
"Merlin, Frank, what's wrong with you," Severus muttered. "Accio Medical Kit," he drawled, summoning the requested item from his stores. The bag soared across the range and into his hand minutes later, Severus setting it down and then getting to work examining his patient.
He was surprised to hear not one, but two pops of apparation sound out a few minutes later. One was entirely expected, Maryanne must've noticed something was wrong since Frank hadn't flown to the stables to help coral the junior flock as they took to the skies. The other was quite unexpected Severus had no way of knowing how Lily had suddenly appeared next to him.
"I can take over from here Severus, it's Christmas, you belong with your family," Maryanne said firmly.
Severus lifted his gaze to the older woman, who to his surprise, was wearing one of her all-too-rare smiles. He then turned back to Frank, who groaned softly and gave a subtle nod.
"All right, but if you need me, call me at once and don't even think about hesitating because it's Christmas," Severus said to Maryanne firmly.
Maryanne's smile disappeared to be replaced by a look of utmost solemnity. "Won't even think about it, Severus."
Severus' demeanor softened at that and turned back to Frank. "He's running a temperature and is congested," he said, Maryanne nodding.
"Well, let me take it from here Severus, I can handle it," Maryanne said assuredly.
Severus thanked Maryanne and then turned to Lily. With a shared nod, they apparated back to the farmhouse. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Sev," Lily said calmly, her palm coming to rest on his forearm.
Severus gave a weary nod and sigh. "I'm sure, it's just…odd that it's Frank who's been taken ill. In all the years I've known him, he hasn't fallen sick even once. And just last night when I saw him he looked fine to me. I wonder what it could be…"
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's minor," Lily said softly. "Now let's come inside, I think the kids are just about dying to open their presents."
Lily's chapped and Severus' frosty lips pressed gently together in a chaste kiss, before the two entwined their hands and headed back inside. The smells of eggnog, hot cocoa and cookies flooded their nostrils as they stepped into the farmhouse; warmth and heat warming their chilled bodies, their coats and outerwear shed with haste. The kitchen was surprisingly empty, devoid of all signs of life, but they quickly picked up on the muffled chatter of two children and followed said chatter into the living room. Heading back into the hallway and walking along towards the living room, they rounded the corner and sure enough, Harry and Azalea were sat beneath the tree. Lily and Severus smiled at the sight, but the smile quickly disappeared off the former's face when she spotted the scraps of wrapping littering their surroundings, a veritable frown crossed her porcelain features and her eyes hardened in a way that reminded Severus of her mother, Violet Evans. Lily cleared her throat from the entryway, causing Harry and Azalea to whirl about to face them, their eyes wide with shock.
"Would either of you care to explain why opened your presents when I explicitly told you not to?" Lily asked crossly, her arms folded across her chest.
"It…it was only one, mummy, and daddy said we could!"
Lily's frown deepened as she stepped out of the hallway into the room, Severus following close behind. "What did daddy say?"
"Here," said Harry, waving a note which'd been attached to James' present. "It—um, it says that he doesn't mind if we open his present first, like we used to do!"
Lily read the small note, the first portion being James wishing Harry a happy Christmas, Lily assumed that Azalea's note read much the same. The second portion was what interested her, for James wrote that he was more than happy for Harry and Azalea to open their presents first before 'Mummy or Snape join them,' lending proof to Harry's claim that James supposedly approved of them opening their presents early.
Sighing, she tucked away the note in her jean pocket and placed her hands on her hips. "So, you only opened Daddy's present first? Can I expect to find all your other presents that Uncle Sev and I bought you intact?"
Harry nodded fervently and Azalea wasted no time quickly following suit. "Only daddy's present, mummy," Azalea chimed in, holding up the tattered remains of James' wrapping.
Lily relented and sighed, knowing she couldn't fault her kids when James' had quite literally put it in writing that it was okay for them to open their present early, much like he used to do when they were a family.
"All right then. Now that we're all here, let's open the rest of our gifts together," said Lily, Harry and Azalea grinning in reply.
Before they even opened a present, Severus summoned Poesy from the kitchen and asked the house elf to bring in the eggnog and macadamia nut cookies he'd made himself yesterday. Severus remembered the old tradition in the Evans household of having eggnog and cookies on Christmas morning. Severus inspected the tray, a pitcher of eggnog, four glasses, and a tin filled with cookies just sitting there ripe for the taking. He was entirely oblivious to the curious looks Harry and Azalea gave the tray, and the widened eyes and small gasp Lily gave as she spotted the contents of the tray.
"Did you really?" she whispered.
Severus eyes snapped from the tray to Lily, the green of her irises blown wide, a thin veneer of tears glazing over. "I…thought you might appreciate it. I always loved your mum's cookies, so I'd—"
"—Oh, Sev," Lily whispered. She choked on a sob, and the next thing she knew, her arms were flung around his shoulders, holding close in a grip so strong, she never wanted to let him go. Tears wetted Severus' cheeks as he brought his arms up around Lily in turn, stroking her back up and down rhythmically as Lily openly sobbed into him with abandon.
"Mummy? Are you okay?"
"Mummy, what's wrong?
"Why are you crying, mummy?"
Harry's and Azalea's concerned voices caused Lily to pull away from her hug, wearing a watery smile.
"It's nothing, my loves," Lily whispered, her voice quavering like a quivering violin string. She wiped her teary eyes with the back of her hand, willing the tears to stop flowing. "Mummy's just…very happy, she's…well, she's just very happy, my loves."
"Then why are you crying?" Azalea asked fretfully, her lower lip beginning to wobble as the beginnings of tears pooled in her hazel eyes.
"They're tears of happiness, pumpkin, they're tears of joy." She wasted no time extricating herself from Severus' grasp and hugging Azalea tightly, calming her and chasing away her sudden onset of tears.
Lily finally pulled away and turned to face Severus, her porcelain features a mask of disbelief. "I…how, Sev? It's been so long since…since…"
Lily couldn't get the words out, but Severus knew what she was trying to say. "I could never forget them," he said earnestly, his gaze resting on her face. "Aside from their flavor and taste, which I do love, they represented some of the happiest parts of my childhood, and reminded me of a time when I had no worries, no burdens on my shoulders, and it was just you and I, and your loving parents. I missed those times, and these cookies, well, they reminded me of them. I make them every year come Christmastime."
"You do?" Lily whispered softly.
Severus smiled and nodded, then tapped the side of his head with his finger. "Your mum told me the recipe once all those years ago, and I'm proud to say I still haven't forgotten it."
Harry slowly wandered over to the tray, ignoring the glasses of eggnog and picked up a cookie. "My Grandma used to make this?" he asked curiously.
Lily nodded with a wide smile. "And they were delicious too, Harry. I never made them for you because of, well, you know your father is allergic to Macadamias, so I never had the chance to make them."
"Potter is allergic to them?" Severus asked incredulously.
"It's why I never made them," Lily remarked sadly. She traced her fingers over the ridged surface of one of the cookies. "He, erm—you might've remembered, but he had an allergic reaction in fourth year when he ate some by mistake. It happened in the—"
"—middle of the Great Hall, yes, I remember that," Severus said, a small smile curling his lips. "I didn't know it was because of Macadamia nut cookies, though, but I presumed at the time that it was an allergic reaction of some sort."
"So, I hadn't made them since I…" she paused, her voice catching. She took a calming breath and turned to Harry and Azalea. "Since your grandmother passed away. She used to make these for me, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Sev all the time when we were kids, but only on Christmas and that was it." She turned to Severus and asked; "Do you remember what she used to say about them?"
Severus smiled, recalling an old, dust-covered memory of his old life. "If we ate them too much, then we wouldn't grow to appreciate them as we do now, and Merlin, did I learn to love those cookies."
"Indeed. Absence does make the heart grow fonder," Lily said sagely. She gave Severus a meaningful look. "And after missing out on her cookies for three hundred and sixty-four days a year, I sure learned to treasure them when I had them."
Lily turned to the tray of cookies, and with a wave of her hand, she levitated four cookies out of the tin, and then four glasses of eggnog along with them. "Try them, and see how they taste."
Harry and Azalea both took their first bites of their cookies, Lily's gaze fixed intently on the pair of them. Green and hazel eyes widened, they exchanged an excited glance, and made short work of the rest of their cookies. As Lily and Severus watched them eat, Lily gave Severus a grateful look and mouthed the words 'thank you,' to him.
"Looks like they've inherited your tastes," Severus observed, speaking softly and just barely above a whisper so the kids wouldn't hear him.
Just across from him and Lily, Harry and Azalea wolfed down multiple cookies and took numerous swigs of eggnog to wash them down.
"I think you mean our tastes," said Lily, smiling. "I recall a certain, shy, but lovely boy who also found my mum's baking irresistible."
Severus couldn't help but smile, an old memory of eating Violet Evans' macadamia nut cookies for the first time playing before his mind's eye. All these years later, Lily could recall the moment too as if it were just yesterday, as little Sev's eyes glazed over with pleasure and he wolfed down the confections with caution and manners thrown to the wind. He actually moaned as he ate, and to this day Lily hadn't seen Severus react like that at all over food of any kind, not even the food served at Hogwarts.
After finishing their cookies and eggnog, Harry and Azalea turned to the tree with Severus and Lily's approval to open their presents. The two siblings bickered over who should go first, until Lily said that they could both open their presents together, then she and Severus would have their turn, and they could alternate back and forth. Harry and Azalea seemed to like their mum's idea, and turned back towards the tree for their presents.
Opening presents seemed to take eons to the two adults, but for Harry and Azalea, they could've easily spent all of Christmas beneath their tree, opening an infinite supply of gifts while fueled with endless eggnog and cookies. They finished opening presents at a quarter to ten, at which point, Lily all but ordered Harry and Azalea to go upstairs to get showered and dressed while she and Severus corralled their presents and neatened up the living room. With the kids gone, Severus and Lily turned towards the litany of presents and wrapping scattered across the living room floor. Harry and Azalea's presents were left haphazardly all over the carpet, but with a few, concise flicks of her wand, Lily organized the scattered stacks of presents into neat piles, one for each of them. Of course, her and Severus' piles of presents were significantly smaller than those of Harry and Azalea. Severus, meanwhile, whisked away their empty glasses to the kitchen with a banishing charm, the half-eaten tin of macadamia cookies returning to the pantry with another flick of his wand. With their cleanup work concluded, Severus and Lily briefly went over their accumulated gifts before nodding in satisfaction and sitting down beside one another on the sofa.
"That went rather well," Lily said, a smile gracing her lips.
Severus huffed a laugh of agreement. "So, it would seem. I think Harry will definitely appreciate that broom you got him…though, I'm still not so sure it was the wisest idea, Lily."
Lily could only smile and shake her head, of course Severus would be apprehensive of a broom, knowing his own track record, Lily couldn't blame him for it.
"Yeah, well, that potion kit you got for Azalea is a little risky too, don't you think?" she jested in turn.
Severus could only scoff and roll his eyes, the stare he shot her way as withering as she'd ever seen it. "She's your daughter, Lily. The second best potioneer of our generation, no less. I laugh to think that she'd be poor at potions, for if she's anything like you, she'll be a natural and there isn't any harm in starting her early."
"Well, by that logic, Harry is James Potter's son, and we both know just how talented he was at Quidditch back in the day. So, by applying your logic, he'll be just fine as well," Lily retorted, her eyes twinkling with mirth.
Severus scoffed. "Spare me."
Lily was unsuccessful in biting back her chortle; but with a smile, she shuffled closer and laid her head down on his shoulder. She held her wrist up in front of her, the dazzling, golden bracelet now adorning it bathed in the brilliant glow of the hearth.
"Speaking of your gift for me, Sev, it really looks wonderful, don't you think?"
"That's why I bought it. Why else would I buy you that if I didn't think it was beautiful," he said drily.
Again, Lily tried and failed to suppress a chortle, though this time Severus joined her with a brief chuckle of his own.
"But as nice as this bracelet is…I think the greatest gift of all, that you've given me, or us, I should say, is a second chance," she said quietly, her voice uncharacteristically solemn. "I mean…we hardly departed on the best of terms, and frankly, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me going forward, you know. So, the fact that we're here together now is nothing short of a miracle to me; and that's entirely ignoring the fact that you've been wonderful to Harry and Azalea, both. I…I guess what I'm trying to say is—is that I truly appreciate just how welcoming and considerate you've been to us.
"After I'd…well, there's no two ways about it, after I married the man who once tormented you," she murmured sadly.
Beside her, she felt Severus tense up, so she shuffled a little closer and kissed his cheek gently. "As nice as the bracelet and book have been, and of course my mum's cookies as well—" she pointed to Severus' second present to her, a book written by Newt Scamander on magical avian creatures, "—and your gifts to Harry and Azalea—" Azalea's starter potion kit, and a set of magical toy thunderbirds; Harry's thunderbird feeding guide, and a charmed, transforming Optimus Prime figurine from that TV show he loved so much, "—I think the greatest gift of all is this chance you've given all of us. So, in case I haven't made myself clear enough, I want you to know that I value, treasure, and love what you've done for me and my children; it's more than what I deserve after what I did to you—"
"—Don't say that," Severus whispered harshly. "Don't even think that. I gave you good reason to turn your back on me all those years ago, and I haven't held it against you for a very long time."
Lily's shoulders sagged; the fight taken out of her as she slumped into Severus' embrace. "What would I do without you?" she whispered forlornly.
"I hope that's a question we'll never have to answer."
"You and me both."
Lily then headed upstairs to sort out Harry and Azalea's clothes for brunch, she picked out small, striped shirt and khaki slacks for Harry to wear, while for Azalea, she chose a flowery dress. Meanwhile, Severus banished Harry and Azalea's new toys, books and clothes to their respective rooms, tidying them away as Lily made sure her children were properly dressed for brunch. The rest of Christmas seemed to drag on for Severus and Lily, but it dragged on in a good sense. Following their present opening, they hosted brunch in the sitting room with the four on-duty rangers. The centerpiece of their meal being a roast beef with potatoes and a salad. Throughout brunch, Lily intently observed Severus' interactions with the rangers, reminding her of the words he'd once told her over the phone all those years ago.
That they were the family he'd never had, but had always longed for.
Seeing them in the here and now, especially now that they were away from their work environment and simply sitting around the table while sharing a meal made his words all the more poignant to Lily. The lighthearted exchanges, the friendly laughs and smiles, it reminded Lily a little bit of the large family dinners her grandparents used to host. Although unlike her family, Severus and his rangers weren't even related by blood, but they were entwined with their mutual love of Thunderbirds and their jobs. It nearly brought tears to her eyes, seeing just how happy he was among friends—no, among those he called his family. When they finished brunch and the four rangers traipsed outside to resume their duties, Severus was entirely unable to wipe the happiness from his face; something Lily noticed rather quickly as he packed up their meal with a smile. After putting away their leftovers, Lily went upstairs to put Harry and Azalea down for their nap, but when she came back downstairs she spotted Severus curled up on the sofa fast asleep. The smile he wore spoke volumes of his state of mind, and Lily could only hope that his dreams were as pleasant as his day seemed to be.
Taking care not to rouse him from his slumber, she curled up alongside him and huddled against his chest, carefully pulling his arm over her as if it were a blanket and draping it over herself. Smiling, she drifted off, already feeling as though this was the best Christmas she'd had in many-a-long-year.
She hoped that Severus could share the same sentiment.
Hours later, Lily and Severus were still asleep on the couch, Lily huddled closely into Severus' chest when they felt a slight prodding sensation in their sides. Lily woke first, cracking open an eyelid only to see Harry and Azalea standing there with pleading looks on their faces. "Wha—Harry? Azalea? What's the matter?"
"Can I go ride my broom, mummy?" Harry pleaded, his eyes wide and hopeful.
"Can I make my potions, mummy?" Azalea added, her eyes similarly wide to her brother's.
That lead Lily to believe that her kids had been conspiring together to organize their joint plea to her and Severus, she couldn't help but smile. "Well, all right then, we can do that," Lily said softly.
"Wha's the matter?" Severus groaned from behind her, his voice muffled since his head was still buried in her thick mane of hair.
Lily chuckled and then propped herself up on her elbow. "The kiddos want to try out their gifts," she explained to a still-groggy and bleary-eyed Severus.
Severus shifted Lily to the left and moved himself to the right of the sofa, wiping at his bleary eyes with the back of his wrists as he sat upright. "Give us five minutes and we'll be ready," he said tiredly, working to suppress a yawn.
Harry and Azalea grinned at one another in delight before nodding fervently and taking their leave from the room. "I suppose we'd better follow them soon enough," Severus said tiredly. He rubbed at the back of his head with his hand and stretched his neck a couple times.
Lily smoothed her messy curls into place and nodded in agreement. "So, do you want to take Harry or Azalea?" she asked quietly.
"I think I'll go with Harry, if that's all right—"
"—Say no more, Sev," Lily said, her smile knowing and gentle. "I'll stay here and get Azalea started on her journey to become a Potions Mistress," she said teasingly, Severus only rolling his eyes in response.
With that settled, Lily went to go fetch Azalea's potions kit and then Azalea herself. Mother and daughter disappeared into the kitchen where Lily helped her daughter set up the child-friendly potions kit Severus'd bought. While all that was happening, Severus donned his coat and gloves and headed outside into the chilly afternoon air. The sun was already low on the horizon and the wind had picked up significantly from what it'd been at brunch. Harry was out on the porch already, sat against one of the benches and with his new broom propped against his shoulder. Severus sat down on the bench next to the boy and cleared his throat. Harry's eyes snapped towards him, his irises widening and a smile forming on his face.
"Are you ready, Harry?" Severus asked quietly, smiling back at the boy.
Harry nodded; his mouth set in a firm line of determination. "I am, Uncle Severus."
"Very well, then. On your feet and let's get you airborne. I only want you flying around the driveway and the immediate woods around here, is that understood?"
"Yes, Uncle Severus," Harry said assuredly.
Severus raised a brow as if to say 'you'd better mean that.' "If you venture further, I'll be forced to use a summoning charm to bring you right back to the house, and I'll have to tell your mother. You wouldn't like that, would you?"
Harry's green eyes widened comically large and he shook his head. "No, Uncle Severus. My mum can get really scary when she gets mad, y'know? I don't want to make her upset."
Severus smiled thinly and looped his arm across the young boy's shoulders. "Your mother's always been that way. She used to terrify me a bit whenever she got mad when we were children," he chuckled. "So, believe me when I say you'd better listen to me, all right?"
Harry's nod was unexpectedly solemn.
Severus' smile widened a fraction, he stood up and then offered a hand to help Harry to his feet. Harry accepted, and with that, they stepped off the porch and Harry mounted his new broom. Harry knew how to fly quite well, thanks to his dad and Uncle Padfoot teaching him quite a bit as soon as he was walking, so he mounted the broom with ease. Before he kicked off though, he turned back to look at a watchful Severus.
"Uncle Sev, I…I forgot to say it earlier, but thank you for the presents. The transforming Optimus Prime you gave me was really cool!"
"Don't mention it," Severus smiled.
"Oh, and the book was really nice too, I was reading that loads while you and mummy slept together."
Severus blushed slightly, but Harry didn't notice, or perhaps he chalked it up to the blistering wind gusting around them.
"You're welcome for that as well."
"The—erm, I haven't tried the new shirts you got me…but they look really nice as well!"
"You're most welcome for all of your gifts, Harry. It's Christmas, after all, there's no need to thank me," said Severus, cutting across the boy before he could ramble any longer.
In all, Severus'd given Harry about half-a-dozen presents, a toy Optimus Prime Transformer, shirts, a G.I Joe figurine set, and an assortment of books on Thunderbirds among their number; so, he knew they'd be there for quite some time if he didn't cut into Harry's ramblings, even if they were expressions of his gratitude.
"Err—right, but thank you anyways," Harry said sheepishly.
"Now, I do believe you were planning to test out your new broom?" Severus prompted.
Harry flashed his Uncle Sev an apologetic grin and turned back to grip the handle of his broom tightly. Severus watched closely as Harry tensed his legs and kicked off the ground with force, soaring into the air on his new broom. Lily explained to him briefly that she'd bought a broom with an altitude limit of fifty feet, so just tall enough for Harry to soar above the roof of the house. As Harry climbed and hit the limit, he leveled out automatically and couldn't ascend any higher. Realizing what was going on, Harry pushed the handle forward slightly and descended to about forty feet and zipped across the front driveway at that altitude. Severus watched him fly from the gravel driveway, but soon had his attention drawn away by the flapping of wings coming from the west. He turned towards the setting sun only to see three figures flying towards them. One fully-grown thunderbird and two chicks flew in formation towards the house, Severus quickly recognizing the two smaller birds as Charlie and Desmond, and the larger bird to be Agatha, their mother. Charlie and Desmond were a little larger now than when Harry first me them, having grown to the size of an Andean Condor in weight and wingspan.
Harry soon spotted the birds himself, and upon recognizing them, he waved them over excitedly.
"Charlie! Desmond!" he called excitedly.
The two birds hooted cheerily and flew towards Harry. Severus watched on from below, first in wonder, then in horror as Harry released both hands from the handle of his broom to hug the approaching Charle and Desmond in midair! The two birds, who were now significantly bigger than Harry, flew towards him and enveloped him in grey, white and blue feathers while Agatha watched on fondly from a distance.
"Harry, grip your broom this instant!" Severus hollered.
Harry stuck his thumb out of the mass of feathers enshrouding him and grabbed onto his broom.
Severus swore he felt his heart skip a beat there…or several, if he was being honest; and for the first time it wasn't out of delight or happiness, but out of dread and terror. If that was what part of being a father entailed, then he honestly wasn't quite sure if he was ready or not.
A/N2: Severus is beginning to get a feel for what being a parent is like, and as you can tell, he's not sure if he's ready for that or not. Up next, an important day in history occurs, with Severus, Lily, Harry and Azalea bearing witness to it. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!