Ch. 13 Harry's First Christmas

Growing up, Severus had celebrated Christmas with his mother. His father had usually spent the day drinking or hungover and was almost never home. As an adult, Severus wryly looked back on this as his father's Christmas present to his wife and son. With him gone, they could make the most of a Happy Christmas. There were never many gifts, but he did have fond memories that showed his mother had tried to make it special. They would usually bake some kind of sweet, play in the snow, and generally spend time together.

Things were different for Severus this time. For one thing, he had only known the child a few days. Neither of them had any traditions to build on, so they would just have to make some new ones. After all, the day no longer needed to have to burden of poverty hanging over it. Severus was not a sentimental man and had always felt people put too much pressure on holidays. For most of his adult life, his favorite thing about this one was that he wasn't forced to spend it with children. Ironically, that had changed, and he felt no resentment about it. Harry was his duty and he was going to ensure that the boy enjoyed himself on what was an important holiday for children.

The elves had placed Harry's stocking at the foot of his bed. Severus had filled it with a combination of wizard and muggle sweets, as well as dried fruits and candied nuts. It also had a few small toys, a magic coloring book, and some spelled crayons. He was pretty sure the boy was already awake, as he had also requested that Fleance stoke the fire in Harry's room. The young elf was probably as tempted by the stocking as Harry would be.

Gently, Severus pushed the door to Harry's room open. He could see that Harry and Fleance were indeed sitting cross-legged next to each other, inspecting Harry's new chocolate frog collection. The boy was currently shaking one of the collector's cards with a curious look on his face. Fleance giggled and rocked back and forth on his toes.

"He'll come back," Severus told the boy.

Harry and Fleance looked up with identical surprise. Neither had noticed Severus enter the room.

"Where'd he go?" Harry demanded. He popped up and thrust the card under Severus's nose. It was Agrippa, Severus noted.

Already hyper, hmm? How many sweets have you eaten?

Severus was glad that Harry was beginning to come out of his shell. It did not seem as though the child had eaten much at all, based on the lack of wrappers at his feet. He seemed intoxicated by the day itself, and possibly by the novelty of the experience. Severus knew the boy had never opened a Christmas stocking before, but he had likely watched his cousin do so every year.

"As I said, he will come back," Severus assured the boy again. "The wizards don't stick around in the Chocolate Frog Cards. They are much too famous for that."

"Oh," the boy nodded sagely, watching as Agrippa returned, gave him a righteous glare, and opened a book.

"Why don't you open the rest of the stocking?"

Eagerly, Harry ran back to his stocking and he and Fleance resumed their activities. Harry pawed through each item with care, sorting the goods into piles and inspecting the more unusual items carefully. Fleance was more than happy to show him how some of the toys worked and explain the wizard candy, and Harry told the elf about the muggle candy. By the time they were done, Harry had given nearly half of his candy to Fleance. He would have given the elf more, but Fleance kept refusing and only relented out of elf obligation. He was more interested in the muggle candy.

"What does this taste like?" Fleance asked, holding up a muggle chocolate bar.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I've never had it. I've never had any of it. I wasn't allowed candy."

This aroused Severus's attention. He was suddenly alarmed. Maybe this was why the boy hadn't eaten any yet. Visions of allergies filled his head, and he was regretting not having had time to get the boy checked up yet. "Why is that, Harry? Why weren't you allowed candy?"

Harry's reaction was telling. The boy shut down. In just a few days, Severus had seen him do this many times, usually when he thought he had done something that would anger Severus or Severus asked a question he did not want to answer. Harry's expression went completely blank. It made Severus think that Harry would be ready for occlumency at a young age. He had to be a natural.

Taking the boy's hands in his own, Severus led the Harry over to an armchair and sat down so that the boy would be at eye level standing in front of him. He waited to see if there would be anything else, but the boy was still blank.

"Harry, listen to me please. You are not in trouble. I am sorry if I made you think that. As your new guardian, it is important for me to know some things about you. The longer you are here, the more I will know about you. I think I asked the wrong question before. I just wanted to know if you are allergic to any foods. If you are, I should not give them to you. Are you allergic to chocolate?"

Harry shook his head.

"You're sure?"

The boy nodded.

"How do you know?"

There was a moment's hesitation. The boy looked down, and then looked Severus right in the eye. "One time, at school, a girl was having a birthday. She brought cupcakes. Aunt Petunia had told all of my teachers I was never to have any sweets, but we had another teacher that day, and the teacher gave me one. It was chocolate and I ate it. Dudley told Aunt Petunia when I got home. I shouldn't have eaten the cupcake."

Severus decided not to ask what had happened because Harry had eaten the cupcake. Things were already bad enough without having the boy relive whatever rotten thing his aunt had done to him for taking part in a school party. Severus did not think there was any reason Harry had been denied sweets other than pure meanness, but he needed to be certain.

"Did the cupcake make you sick? Did you have hives or feel funny?"

"No, Sir."

"Did you eat the chocolate frog?"

"Yes, Sir. I split it with Fleance."

"Before I came in?"

"Yes, Sir."

Severus lifted up the sleeve of Harry's red and white striped pajama to see his arm, and then lifted up the pajama top to see the boy's stomach. He did not see any signs of a rash or hives. All he saw was that the boy was much too thin. His ribs were showing.

"You seem fine to me. I am going to take you for a checkup to make sure you have no allergies. In the meantime, I do not see why you can't eat your sweets. Don't eat them all at once, or you will get a tummy ache!" Severus gently tickled the visible tummy.

Harry giggled at that, and then gave Severus a shy smile and nodded. "Yes, Sir. Thanks."

That crisis averted; Severus gently stood up. "I think breakfast is a better idea though. What do you think?"

The boy nodded again. Severus handed him his robe and slippers and he followed Severus downstairs. The morning had been dramatic enough without requiring the boy to get dressed. There would likely be many more legacies of the Dursleys that Severus would have to manage in raising Harry. He would just have to take them one at a time.

After a fun breakfast where Ariel made the pancakes into snowmen, gingerbread men, and little Father Christmases (but fortunately no chocolate chips), Severus brought Harry into the parlor. He tried not to grimace at the overflowing presents under the tree. The boy was going to be spoiled by the end of the day. The little boy sat down on the settee and looked at Severus.

"Well, Harry, what are you waiting for?"

"For everyone else, Sir."

"Oh, I see. It is just us, today, Harry. I thought that it would be good for us to spend today getting to know each other."

"But, Sir, who are all of those for, if it's just us here? The elves?"

Severus started. It was a little complicated to explain wizarding customs regarding house elves to a muggle raised child. "The elves are celebrating together, Harry. Fleance wanted to come and see you, and Ariel is helping cook for us, but they have their own gift exchange."

"Oh."

Severus raised his eyebrows at the boy.

"But, Sir …"

Harry seemed to be at a loss for words, and Severus wanted to avoid another meltdown. "Why don't you go take a look? See what the tags say."

Cautiously, as if they would bite him, Harry went over to the presents. He picked one up and brought it over to Severus. Then he went back to the tree, picked one up, and went to sit on the settee again.

"My cousin had two Christmas trees."

"Pardon?" Severus wasn't sure if he had heard the boy right, or even what that meant. He knew from Christmas Eve that Harry had never had a present before, of any kind. He had expected today to be dramatic, but the child was nine years old. Didn't kids this age just take things as they came? Harry seemed too introspective. He seemed to be narrowing in on himself. Severus was beginning to think they might have been better off skipping Christmas this year.

"There were two Christmas trees at Privet Drive, but they were both for Dudley. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon gave each other a present. Father Christmas gave presents to Dudley."

"Two trees worth?"

Harry nodded. He was openly crying now. They were silent tears, but they were streaming down his face. Severus wasn't sure if this was shock, pain, gratitude, or something else. It was more than likely a mixture of all of those. Harry was bewildered.

"Harry, who is that present from?"

Harry looked at the tag. "Professor … Dumbledore." Harry stumbled over the name, but he got there.

"Yes. One of the reasons that you have so many presents, Harry, is because you have many friends. All your friends wanted to send you a present. They couldn't before, because they didn't know where you were. Now they do, so they each sent you a present. Of course, you have a present from Father Christmas there too. I am afraid maybe your Aunt and Uncle were not the nicest people, and I can't do anything about that. You can talk about it whenever you want. If you never want to talk about it again, that is fine too. Now though, you have friends. If you need something, you just have to tell me. You are no longer going to have to watch while everybody else gets to have things, or do things. You are not alone anymore either. You have me. You have many friends."

Harry just looked at the present, but after a few minutes, he nodded. He had stopped crying.

"Are you going to open it?"

As if seeing the present for the first time, Harry slowly started to open it. Inside was a beautiful set of wizard's robes—in dark purple.

"Wow!"

"Wow indeed." Severus was having a hard time stopping himself from gritting his teeth. Harry, however, had already put the robes on. They shrunk themselves until they fit perfectly.

"I look like Merlin!"

"You look like Dumbledore."

"Do I?"

"You will see."

Harry laughed. "Open yours! Who is it from?"

Severus glanced at the tag. "Molly Weasley." He grimaced. Opening the package, he found a dark green sweater with a large, silver "S" embroidered onto it. "Charming."

"Put it on!" Harry demanded gleefully.

"Later." Severus demurred. "Well, go on then, let's see what else is in there."

Much more cheerfully than before, Harry tackled the present pile. In it, he found presents from all the members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Harry's own sweater from Molly Weasley, red with a gold "H." Knowing they would do this, Severus had avoided going overboard in his own shopping while still making sure there were presents under the tree from "Father Christmas" and from "Severus." His gifts were mostly books, whereas Father Christmas provided (mostly educational) toys.

Harry had received wizard and muggle novels, clothes, games, more candy and sweets, and a veritable zoo of softies in both magical and non-magical animals. In fact, Severus noticed that Harry had not let go of a stuffed snowy owl since he had unwrapped it. It was from Hagrid.

The Order members also sent Severus small gifts, much to his chagrin. Soon enough, Severus found himself the proud owner of no less than seven books on raising boys or adopting children, as well as gift coins to Fortescue's Ice Cream, Honeyduke's, Zonko's (Merlin forbid), and passes to a magical zoo. They were not being subtle in making sure he treated Harry to bonding time and treats. He also received calming teas. Severus was not amused, but secretly grateful for those.

After the presents were opened, Severus thrilled Harry by magically removing the wrapping paper in one go with a swish of his wand, and then sending the presents upstairs to the proper rooms with another. After a light lunch of sandwiches, he bundled the boy into a cape, gloves, scarf and hat, all new, and took him into the back garden for snowplay. They built a snowman and even threw a few snowballs. No one at Hogwarts would believe it.

After tea, Severus, Harry, Ariel, and Fleance made gingerbread cookies. They made sure to make enough batches so that there would be leftovers and some for the elves. By the time Severus carried Harry up to bed, he was wondering if he had been replaced with a doppelganger. Somehow, he had managed to have fun that day too. Making Christmas special for Harry might have started as a mission, but he had enjoyed it just as much.