Chapter 14 Room for More

While Severus once thought that the love he held in his heart was exclusive to Lily, and only Lily—assuming one wasn't taking into consideration his birds; he felt as though that sentiment no longer applied and that he had room in his heart for more than just his old friend. Oh, he'd certainly cared for them for a long time, would watch over them, protect them and guide them. But love? Well, that was an entirely different proposition, a next-step of gargantuan proportions. He liked Harry and Azalea well enough, cared for them immensely for certain, but now that those feelings were beginning to grow and expand, he was starting to learn what it felt like to share his love with others. While he certainly cared about Mister Whitehall, his staff and colleagues, Alberto, and his friends in town, there was no denying of the fact that Lily was the only one he knew he loved. That was a claim he could no longer make, for Harry and Azalea were rapidly carving out their own claims in his heart that once belong solely to Lily. Divvying up his love was a curious feeling, even an uncomfortable one, but the end result made his days that much brighter and lent his day to day existence even more meaning than he thought possible.

He spent much of his days forging and strengthening his bonds with his guests—though he hadn't seen them as guests for a very long time. They called the reserve home, Harry and Azalea saying it first, and now, Lily too. Severus would be lying if he said that they didn't belong, for they did, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Lily, and Harry and Azalea too, were inextricably a part of his life now, for better or worse, for the coming good times and the bad, they were there, their roots sunk in, their love spreading as their presence grew. Lily had once said to Severus that she couldn't imagine her life without her kids in it, and that despite the hardship her marriage with James brought and its eventual collapse, she'd do it all again so she could love and raise Harry and Azalea once more. Severus now begun to grasp what Lily meant when she said those things, and despite living so comfortably and calmly for the past seven years far away from his old life in Britain—Lily included. He could no longer imagine what his life would be like now without the presence of his love and her wonderful children, whose niches in his heart only seemed to grow by the day.

No more could Lily claim to be the only one Severus loved and treasured—again, not including the birds here; she'd have to share that honor with her children. Though, needless to say, the brand of love Severus bore for Harry and Azalea was very different to his feelings for Lily. Severus was thankful to say that they co-existed in peaceful harmony, and that his love for Lily hadn't diminished in the slightest, in fact, it kept on growing right alongside Harry and Azalea. Though his days cooled, his heart continued to grow warmer, and his outlook on life a little brighter. Someday down the line he wasn't averse to having kids of his own, and he had to admit that raising, caring for, and yes, loving Harry and Azalea certainly made his days that much brighter. The thought of having his own children played a lot in Severus' mind, but if he was being honest, he still thought it was too soon for him and he wanted to focus his time and effort on what he had in front of him. Namely, Lily, Harry, Azalea, and of course, the reserve. Having children of his own would remain a dream of his for a long time, but when the time came, he hoped Lily would be willing to take that next step with him.

When December arrived, Lily finally decided to ask Wayne if he'd be willing to help organize a get-together for their children. Lily knew she'd put it off for long enough, and at Severus' insistence, she decided to approach the senior ranger and ask if they could introduce their children to one another. It was only the first week of December and snow had been falling thick all week, caking the trees and rolling hills with powder. If all went well, Lily hoped that Harry and Azalea could meet Kelly and Bryce as soon as next week, provided that Wayne and Janet were okay with it of course. She finally worked up the courage on a cold, late-December evening and set off to confront him with Severus. Though Wayne was initially guarded—as he was about most things related to personal matters, he soon came around and agreed to talk to his wife about it. And to Lily and Severus' surprise, she agreed quickly and they pencilled in a date to meet, a Sunday. December 15th couldn't come any quicker, and with the prospect of meeting some new friends to look forward to, Harry and Azalea were on their best behavior. In the meantime, Lily, Harry and Azalea all bore witness to the changing seasons as what was once a green and brown landscape turned to powder-white.

A week before the 15th, the snow was coming down hard and the temperature dropped to five degrees below freezing. Snow fell on his window sill and howling gusts of wind blew through the trees. Though neither noise was loud, it was enough to wake a light-sleeping Severus at a quarter past five. The weather had been much the same for the past two days, with the first heavy snowfall of the season arriving and sub-freezing temperatures keeping them indoors for the most part. As his senses came back to him, he quickly grew aware of a cold nose pressed into his neck, and of long arms wrapped around his midsection a moment later. He shifted slightly in the mattress and Lily whined. Severus gave a quiet snort and slowly parted Lily's arms from his waist and then extricated himself from the bed. An icy shower woke him up in a hurry, though it didn't stop him nicking himself from shaving, nor did it save him from accidentally knocking over his soap dispenser. He splashed some more cold water in his face and slapped his cheeks a couple times, then raised his gaze to look in the mirror.

He didn't like what he saw.

Splashing some more water into his face, he slipped on a shirt and exited the bathroom, only to see Lily still lying down but rubbing at her eyes with her hands. She moved aside the quilt and then swung her legs out from beneath and over the edge of the bed. What followed were a few neck, shoulder, arm and back stretches, quiet groans filling the air of the room as she worked out the kinks in her muscles. Severus cleared his throat from the doorway to the bathroom, and only then did Lily seem to notice that he was there. She flashed him a tired smile and stood to her feet, stretching her calves and thighs one after the other.

"Morning Sev," Lily greeted, her fatigue clear in her voice. "Off to meet Frank, Wayne 'n Maryanne soon, yeah? Give me a moment and I'll be—"

"—Perhaps rest for a little while longer, Lily," Severus urged, a small frown crossing Lily's face at his words.

"I can come with you Sev, really, it's no bother. I wanted to discuss a few things with Wayne as well about the get-together, there's still some things we haven't organized yet."

"And Wayne will be here all day until evening, Lily," Severus reasoned. "If you're still tired, just get your rest and sleep in for a little longer, there's no harm in that."

"Fine," Lily huffed. "I assume you'll be indoors today?"

Severus pursed his lips in thought, then nodded. "Other than my evening rounds, and my meetings in a few moments, then yes, I will be. Why?"

Some vitality returned to Lily's face as she smiled. "I think Harry and Azalea were hoping that you would be. I overheard them yesterday hoping to ask if you'd wanna make a snowman or snow fort tomorrow."

Severus released a low chuckle. "Did they now?" he asked sarcastically.

"As a matter of fact, they did. I only sought to give you a little heads-up about it. Now that you know…what are you planning to do about it?"

Severus shuffled into the room and sat down on the armchair facing the bed, Lily sat back down across from him and gave him an appraising look. "Perhaps if I have a productive enough morning…I'll be able to take them up on it in the afternoon. Snow's not going anywhere, after all."

Lily's emerald eyes twinkled dazzlingly as a small grin curled her lip. She straightened out her nightgown and rose to her feet, slowly closing the distance between them until she was stood right in front of them. She only remained there a moment before falling into his lap and pressing her lips lovingly against his.

"Well, perhaps you'd better be off, then," she murmured, not giving him time to respond as she stole another kiss.

"In that case, perhaps you should vacate my lap so I can take me leave," Severus replied snarkily, his eyes shining with challenge.

Lily rolled her eyes and the two shared a chaste, final kiss before Lily slid off Severus' lap to her feet and Severus followed her up.

"In all seriousness, I'll try to make time for them in the afternoon," said Severus. "Perhaps if I'm productive…I'll have my schedule cleared by lunchtime. How does an afternoon of snowball fights with toddlers and thunderbirds sound to you, Lily?"

"To be frank, Sev, it sounds a bit too much for my tastes. I'd much rather an afternoon spent curled up in front of a nice, warm fire, tucked up against you while you feed me hot-chocolate and marshmallows," she said with a soft grin.

His thumb caressed her lower lip, Lily giving a playful nibble of the pad before he drew away. "Perhaps we'll have time for that in the evening," he chuckled. He drew away then and gave Lily a stern look. "I have to go now, but I want you to catch up on your rest, all right?"

Lily stepped back from him and nodded mutedly. She padded back towards the bed and laid back down beneath the heavy quilt.

"You've been dog-tired these last few days," Severus went on, as he walked over to the door. He opened the door but paused in frame. "I'll come wake you up for breakfast if you'd like, but for now, you need to rest."

With that, Severus gave Lily one last, small smile and exited the room. He wandered down the stairs into the foyer where he donned his coat, hat and mittens; and after checking he had everything he needed, he apparated away to the ranger lodge. As he arrived, he spotted Wayne just exiting the structure already kitted out in his gear, before the man could apparate to the stables, Severus called out for him.

"Wayne!" Severus shouted, trying to make himself heard over the sound of the blustering wind and snow. "A word, please."

Wayne nodded and the two men headed into the lodge one after the other.

"Morning Severus, you need something?"

"Just a few things. Firstly, get one of the guys—Tabitha or Ahmed should be free, to supervise the stowage of the beef coming in today, should be around lunchtime or thereabouts. Oh, and perhaps consider holding off on the survey work until tomorrow, may as well wait until all this shit blows over."

Wayne folded his arms across his chest and regarded Severus with a curious look. "Weather's supposed to lighten up tomorrow, ain't it?"

"I hope so," Severus muttered in reply. "Then again, a few days ago the weatherman said that yesterday this fuckin' blizzard was supposed to blow over," he added with a hollow laugh.

Wayne snorted in agreement.

"All right, I can postpone it 'til tomorrow. Just as well since Ty's been looking a bit under the weather these last couple days."

Severus nodded; he'd noticed it too. "Yeah, maybe keep an eye on him as well, perhaps assign him to the stables today and have him watch over the birds that wanna stay indoors for a change."

Wayne gave a thoughtful nod. "I'll bring it up with Maryanne 'n hear what she thinks. Will that be all?"

"For work related things…yes. Though, Lily mentioned she wants to meet with you later in the day to go over your and her kids' get-together if that's all right," Severus said.

The older man gave a slight nod, though his furrowed brows told Severus he was seemingly hesitant, or perhaps contemplative. "I'll try swing by the farmhouse at noon, then," Wayne said gruffly.

"Thanks Wayne." The two men shook hands before Wayne ventured back out into the cold and apparated away to the stables to begin his morning routine.

Severus' business at the lodge wasn't finished just yet as he set off in search of his sickly-employee Tyler. He spotted Tabitha coming out of the break room already dressed in her gear. She gave Severus a sunny smile in greeting, one he returned.

"Mornin' boss. Great weather we've got today, ain't it?"

"The very best," Severus chuckled. "Tabitha, have you seen Ty around at all? I need to speak with him."

Tabitha nodded at the room she'd just come out of. "Ty's in there boss, but to be honest, he isn't looking too well. Got a runny nose, congestion, sore throat, the whole shebang," she muttered. "What do you need to speak to him for."

"I informed Wayne about assigning him to the stables today, should be the easiest assignment considering his condition," Severus replied. "Marcia's currently assigned there for today, right?"

"Should be," said Tabitha. "You're gonna swap 'em around?"

"That'd be for the best, I think."

Tabitha nodded in agreement and made to leave but Severus' voice stopped her. "Oh, and one more thing," he said quickly. "A shipment of beef should be coming in sometime around lunch, so either you or Ahmed can supervise that, whomever of you has the time."

"I can do that," she volunteered. "I've got a fairly quiet morning so, shouldn't be a problem, boss."

Severus gave Tabitha a small smile, one she returned moments later.

"That everything?"

"Yeah."

"All right, well, have a good day, boss."

"You too, Tabitha."

With that, Tabitha headed towards the front door while Severus wandered over to the break room where he heard the distinct sound of sniffles and sneezes coming from the other side of the door. He entered the room and immediately spotted Ty sat at one of the tables rubbing his nose with a handkerchief. He looked up at the noise and his watery eyes widened as he saw his boss.

"Bornin' boss," Ty said nasally. "How can I help you?"

"Seeing how you are first hand…you'll be assigned to the stables today, Ty. And no, don't even think about asking otherwise," he said sternly, sensing the young man's bravado threatening to make an appearance.

"My dose, isn't it?"

Severus chortled a laugh. "What else would it be? Seriously though, drink plenty of water and take breaks where you can. After feeding 'em you're more than welcome to come back here unless Wayne or Maryanne decide to call on you. Catch up on your rest as much as you can."

Ty's brow furrowed but he nodded. "I'll head there now, think 'most everyone else is already there."

"Just make sure to take it easy," Severus said with a mix of concern and sternness.

Ty only nodded and got to his feet. With his piece said, Severus left the younger man to prepare for his day while he headed outside the lodge into the freezing cold to apparate back to his house. Mercifully, the wind seemed to have let-up slightly but snow still continued to fall. After casting a warming charm on himself, Severus raised his 'dog-whistle' to his lips and blew. He took a few steps back and stood on the porch in silent wait for his friend, and sure enough, moments later Frank broke through the low cloud cover and soared right towards him. Frank landed with a quiet thud on the snow-covered gravel, crooning loudly in greeting.

"Good morning Frank. How are you today?"

Frank gave a series of chirps and waggled his head from side-to-side.

"I can see that," Severus chuckled. "How were Margaret and Tobias last night? No more fights?"

Frank shook his head vigorously, snow dislodging from his crown.

"Good," said Severus, sounding satisfied. "Now, I suppose it's time to feed you."

Frank chirped happily and Severus couldn't help but chuckle. Severus gripped his wand and summoned a pail of meat. The pail soared through the air towards, though buffeted by the occasional gust and into his outstretched palm. He fed Frank his beef by hand, tossing slab after slab into the air with each being snapped up by Frank's hungry beak. After consuming the last slab of meat, Frank trilled happily and pressed his head into Severus' mitten-clad palm.

"Good boy," Severus praised, ruffling his plumage. "Now off you go, my friend. I'll catch up with you this evening…or perhaps, even before then."

Frank squawked once and released a minuscule jolt of lightning through the tips of Severus' fingers; only enough to tingle the nerve-endings but do nothing more than that. Severus laughed and shook his head in amusement.

"All right you rascal. Away with you!"

If it were physically possible, Frank would've grinned. Instead, he fluffed out his wings and shook the fallen snow off them before before ascending into the air and flying out of sight. The soupy, grey sky quickly enveloped Frank's massive form and Severus headed inside once he was out of sight. He shook the snow off his clothes, then shed his boots, coat, hat and mittens in the foyer.

After removing his outerwear, Severus did a few stretches and stepped into the downstairs hall. A sizzling pan and boiling kettle told him that Poesy had already made a start on breakfast, but the fact that he hadn't been blindsided by a red-haired woman or either of her wonderful children told him that his guests were still asleep. Smirking to himself, Severus cast a sound-muffling charm on his feet and silently ascended to the second floor hall. Lily was still fast-asleep atop the covers, her hair tousled and her arms and legs askew in every direction. His smirk broadened slightly as he walked to the bed and carefully laid down beside her. The presence of new warmth by her side caused Lily to moan and push herself into said warmth. Her hands sought out his forearms, seized them, then pulled them tightly around her in a protective embrace; her subconscious turning Severus into a big spoon. Severus couldn't help but chuckle to himself, but then shifted a little closer to Lily and planted a kiss at the nape of her neck.

"Mmm…Sev'rus," Lily whispered, her voice slurred with fatigue.

"Yes, it's me, dear," Severus whispered in reply, stealing another kiss of her neck. "You told me to wake you up."

Lily wiggled about in his arms, her bum pressing into his building erection slightly. "I did?" she asked breathlessly, settling herself once she deemed him close enough.

"That's right," Severus replied. "Now I need you to wake up, Poesy's already started on break—"

"—Poesy can wait," Lily said with surprising resolve. "I need you desperately, Sev. And I need you to be a bit more than an alarm clock for me."

Lily rolled away from Severus and reached up for his head. She pushed Severus closer and silently parted her legs, her invitation plain for him to see and smell. Lily hiked up her gauzy nightgown allowing Severus a proper look at the apex between her thighs. After settling himself between her legs, he gazed up at her with an arched brow. Severus licked his lips and his eyes devoured her bare, creamy thighs, and the area in-between them. No force in the world could've pulled his gaze away. Lily couldn't help but smile at her ability to turn him on so.

"No knickers? My, my—you are being naughty, Li—"

"—No talking, use your lips for something more productive," she ordered firmly.

His arched brow rose higher, but he didn't speak another word as he laid the first of what he hoped would be many, but would end up being a few kisses there. Within moments, breathy moans drowned out the noise of the whistling wind beyond their walls. What they didn't drown out was the sound of a door opening with a thud further down the hall and the rapid, staccato beat of feet against carpet growing louder.

"Shit," Severus groaned, quickly shifting back and rolling away from Lily's thighs. They'd just barely lifted the blanket to cover Lily's body when the door burst open and in came Harry wearing a broad smile.

"G'morning, mummy! Breakfast is ready!" Harry chirped, sounding far more chipper than he should be this early in the morning.

Lily smiled sweetly at her son and beckoned him closer, kissing his forehead. "Good morning sweetie, you said breakfast is ready?"

"Uh-huh," Harry said, nodding swiftly. "I asked Poesy to make some just now, she just told me she's finished."

Lily smiled at Harry and gave him another kiss, this time on the cheek. "Well, Uncle Sev and I will be down there in just a moment. Why don't you head down first and set the table?"

Harry hugged his mum about her shoulders, bestowing her a sloppy kiss on the forehead in turn before turning his attention to a flushed Severus.

"Mornin' Uncle Sev," Harry chirped happily, though a frown of concern soon crossed his youthful features. "You don't look too good, d'you have a fever Uncle Sev? Your cheeks are so red!" his brute honesty caused Lily to laugh and Severus' cheeks to flush an even deeper shade of crimson.

"I'm just fine, Harry," Severus said evenly. "Perhaps you'd better do as your mum says and set the table. Your mother and I will take care of waking Azalea. Why don't you run along."

"Okay," Harry agreed. "But maybe you should have a warm bath, Uncle Sev. Mum says that helps a lot when I have a fever. Helps to, umm—open up the skin, or something. It might help you too!"

Lily had to bite down on her trembling lip to suppress her desperate laughter, just barely succeeding. Severus shot her a glare in an effort to silence here, but to be quite honest, it nearly had the opposite effect and tempted Lily to let her chortles run free.

"I'll be fine Harry," Severus said calmly, not letting his frustration show in his tone or expression. "You were going?"

Suddenly remembering his dismissal, Harry nodded sheepishly at Severus and with a ducked head, vacated the room with the door left ajar. Severus licked his lips in anticipation and turned back to Lily once Harry was gone, but to his surprise she kicked aside the covers and stood up from the bed. Severus continued to stare at Lily not with lust but with confusion.

"You…you don't want to carry on?" he asked perplexedly.

"—There's no mood-killer quite like your kid almost walking in on you, Severus," Lily said with a huff. "So no, I don't want to carry on, but perhaps we can pick up where we left off a little later in the day."

His lips curled upwards in a small, but lustful smile. "I'd like that."

Before she could reply, his lips were upon hers in a heated kiss. She eagerly returned his kiss, but true to her earlier words Lily sought nothing more than that and slowly drew away after leaving a single, teasing nip on his lower lip.

"I think you'd better get dressed," Severus murmured softly.

Lily nodded. She then reached up to Severus' shirt and brushed her hands up and down, smoothing out the wrinkles and creases in the garment. "I'll see you down there in a few minutes Sev, feel free to get started without me."

"I'll go wake Azalea up first," Severus replied.

A swift, chaste kiss followed his words, and the two drew away and went in separate directions.

Hours later, Severus finally wrapped up his paperwork in his office, and with it, his schedule was clear for the rest of the day. He had a fairly trouble-free morning, save for an incident involving Harry and his glass. Harry had inadvertently knocked the glass over spilling a glassful of orange juice on his pyjama bottoms, but it was nothing a shower and a change of clothes couldn't solve, though. Azalea had a fairly quiet morning too, watching some cartoons and getting some drawing done as well. As far as Severus' work went, he was only interrupted once when he was informed of a minor incident out on the range involving a spat between Derek and George, two adolescent Thunderbirds aged 34 and 39 respectively. The incident was broken up by Lysander and Nancy however, the two senior birds towering over the squabbling pair being reason enough for the two miscreants to break it up. Thankfully for Severus, his input wasn't required and the rangers weren't even needed to step in as the flock handled it. Other than that, Severus managed to place all his order forms on time and had a productive floo call with a survey team that wanted to come by to observe the birds in their natural habitat.

By noontime, not only had Severus finished his paperwork for the day, but the dreary, miserable weather that'd been plaguing Flagstaff finally seemed to be on its way out as well. The blizzard was all but gone and the first rays of proper sunshine were now peeking through the clouds for the first time in almost three days. With natural lighting flittering into their dining room, something Harry and Azalea hoped would support their case, they finally decided to ask Severus the question they'd been dying to for over half a week.

"Uncle Sev?" Harry asked, his words muffled as he chewed on a mouthful of chips.

Lily shot Harry a stern glare. "Manners, Harry. Don't talk with your mouth full," she chided, before returning her own attention to her fish.

Harry gulped nervously, swallowing his bite of chips and then wiping his stained mouth with a napkin. "Uncle Sev?"

"Yes, Harry?" Severus replied politely, his words inviting.

"Can we make a snow fort after lunch, please?"

It wasn't lost on Severus the significant of Harry asking him this question as opposed to Lily. He allowed himself a small smile as he glanced over at Lily sat across from him. Her lips were curled upwards in a smile of her own, though she made an effort to disguise it as she lifted her glass of water for a drink. Smiling, Severus turned back to Harry and nodded.

"We can do that," Severus said softly.

"Whoopee!" Harry cheered.

"But on the condition that we don't use magic. I find that making snow forts is a lot more fun when we do it by hand."

"No Magic?" Azalea asked quietly, pouting.

"Uncle Sev is right," Lily chimed in, reinforcing Severus' claim. "There's nothing like using some good ole' fashioned elbow grease. Though, I might not be there in time to start. I'll be meeting with Mister Wayne after this."

"What for?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, that's a secret." Lily shot her son a teasing smile, one that only made Harry pout in hopes of getting his mum to divulge said secret.

"Speaking of which, Wayne's probably gonna want to meet with you any minute now," said Severus, to which Lily nodded.

Lily chewed and swallowed her last bite of fish, then washed it down with some water. With a flick of her wand, banished her plate, cutlery and glass to the kitchen for Poesy to clean. Once her plate was in the sink, Lily stood up from her chair and smoothed down her sweater and jeans with her wand.

"I'll be heading out now, Harry, Azalea, be good for Uncle Sev, all right?"

"Yes mummy," Harry and Azalea chorused in unison.

Lily beamed at them both but when her gaze drifted to Severus, she nodded for him to come into the next room, the kitchen, with her. Frowning, Severus swallowed his bite and followed her out. He wasn't able to get a word out when she'd all but pounced on him and kissed him hungrily. The salt of their fish and chips still lingered on their lips, lending their kiss an odd, but unique flavor. She pulled away with a lick of her lips but her green eyes sparkled with boundless desire, she didn't act upon it but it bubbled away just beneath the surface regardless.

"I'll be needing more of that later, Sev, y'hear?"

"So will I," he replied huskily.

Lily could only grin and lean up on her toes as Severus dove back in and plundered her salt, jasmine and honeysuckle-scented mouth once more, an odd combination to be sure, but one he found deliriously intoxicating. Their lips lingered a little longer this time, the ravaging lust of their kiss slowly giving way to nurturing love.

A knock on the front door heralded Wayne's arrival, and with that, Lily pulled away from Severus wearing a gentle smile and headed outside. When the front door slammed shut, Severus moved to the kitchen window overlooking the front porch and pulled aside the blinders. Lily and Wayne descended the porch, the pair of them talking animatedly as they wandered off past the driveway to the woods, Severus watched them a while longer before letting the blinds shut and heading back to the dining room. While Lily had her chat with Wayne, Severus kept a watchful eye on Harry and Azalea as they finished their meals.

"Can we go outside now?" Harry whined, no sooner had Azalea swallowed her last bite of fish.

"Let's wait for your mum to come back and then we can, hopefully she won't be long," Severus replied.

Harry pouted his lips and folded his arms, but his small display of petulance wasn't enough for Severus to budge; thought it certainly was amusing.

"But what if all the snow melts?" Azalea asked innocently.

Severus turned from Harry to Azalea, his amused smile deepening. "The snow's not going anywhere soon, Azalea. Don't you worry about it."

Azalea gave Severus a trusting nod and smile.

A short while later, Lily came back, her arrival heralded with whoops of joy from Harry and Azalea. After tidying up, they put on their coats and headed outside into the frosty, afternoon air. Like a couple of blue and pink blurs, Harry and Azalea zipped right past Severus and Lily, racing down the porch onto the snow-covered driveway. Severus and Lily shook their heads in amusement as the youngsters eagerly dug their hands into the snow and started trying to clump it together.

"Snow seems too powdery to make a fort with," Lily observed, gazing out at the trees.

"But they don't know that," Severus muttered, gesturing to Harry and Azalea as they desperately tried to clump snow together. "They're smart kids though, they'll figure it out soon enough."

Lily smirked over at him. "And what then?"

Severus turned to face her, his lip curling in a small grin. "And then we'll do one of two things this type of snow is good for, and I'm not talking about skiing."

"All right, then enlighten me," Lily said daringly, her smirk a little broader.

Severus' grin was as broad as she'd ever seen it, though she had no idea what was causing him to grin so widely.

"Observe," he drawled, giving Lily a withering look before turning away

He casually walked down the porch and stopped just a few feet from the base of the stairs. Lily eyed him cautiously as he reached down and grabbed a bit of snow, he then brought his hands together and started compacting it, and without giving her time to think or to even react, he whirled around and flung it at her.

"Severus!" Lily yelped, as the snowball impacted her chest. "What was that for?"

"As I said," Severus began, already reaching down to build another snowball. "This type of snow is only good for two things; skiing and what you just witnessed." He paused, a maniacal grin curling his lip. "And I don't think there's a mountain anywhere near here, do you?"

He flung the second ball, but Lily held her palm up and blocked it with a wandless shield charm. "You berk, this means war!" she exclaimed.

She then conjured up a snowball in her palm and flung at Severus, who evaded it to the left.

"No magic, Lily, that takes all the fun out of it!"

As he reprimanded Lily, Severus was entirely oblivious to the fact that Harry and Azalea had observed the entire exchange and were now packing snowballs of their own in their palms. Harry finished making his snowball first and flung it towards Severus, hitting the man directly between his shoulder blades. Severus whirled around in mock anger, giving Lily enough time to leap off the porch and onto the front walk. Harry grinned up at his Uncle Sev challengingly, already getting to work making his second snowball.

Within seconds, chaos erupted in front of the farmhouse as snowballs were flung left and right between two warring factions. Having struck Severus first, Harry aligned with his mum against the team of Severus and Azalea. Though they were soon joined in battle by none other than Charlie and Desmond. Agatha, being an ever cautious mother, followed her two chicks over as they entered the fray. Desmond joined Lily and Harry, while Charlie teamed with Severus and Azalea. Across the front driveway, snowballs were being hurled in every direction by Severus, Lily, Harry and Azalea whilst the two thunderbirds flung heaps of snow into the air by using their powerful wings. The combat took its toll on the combatants since Harry and Azalea were practically spent energy-wise as they re-entered the house an hour later despite having a ball of a time. Having had their fun, Lily told her kids to head upstairs and take a nap while she and Severus flopped down in front of the sitting room fireplace to warm up.

They stared into the flickering, orange fire for a long while, the licks of flame dancing about and slowly warming them up. Eventually, Severus broke their companionable silence by announcing he was going upstairs for a nap, and that he'd be down before dinner. Lily remained by the fire but summoned a book from Severus' bookshelf that she'd been reading. Lily continued to read though her eyelids soon grew heavy with sleep. She eventually hauled herself up off the carpeted floor trudged her heavy feet upstairs. She shuffled along the upstairs hall to Severus' room, and without announcing herself, opened the door and entered. He was fast asleep on the bed, and snoring too; Lily couldn't help but chuckle at that. Lily laid down beside him and curled up into Severus' chest, she then let her eyelids flutter shut at long last, it wouldn't be long for sleep to claim her.

Many hours later, well after sunset and dinner, Severus and Lily were once more together huddled in front of the fire. Only this time they were not alone. Harry and Azalea were there too, bundled up in small blankets and cuddled next to them. Severus opted to leave the lamps and lights off, instead only relying on the hearth for light and warmth. The light of the dancing flames illuminated the features of Lily and her children in a soft, warm glow; Severus couldn't help but watch and smile, their contentment warming his heart.

"I'll be right back, in a mo'. Stay here," he said softly, extricating himself from their huddle and making to stand.

Azalea stared up at him with her glowing, hazel eyes. "Where're you going Uncle Sev'rus?"

"You'll find out in a moment, Azalea. Just stay with your mother and brother for now," Severus replied with a warm smile.

Azalea nodded and turned her attention back to the flickering flames in the hearth.

"Be back soon, Sev. It's already getting cold without you," Lily murmured, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

Severus grinned back, but left the room without a word. Severus rummaged through the pantry a bit, searching out a pack of graham crackers and marshmallows; and after finding them, rifled through his fridge for some milk chocolate. He laid his supplies out on the counter and then drew his wand, conjuring four skewers.

"I think that should be everything," he said to himself, gathering his supplies into his arms and heading back into the sitting room.

Pausing in the doorway to the room, he made out three huddled figures as they were by the fire, the dark-red hair of Lily and Azalea now glowing by light of the hearth. He could make out muffled chortles of laughter from Harry and Azalea; Lily, presumably, having told her children a joke of some kind. Smiling to himself, Severus entered the room and walked calmly over to the three bundled-up forms of those he loved.

"I'm back," he announced, three sets of eyes snapping towards him with smiles curling three mouths moments later.

"So you are," Lily agreed. "And I see you've got something there."

"As the lady requested, chocolate and marshmallows—" Harry's breath hitched and Azalea all but squealed in delight, "—along with something else of my own choosing.

Lily patted the carpet next to her. "Well, let's have at it then."

Severus sat down and laid out his supplies right in front of him. Lily's eyes immediately darted to the sharp, pointed skewers, narrowing in concern. Without a word, she picked all four of them up and cast dulling charms on their pointed tips, before setting them back down.

"Yummy," Harry said, practically drooling. His green eyes focused intently on the chocolate and marshmallows, ignoring the crackers and the skewers, Azalea doing much the same.

"Graham crackers?" Lily asked curiously.

"Have any of you heard of what a smore is?"

Three shaking heads answered his question. Smiling, Severus went on to explain just what the 'snack,' if you could call it that, was, and how he'd come to learn of it when he'd organized a campout-style get-together for his rangers a few years back. They'd taught him about it, and ever since then, at their yearly camp-out on fourth of July weekends, toasting smores with Thunderbirds were a staple of their celebratory activities.

"So, since your mum's cast dulling charms on the sharp ends—" he looked to Lily, "—thank you Lily—" turned back to the enraptured Harry and Azalea, "—you guys can toast your marshmallows by the fire, until they're nice and crisp."

"How do we do that?" Harry asked, frowning at the pack of marshmallows.

"Pay close attention."

Severus opened the pack and grabbed the first marshmallow between thumb and forefinger. He then placed it on the end of the skewer and shuffled a little more closely to the fire. He helped the skewer out and let it toast near the flames for a few moments, and then drew it back.

"See that?" he asked, gesturing to the semi-molten marshmallow. "That's how much you should toast them. Now I'm gonna take a bit of chocolate—" he broke off a tab, "—take two graham crackers—" placed the chocolate between the crackers, then the marshmallow which was still on the skewer, "—and I'm going to pull the skewer away."

Harry and Azalea were practically salivating at the mouth as Severus held up the completed smore to the light. Even Lily's attention was thoroughly ensnared.

"Azalea, since you're the youngest, I'd like you to have the first smore," Severus said softly, holding the smore out to Azalea who eyed it desperately.

"Really?" Her eyes darted to her mother, who smiled indulgently and nodded.

"Tell us how it tastes, pumpkin," Lily said with a smile.

Azalea smiled brightly and eagerly grasped the smore, holding it between her small hands, she brought it to her mouth and took her first bite.

Severus never knew the eyes of James Potter could look quite so euphoric or delighted; Azalea's hazel irises shining so brightly, beyond what even their flaming hearth could supply. She took another bite, and then another, and before she knew it the smore was gone, but her dazzling eyes remained.

"How is it, 'z'lea?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"I love it."

Harry grinned and reached for the nearest skewer but was stopped by his mum.

"Hold on just a minute there, mister. I may have dulled the edge a little bit but I still want you to be careful with that, all right?"

"Yes mummy," Harry said fervently, anything to appease his mum, so he could taste a delicious smore.

Lily smiled and then held out the skewer to Harry. With a rushed word of 'thank you,' Harry got to work constructing his smore, and Lily and Severus did the same.

While Azalea made her second smore after a word of warning from Lily, the rest set out to assemble their firsts. Severus moved the crackers, chocolate and marshmallows all to a central location between them and the group shifted a little closer to the dancing flames so they could be reached with their skewers. Lily made her smore first, her marshmallow a little under-done by Severus' estimation but close enough. His flickering dark eyes gazed intently at Lily as she assembled her smore, then took her first, tentative bite out of the corner. The moan that filled the air was nothing short of decadent, and her green eyes blazed with delirious pleasure as he made quick work of the rest of the smore. A bit of melted marshmallow remained on a couple fingertips, but as she made to lick them off her dazzling eyes found Severus, she held his gaze as she licked the remnants of marshmallow off. From that look alone Severus knew he'd be getting some later tonight.

"Delicious," she murmured reverently, Severus smiling in agreement.

Severus smirked and withdrew his second toasted-marshmallow from the fire, assembling it quickly. While Harry and Azalea were occupied with devouring their smores, Severus held the newly-assembled smore—marshmallow oozing out the sides, to Lily's lips. Her look of confusion was quickly replaced by understanding, then desire, as she eagerly bit into the smore and allowed Severus to feed her.

"Delicious, huh?" Severus asked breathily, watching as Lily quite literally ate out of the palm of his hand.

"Better since you gave it to me," Lily said sweetly.

She shuffled closer to take the last bite of the smore, her teeth grazing the tips of his thumb and fingers, he swore he felt her tongue there as well. Severus' dark eyes smoldered with desire, the orange flames illuminating the onyx and revealing the faintest speckles of brown in his irises. His features relaxed into a smile as Lily looked back at him daringly.

"Allow me to sample it then," Severus replied huskily.

Lily's eyes widened a touch as Severus came closer, but with understanding she puckered her lips up and they shared a smore-tasting kiss.

Their moment of euphoric bliss was broken when Harry and Azalea made gagging noises and rolled their eyes at their antics, the adults withdrawing from their lip-lock quickly with sheepish grins on their faces.

"That was gross," said Harry. His vehement declaration met by warm chortles of laughter from his mum and Uncle Sev.

"That just means we love each other sweetie," Lily replied, still chuckling. "That's why mummy makes sure to give you and Azalea loads of cheek and forehead kisses. We love you both lots."

Harry gave a small nod but quickly turned his attention back to the next smore he was building.

While the kids' focus was entirely centered on smore-building once again, Severus couldn't help but feel shocked at what Lily had just said out loud. Sure, he'd been feeling that way for a while, but he hadn't told anyone, let alone Lily, of how he now felt about Harry and Azalea. At his look of perplexity, Lily sidled up closer to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek which seemed to snap him out of his stupor for the moment.

"It was obvious Sev, I see the way you look at them, care for them, nurture them. I know how you feel since I feel the exact same way myself. You love them."

She spoke with absolute conviction, utterly sure of herself and leaving no room for doubt. She knew him too well and answered the question that he'd only voiced in his mind without him even having to speak it. He gave a quiet sigh though it was one without burden or stress.

"You know me too well, Lily."

"And you, me."

She smiled and then reached for some more chocolate and graham crackers.

A/N: Up next, Harry and Azalea meet Kelly and Bryce, and their first Christmas spent as a family. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!