Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters and ideas are the whole intellectual property of Ms. J.K. Rowling and are hers alone to sell. I do not receive, nor would I accept any compensation for any of the owned intellectual property of Ms. Rowling (nor that which she has licensed to WB etc.). What follows is just a wacky little ditty I wanted to get out of my brain. It only got there because I so love that which Ms. Rowling created. No copyright infringement is intended.

Nine-Year-Old Christmas

'Harry – psst, Harry!'

Harry stopped at the sound of an urgent whisper coming from behind a statue on the landing. 'Who's there?' he whispered back.

'Come here.' Fred and George's red heads appeared from behind the statue, beckoning Harry closer.

'What are you doing?' Harry hissed, checking over his shoulder quickly to make sure no one saw him dart behind the statue. 'I'm not supposed to be talking to you two…' he winced, looking once more around the statue for safety. 'Dad was none too pleased when he found out that I helped you guys with that prank.'

'Ooh…' it was the twins turn to wince, this time in sympathy.

'You didn't get in too much trouble did you?' George asked nervously.

'Let me put it this way,' said Harry, casting yet another quick look around the statue. 'I'm surprised you didn't hear him yelling at me up in your dorm – and I'm restricted. Speaking of which,' he sighed. 'I gotta go guys. I'll catch it for sure if I'm late – especially if he finds out I stopped to talk to you.'

The twins watched in commiseration as, with a quick wave, Harry dashed up the stairs. 'Poor bugger,' muttered George.

'Yeah, imagine having Snape as your father… Still, he's got a great sense of humour for someone who's lived with that greasy git for seven years. Come on then,' sighed Fred with a shrug. 'We'll show him that thing later. I still say it has to be something good for Filch to have had it in that cabinet – I have a feeling about that parchment, brother of mine.' They both smirked evilly. 'Let's see if we can't figure it out on our own before we show it to Harry.'

**********

In another part of the castle entirely, Harry Potter approached the door to the teachers' wing. Placing his hand flat on an inconspicuous panel on the door 'Agor Harry Potter' he spoke quietly, and rushed up the stairwell on the other side.

'Hiya Harry-lad!' squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick in greeting when Harry burst into the teacher's common room.

'Hi Uncle Filius,' Harry smiled, looking around – not particularly surprised that his father wasn't there.

'Just coming back from a lesson?' Filius asked cheerfully.

'Physical fitness.' Harry gave him a slightly lopsided grin. 'Actually,' he grinned, leaning in conspiratorially. 'Madam Hooch and I just had a snowbattle today as it's the last class before Christmas – but don't tell Dad…' Harry winked, and the professor laughed appreciatively.

Harry was well aware of how much most of the teachers and older students loved him, and it was only his deep love and respect for his father that stopped him from taking advantage of the tendencies of those teachers and students whenever they knew he'd been in trouble with the dark-mooded potions master.  Still, many of the teachers would sneak him treats when he was restricted, and those who gave him lessons often went really easy on him right after he'd been in trouble. Worst, however, for the unlucky potions master was the fact that, though at the best of times, he was far from most student's favourite teacher, whenever word got around that Harry'd been in trouble and punished, the surliness in his classes, and even from many of his colleagues went up noticeably.

'Harry?' demanded the low voice of his father, causing Harry to jump guiltily. 'There you are. What are you doing? You're supposed to head straight to your room after your lesson – you know that.'

'Dad!' Harry gulped standing up quickly from the sofa where he'd sat next to Filius. 'I was just…'

'It's my fault, Severus,' Flitwick put in quickly shooting Harry a kind wink before standing up on the sofa to turn and face his colleague. 'When he came in a bit ago,' he flicked his wand surreptitiously behind his back and Harry felt several chocolate frogs fall into his pockets. Harry tried not to smile at this and the fact that the professor was deliberately vague as to how long ago Harry'd arrived back in the common room. 'I asked him to speak for a minute. I was asking about his lessons – you know – making sure he's attending to them properly. He'll be a proper Hogwarts student in only two short years and he must be prepared…'

'Alright then,' Severus replied, squinting at the charms professor sceptically, but seeming to decide to accept the explanation. 'Harry – to your room then, until supper.'

'Yes, Dad,' Harry said, looking at the floor as he passed him, though sending Filius an appreciative smile over his shoulder just before he entered the corridor that lead to his and his father's apartments.

'Do you have your essay for me then?' Severus asked a few minutes later from Harry's bedroom door.

'Yeah,' Harry smiled as he presented his father with the parchment essay he'd worked very hard on. Severus sat at Harry's desk to read it while Harry watched his reaction eagerly from the edge of his bed. He watched nervously as Severus mumbled several 'Hmm's', nodded occasionally and once or twice raised his eyebrows – whether in curiosity, surprise or condemnation of his argument Harry could only guess as he sat chewing on his fingernails.

'Stop biting your fingers,' Severus said almost as an afterthought when he finally looked up. 'Well written,' he said finally to Harry's relief. 'I'm not sure I agree with all of your arguments, but you've presented all of them in a well thought-out way, and you've offered plenty of evidence to back up your postulations. Good job.' He smiled at Harry's beaming, proud face. 'You're done for the term. The essay passes.'

Harry couldn't help himself, he let out a 'Whoop!' of joy, jumping off of his bed to punch the air in victory.

'Now,' Severus said, smiling in spite of himself as he held up an envelope and Harry paused mid 'whoop!' to look at it. 'Let's see what your other instructors have to say for you.' He didn't say anything, smiling slightly to himself when Harry's fingernails found themselves once more between his teeth as Severus opened Harry's progress report. He tried with all his might to keep his face impassive to try and fake Harry out a bit, but he just couldn't keep it up and smiling he held it out for Harry to see for himself.

'Outstanding!' Harry cried, looking hopefully at his father for praise.

'Absolutely!' Severus agreed with a real smile. 'Come here!' Harry instantly allowed himself to be pulled into a celebratory hug, his father patting him heartily on the back. 'Alright,' he stood up tall again, looking down on Harry very seriously. 'It may just be the Christmas spirit, or some such rot, or I'm just so amazed and stunned by your 'outstanding' results…' he grinned, mussing Harry's hair. 'I still want you to stay away from those Weasley twins for a while, but you're off restriction.'

'Really?!'

'Yeah, go on quick before I change my mind.'

'Can I show my results to everyone?'

'Just a sec,' Severus said, adding his own report on the sheet before handing it over to an overjoyed Harry.

'Thanks Dad!' Harry practically screamed, grabbing the progress letter and bolting for the door. 'Dad?' He paused briefly just outside his room. 'What about after Christmas – can I be friends with Fred and George then?'

'Stay out of trouble for a while and we'll talk.' Was all Severus would allow, and deciding to take what he could get, Harry ran, grinning from their apartments.

Smiling, Severus could hear him screaming 'I'm off restriction! Look at my results!' to whomever might be in the teachers common room even before the door to their apartments closed.

**************

As silently as he could, Harry tip-toed into his father's room and to the foot of his bed where he ever-so gently laid a gaily wrapped parcel. Backing slowly and quietly back out of the room, he bounded back to his own room to his own bed, and the many presents laid on, or around it.

Biting into one of the several apples that were always scattered among his presents, Harry called out to wake his father 'Dad! Daddy! Wake-up! It's Christmas, and Father Christmas found us!' When he'd been younger, Harry'd been worried every year that Father Christmas wouldn't find him to bring his presents because they sometimes spent Christmas at Hogwarts, and sometimes they spent it here at their house. But every year, without fail, there was a generous pile of gifts for Harry, and every year, he woke his father by shouting that they'd been found for Christmas again.

Hearing a groan from across the hall, Harry happily tore into his presents, waiting eagerly for his father to wake enough to spot the present he'd left. He didn't have to wait long before Severus was at his door, holding the present in his hands and gaping at Harry in amazement.

'Where…? How…?' Was all he managed.

'Auntie Minnie taught me how to knit,' Harry beamed. 'And I bought the wool with my allowance when she took me with her to Hogsmeade before Hallowe'en. I, uh, saved my allowance for a month for the book, but,' he looked nervously for his father's reaction before finishing. 'It wasn't quite enough, so Uncle Albus paid the rest – he won't let me pay him back, so see…' he motioned for him to open the cover of the potions book. 'I made it from both of us.'

Indeed, the inscription read: 'For Daddy, Christmas, 1989. From Harry J. S. Potter, and Albus Dumbledore' Severus smiled as he read the added comment in the headmaster's neat script (but mostly from Harry who wanted to get his father something wonderful).

'Harry,' Severus pulled him into a strong hug, sensing how nervous Harry was that his father love the gift. 'It's perfect! All of it. It's just what I wanted.'

Harry looked like he might just burst with pride at this announcement. 'We checked and checked to make sure you didn't already have that book,' Harry said eagerly. 'And the scarf? Is it the right size? I wanted to make it really long so it could wrap 'round and 'round to keep you really warm. And the card? Fred and George helped me to charm it to glitter – that was before you said I couldn't talk to them though,' he assured quickly.  'They did the same for Charlie's card.'

One of the reasons why Harry had so easily made friends with Fred and George was the fact that he'd looked up to their brother Charlie for years. Ever since he'd been four (nearly five!), and Charlie had saved him from being hit by a stray bludger when he'd been watching Quidditch practice. The seventh-year Quidditch captain had deliberately flown in front of it to stop it hitting Harry. Though Charlie had gained a broken collarbone for his effort, little Harry had only been a little shook up. He'd followed Charlie and the team, crying the whole time up to the hospital wing, apologizing over and over. When Charlie'd been healed, he'd hugged Harry and told him repeatedly that it wasn't his fault and that his arm was already fine. He'd even done several silly stunts to prove to Harry that he was fine. Ever since, Harry had looked to Charlie as a sort of big brother. And since he could write, he and Charlie had been sending each other owls, and holiday cards.

'It's all of it perfect, Harry.' Severus smiled, wrapping the newly knitted black scarf loosely around his neck – twice, and indicating that Harry should dig into his own presents.

After Harry'd opened all of his usual spectacular number of presents – not only from his father, and Father Christmas, but also from most of the staff of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin, and Charlie Weasley (who sent a small model dragon that really flew around!), and they'd had a huge Christmas breakfast, Severus joined Harry in an impressive snowbattle in their back garden.

As usual, they didn't want it to end, but Albus had invited them to spend Christmas dinner with them all at the school,  so they had to clean up, and Harry had to decide which one present he would take with him to show the professors at school (he was only allowed to bring one to Christmas dinner).

'Are you ready Harry?' Severus called from the front room. 'We don't want to be late.'

'Coming, Daddy,' Harry called as he thumped down the stairs. 'Ready!' Harry panted, sliding to a halt in front of the floo, and clutching the miniature dragon that Charlie had sent him.

'Alright, go on then.' Severus held out the floo powder for him to take.

Thowing a pinch of powder into the flames Harry stepped into the hearth and called out 'Hogwarts, Headmaster's office. Agor, Harry Potter' and swirled quickly from view.

'Best Christmas ever,' Severus muttered to himself before repeating the procedure, smiling with the knowledge that he said the same thing every Christmas.