Part 2: Dreaming Out Loud

The Dursley's

Severus felt like he was floating which, as a wizard, was very much possible. He didn't think much of it either because he often dreamed of flying or floating. He had been an avid flyer when he was younger, but he hadn't flown in a long time thanks to a shattered pelvis he had received during Christmas of his third year from his father when he had been tossed down the stairs twice and then run him over with the family car.

Severus shook the memory off and soon discovered that he was floating over a small town, one he didn't recognize. He then seemed to get a destination as he headed toward a certain house.

The early morning light reflected off a brass number four.

Severus cringed as he heard what could only be a young boy yelling for his parents to get up now!

The potion master looked through the large front window, he was surprised to see not the form of a young Harry Potter, which he was unconsciously expecting, but a rather large blonde boy that bore a striking resemblance to a pig. He had already begun pulling things out of a large stocking that seemed to be bottomless. The boy was stuffing his mouth with chocolate as his parents entered the room. The father looked much like a whale, while the mother looked like a horse.

Whose house is this? Severus wondered as he watched the parents smile fondly at the boy who was ripping into paper.

'Petunia,' Severus breathed, there had been something familiar about the woman and now he realised that expecting Harry Potter wasn't totally off, so where was the boy? As the large boy unwrapped a bb gun, Petunia stood to go out to the hall. Severus surprised himself by floating through the wall, he followed the woman to where she stopped in the hall at a small door under the stairs.

She pulled a small bedraggled figure from the cupboard and dragged it into the kitchen.

Severus watched in confusion, but followed any way.

'You will make breakfast, pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast, and whatever else you're small underdeveloped brain might be able to think of,' she hissed at the, what Severus now recognized as a, young boy.

'Yes ma'am,' the boy replied as he moved stiffly towards the refrigerator. The woman left the boy unsupervised and went to watch her son as he opened more presents.

The young boy designated to cooking, even if he looked no older than six, heaved a resigned sigh and started to gather ingredients.

Severus studied the boy for a few minutes before the boy finally looked up, longingly staring at the door to the living room where the large boy was complaining about not getting as many presents as last year.

Severus gasped and stepped back, walking through the table, he would recognize those eyes anywhere. The boy who was made to cook was none other than Harry Potter.

'If you burn anything you won't get any food for the rest of the week!' the large whale suddenly bellowed. The large boy started to laugh gleefully.

The small dark haired boy glared at the blonde boy but Severus could see the tears that were gathering in his eyes.

Severus sighed, this Christmas wasn't any better than his own.

Suddenly the world started spinning and not soon enough Severus found himself back at Hogwarts, only he wasn't in his rooms, he was almost petrified to find himself in the Gryffindor common room.

Hogwarts

Severus glanced at the clock when he had settled and was startled to find it was almost eleven in the morning and there were still a few presents under the tree that weren't unwrapped and one that looked as though a dog had gotten to it.

'Harry?' a squeaky voice asked. Harry, who had just come down the stairs, glared at the boy who looked older then Harry but was in fact younger. How had Severus not noticed that Harry was smaller than most of his year mates and the students below him?

'Go away Colin,' Harry replied tonelessly.

'Happy Christmas,' Colin said softly, if a little sadly, as he handed a small package to Harry before going back to join his friends.

Harry pulled the three remaining parcels towards himself. The first was a box of sweets from Hagrid. The second was a book on Animagus, Your Inner Animal and How to Find It, from Remus, with a note that said that Sirius had a cookbook for him somewhere. The third was a book, Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland, from Hermione.

Harry gave the destroyed package a heartbroken look, it only lasted a second and Severus was sure he was the only one that had seen it but it had been there. Everything was destroyed and Ron looked rather pleased with himself while Ginny glared murderously at her brother.

Severus watched as Harry sighed and opened the package from Colin. It was a photo of Harry with Remus. It had been taken last year during one of the nights when Remus was tutoring Harry, both of them were laughing. Severus could almost see the respect that Harry held for the budding photographer go up.

'Colin?' Harry called to the other boy, the boy looked up and Harry held up the photo, 'thank you,' he gave a half hearted smile. Colin beamed and turned bright red as Ginny began to whisper furiously to him.

Harry headed back up to his dorms just as Fred and George started in on Ron.

'Why are you being such a prat to Harry,' asked George. At least Harry thought it was George as he stopped on the stairs, judging by the slight Scottish lilt that the slightly younger twin had acquired from spending far too much time with McGonagall and several of the shop keepers in Hogsmeade.

'He's a back stabbing traitor!' Ron snarled as he glared at his brothers.

'Why?' Fred started, 'because someone else put his name in a competition, making him have to take part in a contest that he doesn't want to take part in? A competition that could possibly kill him! I'm sure if you asked he would let you take his spot.' Harry gave a small smile, at least he had the twins.

'I don't care what it makes me,' Ginny announced suddenly, 'I am going to tell mum what you did to Harry's present.'

And Ginny too.

'Don't worry G and T,' Fred said, Harry could hear the malicious glee in his voice.

It was mirrored in George's as he said, 'we already did.' Harry chuckled darkly as he imagined what Molly would do to Ron. He headed up to his room to change.

Severus couldn't believe what a toad Ron had been. He sneered, Sirius had been a better friend to Severus then Ron was being to Harry. At least Sirius had ceased being a prat around the holidays, if only when no one else was around...

Seeing these two Christmas', so much like his own poor experiences, Severus wondered how Harry could celebrate a holiday that had been nothing but shitty for him.

The common room shimmered out of focus and Severus blinked a few times before the front hall of Grimmauld Place came into focus.

12 Grimmauld Place

The first thing that Severus noticed as he took in the old house was that it felt lighter, both literally and magically.

The second thing he noticed was the voices coming from what he hoped was the living room.

Following the laughter that know accompanied the voices he was surprised to find Harry and Remus were decorating a tree while Lucius, of all people, was on the couch with a young infant who seemed quite content with the blonde.

Lucius seemed to be healing, from what Severus had no idea, but Severus hadn't seen Lucius as content as when Draco had been a child.

Severus watched the four of them and started to realize that it wasn't the holiday that was bad, but the people who one got to spend it with. Harry was a prime example. The Dursley's hadn't wanted the young boy and had made the boy's life with them miserable but these two men and the small child wanted Harry around. They liked him, possible even loved him and that made all the difference in the world as Remus kept taking down Harry's decorations to rearrange them, and Harry would scowl and move it back to where he had originally put it. Lucius would call out suggestions that were ignored as Harry and Remus argued playfully over the placement of several reindeer ornaments.

Severus watched the scene and wondered if things had been different if he would have had a Christmas like this.

Then he was bowled over by a sudden revelation. He could have one like this, if he would just swallow his pride but he didn't know if that was possible.

Severus watched as Harry snatched Teddy from Lucius, the toddler squealed as Harry spun him around before together, they placed the final touch on the tree. A star. A glittery star that looked to be silver.

'Why isn't the star bothering us?' Lucius asked eyeing the topper on the tree that was reflecting the light of several of the faeries that were playing around it.

'It's not silver.' Remus replied simply, 'Lily had it made special for me at James' expense,' he explained, Lucius simply nodded.

Harry and Teddy joined Remus and Lucius on the couch as Remus lowered the lights and a house elf served them cocoa.

'You sure you can look after Teddy tonight?' Remus asked again, if Harry's eye roll was anything to go by.

'Yes,' Harry replied, 'he'll be asleep for most of the night, and besides, he likes me, right Teddy Bear?' Harry asked tickling the young one's belly.

'We should get ready,' Remus announced after a few minutes, 'the moon will be up soon.'

Harry took the toddler as Remus helped Lucius stand. The older pair headed to the basement as Harry took Teddy upstairs.

Severus followed Harry as he listened to the young man ramble to the toddler, and the potion master was hit with a pang that he refused to admit that he wanted to see Harry with his own children.