A/N - I hope you appreciate this chapter, I struggled so badly with it. Anyway, I think, two chapters are left. Maybe two and then an epilogue.

Word Count Without A/N - 1513

Chapter 5

Smalling left Harry alone for the most part after Halloween, and as suggested, from then on, he sat at the opposite end of the table, much to the displeasure of Professors Sprout and Flitwick. Harry had laughed at the half Goblin's face the first time Smalling sat beside him, and Filius had been threatening retribution ever since.

Life at Hogwarts was good for Harry. He enjoyed the challenge of teaching, though he could have done without the marking of essays. Christmas was approaching, and Harry had begun looking for Christmas Presents. He was amazed at the amount he had to buy, and as the day came closer, he began to despair over what to buy for some people.

Hermione and Ron were easy. A book and season tickets for the Canons respectively, and they were done, and Harry had no problem with most of the rest of the Weasley's either. It was his friends on the staff that were causing him problems, Severus in particular. What do you buy for a man you once hated, who was now one of the closest people too you?

Harry had pondered books, potions ingredients, stationary sets, and he was still having no luck settling on anything. They all just seemed too...impersonal.

He finally settled on an idea, mostly by accident, the day after the Christmas Holidays began. He only hoped Severus wouldn't deem it inappropriate, or too much. He wondered if he was being lazy. After all, all he had to do was send an owl and then await the reply, but he hoped Severus would see the thought behind it, and would appreciate that Harry really had tried to find him the perfect present.

xxxx

Harry levitated into the staff room on Christmas Eve, unsurprised to find everyone else already there. He hadn't been feeling so well all day, and had fallen asleep in front of the fire. On waking up, he was happy to find he felt somewhat better, though he was half an hour late for the staff Christmas Party.

Tomorrow was for the children remaining behind, so the staff had long since commandeered Christmas Eve for their own celebrations, a chance to let their hair down and relax. It wasn't often in the school year that they had chance, so it was immensely looked forward to by all.

Harry got himself a drink, and floated his way over to where Albus, Minerva and Severus sat chatting.

"Ah, Harry, I was about to come and see what was holding you up," Albus said joyfully as Harry appeared beside them.

"I fell asleep, Albus, I apologise for being so late."

"Not a problem, dear boy, not a problem at all. Now that we're all here, we'll commence with the present's I think."

Harry chuckled at the smile on the Headmaster's face. He really was like a child at times. He waved his hand, and the present's he had fetched along with him appeared under the tree.

"Are you in pain?" Severus asked quietly. His face was impartial, but Harry could see the worry in the obsidian eyes. He smiled slightly.

"I'm fine. I felt slightly off this afternoon, but I think I just needed some sleep."

Severus nodded. "Do you, ah, Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"I have no plans. I've seen everyone outside of the castle that I needed too. Yourself?"

"I wouldn't object, should you find yourself with nothing to do, if you floo'ed yourself down to the dungeons after dinner."

Harry chuckled. "Or, you could floo up to my rooms where it is much warmer, and where I have some lovely Egyptian wine ready and waiting to be drunk?"

"Or I could do that. Eight?"

"Eight, it is."

As the teachers arranged themselves in a circle, Harry slotted himself in between Severus and Minerva. Albus sat closest to the tree, distributing the presents with a gleeful look on his face. Harry laughed when he waved his hand and a similarly wrapped present flew gently into everyone's laps.

The red and gold wrapping paper told them all the present's were from Minerva, though the fact that she sat without a present was a giveaway as well. Harry opened his own present, grinning when he saw what was in it.

A framed photo of himself and the quidditch team from his final year holding the cup and smiling from ear to ear. Turning to Minerva, he thanked her, already thinking of where he could place the photo. She patted him on the shoulder and gestured to the picture.

"Its my favourite picture of your time at Hogwart's, I thought you might like it in your office."

He nodded, and turned back to Albus, who was distributing the next set of presents, this time from Pomona. Everyone received the same thing from her, a cutting of an everlasting Orchid that she had been working on all year. They were notoriously difficult to grow, but when done properly, they bloomed beautifully all year long.

When it was Harry's presents, he sat nervously watching as the others opened them. For Minerva, he had procured a lovely bottle of scotch, Scottish shortbread and a tartan wand holster. For Pomona, a selection of cuttings from exotic plants that she exclaimed happily over. For Filius, a few obscure books. The Headmaster's present confused many in the room, but brought tears of happiness to his eyes as he held up three pairs of thick woollen socks.

Severus almost choked when Smalling opened his present from Harry, a Gilderoy Lockhart Hair Care Product set. The History teacher seemed oblivious to the irony of the present as he chirped excitedly about the set.

When Severus opened his own offering, which looked like a card rather than a present, the other teachers watched in interest as the Potions Master seemed to change colour, much like an iguana, before he pulled the happy looking Harry into a tight hug. Even Albus raised an eyebrow at Severus when he let Harry go, to which Severus passed over the card silently, still glowing with joy.

Albus read the card and chuckled before handing it back. With a nod of approval in Harry's direction, more present's were sent to their recipients.

"Hold on, what did Harry get for you?" Smalling asked, frowning at the smile on Severus' face.

"None of your business," Severus replied, tucking the card into his pocket. If he had let the others read it, they would have seen only a short note.

'Dear Severus, for all you have done for me, I can never repay you, but I thought this would make you happier than anything I can buy in a shop.

IOU - A summer trip to the deserts of egypt, where a meeting with Potions Master Obagyn has been arranged for you to enjoy at your leisure.

Thank you for everything,

Harry.'

Potions Master Obagyn was the creator of the Original Wolfsbane, and was also known as the best Potions Master in the world. Harry had met him quite by accident but had made fast friends with the man very quickly afterwards. When he asked him if he could fetch Severus to meet him in the summer, Master Obygyn was quite happy to oblige.

Harry was glad Severus was happy with his present. He opened the present on his knee without paying much attention to who it was off, when he realised he too held a card.

Opening it, he read, The cure for your legs is a spell and potion combination. When you are ready to walk again, come see me. Severus.

Gasps and shouts of shock echoed in the room as the Defence Professor fainted in his wheelchair.

xxxx

Harry opened his eyes to see the Professors crowding around him, all wanted to see if he was okay. With a gentle push of his magic, he moved them all back a bit to give him some space, and his eyes sought out Severus.

"You're sure?" he asked in a pained whisper, the hope already lose and soaring around his body like a phoenix in flight.

"Yes," was the simply reply, but the confidence in Severus voice made Harry smile.

"You'll fetch it tomorrow?"

"If you are ready."

"More than."

"Then I'll fetch it with me tomorrow."

"Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you," Harry whispered as Severus embraced him gently.

As the others looked between the two men in confusion, Harry and Severus only had eyes for each other. Pain, hope, happiness and gratitude shone from emerald eyes, while understanding, fondness and something Harry couldn't put his finger on shone from black eyes.

For the rest of the evening, Harry didn't quite know what to do with himself. He sat close by Severus and Albus, though he missed out on much of the conversation as one sentence whirled around his head like a mini tornado.

He would be able to walk again.