The next week seemed to go by in a blur. The boy kept himself to himself and tried to stay out of Severus's path as much as possible. He was quiet and distant, almost depressed. Severus tried not to think about it too hard as he threw himself into his potions. True to his word, the day after Sirius came to stay in his quarters they owl ordered everything an eight year old boy might possibly need. After that, however, they rarely saw each other outside of meals.

That was in need of change, Severus reflected with a sigh. He felt uncomfortable around the boy, not sure how to act around him or how to feel about him. And that had lead to ignoring the poor boy.

But Christmas was fast approaching, and Severus could not in good conscience ignore the holiday with a child in his care. He had had his fair share of miserable Christmas holidays, and he did not want to put any other child through that.

Dinner was silent as usual, until they both set their utensils down in unision. When Black moved to leave, Severus held him back with a gentle hand on his shoulder and a calming look on his face.

"I do not think the way we are going about this is going to work," he started calmly, noticing right away the panic overcoming Black's face, and cursed himself at his poor choice of wording. "I meant, that we cannot keep ignoring each other. You are under my care now, and as such, a relationship of some sort should be established. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me, whether it is important or you simply wish to talk." He nodded once to himself and then looked back up at Sirius to gauge his reaction.

The boy looked thoughtful, tracing the grain of the tabletop as he processed Snape's words. "You mean that? I'm really not a burden or a problem, then?"

Severus felt his face soften slightly. Though Severus couldn't stand some of the children he had to teach, mostly teenagers, he was exceptionally good with young children. A fact only a select few even knew about the dour Potions Master.

"You have been nothing close to a burden, and I doubt you could be unless you tried very, very hard." He trailed off for a moment, and then continued on, set in his plans. "Do you remember your cousin Narcissa?"

Sirius smiled fondly and nodded. "Cissy's always been nice to me. She's a little older than me. Well, I suppose a lot older than me, now. But I was always closer to her and Andi than Bella. Why?"

Severus grinned at the eager look on the boy's face. "Narcissa married Lucius Malfoy shortly after graduating. Their son is my godson, Draco. They have invited us to their manor for Christmas. Would you be agreeable to spending the holiday with them?"

Sirius's smile faltered for a moment. "Are you sure they want me to come, too? I mean, it seems like everyone we've talked about so far hasn't really liked me...," he trailed off, peeking up at Severus through his lashes.

Severus tilted his chin up with a finger, making sure to look Sirius in the eye. "Child, you may not have liked them as an adult, but that should not stop you from trying to have a relationship with them now. There is no history between you mucking it all up except what you have from your childhood. Now, how do you feel about this, hmm?"

With that reassurance, Sirius grinned widely, showing off the smile that had gotten him out of so much trouble as a teenager. Severus shivered at that look, but then shoved that aside as he patted the boy on the head.

"So, when do we leave, sir?" Severus rolled his eyes as the boy bounced in his seat, excited to see how Cissy had grown up.

"We leave tomorrow morning, and then we will be staying for three days. They are very excited to see you again, as well. Now, why don't you go pack a bag and we'll both get a good night's sleep before we have to leave. I doubt you'll be getting much sleep at the Malfoy's."

Sirius nodded eagerly and hopped out of the room, a goofy grin on his face. Severus heard the thumping and thudding coming from the room the rest of the night until it finally settled down around 10:30 that night. Sighing in exasperation, the man went to his own room and settled down for the night. He couldn't believe that he would be spending Christmas with Sirius Black, of all people. Yet, here he was, bending over backwards to make the boy happy. And happy he would be over this holiday, he would make sure of it.

With that vow to himself, he settled himself down for the night in order to keep up with the little menace all holiday. Oddly, he was actually looking forward to it...