Even though the excitement of Christmas was over, Harry didn't feel too let down when he rose the next morning. After all, he and his dad still had over a week of the holidays. Since Christmas fell on a Friday that year, so would New Year's, and that meant lessons (including Harry's) would begin the following Monday.

Even better, snow began to fall as they settled down for breakfast!

"I expect there will be a good foot or so by midday," Severus commented, casually, as he stirred his tea. "Rather fortuitous that your new boots arrived when they did."

"Can we play in it?" Harry asked, over a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal.

"Of course," Severus replied, with a smile.

"N-no, I mean us." Harry looked at his bowl of porridge, then up at his guardian. "Will you join me, Dad?"

Severus frowned, just for a moment. "Well...all right. Mind you, it's been over a decade since I have played in the snow. You might have more fun with the other students," he cautioned. When Harry shook his head, his dad chuckled. "You'll see soon enough. Now, as there isn't very much at the moment, we'll need to wait a couple of hours. I had intended to brew--would you like to watch?"

"Yes, please!"

They spent an enjoyable couple of hours doing just that. Harry thought that, when he became an official student in a few years, he'd be fairly good at the lesson. He also enjoyed visiting the greenhouses with Professor Sprout, and learning about the plants which grew inside. His dad said there was a great deal of overlap between the two.

Playing in the snow with his dad was everything Harry could have expected. They made a giant snowman, first, and then engaged in a snowball fight. Harry giggled every time one of the snowballs missed him, and each time they hit his guardian. Once, he even managed to get his dad in the face! But Severus's face, while first taking on a shocked look, quickly turned into a giant grin.

"You realize this is war, owlet!" he retorted, but the wide smile made Harry knew his dad wasn't angry.

The charms that kept their cloaks and robes warm didn't entirely prevent the chill from the snow from creeping in. Especially after having assaulted each other with snowballs for, Harry guessed, at least a half hour. But his feet didn't hurt when they returned to the castle, and after a hot bath and donning his night shirt and dressing gown, Harry felt very comfortable in front of the fire. His dad had bathed and changed as well, and they spent the hours until dinner relaxing in front of the fire, Harry nestled against his dad under his two gifted blankets. The added warmth from his guardian felt extra nice, safe, even. Harry read to himself from one of his new books, and Severus occupied himself in a similar way. But he soon found his eyes becoming heavy, and when he awoke, it was to the smell of delicious, hot soup.

The following day, Severus gave Harry another present, of sorts. It was a Muggle Chess set. He watched with interest as his dad set up the pieces on the wooden board.

"We have our own version of the game, with players that can speak to you and give advice. I will teach you that in a year or so. For now, owlet, the Muggle version will suffice for mastering the basics. I don't suppose you ever played?" he asked, looking from the board to Harry.

"No, I don't know how," Harry admitted.

"That's quite all right. I shall teach you." Severus smiled. "I shall caution you, owlet, that there is rather a lot to remember at first, but you're quite smart, and we will practice regularly. Chess is a game all children from wizarding families know, and besides, it's educational as well as fun."

"Okay." Harry nodded. "Will we play today?"

"We will," Severus promised, with a smile. "Do you have a preference for colors?"

"Er, is there a difference?" Harry asked, looking at the board, then up at his guardian.

"Each piece can perform the same moves, regardless of color. However, the player with the white pieces makes the first move," he explained.

Probably best not to go first, then. Not that Harry expected to win, certainly not in his first game, but he could probably get a sense of what moves to make by watching his dad.

"I'd like to take the black pieces this time," he answered.

"Very well."

Severus spent the next several minutes explaining the role of each piece on the board. Pawns were easiest to remember, as they could only go forward, and either two spaces (for the first move) or one. If you managed to make it to the end of the board, you could exchange it for any other player. Rooks and bishops were a bit more challenging. The king and queen were the easiest, as they could go in any direction, but the queen any amount, and the king only one.

"Why does the queen have more power than the queen?" Harry wondered, puzzled.

His dad chuckled. "Women can be extremely powerful, owlet. However, in the context of the game, I believe it's more of a challenge to have the sole piece which must survive in order to stay in the game to be rather less powerful than others."

Harry chewed on his lip, thinking about this, then turning his attention back to the pieces.

"Don't forget, child, that this is not a test. Yes, you develop skills from playing, but it is a game, a form of entertainment," Severus reminded him, gently.

This reassured Harry, even though he still wanted to do well, and make his dad proud.

As it turned out, this would take some time. Harry and Severus played two games that morning, but Severus won both. He also had to remind Harry, more than once, when he attempted a move that his piece couldn't make.

Harry did manage to exchange a pawn for a second Queen, only to have it captured by a bishop a few moves later. He didn't sulk, though, the way Dudley did when he played a game with his parents or friends. Nor did he topple over the board, another common event with Dudley. No, he would just have to learn from his mistakes, and do better the next time.

At the end of each game, Severus recreated some of Harry's moves from memory--an impressive feat--to show him where he'd done well, and where he'd made errors.

"But you ought not be discouraged. Your second game was an improvement on your first, and I am sure you will only become a better player," he encouraged, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, drawing him close. "If you like, we shall play a game or two each day throughout the duration of the holidays."

"I'd like that!" Harry agreed, happily.

After all, his dad was happy with his progress, and Harry almost completed the second game far fewer moves that went against the rules. With his dad's help, perhaps, he might actually be a good player by the time he advanced to the wizarding version. Although, the idea of the pieces speaking to you was as frightening as it was exciting.

Harry enjoyed the rest of the holiday immensely. He and his dad played a couple of games of Chess each day, and while Harry had yet to win a game, he had mastered where each piece began, and which moves they could make. They also worked on one of Harry's new puzzles, a beautiful mountaintop snowy landscape, which consisted of a momentous thousand pieces. It was slow moving, because so many pieces were shades of white, but no less enjoyable. In the afternoons, Harry would fly or play outside to stretch his legs. The two weeks felt like a very long weekend. His dad even took the last week off from brewing (except from Harry went outside to fly) to spend more time with Harry.

The wizarding world didn't celebrate New Year's Eve the way England did, or at least, Hogwarts didn't. But Severus and Harry did remain up until midnight, munching on popcorn and leftover treacle tart. Then, when the older man's watch read that it was midnight, they both grinned--Harry, admittedly, feeling rather more tired than he would have liked. (He hadn't been able to sleep very well earlier.)

It was 1989. Harry was certain it would be even better than 1988.

Author's note: Short chapter, I know. But not much happens in canon between that time, or nothing very fun, so Harry spending time with his dad and learning Chess is an improvement. While I would imagine that most kids from wizarding families don't start with the Muggle version, Severus knows that Harry is pretty sensitive and wouldn't do well learning in this manner.

I posted the final chapter (5 of 5) of, "The Redo." This fic is not Severitis in the sense of Snape adopting Harry. Rather, when Harry takes the opportunity to go back in time to save Sirius Black, he must face his former teacher--and a mentorship with Severus Snape is one result.

Next up: Reader's choice. We can celebrate Severus's birthday in detail, or we can skip ahead to Harry's first bout of the flu. If you choose Severus's birthday, you'll need to wait longer, as I have not written it. But it will be an "extra" chapter, as I plan to write the flu one regardless. Please let me know below, as well as your thoughts on THIS chapter!