Chapter 12: On Warmths That Be
RF's note: HUGE thanks go to rakina... before her wonderful touch, this chapter was definitely much much worse.
~*~*~
Severus’ eyes weren’t exactly obeying him. They seemed to be more happy rolling around in no particular direction rather than focusing on his surroundings.
He groaned weakly with the effort of lifting his head; it felt rather rock-like in density, he asserted, while his neck felt decidedly more like a lolly stick.
“Father!”
Severus grunted with the impact as a flurry of limbs threw itself on him, burying its face in said lolly stick.
“Hey, Drake,” he whispered, holding his son close, “I suppose I’m back.”
His eyes traveled around his curtained cubicle. “I don’t know how the hell I got here…” he continued in wonder, “…but I’m back.”
Draco pulled away, face streaked with tears of joy. “Harry saved you,” he explained, trying to wipe his tears away. “He saw you in a dream, and so he ran… and then he shared his life force with you until Professor Dumbledore came, and then you were in a coma, and we sat here by your side, and he told me how stupid it was of me to pretend I didn’t care, and then he made me cry and I prayed for you to wake up, and now you’re awake! I knew you’d be.” He smiled brightly, sniffling now. “Sorry, I know I’m babbling,” he grinned. “I just… missed you, that’s all.” More happy tears swelled in his eyes.
Severus felt his own lips stretch into a warm smile. Then his eyes dulled as memories assaulted him.
Pain was the first thing that came to mind. Lots and lots of pain. His bones ached with the power of the memories. He had been sure that this time he wouldn’t survive.
Draco sprang up, jolting him from his thoughts. “I should get Dad!” he exclaimed.
Severus forced a smile and nodded.
Draco flew out of the Infirmary.
Severus closed his eyes. He remembered that after the pain… a new presence had appeared. He remembered warmth, beautiful warmth that penetrated his very soul, lighting up every dark corner from the inside. It was simply beautiful - there was no other word for it. He had thought he had died then, and this was what the afterlife felt like.
But it must have been… Harry.
“Severus?”
Radiant emerald eyes met onyx.
“I bumped into Draco,” ventured Harry once he could concentrate on speech again, still standing uncertainly in the curtain’s opening. “He seemed in such a hurry he barely glanced at me.”
“He went to get his Dad,” smiled Severus.
Harry hoped the momentary pained expression on his face would go unnoticed. He didn’t know what to do with his useless body. Joy was overtaking him, and paralyzing him at the same time. He didn’t know if he could hug Severus, or shake hands, or… what was appropriate?
Snape sensed the boy’s confusion. “Well,” he rumbled, opening his arms. “Come here. You are my savior, after all.”
A brilliant smile lit Harry’s face as he flew into Severus’ arms. His face was wet with tears as he held the older man close. “I was so afraid…” he whispered. “So afraid I’d lost you…” He looked up at Severus, with fire in his eyes. “Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he begged. “I couldn’t stand it.”
Severus smiled warmly, feeling tears welling up in his own eyes. “I don’t ever plan to,” he whispered back, kissing the boy’s forehead softly.
Their eyes met once again. “Let me listen to you,” pleaded Harry. “I need to be sure you’re fine.”
Snape nodded his consent.
Harry smiled. His eyes closed as his hand found its way to Snape’s chest and stilled straight over his heart.
Severus stared as the boy’s face shone with perfect calmness, with only a hint of a smile remaining on his face. He gasped as he felt warmth radiate from Harry’s hand, penetrating his heart, body, and soul. His eyes fell shut in reverence of the beautiful feeling spreading through him. He wanted to bask in the warmth forever.
When he opened his eyes again, Harry was watching him. His emerald eyes seemed to look into the very depths of his soul. Severus felt himself smile.
Harry smiled back. “It’s good to hear your voice again,” he whispered. Slowly, the warmth faded. He drew his hand back.
For a few long moments, they held each other’s eyes, simply content to be together. Finally, Harry looked away. Distress showed on his face.
Severus eyed him worriedly. “What is it?” he asked softly.
Harry struggled to lift his eyes. Aching tears were burning in them now. “It’s… Bill,” he whispered.
Severus’ head fell back onto his pillow. He closed his eyes to hide his pain. He knew. “He turned me in to Lucius, didn’t he,” he stated brokenly. It wasn’t a question.
Harry nodded mutely.
Snape muffled a curse.
“That’s…” Harry struggled to keep talking. “That’s not all…”
Severus’ raspy pained laugh resounded through the cubicle. “What did you do to him?” he squeezed out.
Harry looked down, cheeks flaming. “I… I showed him a bit of what you had experienced,” he mumbled.
Snape’s head snapped up. “You what?” he asked.
Harry winced. “Well, see, I’ve been having these dreams for quite some time now… scary dreams that make your blood run cold.”
He looked up. “And then in the last one, when I slept by the fireplace, I saw you. And I knew that… that monster that was there… was Voldemort.”
Severus cringed at the name.
“And then I realized,” continued Harry, “that through my link with him, I could see stuff sometimes.”
Snape nodded thoughtfully. “That seems logical,” he contemplated, “but you showed him how it felt?”
Harry paled, memories awakened once again. “Yeah…” he whispered. “When Voldemort throws curses, I feel them. It hurts.” He swallowed hard. “I simply gave my dream to Bill. Now he knows a small part of what you felt.”
Severus’ eyes fell closed in painful thought.
For a few minutes, silence reigned.
Both looked up at the sound of a curtain being drawn.
Draco stood just inside the cubicle. Anguished tears spilled from his eyes.
“Dad left,” he whispered. “He left a note… he’s gone.”
A stab of pain surged through Severus. “Come here, child,” he sighed.
For the third time that night, a body threw itself on him. Draco was sobbing freely now.
Severus shushed him, rubbing his back soothingly and holding him close. “It’s okay, child,” he whispered. “Shush now… It’ll all be okay.”
~*~*~
Several weeks had passed since that night, and the Snape household settled into a calm routine. Draco’s anger at Bill’s ‘treason’ subsided somewhat, and he chose to be simply content that his Father was alive and well.
Severus was confined to bed, at the combined insistence of Dumbledore, Pomfrey, and Harry. (‘Now Severus,’ Dumbledore had sounded as soothing and meddling as ever, ‘Madam Pomfrey and I are good, but we are not perfect. Your body needs much more rest to regenerate completely.’ Harry had nodded then, and Severus had no choice but to comply.)
At Draco’s insistence, Severus’ bed was moved to the living room and enlarged to enormous size, with enough room for both Draco and Harry to lie down to either side of him, which they did for many an evening, telling stories and tickling his sides softly.
In his spare time, when he wasn’t studying like mad, Harry ran all the household business, and was doing so with great pleasure. It delighted him to cook or order something for dinner that made Sev’s or Draco’s eyes light up, or to surprise them with a little something to make their days more special.
Now it was the last day before winter break, with only days left ‘til Christmas, and Harry was sitting in a sixth year Gryffindor-Slytherin Charms class, feeling decidedly silly, while tensions were running high.
Draco was forced to play the part of the arrogant git in front of his Slytherin classmates, and, not knowing it was just an act, Ron and Hermione weren’t too happy with that.
Finally, Harry felt he'd had enough of the dangerous looks and the wands poised ready for action. It was Christmas time - a time which, he thought, held no place for enmity.
Ever since he was a little boy, Harry had always adored Christmas. His lips quirked ruefully as he considered the irony of it all. The boy who had never got presents, the boy who had never before celebrated Christmas with someone he could call a friend… He, this boy, seemed to nevertheless appreciate Christmas more than… well, anyone except for Draco, really.
Harry smiled. Perhaps this made him a silly person, yet he could never help feeling like Christmas added something to the air. It was something intangible that made everything so much more beautiful, and so much more precious.
This year, finally, he’d have the chance to truly celebrate. And (Harry’s eyes sparkled mischievously), perhaps the time to start the festivities was… now.
He sprang onto his desk. “I think today we should review the Wingardium Leviosa charm!” he exclaimed.
Professor Flitwick spluttered. “Mr. Potter-- why, what is the meaning of this? Get down from there right now!”
“It’s Christmas time!” exclaimed Harry. “Personally, I love Christmas. It makes me feel so special - and silly as well! I’m sure other people feel the same! Which is why the Wingardium Leviosa charm is perfect for today!”
“Why?” asked Draco, unable to hold back his curiosity.
Harry winked at him. “Because you can levitate yourself! You can charm your shoes and float in the air!”
The students chuckled as he floated upward.
“Or you can charm a friend!” he continued. “And you could even make them dance!”
Everyone laughed as Ron rose into the air and did a jig of sorts.
“This is not the time for enmity, guys,” continued Harry a bit more calmly. “The holidays are not the time for fights or quarrels. Everyone should feel special and smile. Wands should be drawn in jest only. Relax…” he smiled. “After Christmas you can go back to being your normal Gryffindor-hates-Slytherin-and-vice-versa selves. Right now… just be happy!” His eyes shone.
Professor Flitwick stomped his little foot. “While you do have a point, Mr. Potter, I demand that you stop this nonsense immediately! You’re disrupting the class.”
Harry floated down toward him. A slight pout graced his lips. “Don’t you like Christmas?” he whispered.
The professor shrugged. “After you’ve seen as many of them as I have… they really aren’t that special anymore.”
Harry’s eyes shone with sadness. Then, a mischievous glint crept into them, growing steadily larger.
With a little whoop, he climbed back onto his desk. Opening his eyes wide, he began talking.
“So. You know Christmas’s upon us,
And you kind of really don’t care.
You’re depressed, and a little bit lonely…
And you’re kind of hanging your head!”
He paused to look around the room, into the eyes of each and every person.
“Well then, ‘See through my eyes,’ I say.
’Let me show you what Christmas is like’
And so what if you don’t really celebrate it?
It should just… feel happy, and right.”
Off to his side, Hermione muttered something into her wand. Out of nowhere, soft music appeared, growing steadily louder. Harry smiled. It was just silly enough.
Draco scribbled something furiously on a piece of paper. With a flick of his wand, it disappeared.
~*~
Up in his office, Professor Dumbledore was quite shocked to see a bold message appear on his desk.
“Get Father, and come to 6th year Charms. Now! Draco”
With a soft chuckle, Albus disappeared.
~*~
Harry vaulted off his desk, landing next to Hermione and throwing an arm around her shoulders.
“Reach within you, deeply, I order you.
Feel the beating of your inner heart,” he declaimed.
He scurried over to Ron.
“Find the jingle bells pattern within it.
And the twinkling of warm Christmas lights!”
Getting caught up in the rhythm of the song, he skipped around the classroom, his bold voice piercing the room.
“Step outside and look into the heavens.
Close your eyes and breathe in the cool air.
Can you feel it?” - He reached out to muss Draco’s hair - “The good Christmas Spirit
Is so gently ruffling your hair.”
Dumbledore and Severus appeared in the doorway. Harry’s eyes flickered over to them and he grinned in recognition.
“Look back up at the sparkling starlight,” he told the headmaster.
”See the stars twinkle like morning dew.
Any one of those stars could be Santa.”
His gaze drifted to Severus. “And another I’ll name after you.”
His eyes surveyed the stunned room.
“Go back in. Let me turn on the fireplace.
Come, sit down. Feel its warmth on your face.
No, no, no, Father Christmas won’t burn himself.
Fine… we’ll set it on ‘low’, just in case.”
The music took a turn for the minor, growing softer till it was barely heard.
Harry closed his eyes, swaying to its rhythm softly.
“Close your eyes, and breathe deeply and evenly,” he whispered.
”Let your ears grow to elephant size.
Do you hear the air hum Christmas carols?
Do you feel your depression’s demise?”
His eyes opened and met Professor Flitwick’s.
“Feel your heart rise with trembling excitement,” he ordered.
“Feel it vibrate with caroling rhymes.” - Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled back at him.
Harry hesitated.
Wet emerald eyes met stunned onyx.
“Sing out soft. Christmas beauty’s upon us,” whispered Harry barely audibly, eyes burning Severus to the core. A single tear made its way down his cheek.
“Feel my tears shimmering in your eyes.”
He bowed his head.
Slowly, the music faded.
Spellbound, the students stared.
~*~*~
Harry flipped onto the enormous bed and stretched out next to Severus. Once over the shock of Harry’s performance, Draco forced the both of them back to their chambers, Severus to bed, and Harry to help putting up decorations.
“Tell me about my parents?” Harry asked.
Snape chuckled. “I’ve told you at least a few times already!” he exclaimed.
“So?” pouted Harry. “I want to hear it again.”
“No you don’t,” huffed Draco from the top of a ladder. “You want to help me put up these decorations.”
Harry giggled.
Severus sighed. “Very well… where shall I start...”
He fixed Harry with his best glare. “Your father was a git, of course,” he declared. “Arrogant, stuck-up, snotty… everything seemed to come easy to him and he was envied by many.”
“Everything but Potions,” put in Harry with a grin. “That was your thing, right?”
Severus smiled. “So it was.”
“Everything changed when one day he looked at your mother and saw not a bookworm… but the prettiest girl on the planet.”
Harry smiled. “Describe her?” he asked.
Their peaceful interaction was interrupted with a loud popping noise.
A small, dirty creature was standing in the middle of the room.
Draco looked down, preoccupied with the decorations. “Oh good,” he sighed. “I don’t care who the heck you are but would you be so kind as to hang this right over there?” Without much ado, he threw the creature a stocking.
The fellow’s eyes widened as he caught it. “You… give this… to me?” he exclaimed.
Draco frowned confusedly. “Is that a problem?”
The creature fell to its knees. “Master is too kind,” it sobbed pitifully. “Master is too kind to Dobby. Thank you, Master Malfoy, thank you… Dobby is free now! Dobby is free!”
~*~*~
Severus’ eyes weren’t exactly obeying him. They seemed to be more happy rolling around in no particular direction rather than focusing on his surroundings.
He groaned weakly with the effort of lifting his head; it felt rather rock-like in density, he asserted, while his neck felt decidedly more like a lolly stick.
“Father!”
Severus grunted with the impact as a flurry of limbs threw itself on him, burying its face in said lolly stick.
“Hey, Drake,” he whispered, holding his son close, “I suppose I’m back.”
His eyes traveled around his curtained cubicle. “I don’t know how the hell I got here…” he continued in wonder, “…but I’m back.”
Draco pulled away, face streaked with tears of joy. “Harry saved you,” he explained, trying to wipe his tears away. “He saw you in a dream, and so he ran… and then he shared his life force with you until Professor Dumbledore came, and then you were in a coma, and we sat here by your side, and he told me how stupid it was of me to pretend I didn’t care, and then he made me cry and I prayed for you to wake up, and now you’re awake! I knew you’d be.” He smiled brightly, sniffling now. “Sorry, I know I’m babbling,” he grinned. “I just… missed you, that’s all.” More happy tears swelled in his eyes.
Severus felt his own lips stretch into a warm smile. Then his eyes dulled as memories assaulted him.
Pain was the first thing that came to mind. Lots and lots of pain. His bones ached with the power of the memories. He had been sure that this time he wouldn’t survive.
Draco sprang up, jolting him from his thoughts. “I should get Dad!” he exclaimed.
Severus forced a smile and nodded.
Draco flew out of the Infirmary.
Severus closed his eyes. He remembered that after the pain… a new presence had appeared. He remembered warmth, beautiful warmth that penetrated his very soul, lighting up every dark corner from the inside. It was simply beautiful - there was no other word for it. He had thought he had died then, and this was what the afterlife felt like.
But it must have been… Harry.
“Severus?”
Radiant emerald eyes met onyx.
“I bumped into Draco,” ventured Harry once he could concentrate on speech again, still standing uncertainly in the curtain’s opening. “He seemed in such a hurry he barely glanced at me.”
“He went to get his Dad,” smiled Severus.
Harry hoped the momentary pained expression on his face would go unnoticed. He didn’t know what to do with his useless body. Joy was overtaking him, and paralyzing him at the same time. He didn’t know if he could hug Severus, or shake hands, or… what was appropriate?
Snape sensed the boy’s confusion. “Well,” he rumbled, opening his arms. “Come here. You are my savior, after all.”
A brilliant smile lit Harry’s face as he flew into Severus’ arms. His face was wet with tears as he held the older man close. “I was so afraid…” he whispered. “So afraid I’d lost you…” He looked up at Severus, with fire in his eyes. “Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he begged. “I couldn’t stand it.”
Severus smiled warmly, feeling tears welling up in his own eyes. “I don’t ever plan to,” he whispered back, kissing the boy’s forehead softly.
Their eyes met once again. “Let me listen to you,” pleaded Harry. “I need to be sure you’re fine.”
Snape nodded his consent.
Harry smiled. His eyes closed as his hand found its way to Snape’s chest and stilled straight over his heart.
Severus stared as the boy’s face shone with perfect calmness, with only a hint of a smile remaining on his face. He gasped as he felt warmth radiate from Harry’s hand, penetrating his heart, body, and soul. His eyes fell shut in reverence of the beautiful feeling spreading through him. He wanted to bask in the warmth forever.
When he opened his eyes again, Harry was watching him. His emerald eyes seemed to look into the very depths of his soul. Severus felt himself smile.
Harry smiled back. “It’s good to hear your voice again,” he whispered. Slowly, the warmth faded. He drew his hand back.
For a few long moments, they held each other’s eyes, simply content to be together. Finally, Harry looked away. Distress showed on his face.
Severus eyed him worriedly. “What is it?” he asked softly.
Harry struggled to lift his eyes. Aching tears were burning in them now. “It’s… Bill,” he whispered.
Severus’ head fell back onto his pillow. He closed his eyes to hide his pain. He knew. “He turned me in to Lucius, didn’t he,” he stated brokenly. It wasn’t a question.
Harry nodded mutely.
Snape muffled a curse.
“That’s…” Harry struggled to keep talking. “That’s not all…”
Severus’ raspy pained laugh resounded through the cubicle. “What did you do to him?” he squeezed out.
Harry looked down, cheeks flaming. “I… I showed him a bit of what you had experienced,” he mumbled.
Snape’s head snapped up. “You what?” he asked.
Harry winced. “Well, see, I’ve been having these dreams for quite some time now… scary dreams that make your blood run cold.”
He looked up. “And then in the last one, when I slept by the fireplace, I saw you. And I knew that… that monster that was there… was Voldemort.”
Severus cringed at the name.
“And then I realized,” continued Harry, “that through my link with him, I could see stuff sometimes.”
Snape nodded thoughtfully. “That seems logical,” he contemplated, “but you showed him how it felt?”
Harry paled, memories awakened once again. “Yeah…” he whispered. “When Voldemort throws curses, I feel them. It hurts.” He swallowed hard. “I simply gave my dream to Bill. Now he knows a small part of what you felt.”
Severus’ eyes fell closed in painful thought.
For a few minutes, silence reigned.
Both looked up at the sound of a curtain being drawn.
Draco stood just inside the cubicle. Anguished tears spilled from his eyes.
“Dad left,” he whispered. “He left a note… he’s gone.”
A stab of pain surged through Severus. “Come here, child,” he sighed.
For the third time that night, a body threw itself on him. Draco was sobbing freely now.
Severus shushed him, rubbing his back soothingly and holding him close. “It’s okay, child,” he whispered. “Shush now… It’ll all be okay.”
~*~*~
Several weeks had passed since that night, and the Snape household settled into a calm routine. Draco’s anger at Bill’s ‘treason’ subsided somewhat, and he chose to be simply content that his Father was alive and well.
Severus was confined to bed, at the combined insistence of Dumbledore, Pomfrey, and Harry. (‘Now Severus,’ Dumbledore had sounded as soothing and meddling as ever, ‘Madam Pomfrey and I are good, but we are not perfect. Your body needs much more rest to regenerate completely.’ Harry had nodded then, and Severus had no choice but to comply.)
At Draco’s insistence, Severus’ bed was moved to the living room and enlarged to enormous size, with enough room for both Draco and Harry to lie down to either side of him, which they did for many an evening, telling stories and tickling his sides softly.
In his spare time, when he wasn’t studying like mad, Harry ran all the household business, and was doing so with great pleasure. It delighted him to cook or order something for dinner that made Sev’s or Draco’s eyes light up, or to surprise them with a little something to make their days more special.
Now it was the last day before winter break, with only days left ‘til Christmas, and Harry was sitting in a sixth year Gryffindor-Slytherin Charms class, feeling decidedly silly, while tensions were running high.
Draco was forced to play the part of the arrogant git in front of his Slytherin classmates, and, not knowing it was just an act, Ron and Hermione weren’t too happy with that.
Finally, Harry felt he'd had enough of the dangerous looks and the wands poised ready for action. It was Christmas time - a time which, he thought, held no place for enmity.
Ever since he was a little boy, Harry had always adored Christmas. His lips quirked ruefully as he considered the irony of it all. The boy who had never got presents, the boy who had never before celebrated Christmas with someone he could call a friend… He, this boy, seemed to nevertheless appreciate Christmas more than… well, anyone except for Draco, really.
Harry smiled. Perhaps this made him a silly person, yet he could never help feeling like Christmas added something to the air. It was something intangible that made everything so much more beautiful, and so much more precious.
This year, finally, he’d have the chance to truly celebrate. And (Harry’s eyes sparkled mischievously), perhaps the time to start the festivities was… now.
He sprang onto his desk. “I think today we should review the Wingardium Leviosa charm!” he exclaimed.
Professor Flitwick spluttered. “Mr. Potter-- why, what is the meaning of this? Get down from there right now!”
“It’s Christmas time!” exclaimed Harry. “Personally, I love Christmas. It makes me feel so special - and silly as well! I’m sure other people feel the same! Which is why the Wingardium Leviosa charm is perfect for today!”
“Why?” asked Draco, unable to hold back his curiosity.
Harry winked at him. “Because you can levitate yourself! You can charm your shoes and float in the air!”
The students chuckled as he floated upward.
“Or you can charm a friend!” he continued. “And you could even make them dance!”
Everyone laughed as Ron rose into the air and did a jig of sorts.
“This is not the time for enmity, guys,” continued Harry a bit more calmly. “The holidays are not the time for fights or quarrels. Everyone should feel special and smile. Wands should be drawn in jest only. Relax…” he smiled. “After Christmas you can go back to being your normal Gryffindor-hates-Slytherin-and-vice-versa selves. Right now… just be happy!” His eyes shone.
Professor Flitwick stomped his little foot. “While you do have a point, Mr. Potter, I demand that you stop this nonsense immediately! You’re disrupting the class.”
Harry floated down toward him. A slight pout graced his lips. “Don’t you like Christmas?” he whispered.
The professor shrugged. “After you’ve seen as many of them as I have… they really aren’t that special anymore.”
Harry’s eyes shone with sadness. Then, a mischievous glint crept into them, growing steadily larger.
With a little whoop, he climbed back onto his desk. Opening his eyes wide, he began talking.
“So. You know Christmas’s upon us,
And you kind of really don’t care.
You’re depressed, and a little bit lonely…
And you’re kind of hanging your head!”
He paused to look around the room, into the eyes of each and every person.
“Well then, ‘See through my eyes,’ I say.
’Let me show you what Christmas is like’
And so what if you don’t really celebrate it?
It should just… feel happy, and right.”
Off to his side, Hermione muttered something into her wand. Out of nowhere, soft music appeared, growing steadily louder. Harry smiled. It was just silly enough.
Draco scribbled something furiously on a piece of paper. With a flick of his wand, it disappeared.
~*~
Up in his office, Professor Dumbledore was quite shocked to see a bold message appear on his desk.
“Get Father, and come to 6th year Charms. Now! Draco”
With a soft chuckle, Albus disappeared.
~*~
Harry vaulted off his desk, landing next to Hermione and throwing an arm around her shoulders.
“Reach within you, deeply, I order you.
Feel the beating of your inner heart,” he declaimed.
He scurried over to Ron.
“Find the jingle bells pattern within it.
And the twinkling of warm Christmas lights!”
Getting caught up in the rhythm of the song, he skipped around the classroom, his bold voice piercing the room.
“Step outside and look into the heavens.
Close your eyes and breathe in the cool air.
Can you feel it?” - He reached out to muss Draco’s hair - “The good Christmas Spirit
Is so gently ruffling your hair.”
Dumbledore and Severus appeared in the doorway. Harry’s eyes flickered over to them and he grinned in recognition.
“Look back up at the sparkling starlight,” he told the headmaster.
”See the stars twinkle like morning dew.
Any one of those stars could be Santa.”
His gaze drifted to Severus. “And another I’ll name after you.”
His eyes surveyed the stunned room.
“Go back in. Let me turn on the fireplace.
Come, sit down. Feel its warmth on your face.
No, no, no, Father Christmas won’t burn himself.
Fine… we’ll set it on ‘low’, just in case.”
The music took a turn for the minor, growing softer till it was barely heard.
Harry closed his eyes, swaying to its rhythm softly.
“Close your eyes, and breathe deeply and evenly,” he whispered.
”Let your ears grow to elephant size.
Do you hear the air hum Christmas carols?
Do you feel your depression’s demise?”
His eyes opened and met Professor Flitwick’s.
“Feel your heart rise with trembling excitement,” he ordered.
“Feel it vibrate with caroling rhymes.” - Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled back at him.
Harry hesitated.
Wet emerald eyes met stunned onyx.
“Sing out soft. Christmas beauty’s upon us,” whispered Harry barely audibly, eyes burning Severus to the core. A single tear made its way down his cheek.
“Feel my tears shimmering in your eyes.”
He bowed his head.
Slowly, the music faded.
Spellbound, the students stared.
~*~*~
Harry flipped onto the enormous bed and stretched out next to Severus. Once over the shock of Harry’s performance, Draco forced the both of them back to their chambers, Severus to bed, and Harry to help putting up decorations.
“Tell me about my parents?” Harry asked.
Snape chuckled. “I’ve told you at least a few times already!” he exclaimed.
“So?” pouted Harry. “I want to hear it again.”
“No you don’t,” huffed Draco from the top of a ladder. “You want to help me put up these decorations.”
Harry giggled.
Severus sighed. “Very well… where shall I start...”
He fixed Harry with his best glare. “Your father was a git, of course,” he declared. “Arrogant, stuck-up, snotty… everything seemed to come easy to him and he was envied by many.”
“Everything but Potions,” put in Harry with a grin. “That was your thing, right?”
Severus smiled. “So it was.”
“Everything changed when one day he looked at your mother and saw not a bookworm… but the prettiest girl on the planet.”
Harry smiled. “Describe her?” he asked.
Their peaceful interaction was interrupted with a loud popping noise.
A small, dirty creature was standing in the middle of the room.
Draco looked down, preoccupied with the decorations. “Oh good,” he sighed. “I don’t care who the heck you are but would you be so kind as to hang this right over there?” Without much ado, he threw the creature a stocking.
The fellow’s eyes widened as he caught it. “You… give this… to me?” he exclaimed.
Draco frowned confusedly. “Is that a problem?”
The creature fell to its knees. “Master is too kind,” it sobbed pitifully. “Master is too kind to Dobby. Thank you, Master Malfoy, thank you… Dobby is free now! Dobby is free!”