InsaneJournal

"Uncle Draco, we need your help."

Draco folded his newspaper, staring down at the trio of children that he and Charlie had agreed to watch that weekend. He let out a sigh, knowing that if it involved all three of the Potter children, it couldn’t be good.

"Do you know who the Half-Blood Prince is?" James asked, arching a brow at his uncle.

"Of course," Draco replied, unsure of why James was asking.

"We know that it's Severus Snape," Lily informed him, matter-of-factly. The youngest of the Potter children, Lily sometimes seemed to Draco as if the girl's mother was actually Hermione Granger-Weasley as Lily was so much like Hermione, it was frightening.

"And?" Draco prompted.

"We need you to help us find him," Albus stated, looking a little nervous. "You do know where he is, don't you? He's your godfather?"

"Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean that I know where he is," Draco replied. He leant forward in his chair slightly. "Why in Merlin's name do you three need to find Snape?"

Charlie burst out laughing from across the room. "Come on, Draco, you can't be that blind."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Draco asked his husband, narrowing his eyes at the redhead.

"Even after all these years, Harry still gushes about Snape," Charlie pointed out as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

"And we want to set them up," Lily added, smiling warmly at both of her uncles. She smoothed the front of her skirt absentmindedly. "The two of you will help us, won't you?" It was always obvious that Lily knew how to work her father and uncles. She was well-versed in making 'sad, moon eyes' as Charlie liked to call them.

Draco frowned. "Snape is a very private man. I doubt he will be pleased to hear three children are sticking their noses in his business."

"I am not a child," James quickly countered. "I'm nineteen, Uncle Draco. Albus is eighteen, and Lily is the only one still at Hogwarts, so I suppose that she's still a child. But the two of us are adults," James pointed out, gesturing between him and Albus. "So will you help us or not?"

"Fine," Draco grumbled, knowing that Snape was not going to be happy. The idea of Harry liking Snape was laughable… wasn't it?

---

Lily peered out of the window of her bedroom at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. It was rainy and dreary out, very much matching her mood. She frowned, hoping that her uncle would write back to them soon.

The quicker they were able to set up a meeting between Snape and her father, the quicker her father could be happy.

"Any news?" Lily asked as James entered the room.

James shook his head, plopping on his sister's bed. "It's weird being here without Mum."

Lily shrugged. "Mum knew when she signed that contract for the Harpies that she wouldn’t be home for Christmas this year. She chose to be gone."

James arched a brow at the bitterness in his sister's voice. "They weren’t happy together, Lils, you know that. And besides, it was a mutual decision."

"I know," Lily replied testily. She sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose I'm just a little upset with her that she'll be gone. It won't be the same."

"I know," James said, patting his sister's leg in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "Have you got everyone their gifts yet?"

Lily shook her head. "I still need to get something for Grandmum, Rose, and Hugo." She paused, tilting her head in consideration. "I think I'll actually head to Diagon Alley."

"Want me to come with you?" James offered.

"No thanks, I'll be fine on my own." She stood, getting off her bed and stretching. "Tell Dad I'll be back for dinner."

"No problem," James said with a nod. "Be careful."

"I always am!" Lily called over her shoulder as she exited her bedroom.

---

Lily held her bags close to her body as she shuffled along the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley. It seemed that with three days left before Christmas Eve, many other people had decided that Diagon Alley would be a good place to finish shopping.

"Have you seen Lorcan lately?" Victoire asked, standing close to her cousin. The two had met up outside of their uncles' shoppe.

Lily laughed lightly. "Of course I've seen Lorcan lately."

"Does he still write to you?" Victoire innocently asked, sneaking a smile at Lily when the younger girl wasn’t looking.

"Every day," Lily answered with a chuckle. "He's one of my closest friends."

Victoire whistled innocently. "You know, he isn't bad looking for a fifth year."

"Victoire!" Lily laughed, her cheeks turning red. "He's only fifteen! A little too young for me."

"You're only a seventh year, Lily." Victoire smiled. "Two years isn't a big difference. I mean, Uncle Charlie and Uncle Draco have a large gap, don't they?"

Lily opened her mouth to respond, but abruptly froze, someone catching her gaze across the street. She knew immediately who it was, closing her mouth so that she wasn’t gaping. When he turned and ducked down a side alley, Lily knew she had to go after him.

"Victoire, I actually need to go!" Lily said quickly, moving around her cousin. "I'll owl you later!" She took off in a sprint towards the direction that she saw Snape go. Thanking Merlin that she was quick on her feet, she grinned when she saw him at the end of the alley.

"Wait!" she shouted before he could Disapparate. "Snape!" She beamed when he stopped, turning to face her.

"Can I help you, Miss Potter? I happen to be quite a busy man." Snape pinned her with a glare that she recalled her father saying he had been on the receiving end of many times.

"Have you heard from my Uncle Draco?" Lily questioned, looking at him carefully.

"I have, and the idea is laughable."

Lily frowned at his tone. "Laughable? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" She narrowed her eyes at the older wizard, placing her hands on her hips. "You think my father is laughable? After all that he's done for the wizarding world? After all that he's done for you?" Lily was one of the few who knew that her father was directly responsible for saving Snape's life. "The least you could do for him is show a little gratitude and meet him for lunch."

Snape looked furious at her rant. "What I mean, Miss Potter, is that the idea of your father having feelings for me is laughable." He paused, obviously trying to collect himself. "Why your father would ever want an old wizard like me is ridiculous. You're mistaken in your suspicions."

"No, I'm not," Lily insisted. "Please, Mister Snape, just meet my father for lunch? Uncle Draco can set it up. I just… I know he would like it."

Snape looked at her long and hard before he laughed slightly. "Miss Potter, you're obviously determined—"

At his words, she smiled.

"— but I think you're mistaken. You must have misunderstood your father's respect for infatuation."

Lily felt her temper flare once more, but managed to keep her lips firmly pressed together. Why did everyone insist on treating her like a child? "I don't think I'm mistaken, sir."

Snape let out a long sigh, finally seeming to have realised that Lily wasn’t going to let him go anywhere before he agreed to meet her father. "If you insist on me seeing Mister Potter, then tomorrow evening at four o'clock, I will be at Malfoy Manor for afternoon tea."

Lily beamed, unable to keep the smile on her face. "Thank you, sir! I'll be sure that my father is there. You'll see that I'm right." She turned and exited the alleyway, unaware of the hopeful expression on Snape's face.

---

Draco could not believe what he was hearing. He looked at his godfather, whose face was currently in his fireplace since he had Floo-called. "You want me to invite Harry over for tea?" he asked, repeating what Snape had just told him as he couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it.

"That's what I said," Snape replied dryly.

"Just trying to clarify things," Draco said, holding his hands up in mock defence. "What made you change your mind? When I suggested it earlier, you shut the idea down rather quickly." He arched a brow, waiting for Snape's response.

"Miss Potter can be quite persuasive when she wants to be."

Draco let out a loud laugh. "Lily? She's quite the little spitfire." He paused for a moment. "She really made you change your mind?"

"Yes," Snape answered. "Perhaps she was right," he said so softly, Draco almost didn’t hear. "I am willing to see how the cards fall."

Draco frowned. "Charlie insists that they're right. Apparently I'm the only oblivious one around here."

Snape rolled his eyes. "That does not surprise me, Draco. You were always one to miss the most obvious things."

"Anyway." Draco cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll send Harry an owl." He paused, unsure of what else to say. "I'll see you tomorrow, Severus."

"Good evening, Draco," Snape replied, closing off the connection.

"It'll work out," Charlie whispered in Draco's ear as he hugged him from behind. "You'll see."

"Were you eavesdropping?" Draco asked, laughing slightly.

"Of course not," Charlie replied with a grin, but they both knew he was lying. "Come on, let's write that letter to Harry, then go upstairs. I've got the fire going and some mugs of hot cider waiting for us."

Draco grinned, unable to resist such an offer.

---

Lily watched eagerly as her father unfolded a letter the next morning. His green eyes scanned its contents before he frowned in confusion. "What does it say?" Lily pressed, knowing that her father wouldn’t be suspicious of her nosy attitude. She quickly winked at Albus, who glanced down at his breakfast.

"Draco's invited me over for tea," Harry said, surprise etched over his features. "That's strange."

"Why?" Albus asked. "The two of you meet up all the time."

"Yeah, but never for tea," Harry responded, reading through the letter once more. "I wonder why."

"Go and find out," Lily suggested. "Besides, you're not doing anything today, and it could be important. Maybe he has something important to discuss with you?"

"Maybe," Harry said, mumbling something under his breath. "You think I should go." He looked at his three children, who all nodded.

"Like Lily said, it could be important," James replied. He poked at his breakfast with a fork. "You don’t want to risk missing out if it is."

"Fine, fine," Harry said with a wave of his hand. "You lot sure are pushy today." He smiled at Lily, ruffling her hair. "Have any of you heard from your mum?"

"She wrote two days ago," Albus responded, shrugging. "Sent some pictures of Egypt, said she missed us, asked how everyone was, etcetera etcetera. I responded in the same, sent pictures, said we missed her, and that we hoped she was doing well."

Harry frowned. "I know this is hard on you all, but you shouldn’t be so tough on your mother. She'll be home next Christmas."

Lily stood. "I've got to write Lorcan back." She turned and left the kitchen, leaving her breakfast practically untouched.

Harry sighed, moving to go after her but stopping when James touched his arm. "Lily will be all right," James told him confidently. "She's upset with Mum, but she'll be okay. Best to just give her some space now."

"Besides, you should be more concerned with the fact that she owls back and forth with Lorcan Scamander every day." James winked at his father before Disapparating from the room.

Harry felt the blood drain from his face. That was one thing he was not ready to deal with.

"Make sure you look nice for tea later," Albus said, cleaning up his dishes before exiting the kitchen, leaving Harry to wonder just what was going on with all of his children.

---

"Severus, stop pacing," Draco said, leaning his head against the back of his chair. "Harry will be here soon."

"He's late," Snape grumbled, continuing to pace.

"He's always late, don't you remember?" Draco asked, allowing himself to smirk a little.

"I try not to think of him as a student," Snape retorted, stopping and staring at Draco. "I don’t like feeling…" He trailed off, his point clear.

Draco let out a long sigh. "Listen, Severus, I know you're nervous, but you don't need to be."

"I'm not nervous," Snape quickly replied.

"The hole you're wearing into my Persian rug states otherwise." Draco arched a brow in challenge.

"You know how difficult it is for me to put myself out there. I have long since resigned myself to the fate of being alone."

Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I love you, Severus, but you need to pull it together. You're happy with how your life is right now, right?"

"Of course I'm happy," Snape replied. Snape owned his own apothecary so he spent his days brewing what he liked and when he liked after filling supply orders. He owned a small cottage not far from Hogsmeade, but isolated enough that he had his privacy.

"See? You're happy," Draco told him as if it were the most obvious fact in the world. "Even if Harry doesn’t return your feelings, you're happy. You don’t need the Chosen One to be happy. You are the only one responsible for your own happiness." The doorbell rang. "Charlie will get it," Draco said, stopping Snape. "You understand, don’t you?"

Snape gave a curt nod, Draco's words having an obvious effect on him. "Thank you, Draco," he said softly, desperately having needed the pep-talk.

"Snape?"

Turning, the duo saw Harry standing in the doorway. His eyes were wide in surprise.

"Good afternoon, Mister Potter."

"It's so nice to see you!" Harry gushed, blushing when he realised he sounded a little too forward.

"Well, I'll go get the tea!" Draco announced, the tension in the air thick. He didn’t want to stand there and watch the two make moon eyes at each other as they were currently doing. "I'll be back," he muttered, exiting the room and leaving the two alone.

---

Harry felt frozen, as if his feet were glued to the floor. "Snape," he said once more. "I wrote to you."

"I know," Snape replied. "Shall we take a seat?" He gestured to the table in front of them.

"Why didn’t you ever reply?" Harry pressed, his chest feeling tight. Looking at Snape, him standing before him, all of Harry's feelings surged forward. "I wanted to meet with you."

"I did not want to cause myself any further pain." It was obvious that Snape regretted his decision.

"Because of my mum?" Harry asked, immediately feeling crushed. "I would have understood, but that's not why I always wrote."

"Why did you write, then?" Snape asked, his hands gripping the back of a chair tightly. He looked to Harry, his dark eyes peering into Harry's bright green ones.

When Harry felt Snape press against his Occlumency shields, Harry shook his head. "Just listen first, then I'll show you."

"Your skills have improved," Snape commented with a small smirk.

Harry couldn’t help but laugh. "Of course they have. I'm not one of the Ministry's best Aurors for nothing, you know. I'm at the top because of my skills, not my name."

"That's refreshing to know," Snape replied.

Harry took a deep breath, knowing that he needed to say it out loud. He needed to tell Snape, before he lost his chance once more. He wasn’t going to risk it. "I wrote you because I wanted to see you. I wanted to talk to you…" He paused, reminding himself that he was a Gryffindor and that he could do it. "I wanted to figure out my feelings for you."

Snape's eyes widened slightly, only a fraction, but Harry noticed it. "Your feelings?"

"I cared for you, then, Snape, and it was weird… I was so confused. The war had ended, and my life was once more thrown into chaos. I could only think about you, though. I needed to talk to you. I needed to figure out what to do." Harry shook his head. "But you never responded, and eventually, I gave up. I allowed myself to get swept up in what everyone was telling me to do… I became an Auror, I married Ginny, and I hunted down the remaining Death Eaters." He reached up, running his hand through his messy, black-grey hair. "I don’t regret any of those things, but I do regret giving up. I should have continued to try and contact you."

"I wouldn’t have responded."

"But why?" Harry pressed.

"You were not the only one left reeling from the war. I was confused, my debt finally paid off. I no longer had a master to serve. I was my own man, finally, after years of being a puppet to someone else. I wanted to speak with you, as you were slowly consuming my thoughts, but when I finally considered it, your marriage to Ginevra was announced in the Prophet. I saw no point from then on out to contact you."

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered, stepping towards Snape. He crossed around the table, stopping right next to him. "I… I don’t know what to say."

"Will you show me?" Snape requested, looking slightly vulnerable. "I have to see."

Harry understood the need. He, too, needed to know how Snape felt. Did Snape still think of him? Was there the slightest chance that it wasn’t too late for them?

Lowering his shields, Harry felt Snape enter his mind. He brought forth various memories involving Snape: his adoration of the Half-Blood Prince, shock at discovering that it was Snape, unexpected grief at Snape's supposed death, confusion and regret when he found out that Snape was on their side, remember that his last thoughts as Voldemort's killing curse hit him were of Severus, his determination and desperation to save Snape as he shoved a Bezoar down his throat and sent his Patronus for help, him speaking so passionately at Snape's trial to have him cleared of all charges, lust-filled nights of him wanking to memories of Snape lecturing, his adoration of Snape's determination to not let the world change who he was, and so many more.

Snape abruptly pulled from Harry's mind, pressing his lips against Harry's. Harry moaned slightly, wrapping his arms around Snape's shoulders and pulling him lower slightly so that he could return the kiss fully. After a moment, the two broke apart, each flushed.

"I don’t know how fate brought us back together, but I won't be letting you slip from my life so easily now, Severus Snape." Harry smiled at him in determination.

Snape burst out laughing. "It wasn’t fate that brought us back together, Harry, it was your determined children."

Harry look dumbfounded. "My children? You mean to say they set us up?"

Snape smirked in amusement. "Oh yes, Lily corned me in Diagon Alley and gave me a full lecturing. I couldn’t say no."

"I am so sorry," Harry said, eyes wide. He knew how Lily's temper could flare. "I hope she didn’t say anything too rude."

Snape waved his hand. "Nothing I hadn’t heard before. So, will you go to dinner with me tonight?"

"Yes," Harry said, smiling. Leaning forward, he boldly kissed Snape once more. "Remind me to thank my children later."

"The two of you could thank me as well, you know," Draco said cheekily, standing in the doorway, holding a tray of tea.

"Yes, thank you, Draco," Snape said with a roll of his eyes. "It took you long enough to bring us some tea. Some host you are."

Draco sputtered as Charlie appeared at his side. "There, there, love." He took the tray from Draco's hands. "I still love you."

Harry laughed before glancing at Snape, who was tentatively smiling at him in return. He gestured for Snape to take a seat before he took one himself. He still couldn’t believe he was sitting there at Charlie and Draco's having tea with Snape. It was unlike anything he could have imagined.

---

"Uncle Charlie just Flooed," James announced, stepping into their living room at Number Twelve. "He said that the mission was a success!"

"Great!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm so happy for Dad."

"He definitely deserves it." James nodded in agreement. "Turns out, Christmas might not be so bad after all."

"Mmm, Dad isn't the only one who got a boyfriend for Christmas," Albus joked, laughing as he looked at Lily, who flushed, looking away.

"And," James announced, catching both of his siblings' attention once more, "Mum has written us to say that she will actually be home for Christmas day, and that she looked forward to seeing us at the Burrow. She'll likely be exhausted from traveling by Portkey so far in one day, but she said in her letter that she couldn’t not see us."

Albus grinned. "Really? Mum will be home? Yes!" He lay back on the sofa, a wide grin on his face. "What do you think, Lils?"

Lily glanced out the window, watching the snow fall. Her hands tightly gripped the letter from Lorcan, excitement bubbling through her. She smiled, thinking that James was right. Christmas wasn’t going to be bad this year at all. In fact, she suspected that it would be nearly perfect.