Gaelic Blessing

Twenty minutes later Severus was back in the sitting room having subdued the more eager parts of his anatomy with mental pictures of Albus Dumbledore that didn’t bear thinking about again. The children had occupied themselves with several games; exploding snap and several other games but they all stilled when he walked into the room. Lucia had been appointed spokesperson and so she spoke up.

“Uncle Sev? Is Uncle Harry really okay?”

He nodded and moved over to his favourite wingback chair. “He’s okay, he’s still ill but he’s going to be fine. What you have to remember is that he only woke up this morning. The more he sleeps now then the better he’ll be for Christmas itself and he can enjoy all the fun. Now, did you have fun at Grandma Molly’s?”

He was immediately bombarded with twelve different voices all talking loudly about different things at the same time. He rubbed his temples; this was going to give him a headache.

“Silence!” He thundered.

The tone of his voice worked just as it did in his dungeons and he was rewarded with silence. He then hastened to explain himself lest he upset one of them, Merlin forbid!

“I don’t mind you talking but if you all talk to me at the same time then I can’t hear you properly. Now, who’s going to go first?”

Slowly, and with infinite patience that few would expect, Severus listened to each child painstakingly describe the last three days in excruciatingly vivid detail. By the time they had finished, Winky had popped into the room to inform them that lunch was on the table in the dining room. At the same time she told Severus that Harry was awake and eating in his room but that he wanted to come downstairs for the afternoon. Severus immediately started thinking and quickly hit upon something that wouldn’t tire Harry out too much.

When Harry had been renovating Heathmore there had been a number of smaller rooms that had been used as receiving rooms by Black members that were long since dead. The smallest of these had become a study for Severus whilst several others had become study rooms for the children. The last receiving room however, Harry had insisted on turning into what he called a snug. There was a large, squashy sofa and a multitude of bean-bags and large floor cushions. There was also a music system, tv, dvd played and a huge stack of dvd’s. Harry had insisted that the children weren’t going to grow up completely isolated from the Muggle world. There was Severus’ solution; they could watch one of those hideously sentimental Christmas films that the children, and Harry, loved so much. The children would be entertained and therefore quiet, whilst Harry could be sociable and yet not expend any energy.

As the children finished eating Severus told them his plans and told them to go and pick a film whilst he went and collected Harry. They didn’t need telling twice and within minutes Severus was stood in a room that looked like it had been hit by a hurricane. Shaking his head in disbelief he started the now familiar trek up to Harry’s room and walked in to find Harry looking distinctly like a petulant teenager.

“You don’t need to sulk Harry. I am going to let you out of this room you know.”

“I know you are, I just hate being sick. I could never stand being in the hospital wing at Hogwarts.”

“I never would have guessed what with you running out on Madam Pomfrey all the time.” He stated dryly.

Harry stuck his tongue out childishly. “Oh hush. Now, are you going to help me downstairs for the afternoon or are you going to keep me locked up in here all night?”

Severus grimaced as he tried not to laugh. “You can come downstairs for the afternoon but you are to expend no energy whatsoever. The children are picking a film out at this precise moment and you can watch the film with them. We can all eat dinner together and then you’re going to bed again. Like I said to the children, the more that you rest then the quicker you’ll be fully recovered.”

Harry chuckled. “You just don’t want to deal with Molly and her brood. I just feel guilty Sev. It’s Christmas and there’s so much to do; I haven’t wrapped the children’s presents, bought the stocking fillers, sorted the food. Wait, didn’t you say the Weasley’s are coming? That means even more people. There’s too much to do.”

Whilst he had been talking Harry had pulled on the jumper and jeans he had been wearing earlier. Severus immediately felt guilty for having given Harry even more work and wore that even if he had to go and buy stocking fillers himself it would get done and without any additional stress. He decided to try and make things easier for himself.

“Harry, I need you to relax; I’m going to levitate you downstairs to the snug. Don’t worry about everything else; I’ll sort it all out. You just worry about getting better.”

With a flick of Severus’ wand Harry was floating in mid-air and within minutes was ensconced on the sofa covered in a blanket and surrounded by the children.

“Right then, what film are we watching then?”

“Miracle on 34th Street. Cillian picked it.”

As Harry and the children started watching the film, Severus settled himself at the back of the snug with a potions text in hand.

He managed to lose himself in the text for the entirety of the film, oblivious to all of the noises that the other occupants made. He looked up as he sensed someone staring at him and looked up to see Holly staring at him.

“Holly?”

“The film’s finished Uncle Sev and Uncle Harry’s asleep. Is it okay if I go and wrap the presents that I got for my friends and for you and Uncle Harry? I need to send my friends presents today.”

Severus nodded. “That’s fine Holly. Just don’t forget dinner.”

Holly smiled. “I won’t. Thanks Uncle Sev.”

Severus made sure that the younger children were being looked after by the house-elves before he went and floo-called Molly. An hour later he emerged from his study, having co-ordinated all of the details for the festive period. Christmas Eve was to be spent in peace and quiet with just Harry, Severus and the children. The early part of Christmas morning would be the same before the Weasley’s arrived mid-morning for Christmas dinner and the opening of presents. Molly had agreed to take care of the food with the help of Dobby and Winky. If Severus was honest, he thought that the Weasley matriarch was looking forward to feeding a huge brood.

With one of the stresses taken care of, Severus made his way to the lab, determined to replenish all of the potions he had used on Harry so that the same thing wouldn’t happen again. He was so engrossed in his work that he failed to noticed that he had missed dinner and, by the time he had brewed, bottled, labelled and stored the potions he was so exhausted that he fell straight into bed without checking on Harry.

The next two days passed in a similar manner. Determined to make this Christmas perfect for Harry, Severus was pulling out all of the stops. Whilst he saw the children at meals he relied heavily on Dobby, Winky and the wonders of Muggle Christmas movies to keep them entertained. He also relied on the children to keep Harry occupied.

Although he didn’t want to he also kept his distance from Harry. Having spent several nights wrapped around Harry, Severus was struggling to not touch the man all the time and, most of all, to not declare his feelings.

Courtesy of some rummaging in Harry’s study, Severus had found the list of stocking fillers for the children. Subsequently, he took himself to Diagon Alley and even ventured into Muggle London to buy all of the items on the list before returning to Heathmore. He managed to finish Harry’s present thanks to the distraction of allowing the younger man to wrap Christmas presents.

However, Harry was not at all happy with Severus’ course of action. To Harry’s mind, Severus was avoiding him because he was bored and didn’t want to be there. Seventeen years of living with the Dursley’s had reduced his self-worth to such a low level that not even four years away from them had restored it. He was frustrated that, after being in such close contact whilst Harry had been ill, Severus had avoided him so soon after making some semblance of a recovery. Maybe Severus had just pitied him and looked after him as a lesser evil rather than looking after the children. Harry had spent the last two days tearing apart their interactions whilst watching countless films with the children. He had finally been allowed to wrap the presents he had bought for the children but, whenever he asked Dobby or Winky about the preparations for Christmas they coincidentally had a multitude of tasks that had to be taken care of immediately. Tomorrow would be Christmas Eve and he had decided that enough was enough. If he could face Voldemort and eventually kill him then he could confront Severus.

He had deliberately waited until the children were in bed before he slowly made his way down the stairs to Severus’ study, clinging to the banisters for dear life as his legs were shaking like a tree in a gale-force wind. He didn’t bother to knock on the door and simply pushed it open, the creak giving away his presence. Severus’ head snapped up as he heard the sound and he immediately started berating Harry.

“What in Merlin’s name do you think you’re doing down here? You’re not well enough yet to be moving around excessively. Did that bloody elf help you?”

Harry cut the older man off mid-rant.

“Severus Alexander Hades Snape, will you just shut up! I know perfectly well that I’m not fully recovered but you’ve been avoiding me for the last two days. You haven’t eaten with us, you’ve barely spoken to the children and you keep disappearing. I’m not your keeper Severus, so I don’t expect to be told what you’re doing every single minute of each day but I thought we were friends and friends don’t avoid each other for no reason. I have enough to think about without worrying about you. The only preparations I’ve made have been wrapping the presents I’ve bought. Dobby and Winky are avoiding me as well.”

As Harry finished ranting, Severus realised he was going to have to tell him everything. Harry was right, they couldn’t leave this hanging over them for the duration of the Christmas period.

“You’re right Harry, I have been avoiding you but I can assure you that it’s not for the reasons that you think. Why don’t you open those bags?”

Severus pointed to a plethora of brightly coloured bags at the side of his desk.

Warily, Harry peeked inside one of them only for his face to light up as he rummaged through the other bags eagerly.

“Sev! These are the stocking fillers. You went and got them for me?”

Harry couldn’t restrain himself and threw himself at Severus, who luckily caught him. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

He pulled back as realisation struck.

“That’s why we haven’t seen you. You’ve been doing this. What about Dobby and Winky though?”

“They’ve been organising the food with Molly and everything is sorted now. The Weasley’s are just coming for dinner and opening presents. You’ve wrapped all of your presents so everything is sorted.”

Harry looked relieved until something hit him.

“That doesn’t explain why you’ve been avoiding me though.”

“I’ve been avoiding you because its too bloody difficult being around you.”

Severus started with a deep sigh. He immediately regretted it as Harry’s eyes filled with tears and he gave a pitiful cry of “But why?” Severus went against his better judgement and pulled Harry back into his arms.

“It was too difficult because I’m in love with you. Despite you being ill it was wonderful because I had an excuse to be close to you and to touch you. As soon as you were recovered I no longer had that excuse and the temptation to touch you and even to tell you how I felt was almost overwhelming. So that I didn’t make a fool of myself, I felt that it was better to keep my distance.”

Harry had snuggled his face into the crook of Severus’ neck and refused to move so his voice was muffled.

“Why would you make a fool of yourself?”

With anybody else Severus would have thought they were simply being cruel, whilst with Harry he knew that it was a perfectly innocent question.

“Harry, as much as you try to deny it, you’re young, rich, powerfully magickally and politically and gorgeous. You’re the hero of the Wizarding World. Me? I’m simply the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin at Hogwarts and an ex Death-Eater. I stand to benefit much more than you if you didn’t reject me.”

“You’re not just a Potions Master Sev. You’re the youngest potions master in Europe. You weren’t a Death Eater either, you were Professor Dumbledore’s spymaster. Besides, I would never reject you.”

“I know.” Came the quiet answer from Severus.

“What?”

“You were delirious for three days Harry. You said a lot of things. More specifically you said how you needed to be well for my arrival and that you loved me. So, do you?”

“Do I what?” Harry queried, his brow furrowed in puzzlement.

Much to his chagrin, Severus realised that he thought the look was adorable.

“Do you love me?”

“Oh that!” Harry’s face was covered with a rosy blush as he caught his bottom lip between his teeth and worried it. “Yes, I do love you.”

“Good. Now, come on, back to bed with you.”

Severus pushed but Harry refused to move.

“Do you love me Sev?”

“I believe I’ve already said so but yes I do. Now, you need to go to bed?”

“Are you going to come with me?” Harry asked shyly. “I sleep better with you.”

“Who am I to say no to that?” Severus quipped good-naturedly, more than happy to be sharing his bed with Harry’s consent at last.

Authors Note: Okay, so I’ve strung it out long enough but our two favourite guys have now admitted their feelings for each other but no kiss just yet!