How Severus Spends His Summer Hols

Disclaimor: I do not own the Harry Potter characters, JKR does. I am not making any money from the writing of this fiction, but chocolates would not be turned away.

A/N~ I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday season and that I hope everyone stays safe if they are out on the roads. For those of you that do not celebrate, please have a wonderful day to do nothing but pamper yourself and please stay safe if you are out on the roads. I suppose some of you have noticed the title of this chapter is a child’s lullaby….I hope you enjoy what I offer as my way of a gift for the season.
I think I am finally over my brain constipation…too much going on here to think right.


Harry watched Draco and Jo Velden dance in the shadows from his perch on his husband’s stool by the bar’s entrance while Severus made sure the back doors were locked and the doors going out to the deck were locked as well after bar patrons had left. Max and Allie had already left when the bar closed its doors, Allie wasn’t feeling well and Max had wanted her off of her feet and asleep as soon as he could arrange it. Lucius Malfoy had apparently given their real estate agent, Kat a ride home on the back of Sev’s Harley when she had decided she’d had one too many drinks to drive safely. Harry had laughed to himself when he’d heard the older woman tell Lucius that he was welcome to stay, the sofa was fairly comfortable and she’d fix him some breakfast in the morning.

He looked up and watched as different parts of the bar started going dark as Severus hit the breakers one by one, then the music from the juke box cut out. Draco stepped back from the woman in his arms and looked down at her, a look of desire and confusion clearly visible on his aristocratic face. Jo was running her hands lightly down his arms as they talked too low for Harry to overhear, but he had a good idea as to the conversation anyhow. He did feel sorry for the younger Malfoy; he couldn’t even begin to imagine losing Severus and then trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered world afterwards. In spite of any animosity he’d had toward the blond in school, Harry really did want him to be happy and he thought that Jo might be good to kick start him back into the world.

Harry watched as Jo picked up her purse and went into the ladies room and Draco walked over to where he was sitting. “Hey Draco, how’s it going?” he asked as he gave the blond a smile, one he hoped was saying that he wished him well.

“Alright, I think,” he replied back with an uncharacteristicly shy smile on his handsome face. “How about you, I saw what happened earlier.”

Harry shrugged and made a noncommittal noise of dismissal as Severus shut off all but the light there at the entrance and the one in the ladies room for Jo. He was definitely ready to go home, his feet hurt and he wanted something to eat. “I’m okay, just over reacted I guess.” Draco snorted at that and rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

“Whatever Harry, you should have hexed his bollocks off,” he laughed as he leaned against the wall next to Harry who grinned and silently agreed.

“So what about you and Jo?”

“I like her, I think,” Draco began arrogantly and then the mask slipped a little. “but I don’t know quite how to feel,” he sighed as he watched the door to the ladies room. “I mean part of me really wants to…you know, but then I wonder if I’m being unfaithful if I do.”

“I know you don’t care what I think, but I’m going to tell you anyway,” Harry said with a shrug, he was certain the blond would either ignore him or tell him to piss off. “If it were Pansy instead of you in this situation, I think you would want her to move on and be happy in her life and I think Pansy would want that for you as well.”

Draco looked at him with solemn blue-grey eyes and regarded him carefully before he spoke. “What if it were Severus, would you want him to go on?”

“Yes,” Harry said without batting an eyelash. There was nothing to think about really, he would want Severus to be happy for the rest of his days. Draco listened to his answer and nodded his head.

“It’s been five years Harry…I don’t know if…”

At that Harry laughed. “Draco, it isn’t science, it’s just what happens. If you both want to do it, then it’s going to work.” He smiled at the blond and then turned as he heard his husband coming up to where they were standing, Jo Velden on his arm. "Hello Husband, are you ready to go home?" He hopped down from the stool and looked up at his husband as he stopped there in front of him.

"Yes love, I'm more than ready," Severus said as he put an arm around Harry's shoulders and shook the keys to the bar in his other hand. "Let's go home love. Draco, are you following or will you be along later?"

Draco looked at Jo, getting a smile in return as if it were an answer to an unasked question. "I'll be along later Sev, will you leave the door unlocked for me?" he asked as he pulled the keys to the hired auto out from his pocket and put his elbow out for Jo to take.

"No problem, just be careful driving on the mountain," Severus said as they all walked out of the bar and waited as he locked the door behind them. "Jo, I hope your evening was tolerable," he said as he gave his friend a one armed hug while they walked to where their vehicles were parked next to each other. Draco nodded and opened the passenger door for Jo as Severus opened the truck door and lifted a very tired Harry up onto the seat. Once behind the wheel, Severus waited until Draco had started the Mercedes and had pulled out onto the road heading back towards town before he pulled out and headed the big truck towards Copperhead Road.

“How was your first adventure in waiting tables, love?” Severus asked as he put one arm around Harry, pulling him close while he steered with the other. It was a moonless night and the road they drove was pitched in midnight black, he was keeping a sharp eye out for deer and hoping that if Lucius wasn’t already home that Kat would be kind enough to put him up on her sofa for the night. He’d had a short conversation with the woman the day before, thinking that she might enjoy his friend’s company while he was visiting.

“It was different Husband. My feet hurt, Allie said I needed to wear my trainers instead of my sandals tomorrow, but I did make a fair amount in tips,” he said as he yawned and snuggled himself in closer to his mate. He felt the beginnings of a nasty headache coming on from the loud music and the smoke in the bar; of course his little temper fit hadn’t helped a bit. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, much as his older husband did when he was dealing with the same issue. “Do we have anything for a headache at home?”

Severus thought for a moment about the contents in the medicine chest at home and slowly nodded. “We have a potion that will help at home,” he replied as he glanced away from the road to look at Harry. He looked completely knackered from tonight and Severus wondered if letting him go back tomorrow night would be a good idea. "Is it a bad one love? What was the last time that you had anything to eat?"

“It’s been awhile, not since we got really busy. I know I need to eat something before I go to bed though,” the young man sighed as he closed his eyes and listened to the radio that Sev had turned on low. Severus leaned over and kissed the top of his head softly before concentrating on the road again.

“Poor you, tomorrow night you’ll have to make sure you eat more often, okay?” he said as he came up on their turnoff and slowed to take it. The headlights splashed over the trees and underbrush and Severus snorted in surprise as something small scurried off into the high weeds; a raccoon or opossum he thought. He did like it here; it was so different from where he grew up. He thought that was a large part of its appeal, it was nothing like home.

As Severus pulled up to the house he noticed two tiny pairs of eyes reflected from the living room window as the truck’s headlights shown across the glass. It was Asphodel and Bezoar and they were not where they were supposed to be. Lucius had been the last person to leave and he must have let the puppies back in the house. Severus shut off the truck and wondered in the back of his mind just how big a mess Harry's puppies had made. Shaking his head he got out of the truck and lifted Harry down as well.

"Harry, love, your little monsters are loose in the house unsupervised," he smirked as he took his husband's hand and led him up to the door. The older wizard just shook his head as he could hear the two small puppies scrambling at the door and barking their little heads off, laughing he opened the door to let the two tiny terrors loose. He stayed outside to watch over them while Harry went in to survey the damage.

"Oh bugger this! Who let them back in the house?" Harry complained as he walked in to find what had once been a packet of toilet paper which had been transformed into mounds of confetti strewn about the living room in white fluffy drifts. Pulling his wand from his back pocket, he quickly cleaned up the mess and went in search of the next disaster. He didn't have far to go. How could two small puppies, together not even weighing five pounds, managed to get Draco's Italian leather loafers down the stairs and into the dog bowl? And it would have to be their water dish.

"I think Lucius let them in Harry," Severus said as the two little dachshunds careened across the kitchen floor and slid into the base of the cabinet. "How bad is it?" He looked at the shoe in Harry's hand and grimaced, he didn't want to be the one tell Draco his shoes had been eaten and then soaked by the pups.

"They are ruined Severus, I don't know how to fix this," Harry said as he looked up at his husband, his eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. The older wizard looked down and sighed softly as he pulled his young husband to him and held him close, he knew that the pregnant wizard was overly tired and hungry as well. He gently took the shoe away from him and set it on the counter top so that he could deal with it in a moment, but first he needed to see to Harry.

"Come here love, and I will fix you a cup of tea and a sandwich. I want you to eat and I will deal with this," Severus sat the young man down at their kitchen table, shoved the puppies out the kitchen door and into the playpen in the laundry room. He quickly set the kettle on to boil, then made Harry ham sandwich while he waited for the kettle to whistle. Once he had small teapot and cup set in front of his husband along with the sandwich, he turned his attention to the loafers setting on the counter top. Pointing his wand at them and muttering a quick reparation spell, he soon had them set to rights. Feeling pleased with himself he turned back to his husband and smiled. "See no harm done."

In response he got a soft snore. He looked closer and found his little Harry sound asleep with the sandwich still in hand. He took the sandwich from his him and then gently scooped up his husband in his arms to carry him to bed. Harry only mumbled quietly in his sleep as his clothes were pulled off, a wet flannel run over him gently and then a nightshirt pulled over his head. As Severus started to pull up the blanket over his sleeping mate, he remembered and swiftly pulled a thin pair of socks onto the narrow little feet.

After Severus had him settled in bed he took one last look at the young man, smiled and then turned to go into the other room. He needed some time to relax, it had been awhile since he had been around so many people and at times that night it had been overwhelming. Once in the living room Severus settled into his chair, turned on the lamp next to him and picked up a book that he had been planning to read. Sometime later he glanced up at the clock and noticed the time, it was nearly four in the morning. Shaking his head and wondering where the time had gone he placed a bookmark to mark his spot and then laid the book on the side table. Standing he gave his back a stretch, smiling with satisfaction as he heard the joints pop and crack. Now he thought he could sleep and wandered back into the bedroom to join Harry under the blankets.

The emerald-eyed wizard woke the next morning feeling well rested and quite hungry. He laid there for a moment relaxing in the heat and warmth of his husband's body; he really didn't want to move. He closed his eyes again and started to drift back to sleep when he felt sort of a butterfly feeling fluttering low in his belly. "Oh Merlin what was that?" Harry gasped in astonishment as he sat up and clutched his stomach and then he felt it again. Despite having only slept for couple hours Severus was awake instantly as his husband sat up in confusion.

"Harry, honey what is it?" Severus asked as he put his arm around his young husband and held him close. "Are you all right? Are you in pain?" Severus asked rapidly as he tried to assess the situation. Harry only waved his hand at him to try hushing him up as he was feeling it again. He looked at his husband, wide-eyed and with a sappy grin plastered on his face.

"Oh Severus! She's moving! I can feel her moving!" Harry gasped as he put one hand over his stomach and then grabbed Severus’ hand to place next to it. "Can you feel it? Can you feel our little girl?" Harry sat there in bed his eyes open wide with his hand and one of his husband's pressed against his belly as he felt the first stirrings of life deep inside of himself. Now it was real, there really was a tiny baby growing inside him.

"I think she’s still too small for me to feel her move Harry," Severus said with a smile as he pulled his husband onto his lap and held him close. As tired as he was, this had been worth waking up for and he didn't regret it one bit. "It doesn't hurt does it, Harry? Do you need me to call Max?" Harry shook his head and only grinned up at his older husband before he leaned in and kissed him gently.

"It doesn't hurt Husband, it feels a little bird is inside fluttering about," he whispered, his voice full of awe and wonder. "I wish you could feel her, it's amazing."

They sat like that for a quarter of an hour at least before Severus couldn't hold back a yawn any longer. "Beloved, would you be mad at me if I went back to sleep for a little while, I didn't come to bed until after four." He knew he would stay awake if Harry needed him to do so, thankfully though the younger man kissed his cheek and pressed him back down on the pillows.

“Go to sleep Husband, I’m going to go fix something to eat and maybe try calling Hermione and Ron,” he said as he slid out of bed and leaned down to kiss Severus’ cheek. “Go back to sleep daddy, I’ll fix you something later.” By the time Harry had gone into the bathroom and come back out after brushing his teeth, his husband was sound asleep again and looking quite adorable.

Not bothering with his robe, Harry padded quietly into the kitchen and set the kettle on to boil while he made some toast to nibble on. He looked at the small table, saw the remains of the late night snack Severus had fixed and forgotten to clean up and smiled to himself as he quickly cleared the mess away. Hearing a whine coming from the laundry room, he quickly scooped Asphodel and Bezoar out of the playpen that he insisted they sleep in. He took them out to the small pen by the kitchen door to feed and water the little monsters for the morning as the kettle began to whistle, the shrill steam created scream cutting through the still morning. He went back into the kitchen and made his tea while he looked out the window above the sink. In his mind he was picturing a swing in the same oak tree he’d climbed up not long ago, his husband pushing a little raven haired girl in the spring sunshine as he sat nearby and watched. He smiled to himself and took his tea and toast in through to the living room where he cast a spell on the fireplace.

He threw in a handful of floo powder from the ceramic pot on the mantle and leaned forward to speak clearly. “Ron and Hermione Weasley, Burrow Addition, Ottery Saint Catchpole.” And waited to see if anyone was home. It didn’t take long at all before Ron’s freckled face appeared in the flames with Hermione right behind him.

“Oi there Harry!” Ron cried happily as he grinned at his long time friend. “How are you? How’s Snape?” Harry settled on the hearth comfortably and grinned back at his two friends.

“I’m great and Sev is doing well too. How are you two doing?” he asked as he took a sip of his tea and then a bite of his toast. “Are you still coming over this week Ron?”

“I’ll be there on Tuesday morning Harry, don’t you worry. We went to Gringott’s and packed up all of your things to bring with as well,” the red head answered as he motioned behind him to two large wicker baskets crammed full of shrunken crates and parcels. “That’s the lot of it.”

Harry grinned, finally he’d have his things. “Are you going to be able to bring Hedwig and Sev’s raven?” Hermione answered for Ron on that one.

“I found a spell to keep them quiet while they are being port keyed, so Ron shouldn’t have any trouble with them,” the bushy haired witch said as she nudged her husband out of her way. “I do wish I could accompany Ron, but I just can’t get away right now. We will both be there for Christmas though. How are things with the baby?”

Harry laughed and began to tell them both how he’d woken up and felt the baby move for the first time. The three friends sat and talked for nearly an hour over this and that before Harry heard the front door opening and turned to find a very disheveled Lucius Malfoy stepping into the foyer.