Our First Christmas

Before Severus could think about what he was doing, he found himself, the terror of the dungeons, engaged in a ridiculously amusing snowball fight on the lawns of Hogwarts with a former student. He could not imagine what had come over him. If his students saw him, he would never live it down – nor would said students ever recover the amount of points they would lose should they say something, but that was another story. For now, he was primarily content with staying out the line of fire and sending his own fair share of missiles back.

When they were both thoroughly soaked, they walked companionably back into the castle and into his private rooms where they sat and enjoyed the slow crackle of the fire and soaked up the warmth it provided.

Holiday gifts were exchanged. Severus never knew what to purchase for the holidays, and although his gifts were always well received by his colleagues, this was wholly different. The change was barely noticeable in his stoic face, but it seemed to soften ever so slightly when his gift was accepted with shining eyes and a heartfelt, “Oh, Severus!”

They shared dinner privately in his quarters before doing the previously unthinkable and taking a midnight ride on a horse drawn carriage across the grounds, admiring the decorative lights and the even more beautiful stars that were resplendent across the velvety black sky.

He felt love in his heart for the first time in many years, and shook his head slightly as if in disbelief; this first of what he hoped to be many Christmases. Perhaps life did hold some wonder yet, he thought, as a warm hand encircled his. He looked down into warm, eyes and murmured to himself, “How did I get so lucky for our first Christmas?”

A gentle kiss was placed on his lips as Harry replied, “It must have been the mistletoe.”