Better Be Slytherin!

Oddly, the lower half of Potter's body was missing.

'Happy Christmas, sir! You gave me a present!' Potter told him unnecessarily, brandishing Keating's The Occluded Mind like a shield and grinning like a maniac.

'So I did,' Severus replied. 'Where are your legs?'

'I got loads of presents!' the Brat told him, which didn't have anything to do with his question, as far as he could tell. Perhaps the strain had finally gotten to the child, and his mind had snapped.

'Was one of the gifts new legs, perchance?'

Potter giggled, a sound Severus had never heard him make before. Indeed, he looked positively radiant, aglow with happiness and holiday cheer, and Severus was glad he had decided, this once, to abandon his credo to never bestow gifts upon any of his Snakes, lest they think him soft. 'No, sir, but one of them was an Invisibility Cloak, see?' He pulled off the cloak completely then held it up again, so Severus could take in the whole effect, which he did, even going so far as to recall the last instance he had 'seen' Potter the Elder using the infernal device during a prank. The memory was not a good one. 'And guess what?' Harry continued. 'The note said it used to be . . . er . . .'

'Your father's,' Severus completed, as the horror of that statement dawned completely. Though why he should have thought Albus was smarter than to do such a monumentally stupid thing as to give this cloak to this child at this time was beyond him. There were so many ways this situation could end badly that tallying the possibilities was enough to give him a headache. Albus should have known better, honestly.

'Yeah.' The boy tugged the offending garment fully away from his appendages and balled it up as his cheeks reddened. Severus watched his eyes, though, and Potter did not seem angry at his professor's tone, but . . . embarrassed? 'How'd you know, sir? I mean, I don't even know who sent it; the note just said the cloak was my Dad's and that I should use it well.'

Severus sneered. 'You put on an article of magical clothing without any idea of who sent it?'

'No, sir!' the boy retorted. He looked hurt suddenly, as if Severus should know he was not as foolhardy as he appeared. 'I mean, er . . . I did, yes, but I went through the spells like me'n Teddy did on the Frogs first. And it wasn't cursed. I checked.'

With one eyebrows lifted, Severus said coolly, 'You do, of course, realize that curses for apparel are substantially different than those for comestibles.'

'I . . . what?'

Shaking his head, Severus chuckled softly and took pity on the boy at last, ushering him into his rooms and out of the cold corridor. It was not the first time Harry had come to his rooms, as the seating here was more comfortable for staring at photos than the hard chairs in his office, and Harry immediately settled on the worn, brown sofa in front of the fire where he usually sat, before looking up at him with confusion. After ordering the boy some cocoa and waiting till a House Elf delivered it, Severus repeated, 'Comestibles. That which is consumed. By eating,' he elucidated at the boy's continued blank look. 'Food.'

'Oh!' Potter smiled shyly and sipped at his cocoa, making a soft sound of appreciation. 'Yes, sir, I know. But I still have one of the main books we used out from the library, and lots of the spells are transfig . . . tranform . . . well, trans-something-or-other by just changing or adding a word or two. Teddy and me were--'

'Ted--' Severus interrupted, then cleared his throat. 'Theodore and I.'

At the correction, Potter blinked owlishly at him then smirked. 'Yes, sir. Teddy and I were going over some of those ones before he left. They're dead useful.'

A smile tugged at his lips, but he took a sip of tea instead. 'I daresay. Of whose other largesse were you the recipient this morning?' He smirked again at the boy's confusion, pleased to continue adding to his abysmal vocabulary, and added, 'Who else gave you gifts?'

'Oh! Millie gave me new gloves for Quidditch, and Teddy gave me a book, too, like you did, sir, but on Charms. Hagrid gave me a flute; I think he carved it himself!' Potter looked immeasurably pleased at the prospect, and Severus recalled that the boy claimed Hagrid as his first friend in the Wizarding world. Good; Hagrid had come through for the boy. 'And, um, Hermione gave me more Chocolate Frogs. I've got a decent collection of cards, now. About six of Professor Dumbledore, though.'

Severus nodded, stating (and then explaining what he meant) that the Headmaster was indeed ubiquitous. He did not bother asking if the boy had received anything from his relatives. He already knew the answer, if their previous efforts were anything to go by.

Eyes still shining in happiness, Harry continued to chatter at him about his gifts, including thanking Severus several more times for the book. Once the boy had finished his cocoa, however, Severus ushered him back out of his rooms, with the admonition to eat more than just candy today, and that they were to begin Occlumency training on the morrow, so it would be in his best interests to at least look at the book by Keating, especially the index.

He did not tell the boy that he had tucked two pictures of Lily into that index, as he preferred not to be the recipient of another round of overwhelming thanks.

Just then, however, the boy said, 'Oh, thanks! I almost forgot.' He gave Severus another of his shy smiles before he pulled a small, flat package from the frontispiece of the book and pressed it into Severus' hands. Biting his lip briefly, Harry said, 'You've got to enlarge it first. Sorry; it's not much. Happy Christmas, Professor.' Then he fled.

Puzzled, Severus stood stock still, listening to his door close with a quiet click, before he fully realized what had happened. Potter had given him a gift.

Potter had given him a gift.

Potter had given him a gift.

It was completely unexpected. After a few moments of consideration, however, he realized he should have expected something of the sort from this boy. Such a gesture was just like him. Just like this kind, amusing, diffident, unassuming, starved-for-affection little boy. How like Lily he was, in so many ways, right down to his occasional bouts of temper. Oh how she had raged when they were in school, sometimes, at the injustices against Muggleborns (like her) and half-bloods (like him). He remembered, suddenly, the first gift she had ever given him,