AN: This story was inspired by the song "Believe" by Josh Groban. So you might enjoy listening to the song in the background as you read this. ;-)
Enjoy!
Severus helped the slippery little boy from the bathtub and wrapped a large, warm towel around him. He began to gently dry him off, starting with the dark hair now dripping droplets of water onto his little nose.
Harry peeked up at him from beneath the green cloth. "Daddy?"
"Hmm?" asked Severus, continuing his task.
"Do I gotta go to bed now? Can I stay up late tonight?" asked the four-year-old.
Severus shook his head. "It's 'may I', Harry, and no, you may not."
"Please, Daddy? It's Christmas Eve." Harry pointed out. "Tomorrow is Christmas. That's a special day."
Severus nodded. "I am well aware of that. That's another good reason for you to go to sleep on time tonight."
"But I'll be good." Harry said in a small voice. He grabbed his round glasses from the sink counter and shoved them onto his nose.
"Because you're always good, right?" The man asked, the question laced in sarcasm that the little boy did not pick up on.
"Right!" Harry practically pleaded.
Severus raised a skeptic eyebrow and simply shook his head. He reached for the boy's red pajamas lying on the closed toilet seat. Harry was silent as his father helped him into his pajamas and buttoned up the tiny buttons on his shirt. Then he turned to the sink beside him and climbed up on the wooden stool. Severus took up Harry's toothbrush and squeezed a little bit of toothpaste on the brush, then handed it to his son.
As he watched the boy brush his teeth, he rubbed his face tiredly. Since adopting the boy three years ago, Severus felt both older and younger than his mere 24-years old. The boy had more energy than a brand new snitch and Severus would be lying if he were to say there weren't nights where he wanted to adjust his own bedtime to match that of his son's. Now it was Christmas break and Harry spent all day, every day, following him around Hogwarts instead of staying with the sitter and the young man more than welcomed the silence of the evenings.
After Harry had spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth, he turned to look at Severus, hope bright in his eyes.
"The answer is still no." He told his son, holding out a washcloth. "Wipe your mouth."
The little boy dried his face, and then dropped the cloth into the sink.
"Come." said Severus, nodding his head towards the door.
Harry hopped off the stool and followed his father out of the bathroom, across the hall, and into his own bedroom. He climbed into his bed without being asked, and pulled the thick quilts over his legs.
"You're still gonna read me a story, right, Daddy?" He bit his lip.
"If you wish." Severus assured him. "Did you have something in mind?"
Harry grinned and nodded. "Can we read about the Grinch? Please?"
Severus nodded. Of course that's what the child wanted to hear. It's all he'd wanted to hear for the last three nights. He picked the thin book up off his son's one small bookshelf and walked back to the bed. Harry scooted to the side to make room for his father beside him.
"I still wanna stay up." The boy piped up, snuggling up next to Severus.
The man just lifted his eyebrow. "We already discussed this, Harry."
"But I'm not even tired." He pouted. "I'm too e'cited to sleep. I wanna see Santa when he comes."
"Oh, well, that will not work at all." Severus said seriously.
Harry turned his large green eyes up at his father. "Why? Doesn't Santa like me?"
"Of course he likes you. He likes you very much." The man continued. "But Santa won't come if you are still awake. He only comes when little boys and girls are fast asleep in their beds."
"Oh."
"Indeed."
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment as he absorbed this new information. "Maybe he's shy."
"Perhaps." Severus chuckled. "Shall we read now?"
The little boy nodded and laid his head against his father's chest, so that he could hear it rumble as he read the words out loud.
Severus wrapped one arm around his son and cleared his throat before opening the thin book. "All settled?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Alright, then. 'Every Who Down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot,'" He began to read from the colorful pages. "'But the Grinch, who lived just North of Who-ville, did not! The Grinch hated Chr-'"
"Why?
Severus paused and glanced down at Harry, who had lifted his head from his father's chest to look at him.
"Why what, Harry?"
"Why does the Grinch hate Christmas so much?" The little boy's brow furrowed in question.
Severus pointed to the book in his hands. "Perhaps if you will let me continue to read, and listen carefully, you will get your answer."
Harry nodded. "Sorry, Daddy."
"Now, as I was saying. 'The Grinch hated Christmas. The whole Christmas season! Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason." At this, the man met his son's gaze and raised an eyebrow pointedly.
Harry had the grace to look slightly abashed. "Oops?"
"I should say so." Severus smirked. "Shall we continue, or are you ready for lights out?"
"No, keep reading. We read hardly at all yet!" The child urged.
So the father continued to read to his persistent son, not really minding as much as he pretended to. Oh, he wanted very much for Harry to fall asleep for the night so that he himself could get some much needed rest. But the nightly story reading was something he cherished and knew it would only be so long before the child was able to read himself and had "outgrown" the habit of bedtime stories.
By the time he reached the end of the book, Harry's eyes had been drooping until they finally stayed closed and his yawns were becoming more and more frequent. He didn't protest as Severus stood slowly from the bed and moved his head to lie on the fluffy pillow. But as the man tucked the covers more snugly around the child's body and plucked the small glasses from his face, Harry squinted up at him.
"Daddy?"
Severus set the glasses down and turned off the lamp so that the room was lit only by a simple glowing dragon the nightstand. Then he sat back down on the edge of the bed, facing his son.
"Yes?"
"Will you guard the Christmas tree tonight?" The little boy mumbled sleepily.
"Whatever for, Harry?" asked Severus softly.
Harry let out another yawn, but did not open his eyes. "So in case of the Grinch. He might come through the Floo and steal the tree and presents."
An amused smile played across the father's lips. "Don't worry, son. I won't let the Grinch steal your gifts."
At this, Harry's eyes opened widely. "No, not my presents. Your present."
"Mine?"
"Uh-huh," The boy nodded. He scratched his nose. "P'fessor McGonagall helped me to make you something. We wrapped it and ever'thing and now it's under the tree. What if the Grinch comes and takes it away?"
"Do you not remember how the story ends, Harry?" He asked the boy. "The Grinch decides to be nice."
Harry shrugged. "What if he changes his mind? He might come here."
"That will not happen." said Severus surely.
The little boy was not yet convinced. "How d'you know?"
"There is so much magic here," The man told his son seriously, "and with such powerful wizards and witches such as the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall, the Grinch would not even dream of trying to steal Christmas presents from Hogwarts."
"Does the magic guard all the presents at Hogwarts?"
Severus nodded. "Every last one."
"But you'll still guard our presents, right, Daddy?" asked Harry earnestly. "You're more pow'rful than all the wizards in the world. I know the Grinch won't come if you're watching."
Severus felt warmth in his chest at the strong, yet innocent, faith his son held in him. "Of course, Harry. I'll guard the tree for you."
Harry reached out and took his father's large, calloused hand in his own small one.
"Promise?" He whispered.
The man gave the boy's hand a gentle squeeze. "I promise. Now, it's time for you to get to sleep."
Harry nodded and blinked sleepily as his father stood up.
"I love you, Daddy." He said quietly.
Severus gave the boy a small smile. "I love you too, Harry."
"G'night." Harry yawned and closed his eyes.
"Good night, son." Severus leaned over and kissed his son softly on the forehead. "Sleep well."
He straightened up and crept silently from the bedroom, pulling the door slightly behind him, though not shutting it completely. He walked down the short hall and into the front room and dining area where he was met by the small, but brightly lit Christmas tree sitting in the corner of the room.
There were already a few nicely wrapped gifts beneath it, most given by different staff members; some for Severus, though the majority of them were for Harry. But the man looked more closely and he finally spotted a small, messily wrapped gift that he had not noticed before. He stooped and picked it up to get a closer look.
The mysterious gift was oddly sized, nearly flat, though square. A tag had been stuck to the top of the package and written in what Severus instantly recognized as his son's large and childish handwriting, it said:
To Daddy. Love Harry. Merry Christmas!
Amused, Severus put the gift back where he had found it and stood up. He was looking forward to seeing what his son had made for him and was so intent on protecting from the "Grinch". The man then summoned a few more brightly wrapped gifts from where they had been hidden in his closet. These were gifts that he had gotten for Harry from "Santa" and now he placed them carefully under the tree along with the ones that Harry had already seen over the last few days.
Then he turned and left the room with the tree and gifts to go and take a long and relaxing shower. He returned half an hour later, hair still damp, and dressed in dark pajamas and his dressing gown. In his arms he carried an extra quilt and pillow from the linen closet. Spelling the lights off, Severus made his self as comfortable as he could on the couch, from which he could see both the Christmas tree and the Floo. It took a bit longer than it might have if he'd slept in his own bed, but even so, he was soon asleep.
The next morning Severus was jarred awake by the joyful shouts of his son.
"Daddy! Daddy! It's Christmas!"
"Urgh, Harry!" Severus grunted as the breath was knocked from his stomach.
He opened his eyes to find his son's large, green ones only centimeters away, watching him intently from behind the round frames of his glasses as he sat on top of his father.
"Daddy," The little boy whispered, "Daddy, wake up."
Severus rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I am awake, son. Would you please get off Daddy's stomach?"
Harry clambered off of the couch and hopped excitedly on his bare toes.
"Santa came! Hurry, Daddy, you have to look!"
Somewhat reluctantly, the father sat up and stiffly pushed himself to his feet. The tree looked nearly the same as it had when he had fallen asleep. But immediately noticeable to him was the long, thin present sitting in front of all the other gifts. That had definitely not been there when he went to sleep. Stooping down, he read the tag on the wrapping paper:
To: Harry, From: Santa Claus
Severus' eyes widened and he glanced over at his son who was still taking in all the brightly colored packages that had appeared beneath the tree as he slept. Well, this was certainly an unexpected development.
"Can we open them now?" Harry asked urgently. He hopped on one foot in anticipation. "I don't think I can wait anymore! I might e'splode. Please?"
Severus chuckled and motioned for Harry to sit down. "Yes, let's do that. I doubt it would be wise to risk your exploding."
Grinning, the boy immediately dropped to the floor.
Severus reached for a package and handed it to his son. "Harry, this is for you from Professor Dumbledore."
The little boy grinned and tore the wrapping paper off to reveal fuzzy purple socks with dragons sprinkled across them. He hurriedly pulled them onto his little bare feet. As soon as they were on, the dragons began to move and walk around the boy's socked feet and toes.
"That tickles!" He giggled.
And so the gift opening had begun. Very soon wrapping paper littered the floor and father and son both had a small pile of gifts beside them. Then they were down to two unopened presents left. Harry's gift to Severus. And the mysterious gift from "Santa".
Harry crawled closer to the tree and reached underneath it for the present for his father. "Here, Open yours first."
Very carefully, Severus peeled the paper away. Inside he found a small booklet that Harry had clearly made. On each page was a different drawing the boy had made. A part of each drawing was animated so that it moved across the page.
"I drew the pictures and asked P'fessor McGonagall if she could make them move for me." The little boy explained importantly. "And she did! See? D'you like it, Daddy?"
Severus smiled and pulled his son into a hug. "Yes, Harry, thank you. I love it. You did a wonderful job. I will keep this forever."
"Forever and ever?" Harry asked.
The father nodded.
"Wow, that's a long time." Harry's eyes widened.
Finally, they were down to one last gift. Severus handed the gift from "Santa" to Harry, but just to be on the safe side, he kept his wand out.
Harry failed to detect any suspiciousness in his father's behavior and hurried to unwrap the last present. He cried out in delight at what he found inside.
"Daddy! Daddy, look! It's a broom!"
Severus lowered his wand and stared at the gift his son held in his hands. It was a small training broom, meant for preschool children. It was certainly not something Severus would have picked out for his son and he had to admit it disturbed him a little to find the gift here in the first place. He had slept on the couch all night! How had the broom gotten here? Unless...
No, that was impossible, right? Santa Claus was a children's story. Just like the Grinch. He didn't really exist.
Oblivious to Severus' confusion, Harry climbed into his father's lap, holding tightly to the stuffed dragon he had given him. "Daddy, isn't this the best Christmas ever?"
Severus kissed the top of his son's dark head. "The very best, Harry."
No, Santa wasn't real. Albus must have slipped the gift into the pile when Severus hadn't been paying attention and he had simply failed to notice it before. The alternative... Santa coming in through the Floo as he slept unaware... that was impossible. Santa was simply a children's tale.
Or was he?
AN: The bedtime story that Harry and Severus read together is the classic, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" by Dr. Seuss.
Thanks for reading! Please review! :-)