This story was inspired but the Trans-Siberian Orchestra special that was on Bravo the other night, which is where the title comes from, however it is rather like "A Christmas Carol" which I only realised a little bit ago too. I don't own anything that may be familiar...

This will only be about 4 or 5 chapters and I hope to have it done by Christmas so keep your fingers crossed!

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Happy Reading!

Ghosts of Christmas Eve

Part 1: Decoration Day

Harry collapsed onto the couch with a contented sigh as he watched the fairy lights play in the tree he had just finished decorating.

His eyes danced around the room taking in the festive decorations and greenery that he had spent the last four hours getting just right, he hoped that Severus would like it.

So with only the lights from the tree and the still burning fire Harry fell asleep on the couch.

He woke to the decorations clanking together as the repacked themselves hastily in the boxes. He cringed when something shattered.

'What the hell are you doing?' he jumped from the sofa and glared as best he could at Severus who seemed to have charmed all the decorations to haphazardly pack themselves, undoing all of Harry's work.

'Cleaning up this mess,' Severus replied in a bored tone.

'What mess?' Harry hissed.

'It looked like a forest was trying to grow here, and those things were hideous.' Severus replied not seeming to notice or care that he was treading on very thin ice with Harry.

'I spent over four hours decorating,' Harry informed the man, trying not to rip his head off.

'Decorating?' Severus repeated, 'what for?'

'Christmas!' Harry wanted to call Severus all kinds of names but knew that would get him tossed to the curb for sure.

'Why?'

'What are you five?' Harry snapped clearly angry and frustrated, 'I was decorating because I thought that our rooms could use a little cheer.'

'Well I don't like it, as me next time. I'd rather not have my room filled with trivial, meaningless junk,' Severus replied as he turned to leave.

'Well fuck you too!' Harry yelled as he stormed from the rooms and grabbing his cloak as he went.

Severus simply shrugged and went to make tea before heading into the lab.

*

Harry stormed into the living room, ranting about Severus, it wasn't exactly the cleanest rant ever and a surprised Remus was sitting on the floor with his hands over Teddy's ears.

'Harry?' Remus asked in concern as the toddler bounced about reaching out for Harry as he cried out,

'Ree!'

'What happened?' Remus asked when Harry collapsed onto the couch.

Harry growled, causing Teddy to giggle, 'I spent practically all day decorating and the bloody wanker walks in and undoes it all with a flick and swish,' Harry had begun to pace, 'he said he didn't need such trivialities in his home.' Harry sneered, doing a passing imitation of the potion master.

Then he collapsed back onto the sofa and Teddy climbed onto Harry.

'Teddy love,' the small boy informed him before he gave Harry several wet sloppy kisses.

Harry gave a light chuckle as he held the boy tightly, 'love you too,' he replied before he began to tickle the young cub.

'Salazar's Serpents testicles there aren't enough lights on the outside of this house,' Draco announced from the front hall as he and Charlie shook the snow off of themselves.

'I think he may have missed a spot on the left side, by the chimney,' Charlie offered lightly.

Harry could hear Draco's scowl. 'Why haven't I been greeted yet?' Draco called into the house.

'Ree!' Teddy squealed in delight, bouncing in Harry's lap.

'Harry?' Draco replied and he and Charlie finally appeared in the doorway. 'I thought tonight was date night?' he asked as he joined Harry on the sofa.

'Yeah well it was until he took down all my decorations.' Harry scowled, pouting slightly. Remus snorted because Teddy was trying to scowl too but wasn't quiet pulling it off.

'What? Why?' Draco asked, incensed on Harry's behalf.

'Apparently such trivialities have no place in His immaculate home,' he replied, emphasizing "trivialities" and "his".

Draco began to spout incoherently as he stormed to the floo.

'Draco!' Remus cut him off before he began to get vulgar.

'Rectal surgery,' he finished lamely, giving Remus a cheeky grin.

'So what are you going to do?' Charlie asked, finally joining the conversation.

Harry sighed, 'I don't know.'

'Well while you figure it out I am going to go yell at my idiot godfather,' Draco offered as he headed back to the floo that Charlie had moved him away from. 'And next time there will be no trudging through the snow!' he tossed over his shoulder before he vanished into the floo.

'Crap,' Harry said flopping onto his side on the couch.

Neither Charlie nor Remus hid their twin looks of amused concern.

*

'What the fuck is wrong with you, you greasy bastard?' Draco demanded as he stormed into Severus' lab.

'What do you want?' Severus asked not looking up from the delicate potion he was brewing.

'You have no idea what you've done, do you?' the blonde countered.

'I have not celebrated this ridiculous holiday for over thirty years I am not about to start now, simply to indulge an irritating nuisance of a spoiled brats every whim.' A large book collided with the back of Severus' skull, causing him to spill the potion all over the desk and himself.

He was about to yell at Draco for his foolishness but Draco beat him to it, 'that nuisance isn't spoiled about anything. He is simply trying to make his own traditions and good memories to hold onto with the people that mean the most to him, why that includes you though...' Draco snarled viciously.

'Harry's best Christmas was the one he spent with Remus and Teddy last year, even when my father crashed it, so do everyone a favour and pull your head out of whatever orifice you have it shoved in and let Harry in, let Harry make Christmas something you want to celebrate. Just because it hasn't always been a good holiday for you, doesn't mean it can't be made a good one.'

Severus looked like he wanted to berate Draco for his absurd assumptions but Draco wouldn't let him.

'I hope that it doesn't take you being the only one at your funeral when you finally realize what it is that you are fucking up so royally.' Draco stormed out, not giving the man time to retort as the door slammed shut.

When Severus was alone, he glared at the spot where Draco had been. 'Bah, Humbug!'

*

That night as Charlie and Remus took shots for every chess piece they lost to the other, Lucius, Draco and Harry were experimenting with some of the concoctions that were in the bartending book that Lucius had happened to have.

Harry and Draco were carried to bed by Remus and Charlie and the older men finally passed out. They all fell into alcohol induced dreamless sleep.

Severus, however, wasn't so lucky, namely because he hadn't imbibed nearly as much alcohol as the others.

No Severus' dreams were plagued with strange visions of things that had passed long ago.