A/N: Sorry for the lag in update. There was family and work and school...and here you go, enjoy.
TWELTH DAY: Twelve Perfect Moments
Harry felt exquisite. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this rested or when he'd slept so well. He didn't want to open his eyes, because it would put an end to the warm, floating feeling he had. He credited this peace to the emotional unpacking he and his husbands had done the night before. Yawning, he resigned to the fact that his bladder would have to win this round and opened his eyes. Immediately, panic rushed into his body. Where was he? This was definitely his bed...and his men were snuggled in next to him...but this was NOT their bedroom. "Severus?" he questioned softly.
The older man blinked awake, a suspiciously knowing twinkle in his dark, sleepy eyes. "Hm?"
"We're not in our condo," Harry stated worriedly.
He started at the sound of Draco's voice behind him. "That's because we're in our new house, Kitten," he rasped.
Harry sat up to look down at the blonde in disbelief. "H-House?"
"Merry Christmas, Harry," Severus purred.
An uncontrollable smile stretched on his lips, "Really?"
"Yes, our back acreage aligns with Hogwarts' and we're a seven minute walk from Hogsmeade," Draco explained.
"Looks like you've got a bit of a project, Kitten," Severus smirked.
Harry knew it was Severus who had proposed the idea originally. He bent down to snog his Potions Master. "Hey! It was his idea, but I picked it out and bought it!" Draco chastised, humming when Harry gave him the same attention.
"I got to go to the loo, but hold that thought," Harry sighed. The two watched him go and rose to slip into their house robes and slippers. They wanted to show him around so that their first Christmas wasn't spent committing the same errors...to show they were listening the day before.
The younger entered again with a dazed expression. "We have three massive, walk-in closets and that bathroom is huge!"
Draco smiled, holding out Harry's robe. "I know. Come, let's take a walk through the house. I want to show you around."
Harry nodded, slipping on his slippers. He accepted a sweet kiss from both men as they slid their hands in his and began leisurely walking through the large halls.
Severus grinned happily as with each room, Harry's idea burst from his mouth. They ended the tour back in the bedroom "So, are you pleased?" he asked softly.
"Yes! I have so many ideas!" He continued twittering about the upcoming renovations he wanted.
The two exchanged fond glances as they listened to their Kitten. It had been a while since they had seen him this openly, unguardedly happy. A perfect start to the day.
"Harry?" Severus said calmly.
Harry paused in his ramblings. "Yes, love?"
Severus kissed him deeply, stealing the man's focus. "Love you."
Harry grinned stupidly, humming as he felt Draco, kiss his neck. "Love you too," he sighed.
"I love you more than Sev," Draco purred.
Harry rolled his eyes. The moment was broken, by his stomach growling. "I guess I'll go make breakfast," he chirped.
Severus stopped the Gryffindor's movement. "No...That's changing as well," he stated. "There is no way you can manage this place like you did with the condo."
"So, we've hired a newly married, house elf couple from Father's to help. They didn't like his new...lifestyle choices. We've arranged it so they work all but Saturday and Sunday and the occasional special days you may like attend to yourself. Would you like to meet them?" Harry nodded in disbelief. "Wally, Dollie," Draco called calmly.
The two elves appeared, happily bouncing in elf-excitement. "Happy Christmas Masters!"
"Hello, Wally and Dollie. This will be the one of us that manages the household. Meet Harry."
"It is being so nice being your elf, Master Harry, sir!" Wally smiled.
"Yes, it is being much quieter here. Master Lord Malfoy is making all kinds of bad noises!" Dollie said. "Not good for Baby Elf Holly to be seeing such yucky." She shook her head in disapproval.
"No it is not, Dollie. Not at all," Wally nodded in agreement.
Harry chuckled. "Well it is nice to meet you both...um could you bring us breakfast in bed? Fruit perhaps? Draco usually likes pumpkin juice in the mornings. Severus always takes black coffee. And I have been favoring peppermint tea lately."
"Of course! Master Harry is being so kind and polite! Isn't he Dollie?"
"Yes! Yes! We is having breakfast ready soon," she beamed. Both disappeared with a pop.
Harry turned to his husbands in appreciative awe. He knew Severus saw the value of house elves with the coming months, while the two of them worked. Draco seemed genuinely concerned with Harry's ability to keep house by himself and not run himself ragged. Just as Severus fathomed the purchase of a house and Draco affirmed it, Draco thought of the elves and Severus encouraged it.
He slid his arms around Draco's neck and kissed him soundly. "Thank you," he whispered.
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get it," Draco murmured in his ear as they hugged tightly.
Harry pulled away, winking, and hugged Severus too. As he cuddled into the man's chest, he cleared his throat. A wave of arousal suddenly rushed in. "You know...just because I threw a fit about it, doesn't mean I don't want to ever make love again," he said softly.
Severus chuckled. "I figured as much."
Draco smirked as the other Slytherin pulled Harry back to bed to wish him a 'Merry Christmas' properly.
As they ate breakfast, Harry suddenly hopped out of bed. "Can I give the fist gift?"
"I don't see why not," Severus chuckled, not bothering to point out that they'd already beat him to it with the mansion and house elves.
Harry fetched two long thin packages and handed them to his husbands. The two Slytherins eagerly tore into the gifts, Harry's enthusiasm rubbing off on them. They both paused at what they found...carefully and intricately crafted, custom wands.
"I...noticed that your spells were losing some potency and concluded that your soul magic had changed...making your wands less able to harness and channel your powers."
Draco grasped his, startled by the way his magic warmed at the contact. Severus shut his eyes as his own magic sang in gratitude.
"They're beautiful," Severus whispered, kissing his temple. "Now get back into bed and we'll summon the rest to us."
"Alright," Harry smiled, sliding in between them.
They spent the rest of the packages under the tree and lulled about in bed for the rest of the morning.
The Snape men had the elves serve a picnic-style lunch on the floor of the empty ballroom on the top floor. They'd showered and gotten dressed. Severus thought all of this was futile, because he intended to debauch them both at least three more times before the day was out.
Halfway through the peaceful meal, Draco cleared his throat and pulled an envelope from his robes. "Severus already knows about this, but I thought you'd like this even more than he did," the blonde rambled nervously.
Harry furrowed his brow as he read the parchment. "It's a deed to a storefront in Hogsmeade? What?"
Draco leaned over and cupped the Gryffindor's jaw. "As of February, that will be the homestead of Hogsmeade Pediatric and Pre-Natal Clinic. I'm opening my own practice in town...so I can be home at night and actually find joy in my job again."
Harry dropped the paper and pulled Draco into a hungry kiss. "I love you," he breathed.
Severus cleared his throat. "Along the same lines, I'm taking on an apprentice next term so that I may retire from teaching next year. I'll still be commissioned to stock the Hospital Wing and Draco has mentioned he may need the same. So I'll be home too. As far as next term, Albus has allowed me to come home for weekends."
Harry pounced on top of Severus devouring his lips. "And I love you too," he sighed. Suddenly, Kitten shot up in thought. "Oh no! What about Sirius and Remus? They were supposed to come over this morning!"
"Last night, we decided they'd come for dinner, instead," Severus stated, reaching to pull him down again. He only caught air.
Harry jump up in a busy twitter. "Well then, I need to plan dinner and we should decorate the parlor to retire to...and the table needs to be set..."
Severus exhaled, rolling his eyes at Draco who was snorting in amusement. "Come along, we should help him with the preparations."
The parlor was decorate with garlands and the Christmas tree was relocated from the bedroom to a corner of this room. The fire was going and the three were reclining lazily on their mismatched sofa. The elves were preparing dinner.
"I believe I have the perfect gift to conclude this day," Severus stated calmly as he sat up and retrieve a box from his pockets.
Draco was confused. What was he talking about? And Harry gazed at him in anticipation.
"It is time we made this officially...official," he said shakily. The velvet box flipped open to reveal three wedding bands. "It took me some time to find someone who still made them...but it's crushed and retired diamond, since we had heated opinions about gold and silver, AND once I put mine on I don't want to ever take it off to brew. I actually find them fetching, because they look like a smoky glass brilliant, but-"
"Thank you," Harry whispered, crying.
Severus slid the rings onto their fingers and then Draco slid his on. Draco looked over at Harry. "Kitten? Are you alright?"
Harry glanced at Severus briefly, before sniffing. "Yeah, the baby just makes me emotional."
"Oh okay..." the blonde trailed off. "Baby? What baby?"
Harry rubbed his own belly. "Ours."
Draco sputtered. "H-How long?"
"Almost three months. I kept thinking you'd figure it out."
Draco seemed to be running over the last twelve days in his head, gasping. He began pacing, stopping to point at his younger husband with each revelation. "No wine! Ate all the biscuit! Clingy! Horny! The Faint!" Severus collapsed into a fit of laughter as Draco raked his hand through his hair. "I'm...I can't believe I'm that inattentive to you! I'm an utter moron! A-A selfish bastard!" Draco stuttered.
Harry giggled. "So...are you happy with it?" he asked softly.
"Happy? Harry, I'm ecstatic," Draco smiled, pinning his husband to the ground, kissing him possessively. "Everything makes so much more sense. You wanted Christmas special this year so that we make it special for the baby next year and after that."
"Yes," Harry smiled. Tears flooded his eyes.
"Now, why are you crying?" Severus asked.
"I just feel so silly for my fit yesterday...now that I know you two were already trying to fix things."
"Oh Kitten," Severus chuckled pulling the man close. "It was something we needed to hear."
The Following Christmas...
"'What happened then? Well...in Whoville they say,
That the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light,
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he, HE HIMSELF! The Grinch carved the roast beast!'" Severus read warmly with their daughter cuddled in his arms. She was only six months old, but the man insisted on reading to her as often as possible, hoping to instill a love for literature. And Severus had the perfect story-time voice. Harry had paused in his tree decorating to watch the pair fondly.
Evangeline Lily Snape was born July 1st at midnight. She had Harry's eyes and Sev's dark straight hair, but Draco's refined features. She was perfect. Her brother, Byram James Snape had Draco's silver eyes and Harry's unruly hair...and Severus' frame...but thankfully not his nose. Their son was born July 2nd at 12:03am. Harry shifted his gaze to Draco who had Byram asleep on his shoulder as he hung ornaments.
Over the year, things had settled into all the things they had wanted in this marriage. The house had come together and Draco's clinic was both profittable and fun for the blonde. Severus wasn't entirely retired, he still went into teach the sixth and seventh year potions classes. But both Slytherins were home every night and free on the weekends. And they'd gotten into the Christmas Spirit this year.
He was kissed out of his thoughts, realizing that the babies were in bed. "I think we can levitate the star. All the other ornaments are on."
"No," Severus said softly.
"We have a tradition we want to start that we thought you'd like, Kitten," Draco explained, handing the Gryffindor two small boxes.
"What?" He opened them carefully, to find two silver, baby rattle ornaments, engraved with the year and, "First Christmas." He looked between the two men with a smile. "They're beautiful, but I'm not sure I understand the tradition."
"Every year we will gift an ornament to the children to commemorate important events from the year," Severus explained.
"And when they get married and move away, they will have their own tradition to start with their children," Draco concluded.
Harry smiled. They'd become soft with the presence of the little ones. Soft and sappy. Harry loved it. "This is brilliant." He stood and reverently hung the rattles on the tree. "Now it's perfect," he breathed. He looked back to see the beaver fur blanket and the cheese plate set out in their family room. Chuckling, he sat as he recalled their first tree and its aftermath.
"Harry? Of all the things you made us do last year, you forgot a vital tradition," Draco drawled.
"What?"
"Mistletoe," Severus grinned, glancing at the levitated plant.
Giggling, he allowed himself to be kissed. "Merry Christmas," he grinned.
"Yeah, yeah, let's get naked," Draco teased.