My Dear Mis Heart
Chapter 10

The next three days were spent opening presents and eating too much food as was expected for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. More importantly Christmas Eve was Lucy's birthday and she enjoyed every moment of it. She woke up early, much to Severus's displeasure since she woke him up each day and then kept him busy until dinner. She opened her gifts in the morning and liked each and every one of them and then the next day she spent a long time looking at all the decorations that were all over the house before opening the rest of her presents and then Boxing Day evening came around.

"Are you ready yet?" Severus irritably asked Lucy. For some reason he was nervous and couldn't stop moving for five seconds at a time.

"Yes, Pa!" Lucy said in exasperation and picked Honey, her parrot, up from his perch and put him on her shoulder.

"Finally," he muttered.

At the same moment Gruffy, Whimsy, Whisper (and Happy the pygmypuff) and Rusty arrived at the bottom of the stairs each holding a gift to give to Mrs. Weasley. Together they disapparated and arrived at the Weasley home.

It was exactly as Severus remembered it and held all the warmth he expected it to. Lucy squeezed his hand a little as if sensing his apprehension and smiled up at him.

"Ready?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said with a decisive nod of her head and knocked on the door.

A second later Fleur Weasley answered it.

"Severus!" she exclaimed and briefly hugged him. "Et Lucy! Oh, elle est tres belle!"

"Merci becoup. Et vous," Lucy replied in perfect French.

"Come in, come in!" Fleur said and stood aside for them and greeted each of the elves in turn. "We're just about to eat. I'd get there first to make sure you actually get some. These boys don't ever seem to get full!"

"I heard that, Fleur!" Bill said from round the corner. "Who are you –"

"Severus!" Miss Ginevra Weasley screeched, ran down the stairs and pulled him into a rough, rather painful hug.

Severus staggered for a moment but then she was gone and had hit him in the chest.

"You don't floo call!" she hit him again, "You don't write and then you just turn up!?" another hit, "We've been worried sick about you!" another hit, "How would you like it if –"

"Ginny Weasley!" the Weasley matriarch snapped and pushed her way though the sudden gathering of Weasleys, Grangers, a Potter, a baby Lupin and various girlfriends. "Now, Severus, Lucy, come this way and get some food before this lot eat it."

Somehow they all managed to fit at the table though Lucy opted to it on her Pa's lap much to the amusement of Ron, George and Ginny who apparently still thought of him as their potions professor. He ignored the wide eyed stares and made a plate of food up for himself. Lucy ate things as he put them down which he didn't notice at first.

"Where's…" he began.

Lucy giggled. Problem solved. He poked her in the ribs and she laughed some more.

"Would you like another plate, Severus?" Molly asked with an indulgent smile remembering a time when her children did that.

"No!" Lucy happily exclaimed and ate the last carrot stick.

Severus shrugged which made all of the Weasley children choke on the food they had quickly stuffed in their mouths. They all wished they had a picture because no one would believe them if when they told them. Professor Snape shrugging? The very idea would get a normal man examined in St. Mungo's!

"Well serves you right stuffing that much in your mouths," Molly told them and then went back to her plate. Her every empty plate.

"It looks like we've been too slow tonight, Molly," Arthur grinned as his plate too was empty.

"Oh… You…" she tried to scald but couldn't because she was trying not to smile.

The whole meal was a noisy affair in which Severus found himself laughing along with the rest of them and not minding the in door fireworks so much just so long as they didn't touch his plate.

Once the meal was over Lucy was swept away by the females in the house and the men went into another room leaving Molly and Severus in the kitchen. Molly set dishes to wash and made a pot of tea which she put in front of Severus and then sat opposite him.

"It is good to see you again, Severus. Ginny is right. We have been worried about you," she said.

"I needed time," he replied looking into his cup trying not to sound choked.

As soon as the war was over and he realised he had survived he'd been angry. He had expected to die in the shrieking shack and had welcomed his early demise with open arms. For those first few weeks after the war he'd been angry, wondering why he hadn't got at least one wish granted after all that he had done, all that he had sacrificed. Surely he deserved the only he had ever asked for. He had refused to see anyone for weeks. People had stayed away much to his relief because he did want to see them. He hadn't thought he deserved company or even this second chance at life.

But then he'd seen the situation from a different perspective. He had a second chance. So far in his life he'd never had anything he wanted apart from Lily's friendship which he had then ruined. But Lily had a son. A son he'd only seen as hers as well in what he thought were his last moments. He hadn't been able to fix things with Lily, but perhaps he could fix things with Harry. Harry who he had seen grow from boy to man and had resolved himself to despise just because he looked like his father. He'd spent time looking back, analysing everything that the Potter brat had done and slowly he'd become Harry Potter, a wonderful, brave man who had sacrificed his very life for those he loved. Sure he got lucky and survived, again, but the boy deserved it.

And if Harry deserved it then maybe he did too.

It took time for him to start his life afresh. He didn't want to go back to teaching because all the change in the world would not make him like loud, obnoxious children and hormonal teenagers who could not appreciate the fine art of potion brewing. So the shop it had been and he'd settled into the role easily.

Still it had taken months for him to pluck up the courage to talk in depth to people from the Order who came to visit him, even longer to talk to Hermione and Ron. Even longer still to talk to Harry and the Malfoys.

Reflecting on the past few months he decided that Lucy had brought about the biggest change in him. She didn't know who he had been during the wars. She didn't have expectations of him beyond being a parent figure – someone to house, feed and clothe her. Yet somehow she had wormed his way into his heart in an incredibly short space of time and had made his days enjoyable even if she could be loud and obnoxious. She made his days ever varying and he had to be strong for her. Parents were supposed to be strong and he wanted to be strong. He wanted to be anything other than his own parents who turned to drink and hid behind words and violence.

He wanted to be good.

And now he was.

Yes he had some healing to do and he still had to rebuild aspects of his life and mix in with society more often, but now that he had this little girl in his life he had a real reason to push himself into society. A reason to look forward to life and living it.

He thought he'd never heal. Time it seemed, and people, worked wonders to heal fractured souls.

"And now that you've had enough time you'll come over at least once a month to ensure your Lucy gets a healthy dose of sugar in her system."

"She manages that well enough on her own," he snorted and managed to make it dignified.

"I've no doubt. Did Hermione tell you that the Malfoys are coming over here for New Year?"

He spluttered on his tea and stared at her.

"I thought exactly the same thing when she told us they had asked if it would be alright. We said yes obviously even if only to show Draco what a real family does –"

"They're different now," he said defensively. "They've taken time to heal too and they are a normal family! They had a snowball fight the day before Lucy's birthday."

This time it was Molly's turn to spit out her tea and look completely surprised. "Well I never!" she managed to say. "Well, you should come to. It will help keep the peace if nothing else."

"Ronald is jealous?" he asked even though he didn't really have to. Throughout his time at Hogwarts he'd seen the boy's tendency to slip into jealousy even when it was over something completely ridiculous. "It will do him some good to see Hermione and Draco interact outside of school."

"So you'll come?"

"To keep the peace," he nodded.

Molly sighed in relief. "Thank you. Now, shall we go and see the mischief your daughter is getting into?" she asked and bustled out of the room.

For a moment, for the second time in less than two weeks, Severus was rooted to the spot. His daughter. He liked the sound of it and hearing someone say it made him more proud than he ever imagined it could have. He smiled to himself and then followed Molly to the lounge where Lucy was sat on Fleur's knee telling stories about living with him. Currently she was talking about throwing mud pies at him with Whisper.

Molly walked into the room and sat on a stool but Severus leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed and leaned his head on the door frame surprised to hear his thoughts turning to when his home would be full like this in the festive season. He'd never had laughter in his house when he was a child and he didn't want Lucy to grow up with the same. She was going to grow up in a house that was full of laughter and singing and happiness.

A few minutes later Hermione saw him silently walk away with a happy smile one his face and smiled too. She was glad he came and, though no one would tell him because they knew he wouldn't thank them for it, everyone else was glad too.

"Little Lucy's falling asleep," Arthur said looking over at the small girl who was curled up in Bill's arms listening to him talk about curse breaking. She yawned and her eyes drooped.

"I think it is perhaps home time," Severus said and levered himself out of the chair. He'd never fully recovered from Nagini's bites or the many crucios he'd been given in the war and they were starting to tell on cold nights. George looked ready to support him but the potions master sent him a glare. The brat just chuckled.

He walked over to Bill and gently took his daughter in his arms. She moved to put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't wake up much but snuggled close to him realising that in a moment they'd be in the cold.

"Do you mind if Gruffy stays a bit longer?" Ron asked from the floor. He was playing Risk with various members of his family who were pared up as well as Gruffy, Harry and Hermione who were each on their own and winning.

"He's a free elf, Ron. He can do whatever he likes."

Molly followed him to the door and made sure he had both his and Lucy's cloaks. "Do come again, Severus," she reminded him.

"Perhaps you would like to come for dinner soon?" he asked feeling slightly awkward.

She smiled. "We'd love to. Some time after new year to let all the food go down?"

"I look forward to it," he nodded and stepped outside. "Thank you," he said and disapparated straight into Lucy's room.

She woke up a little and groaned. "Was sleepin'."

"Well now you can get ready for bed."

She shook her head and buried it deeper into his hair. He sighed but supposed he could let her off as it was the festive season. He lay her down on the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"What is it, Pa?" she asked and touched her hand to his face.

He smiled. "I thought you should be the first to know. I love you."

She sat up and hugged him. "I love you too. This is the best present ever!"

"That it is, my dear Miss Heart," he softly murmured. "It most certainly is."

Sorry it's been a while but I've been busy revising - well... my teacher's think I've been revising and life sorta caught up with me.

Thanks go out to: Myki Fri, Croonsgirl and How to be bellatrix 101 for reviews, favourties and stuff.

This is the final chapter, yes I have decided to end it here despite my initial A/N I hope you like it. Thanks to everyone who has supported this story in some way :D