"Why exactly are we here, Sir?"

"Severus," he said dryly.

"Okay, sure. Why are we here, Severus?"

"Because I need a gift for my wife and daughter and am not sure what to get either of them."

"Oh, well, Evelynn won't care what you get her. She's a baby. A stuffed animal or something will go over well."

"And Hermione?"

"What have you thought of getting her?"

"Well, I thought of going to her university's bookstore and buying her …"

"No," Harry said with a smile.

Severus scowled at the smile. That meant the wizard was laughing at him. At his incompetence at not even knowing what to buy for his wife. It hadn't mattered before. He always put thought into her gifts, but this was different. They were back in the wizarding world, for one. And, second, she had given him a daughter. He knew that deserved more than a book.

"I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm sure she'd love whatever book you pick out for her. I think you'd know very well what would appeal to her. She's like that, you know, would never complain. Clearly you realize that's not what you should buy her, though."

"It's her first Christmas as a mother."

"Right," Harry said.

Severus watched as Harry glanced around at the muggle mall, his eyes honing in on a jewelry store.

"Well, how about something she can wear."

"What do you mean?"

Severus knew what he meant, of course. Harry likely was aware, too, but said nothing.

Thankfully.

Harry led him in that direction. Severus had only been in a jewelry store once in his life. To buy Hermione's wedding band before he'd given her the one she wore now. He was completely out of his element.

It still seemed somewhat unreal to him that he had a witch and a daughter to buy jewelry for. He never imagined he would be the type of wizard to buy trinkets and yet as he eyed the various items in the window display he found nothing there that came close to equaling her worth.

"Well, you could give her something like a necklace with a pendant that has Evelynn's birthstone. Or I know Dudley's grandmum had this bracelet that had the silhouettes of girls and boys heads on it. I think it was his dad's mum because I wasn't on the bracelet. Anyway, Dudley's head had his name on one side of the boy's head and his birthdate on the other."

"Mm," he said.

"All you've given her is that wedding ring to this point, right?"

"Yes," Severus hissed softly.

Was that wrong? Was that some error he didn't know about? He didn't know these things. It's not as if his parents had gifted one another trinkets and baubles. Hermione didn't seem the type to want a different diamond for every day of the week.

"Don't panic. I'm just making sure. I don't see her wearing anything but the ring so assumed that was the case. So, you could get her anything, really, and it will be special. It's Hermione so I'd go with something like a necklace or bracelet. Maybe a ring for her other hand, or another finger on her left hand. Earrings are probably out."

"Why?" He actually … liked earrings.

"Who would ever see them?" Harry asked and Severus nodded in understanding. That made sense and was not something Severus thought of. Unless they were going to be going to balls or outings routinely where her hair was up, earrings were a useless purchase.

They browsed.

"Oh," Harry said, seeing a silver porringer and spoon in a display case. "This would be nice."

"For Evelynn," Harry clarified, obviously having seen Severus' arched eyebrow.

"Oh," Severus said, regarding the items.

He nodded simply, filing them away in his mind as an idea. He could always come back, or go to another jeweler if he decided to go that route. He was more concerned about his wife's gift than Evelynn's.

Jewelry for Hermione did make sense, though.

He decided on a necklace for her with a pearl pendant. It was elegant and pretty yet simple. It was something she could wear with a dress or the muggle T-shirts she liked to wear around their rooms on weekends.

"So, how is being a father suiting you, Harry?" Severus asked as they made their way out of the mall. He had more than one idea for Evelynn, but would take a day or two to think about it. Harry had stopped to purchase a couple of muggle items for Ginevra and James.

"I like it. It's a little nerve wrecking, though, isn't it?"

"How do you mean?"

Severus found it incredibly so, but wondered what Harry's thoughts were behind it. It wasn't as if he had anyone else to discuss their respective infants and the … nerve wreckingness of it.

"Well, I don't have an example. I mean Vernon wasn't a dad to me at all. So, I have this child I'm responsible for doing things with and I really don't know the first thing about what a dad is supposed to do with his child."

"I know this thought process well. I had a father, of course, but he was not anyone I want to model my fathering after. I do what Hermione tells me to do with her," he said simply.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Really. This surprises you?"

"I don't know. Kind of."

"I am not good with fragile things, Harry. Evelynn is about the most fragile thing I've handled. So if Hermione tells me that doing this or that is acceptable then I do it."

"But if she were a potion ingredient…"

"Oh, that I'd have no qualms about handling," he said with a low chuckle.

"It's nice to hear you laugh, Severus."

"It is remarkably nice to have something to laugh about. That wasn't the case for years. Too many."

"I imagine that was rather lacking in your life for quite some time and then I came along and didn't help make it any easier."

Severus shrugged. "I can admit I did not handle your presence well, Harry. I'd spent ten years dreading seeing James' son."

"I'm Lily's son, too."

"I know that. Now."

"Does it bother you I named him James?"

"Are you going to raise him to be a pompous arsed bully?"

"Of course not."

"Then it shan't bother me in the least. In fact, I look forward to a James Potter raised right and being a productive member of wizarding society."

"I'm sorry," Harry said.

"Whatever for?"

"For all of that. I mean, obviously I wasn't around for it, but no one deserves what any of them did. I'm sorry."

"Oh, Harry, you have nothing to apologize for. I wasn't entirely blameless either. I wasn't the most … pleasant fellow, and it turned out they were right as to their concerns about me. Obviously."

"Yes, but…"

"No buts, Harry. We could what if and if this had happened this way until we're gray-haired wizards. Your apology while unnecessary is appreciated. Thank you."

"And, if I may be so bold."

"What's stopped you until now?"

Harry scoffed. "Mum would have forgiven you. Long ago."

"I hope so, Harry. The idea that I was at all involved in harm coming to her is a weight I carried for many years."

"He would have found out anyway. Or if he didn't, more people would be dead because he wouldn't have known to focus on Neville and me."

"Quite," Severus said, having thought about that.

He doubted there was anything anyone could tell him that hadn't already occurred to him at some point or another the past twenty plus years.

"Are we done with the heart-to-heart for today?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I just don't get you alone very often."

"Indeed."

"I'm sure that's by design on your part, but you invited me today so."

"Taking advantage of my moment of weakness?"

"Yes."

"Anything else you wish to apologize for?"

Harry laughed then. "No."

"And Harry," he said.

"Yes?"

"You are a better friend than either of your parents ever was. You recognize that Hermione and Ron are human and will make mistakes, sometimes hurtful ones. James and any other child you may have could do far worse than you for a father."

"You're not under the Imperius or anything are you?"

"No, not today."

"Thank you."

"And thank you for accompanying me without question on this task."

"It's Christmas shopping, it's not a task."

"It's a task, Potter."

"Mm," he said. "If you say so."

"I do," he said.

"I have a question," Harry said as they got to the apparition point. He'd go to Grimmauld Place where Severus would return to Hogwarts.

"Yes?"

"Did we spend a couple of hours together and get along?"

"It would seem so."

"Kind of like … friends. Wouldn't you say?"

"I suppose so," Severus said, unable to disagree with the conclusion.

"Huh," he said, smiling widely. "So I can tell the guys from work that I hung out with a friend today. Cool. They always ask what I do on weekends and I never have anything good to tell them. Ginny and James. I think they are beginning to think the great Harry Potter has no life. That's embarrassing! So, Christmas shopping in muggle London with a friend is a nice change of pace. Thanks!"

And then he was gone, leaving Severus to mutter to himself about reconsidering his answer to the last couple of questions after all.

Friends with Harry Potter.

He knew when he and Hermione had married that it was inevitable the boy would be around eventually. Granted, it had happened a little sooner than he'd expected it to.

He could only hope that he was in fact right about Harry being a better friend than both his parents were. James was really no great prize when it came to friendship either. He certainly hadn't helped Peter or Black when all was said and done. Pettigrew betrayed him. Black ended up in Azkaban for years. Lupin was the only one who might have been okay, but he hadn't been as bad as James and Sirius had been to begin with.

Remus had wanted to be accepted. He'd found it, sadly, with bullies.

Severus had wondered more than once during the 1993-94 school year how his life, and Remus', might have been different if Remus had realized someone as good at potions as Severus was may have been a good friend to have back when they were students. Severus could have brewed wolfsbane for him as soon as the release of the potion was discovered. He wouldn't have been confined to the Shrieking Shack for more full moons than were necessary at any rate.

And yet, Severus realized with the wolfsbane potion a factor in Remus' life earlier than it was, things might have gone very differently. He and Nymphadora may not have gotten together and there would be no Edward Lupin. Severus had seen the young boy more than once recently and had to admit that he was a good boy. Smart. He liked asking Severus questions even at so young of an age. Hell, with a Gryffindor on his side he may not have been taken in by the Dark Lord's rhetoric.

Severus huffed.

Pretty to think about. Once upon a time he'd wished for a different life, but if he'd taken a different path he wouldn't have Hermione. Or Evelynn. And that idea bothered him more than just a little bit.

As he told Harry he could "what if" himself to death about pretty much his entire existence. It would get him nowhere.

No matter how shitty his life had been, no matter the mistakes he'd made (and he'd made numerous of them). He had a wife and daughter he loved with all of his heart. And who loved him in return. Well, Evelynn didn't know any better yet, but Severus vowed to do nothing to make his daughter change her mind on that.

He made his way to Hogwarts. A benefit of once being headmaster and the castle still apparently recognizing him as such, he could apparate directly into their rooms (and something that drove Hermione batty because she wanted to know how it worked. How the castle knew such things and could differentiate between people). It was chilly enough this evening that it was a welcome shortcut.

And, yes, he could admit it was welcome to get home to his wife sooner.

Story ©Susan Falk/APCKRFAN/PhantomRoses.com