Secret Watching- Snape
From the time he could walk, Severus Snape spent his life discretely observing his surroundings with calculated indifference. Naturally, all of Wizard Britain knew of his excruciating balancing act between keeping the Boy Who Lived alive and the Dark Lord happy. His wretched path started the day he spied on Lily that fateful day in a Cokeworth park. Perhaps life would’ve been different for both of them if they’d met organically on the Hogwarts Express. Or better yet, not met at all. In his desire to climb the Death Eater ranks, he condemned his once best friend to her grave with a prophecy he wasn’t meant to hear.
Upon his appointment as Hogwarts Potions Master, he continued the practice for better reasons. Snape watched from the High Table, seeing through the frivolity of teenaged drama. It was entertaining, often bordering on tiresome, but infinitely less stressful than his Death Eater time. However, he kept an eye out for any troubling schoolyard trends the other professors didn’t, or refused, to see. Of course many instances of bullying were instigated by students of his own house, requiring delicate handling, especially at the height of the Second Wizarding War.
He hadn’t watched Nagini close enough, although her attack wasn’t a complete surprise. Hence the anti-venin. Despite the pain, he embraced his end, only hoping the moron he secretly watched for years would prove Albus wrong and survive to see a better world. In that moment, Severus Snape was content knowing his watch had ended and his secrets no more.
But then he woke up at St. Mungo’s. Unable to talk, he resumed his secret watching. It didn’t take a genius to decipher the flickers of doubt from various healers as they reviewed his charts before spouting sickening positivity regarding his prognosis. Then the worst thing happened: he returned to Hogwarts.
While no longer Headmaster, nothing within the castle’s walls escaped his notice. Barely able to speak, he watched the staff valiantly rebuild, gritting his teeth because he was too useless in his current state. Once as healed as he was going to get, Minerva broached the idea of a holiday. To America, no less. Too tired to argue, he went.
There he met his eventual wife, scrutinizing her movements to assure she wouldn’t stick a knife in his back as she led him through the Appalachian Mountains for a specific potion ingredient. Interestingly enough, she secretly watched him as well despite not knowing his acclaim or notoriety, depending on who was asked. Only after her appointment to Hogwarts did their courtship flourish. Having never been in a relationship, he ramped up his discrete observations, not only to gain further insight into the woman who caught his heart, but simply to enjoy those little moments he’d thought he’d never have.
“Helloooo, earth to Severus.” A cardboard tube wrapped in colorful paper poked his head. “Ya there?”
Speaking of little moments.
Snape shook his spiraling thoughts away and gave full attention to the witch behind him, holding a garland of evergreen just under the doorway. Fuck, he could watch her all day, enjoying the sliver of skin between her jumper and jeans and frustrated groans. Languidly, Severus got to his feet, well aware of what would be requested from him.
“You have a wand.”
“Yeah.” Erica strained, trying to muster another couple inches to hang the decoration in just the right spot. “But it’s in the kitchen.”
Chuckling, Severus relieved her burden, enduring her directions to shift the garland a couple inches here and there. Under his tenure, the dungeons had never been known for their holiday cheer. A ridiculous and frankly pointless endeavor to bring about artificial cheer he didn’t otherwise possess. But as he’d learned after their first few years of marriage, holiday cheer was now a Yuletide requirement. Especially once they had kids.
At first, he’d protested the various knickknacks adorning his sterile bookshelves and the modest tree by the hearth. Erica found amusement in his “Grinch-like” behavior, sweetly reminding him that he’d decorated the Christmas her family spent at the castle. Never mind the reason for that visit was she’d spent the previous weeks at death’s door. And while he empathized with the surly green creature who live on a cliff overlooking the ridiculous Whoville, Severus Snape had a much better sense of style…and wasn’t green. An unfair use of Slytherin’s house color.
Erica darted off to magically collect the yet to be wrapped gifts from the highest cabinet, the only place their children couldn’t reach. Once in the clear, Severus admired the charmed baubles hanging from the tree, gently adjusting the crooked star.
“Caught ya!” Erica’s voice rang out. Snatching back his hand as if the star burned him, he whirled around. Erica smugly stood in the doorway, a parade of floating toys and books trailing behind her. And for once, he didn’t mind getting caught.
Soon gifts, wrapping paper, and ribbons covered the floor of their sitting room. Erica sat amid the chaos, muttering at particularly difficult to wrap gift for Derek, her closest friend. Opting for a more comfortable seat, Severus smirked from the sofa before tackling one of the kids’ present, a simple coloring book and crayons.
“You could use magic.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Erica argued, now cursing at a stubborn corner that wouldn’t fold correctly. “Also you should be wrapping this once since you picked it out.”
True, Severus had selected the charmed microscope to aid Derek in the research he inevitably brought home from St. Mungo’s. As a specialized healer, it was practically in his job description. Yes, he could argue the impracticality of it all, why wrap a gift only to be torn open days later? Or better yet, what was the point of wrapping something already in a brown box? But Erica wouldn’t hear of it. So he went with the safest argument his wife couldn’t argue against. He made a show of checking his watch.
“I can only imagine Minerva will soon grow tired of our spawn,” Severus drawled, a smile quirking his lips. “I’d hate to lose the goodwill of our favorite babysitter.”
“She said she’s bring them back after dinner,” Erica chuckled, batting away a ribbon snaking its way up her knee. “Sometimes I don’t think she wants to give them back.”
That was also true. For the first time in a long time, Hogwarts housed little ones parented by two professors. At first the new parents weren’t sure how accepting the other professors would be with last minute duty swaps or rearranging classes on the fly, but all had been incredibly accommodating, going over and beyond of what was required. “They keep us old folks on our toes,” Hooch remarked one day.
Perhaps Severus’ biggest fear was not having the kids in his sight at all times, even refusing offers to mind their daughter to give he and Erica some time to themselves. It was only when Minerva essentially kidnapped Sorcha (with Virgil’s assistance) and told him to take Erica on a weekend away when Sorcha was a toddler did the fear finally abate. He also didn’t anticipate that weekend away was how Alex came to be.
Every inhabitant of the castle watched and minded the Snape children when they’d grown brave enough to explore the castle on their own. Snape eventually allowed it on the stipulation Sorcha and Alex stay together and Virgil escort them. Without telling the parents, Pomona had built the kids a sandbox complete with friendly bowtruckles in view of her office by the greenhouses. Even while teaching or grading assignments, she kept a discrete eye on them.
Minnie tended to keep extra biscuits on hand, always welcoming the kids to color in her office as she attended to her own duties. Flitwick was never short of charmed toys for the kids. Though he’s learned his lesson with the bag of fifty charmed army men who escaped Alex to every corner of the castle. They’d recovered thirty two so far.
The day Alex and Sorcha got separated in the castle sent Snape damn near into a panic attack. Sir Cadogan barged into his office’s painting, loudly informing the boy was crying on the third floor. Snape apparated there and followed the wails of his boy only to find Peeves in conjunction with a couple paintings comforting Alex. His first instinct was to hex the poltergeist into oblivion. At least until Alex tearfully informed him Peeves threw ink pellets at a couple second years who had frightened him. It was then Snape realized his children, and by extension he and Erica, were part of a larger family.
Returning his attention to his wife still laser focused on creasing perfect edges as if the fate of the wizarding world depended on it, he was again struck by how lucky he truly was.
“You sure you were a spy?” Erica grinned, not looking at him.
Arching a brow, he tapped the next gift with his wand with feigned indifference. “I beg your pardon, Miss?”
“You’ve been staring for like two minutes,” Erica replied, lifting her now wrapped gift. “So what’s the verdict, Professor? Will my wrapping skills do?”
“Hardly,” Severus snorted, placing a muggle construction toy truck on a length of colorful wrapping paper he wouldn’t be caught dead with in public. “Your technique is…passable at best. One of the corners is sagging.”
Growling, Erica looked down at the gift in her lap. The offending corner indeed sagged. Defeated, she reached for her wand and corrected the deficiency.
“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” Snape teased, wrapping yet another gift with a tap of his wand. He looked far too pleased with himself.
“But it loses part of the magic!”
“How? We’re using legitimate magic.”
Her argument was absurd and she knew it. Snape could practically see her realize the folly of her ridiculous argument. Tipping her head back, she laughed a most musical sound. One of the things Snape loved about her, Erica was the first to laugh at herself. She caught him gazing at her with adoration.
“Careful, Professor.” Succumbing to temptation, Erica started wrapping presents magically. “One might believe you’re enjoying this.”
“If you keep my secret,” he gestured to the now quickly wrapped presents. “I’ll keep yours.”
The mountain of presents now wrapped, Snape foolishly believed their task was over. Until Erica tossed a roll of ribbon at him.
“We ain’t done yet, mister.”
“Oh,” Snape asked innocently, twirling a length around his fingers. “Do I get my Christmas present now all wrapped up in a pretty little bow…” his eyes darkened. “And nothing else?”
“I knew that joke was coming, perv,” Erica clucked, pointing a finger at him. “And no jokes about coming.”
“Then what precisely am I meant to do with this?”
“Tie it around the boxes,” Erica challenged, passing him an already wrapped gift. “Think the Potions Master can handle something so simple?”
Severus looked offended. “It’s already wrapped. What more does it need?”
“Please, Severus? For me?”
With an air of exaggerated reluctance, he subdued the wriggling ribbon with a flick of his wand and deftly tied a bow around the gift.
“At least it’ll buy us some time lest our lovely children find them.”
“Yeah, they’ve been snooping on the sly pretty hard lately.”
“On the sly?” Severus scoffed, joining her on the floor. “Alex has the subtlety of a dragon in a teacup. Which he inherited from you might I add.”
“Try again, Snape. I’m a professional escape artist.”
“Yes, but before you depart via shadow, you usually wreak havoc,” Snape deadpanned. “I was more…meticulous.”
By the time the last gift was trussed anppropiately and mess cleaned up, Erica sagged into Severus, her head resting on his shoulder. “We make a pretty good team.”
“Mmm, indeed.” His hand brushed over hers, her wedding band cool under his touch. “At least for tacking wrapping paper and ribbons.”
“And everything else,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
As if on cue, the door to their quarters burst open, Alex and Sorcha chattering with Minerva about what Santa would get them for Christmas.
“Did you have fun with Minnie?” Erica asked, picking up Sorcha. The girl had a sly gleam to her eye. One that potentially spelled trouble.
“They intend to take after their parents on Christmas Eve,” Minerva chuckled, motherly pride shining in her eye as Severus wrangled their rowdy son.
“Oh?” Severus asked, eyeing Alex suspiciously. “And what do you intend to do?”
“We’re gonna camp out by the Christmas tree and secretly watch for Santa!” Alex cried. “Since you and mummy can’t catch him.”
“Yeah!” Sorcha added. “Then we’re gonna interrogate him. Bilby said he’d help since he’s friends with Santa’s elves.”
Shaking his head, Severus made a mental note to follow up with the one house elf he tolerated. Erica shot him a sly glance, one that told him they’d stay up too, secretly watching for Santa with their kids.