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The high notes of their child’s laughter mixed with the deep tones of Remus' voice, creating a perfectly concocted potion for Severus’ ears. Harry shrieked as he clumsily rolled a ball of snow nearly the same size of his 5-year-old self. 

The three mugs of hot chocolate felt scalding in his mitten-covered hands, but Severus did not want to call out to his family, not yet. He watched the two wizards that had unexpectedly become the centre of his life. There had been no warning. Suddenly, a few days after the news that his childhood friend Lily had died, the werewolf had stood in front of his door at Spinner’s End with a sleeping Harry in his arms. At first, Severus had wanted to refuse, but in the end, Harry’s sweetness and Remus’ desperation had at least made him agree to a trial period. After a few days, he had known that there was no way he would let them leave his life ever again. Harry had wanted to snuggle and play with him, as if he had known him all his life. 

Most surprising had been Remus, whom he had hated all his school years. Severus’ teenage-self would have not believed it if he had been told he would fall in love with the very man he had wished to expose.

“Da, look!” Harry shouted, indicating to his lopsided snowman. “It looks like Da has brought hot chocolate, Harry,” Remus said and steered the bouncing child to Severus. “Your snowman is very pretty,” Severus complimented. Upon seeing Harry’s drenched mittens, he let the mugs float in the air to take care of them. Remus picked his own and started drinking from the steaming goodness.

“Come here, Harry, show me your hands.” Harry dramatically presented his hands, wiggling his yellow mittens with red brooms racing over the fabric. With a wave of Severus’ wand and a muttered spell, Harry’s hands were dry once more—of course, the child had expensive ones with runes stitched into them, but he preferred the ones Remus had gifted him a few years ago. They only still fit him because of several expansion charms. The ones the Malfoys, Longbottoms and Weasleys had gifted him lay ignored in the cupboard, just like the pair Dumbledore had gifted him. Only Remus ones counted. And the ones Severus had given him, dark green with yellow and blue potions bubbling on them. 

His child’s hands dried and warmed, he picked the mug Harry had made in a pottery course out of the air and gave it to the eager boy. “Chocolate!” Harry shrieked and immediately took a big gulp of it, resulting in a white beard from the whipped cream on top. Good thing Severus always spelled hot things cooler so Harry wouldn’t burn himself. 

“You look like Dumbledore,” Severus laughed. Harry immediately pushed the mug into Remus’ chest and raced back to the snowman, probably to give it a big beard. “Dumbly!!”

Severus and Remus shared a glance, smiling at each other in pure, domestic bliss. Something neither of them had ever imagined their life to lead to.