As the holiday season grew closer, so did the small family. Especially Remus and Harry.

Harry was excited. His first real Christmas, his first real winter, was coming up, and he'd get to spend it with his family.

"So... we get to make cookies and cake and make presents?! An' have a tree!?" Harry asked excitedly. Remus was watching him at the moment, as Severus' class was making the Draught of Living Death, and if something went wrong, it could be potentially dangerous. "Of course, Hare. Why don't we make your present for Sev, huh? What d'you want to make?"

"Hmm..." Harry thought for a moment. Then, he had the perfect idea. "I know! Daddy always wears black! Let's make a pink something!" Harry exclaimed, and started giggling. Remus chuckled at the idea of Severus wearing a bubblegum pink hat or gloves. "How about we go look for a pink sweater somewhere, and I'll help you make him a bracelet?"

"Yeah! It should be bright pink! Like Drooble's!"

"Yeah? Want to go now?"

"Can we really?!"

"Sure, Hare. Just make sure you don't forget your hat like last time, okay?"

"Okay!"

Harry ran to put on his green jacket and hat with dog ears on it. He had insisted on keeping his entire costume, but Severus drew the line at him wearing it everyday, everywhere.

"I'm ready! Do we have to Floo?"

"Are you still afraid of it?" Harry nodded. "It makes my tummy hurt. And it's... fire..."

"Well, it can't hurt you." Harry raised his arms anyway, signaling he wanted to be held while going in the Floo. "Do you want Lily while we go?"

"I have her!" Harry said, holding his bear up as proof. "Alright, chill out. Is there anything else we need?"

"No!"

"Okay. Let's go."

They quickly Floo'd to Aberforth's pub and Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry made sure to put his bangs over his scar. The last time someone had seen his scar, twenty or so people swarmed him and wouldn't leave him alone...

It didn't end well.

"Alright, Hare. See anything you like?" Remus asked as they walked through a store. "Umm... This one! It's pretty!" He reached out to a orangy-pink jumper and felt it. "It's soft!"

"Yeah? So this one is a maybe?" Harry nodded. "Well then, let's look around."

They continued to look around until Harry had three to choose from; the orangy-pink one, a hot pink, and a bubblegum pink one with a hood. "I think... Let's give this one to Sev, Pappy!" Harry said, pointing to the one with a hood. "Okay, Hare. Let's go pay, and then we can make a bracelet or something at home."

"Pappy?" the person working the front desk asked. "Yeah!"

"Wow..."

"What? Is something wrong with that?" Remus asked as he placed the necessary money on the desk. "Nothing... Just never thought Harry Potter would have two dads..." The employee's tone said enough, infuriating the werewolf.

"Well, we'll be going now."

Remus stormed out after he brutally grabbed the bag and carried Harry with him. "Y-Your mad..." Harry whimpered. It made Remus stop. "Not at you, at the person inside the store."

"Why?"

"He... He doesn't like people like me, it was clear... we'll talk about it when we get home. How about a cup of hot chocolate? Your nose is already all red."

"With mallows?!" Harry's word for marshmallows made Remus laugh. "Yes, Hare. With marshmallows."

"Thanks, Pappy!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, Hare... put the bag down and come here, please..." Remus sighed. He knew they would have to talk about this sooner or later, and Harry had been curious about why the man didn't like Remus, so now was an okay time, right?

"...I'm going to tell you something, okay? But then we'll have a bigger... actually, it looks like SEv just got back..." Remus glanced up at the sound of the portrait opening, and sure enough, Severus walked into the sitting room a second later. "What's in the bag?"

"Nothin'!" Harry exclaimed. "Is a secret!"

"Okay, bambi."

"Sev... Sev, we need to tell Harry." After sharing a glance, somehow, Severus knew what he was talking about. "Tell me what?" Harry asked. Then, he feared something. "A-Am I bad?! Is that why Rem got mad?! I didn't t-try to!"

"No! No, no, no, no. We are not mad at you, and you have never been bad. Not once. Even if you do a bad thing, you still aren't bad. We need to tell you about people like us..."

"For one thing..." Remus started. "I'm... I'm a werewolf... But I'm not dangerous..."

"But... on the telly... Dudley..." Harry whispered. He loved Remus, but werewolves always seemed so scary on the television...

"I take a potion once a month. I still turn into the wolf, but I act like Remus... sort of like a big doggy, Hare."

"Doggy?" Remus nodded. "Yep. Just like a really, really big doggy... but you have to keep it a secret, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Now... the second thing... people don't like people like us, Harry... men who like men... or women who like women... A lot of people in the Wizarding World don't have an issue with it, but sometimes Muggleborns... people who have Muggle parents, think it's unnatural. Strange. Weird."

"These people think we shouldn't be able to do certain things, and just try to make our lives miserable..."

"So if we get mad at someone, and they mention you having two 'dads', it's because of that... Make sense?"

Surprisingly, Harry nodded. "So... boys can like boys and girls can like girls? Can you like more tha' one person at a time? Why do they 'ink is bad?"

"Yes, Harry. Boys can like boys and girls can like girls... but adults can not like kids, okay? Some people like more than one person, but if you want to be with more than one person, you have to talk to the first person first. And I don't really know... being raised by Muggles, a lot of them are taught it's wrong, because they're afraid of things or people that are different."

"Oh... but... if you like ea'other... shouldn' that be it?"

The two adults chuckled, wishing it were that simple. "Yes, that should be it."

"Okay!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Remus!" Severus shouted as he looked at the morning's Daily Prophet. The headline enough was enough to frighten him, and Severus Snape did not get frightened easily.

Savior, Harry Potter, Being Raised By Queer Werewolf And Death Eater.

"What?"

"Whoever you were angry at yesterday snitched... It's all over the Prophet... their calling me an insane and sadistic Death Eater who should be in Azkaban... and you... I can't..."

"Tell me."

"They're calling... you a rabid queer without a father..."

Remus felt his heart break for some reason. He never really did have a father... his father hated him because he got bit, when in reality it was his own father's fault...

"That Umbridge woman... she wants Hare... She want's him out of my care! I shouldn't've been able to adopt him in the first place! Remus, they're going to take Harry from me!" Severus shouted, mind racing. "He can't be taken, it'll break him! He's going to be terrified! Re-"

"Calm down. You gave memories. They think you were forced and no longer are on Voldemort's side. Some people in the Ministry know the truth, Amelia Bones and Malfoy, for example. We'll be fine."

"What if we're not?! What if Harry's not?!!!"

They were both cut off by a sharp rapping on the portrait, making both freeze.

"They're taking him..."

Remus was the first one able to move, and opened the portrait. He was shocked to see it was not a Ministry official, or anyone who could possibly take Harry out of their household.

"Dumbledore!" Remus exclaimed. "Professor Lupin. I take it you have seen the Prophet? So have I. I received an owl from one Delores Umbridge, stating she and one other will be coming to Hogwarts for legal reasons. I suggest you wake Harry and let me in."

"What do you want, Albus?" Severus snarled. "I would like to help. Professor Snape... I am aware that I almost made a horrid mistake. I did not want to believe that Petunia would let something like that happen. Harry seems happy here, and as of right now, his well being is my number one concern, my students at a close second."

"I swear to Salazar, if you're lying you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Believe that, Dumbles," the portrait chuckled. "But seriously. Make sure Harry stays here or I'll come in your chambers and start screaming at exactly one in the morning and I will not stop until; you leave your office. I will follow you and every single person here will wonder why a screaming Salazar is just following you."

"Understood, Mr. Slytherin."

"I'll go wake Harry. You two discuss... whatever to do."

He ran off to Harry's room while the other two sat at the table. "Now. If I back you up on this, on you not being a Death Eater, then they can't really touch you. I have a feeling Ms. Bones would be willing to... tweak the rules for young Potter, given his situation. I have a strong feeling that a court session will not be necessary. Umbridge is not able to arrest you or Lupin, or force young Potter out of this household. She is not in the child services area of the Ministry."

Severus glared at the man. "If he gets taken away from me, I am going to take him back and flee, if they try to put him into foster care with no way of me getting him back. I will not be able to teach, and most likely, Remus would come with me. Do you understand."

"Yes, Severus. I get it."

"Good."

On the outside, Severus was unreadable. On the inside... he was terrified.