On the 16th Day of Christmas...
On the 16th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Four Friends Falling from hp_muffins!
Pimp Cane #16 from lysa1!
A Christmas Patronus from sneaky8
Check out more of sneaky8's work at sneaky8.deviantart.com.
A Christmas Carol Harry Potter Style from hermione919!
Disclaimer: I do not own A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens does and I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does; no money is being made and no copyright
infringement is intended.
Author’s Note: This was written last Christmas, before HBP.
**
Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry, ex-Death Eater and current spy for the Order of the Phoenix, was not someone to be crossed. He had a very short temper, preferred to keep to himself, and definitely did not like Christmas. Most of the staff at the school only communicated with him when it was absolutely necessary, with the exception of Dumbledore and most students were terrified of him, particularly Neville Longbottom.
Snape did not look forward to waking up every morning, having breakfast with the staff, and then making his way down to his classroom to try to explain the simplest of potions to a bunch of dunderheads. He hated the fact that his students did not understand the subtle science and exact art of potion making. He hated that they did not appreciate the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... All that those dunderheads ever managed to accomplish was blowing up their cauldrons and wasting his precious ingredients.
However, his students were the least of his problems. He would be sitting in his black
leather armchair by the fire enjoying a quiet evening with a book and fire whisky, when the mark on his left arm would burn hot and he would have to grab his robe and mask and apparate to the Dark Lord. He would bow down to Voldemort, all the while occluding his mind, and take his place in the circle among the other death eaters. Then, he would wait for Voldemort to relay any plans he might have on attacking Muggles, wizards, and especially plots to kill Harry Potter. Then, he would return to Hogwarts and go to the headmaster's office and relay all that he knew.
***
I made my way down to my dungeons aware of the happy chatter and smiling faces of the students that had remained at Hogwarts for the Christmas break. I was in a particularly foul mood, because I had to endure Potter’s presents for two hours while he served his detention. He seemed to think, like his father, that he was exempt from following the rules and had been caught out of bed after hours again.
I had tried to talk McGonagall into overseeing Potter’s detention, but she had said she would be busy this evening. I just can’t stand Potter! If I could have expelled him in his second year for the car incident, I would have. Everyone thinks Potter is such a hero just because he saved the Sorcerer’s stone in his first year, never mind that he thought I was the one trying to steal it. He never even thanked me for saving his sorry excuse for a life, but then again, I didn’t expect him to. Dumbledore was so proud of him, when he rid the school of the basilisk and Tom Riddle’s diary during his second year.
Then in his third year, he has to go and rescue Black and help him escape, when I would have just given him back to the Dementors. I would have also liked to have killed that damn Peter Pettigrew, whatever his damn name is, if I had known about him not being dead at the time. If that wasn’t enough, in his forth year he has to go and participate in the tri Wizard tournament and causing a student to be killed in the process. Yes, yes, I know it was that impostor Crouch who put his name in the Goblet of Fire, but still… And in his fifth year Black died because he did not practice occluding his mind like he was supposed to; not that I liked Black or anything.
I spotted a couple of Hufflepuff second years and decided to take my anger out on them.
“Ten points from Hufflepuff,” I spat and continued on my way.
When I got to my classroom, I saw that Potter was already there.
“Well, get to work! I want you to scrub all the cauldrons without magic, then I want
you to group the potions the students have brewed alphabetically beginning with the first through seventh year’s.”
Potter looked like he was going to say something, but I gave him my most piercing glare and he just nodded and got started. I sat at my desk and began to go through the pile of essays that I had assigned earlier that week. I looked in disgust at all the red marks I had made on every single essay, except perhaps Miss Granger’s. I couldn’t believe how incompetent those children were, if you could even call them children.
***
I was about to mark my last essay, when I was interrupted.
“Umm… sir?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Its nearly time for curfew.”
I looked up and saw that Potter had only managed to scrub about half the cauldrons.
“You have not completed your task.”
“I know sir, but…”
“You will come tomorrow morning at 8:30 and finish.”
“But sir, tomorrow is Christmas.”
I glared at Potter. Yes, tomorrow was Christmas, but what did I bloody care. Christmas was just a poor excuse for people to take time off work and ignore their responsibilities and duties and for spending time and a ridiculous amount of money on gifts for their so-called families and friends. I, myself, did not have family or friends and I was perfectly happy that way. However, the way I knew Potter, he would stand there and argue with me all night and I had much better things to do with my time then listening to Potter rambling on and on about bloody damn Christmas.
“Very well, you may engage in the activities of your bloody Christmas tomorrow, but I
expect you here at 8:00 the next morning.”
“Thank you sir, and happy Christmas.”
I scowled at him and handed him his marked essay. After Potter left, I checked to make sure that everything in the classroom was in its proper place. I noted that Potter had done a decent job about alphabetizing the potions. Then, I headed to my private chambers in hopes of a goodnights rest.
As I entered my chambers, I made sure all my locking charms and security wards were in place. I learned from being an ex death eater and a spy, that one cannot be too careful. I was about to pour myself a cup of tea, when the Bloody Baron decided to make an appearance.
“Good evening, Snape.”
I scowled, “What do you want? I had a long day and I’m very tired and I’m not in the
mood for conversation.”
“Oh, I won’t be staying long. I only came to tell you that you will be visited by three
spirits, so expect the first one tonight at one, the second one at two tomorrow, and the third at three the day after that.”
I rolled my eyes, “But I see ghosts every damn day of the week.”
“Not these ghosts you don’t and take heed of what they say and show you for without their help, you will be doomed for all time.”
Before I could comment that I was already doomed, the Bloody Baron had floated out of the room. I thought no more on the matter and went to bed for I felt completely exhausted.
Someone, someone was calling my name. I opened my eyes and there floating just in front of me was the ghost of none other than James Potter.
“Potter! What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well, well, well, its nice to see you again, Snape or should I say Snivellus.”
“Shut up! I hated when you called me that.”
The ghost of James Potter just laughed. “Well, come with me and let us see your past.”
“I am not going anywhere with you, Potter.”
“Oh, but of course you will.” And with that, James touched my arm and I found myself gliding out my window. I saw a bright light then saw that we were standing
in front of my family home. We went inside and up to my old room. I was surprised to see a young boy about ten years old sitting on my bed reading a thick book about potions.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“These are shadows of your past, Snape they can neither see nor hear you. Do you not recognize him?”
I stared in shock. “Merlin’s beard, that’s me when I was about ten years old.”
Then I heard arguing in the next room. I knew that was my parents arguing again like they always did. Then the door flew open and my father stood in the doorway.
“Severus, your mother and I have some business to attend to and we will not be here for Christmas. You are to stay here with the house elves. Is that understood?”
My ten year old self answered, “Yes, father.”
“Did your parents always leave you alone at Christmas?” James asked sadly.
I nodded, “Always, and I never got any presents either.”
“Really, Snape? I would have thought as rich as your family was…”
“No, Potter, I’m afraid I was not spoiled as you were.”
James touched my arm again and with another flash of light we stood in the Slytherin common room.
There sitting on two arm chairs were two boys, one of which was myself, when I was
about 17 and the other was Lucius Malfoy.
“Well, Snape, I will see you after the break. Its too bad you have to wait until after
Christmas to get your present.”
“What present was he talking about?” James asked.
“I was to be taken to Voldemort and be given the Dark Mark.”
“Oh, Snape, if only you had seen that the dark side only brought about pain and misery to others and destroyed families, but you were always so hungry for
power.”
“I was only that way, because of my father,” I replied with a sigh.
James shook his head sadly. “Lily and I died because of your master and our poor Harry was left to live with those horrible Muggles.
I started to get very angry. “Potter, it was also that damn Peter’s fault and you know
perfectly well that I do not serve Voldemort anymore and that I’ve been helping Dumbledore and the Order these last few years as much as possible!”
“I’m glad that you finally saw the error of your ways, Snape. Please do me a favour and look after Harry for us and tell him that his mother and I love him and are very proud of him.”
“But James, you know that Harry and I dislike each other and…”
“Can’t you look past the hate you have for him the hate you have for me? I know I was a git to you when we were in school, but we were immature children then. Can’t you forgive me and don’t blame Harry for the way I treated you, its not his fault. Oh, and Snape, thanks for saving Harry from falling off his broom during his first year.”
A flash of light and I was back in my bed in my chambers at Hogwarts. I was starting to wonder if that all had been a dream, when in floated the ghost of Sirius Black.
“Damn you Black! Why are you here?”
“Why to show you the present of course.”
“Don’t I have a say in this?” I asked exasperatedly.
“Come now Snape, you should be happy, it’s Christmas.”
“I don’t like Christmas. I don’t understand what’s the big deal.”
Black laughed, “And that is exactly why I’m here. By the end of tonight, you will
understand.”
My room again disappeared with a flash of light. “Where the heck are we?”
“The Burrow.”
“The what?”
“This is where the Weasleys live.”
I’ve never liked the Weasleys much,” I said, “Do we have to be here?”
“You’ve never liked anyone much,” Black replied, “Let us go inside.”
We entered the Weasley home and went into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was busy preparing the holiday meal. There was ham and turkey, stuffing, vegetables,
mashed potatoes with gravy, fresh baked bread, and a cake.
“Ginny, Hermione, come help me set the table,” Mrs. Weasley called out.
I saw the youngest Weasley and Ms. Granger run into the kitchen and start setting the table. Then, with a crack, the eldest Weasley sons Bill, Charlie, and Percy apparated into the kitchen shortly followed by the Weasley twins Fred and George.
“Hello everyone!” they all called out.
“Oh, boys, I’m so glad to see you!” cried Mrs. Weasley, who ran over to them and hugged them tightly.
“Where is Ron?” asked Fred.
“Oh, he’s upstairs in a terrible mood, because Dumbledore would not allow Harry to come spend the holidays with us,” said Ginny.
“What! Why did Dumbledore not let Harry come spend Christmas with us?” George asked.
“Because he had to stay at Hogwarts, where he can be well protected,” replied Mrs.
Weasley.
The whole room went silent. Ron came down the stairs and slumped into a chair.
“Poor Harry, spending Christmas all alone; I wish he was here with us,” said Hermione.
“Me too,” agreed Ron.
“I miss him,” said Ginny, “Its just not fair.”
“We all miss him,” said Mrs. Weasley, “But with all that’s been going on, with the
Death Eaters and Voldemort…”
“And Snape.”
“Professor Snape, Ron,” Mrs. Weasley corrected, “And what about him?”
“I still think he’s helping Voldemort, not Dumbledore.” Several people agreed.
“Oh, that is ridiculous!” exclaimed Mrs. Weasley.
Then Mr. Weasley arrived and the family set about getting all the delicious food at the table. Mrs. Weasley really had cooked a wonderful meal and after everyone had eaten as much as they possibly could, they went to the living room to open their gifts. Each person had a new sweater, along with new books, new robes, and some candy.
“They seem to be very happy, but I wish they’d realize that I am loyal to Dumbledore and not Voldemort,” I told Black.
Black nodded. “The Weasleys are a big family, but the all really care about each other. It is too bad that Harry could not be with them though. I’m sure he feels very lonely up at Hogwarts without his friends. I wish I was still alive, so I could be with him, but things happen for a reason. Tell me Snape, does Harry ever talk about me?”
I hesitated, “Well, yes, but he blames himself for your death.”
Black sighed and said, “Snape, you tell Harry that my death was not his fault and that there was nothing that he could have done to change what happened.”
I started to mention the fact that if Harry had taken his Occlumency lessons more
seriously, but Black cut me off.
“Snape. It. Was. Not. His. Fault. And. You. Must. Not. Blame. Him. Do. You.
Understand.”
I nodded.
The Weasley house vanished and we then stood in the Gryffindor common room. There was Potter sitting alone by the fire eating some cake and reading a book
about Quidditch. On a table next to him, he had cards from his friends and some of the Order members and a few small packages as well.
“Harry really needs someone who he can talk to and trust,” commented Black.
“He has his friends,” I reminded him.
“But he needs someone older, someone who he can look up to.”
“Well, there’s the werewolf, Lupin,” I suggested.
“I know, Lupin was a good friend to me and is to Harry as well, but I think if you got to know Harry, you would realize that he’s really a great wizard, but most importantly, he is still a kid, who just wants someone to care for him.”
“You sound like James,” I told him.
“Ah yes, James had a little chat with you too? Well, just remember what we said.
“I will, Black, I will,” I promised.
Black smiled and said, “I leave you now with the ghost yet to come.”
I saw the now familiar flash of light and Black was gone. There in front of me stood a ghost who was draped and hooded. I waited a few moments, but the ghost did not speak or move.
“So, you are the ghost who has come to show me my future?”
He still did not speak, but beckoned me to follow. I had stood among many Death Eaters and the darkest wizard of the time, but yet, I feared this ghost more than anything. I feared what I was about to see, but still silently followed. We were in a graveyard and a few raindrops were beginning to fall. There was a group of people standing around someone’s grave talking. They were saying things like “I’m glad he’s gone, that damn traitor.” And “No one attended his funeral, but I don’t blame them, because he was a cold, heartless man.”
I asked the ghost who they spoke of, but again, he did not answer me. After the people moved away from the grave, I stepped forward and gasped. I read the
inscription on the gravestone:
Here lies Severus Snape, death eater or member of the Order of the Phoenix? We are unsure where the loyalties of this wizard lay for he was said to have been cold, cruel, and had few if any friends…
I turned away from my grave. I couldn’t bear to read any more. We continued walking till we came to another group of graves and my eyes widened in shock.
“No, no, no! This cannot happen! This must not happen!”
There were the graves of the Headmaster, Professor McGonagall, Lupin, Tonks, Moody, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, their youngest children Ron and Ginny, and many many others. The ghost pointed to another two graves and…
“Noooooo!”
It was the graves of Hermione and Harry. I went up to Harry’s grave and read:
Here lies Harry James Potter, was killed at the age of 17 by the Dark Lord. He was loved by many and will be missed terribly.
I thought to myself ‘Voldemort and his Death Eaters killed everyone. They killed Harry, o God why? Why did this happen? I cannot let this happen. I. will. Not. Let. This. Happen.’
***
The next thing I knew, I was sitting up in my bed back in my chambers. I quickly got up, washed, dressed, and called for a house-elf.
“Good morning, happy Christmas Master Snape!” the elf called Dobby exclaimed.
“It’s still Christmas?”
“Why, yes sir it is.”
"They did it all in one night!" I turned to Dobby “Happy Christmas to you too and to
the rest of the house-elves.
“Oh, of course they did! Thank you professor Snape sir and happy Christmas to you too!”
I left my rooms and went to the Great Hall. Seated at the teacher’s table were Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Tonks, who was the new DADA teacher, and of course, the Headmaster. They stopped talking, when they saw me enter. I suspect they remembered my temper from previous Christmases.
“Happy Christmas to all of you!”
With this, even the students stopped eating and talking and gaped at me in surprise. Of all the things they expected me to say, it probably wasn’t that.
“Happy Christmas to you too,” they replied, very surprised.
“Severus, I must say, that you are looking… that you are…” McGonagall didn’t know what to say.
The Headmaster had that twinkle in his eyes again. “Please Severus, join us for
breakfast.”
“Headmaster, I believe that we should invite the Weasleys over for Christmas dinner. I think it would be nice and I think Potter would like that.”
“Why Severus,, that is a very good idea. I’ll pay them a fire call now and tell them.
I’m sure they will be glad to come.”
After breakfast, I walked up to Gryffindor tower to talk to Potter.
“Hello, Professor Snape. What are you doing here?”
“You were not in my classroom for your detention as we had discussed!”
“But sir, we did discuss it. You said I did not have detention today because it was Christmas.”
I did my best to look angry. “Would I agree to something like that?”
Now Potter was starting to look worried. “Well sir… you did sir...”
I pretended to think the matter over and finally said, “You’re right Harry, I did say that. Happy Christmas and I also think that you did well enough last night, so you don’t have to serve any more detentions.”
Potter was surprised. “Thank you, sir and you called me Harry!”
“Well, yes I guess I did--- Look Harry, about the way I’ve treated you all these years… I know I shouldn’t have done that, whatever I thought of your father and his friends. I know you are different than him and well, I would like to apologize. You really are a good student and a kind and loyal friend to Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley and the rest of your classmates. I also know that you never start fights or ridicule Mr. Malfoy, unless he does something to provoke you. In the future, I will treat you and your friends more fairly.
“However, because of my position as a spy, I will still have to act as though I hate you, when the Slytherins are around. But Harry, even though I am not your head of house, I want you to know that when ever you need anything, whether it be help with a class or just someone to talk to, you can always come to me and if anyone asks, you are taking remedial potions. I also wanted to try to teach you Occlumency again, but this time, I promise to be more patient with you and I will not yell or criticize you like I did before. Also, know that you are not alone in this war against Voldemort and we will all help you when it comes time to face him. Oh, and your parents told me to tell you that they are very proud of you and that they love you and Black told me to tell you that he misses you a lot and not to blame yourself for his death. It really wasn’t your fault, Harry. I know you really cared about him.”
“Thank you, sir. I would like help with potions and I promise to try harder at Occlumency and thanks for saying that I can come and talk to you. I really needed someone, you know? Oh, you’ve talked to my parents and Sirius?”
“Well, yes, its hard to explain…”
“I’m glad you told me that. It means a lot I really appreciate it. And sir, I would also like to apologize for looking in your Pensieve last year. It was really none of my business and I swear to never do that again.”
“Thank you, Harry. I will see you at the Christmas feast and by the way, I think you might be surprised to see who arrives there.”
The Christmas feast was indeed most enjoyable for everyone. I could see that Harry was most pleased to see Hermione and the Weasleys. I too, enjoyed myself like I hadn’t in years and for a while, forgot all my problems, my potions, the Dark Lord, everything and just enjoyed the company of my fellow staff members
and students.
**
Happy Friday to all, and to all a good night!