Disclaimer: Since I am not a multimillionaire due to lack of ownership of Harry Potter or the characters that reside in his world, you can't sue me! HA! I win… However, the ones that are strange and unfamiliar belong to me. MINE! Okay? Great! Read on!

(A/N) ATTENTION SNAPE FANS! THIS IS A STORY FOR YOU! Okay, this is actually a request fic for a dear friend. Warning…major fluff ahead! Definitely not for squeamish types. I had originally planned on a one-shot, but it got out of control, and before I knew it, I had more pages than I ever thought I could write. So I broke it down a bit. Besides, the voices made me…

I meant to get this out in July as sort of a Christmas in July thing, but it didn't happen. You all still love me right? Hello?

Dedicated to Melissa Schlegel. May all your dreams come alive in this story! That sounds weird…but w/e! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

12 Days of Christmas

She was staring at him again. She knew she probably shouldn't be staring at him again, but she couldn't help it. There was just something about him that was absolutely mesmerizing. Maybe she just had a fetish for older men, or maybe she was simply attracted to the dark mysterious types, but whatever the reason, she was in deep. There was no getting around it. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she, Melissa A. Scott was in love…

Then again, maybe lust was the more appropriate terminology for the feeling that was burning a hole in her heart at that moment. After all, there were probably rules against such a love, but lust…well… one can't put a damper on that! And there was really no probably about it. Students were well guarded in Hogwarts. There was no way that anyone in an administrative position would allow something like that to go on. And besides… Who would believe her if she admitted to loving him anyway? Supposedly, nobody could love such a snake. Of course, she had been called that several times, being a Slytherin and all…

She didn't see any reason why he was so undesirable. He was handsome, if you liked the reclusive types. Most people took his lack of concern for others and his tough outer shell as an evil intention or utter loathing of life itself. But Mel knew him better than that. She had seen him in a different light than most students had. She had seen him smile, even laugh. Granted, she had been acting rather stupid at the moment, and had set her robes aflame. He could very well have been laughing in a malicious manner, but the smile…oh that smile… There had been no cruelty there at all. He had even put the fire out himself, whereas, for most students, he would have made them try to do it themselves, which would inevitably have made it worse until they were practically engulfed in flames before he would even offer assistance.

Flashback

She had gotten into the habit of staying after class quite regularly as a younger student. The pattern had started about halfway through forth year. That had been her "year of the hormones" as her mother had called it. Not that she really cared how her mother classified her at all… That had been the forth year that he had been teaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She had been a simple girl of nearly fifteen, and he a well settled man of twenty-five, with a birthday after the holidays.

She had been a little lax in the understanding department and had gone to him to ask a very reasonable question about the potion that they had worked on in class that day. He had seemed rather surprised when she entered his office late that afternoon, just after the last class had let out for the day. Maybe he hadn't ever expected to see a student actually care enough about the class to want help, or maybe he had never expected a student to lack the fear necessary to keep away. Whatever the reason, he said nothing to her as she sat down in the wooden chair that he had conjured for her. His dark eyes had bored into her soul making her fidget in her seat. Not because she was uncomfortable or frightened, but because she was dreaming about those eyes… How they would look in the throes of passion…

"Yes? I don't have all day you know Miss Scott…" Snapping out of her confused state, she sat up straighter and spoke with a voice that didn't sound quite like her own.

"I was wondering if you might show me the potion from today again. I don't think I quite understood it. I do so love Potions you see, and I would feel just awful if I hadn't leaned everything just right." The last part hadn't been in her pre-rehearsed speech. It had jumped out of her mouth before she had even thought about it. Snape raised an eyebrow and smirked. Whether it was sarcasm or genuine amusement, Mel couldn't be sure. She was still hooked on his ever-probing gaze. Her palms began to sweat, and she felt a very uncomfortable, burning blush rising from her toes and spreading to the very tips of her perfectly shaped ears.

"Well…I certainly haven't heard that one before…but if you insist...I assume you have your supplies?" Snape rose determinedly and made his way toward the board.

"Yes sir." Mel produced her bag full of ingredients and pulled her cauldron out. While Snape wrote the directions down, Mel readied everything. She set her cauldron up and lit the flame, getting the temperature almost perfect just as Snape turned around.

"Begin. Ask any questions you have." He sat back at his desk.

He's really not so tough… He's actually rather fun… Mel worked steadily at first, but at the same point that she had struggled in class, she made a serious miscalculation and blue smoke began to pour from her would-be potion. Considering it was supposed to be thin curling yellow steam, it was about as far off as she could be. It had been thanks to the boy who sat across from her in the class that she hadn't made the error today, since he had altered the potion for her. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember what he had done. She had been too busy staring at the man who was now shaking his head in frustration at her. Snape strode over somewhat menacingly. Of course, that didn't affect her at all.

"You ridiculous girl! I told you to ask questions, not try to make my classroom explode!" He added an extra pinch of ground up dragon fangs and the thick cloud began to dissipate, becoming the sunny shade it was meant to be. Mel slumped down in her seat, feeling once more like a complete idiot. To her surprise, he turned to her, sighing heavily. Pulling a chair over to where she sat, he positioned himself next to her, his shoulder bumping hers as he moved over. Her pulse quickened, and she knew she was blushing again. He didn't seem to notice, and he proceeded to talk her through the work.

"I think the problem is in your scales Miss Scott. They aren't level." Mel pulled her scales to her and saw that he was absolutely right. Prodding them sharply with his wand, Snape fixed them instantly. "Now, follow the instructions carefully. After the dragon fangs, stir the potion for five minutes clockwise, with one counterclockwise stir each nine turns." Mel proceeded to do as her professor said, trying not to mess it up again. After the time was up, Mel looked up at the board. Snape was correcting a stack of essays, mumbling to himself.

"Positively dreadful…wonder he got this far…bloody stupid boy." Mel added the crushed roots she had cut up as carefully as she could. Stirring the concoction, she crossed her fingers, hoping for the deep purple color. Seeing it, she sighed, relieved.

"Disgusting…My own students…curse those Hufflepuff brains…" Mel giggled. She couldn't help it. Snape raised his head, gazing at her a moment. Seeing his eyes on her, she became flustered, and proceeded to drop a very acidic mixture of several things down herself. A spark from the flame under her cauldron caught the mess, sending her into a fit of hysterics. Snape rushed over immediately, and in the process of dousing the mini fire that had started on her robes, Mel became quite soaked.

"Aguamenti!" The jet of water shot from the wand. Mel nearly collapsed. She had just been inches from possible serious burns… How stupid could she be…and all in one day no less…Not to mention in front of the object of her affection… She stared at the soggy mess that was her attire. Snape had a strange look on his face. The exact emotion was undecipherable, but at first embarrassed glance, Mel saw a rather pained expression. He seemed to be holding something inside that was really hurting. Mel was holding back tears of utter humiliation. Then she heard a sound that was so heavenly she forgot all about her fears. Professor Snape laughed.

He had a beautiful laugh. It was deep and rich, filling his entire being. His eyes, the ones that had help Mel's rapt attention in their little session were reflecting such an immense amount of merriment that she couldn't help but laugh along with him. She fell back into her chair, clutching her sides as giggles shook her roughly. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she continued her senseless chortling. Looking up at Professor Snape, she saw him grinning. Not grimacing or smirking as he usually would, but physically grinning: a genuine ear-to-ear smile. Resting his hand on the desk beside hers, he looked down his long nose at her.

"This little incident doesn't leave this room." Mel saw that he was trying to be menacing and serious, but he was still too shaken from laughter to make any really frightening impact. She nodded anyway. "Now…about this mess…" With a flick of the wrist, everything was righted, and all was as it should have been. Continuing where she left off, Mel finished her potion, definitely improving on what she considered to be her dismal grade from class that day. Snape watched her as she corked her flask and cleared all the debris away, trying not to chuckle as she picked up the one that had set her to flames. She thanked him for the extra time, and left the dungeon as though nothing had happened. He found that after she was gone, the room seemed rather empty, as though her presence had somehow filled every corner of the small quarters. He stared at the door that she had just departed through.

I don't rightly know what she was thinking… Extra help… She had the best sample in the class…

End Flashback

Ever since then, Mel had become one of the Potions master's favored students. She always received the highest marks, even though she was certainly not as gifted as he made her out to be. Whenever she did something right, he used her as an example. If she was screwing up immensely, he simply overlooked it, and managed to whisper instructions in her ear every now and then, leaning in close, as though checking her work. The other students had no clue as to why he was so interested in his "prized" student Melissa Scott, but it was quite annoying to the other not-so-stellar students, and downright infuriating for those who were actually better than her.

She turned her head quickly as he made eye contact. She didn't want him to see her tears or her crimson blush. Her best friend Daria Lang poked her hard in the side. Normally, this would have sent her into a fit of ticklish giggling, but today, it just hurt, making her melancholy mood worse.

"What's got you so depressed Lis? Crushing on some worthless individual who won't give you the time of day huh?"

"Something like that…" Daria smacked her upside the head.

"Well snap out of it! Come on, Christmas is only weeks away, and the big ball is on the horizon! How can you be unhappy? And besides, he's probably not worth it." Mel brushed her friend's attempts away nonchalantly.

"That's the problem… He's worth everything, but he doesn't want me. Maybe there's too much at stake. I just really feel lost." Getting up from the table, Mel made her way through the Great Hall under the watchful eye of Headmaster Dumbledore and the one man she admired above all others. Not that it mattered…

Sitting in the staff room later that evening, finding it impossible to concentrate in the deafening silence of his personal quarters, Severus Snape found himself in the worst predicament of his second rate existence.

"She's a bloody student… I'd lose my job…not to mention whatever trust I've gained from Dumbledore… What the bloody hell do I do? I'm suffering too. Not that any woman, particularly an enticingly desirable one would give me a second glance, but can I afford the chance regardless? Then again… Occlumency has never been wrong before…not that I needed it. She's been very obvious about it. Silly girl with her infatuations…" Pondering every angle of the task ahead of him, the dungeon dwelling professor made up his mind on the controversial subject. What the Ministry and the administration didn't know couldn't hurt him…or his seductive little Slytherin temptress…

The second Hogsmead visit took place on Saturday the thirteenth, about two weeks before Christmas. The students that possessed permission slips used the day to shop for gifts for family and friends. Mel was no different, but she had an extra special gift for an extra special person to find. She had dragged Daria with her, even though her friend was insistent upon staying inside on the very bitter December day.

"Come on Dar. I need to find something really spectacular, and you have to help me. You know I'm terrible at gift buying." Daria raised an eyebrow.

"Terrible? Lis, you need to invent a whole new word to describe your lack of shopping skills."

"That's why I'm bringing you along! You're the biggest girly-girl I know!" Walking through the streets of Hogsmead, Mel peered in every shop window, poked through every basket on every vendor's table. Unable to find anything that screamed the name of her would-be lover, she began to give up on finding anything.

The squeal from Daria was, obviously, unexpected, and probably shortened her life by about twenty years.

"Merlin! Lis look! They're perfect!" Hoping Daria was talking about a gift, Mel turned around, only to find her staring into a dress shop. Daria was pointing excitedly at a pair of shoes. They were actually more like slippers, meant for no other purpose but dancing. The pair Daria liked was red and glittered to no end. The winter sunlight bounced of the pair right next to it, which was made of silvery satin material. The little sequins that adorned these slippers were green, and very festive indeed. Coincidently, they were Slytherin colors, and since she was being forced by her best friend to go to the Christmas ball, Mel seriously considered them, knowing full well that the price would probably put her into debt up to her ears. Of course, regardless of her wishes, Daria dragged her into the store.

After spending the entire afternoon watching Daria model one dress after another, Mel finally got her wish, and was allowed to leave the shop, with her friend bringing up the rear, carrying various purchases for the big event in just eleven days. Christmas Eve was going to be the party of the year, and Mel was probably the only girl who wasn't looking forward to dressing up and dancing the night away. Probably because she knew she wouldn't be able to share the night with the one person who would have made the experience bearable.

She had wanted to buy a dress and those perfect little slippers that had seemed made for her. But unlike all the other girls in her House, she just didn't have those kinds of funds. But those shoes had been so comfortable. She hadn't wanted to take them off after trying them on. She had felt like a princess for the first time in her life. It was probably weird feeling like that over shoes, but for a girl like Mel who had never had anyone tell her she was beautiful—tell her they loved her—she was desperate for anything that would give her that kind of security. Walking back to the castle that held every one of her dreams inside it, her mood darkened with each step.

Sunday dawned bright and cold. The snow from the day before had settled, and everything was covered in about a meter of the white stuff. Mel woke up, the chamber dim and lifeless as usual. She was always one of the last ones up on weekends. Never a slacker, her homework was usually done long before the deadline.

Throwing off the covers, she donned black jeans and a dark green sweater. Grabbing her boots, a scarf, hat and gloves, she decided to take a chance that there would be a snowball fight outside. Stopping in the Great Hall to grab a muffin, she made her way onto the grounds. Sure enough, most of the younger students were throwing chunks of ice and snow at each other haphazardly. The older students were making them zoom around magically like mini Bludgers, knocking several heads and following people around the field.

Mel picked up a handful of the powdery, white, frozen winter goodness, aiming carefully before launching it into the crowd of sixth years in front of her. Jake Cummings turned around, having taken the full brunt of the ball. He immediately started chasing Mel around. He had had the biggest crush on her for the longest time, but he had always treated her like a sister, never wanting to ruin the friendship that they had formed first year.

Catching up to her, he grabbed her around the waist, tackling her to the ground. Pinning her hands above her head, Jake had her at his mercy. Mel struggled against him, but he had his entire weight on her. She was laughing uncontrollably, and he was grinning. Pulling away from her, he pulled her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around him, letting him hug her. Jake was the only boy who had ever treated her like she was special. But he didn't count, because they had been best friends since forever.

"Hey Mel, can I ask you a favor?"

"Oh. So there was an ulterior motive to this little episode hmm?" Jake rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign that he was being really serious. Mel tilted her head to one side,

"I was wondering… Do you have anyone to go to the ball with yet? Not that we'd go as anything but friends but…" Mel cut him off with a poke in the ribcage, laughing at how uncomfortable he was. She wasn't stupid. She knew he had feelings for her that defied the laws of friendship. Accepting his offer would only lead him to believe something that was impossible. Still… It would be nice to have a reason to be treated like a queen for even just one night. And he had said just as friends…

"I don't see why not… I did kind of want to go…"

"Great! Wow. This makes my day, you know that?" Mel smiled. He tried to walk back to his buddies, but he seemed to be in his own little world, and tripped over nothing, landing face-first in the snow. Of course, everyone laughed, including Jake.

"Oi! Watch out for those invisible bumps mate!" Mel went and sat on the steps leading into the castle, watching everyone run around foolishly. She looked over at Jake, who winked at her, making her laugh. Deep in thought, Mel finally came across a thought that had been lost at the moment of accepting Jake's proposal.

Damn… Now I really do need a dress… And shoes… But I need money first… Bloody hell, I'm stupid! Dropping her head into her hands, Mel decided this wasn't the kind of predicament she wanted to be in. Maybe I can just wear my dress robes… I don't understand it. I can handle Professor Snape's eyes on me in class. I can handle my feelings but I can't handle a bloody dance!

He had watched her all morning. He had felt his blood boil when that wretched little bag of testosterone had had her on the ground. He couldn't fathom nor justify his anger and jealousy. She wasn't his to protect.

But she should be… The little voice in the back of his mind nagged at him mercilessly. Seeing her in such a helpless position had sent his mind reeling. And it wasn't because he wanted crush the boy's brunette skull with his bare hands, though that was certainly a small part of it.

He had wanted to be in that boy's shoes at that moment. He had wanted to feel her body under his, to stare into those baby blue eyes so lovingly, as though nothing else existed in the world but the two of them. Granted, he would rather that little scenario pass in a more private setting, but his discomfort was so intense at this point that he didn't doubt that any chance he was given would be enough. Grunting frustrated, he turned back to the task at hand. Scanning the room, he decided that everything was as good as it would get. He knew he needed to leave before anyone saw him there. Students would question him if they found him in the common room. He wasn't exactly social, even with those of his own house. Hearing student voices coming in the corridor, he hastened out of the room. Hopefully, the spell would work, and he wouldn't be discovered by anyone other than the one for whom he had left the message. Modified Concealment Charms were so hard to control sometimes…

(A/N) Like I said, I had to break this down… This is the first part of what looks to be around a five chapter story. It just makes more sense to keep the suspense coming you know? - I'm so evil sometimes…

Any reviews are welcome, and constructive criticism is appreciated. I do apologize for any incorrect information, and anyone can feel free to point it out. Snape isn't my strongest character to write about, so I'm still in the learning process!

Thanks to all who read!

Enjoy Schlegel!