A/N: A short Christmas fic.
Unbetaed. A/U. Set in the OOW universe. Merry Christmas, everybody! And Happy New Year Too!
Happy Christmas, Mr. Potter
By
Delaine
"Happy Christmas, Severus," the Headmaster greeted cheerfully, as he entered his Potions Masters private brewing laboratory.
"Good Morning, Albus," Severus responded glumly.
"My dear boy, that is very much the wrong attitude," the Headmaster scolded. "Let's try again, shall we? Repeat after me, Severus. Happy Christmas, Headmaster," Albus intoned, as though speaking to a very dim toddler.
"Happy Christmas, Headmaster," Severus muttered with an obedient scowl. He continued stirring the potion he was working on, and tried not to show the irritation he always felt when the older wizard slipped casually through his wards and tried to ruin his day.
"Is that pumpkin cider for Christmas breakfast?" The old man teased jovially, as he looked into the cauldron at the translucent orange potion that Severus had begun to stir counter clockwise.
"Frostbite potion," Severus corrected, ignoring the man's exasperating Christmas cheer.
"It has been rather chilly," the old man agreed, rubbing his hands together as though to prove his point. "I gave young Harry, James Potter's invisibility cloak for Christmas. Perhaps a winter cloak would have been in order as well," Albus quipped.
"Merlin help us," Severus exclaimed, halting his stirring. "Did you really, Albus?"
"It was rightfully his at any rate, Severus," Albus explained kindly. "It's not as though the boy has any fond memories of his parents."
"Not the point really," Severus muttered, sounding put upon. "Can't wait to see what sort of mischief the little brat gets up to with that."
"It's Christmas, Severus. Can you not spare a bit of compassion for one eleven year old boy," the Headmaster asked."
"Not that eleven year old boy, Albus," Severus argued irritably. "And I have shown the brat compassion. I apologize that I have only had one opportunity to save the little dunderhead's life this year."
Albus let out a disappointed sigh as the Potions Master continued.
"Perhaps if the boy would endeavor to break his neck once more by attempting to fall from his broomstick, I could do so again."
"Come now, Severus. It is Christmas," the Headmaster admonished.
"Yes, I had heard that, Headmaster," he agreed dryly "Perhaps they made mention of it on the wizard wireless."
"Severus, that little boy is stuck here at school for the holiday."
"As am I, Albus," Severus argued petulantly. "I don't see anyone offering to play Father Christmas for me."
The Headmaster let out another disappointed sigh and headed toward the door. It was the second one in as many minutes. Severus hated those disappointed sighs.
"What do you want me to do, Albus?" Severus asked in a defeated tone of voice before the older man could make his exit.
"A small gift of some sort would not be out of line," the old wizard suggested, smiling broadly.
"Bugger," he said when the Headmaster left.
After Severus set the frostbite potion to cool, he made his way up to Gryffindor Tower. In the Common Room he found the annoying Weasley boy stuffing his face with sweets, but Potter was not in sight.
"Where is Potter?" He asked the apprehensive looking redhead.
"I'm here, sir," he heard the boy say. And Severus watched Potter slide a shimmery piece of fabric off of his untidy head.
"An invisibility cloak," Snape enunciated each syllable. He made slight clicking sounds as he pushed hard against the consonants, and became irritated with Albus anew. "Come," he ordered the boy, and watched as he gave his redhead friend a worried look before he obeyed.
As he took long strides to the dungeon, Severus smirked as the boy struggled to keep up.
"Please, sir," the boy finally asked when they stopped. "Where are we going?"
"We have arrived Potter," he informed the child, and opened the door to his private office. "Enter," he commanded, pushing the door wide for Potter to go inside.
The boy took no more than three steps inside when his stopped short and gasped. Severus followed the boy's wide eyed gaze to the curvy handle of the cane that lived behind his desk. He knew McGonagall wouldn't dream of using such a thing, though Merlin knew she should, on her unruly, disobedient Gryffindolts. The boy began to babble anxiously.
"The cloak sir… I don't know where it's from… honest. But it had my name on it. I won't use it to get in any trouble… I promise."
Severus rolled his eyes in disgust.
"I'll hold you to that, Potter," he told the boy. Although he seldom bought his snakes to his private office for any other purpose, even he wouldn't invite a child into his office on Christmas morning just to give him a hiding. Well, perhaps he would, especially if it was this child. Pity he hadn't thought of it first. Instead he was stuck doing this. Meddling old Albus.
"I didn't invite you here to punish you, Potter," he told the boy. "Perhaps some other time," Snape offered snarkily.
"But sir…" the annoying child began again.
"Hush, Potter," Severus ordered, as he reached up on the shelf and pulled down a stone basin. "Do you know what a pensieve is?"
"Pensieve…erm…no sir," the boy admitted.
"Well the Headmaster suggested I might open my cold heart on this Christmas morning and give you a gift, and I believe I have just the thing," he explained placing his wand to his temple to extract the thin wispy strand of a memory and place in the basin.
"That thing you pulled from your head is a pensieve sir?" The boy asked inquisitively.
"Don't be daft, Potter," Snape said without rancor. "That was a memory," he explained and tapped the basin. "This is a pensieve."
"Oh," Potter intoned.
"Stand here," Severus instructed the boy. He placed his hands on the boy's thin shoulders, and they entered the vapor together.
"Is that my dad?" The boy asked smiling wide at the image of a messy haired James Potter, all of fifteen years old playing with a snitch by the lake.
"Yes," Severus admitted. "He was in fifth year. And that's your mum, just there," Severus indicated the green eyed girl across from them. It was obvious James was trying to get her attention with his antics.
"And those are their friends?" Harry asked. Snape wondered at how such a little face could smile so wide. He almost smiled himself as the little boy watched the scene in awe. Joy was written on his every feature. Snape only pulled the boy from the memory at the last moment as Black spoke the words that would lead to the most embarrassing memory of his life.
"Look who's here?" Black was saying just as Severus lifted Harry from the pensieve.
"Did we have to leave?" The boy asked.
"We did," the man confirmed. "A row was about to start."
"With the dark haired boy by the lake?" Harry wanted to know. "That was you, wasn't it?"
"It was," Snape confirmed.
"Who won?" Harry wanted to know.
Snape merely quirked an eyebrow.
"It was three to one," the boy conceded.
Snape grunted non-commitally.
"Thank you for showing me," the boy said.
"I thought it might be nice for you to have at least one pleasant memory of your parents.
"It is," the boy agreed with a brilliant smile. "Happy Christmas, sir."
"Happy Christmas, Mr. Potter," Severus answered with a small smile of his own.
The End?
Happy Holidays!