The Birthday Boy
Disclaimer: everything from the Harry Potter universe is the property of J.K. Rowling.
January 9th 2010
Thistledown Cottage in the village of Hogsmeade was a hive of activity as its occupants prepared for a very special day. Aurora Snape was mixing Yorkshire pudding batter, Sapphire was making a biscuit base for her father's favourite Banoffee Pie (and making a terrible mess at the same time), and Salazar was carefully wrapping the present he had made.
Aurora always encouraged the children to make gifts for Severus, as she knew they would mean far more to him than anything bought in a shop. This year, she had told them it was a particularly special birthday, so Sapphire had been working for weeks to knit her father a dark green scarf. She wasn't a very experienced knitter, so Aurora had had to pick up a few dropped stitches here and there and encourage her daughter to stop knitting when the scarf had reached a length of eight feet - it was lucky Severus was tall! Salazar had carved a beautiful wooden tray for Severus's desk at work. "It's for him to keep his quills in – he says he's always losing them," he had told his mother. The children had also made a photo frame decorated with shells from their summer holiday and Aurora had given them a family photograph to put in it. There was a banner hanging in the dining room saying 'Happy Birthday Daddy'. Everything was ready.
Now the only thing missing was the birthday boy.
Severus Apparated to the outskirts of Hogsmeade. There was snow on the ground, but the sun was shining brightly, and he felt like a short walk to clear his head after a morning of being shut up in his laboratory. Or was he just putting off the evil moment? He knew it was ridiculous to be so apprehensive about birthdays. Everyone thought it was because he dreaded getting older, but that wasn't it at all. He couldn't really give a damn whether he was thirty-five or seventy. No, it was being the centre of attention that he didn't like. Would Aurora have filled the house with people to celebrate? All he wanted was a quiet day with his wife and children. He had been so incredibly lucky that his life had turned out the way it had, and that Aurora had stuck by him through everything. They were the only ones that really mattered to him. He didn't need crowds of people and ridiculous decorations and presents.
As the cottage came into view, he was relieved to see that there were no bunches of balloons and streamers advertising the fact that he had turned fifty that day. Pushing open the front door, he was greeted with the smell of his favourite roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
"Daddy!" Sapphire burst out of the kitchen and threw herself into his arms. "Happy birthday, Daddy!" She planted a wet kiss on his cold cheek.
"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm sorry you were still asleep when I went into work."
She put her arms round his neck and whispered into his ear, "We made you a Banoffee Pie. Mummy said not to tell."
Severus smiled and raised a finger to his lips. "Ssshh. Let's make it our secret."
The little girl giggled. "Come on, Daddy. I want to open your presents."
Aurora and Salazar were waiting for them in the dining room, where the table was set for just four he noticed with relief, and a small pile of wrapped packages was waiting by his plate.
His wife crossed the room to give him a kiss. "See. No surprises."
He hugged her and whispered in her ear, "You know, all I want is you and the children. Nothing else matters."
Salazar came over for a brief hug too, thin and pale, and so exactly like him. "Happy birthday, Dad." He held out a present wrapped in gold paper. "It's for your quills. At work."
"Thank you." Severus was amazed when he unwrapped the gift. He knew Salazar had been down at Hagrid's a lot practising wood carving during his first term at Hogwarts, and that he was thinking of starting a wood carving club this term, but he had had no idea until now just how talented his son was. The tray was smooth and perfectly finished, with the initial 'S' carved into it.
He ruffled his son's dark hair. "It's perfect. I'll have to put you to work making things for the house now!" Salazar grinned with pleasure at the compliment.
"Open mine now, Daddy, open mine!" Sapphire bounced up and down with excitement.
The rest of the day passed peacefully. Severus wore the green scarf all through lunch and throughout the afternoon. He exchanged a conspiratorial glance with his daughter as the Banoffee Pie was brought to the table, and then an amused glance with his wife, who knew perfectly well their daughter was incapable of keeping secrets. Later, he played chess with Salazar and they all played Happy Families together, although Sapphire got into a bit of a sulk when she realised that there was no Miss Snape the Apothecary's daughter. There was a birthday cake at teatime, but with only one large candle.
"Mummy said that fifty candles wouldn't fit!" declared Sapphire, and they all laughed.
Much later, when the children had finally wound down from the excitement of the day and were fast asleep in their rooms, Severus went in search of his wife.
He found her in the bedroom. There was a bottle of champagne and two glasses on the bedside table, and his wife was reclining on their bed wearing the minuscule pink and black silk negligée he had given her for Christmas.
"I thought you said no surprises." He grinned.
"Well, I thought I'd better make the most of it while you're still young enough. You'll be too old to take advantage of me in a few years."
"Don't you believe it!" He lunged towards the bed and she squealed with laughter as he collapsed on top of her.
"I love you, Aurora."
"I love you too, birthday boy. Now, how about your own extra-special private birthday party?"
Severus chuckled. Perhaps it was a pity after all that birthdays only came once a year.