As midnight chimed on the mantel piece, the waves of sound floated throughout the empty dungeon rooms and into the private laboratory where the resident Potion's Master was still at work. As he counted the twelfth hour, he let out a lonely sigh. Another Christmas alone… It got to the point where before, it just felt like another day for Severus. Just another holiday he chose to ignore. But this time… this time he felt the emptiness keenly.
As he bottled the last of his potions that will help him in his journey, he cleaned up his workspace and decided to call it a night with a glass of Port in his living room. When he opened the door, he saw a small box resting on his coffee table that he knew was not there before. From the colorful wrapping, he didn't have to guess as to what it was, but on further inspection, his heart nearly leapt into his throat. The card simply read, "To Severus Snape" but the handwriting was all too familiar. He remembered the memory of Ms. Ganger's that revealed that the young man was planning on sending something, though he didn't believe it until now.
Seeing no reason why he should wait, he carefully opened the delicate package. Inside the box was a set of two vials and an intricately ornate armguard. The design was that of a snake wrapped into a celtic knot which he recognized as meaning 'Protection'. It was modest, but it was very beautiful. When Severus touched it, the metal felt warm.
Beside the vials was a piece of parchment. They were directions for his pensieve. Curious, he followed them, and fell into the misty veil of the airy substance. Darkness was all around him, and he was worried something had gone amiss until he heard a voice behind him. "Happy Christmas Professor Snape." He turned and looked at the object of his current torment. At first, he was afraid. Of what, he didn't know. Was this a memory or a link to the person himself? As the form wasn't looking directly at him, Snape relaxed marginally now thinking this was a 'prerecorded message'. The specter Harry continued. "I'm not sure how well this message will be received by you, but I'm hoping that you'll hear me out… at the very least." Feeling a little surer, Snape moved closer to the shadow of Harry. The boy looked nervous. "Believe it or not, I was going to send this present to you this year… anonymously of course. But now that things are different, I decided to send it along with something extra. This is a memory my father stored in his family vault. It was preserved for posterity regarding the day they all decided to choose the secret keeper after the wards were fully installed on their new house. I saw this memory last year when I decided to go through the other items in the vault, and I was able to guess the fact that you and my mother were once close. I think you'll be interested in what she has to say."
As soon as Harry's image finished its explanation, he disappeared in the familiar swirling mist that comes from a memory settling into place.
The scene was in the Potters' living room. Remus Lupin sat at the desk with a quill and parchment. James and Lily sat on the couch with a tiny baby in Lily's arms. Peter Pettigrew was standing in front of the fireplace mantle and Sirius Black was pacing the room, seemingly restless.
Remus cleared his throat before he spoke. "Alright then James. The Property Wards are registered, the paperwork for claiming Sirius Black as the Godfather to Harry has been approved, now all that's left is to appoint your Secret Keeper in case things go south."
"Of course we wouldn't need a Secret Keeper if we weren't on the brink of a war." James countered.
"It is what it is James, none of us like it." Sirius said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Lily shifted the baby in her lap before speaking. "Well, I know who I would pick. Since Remus can't because of his condition and Peter is not comfortable with the idea."
"Who?" Asked Remus. He wasn't offended by her comment, just genuinely curious.
"You know who."
"You know who?!" James and Sirius nearly shouted at the same time.
Lily rolled her eyes. It was clear she couldn't even believe they would ever think that's who she meant, and even in joke, it was a ridiculous thought. "No, you idiots! You all know who I would choose. If he were willing."
"Wait." Sirius held up his hand and walked closer to her. "You're not talking about Snivellus are you?"
"If it weren't for the fact that I have a baby in my lap I would hex your balls off Sirius Black, and you know I could!"
Sirius knew she meant it. "But that guy… he's just so…"
"What? Come on now, speak up. I would love to hear you finish that sentence."
"Well, he's a Death Eater for one!"
"We don't know that. Even if he was, I'm sure it's not his fault. That friend of his, Lucious was never a good influence…" She stared off as though she were remembering something.
"He called you a mudblood." Sirius tried to back up his own animosity.
"Once. I was waiting for him to come apologize. He never did. But I don't really hold it against him. Sure, it stung. He was my best friend. But I had to make a choice, and so did he. I doubt he even noticed that you guys laid off of all of your teasing after I joined your group."
Remus decided to speak, "Well, that was right after the uh… *cough* the incident, you know. Though I do remember quite a few pulled ears afterwards." He couldn't help chuckle as Sirius rubbed away some phantom pain from the side of his head.
"I still don't know why you all decided to pick on him so much." Lily continued.
"Unfortunately honey, it was the stupid classic bully mentality. We were unhappy the way we were, whether from our family lives or from something unpleasant in our youth, and we lashed out at the ones who looked like they wouldn't be able to fight back. We didn't think about the consequences of our bullying and we never tried to make amends. Mainly for me, it would be because he wouldn't hear such a thing from me." James explained.
"You don't know that. You never even tried."
"I know, and for what it's worth, it's something I do regret." James soothingly rubbed his wife's back in reassurance.
"That's why I married you and not Sirius." Lily teased.
"Guess that's why I'm still searching then." Sirius conceded. "But are you saying that after everything, even if he was a Death Eater, you would pick him to be your Secret Keeper?"
"I know that if he ever apologized in all sincerity, and looked me in the eyes, then I would have forgiven him. I already have, but you know what I mean. I know for a fact that he is loyal to the last. It's one of his best traits. Unfortunately, due to self-preservation, he's had to keep loyal only to himself. He has such amazing qualities, but they were never allowed to flourish thanks to his own home life. But I know that when he chooses to be loyal to someone or a group or a cause he really believed in, then he won't falter. It's his kind of courage. He may not see it but I did. And that's why I would forgive him always and for anything."
"But what if… this is really being the Morgana's Advocate, but what if he betrayed your trust?" Sirius asked in all sincerity.
"No matter the mistake, no matter how dark one's past is, I like to believe that if a person was truly sorry, they would always be able to find the path to redemption. So yes. If he did betray me, he'd have to work extra hard to gain my forgiveness and trust, but I would give it eventually."
From here, the memory shifted back to the dark void that began this whole thing. So strange that a message could be put in the form of a memory. As Severus wiped his eyes on his sleeve, he was trying to convince himself that he most absolutely was not crying, but the vapors were harming his tear ducts.
The image of Harry returned. "I hope you took some comfort in my mother's words. I don't know how close you two were but, I hope this helped. I'm sure it's also very strange that the child in her lap could be so…could end up… with such feelings…" The words were clearly not coming, so he shook his head. "I won't get into that. It's not important. I suppose it's time for me to explain my gift to you." A representation of the arm guard appeared in Harry's hands. "I had Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hermione all help me with the spells a long time ago. It may not be much help, but it's meant to be a protective guard against the effects in your dark mark. It locks onto your arm to stay in place, but a simple Alohamora spell will release it. Just try it once, and if you don't like it, you can dispose of it. I just… wanted to do something thoughtful for you to show my appreciation and gratitude. I really do wish you all the best and hope you find your happiness. Farewell Professor Snape. And thank you." As the image started to fade, it whispered, "Merry Christmas Severus…" As though those words were a forbidden secret. Snape heard them alright, and before he knew it, his arm reflexively reached out as though it wanted to catch the fading form. Sure enough, his arm only collided with wisps of air. Snape felt the gut wrenching pull as he was expelled from the pensieve.
Not really knowing what to think, he looked over at the opened package on the desk that held the very arm guard Harry held at one time. Without thinking, he picked it up and placed it on his left wrist above his dark mark. As though the metal were alive, it automatically adjusted to comfortably fit his arm and shut itself into a solid band. As soon as it closed completely, Severus felt a warmth coming from the metal that traveled up his arm, down his spine, and through the rest of his limbs. The sensation gave him the most pleasant goose bumps, and the warmth flushed out the dark thoughts that plagued his mind of late. He had to sit down.
He grabbed his drink and sat in his favorite reading chair by the fire and just let the feeling wash over him. It was indescribable. Indistinguishable. But nothing felt… wrong. In fact it felt marvelous. For the first time in a long time, he could truly hear himself think. As though several doubtful thoughts were shoved into the closet and locked, so that the important things to focus on were ushered to the forefront of his mind. For instance, he thought about what exactly it might have taken for Harry to create such a stunning gift. Not only did he have to imbue the metal with the protective properties that shielded against the negativity embedded in the mark, but he also needed to use the strongest feelings he had for the person the gift was for. There was no doubt about it, and he decided not to deny it as he took a sip of the strong liquor, adding an extra warmth to the flame he was feeling inside. Harry filled his gift to Severus… with his love…
Allowing a small smile to grace his features, void of snark and sarcasm, Severus spoke into the empty room, "Merry Christmas Harry…"