Thank you all for reviewing and reading this story. I'm grateful to you all for not pressuring me into writing and lifting my spirits with every chapter I post ^^
Truthfully I had wanted to end the year gap between the two summers in this chapter but with the addition of the Christmas holiday it became too long and I had to end it before I could move on to the start of the next moment, which is why the usual pattern is broken.
I hope you'll enjoy it ^^
Unlike the previous year, Severus and Petunia stayed in contact. Though the first few letters were a little bit awkward the two of them soon fell into a routine. Neither of them wrote extensively and they did not write to each other every day, but twice a month Severus would go up to the owlery with a sealed envelope and twice a month Petunia would receive the boy's letter after an owl had come to peck at her window. Once she had read the parchment, she would sit at her desk and compose her answer which she would then send back with the owl.
The letters' subject did not vary much. After a concise summary of the important events since their last letter, they would usually continue their written conversation about Potions – a subject they both enjoyed a lot. Talking about potion-making was both a relief and a pleasure for the both of them. For Severus, it was an opportunity to share his passion for the subject with someone equally enthusiastic, and at the same time it solved the problem of not knowing what to write about. He wasn't good at writing letters, this he had quickly noticed in his first attempts at writing to Petunia. For the blond girl, it was an open door to the magical world which remained unattainable to her despite her strong yearning for it.
From time to time, Petunia would insert an account of her visit in Spinner's End. She had taken to going there regularly to keep the house in order as well as check for any signs of Mr Snape. She could not say if it was fortunate but the man remained absent. For better or for worse it seemed Severus' last remaining relative had walked out of his life for good.
By the time December came round, Petunia had dared to sign her letter with 'Love' and Severus had announced he would come back for Christmas. They discussed the matter at length and finally decided that they would not do anything special on Christmas day as Petunia would surely be expected to spend it with her family but they would get together on the 26th to exchange presents.
It was thus with barely repressed excitement that Petunia welcomed the arrival of Christmas. With the anticipated day came Lily, back from Hogwarts with piles of wizarding sweets, magical gifts and an undying stream of tales of her days at Hogwarts. As usual, the read haired witch's return was Petunia's cue to vanish in the background. For once, she did it gladly and was only mildly irritated by her sister's vehement criticism of one James Potter – who, if anyone asked Petunia, sounded like a mightily uninteresting and smug fellow.
More often than not, her thoughts wandered to the dark haired boy who appeared to have stolen her heart. During the days before their promised reunion, she busied herself rummaging in her wardrobe for the perfect outfit, worrying about whether Severus would like his present, choosing the recipe for the dinner she would prepare on the 26th and avoiding Lily to the best of her ability.
The 25th finally arrived and with the Evans family's Christmas celebration. Petunia was surprised to see that Lily had thought of buying her a present, a pendant of bluish purple stone shaped like a petunia flower hanging from a silver chain. She was glad she had thought of getting the younger girl a present and – though she would not admit it – was touched by the thoughtfulness of the red haired witch.
The following day she placed the necklace around her neck, put her coat over the pale blue dress she had chosen to wear and was off. Her shopping bag full of ingredients in one hand she made her way to Spinner's End, a soft smile playing on her lips.
Once there she let herself in and was quick to notice that Severus wasn't downstairs. Deciding the boy was most likely getting ready in his room, she went into the kitchen and started preparing their lunch. They wouldn't be having turkey but she was confident the dish she had chosen would be both delicious and festive. As she was cutting her vegetables, she heard footsteps descending the stairs and promptly abandoned her preparation. Quickly rinsing her hands and flinging her apron to the side before hurrying out of the kitchen. She met Severus halfway and flung her arms around him in a rare outburst of affection. She leant her head against his shoulder and felt his strong arms wrap around her back.
"Welcome back, Severus." she murmured.
He didn't answer, preferring to tighten his grip around her. After a long moment, they parted enough for Severus to press a kiss to her lips.
"Are you already cooking?" he asked once he had released her.
"Yes, it'll take some time to cook in the oven so I have to prepare it now." she explained. "It won't take much longer."
True to her word, she was done twenty minutes later and joined the dark haired teen in the sitting room. They huddled on the sofa and talked about nothing and everything in quiet voices.
Lunchtime came and passed, and soon came the time to exchange presents. With much anxiousness Petunia handed Severus his present, receiving hers in exchange. The box he had given her was quite big and she could not resist unwrapping it to see what it was. Carefully she undid the red wrapping and uncovered a wooden box whose lid she lifted.
It was a Potions set. She caressed the glass vials delicately with delight before turning a questioning gaze towards Severus who was observing her reaction.
"I'll teach how to make them in the Summer." he said simply.
The young girl felt her heart swell. This was what she had always wanted: the ability to do magic. Even if she couldn't use a wand like her sister, she could still make Potions with various magical effects.
"Thank you." she breathed, a bright smile on her lips.
The boy nodded in acknowledgment before unwrapping his own present. She had picked out a light grey scarf and matching gloves for him and he seemed quite taken with them.
Later that evening, they went out for a walk and wandered to the main square where the gigantic Christmas tree was standing. As she watched the flickering lights, head resting against his shoulder and her hand entwined with him, Petunia felt, perhaps for the first time, that she was truly happy.
