A/N A bit of a light Chapter, and well timed since it is the Christmas season! Enjoy

Everything was moving much too fast. The students would be leaving for Christmas break the next day. It was optional to stay at the school, but it was doubtful anyone would. Why stay in a place run by the psychopaths trying to find reasons to punish you? Most of the students wanted to be home with their families. Deaths were increasing every day, so any time at home was precious. Athelina predicted only half would actually come back. Severus agreed, and hoped it was for their protection and not anything worse.

She noticed he was getting particularly enthusiastic about Christmas. A few teachers planned to stay, and he gave them permission to set up a feast. If any students did choose to stay at least the school would seem festive.

"Are you going to go down for the feast with the rest of the school?" She asked, secretly hoping they'd be doing something together. She had been trying her hardest to come up with something special to get him for Christmas, and had finally decided on something, but it wasn't quite finished. The last time she celebrated a holiday with family was just before her grandparents died.

"No, I would probably just put a damper on the good mood. Wishing death upon someone isn't exactly in the spirit of things. They need a break from seeing me looming over them anyhow. I was thinking we could make a trip back home and have a real dinner."

He always seemed to know exactly what she wanted. A change of scenery would be wonderful, even just for a day. They were both stressed to the point of illness, and her pregnancy wasn't helping. She hoped they could take a day away from it all and relax.

He was busy making sure the students were sent off without problems. She knew it would probably take him most of the morning. Sneaking some money from her drawer, she pulled a hood over her head and apparated to Diagon Alley. There were a few things she needed if this gift were to turn out right.

The castle looked fantastic with a light dusting of snow. He almost wondered what was wrong with him, because he felt so festive. It might just be the lack of sleep, or the lack of nourishment.

Stress was really starting to get to him. It had been some time since they got any useful information on Potter, and time was ticking. It seemed like Voldemort was hell bent on destroying the very structure and society of wizarding England at this point, and if all those three could do was run they might need to think of a new plan.

Then there was the baby. Lina would never mention it, but she was looking more ill every day. She needed to start eating well, maybe getting some fresh air, but she was only feeding off his stress. It was concerning him, which was part of the reason he wanted to take her home for a day or two. At least when they were there safely she could venture outside for an hour or so. It wasn't healthy to just sit around in a dark room, or pace back and forth in his office. She often conversed with the portraits while he was busy elsewhere in the school, and Dumbledore mentioned how weak she seemed.

There had been a fire in her soul, but the cold winter was slowly dulling it. He only hoped his plans for Christmas would help her rekindle that flame. He was protecting her by keeping her under lock and key, but there was still a role for her to play in all the madness. Whatever that role was, it didn't involve becoming slowly bedridden.

"Minerva, I will be away on other business for the next few days. You are in charge of the remaining students." He hadn't spoken to the matronly witch in weeks, and she almost collapsed from shock when he handed the control over to her. He feared for a moment that he made a mistake. Perhaps she would turn the castle against him, and he would be unable to return.

Albus assured him there was no way to keep him from returning, as he was the rightful Headmaster.

He left early on Christmas Eve to set the house up. While he had never been the type to decorate, it didn't take much to make the dreary home seem a bit more holiday appropriate.

He decided to connect the floo for their travel that afternoon. Apparating didn't seem like the safest way to move a pregnant woman. What Mr. Snape did not realize was that his lovely wife had already discovered this. Her frequent trips to London left her violently ill and in serious pain. She only just managed to pull herself together before he returned and caught her. Any regular person would have given up after the first time, but her determination to complete his gift overpowered her fear of the pain.


She stepped out of the fireplace and gasped. Everything was glistening and festive. There was even a small tree in the corner of the room. How on earth had he managed to do all this for her?

She often wondered how the world could believe he was such a heartless and cruel man. He had them all convinced quite easily, but he was nothing like the rest of them. The other Death Eaters must have picked up that he wasn't truly evil like them. He was sweet, caring, devoted…all things Voldemort was truly against. She once heard Dumbledore say that her father could not fathom love. Looking at the man in front of her, she saw nothing but the most sincere love in his eyes. It radiated from him.

The fire crackled Christmas morning, as the two sat on the floor beside the tree. Finishing breakfast, Severus sent their dished back into the kitchen. She leaned against his shoulder, feeling truly content.

"I have something for you." He whispered in her ear, pulling out a parcel wrapped in very fancy paper. She was not expecting a gift from him, never mind something that looked so fancy. She couldn't actually remember receiving a gift. As a child her grandparents likely got her small things, but this was exciting. With her hormone levels being the unstable mess that came with pregnancy, she found herself on the verge of tears.

"Just open it before you start crying. I wanted to find you something that would be useful while you were cooped up in the castle."

She ripped off the paper. It was some kind of device she had never seen before. It looked muggle, but she could feel magic emanating from it.

"What does it do?"

"Well, muggles call it a tablet. They use it like some kind of strange changing parchment. You can read books, play games, write, basically anything. I looked into the functions and was able to modify it with a bit of tricky magic. It needs some kind of power but I've charmed it to receive energy from a wand. I've also added a number of books that might be of interest to you. There are some magical and some muggle." He continued explaining the contraption, but she stopped listening and started pressing buttons. It would likely take her months to figure out what everything did.

"Thank you so much! I love it!" She threw her arms around his neck, almost forgetting she had something to give him also.

"While this isn't some magically enhanced muggle contraption, I did create it myself." She gave him a vial with a strange blue substance. It was smoking and frothing, but the scent was calming.

"You made this? I know how much you dislike brewing. I don't recognize this potion…" He studied the vial, assessing what had been put in it.

"Of course you don't, I created it. Many of the ingredients were very hard to come by. I know how stressed you have been lately, but you are so busy you have no time to rest. I combined a variety of potions with a few spells and managed to create this." She spoke so calmly of her achievements, but he looked on with awe as she continued to explain.

The potion served as a temporary mind split. While your body continued to complete whatever task it was undertaking, the conscious part of your mind could escape. It was like a daydream, but it could be controlled, and it was impossible for an outsider to tell you were not paying full attention. It would allow him to get some much-needed relaxation, while still letting him get his job done. An added bonus was not having to deal with the unpleasant people that caused most of his stress.

"You created an entirely new potion…just for me? A potion that releases your mind from your body, but still enables you to go about your daily activities." He stared at her in disbelief. She wasn't sure if he liked it or not. His present for her was brilliant, but this was a lot of work on her part just for his peace of mind.

"Yes, I suppose it's similar to those Daydream Charms you often see floating about the school. I studied a bit of the magic involved in those. It was rather brilliant, but not quite what I needed. It was an entirely different problem finding the necessary magic to control the body. I know I got it right though because…" She looked up to see him smiling at her and stopped rambling.

"However did you find the time to do all this, and where did you even get the ingredients?"

"Oh, you know, here and there". He likely knew she left the castle to get them, but if she didn't actually say it he might not bring it up.

"Clever witch, you truly are a Slytherin. Sneaking about while I'm away, brewing secretly when I'm out. This is absolutely brilliant, and I'm sure it will prove very useful." He was beaming, and pulled her towards him.

She knew when they returned he would be a bit stricter about making sure she stayed in the castle, but there were always ways around him if she needed. As he said, she truly was a Slytherin, and if she wanted something she got it.

It was a wonderful day all around. They had a traditional Christmas dinner, played chess, relaxed, and simply enjoyed being together for the first time in months. The house was lit only by the firelight, and the warmth slowly melted the tension in their faces. Athelina felt sleep coming slowly, but couldn't bring herself to leave the fire.


Severus woke up in the middle of the night feeling rather uncomfortable. He opened his eyes and noticed they were still in the sitting room, curled up together in front of the fireplace. He slowly got up so he wouldn't disturb her and sat in his chair. Despite being on the floor, it had been one of the best sleeps he had in months.

A familiar ache returned in his chest. It was the feeling that this would never last, just as he had when they were travelling, and after they were married. Now there was a baby on the way, and he just couldn't bring himself to envision what the future would hold for the 3 of them. It was hard enough keeping a woman hidden, never mind an infant.

He suddenly had a very good idea. The room he made Lina was still in the wall. Grabbing his wand from the table, he quietly snuck out to do a bit of redecorating.