Author's Note: This chapter's song is Auld Lang Syne as sung by Mairi Campbell.
December 19, 1993 - January 1, 1994
The following morning, Danielle was walking by the windows above the front doors to the school, when she happened to glance down at the ground below. Walking alone down the pathway from the school was a figure dressed in a flowing black cloak. Severus. He looked alone, dark, forbidding, and cold. She had not known exactly when he was leaving, and could not have possibly planned to see him off like this if she had tried. But somehow, fate had intervened.
At that moment, Severus had the strangest feeling he was being watched. He turned and glanced behind him. There was no one on the path or in the doorway. So he looked upward and standing in the windows there she was. Danielle. She was dressed in an oversized striped sweater in green, blue, brown, and tan over a pair of jeans. She looked warm, cozy, beautiful, but sad. He wondered what she was doing there, why she was watching him.
The two of them stood rooted in their spots, eyes boring straight into each other. Neither had any idea how long stood there. Then, finally Severus turned and continued on his way. He walked until past the gates of Hogwarts, and even from that distance, Danielle saw him Apparate. She sighed, knowing she would not see him for at least another two weeks. She decided to continue on her way to Hagrid's.
The castle was completely deserted. Even though Harry and his friends had spent the holidays there in the books, Dumbledore had managed to convince the Ministry to give every protection to The Burrow so Harry could enjoy a holiday with the Weasleys. So the number of students were down to a pair of Slytherins and a Ravenclaw sixth year whose parents were temporarily working in China. Danielle stopped by her quarters and picked up Puppy. Now that the castle was so empty, she decided to take Puppy with her. Claudia too.
They traveled down to Hagrid's cottage, Puppy bounding playfully through the snow, Claudia leaping into the footprints so she wouldn't be lost. It was a peaceful walk, only broken by Puppy's barks. As soon as they reached the door, Hagrid threw it open and caught Danielle in a bone crushing hug.
"All ri' Danielle?"he asked her.
"I'm getting by. How about some tea to warm me up?" Danielle asked. Hagrid grinned, as he had a pot already waiting, as he had seen Danielle heading down. He poured a mug for both of them and set out a plate of cookies that looked surprisingly edible. Danielle tentatively tried it, and was surprised to find them soft.
"Took yer advice to add more butter," Hagrid said with a nod. Danielle smiled and enjoyed the rich, sugary cookie.
"So, who's yer friend?" he asked nodding toward Puppy, who looked up at him with his familiar doggy grin.
"Just a stray I picked up. I've been feeding him regularly, and we made friends. Right, Puppy?" she asked and he answered with a bark. At this, Fang came into the room. He looked at Puppy suspiciously, and then came over to sniff his butt. After a sniff or two, he turned to the other dog.
"Yer not a dog, are ya?" he asked in extremely deep tones.
"I'm a wizard, and I need you to keep me a secret," Puppy told him.
"He's okay, you can trust him," Claudia told Fang. And since Claudia was Fang's favorite kitty in the whole wide world, and far smarter than he was, he went along with it.
"Okay. I'm Fang. Welcome to my home," he said graciously.
"Thank you very much, Fang. You can call me Puppy," Puppy answered him.
"Looks like all the animals are getting along fine," Danielle said watching the dogs and cat and blissfully unaware of the minor drama taking place before her.
"Tha's good. If Fang makes a friend of an animal, 'e's trustworthy," Hagrid said.
"Wanna play?" Fang asked Puppy. "We could go outside?"
"Sounds great. Coming, Claudia?" Puppy asked the cat.
"No thanks. I'll stay in here warm and dry," she said, climbing onto Hagrid's exceedingly large lap. Fang went and scratched on the door, so Danielle let him and Puppy outside to play.
"So, I 'eard Severus wasn't stayin' fer Christmas," Hagrid said.
"Yeah," Danielle said as she sipped her tea.
"'Ow yer 'olding up?" Hagrid asked her.
"Fine," Danielle told him, hoping he'd drop the subject and glad he didn't start in with Puppy here.
"Ya miss 'im, don't ya?" he asked.
"Yes, but it doesn't make anything better to dwell on him," Danielle said. "Besides, I have plenty of other friends. I can get by without him," she said, not believing a word she said. Seeing as she didn't want to talk, Hagrid changed the subject.
"I got a notice fer Buckbeak's 'earing today," Hagrid said softly.
"When is it scheduled?" Danielle asked, knowing the answer but being a good friend.
"April twenty," he said.
"That gives you plenty of time to mount a defense," Danielle told him.
"Ya. 'Ermione, Ron, and, 'Arry were 'ear earlier, and she said tha same thing," he told her. "In fact, she's researching 'is defense."
"If anyone can do it, it's Hermione," Danielle said, even though she knew poor Hagrid would go to pieces at the hearing and Lucius Malfoy would pay off the members of the committee anyway. But her friend needed encouragement, and as she couldn't tell him that Buckbeak would be perfectly fine and escape with the man who was now bounding in the snow in the form of a black dog, she encouraged him about the hearing.
They talked about it for some time, and then Danielle returned to the castle with him for dinner. Only she, Hagrid, and Dumbledore remained of the staff, and dinner was a quiet affair. Danielle kept thinking of Severus, and how much she wished he were here too.
Severus, meanwhile, had spent the day cleaning and unpacking at Spinner's End. He got the house into manageable condition, although it was still gloomy and depressing. Worse, he was an absolutely terrible cook. You'd think his skill at following potions recipes would translate to the kitchen, but other than his mother's recipe for gingerbread cookies, he was hopeless in the kitchen. However, thanks to Danielle's introduction to Muggle world cuisine this summer, he was eating falafels and baba ganoush. But he could not enjoy dinner. It reminded him too much of her. He ended up sweeping most of it into the trash can and went to bed with a growling stomach that kept him awake most of the night.
Danielle and Severus both spent their respective holidays quietly. Both read quite a bit, caught up on their grading and lesson plans, and slept in. Danielle had the advantage of company from Hagrid and Dumbledore, who were worried about her and didn't want her to be alone too much. They dragged her out of her quarters to take walks and play games. Severus was completely alone, other than his usual Thursday night outing, but in his opinion that didn't count as it almost wasn't really him experiencing Thursdays.
On Christmas, Danielle wondered if Severus had found her present. She went to the kitchens, and found Dobby and Lulu cooking together. They were holding hands, and each used their free hand to work together on the Brussels sprouts they were roasting.
"Could one of you do me a favor?" Danielle asked.
"Anything, Miss Danielle," Dobby said cheerfully. So Danielle sent Dobby to Severus' place, making sure he also took Severus a basket of yummy food from the kitchens.
Severus was sipping a Firewhiskey next to the fire, lost in the book he was reading, when the crack of Apparation caused him to jump up, spilling his drink as he pulled his wand.
"Who is there?" he snarled at his most intimidating.
"It's just Dobby the House Elf, Professor Snape, sir," Dobby said nervously, afraid he would be punished. Severus looked down at him, a tiny thing dressed in many homemade knit garments (compliments of Lulu) and holding an oversized picnic basket. Severus lowered his wand.
"And you are here because?" he asked.
"The Professors at Hogwarts wanted to send you this basket for Christmas dinner," Dobby answered. The delicious smells made Severus' stomach growl. After the aborted attempt at eating Muggle take out, Severus had been eating toast and Wizard-O's all week, as they were about the only things he was guaranteed not to mess up. A real meal was an incredibly enticing prospect.
"Very well, Dobby. You may put the food in the kitchen and prepare me a plate," Severus said, siphoning up his spilled drink with his wand. Dobby took the basket into the kitchen a prepared a plate to warm. As it did, he snuck into Severus' bedroom and found his suitcase. Severus had not touched the inner pocket, so Dobby removed the present and straightened the squished bow. He took it down to leave it on the kitchen table. He then brought the plate to Severus.
Severus was delighted to see a slice of roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, gravy, and broccoli. Dobby informed him there was a Yule log for dessert and asked if there would be anything more.
"No, thank you Dobby," said Severus. The elf bowed and disappeared with a loud crack. Severus then proceeded to chow down, enjoying every bite of the food he had been given. After he finished, he laid the plate on the floor next to his chair and continued reading. An hour or so later, he started to crave something sweet. Severus was not as bad as the Headmaster, but he did enjoy the desserts the House Elves prepared. He recalled the incredibly rich and delicious Yule logs they made, and he decided a slice was just what he needed right now. He gathered his plate and silver and went to get one.
But when he got into the kitchen, he stopped cold. Sitting in the middle of the kitchen table was a small, flat package wrapped in green paper with a silver bow. Slytherin colors. And suddenly, he knew it wasn't just Dumbledore or any of the other teachers feeling sorry for him. It was one professor in particular. Her.
And when he held the package in his hand, he knew for sure. In her familiar script were the words "To Severus, Merry Christmas! Danielle." Of course.
The package was obviously a book, from the shape and heft of it. He wondered what sort of book Danielle would give him. How…kind of her to remember him when he had done nothing but freeze her out. And Severus instantly missed her and wanted to run straight to Hogwarts and apologize and tell her he missed her.
But as just as suddenly imagined her on her couch in her quarters, naked and making love to Lupin. And that image pushed all the remorse out of his heart at that moment. He grabbed the book and rushed into his sitting room, making a beeline for the fire. He was going to toss the wretched thing into the fire, and wipe it out of his life instantaneously.
But once he reached the fire, he found he couldn't do it. He looked at her handwriting. It was pretty and graceful, mush like the woman who wrote it. It haunted and tormented him, but the sad truth was, he didn't want to lose this tangible reminder of her, and the fact that she cared enough to think of him during the holidays. So Severus grabbed his Firewhiskey bottle and took it and the present upstairs. He took the package and placed it in his sock drawer, making sure about a dozen pair of black woolen socks were covering it. It was safe, but hidden from his sight.
Then, he took his Firewhiskey and started in on his yearly bender. He started with his yearly silent toast. To Lily. But as he drank, instead of dwelling on Lily, his thoughts kept roaming to Danielle. Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Sending the food and the gift had certainly pushed her to the forefront of his mind. He lay back against the pillows of his bed and took another swig. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Danielle smiling at him, he blue eyes sparkling with happiness. He could see her dancing gracefully, her luscious, curvy body moving in a way that tempted him. He took another drink, as if the alcohol would wash the images from his mind. But it only served to make the image more vivid, and he could almost hear her calling his name softly.
In a fit of range, he flung the bottle against the wall. It shattered and its contents dripped slowly down the wall. Grabbing a pillow, Severus placed it over his own head. This had to be the worst Christmas he had ever had, and nothing, not even alcohol, seemed to help. He lay there for a long time, until at last his breathing grew steady and regular and he fell asleep.
Danielle, meanwhile, enjoyed a quiet Christmas Day. She awoke to find the customary pile of presents from her friends and co-workers. She slowly unwrapped her gifts, and found many kind and thoughtful ones from all of them. She also stopped to give Claudia and Puppy some cat and dog toys as their holiday gifts, as well as a cherry red collar and tag.
"Now I know you're not really mine, Puppy, but in case you ever run across a Muggle dog catcher or something, I can come and rescue you. Good idea, right?" she asked as he barked the affirmative.
Slowly, the pile of gifts disappeared until there was only one left. Danielle frowned and mentally ticked off her gifts. She had received something from every member of the staff except two; Filch and Severus. Filch had never given her a present before, though she always got him a little something because she felt guilty not including him, as unpleasant as he was. But Severus had even given her the Wizarding history book her first year, when he had barely tolerated her. This package must be from him.
Feeling great trepidation, Danielle unwrapped the white paper with silver dots on it. She carefully opened the box. Inside was a silvery colored cloak. Danielle frowned, as she owned one cloak which she rarely wore. Strange choice of gift, she thought. She took the cloak and tried it on, looking in the mirror to see her body had completely disappeared.
An Invisibility Cloak! Severus must have gotten her one! They were quite rare, and she knew Filch would never give her such a costly gift. Oh Severus, she thought as she began to cry. Puppy and Claudia both came over to nuzzle against her and comfort her.
"He gave this to me! I can't believe he gave this to me!" she sobbed, making many additional and incoherent noises. After a good cry, Danielle pulled herself together and washed her face to go to the tiny Christmas luncheon. She was a little nervous and fidgety during lunch, and afterwards she asked Professor Dumbledore to pay a visit to her quarters, as she had something to show him. When he came in, Puppy jumped up nervously.
"Ah, so this is the stray you've been feeding?" Dumbledore asked conversationally.
"Yeah. I thought since the school was so deserted, he could stay with me through the holidays," Danielle told him.
"Yes, I think that would be quite alright," Dumbledore told her. He then conjured a bone to give to Puppy, patting him on the head. Puppy relaxed, as Dumbledore apparently did not see through his disguise. He set to work, contentedly knawing on his new bone.
Danielle showed Dumbledore the cloak. Dumbledore admired it and told her that though it was not as infallible as Harry's, it should more than do its job. It was actually one of the better examples of Invisibility Cloaks Dumbledore had seen. Danielle could and should use it, Dumbledore insisted. It was woven of Demiguise hair, and it also had a Concealment Charm placed upon it, making it doubly powerful.
Danielle had no idea that Severus had actually purchased the cloak that summer. One afternoon, he was early to see Danielle, and he decided to pick up some potions ingredients he needed. So we walked to Knockturn Alley and purchased them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the clerk at Borgin and Burkes folding what he knew to be an invisibility cloak through the store's window. He quickly went into the store. After some haggling, and a threat to curse the assistant, Severus was able to walk out of the store with the cloak at a reasonable price. He then charmed it so it would have an additional Concealment Charm.
He had purchased it because he knew Danielle was someone who was always where the action is, whether it was safe for her or not. He knew that stopping Hurricane Danielle from blowing where she wanted to was an impossible proposition. But, perhaps a cloak like this would help keep her safe. It wasn't perfect, but any measure he could use to protect her was a good one.
And months later, when they weren't speaking and Christmas was fast approaching, he debated what to do. The gift lay wrapped and waiting to be given, but Danielle probably would laugh at him for giving it to her. He already felt a fool, seeing her enjoy herself so much with Lupin. He would not make it easier for them to have a laugh at his expense.
But in the end, he worried what if something happened to her. He had let Lily down, he had let his mother down. Even if they weren't speaking, he would still do anything he could to protect Danielle. He felt the cloak would be an important way to do so. So he ignored his own misgivings, and swallowed his pride. He knew it was the right thing to do.
And after Christmas, the holiday pretty much continued the way it had. Both of them did their best to ignore how much they missed the other, and both of them tried to come up with ways to keep themselves busy. At last, New Year's Eve arrived. Danielle had decided to she wanted to visit London. There was a big celebration being held at Piccadilly Circus. Severus, much to his own surprise, accepted an invitation to join the Malfoys, who were hosting several former Death Eaters for a night of drinking, dancing, and debauchery.
So Danielle shivered in the cold, alone in a crowd of thousands and Severus sat stiffly as the former Death Eaters laughed, drank, and began to explore each other's bodies around him. He never participated in these types of things anymore. Danielle was thinking the same thing as she got jostled by the drunks in the crowd. But at midnight, in both places, Severus and Danielle participated in the final countdown to midnight and when the new year arrived, they both sang along to Auld Lang Syne. Silently, they sent each other good wishes for the new year, hoping things would be better in 1994.
AN: I liked this arrangement of Auld Lang Syne. It was used in the first Sex and the City movie, and it was my favorite part of the film, the montage where Carrie goes to a sad Miranda while everyone else is celebrating in their own way. I thought it worked perfectly here. So now you know Severus' reaction to her present (sort of, since he never opened it) and that he gave Danielle one too.
Now the bad news. I have a bit of paid work come my way, so I will have to table this story for the remainder of the Thanksgiving weekend. I should be able to write more Monday night, unless I finish the job early. But hey, I have to eat too, and no one sends me baskets of food via Dobby delivery service. So enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend and I'll be back soon.
