Chapter 53: I'm dreaming of a ...
Severus sat cross legged on the floor, trying desperately to keep the scowl off of his face. Lily's mother had insisted he wear the gaudy christmas sweater she'd gotten him to match Lily's and Lily herself had put a santa hat on his head. He'd taken it off a few times, but each time she just reached over and placed it back on his head. He stopped fighting it, it was only for one night. At least they weren't making him-
"So, since Severus is wearing the santa hat, I believe it is his job to hand out the presents!" Henry said as he plunked himself down on the couch, his hand on his stomach as he breathed out, having obviously eaten too much turkey and stuffing.
"No … No, definitely not. I'm wearing the sweater, I'm wearing the hat. I am drawing the line!" Severus said annoyed. He didn't even like Christmas.
"Oh, Severus," said Heather, smiling, while Lily stifled a laugh. "Don't be such a Scrooge."
Petunia rolled her eyes. "Why do you even keep inviting him when he doesn't even want to be here anyway?" she said, annoyed. She'd been sulking all day … which struck Lily as strange, since Severus had been here longer than that. But if there was anything else that was bothering her today that hadn't been before, she wasn't saying.
"I'm here Tuney, to be a constant thorn in your side." He said straightening his back and glaring at her defiantly.
"Sure," Petunia said, with a sidelong glance at Lily. "That's definitely why you keep coming around here."
"Admittedly, that doesn't seem like the best use of your time," Lily said, not looking at Petunia. She tossed Severus a present from under the tree. "Now, why don't you help me hand these out?"
"If I must." He said using his most teacher like annoyed tone. He caught the present. "Oh look, this one's for Tuney." He said holding it up and shaking it next to his ear. "Someone got coal." He said laughing as he tossed it over to Petunia.
Petunia took the present and shoved it aside, annoyed. "You make a really ugly Santa Claus," she sneered, turning away to glare out the window.
"Well, bah humbug to you too, Tuney," said Lily, handing a present to her mother and going back to the tree for another one. Whatever Petunia's problem was, it was Christmas. They could all stand to lighten up and just enjoy spending the holiday as a family.
"Tuney …. Pot ….. Kettle …" He said indicating two spots beside him as if he were introducing the two. He picked up another present and handed it to Henry.
Petunia abruptly stood up and walked out of the room. Lily looked up in confusion from Heather to Henry and back again. "What's up with her?" Petunia might be unpleasant, but she'd never stormed out on presents before.
Heather shook her head, looking after the doorway, perplexed. "I don't know," she said, looking upset as she glanced down at the abandoned presents that she'd picked out for Petunia. "I'm sure she'll come back once she's cooled down a little."
Severus glanced up and saw the upset look on Mrs. Evans face and placed the present he was holding on the floor. "I'll be right back." He said heading up the stairs after Petunia. He walked up to her bedroom and and knocked before coming in without waiting for an answer. "Okay …. We're upsetting your mother." He said. "Just let me have it, whatever you're bottling up and want to say about me, just say it, get it out of your system, then let's go back down stairs and open presents like a 'normal family' for your mother's sake."
"It's not even about you, freak!" Petunia snapped, throwing a picture frame across the room. It flew past Severus's head, the glass front shattering as it hit the wall, a picture of her and Vernon in a park somewhere falling to the floor. "Not everything's about you! Just sod off and mind your own business!"
Severus sighed as he pulled out his wand and repaired the frame, the glass moving back to the frame and back into place, the glass crackling as the seams disappeared. "Ah, so it's a Vernon issue then. What happened?" He asked putting the frame back on her side dresser.
"Great," Petunia sneered, crossing her arms. "Because I definitely need relationship counseling from you."
Severus sat down on the bed next to her and glared at her. "Look, we've done this before, had a few talks, now isn't the time for this. This very well could be your mum's last Christmas. As much as I hate to point that out, do you really want some ass hat to take that away from you? He isn't worth it."
Petunia appeared as if she were about to make an angry retort, before her expression saddened, and her shoulders slumped, as if she had somehow deflated. "I know," she said quietly. "But I can't seem to do better."
"Is that really what you're worried about now?" He asked. "Honestly, you're eighteen …. You're legally an adult but you're still a kid in a lot of ways. You don't have to find someone now! There's nothing stopping you from finding the right person. Look at your parents, they didn't meet until they were in their late twenties."
"Yeah, well," she muttered, crossing her arms. "They're not exactly difficult to like."
As for her … She knew she'd just have to find someone who would settle for her, or do without. Her parents cared about her, she knew that, though even they found Lily easier to get along with. But they wouldn't be there forever. That was a constant, painful awareness now. And when they were gone, Lily would have less and less reason to put up with her, and would just disappear off into her freakish magic world entirely. One by one, the people who were stuck with Petunia because they were family would leave her, and she would be left completely alone.
"And you'll find someone who will like you … Actually no, I take that back … You will find someone that will love you. And that is someone you deserve to be with. If someone can't see you for who you are, and want to be with you for that reason, then they don't deserve you." Severus said. "All relationships come with it's own baggage and I'm sure you come with about as much of it as I do …. but if they actually cared about you, then they'll work through it …"
Petunia stared at Snape incredulously. "Right," she said sarcastically. "Because there's just so much there to like." She knew perfectly well that her personality struck people as unpleasant, and she didn't even have any special talents or even freakish abilities to make up for it. She was neither likable nor special. She shook her head. Nonetheless, she hadn't expected that kind of sentimental talk from Severus. "I don't need pity from you… Just… Just give me a minute, and tell them I'll be down in a bit, alright?"
Severus watched her for a moment. "Fine." He said before standing up and heading back downstairs where everyone was waiting to continue opening presents.
As he reentered the living room, Lily looked up at him questioningly. "Any luck?" she asked. Though she didn't know what he really could have done. When Petunia was in the mood to be particularly disagreeable, there wasn't much that could persuade her out of it.
"Yes," Severus said quietly going back to sit down by the presents again. "She'll be down in a few minutes." He said tossing a soft present over to Mr. Evans. Clearly socks or a rolled up tshirt. Honestly, 'Santa' had no capability of disguising presents this year.
"Thank you, Severus," Mrs. Evans said, looking visibly relieved. "We can't very well have Christmas without all of the family together."
Lily was about to ask what that had all been about, when Petunia's footsteps plodded back down the stairs, and she walked sullenly back in, returning to where she'd been sitting with a stubbornly dignified look, as if nonverbally asserting that absolutely nothing had just happened.
Severus picked up another present as Mr. Evans opened his, black socks, as Severus had predicted. He politely handed Petunia one of her presents and shuffled through the presents for one for Lily and Mrs. Evans.
Without saying anything or even really looking at Severus, Petunia accepted the present. Mrs. Evans, however, looked at him with gratitude in her eyes. Lily still resolved to ask what had caused that scene later.
