The Spirit of Christmas
By Phoenix Angel
Summary: Harry's in his fifth year of school at Hogwarts. Christmas is approaching, and Headmaster Dumbledore has decided to close down Hogwarts for the holidays for renovations. Harry is invited to stay at the Burrow, but he declines, feeling that he would be imposing. So, where will he go? Professor Dumbledore decides Harry should stay with Snape. What will happen when Harry decides to bring the holiday spirit into Snape?
~The beginning of the Christmas Holidays~
Harry trudged along the hallway, feeling depressed. He was on his way to Professor Dumbledore's office, where he would find out where he was to spend the holidays. Normally, he would be spending it at Hogwarts, but this year Hogwarts was being closed for renovations. He would have been thrilled to stay with Sirius, but Sirius was still on the run. He was invited to spend Christmas at the Burrow, but he decided not to, knowing that the Weasleys would have trouble feeding their own children. So, Professor Dumbledore arranged to have Harry stay with someone, but he refused to tell Harry who it was. He claimed to want to surprise Harry. Harry only hoped it wasn't someone he wouldn't get along with.
He looked up and was surprised to find himself standing in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. He hadn't noticed his surroundings as he walked through the halls. He gave the gargoyle the password, which was 'skittles', a muggle candy. The gargoyle stepped aside, and Harry walked through and onto the moving staircase. It took him up to the door of Dumbledore's office. He knocked on it twice, and entered when he heard Professor Dumbledore say, "Come in!"
Harry entered the office, and looked around. Professor Snape was standing beside Dumbledore's desk, looking grumpy, and Professor McGonagall was looking mad. Professor Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked thrilled. "Harry! I see you've found your way here!"
Snape snorted. "Surely Potter has been here enough times to know where it is." Harry just glared back.
"Now, now, Severus, I'm sure young Harry here is wondering who he will be staying with for the holidays." Dumbledore cut in cheerfully.
Snape suddenly looked murderous. "You mean that he is the student that will be interrupting my holiday?!?" he boomed. "I refuse to let him!"
"Severus! Surely you don't mean that! Now, Harry, you will be spending the Christmas break with Professor Snape here. Enjoy!" Dumbledore exclaimed, ushering them from his office. Before they even blinked, the door closed behind them.
Severus looked livid. "Potter! Why do you have to make my life so complicated?!?" he sighed, looking angrily at the door, or more specifically, at the person behind the door who now was cheerfully chatting with Professor McGonagall. "I hate it when he does that!" he muttered under his breathe.
He took off down the hallway, heading towards the dungeon. Harry just stood there, not sure if he should follow or not. Snape turned around, and saw Harry standing at the exact same spot he had left him there. "Are you coming or not, Potter?" he sneered. He turned back around and continued on his route. Harry scrambled after him.
Snape led Harry to a painting of a snake, deep in the dungeons. He muttered something to the painting, and it opened. He turned around and fixed a menacing glare on Harry. "Potter! Wait here!" he barked, and entered the hole behind the painting, closing it behind him.
The snake looked curiously at Harry. "Another human, how interesting," it hissed.
Harry jumped. He turned and stared at the snake. "You can talk?!?" he hissed back.
Now, the snake was surprised. "You can understand me?" it hissed, surprise evident in his voice.
Harry nodded. "Yes, I can. Hello, my name is Harry."
"Harry, is it? I am Asmodaius. I am the guardian to these chambers. I haven't talked to a human since Salazar Slythern. Welcome, young human."
Harry grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Asmodaius. I have never talked to a snake in a painting before. It's most interesting."
Asmodaius gave what would have been a smile, had it been human. "What brings you here, Harry? To my knowledge, the man who lives behind me doesn't like company."
Harry sighed. "I have to spend Christmas with him. I have no where else to go."
Asmodaius nodded sympathetically. "I understand. I do pity you, for one thing. He is a very lonely man. Not cruel, just lonely. Maybe if you show him the good side of things, he will open up."
Harry looked thoughtful. "It's worth a try, I guess. Thanks a lot, Asmodaius."
The snake nodded in reply. "Anytime."
Just then, the painting opened to reveal a sulking Snape. Harry jumped back, looking as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing. Snape narrowed his eyes. "What were you doing, Potter?"
Harry just stared back. "Nothing, Professor."
Snape still looked suspicious. "Come along now, Potter. I don't have all day." He stormed off, heading towards the entrance hall. Harry looked back at Asmodaius. "Bye!" he hissed, before running off after Snape.
Snape strode outside, heading towards the main gates of Hogwarts, with Harry on his heels. Harry looked curiously at Snape. "Um, Professor, where are we going?"
"That is none of your business, Potter!" Snape spat venomously. "Where's your stuff?"
Harry patted his pocket. "It's here, Professor. I shrunk it and put a feather-light charm on it so it would be easier to carry."
Snape just nodded in reply and continued on.
After leaving the gates, Snape stopped abruptly. He grabbed something out of his pocket, which turned out to be a quill. He held one end of it, and offered the other end to Harry. Harry looked suspiciously at it. Snape just shook his head. "It's a portkey, Potter! Surely, you've heard of them before!"
Harry flinched, and cautiously reached out to grab it. Snape tapped it twice with his wand, and the portkey activated.
When they landed, Harry was shaking like a leaf with his eyes shut. He remembered the tri-wizard tournament, when the portkey took him and Cedric to the graveyard. He still had nightmares about the third task. He slowly opened his eyes to see Snape standing over him. "Get up, boy! Don't just sit there!"
Harry got up, observing his surroundings. In front of him was a huge white mansion, with gardens surrounding it. He and Snape were on the lawn, just a couple of steps away from the front doors. Snape took no time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. He just walked to the door. He pulled out a small silver key and inserted it into the keyhole. The doors opened majestically to uncover a sparkling black hall. Snape hauled Harry in and slammed the door shut. Instantaneously, three house elves came up to him and bowed. The first one, a cheery female, squeaked out a greeting. "Master Severus, you have arrived! How may we be of service?"
Harry noticed that this house elf spoke proper English. 'Of course,' he thought to himself, 'Snape probably couldn't stand anyone speaking improper English, and taught them how to speak properly.' He wasn't surprised.
Snape still looked furious. "Take that boy," he sneered, pointing to Harry, "over there to a guest room."
The last house elf, the smallest, bowed and complied. Harry found himself being led through numerous halls, until they finally stopped in front of a door. The house elf bowed Harry into the room. Harry entered, and was amazed by the size of it. It was almost twice as big as the Gryffindor dormitories at school! He turned back to look at the house elf, who had followed him in.
"If you need any help, snap your fingers twice and I will come. I will be back in a little while to lead you to the dining hall for lunch. If you need any help, don't hesitate to call." And with that, it disappeared.
Harry walked over to the king-sized bed, and lay down. It was so soft. He sighed, thinking (more like hoping) that the holidays wouldn't be as bad as he imagined.
To Be Continued…