The Spirit of Christmas
By Phoenix Angel
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything else recognizable.
Part Five
*Well, at least he could get the rest of his Christmas shopping done. Christmas was only three days away!*
~~~
Harry was met in the front hall by a very grumpy Snape. It appeared that Severus hated Christmas, and was not looking forward to shopping with Harry. Harry, on the other hand, was excited at the chance of actually getting of the grounds. He had been confined within Severus' property since the start of Christmas holidays, and was itching to go somewhere else. He quickly hid his excitement and gaped when Severus showed up. He was wearing a silk shirt and a pair of leather pants. He looked more human than Harry had ever seen him.
'He looks hot!' Harry thought, before his brain processed what he had said. He barely hid his shock. Snape? Hot? He shook his head violently, trying to get rid of such thoughts. He looked up again to find Severus staring at him oddly. He just shrugged.
"Harry, do you have any muggle money? If you need to, we can go to Gringotts to exchange some money into muggle money for you."
Harry shook his head. He still had a lot of money left over from his job during the summer. Severus raised his eyebrow, and Harry replied shortly, "I have some." He gestured for Severus to continue.
When Severus pulled out a piece of parchment from his pocket, Harry backed away. "Um, Severus, do we have to use a portkey?" he asked tentatively.
Severus glared at him. "How else would we get there? Don't ask stupid questions, Potter."
"It's Harry."
"Pardon?!?" He asked. He looked rather surprised.
"My name is Harry, not Potter."
"Right…just grab the portkey already, Harry," he replied.
Harry touched it cautiously, as if he were touching an angry dog. Severus stared at him quizzically before taping the parchment with his wand. The effect was instantaneous. Harry felt a tug beneath his navel, and all the memories of the third task came rushing back all at once. Wormtail, Tom Riddle, Cedric…
When they landed, Severus found Harry curled up in a ball, trembling madly. He was muttering to himself, and Severus leaned closer, trying to hear what he was saying. "No, Cedric, no! Stop, please! Don't kill Cedric!"
Severus' eyes widened in understanding. Too late he remembered that Potter had been taken to the graveyard where Voldemort was resurrected by a portkey. No wonder he had been scared to take the portkey! He knelt down beside Harry and gently placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry flinched and jerked away from the touch. He was having a flashback. Severus sighed, and carefully placed his arms around Harry's body. He lowered his voice to a gentle tone. "Harry, it's alright. You're not at the graveyard, you're here, with me, remember? We were going to go shopping. Harry, come on, snap out of it!"
Harry blinked, and shook his head, as if to clear it. He looked up, and saw Severus kneeling beside him. "Pro-professor Snape?" he asked, still trembling violently. He pushed closer into the gentle embrace, slowly calming down. Severus just stayed there, offering comfort, waiting until Harry stopped trembling before getting up. He offered a hand to Harry, and Harry took it. He was pulled to his feet and dusted off. Then Severus's hand led them out of the alley they had appeared in and into the daylight.
~~~
When they arrived at the mall, Severus brought Harry to a fountain, located in the middle of the mall. He pushed Harry onto a bench and disappeared, only to reappear minutes later with two ice cream cones. He shoved one into Harry's hands. "Chocolate," was his explanation. Harry assumed that it was supposed to help him get over the portkey incident. He accepted it, and started to savor it. He had only tasted ice cream a couple of times during his childhood, while he had to watch as Dudley got ice cream almost every day. To him, ice cream was an extra special treat.
He felt Severus's gaze on him and turned to face him. He sent a questioning look at the man. Severus raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you grow up with muggles? Why do you act as if ice cream's such a special treat?"
Harry squirmed a bit. "I wasn't allowed to have any," he admitted. He was answered with an unreadable look.
Severus waited until Harry had finished his cone before speaking once more. "Okay, Harry, this is the plan. I have something to pick up, for a friend of mine, and I have no desire to go with you while you buy presents for all your little Gryffindor friends," he grimaced, "so I'm letting you shop by yourself. Be back here," he gestured to the fountain, "by noon, so we can have some lunch and decided what to do next. Don't be late." He got up and walked off to some unknown store.
Harry took a look at his surroundings for the first time. He was in a huge mall; there had to be at least 500 stores! By the way people talked, he realized that he was no longer in England. He listened carefully. Not quite American, something…he couldn't remember. He shrugged, and got up to start shopping.
First, he headed to the optical. He wanted to get some contact lens. Over the summer, he had gotten a pair of new glasses, with thin, silver wire frames. They were alright, but he figured that it would be easier to play Quidditch with contact lens than with glasses, for no matter what shape, they always got in the way. Several minutes later, he emerged from the shop, with a box of contact lenses in tucked into his pocket.
Next, he headed to the bookstore. After all, what else could he get Hermione that she might actually like? He entered a large bookstore called Indigo, and started to browse through the sections. He decided to get Hermione a book on Ancient societies, figuring that 'Mione would probably find it interesting, and a self teaching guide to German, remembering that she had always been fascinated by the language. He also picked up a couple of books here and there, for his own reading. He headed to the counter with the books he had chosen and left the store with his purchases after paying.
He glanced around, making sure that no one was looking, before casting a bit of wandless magic to shrink the package. He slipped the now mini package into his pocket with the contact lens, and headed off to the next store.
He decided to go to a sports store for Ron's present. He entered Sport Chek, and browsed around for a while until he decided that there was nothing he would choose for Ron's present. He walked around the mall a bit, and decided that he would just get Ron some muggle candy. He bought a large variety of candies for Ron, knowing that he would enjoy the treats, and chose a couple for himself. After all, he had a sweet tooth too!
After exiting the store, he realized that it was time for lunch. He returned to the fountain to find Severus waiting there impatiently, arms crossed, foot tapping. He noticed that Severus carried no bags either. He approached Severus, moving quickly so he would not anger him.
Severus looked up when he saw Harry. His impatient look disappeared, replaced with a blank face. He raised an eyebrow at Harry's lack of bags, but decided to ask later. "It's time for lunch. Do you want to eat here in the food court, or in a restaurant?" he asked Harry.
Harry was shocked that Severus was actually asking him where he wanted to eat. He had never had that choice before. "Um, it doesn't matter," he replied quickly.
Severus shrugged and led Harry out of the mall. They walked down the street a bit before stopping in front of a small Italian restaurant. Severus ushered Harry in, and they were greeted by a waiter who brought them to a table. They sat down and ordered some food.
Lunch was a quiet affair. There was no noise, apart from an occasional clatter of a fork on a plate. They sat in silence, enjoying the rich Italian food.
Too soon, lunch was finished. As they walked out of the restaurant, Severus asked Harry, "Where do you want to go next? Back to the muggle mall, or to an alley similar to Diagon Alley?"
Harry shrugged. "To the Alley, I suppose. I need to get a couple more presents." He followed Severus down the street, and into a small, dirty shop. At least, that's what it looked like on the outside. The inside, however, was like a scene from a fairy tale. There were staircases leading up to many floors of rooms, not unlike a muggle hotel. The entrance hall was decorated like a palace, complete with a soft, fluffy carpet. Harry was ushered through the lobby until they reached a small door. Severus pushed it open, and Harry was amazed at the sight that greeted him.
There were rows upon rows of shops lined up. It was almost like seeing Diagon Alley for the first time. Harry couldn't wait to explore the hidden treasures that waited in front of him.
He turned back to Severus, who was staring in amusement at Harry's excitement. His face twitched into a smile. "Welcome to Vertic Alley. You see that shop over there?" he asked, pointing to an ice cream parlor near the entrance. Harry nodded. "Meet me there in three hours. We have to be home before dark." He turned and walked away, leaving Harry to explore the new alley.
Harry started walking down the alley. It was almost as big as Diagon Alley, but there was a larger variety of shops here. He couldn't decide where to go first. He turned slightly, and something caught his eye. It was a small wolf figurine in the window of a shop. He figured Moony might like it; it was very similar to his wolf form. With that in mind, Harry walked into the shop.
What he found inside, however, was totally different from what he expected. There were shelves upon shelves of interesting items. He spent a good half hour browsing through the shop, which was bigger than it appeared. Finally, he decided to get the wolf figurine for Moony and a small globe that heated up when the owner was in danger for Sirius. It would be a helpful tool during dark times like these. He tucked the presents into his pocket and walked on.
About an hour later, Harry was drawn into a tiny shop. He didn't know what compelled him to go inside, but he knew it wasn't harmful. He stared around, for a couple of minutes before his eyes caught on a shiny surface. He turned to see a large, shiny, black stone, about the size of his palm. It glittered in the light as he looked at it. He was so distracted that he didn't notice someone come to stand beside him.
"Hello. Are you interested in this stone?" a voice came from beside him. He jumped, startled, and spun around to see a young woman in her mid-twenties standing beside him. It took him a couple of seconds to react.
"I, yes, I am. I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about it," Harry replied. For some odd reason, he thought that it would be a perfect present for Severus.
"Why, yes, yes…This is a power stone. It is able to store a large quantity of magic inside it until the user decides to make use of the magic. Most people use it for large spells that require a lot of magic. They store a little of their magic inside the stone every day until they have enough. That way, they won't be completely drained of magic after they complete the spell. It's a very useful tool."
Harry thought it over. It would be an ideal present for Severus, as long as it didn't cost too much. "What's the price?" he asked the lady.
The lady considered. "I normally would sell it for very high, but right now, I have a feeling that you will use the stone in a good way. I'll sell it to you for five galleons."
Harry tilted his head. Why would she feel that way? Was she a seer or something? Well, he would buy it for Severus anyways. He nodded to the lady and handed her five galleons. She carefully wrapped the stone in tissue paper, and placed it into a small box, which she gave to Harry. With a "Good day", Harry left the store, slipping the stone in his pocket.
Soon enough, he headed back to the ice cream parlor. Severus was already there. He grabbed Harry's arm gently and pulled Harry into a corner of the Alley, where he pulled out the portkey again. He glanced questioningly at Harry, who nodded his consent.
Harry took a deep breathe, and placed his hand on the parchment. To his surprise, Severus placed his hand on top of Harry's, as if to give him extra comfort, and wrapped his arm loosely around Harry's shoulder. He leaned close to Harry's ear and whispered, "Remember that I'm here, and you're not with Voldemort. It'll help."
Harry shivered and nodded. Severus tapped the parchment, and the portkey activated.
When they landed, back at the front hall of Snape Manor, Harry was shaking like a leaf. He was surprised when Severus pulled him into a hug. He held onto Harry until Harry stopped shaking, and he slowly let go. He ushered Harry into the study. He pushed Harry gently onto the couch, and took a seat beside him. He turned Harry towards him and said firmly, "Tell me about your nightmares."
Harry complied. He told Severus about the visions of Voldemort torturing his death eaters, and about how he could feel the curses Voldemort cast. He told about all the nightmares he had of Cedric, of his parents, of his friends and godfather, all blaming him for their deaths. After he finished, he was exhausted. He lay his head on Severus' lap and promptly fell asleep.
Severus was surprised at Harry's revelations. He had never thought that the boy had been this troubled. He sat there, petting Harry's head gently as he mulled over what he had discovered today.
~A.N.~ I think this is the longest chapter yet! The ending's kind of abrupt, but I'm tired and I can't think of any other way to end it. Sorry. This chapter was supposed to be up days ago, but I couldn't get on the net. Grr! Well, ne wayz, plz review!
~Phoenix Angel