All disclaimers are in place. Refer to the Prologue section for details.

A/N: The lyrics to the "Santa is a Fat Bxtch" song belong to ICP. No copyright infringement intended.

Another A/N: Muggle electronics don't work at Hogwarts!

Yet another A/N: If obscene language makes you blush, get over it and read this chapter anyway.

And yet another A/N: I stayed up all night finishing this, so if it's a bit loopy, blame it on lack of sleep.

Torny: Thanks for reviewing! It's nice to be appreciated. Yes, I've tried to break from the usual tradition of Snape fics and use a different approach, and I hope it can compare to some of the better Snape fics out there.

PART THIRTEEN: HOWLER

Halo was packing.

"I don't care what he says. He can scream at me for all I care. I'm going. I'm not wanted here anymore. He can't stop me."

The hostile monologue went on for an hour as she padded around the room, gathering her belongings for the winter break and stashing the miniaturized items in her travel bag. So lost in her hostility, she jumped a mile and emitted a squeak that sent a glass inkwell crashing to the floor when a knock sounded at her bedroom door.

And instead of an announcement from the intruder, it barged in and revealed itself to be Severus Snape.

"Did I invite you in?" Halo had her hands on her hips. She looked tired, and had dark circles under her usually sparky metallic eyes, Snape noticed.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"Home. To be with the only people who might still care about me."

It stung like acid on torn skin. "There's a… situation," Snape informed her. "You're staying here."

"I don't think so." She resumed her packing.

"You're staying."

Halo whirled to face him. She was so close, he could see just how exhausted she was. "I'm going. You can go piss yourself if you don't like it."

It was pure, devastating whiplash. Despite not being his biological daughter, she had clearly inherited his razor-sharp tongue.

"I beg your pardon?"

She was still staring defiantly up at him in reply. Her gallantry to stand up to him was not betrayed by her small size. Even so, she still needed to be reminded of her place.

"You will not speak to me in that tone. Furthermore, you are a minor child and I have decided that you are staying here." He thrust a piece of parchment in her hand. "Madam Pomfrey has asked for you to brew a number potions for her. I suggest you get started."

Halo opened her mouth to scream at him, which would undeniably lead to disaster. Snape was quick to cover her mouth with his hand and Halo stopped short.

"We will have none of that, thank you." He removed his hand only when he was certain she wouldn't bring the castle down on them.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded in an almost hysterical pitch. "Isn't it enough that you're going to let me die, and now you have to keep me from the only people who may still care for me?"

Snape sighed. It was obvious that she believed no one at Hogwarts cared for her, and that going back to the DeMornays, even for a short while, would give her a sense of belonging. And if it weren't for Lucius Malfoy, he'd gladly let her spend the rest of her days with them. He might as well tell her the truth, and spare himself the headache of cleaning up after her eventual rampage.

"Lucius Malfoy knows about you, Halo. He knows about us."

Halo sucked in a breath. "How?"

"Young Mr. Malfoy apparently found out and told him." He looked like he was waiting for her to explain herself.

"I didn't tell him… and neither did Olli. He wouldn't do that."

"I know. I had a discussion with the young man myself."

"Who, Draco?"

"No, Mr. Wood."

"Oh." Halo looked distant for a moment, and quite hurt. "What did he tell you?"

Snape read into her tired features, and decided to be as sensitive as possible on the subject. "He promised me that he had not said a word to anyone about it… and then he asked how you were."

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him to ask you himself. He… said he might."

Halo was silent for a moment, then nodded in acceptance. "That can't be the only reason you want me to stay."

"Clever girl… actually, Lucius extended an invitation to a social gathering on the evening of the twenty-fourth. I've already accepted on your behalf."

"You what? Why?"

"Because if I hadn't, he would have suspected I was hiding you from him and would cast me out of his circle without a second thought, or worse. And if Voldemort ever returns, that circle is where I need to be, in order to help our side."

Halo couldn't help it, she began to cry without warning. "I don't want any part of it… I don't want to get involved…" she kept repeating. Snape had her by the shoulders and was leading her to her bed as she collapsed in hysterics.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Halo found herself, much against her will, in the Potions classroom on Monday morning with instructions and components for an array of liquid compounds needed in the Hospital Wing before the students arrived after the holiday. Halo kept reminding herself that if it weren't for how kind Madam Pomfrey had always been to her, there was no way she'd be doing what her father had asked.

He'd been gone from the school grounds since putting her to bed with a dreamless sleep concoction he'd been carrying among the vials in his robe pockets. Halo wondered where he'd gone, but she had an idea. It must have something to do with whoever told Draco about her.

She'd written to the DeMornays, explaining that she been given several last-minute assignments that required more attention than she could give them at home, and they'd sent her Christmas gifts by return owl. Or owls, actually, as it took three to deliver several large packages, only one which she'd been allowed to open immediately.

It was a Howler.

But wait, don't cover your ears yet.

This Howler, instead of containing some vulgar message with the intent to shred itself after breaking the recipient's eardrums, substituted a message for music, and text for a playlist.

"Just like the discs I have back home," she reminisced, It appeared the DeMornays had charmed the Howler with every song they'd found in Halo's collection. Every song. Including…

Halo couldn't believe it. Despite what a crummy final winter holiday she must endure, at least she could spend it in the comfort of familiar tunes. She took the Howler with her to the Potions lab. She doubted it could be loud enough to break anything.

Snape had just reported to Dumbledore, and had no luck in finding out who had leaked such information to the Death Eater's son. Dumbledore found it curious that the students were still oblivious upon their departure two days before. It appeared Draco wasn't telling.

He strode through the corridors and down flights of stairs to the dungeons. As he drew nearer to his classroom, he heard some muffled, hellish noise scratching its way through the stone walls. It got louder as he got closer to the door to his lab. Ever the paranoid Death Eater, he cracked the door and peered inside.

The waves of sound and vulgar lyrics nearly blew him off his feet.

…Santa Claus suck my bxlls

drunk as hell ringing bells at the malls

Dancer Prancer Nixon and Cupid

I'm a get stupid, ha ha ha…

It was nearly enough to make Severus Snape blush. "Halo!" he bellowed, bursting through the door, which crashed against the stone wall, but not loud enough to be heard over the ruckus coming from the singing red envelope hovering somewhere above the worktable where Halo was sitting backward on a chair and chewing on what looked like a green worm. She was also belting out the lyrics, but like the door could not be heard over the music's excessive volume.

Snape strode to face her, opposite the table and slammed his hands onto the wood surface. Halo looked up, not interrupted in the least, and pulled a string that was dangling from the suspended Howler. The music continued to play, but at a much more tolerable level in Snape's biased opinion.

"What on Earth are you doing?" he demanded.

Halo looked perplexed. "I'm doing what you told me to, or is that too astonishing for you to comprehend?" she shot back.

"You're making a mess!" he indicated to the three cauldrons going at once, with liquid splashing over the sides as they bubbled. "Are you certain you've brewed them correctly?"

"Of course I am! I may be dying, but it doesn't make me stupid."

Severus took in a slow, deep breath and blew it out with the same deliberate effort. I'm going to let that slide… he chided himself. "And what in Merlin's name are you eating?"

"Lime worms, from the Headmaster. Want one?" She grabbed one from the bag labeled "Honeydukes" and held it out to him.

"Er… no."

Halo shrugged, tossing one green, wormy end into her mouth and chewed away.

"And the Howler?"

Halo chewed and swallowed and then explained the dangling envelope as it belted out more crude lyrics.

…for the neighborhood Christmas and everything's whack

not a creature stirring but a fxckin rat…

"And what possessed you to listen to such an… inappropriate selection?" he fought to keep from snatching the bobbing red parchment from the air and tearing it to pieces, but he knew Halo's reaction would likely destroy the castle as her abilities were growing exponentially stronger.

"It seemed to fit my mood."

"I see… defacing a sacred holiday through offensive noise was what you were in the mood for," he analyzed.

Halo nodded brazenly, one eyebrow raised.

Snape stared her down for a long moment. He knew he wasn't going to win this one. "Carry on," he muttered, turning toward his desk, whirling around again as a thought passed over him. "But do keep the volume down, this is after all my classroom."

Halo went back to her work. Snape made no protest, but was aware over the following hours that the songs went from obnoxious and loud to slower, more calm, even sad. If what she'd said earlier about the music fitting her mood, she must be worn out by now, he surmised.

The song ended. Snape realized he'd been lost in thought, his quill poised over an unrolled stack of student papers and looked up to see Halo standing in front of him with a tray of vials in her hands.

"I'm finished."

By the Gods, she did look exhausted. Her eyelids were drooping, dark circles surrounded her eyes and she was deathly pale. Without closer examination he could see that she was trembling with the sheer effort of holding up the vial-laden tray.

He swept around the desk to take the tray from her, setting it quickly on the wood surface and leading her to a chair. Still not comfortable being touched, she started to pull away from him, but didn't have the strength. "I'm fine," she lied.

"You need to rest." he went to a drawer in his desk and pulled out a vial of Pepper-Up, which he emptied into her mouth with no attempt at objection on her part. He stood before her until she had ceased shaking and looked a little brighter. "Stay here until I'm finished, then I'll escort you back to your room." He went back to his desk, looking up often from his grading. She hadn't moved, and was staring into space. Her voice broke the silence just as he was putting a final red mark on the last parchment.

"I'll go with you."

Snape looked over at her. He didn't try to pretend that he didn't know what she was talking about.

"I won't let any of them hurt you," he promised.