It was a bleak day and nearing Christmas. Severus never really liked Christmas all that much. It was depressing and embarrassing when you didn't receive any gifts, not even a damn card. That was how it went every year. It was even worse at home because his parents would throw a big party for all their friends. Lucius Malfoy would be there. He was 5 years older then Severus and picked on him endlessly. The only good thing about the Malfoys was when Laura would come, that was before she died. She had been a year younger then Severus but hung around him and he had always thought of her as the little sister he never had. But then disease struck Malfoy Manner the year before Severus started at Hogwarts. She had died of an unknown disease that the doctors thought she had caught from one of the house elves.

The whole family was devastated. They started treating the house elves even more cruelly. They kicked them and burned them, all sorts of things. They had never been nice to them, but then again, they had never been cruel. Severus often thought that Fiona and Laura were a dieing breed. Kind, sweet people were increasingly hard to come by.

That's where Severus stood. It was Christmas time again, a day before break began. It was the same gloomy period but with a pleasant twist, Fiona was there. She had planned countless activities for them. Walks in the snow, snowball fights, ice skating, trips to Hogsmeade (in their day they were aloud to go when ever they liked after 4th year). Severus was even a little excited about the loathed holiday.

The normal bright decorations adorned the Great Hall and corridors. At that time the two of them were headed to Potions. Fiona was hanging on his arms (something she often did). "And we can go and have Butter Beer in the Three Broomsticks, then we can go window shopping-" she had been like this for weeks and Severus found it quite amusing.

"What do you want for Christmas Fiona?" Severus asked suddenly realizing that he would have to get something this year.

"Oh, you don't have to get anything for me," she blushed.

"Yeah I do! You're my girlfriend and my best friend," he too blushed.

"If I tell you what I want then it won't be a surprise!" she exclaimed. "What do you want?"

"If you're not going to tell me then I'm not going to tell you," he replied, grinning. They continued in silence for a while before Fiona spoke up again with a grin on her face.

"I know what I'm getting you." She walked ahead and Severus felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, he had no idea what to get her.

The final day of classes ended quickly enough and Fiona and Severus took their dinner to the Astronomy tower. They liked eating up there for they could see the stars clearly in the sky. They talked up there. It was there that Fiona had first let something slip about her family.

It was a short time after the "kissing incident". They had been sitting, eating their lunch in the Astronomy tower and they had been talking about Professor McGonagall. She had caught a student mooching potions ingredients from Professor Newman. She had totally reamed them out and made them write lines. Severus said: "It was only writing lines though, I thought it would be much more then that."

"Well, as long as she doesn't engrave it into your hand like my mother does," she had stopped suddenly. Severus tried to probe but she had put up her wall again. Little did Severus know, he was going to learn a lot more then he wanted to know about Fiona's mother before the Holiday was over.

"So, do you know what you're going to get me Sev?"

"Not really, but I'll assure you, it'll be good," he said. She smiled and snuggled up to him.

"I'm sure it will be. You're present enough for me though." He kissed the top of her head then progressed to her eyelids, then her nose and finally her mouth. The kiss deepened and Severus was sure that he could die then a happy man. She opened her mouth, accepting his tongue. He knew her mouth like the back of his hand and moved in expertly over hers and then the roof of her mouth. She gave a small groan of pleasure. Her hands were running through his hair and his were tracing her back. She was the first to break the kiss.

"It's almost curfew," she murmured, looking at her watch. It was indeed, 8:36. He got up and collected his things and helped her with hers.

"I'll miss you," he said as they parted their separate ways, he down to the dungeon and she right to the Ravenclaw dormitories.

"Always Severus," he didn't really realize what she meant nor did she at the moment. He made his way to the common room in a daze. Falling into bed with a grin on his face. He loved Fiona, and he knew he wanted to marry her. He sat up, that was a new thought! He had often told himself that he loved her but never that he wanted to marry her. It was then that he knew the perfect gift. No, not an engagement ring. He had seen it a thousand times in Hogsmeade. It was a rare ring. It was an emerald set in a silver bed of intricate little leaves. It had caught his eye several times but never had any body for whom to by it.

The only good thing about being Severus was that lack of money was never a problem. His father gave him plenty of pocket money saying, "I don't want anyone to think a Snape is destitute." It would give Severus a lot of pleasure to spend masses of his father's money.

The next morning he got up early and left for Hogsmeade. He ended up having to wait 30 minutes in the bitter cold for the shop to open. When the old woman finally got there his ears felt like ice. "Well you're here early," she said in a creaky old voice.

"Yes, I just have one thing to buy and wanted to get it before my girlfriend got up."

"Oh, it's for someone special aye?"

"Yes, yes, now can you open the door?" he asked irritably. She unlocked the door and let him in. He took off his gloves and went immediately to the window display. He pointed to the small ring box.

"That's what I want."

"Ah yes, that's fairy made, very rare."

"Really, that's interesting. Now can I just buy it and get out of here?"

"Sure, do you have the money?" the woman was loosing her mystical voice and getting down to business.

"Yes, how much is it?"

"25 galleons and pay up boy," Severus fished in his pocket and deposited the money on the table.

"That's quite a lot of money for a ring," he said in a hurried voice. She ignored him.

"Do you want it engraved, no extra charge?"

"Sure, put love from Sev on the inside," he said.

"I think you should go for something more poetic," she said. Severus thought for a moment and then heard himself say:

"For always Winnie."

"Ah, that's nice," the woman got a far off look in her eye and it took her another 15 minutes for Severus to get out of the store. His spirits were up, however, since he now had Fiona's gift in his hands. He got back to Hogwarts far later then he had hoped and he knew that Fiona would already be up. He hurried to his dormitory, hoping she wouldn't find him and the gift. He deposited the tiny box carefully in his trunk.

He found Fiona sitting in the library. All the students had already gone for which he was very grateful. She looked up. "Where were you? I was worried!"

"Getting your gift," he answered with a sly smile.

"Oh, I still have to go and get yours. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow." He nodded.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm studying Potions."

They studied for the rest of the afternoon. It seemed that Fiona had forgotten all her plans of Christmas indulgences. Finally, at about 4:00 she put down her book and looked at Severus. She looked at him for a very long minute. She let out her breath very slowly then decided to speak. "You have a very lovely face," she said in a low, quite sexy voice.

"What?" Severus asked, looking up from his Potions book.

"Your face, it's very lovely. It's much lovelier now though, since you've cut your hair."

"Your face is a lot more lovely then mine," he replied. He cupped her chin in his hands and gazed into her eyes. Those eyes, they were the death of him sometimes. Big, amber orbs just staring into his beady black ones. "Let's not study anymore today. Let's take a walk. It's very nice outside."

"But it's cold isn't it?"

"Of course it's cold, it's late December!" Severus said in a surprised voice. Fiona wasn't one to state the obvious.

"I just meant that we'll need to head back to my Dormitory so I can get warmer cloths," she blushed and Severus felt badly.

"Okay, can do." They walked down to the Ravenclaw entrance (a suit of armor). He closed his ears as to not hear the password. He was surprised when she beckoned him foreword but he followed. The Ravenclaw Common Room was much nicer then the Slytherin one. It was much cheerier, with bright yellow walls and soft, poufy, yellow chairs.

"I'd ask you up but you'd get a nasty bump on the head." He nodded and watched as she climbed the stairs.

"Isn't anyone going to notice I'm here?" Severs asked.

"No, there're only a few of us staying and the others are playing Quidditch or in the library. I made sure nobody was around.

"How'd you do that?"

"I have my ways." She disappeared for a couple of minutes. Severus was getting increasingly uncomfortable. What if someone burst through the doors and found him there? People would know Fiona let him in and then she would have to face scorn by her peers. He was relieved when she appeared at the top of the stairs and ran down to him. She had a sweater and her cloak in hand along with mittens, a hat, and a scarf. "Let's go."

The two walked to the doors leading outside before putting on their cloaks, gloves, hat, etc. She looked very cute with her green hat with ears. Severus didn't really look cute. He pulled on a black sweater then his black cloak and his black gloves and his black scarf and then his black hat. Fiona was a mismatch of colors. She had a green hat, red mittens, purple scarf, and multicolored sweater. Of course her cloak was black but still.

Severus took her hand and they walked out into the snowy wonderland. She gave a little shiver and walked into Severus arms. She pressed close to him and he pulled his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go ice skating!" she said excitedly.

"I don't know how and we don't have any ice skates," Severus hated to point this out.

"I haven't either but I've always wanted to try and we don't need skates." She led them to the thickly frozen lake.

"We should check the ice first," Severus said. He took out his wand and muttered a quick spell. "It's okay." They went out onto the frozen ice. She caught on very quickly, gliding across its surface with ease and grace. Severus however wasn't very good at all. He moved slowly and cautiously, but still managed to fall down a fair amount.

"Come here Sev," Fiona laughed in her sweet little giggle. She went over and helped him up from a particularly nasty fall. She took his arm and steadied him. "Long glides like this. Become one with he ice." She enchanted Severus. Just then she looked particularly beautiful. The cold wind was whistling through her hair, blowing at the part that wasn't covered by her hat. Her eyes seemed to be all the brighter and her cheeks were red. Her voice sounded very sweet to him and her movements were like that of an angel. The pressure of her hand on his arm was entirely pleasant and he wanted, more then anything, to be graceful like her, to please her.

He worked at it and finally became decent just about when she sat down, exhausted. "Come on Winnie," he said, giving her his hand. He stayed as steady as he could and managed not to fall as he helped her up. They skated to the outskirts and stepped onto the soft snow. The bottoms of their shoes were soaking wet and the warmth of the castle was looking very nice at the moment. "We should hurry or we'll miss dinner," she murmured, looking into his eyes. He ignored her words and bent down to her lips. They were cold but he warmed them and he warmed her, holding her close to his body. She molded to him and he felt her relax in his embrace. She laced her fingers around his neck and he around her waist.

"I love you Severus," she whispered into his lips.

"I love, love, love you. Do you want me to prove it?" Severus asked.

"You don't have to," she smiled and it just made him want to even more.

"I LOVE THIS WOMAN. I LOVE FIONA ARWIN UMBRIDGE MORE THEN ANYTHING. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, THIS WOMAN!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. She laughed and it went all the way into her eyes. Her cheeks crinkled and her eyes became warm slits. She pulled him back into a kiss.

"I love this man, I love, love, love him. For always Severus, for always."

A/N- I know I got that from a commercial but I just think that that commercial is the cutest thing in the world! I hope you enjoyed this. Another one will be coming soon to a theatre near you!