A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, I don't have much time to write now that school's started again.

Chapter 6: Merry Christmas

I try to talk to Snape every day after that but he refuses to let me near him. At meals he sits in the furthest seat from me and if the only place left to sit is beside me then he skips the meal. If he sees me in the halls he turns and walks in the other direction, he's never in the staff room but keeps himself confined to his office and in desperation I even try to see him there but he just retreats to his rooms. Even James and Sirius never found out where the private rooms of the Slytherin Head of House are, and they could get into Dumbledore's.

Finally Christmas rolls around and many of the students head home. Snape disappears into his dungeons and I don't bother looking for him, I'm too busy trying to do all of my Christmas shopping in three days.

I'd planned to sleep in on Christmas morning but something poking me in the shoulder wakes me up.

"Go away," I mumble sleepily rolling over without opening my eyes.

"I'll get her up," someone says then all my blankets are gone. The cold air startles me awake and I sit up blinking the sleep out of my eyes.

Sirius is standing beside me with his usual impish grin, Gen is standing behind him laughing and Remus is standing at the foot of my bed with my sheets in his hands.

"You're supposes to be the nice one," I say to him in an accusing tone.

"Presents," says Gen pleasantly.

"I hate morning people," I mutter glancing over at my clock, which reads 8:05, so much for sleeping in.

The first presents in a small box and is apparently from all three of them. It's a necklace with a silver Phoenix on it.

"It's a kind of dark detector," says Remus. "It glows orange when a dark wizards near and red when you're in danger from being attacked by one."

I can see why it's from the three of them, that kind of thing is rare and therefore really expensive. I have a suspicion that Sirius paid for most of it with his inheritance of the Black family fortune.

I have two other presents, one is a set of Gryffindor coloured robes from Sirius and the other is the largest package of candy I have ever seen from Dumbledore. I fleetingly wonder if Dumbledore has opened the package of socks I sent him.

Since I don't have to teach today I put on the robes from Sirius and the four of us head down to the great hall for breakfast.

"Hey, Gen," I say when we're halfway there. "Could you talk to Snape?"

Gen gives me a withering look. "Why haven't you bothered?"

I wince. "I've tried."

She snorts. "Yeah well I've seen you try to be friendly with him before."

I look at Sirius, he'd sent me an owl mentioning that he'd told them what Dumbledore had said but he'd never mentioned their reactions.

"Listen, Gen." I say trying not to sound as frustrated as I feel. "I know I haven't been nice to him, but he's spent the last month purposefully avoiding me."

"I wonder why, after all you broke his heart."

"He doesn't have a heart," Sirius mutters.

"Sirius, shut up!" I snap and he looks startled. "Gen, I know you're probably right but I also know that you care about him."

Gen looks at me but doesn't interrupt.

"I also figure that he doesn't know that."

"Well it's kind of hard to tell someone that you're in love with them when they're pining for your best friend. Especially when your best friend goes out of her way to make his life miserable."

"That's my point."

"How is that your point," she snaps.

"You're to polite and shy to ever do anything to show him that you really do err…love him."

"What do you suggest I do?" she says sarcastically.

"Kiss him."

"What!" That comes not only from Gen but Sirius as well.

"Now that's an idea," says Remus with a grin.

We walk into the great hall then and the conversation ceases upon us laying eyes on Snape. He and Dumbledore are the only two there.

Snape looks up, sees us and abruptly gets up, leaving his breakfast, and heads for the doors.

Suddenly Gen races over to him, grabs him by the shoulder, spins him around and plants a kiss on his lips. "Merry Christmas," she says simply before walking back over to us.

I'm not sure who looks more surprised, Snape or me.

There is a great roar of laughter from behind us and I turn to look at Dumbledore who has thrown his head back and is laughing uncontrollably. This goes on for a few minutes before I get to courage to go up to him.

"Err, Dumbledore?"

He fights back chuckles in an attempt to speak to me, with tears of laughter running down his face as well. "Yes, Ruth?"

"Are you alright?" I glance towards the door of the great hall, where staff and students have started gathering, as I say this.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. In fact better then I have been in a long time." He looks over to the doorway. "Come in, come in. Breakfast is absolutely excellent this fine Christmas morning. And Severus do come and sit back down, your eggs are getting cold."

'Well he seems normal, anyways,' I think. 'Or at least as normal as Dumbledore ever is.'

"Thank you for the socks," Dumbledore says to me. "It is refreshing not to receive books for once."

I grin, "You're welcome."

I look down the table to where Gen and Snape are. For once Snape isn't sneering actually he looks confused.

"Well they seem to have finally figured it out," Dumbledore comments.

"Yeah." I run a hand backwards through my hair. "I never figured Gen would do anything like that, even though I suggested it. I'm the unpredictable person, she's always the rational one." I grin slightly. "I'll have to mark this day on my calendar, 'the day Gen did something unpredictable'."

Dumbledore chuckles and I look back down the table at Gen and Snape. To my surprise Snape suddenly smiles. It's shocking how different smiling makes him look.

"And I too have something to mark on my calendar," says Dumbledore softly. "The day I saw Severus Snape smile."

A/N: and so ends the chapter in which the plot is furthered very little. Exciting stuff next chapter, I promise.