She met him at the back of the courtyard. It was beautiful outside – snow had fallen the day before, and a blanket of white covered the world. Glittering and sparkling, the hoarfrost-covered branches of the birches and oaks shone in the sunlight. Dressed in warm cloaks, mittens, and boots, they set out across the lawns towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Where are we going?" asked Severus curiously. "You'll see," Marya answered with a mischievous grin. "Just follow me. It is a ways yet."

They walked for maybe twenty minutes, following along the edge of the forest. With each step the snow crunched under their feet, the only sound the in the otherwise still, muffled world. As they seemed to be getting closer to their destination, Marya kept checking the surroundings, as if looking for landmarks. Finally, she stopped. "Stay here," she ordered, and leaving him standing there, took off into the underbrush. Just a couple minutes later she was back. "I just wanted to make sure it was still there." The happy look on her face told him she had obviously met with success. "Close your eyes!"

He recoiled slightly. It went against his every instinct. Sure, she seemed like a sweet enough thing, but how well did he really know her.....

"It's alright – you don't have to." She had noticed his hesitation. He fumbled for an explanation. "It's not that I don't trust you...." "....but you don't trust me," she finished the sentence for him with amusement in her voice. He breathed a sigh of relief – at least she didn't seem to take it personal. "Follow me, then....."

Pushing through the brush that lined the edge of the forest, they entered into a small clearing. He could see her tracks in the snow leading to and then around an ancient oak tree on the left hand side. "Go on, follow my footsteps – I'll be right behind you," she urged him on.

Cautiously, he advanced. As promised, she kept right behind. As he walked around to where the trail ended, he sharply drew in his breath. It couldn't be.

He almost reverently knelt down. There, nestled close to the trunk of the massive tree, sheltered by two large roots, a small plant poked out of the snow.

Stella Xeimonus. The WinterStar.

One of the rarest of magic plants - the only thing to thrive in the middle of winter.

Bringer-of-hope, symbol of life.

As a potion ingredient, almost priceless...........

Small flowers that looked as if the were made from blown glass peeked out between slender silvery leaves. He stretched out a finger to gently touch one of them.

She had walked up and knelt down in the snow behind him, one hand on his shoulder, looking at his face as he looked at the fragile flower.

"How did you find it?" he whispered, gazing in wonder.

"It was in my fifth year. I always liked roaming around the edge of the forest – I never dared to go in very far. This clearing was one of my favorite spots to disappear to with a book in the summer. When I came back in the winter, I found this. It has been my secret ever since. I never told anyone." Her voice, too, was quiet, reverent.

He looked back at her, a question in his eyes. "Now I am sharing it with you," she whispered. "Happy Birthday."

He was taken aback. "How did you...?"

"Uncle Albus told me."

He did not know what to say. This had to be the most priceless gift he had ever received – making him acutely uncomfortable. There was no way to reciprocate, no way he could ever do anything as wildly generous as she had just done for him. It was not a position he liked to be in. He didn't like the feeling of being outdone, of being beholden.

Yet, looking at her shining eyes, he all of a sudden knew without a doubt this thought would not have even occurred to her. This gift was given freely, with no strings attached, simply to bring him joy. All of a sudden, there was a stinging sensation in his eyes, and a tight feeling in his throat. "Thank you," he whispered.

She looked down, blushing. "I would have shown you sooner or later anyways – I knew you would appreciate it more than anyone else." After a couple minutes, she straightened up with a bit of effort, self-consciously. "Go on, take what you want, and let's go back – the day isn't over yet." Again there was a sparkle in her eyes. He looked at her warily – that sparkle hinted at some more surprises, and he was not overly fond of surprises at all. This had been more than enough already.

Three silvery leaves carefully wrapped in his pocket, they set back out towards Hogwarts.

With a dry "We wouldn't want someone who wouldn't appreciate it to follow our tracks and find it, would we?" he pulled out his wand, and with a wave erased all their footprints leading into underbrush. Their secret was safe.

When they arrived back at the castle, she turned to face him. "Why don't you take care of those leaves, and then come over to my quarters?"

He hesitated. "I really should be....I mean I still have to...."

"It is the Christmas Holiday. And your birthday. For Pete's sake, you can take a day off. Unless you have other plans..?" She looked slightly crestfallen. Obviously the thought had not occurred to her, which galled him slightly. He was tempted to tell her that, yes indeed, he already had other arrangements for the rest of the day, but then thought better of it. No use in biting off your nose to spite your face.

"Alright. I'll be there," he said with resignation. She visibly cheered up. "'See you in a bit, then!" she smiled, and walked off.