DONG. Lying there in bed. DONG. Safe at last. DONG. Resting on his throne of repaired hopes. DONG. Repair. It was being made. DONG. He would make it last. DONG. To show everyone. DONG. To show himself.

Seven o' clock, Christmas morning. Christmas. Severus said it to wimself without that defiant inner voice interrupting. At last. For once and all, it had been silenced.

Silence- something he could not keep! He leaped out of bed and failed to take notice of any aches or pains caused by this sudden motion. Bounding down the stairs in anticipation, he grabbed his cloak and found it fit him grandly. Like a king. Like the king who found a revelation not to be in vain.

Scrambling out the door and on to the front step, Snape spotted a young lad on a bicycle, who sped up as he passed Severus's house. Severus called to the boy,

"You there! Stop, boy!" The boy's eyes widened as he made to speed off, but Snape was beside him, a hand placed on his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded of the quivering lad.

The boy replied fearfully, "To buy Ma and Pa their Christmas chicken." A sudden smile of sincerity spread across Snape's face as he told him,

"Well then. Fine boy you are, take this, buy your chicken, the plumpest, finest one! Then run home with your folks and enjoy their company." With that, he placed in the boy's hand several Knuts, more than enough to buy a fabulous Christmas bird. With a stunned, "thank you", the boy was off, and so was Severus.

With naught on but a cloak, nightdress, and grin, Severus strided down the street, not arrogant as in his previous manner, but in one that was almost jubilant. He knew where it was he had to go- as he was on his way, he passed a trio of carollers, who scowled as he came up to them.

"Surely you haven't given up on me that easily?" he asked as he laid an arm around the shoulder of one of the nearly-petrified looking young ladies.

"Come now", he sang, " 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'...around the octave of E." he lead the surprised songsters along in a chorus of 'Merry Christmas'es, singing 'til they could sing no more. Snape bid a final one as he farewelled his new friends and continued down the street.

At last he came upon the home he had the night before. Peering in the window, he was a bit put-out to see the same scene in his nephew's house he had seen previously. He knocked on the door.

Gilderoy opened the door, and his jaw simply dropped as he saw his uncle standing at his doorstep with a broad smile on his face.

"Uncle...this won't be another one of your tricks, will it?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, no, dear boy," Severus laughed it off. "May I come in? And a Merry Christmas to you," he said to Gilderoy's wife.

"Same to you..." she mumbled in shock, then, more openly, "Mr. Snape?! Well, come on in! Stay for breakfast, won't you?" He replied,

"I shan't be able to, I'm afraid; you see, I have another stop to make this fine Christmas morning.

"Well then, how about later tonight for dinner?" his nephew asked. A pause, then,

"Of course. I'd love to. Have a merry, Merry Christmas." he smiled as he turned to the door. Then, turning back, he winked, "love the statue, by the way."

Continuing still on his way, he at last reached his final destination of the morning. Knocking on the Creevy's door, he hardly hesitated as Mr. Creevy answered the door and invited him in. His wife rushed over to greet him with a certain smile.

"Hello, Mister Snape...we haven't much to offer, but won't you have a glass of Christmas cider?" He took the cup and drank from it, plucking the hairs of his face as he lost himself deep in thought. After awhile he said,

"Thank you. And thank you for not giving up on me. You haven't given up on the boy either, surely?" The Creevys glanced at each other. Just as they did, Colin, and his sister came bounding down the stairs, Dennis sitting upon the shoulders of his brother.

"Children," said Mr. Creevy, "Look who has come to say hello this Christmas." Colin froze for a moment at the bottom of the stairwell, looking at Snape and remembering their first, dismissive, meeting.

"Well now, don't be shy, say hello!" Mrs. Creevy beckoned to her children.

Severus began to shake as he took little Dennis on his lap. Stroking his hair and holding back tears, He looked up at the Creevys.

"I...I want you to take this...all of it...heal him." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a sack of Galleons and handed it to a Mr. Creevy, who by now was trembling as well.

"We...we can't...no sir, there's no way..." he gulped, but Severus handed Dennis to his brother, and as he stood, clasped close Mr. Creevy's hold on the bag.

"This is my Christmas gift to you...to him...to your family." he said this as he headed for the door. Mr. and Mrs. Creevy were still and silent. As his hand was on the knob, Mrs. Creevy put her arm around his shoulder.

"Please...stay for Christmas a Christmas meal, won't you, Severus?" Looking into her eyes, looking into all their eyes, knowing Dennis soon would be healed, he smiled, a pure, simple smile, and said,

"Of course. After all, what is Christmas if not a time to spend with special people?" Sparkling eyes around the room, Dennis's brightest of all, nodded in agreement, and as Dennis stood for once on his own, he looked at Severus and his family around the room and smiled,

"God Bless us. Every one." And not a spirit or humbug around could at this moment disagree.