AN: Wrapping up the holiday fluffff. Enjoy !
The snow fell quietly over the grounds of Hogwarts. It was New Years Eve, the castle empty of most of its occupants, having left to spend the holidays with their families. Sometimes Penny felt jealous of them, but moments like this, sitting quietly, the air crisp against her face, watching the magic of the grounds, was something she cherished. It had been a strange year, starting with Harry blowing up their Aunt Marge, to realizing Sirius Black, a mass murderer, had escaped Azkaban and was likely out to kill Harry.
She sighed, looking up and letting the snow fall onto her face, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. It never was a dull moment with Harry as a twin. But sometimes she wished it wasn't their life. Penny knew Harry did not dwell on what life could have been, and she resolved for the New Year to be more like him. She had Harry, and these magic moments at Hogwarts, she needed to stop dwelling on things that could have been.
A crunching in the snow distracted Penny from her thoughts. Professor Lupin appeared in the corner of her vision, he looked surprised to find Penny sitting on the garden wall she'd cleared of snow.
"Penny!" he smiled warmly, altering his path to make for her.
"Hi, Professor. I didn't realize anyone else would brave the weather," said Penny, quietly wondering if Lupin's tattered robes kept in much heat.
"When you get to my age you have to get up and out whatever the weather or the joints get stiff," he winked. "May I?" he gestured to the spot beside her.
"Please do, you are very welcome company!" Penny exclaimed.
They squished together, Lupin radiating heat. Evidently, he did not need his robes to keep warm, unlike Penny, who was shivering slightly beneath hers. He was a welcome heater that she felt the sudden urge to wrap her arms around, but resisted the temptation.
"What brought you out here?" he asked, examining her curiously.
"Tradition," said Penny, simply.
"Oh? What tradition is that?"
"I'll tell you so long as you promise not to call me silly," said Penny, eyeing the man tentatively.
"Wizards honor," he said.
"I come out here every New Years Eve and tell mom and dad about the year I've had and about what I hope to do with my next year," she smiled, looking to the sky as though the pair of them might be up there looking down on her.
Lupin draped his arm over her shoulder and gave her a light squeeze, his warm eyes looking sad when Penny turned to meet his gaze, somewhat startled by his open affection.
"Why would I ever call you silly for that, I think it's lovely," Lupin said softly. "Now what shall I tell my old friend James about my year, hmm?" he went on, looking thoughtful.
"You became Hogwarts hottest gossip for a whole month, that's quite the accomplishment," Penny grinned.
Lupin laughed, shaking his head.
"I'm sure James feels the same as you. But I was never one for the limelight. But I'd like him to know how his twins are the most welcome intruders of my freetime," he said, giving her a teasing look from the side of his eye. "I've thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of helping Harry overcome his fears and seeing first hand the empathetic person he's become. And of course there's his sister, what she lacks in empathy, she makes up for in cheek-"
"Hey!" Penny yelled, shoving a fist full of snow down his cloak, unamused with his jab.
"Someone can't handle the truth," he laughed reaching for some snow for his counter attack.
Penny tried to lean away from him to avoid the wet stuff but ended up tumbling backwards off the wall and landed in a crumpled heap, looking up into the face of Severus Snape, who was looking down at her, an eyebrow arched in disgust.
"What's this?" Snape sneered, lifting Penny to her feet and fixing his eyes on Lupin, who's smile faltered slightly under Snape's glare.
"A good time, not that you'd recognize it," said Penny, dusting herself off.
When she looked up, Lupin was avoiding her eyes, obviously trying to suppress his amusement. Snape on the other hand looked down on her rather severely.
"Good to see you Professor Snape, Penny and I were just discussing New Years traditions," Lupin said, politely.
"Ah yes, taking on the paternal duties of your friend, how adorable." Snape said delicately his eyes flashing to Lupin.
"I'm sorry you feel left out, Professor, but there's no need to be rude," Penny said, lobbing a snowball at Snape's face before Lupin could make his response.
It hit Snape square in the nose and he spat the snow from his mouth, looking furiously at her as she burst out laughing. "If you tell me your New Year's resolution, I'll tell me you mine," she winked, glancing back at Lupin whose expression was caught somewhere between shock and horror.
"Amusing, I'm sure. How like her father, she is, wouldn't you say, Lupin?" Snape said, sneering again at Lupin.
"I'm surprised you'd say so, Professor Snape, you should know better than anyone that Penny is one of a kind," Lupin smiled, getting to his feet.
"Are you going already?" Penny said, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice, but Snape's narrowed eyes told her she did not fool him.
"I was on my way to see the headmaster when I bumped into you. And your Potions Master won't like me very much if I don't share" he said, giving Penny a grin that seemed to irritate Professor Snape even more.
With a last clasp to Penny's shoulder, Lupin took his leave, Penny watching him sulkily.
"Try not to look like a love sick puppy, it's sickening," Snape drawled.
She returned to looking at Snape, who appeared especially irritable.
"Of course you ruined a perfect moment, I swear you have a happiness sensor that allows you to sweep in and ensure no one is having fun," said Penny, darkly.
"Your problem is you are too easily impressed," said Snape, rolling his eyes.
"Are you sure? What's that say about you?" Penny smirked.
"What are you getting at, Potter" Snape said, his lips pursed.
"Lupin might be the most handsome and charming and amazing and-" Penny gushed
"Get to the point!" Snape spat, his fists shaking
"Oh right. Well, you're still my number one, aren't you? And let's be real, no one would be easily impressed with you, you're a nightmare. It takes true love for someone to get close to a rude, mean, grumpy-"
"Enough!" Snape yelled, looking even more furious, which greatly confused Penny.
"It was a compliment!" she said, defensively, her eyes narrowing, "would you prefer I LIE?"
"No. But you might try looking up the definition of a compliment," he said, coldly.
Penny considered him for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong with the man, and then it dawned on her.
"You're jealous, aren't you!" Penny, exclaimed.
"What did you say," said Snape, becoming very still as his features went suddenly dark.
"Of Professor Lupin. Are you worried I've replaced you? I know what you need," said Penny, ignoring all the warning signs that Snape was about to throw her off the side of the garden wall and watch her topple down the hill into the Great Lake, and took his slender hands into hers.
Snape flinched involuntarily when she touched him but did not pull his hands away.
"What are you doing?" he said through gritted teeth.
"Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master, grumpy man, and absurd friend, my resolution this year is to dedicate more of my energy to our friendship, so never again will you have to worry that your prickly, annoying, and bad natured attitude will ever put me off from continuing to seek your company!" she declared, eyes bright with enthusiasm.
"Save your pretty words for Lupin, I have no use for them," he said, yanking his hands away from her and moving to sit in the empty space Lupin left, facing her, though decidedly not meeting her gaze.
"Is that so," Penny said in a dangerous voice, taking an angry step into his bubble. "Is it really so hard for you to not be a horrible miserable man for one moment, and say what you really feel!" she yelled, jamming her pointer finger into his chest and looking down on him with all her fury.
His face turned a horrible shade of crimson as he grabbed her finger and made to stand up to meet her anger with his own. But the movement caused Penny to slip on the ice and fall forward into his half risen frame, which was propelled by her momentum and he tumbled from the wall with Penny in tow. In a tangled mess of limbs and robes, they landed somewhat painfully in the snow below, Penny smacking her head against a large rock, causing stars to burst instantaneously across her vision.
"You stupid girl! Maybe if you weren't such an arrogant klutz I would enjoy your company. But as it stands-" he raged, getting to his feet to brush himself off but stopped mid-rant upon setting eyes on Penny.
He dropped immediately to her side.
"Of course you hit your head on the one rock here," he hissed, pulling out his wand.
"Get away from me, I don't want the help of a man who doesn't even like me," Penny said, trying to push past him, but she felt suddenly woozy after noticing the copious amounts of blood sliding down her face, obscuring her vision.
"Don't be stupid, you're bleeding everywhere," Snape snapped, pushing her back down.
"I don't care, I'll bleed all the way to the Hospital Wing if it means I can get away from you," Penny spat, moving her head away at Snape's every attempt to assess her wound.
"Hold still!" he commanded, his lip curling.
"Try apologizing!" Penny demanded, refusing to obey.
Snape took a shaking breath, closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose in an impressive effort to calm himself. She found herself grinning at how comical he looked, but she quickly suppressed it when his cold eyes snapped open once again.
"What am I supposed to apologize for," he asked in a deliberately calm voice.
"If you have to ask, you clearly don't understand the concept of the gesture!"
"Enough of this, if you don't hold still, I will hex you," Snape threatened, grabbing her chin and holding it still.
"Fine, but only because I'm getting dizzy," Penny conceded.
Snape's lips twitched at the corners of his mouth and he gave her a smug glance before making quick work of her cut.
"Thanks," Penny muttered, bitterly.
He conjured a handkerchief and began to wipe the blood from her face, considering her quietly. Penny's heart began to thump noticeably in her chest while she watched the man, her anger abating.
"I do not believe in New Year's Resolutions," he said, quietly.
"Why?" Penny asked, remaining very still, as though afraid of spooking a wild animal she wanted desperately to pet.
He fixed her with his dark eyes, "My mother made the same one every year and it never made a difference," he said after a long moment.
Penny considered him, wanting desperately to ask him what he meant, but thought better of it. She had never heard the Potions Master mention his parents, but something in the tone of his voice and the flicker behind his eyes told Penny he had good reason not to.
Finally, Snape stood and pulled Penny to her wobbly feet.
"I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing," he said, wrapping his arm around her to help her up the hill.
"You'll do no such thing, it's a holiday!" Penny objected.
"Ms. Potter, you just cracked your head open, and while I am certain you have the thickest skull of any student to ever cross these grounds, you require an examination to ensure no permanent damage has been caused!"
"If you make me, I'll tell her it was you who cracked my skull," Penny said, mutinously.
"I'll take my chances," Snape said, lazily.
"Professor Lupin will back me up!" Penny continued, as he dragged her across the snow, refusing to hear any of her arguments.
He glanced down at the disheveled, stubborn girl and held her a little tighter. Perhaps it was for the best that she spend more time with him, it seemed she had a proclivity for trying to send herself into an early grave. And for whatever reason the thought of it made him especially annoyed.