35. Moonstone and Mistletoe

"Why aren't we going to the hospital wing?" Callie asked as he carried her through the dungeons.

"Thought it was time you and I had a private chat," Snape replied.

There was absolutely no good that could come from this.

Without speaking or using his wand, he opened his office door, cleared off the desk, and laid her on top of it. "You really are exceedingly stupid sometimes," he said.

Callie rolled her eyes and said, "It wasn't really a spell backfire, sir."

"That's not what I was referring to." He aimed his wand on her, casting a bluish light. Callie looked down and was shocked to see what looked like an X-ray view of her chest cavity, only it was completely inside of her, appearing where her blouse and skin should've been visible.

"Whoa," she breathed. "Wicked!"

"What do you see?" Snape asked.

She looked up at him. "My innards, sir."

"What don't you see?"

She checked again. Oh. Of course. "My ribs, sir. All twelve. Sternum's gone too."

He nixed the light and her blouse became visible again. "What did you do to yourself?" he asked, moving over to his potion cabinet.

She hesitated. How could she be honest about this without letting on about the D.A.? He'd have to wonder how and why she got hit with a Reductor Curse.

Returning to her side with a bottle labeled Skele-Gro, he said, "Do you really think I don't know what you and your... comrades have been up to?"

She rolled her eyes. Oh hell, the git knew everything. "Who gave it away?" she asked. "Was it me? Thought I'd been being careful."

"You all aren't as inconspicuous as you seem to believe," he said. "And stop assuming that I'm in your head all the time. It's narcissistic. And I imagine there's plenty of things in there which I don't care to stumble upon."

Once again, she rolled her eyes.

"You're going to blind yourself if you don't learn a new way of expressing your irritation," he said.

She really had to fight the urge to do it yet again. "It was the Reductor Curse," she explained.

"Somebody cursed you?" he asked, cocking a brow. "Who was it? I'd like to shake their hand." She shot him a derisive look, before he went on. "As I said, exceedingly stupid. You've put yourself at risk of being found out as a participant in Potter's little anti-Ministry scheme."

"It's not anti-anything," Callie argued. "We're just trying to learn how to protect ourselves. You know Dumbledore isn't raising us up to go after the Ministry."

"Yes, I do," he agreed. "But do you think Dolores Umbridge would believe that?"

It was a point she couldn't argue against, but she said, "Umbridge isn't going to find out." Then she raised a brow to him and added, "Right?"

"Hmph," he breathed. "If I wanted to throw you to the wolves - no pun intended - I'd have done it long ago, believe me." After a pause, he asked, "Do you have any bruising or lacerations?" nodding towards her chest.

"I don't know," she replied. And then, rather cheekily, "You wanna have a look?"

He sighed and looked away in exasperation. Callie couldn't hide her smirk as she looked down into her blouse and said, "A little swelling and redness but it's not too bad."

He conjured a glass and poured some of the Skele-Gro into it. "Not entirely palatable, and it burns going down," he said, holding it out to her. "But get it all in."

Callie took the glass and figured it best to down the whole thing in one gulp. But it came back up as the taste hit, and she spit it out all over the place.

"What the hell is that?!" she shrieked, coughing and holding her hand to the sore spot where her ribs should've been.

"That's what you get when you go around taking Reductor Curses to the chest!" he shot back, conjuring a rag to wipe up the mess she'd made all over his stuff.

"Wasn't my fault!" she argued. Then, a bit bashfully, "Sorry."

He poured another glass of the putrid liquid and shoved it in her hand, glaring at her. She held her nose and took it a bit slower this time, grimacing the whole way through. When she was done, Snape took the glass and said, "Lie back," waving his wand over her upper body.

"What are you doing now?" Callie asked.

"I'm directing it to the right place," he said. "Otherwise it could spread and stimulate growth where it shouldn't occur."

They both remained quiet for a moment, until she asked, "What was that spell you did before? The one that showed my bones? You didn't say."

"Electramagnia," he replied. "You can find it in Murad's guide on diagnostic magic."

She furrowed her brow up at him and asked, "Do you know that I want to be a healer?"

"That's what I've heard," he replied.

Was he... helping her? Explaining how the Skele-Gro worked and giving her book recommendations?

What is wrong with him? she thought.

"Professor?" she asked after a moment. There was something that hadn't sit well with her in recent weeks, and she figured she may as well ask him outright. "Have you been favoring me because I know you're a-" She paused. "That you used to be... you know."

Still working on her ribs and sternum, he cocked a brow and said, "You think I've been favoring you?"

It was rather unbelievable, her of all people. But... "You haven't given me a single detention all year," she said. "I don't even think you've taken any points. You gave me points for threatening Seamus Finnigan. And you told Pansy not to hurt my bat." When he didn't respond, she added, "You've really gone soft on me lately. Curious, considering you hate me."

He was quiet for a long moment, and she thought they were done with this little conversation. But finally he said, in a quiet voice, "I don't hate you."

Surprised, she looked up at him, but he kept his eyes focused on his work. Smirking, she said, "Now that could be the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"I don't like you," he conceded.

"You said you 'loathed' me." Back at the end of third year, during their row about Lupin.

He hesitated, still unwilling to meet her eye. But he wasn't particularly apologetic or sincere when he said, "I didn't realize that had bothered you so."

"It hadn't," she replied. And it was true that she hadn't exactly been his biggest fan either, and couldn't have cared less at the time. "It's just... a little unusual, not hearing 'detention, Warbeck' or 'my office' every other day." She paused. "I don't need any special incentives to keep my mouth shut about your past." She turned away from him, hoping the lack of eye contact would keep from him the fact that she'd already told Neville.

"So that's what you think this is?" he asked. "That I'm... threatened by you, and that's why I'm playing nice?"

"I'm not suggesting you're 'threatened' by me, Professor. Trust me, I don't think that much of myself. But if you're not worried about that, then... why the sudden tolerance?"

He was quiet as he finished directing the potion through her system, but when he was done, he replied, "What can I say? You have become slightly more tolerable as of late."

"Have I?" she asked, cocking a brow.

"But has it never occurred to you, Warbeck, that I simply have more important matters on my mind than you?"

There was that contemptuous attitude towards her that she'd come to know and love. "Is that why you gave me an O on that moonstone essay?" she asked. "Nobody else got an O - I'm assuming. Hermione only got an E."

"Don't read so deeply into that," he replied. "It was a good essay. I was impressed. That doesn't happen often."

A big, shit-eating grin spread across her face. "Severus Snape was impressed by me," she mused in a teasing sort of way.

"Christ," he breathed, clearly becoming fed up with her. "I'm taking you up to the hospital wing."

"And here I was enjoying our time together," she joked. But he wasn't having it.

"I lied," he said, "I do hate you." Picking her up in his arms again, he added, "You're exhausting, you're a wise-arse, and you're arrogant."

"Well," she replied, "I suppose spending four years shut up in the dungeons with you would bring that out in me, sir."

"Detention, Warbeck."

"What, have you missed me?"

"With Umbridge."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Thankfully, he'd only been bluffing about that detention with Umbridge. Callie lay in her bed one day in December, twirling her fake D.A. galleon in her fingers while Bela fluttered about. The bat came to rest on her stomach, sniffing at the gold coin and trying to bite it.

"Eh," Callie said, giving him a very light tap on the nose, "that's naughty. You're naughty, you evil little cretin." Despite her chastising words, she had only been teasing the animal. He was, in fact, a very good boy, and he'd grown to love and trust Callie enough to let her hold him without trying to get away, and even to rest on her belly when she relaxed in her bed.

Sitting up, Callie swept the bat into her hands and cooed, "No, you're a good little pup, aren't you? Yes you are! Here-" she reached over to grab a slice of fruit off her bedside table "-have a bit of mango. Bela likes mangoes, he does."

"You're an oddity, Warbeck," Astoria said from her sister's bed. The girl was now a third-year and had finally gotten her own Muggle Studies text. But she had so many questions for Callie - "Is this true? Does it really work that way?" - that she often did her homework or studied when the older, half-blood girl was around.

Callie took no offense to the girl's comment, but said, "He can understand me. I know he can. Look at his eyes, he never takes them off me when I talk."

"Should've named him 'Neville,' then," Astoria said.

"Oh, come off it," Callie replied.

"Are you a lesbian?" the pureblood asked. "Not that I'd mind, but you don't seem to have any interest in boys."

"Neither do you," Callie shot back.

"Not these gits," Astoria agreed, sitting up on her knees. "But seriously, though, you can tell me. I won't say anything to Daphne."

The half-blood shook her head to herself. "No, I'm not a lesbian," she said.

"Is Neville gay?"

"I don't think so but you'd have to ask him." However, Callie paused, thinking that the outspoken girl might just be bold enough to do so. "Don't ask him," she said.

They fell back into silence, and Pansy came in a few minutes later. "Snape wants to see you," she informed Callie. "He's in the Potions room." Then, to Astoria, "And you, get out."

"This is my room, too," Callie said, rising up off her bed. "She can stay if she wants."

However, Astoria gathered up her things and said, "Thank you, Callie. But I think I can find some more agreeable company elsewhere," shooting Pansy a derisive look.

How nice it was to see Pansy directing her pissy little glare to someone other than herself. I knew there was a reason I liked you, Stori, Callie thought. Handing Bela over to the girl, she said, "Guard him with your life," shooting a glance in Pansy's direction.

Five minutes later, Callie was in the Potions classroom, where Snape was sat behind the desk, his head bowed as he graded papers.

"I'm here, sir," Callie announced, jiggling a bit of green foliage in her hand. "And I've brought mistletoe."

He paused and lifted his eyes to give her an irritated look. In response, she winked at him. Sighing, he remarked, "This is exactly the reason why people assume that you're... wanton."

"'Wanton,'" Callie mused, smiling to herself. "That's a new one."

Pushing the pile of essays aside, he said, "I've gone over the sign-up sheet for those who'll be remaining at the castle over winter break. Your name is on it."

He didn't go on, so she replied, "Yes, sir."

He studied her a moment. "Interesting," he said. "You've never stayed behind for the Christmas holiday in previous years."

"Exactly, sir. Thought it was time I found out what a holiday at the castle is all about."

"You were here last year," he reminded.

"Yes. But I gather that wasn't a typical Hogwarts Christmas." He kept his eyes on her, both of them quiet for a moment. He's trying to read you, Callie thought. Suddenly she turned her eyes away from his, plucking a crystal from her pocket and tossing it up and down in her hand. "I'm on the outs with my mum," she lied. "I don't care to spend three weeks at home with her. She almost didn't let me return to Hogwarts this year. If I go home, I'm afraid I won't be allowed to come back."

"Right," Snape said. "And then I'd have to come up with some way to thank the woman."

Callie shot him a look, before replying, "Speaking of thanks..." She took a step forward and set the crystal on his desk. He looked down at the shiny tumbled moonstone, then back to her.

Sighing, she explained, "It's symbolic. Just a small token of gratitude for fixing me up." After a pause, she added, "You can crush it and use it if you want to."

He picked up the stone and twirled it between his fingers for a moment, looking pensive. Then he stood, waved his wand, and that Greek dark arts book of his appeared on the desk. Callie watched as he conjured a duplicate, never speaking a word, and held out the copy to her.

She looked from the book, to him, and he said, "Consider it your reward for achieving the only O in class. I assume twenty points to Slytherin wouldn't have been particularly gratifying for you."

"Hmph," she smirked, taking the book and looking it over. "Enigmatic," she muttered to herself.

"This is not to be shared, mind you."

"No, of course not," she replied. "Thank you, sir. Is that all?"

"Yes," he said, and nodded towards the door. "Get out of my sight."

She stashed the book in her bag, then retrieved the mistletoe and shook it at him again. "Merry Christmas," she said, tossing it on his desk.

He replied, "I'm Jewish."

"Happy Hanukkah."

"I don't practice."

"Happy New Year, then," she replied, airily waving a hand over her shoulder as she made her way out.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

That night, long after most of the castle was in bed, Callie lay on the Ravenclaw table in the middle of the darkened Great Hall, looking up at the stars on the bewitched ceiling high above. This was as good as doing the real thing, she thought, only not twenty degrees and snowy. Bela was asleep on her belly, lying on his back.

She heard footsteps approach and was waiting for Filch to call out "student out of bed!" But instead, her visitor remained quiet as he got up on the Hufflepuff table and lay down just as she had.

"What a brilliant idea," the headmaster said. "Never thought to try it myself."

"Neither had I," Callie said. "I'm kicking myself now. This would've been quite a help for Astronomy."

They were quiet a moment, before Dumbledore said, "I spoke with Professor Snape at dinner. He's informed me that you plan on staying at the castle over Christmas."

She hesitated, but replied, "Yes, sir, I am."

"Hmm," he breathed. "The holidays at Hogwarts are quite lovely." After a moment, he went on, "Though it pains me to know that you'd leave your mother to endure her first Christmas as a widow by her lonesome."

Callie was overcome with guilt. Despite what she'd told Snape, her desire not to go home for the holidays had nothing to do with her mum. But she knew it was going to hurt the woman when she wrote to inform her of her plans.

"She won't be alone," Callie told the headmaster. "She'll be with my aunt and her family for the day."

"I see," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "And who will you be with, dear?"

Smirking, Callie replied, "I suppose there's always the chance I'll be in detention with Professor Snape, sir."

"I was under the impression that things had improved between the two of you as of late."

"They have, sir. I was only joking."

"Hmph." Another silence, and then the headmaster said, "You seemed to enjoy the Yule Ball last year, despite your head of house's attempt to spoil the occasion for you."

Again, Callie hesitated. "Yes, sir, I did," she said.

There was a pause, before the old man continued, "For many reasons, I regret the decision to revive the Triwizard Tournament, as I'm sure you can imagine."

Callie stayed quiet, thinking of Cedric Diggory, as she was sure the headmaster was also doing.

He went on. "But especially at that particular time, as it happened to rob you of the last Christmas you would ever get to spend with your father."

Callie's heart sank, as the headmaster had touched upon the very issue that had been troubling her for the last several weeks. She turned to face him, and he meet her eye with sympathy as he said, "I'm so sorry, Calista."

He wasn't only sympathetic - he looked rather guilty as well. As if it was his fault she'd missed her last opportunity to see her dad.

"It isn't your fault, Professor," she assured him. "Nobody could've known what was coming."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," he replied. "'Nobody could've known.'" He paused, before explaining, "Then it must also be true that there's no reason to feel guilty about enjoying the Christmas holiday this year."

Bloody hell, he was good. But Callie replied, "I'm not going to enjoy Christmas anywhere this year, sir. That's not why I'm staying."

"Oh?" he said curiously.

It was hard to explain, but she tried her best. "Three years in a row, I went home. Then the one time I don't..." she paused "...is the last time I could've seen him." Sitting up with Bela in her hand, she said, "I can't go home, sir. It... it would be..." She struggled to come up with the right words. "It would be like a slap in the face to him."

Dumbledore sat up to face her. "You believe it would be disrespectful to the man," he said, "that you didn't go home last year due to the ball, but that you would go home now, when he's no longer here to enjoy the holidays?"

Quietly, Callie replied, "Yes, sir. Exactly."

He pondered that, and said, "Then you believe he would feel... slighted if you went home?"

Callie thought about it, picturing her dad's reaction, what he would say. How dare you go home for Christmas, when I'm dead! wasn't exactly the likeliest of responses.

"Have you ever known him to be so cruel as to deny his daughter a happy Christmas?" Dumbledore asked.

She had to admit, "No, sir, not hardly."

He smiled at her. "And what do you think he would tell you to do?"

She thought about it and sighed. "He'd tell me not to let my mum endure her first Christmas as a widow by herself."

"Exactly," Dumbledore said. "In any event, you do know what it's like to miss the opportunity of seeing somebody you love one last time. Would you ever wish to subject your mum to such a sadness?"

Jesus! Callie thought. That's a morbid thing to say.

"Nobody can ever know what's coming," he explained, "but I'm sure she has her fears."

Right, lay on the guilt, sir. Just like she would.

"She does," Callie replied. "And no, I wouldn't want her to have to live with that."

He smiled again. "You're a good girl, Miss Warbeck. I know I'm not the man you'd most like to hear this from, but I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, sir," she replied, returning his smile. It really did mean a lot, coming from him.

He hopped off the table and she did the same. The man gave the still-sleeping Bela a pet and said, "Not big on kittens or bunny rabbits, are you?"

"No, sir," she said with a grin. "I prefer something a bit more... unusual."

"Hmph," he chuckled. "Perhaps that explains why you've come to appreciate Severus Snape."