Yay, I finished chapter 3 and guess what?
There will be a fourth chapter as a little Bonus :D

I still need to write it though, so it will come after christmas ;)

As for now: please enjoy this chapter and I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas Eve.
We germans celebrate christmas today and I am really excited for it.
I know it has been a shitty year, but let's not lose our positivity and let us all hope that 2021 will be a much better year :3

I hope the translation turned out okay, for this chapter was a bit of a challenge to translate.

And as always I would appreciated feedback in the form of a comment very much, thank you.
Please don't be shy and share your thoughts with me, for it would mean a lot to me to know what you think about this.

Thank you all for reading and for commenting on this fic.
That means so much to me. Love ya :D

paradise dazzleshine
I am very happy to see that you find this FF cute :D

MirFalltKeinBessererNameEin
No worries my dear. I know exactly what you mean :3
And thank you for your kind words and that you got emotional while reading.
This is a nice compliment for me :3.
And just in case that you are able to speak german (because of your name):
You can also comment in german if you like to ;)

GiuliaComix
Awwww, my job is done here when I made you tear up while reading :D
I can feel you, for I myself teared up a bit while writing this.
Together with this one sad Lord of the Rings soundtrack in my ears and all locks opened for me as well ^^;
But I am very happy to see that you got emotional while reading. This is a very nice compliment for me as a writer :D
Hopefully this chapter will cheer you up a bite ;).

Guest
Glad to hear that^^

Chapter 3:
Christmas Eve

Minerva McGonagall raised an eyebrow in question as the huge doors of the great hall opened and Albus Dumbledore entered...alone!

Inwardly, she had already expected that Albus would have no chance of convincing Severus to go with him, but inwardly she hadn't given up hope for a little Christmas miracle. The greater the disappointment was to see that Albus had failed and that it would be another Christmas without Severus.

But something made her doubt that thought. Especially when she saw the twinkle in the headmaster's eyes and the small, satisfied-looking smile on his lips as he stepped calmly to the staff table and sat down next to her.

"How did it go?" she asked straight ahead and without even trying to keep her curiosity in check.

She had waited long enough and since she had been sitting alone in the great hall for half an hour, since the other teachers had gone on a little patrol round through the school, she had barely been able to stand the wait.

The old wizard turned his head to her and gave her a warm smile.

"Unfortunately, I cannot give you an answer to that, my dear. Time will tell us how he decided."

The older witch raised her eyebrow again.

"Albus, what did you do?"

The smile on the older man's lips grew wider and the twinkle in his blue eyes grew stronger and there was something mischievous in his gaze.

"Nothing special. We had a little conversation among men. Nothing big. I tried to be as convincing as I could. And to help him a little with his decision, I told him that I would just send you to him if my methods of persuasion should fail."

Minerva grinned slightly and she shook her head in disbelief.

That was so typical of Albus. If he had something in his head then he really tried to put it into action by all means. She still didn't know if she felt sorry for Severus or if she should just laugh about it.

Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when the doors to the great hall swung open again and both of their eyes went to the person who was now entering, but it was not Severus who entered the great hall, but Harry Potter, followed by his best friend Ronald Weasely.

She couldn't expect her colleague to have a sudden change of heart just because Albus had visited him and talked into his conscience. All these years he had not attended the Christmas festivities. So why should he do it this year?

She tried not to let her disappointment show when her gaze fell on the two boys who entered the hall, laughing happily and joking around before their eyes met.

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall. Good evening, Professor Dumbledore," the two greeted them almost simultaneously in chorus and she couldn't help but smile.

Harry looked so happy ever since he was at Hogwarts. She remembered his very first day and how nervous he had been then. Nothing of that was to be seen now. Instead she saw a happy boy in front of her, his eyes sparkling with childlike joy as he saw the festive decorations that adorned the great hall and it almost seemed to her that Harry was attending a Christmas party for the first time in his life. But that couldn't possibly be true. His aunt and uncle celebrated Christmas at home too. Still...sometimes it seemed like the boy was hiding something from them. She had decided to take him to the side at times and have a little chat with him. As his Head of House it was her duty to do that. She cared about all of her little lions and Harry was no exception. But before that, the boy should let the year end, because she didn't have the heart to ruin his Christmas joy by perhaps addressing things he didn't really want to talk to her about, so she had decided to do so by the beginning of the new year.

"Harry, Ron. How nice that you made it."

Dumbledore's smile had grown even wider and the twinkle in his eyes even stronger than before when he saw the two young Gryffindors who were just about to take their places at their empty table.

"Why don't you two come up to us and keep us company? There is enough space here for all of us."

The two students looked at each other in disbelief before grinning and hurrying excitedly up to the staff table.

"Now, you two. Not so stormy. We still have plenty of time left before curfew," Dumbledore said with a soft laugh, as the two almost fell over the few steps that led up to the staff table.

"Sorry, Professor," said Ron, and like Harry, he blushed.

"Nothing bad happened. Take a seat next to your head of house and have something to eat."

The two frowned thoughtfully as they looked at the two empty seats next to McGonagall.

"Are you sure? What about the other teachers who usually sit here?"

"Professor Flitwick left for a control round through the castle half an hour ago and Madam Hooch left before Christmas. So that shouldn't be a problem," said McGonagall, who smiled warmly at the two boys.

It didn't take any more persuasion before Ron and Harry sat down in the two free seats next to her. Harry grinned slightly to himself as he looked at Ron out of the corner of his eye, who suppressed a grumble because he hadn't been fast enough and was now sitting next to his Head of House. The looks he threw him said in silence, "I don't know when and how, but you will get that back!"

Harry just grinned to himself and took some of the delicious food that appeared on one of the plates in front of him. Only now did he notice how hungry he actually was. No wonder, since he had last eaten that morning.

Minerva watched the two boys for a while before she also took something to eat. Dumbledore did the same and after a while he started a conversation with the two students and asked them about their well-being, how they liked the food and whether they were enjoying their first Christmas at Hogwarts.

"It's beautiful, Professor."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Harry. What are you two going to do today?"

"We're waiting for Hagrid, sir. He wanted to pick us up around five o'clock because he invited us to his hut. I hope that's okay."

"Of course. But promise me that you won't stay too long and that Hagrid will bring you back to the castle afterwards. I don't want two first graders walking across the castle grounds all alone in the dark."

"Hagrid will bring us back afterwards. We already discussed that with him," Harry said with a smile on his face, which Dumbledore replied meekly.

"That's good to hear. What else did you do today?"

"Ron and I were outside."

"And it was great, Professor. All that snow! Perfect for a snowball fight or sledding!" Ron said with excitement.

Dumbledore was about to reply when the sound of two heavy doors opening reached his ears again on that day.

Everyone at the table turned their heads in the direction from which the noise had come from and Harry felt how his stomach clenched when he saw Snape, who stepped slowly into the great hall and looked around a little uncertainly. But that could also have been his imagination.

Minerva, however, couldn't believe what she was seeing and that Severus had actually come to the great hall on Christmas Eve.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as much as they hadn't for a long time and his smile was just about to split his face in half as he watched the young Potions Master and how he slowly entered the hall and looked around and apparently amazed that the great hall was as good as empty. When his gaze went to the staff table and when he saw Harry and Ron sitting next to McGonagall, however, his gaze darkened and Dumbledore could almost feel the tension in the air.

But he didn't let it ruin his good mood. Even for such a situation there were ways and means to loosen it up a little.

"Severus, my boy. How nice that you were able to join us on this beautiful day. Come up to us and take a seat at the laid table. The food is delicious."

Severus didn't look like he wanted to come up and take a seat at the same table that James Potter's son was sitting at, but then he pulled himself together and began to move, walking slowly and with his cloak billowing, as he had dressed in his full teacher's robe, up to the table.

He never let Harry out of his sight for a second and he saw with pleasure how the boy shuddered under his icy cold, dark looks and quickly averted his gaze.

He had to suppress a small, mean grin as he took his seat; right next to Harry's...

Harry shuddered again and wanted to get up and leave the hall, but that would only give Snape another reason to make fun of him, so he tried to pull himself together and to stay calm. He glanced at Ron out of the corner of his eye, who looked shocked at first, but when their eyes met he grinned slightly at him. And Harry immediately understood what he meant and grumbled something to himself, which nobody noticed. Karma...Harry couldn't describe this situation any other way.

If only he hadn't made fun of his best friend when he had to sit next to McGonagall. He would much rather sit there now...

"May I find out what two first years are doing at the staff table?" Snape spoke in his dark voice and Harry could hear the mockery only too clearly in it. But he kept his gaze averted from him and preferred to concentrate on his food, but he hardly felt hungry anymore.

"I've invited them to our table, Severus," said Dumbledore, turning his blue eyes on the potions teacher, who raised an eyebrow in question.

"They don't have to sit all alone at the Gryffindor table. We're the only ones here at the moment and there is really more than enough space for all of us up here."

Severus looked like he had to avoid rolling his eyes and instead blew a strand of black hair off his face before taking some of the food that appeared on the plate in front of him.

Ron and Harry tried to ignore him as best as they could and they too concentrated on their food rather than on Snape and after a while they even managed to calm down enough to finish their plate. Soon Snape was forgotten when Dumbledore started to speak and told them all sorts of things about past Christmas evenings and how beautiful those festivals had been and that it was very quiet at Hogwarts this year as a lot of students had gone home.

Soon the two boys were laughing at the Christmas magic tricks Dumbledore and McGonagall were performing. Sometimes they had decorative figures, consisting of angels, Santa Clauses and reindeer run across the table or Dumbledore conjured up Christmas hats for all of them.

Even Severus was not spared and only grumbled softly as he tried to pull the Christmas hat off his head, but an invisible force stopped him. It was almost as if the damn thing was glued to his head and when he looked over at Dumbledore, the older wizard grinned at him knowingly what made him roll his eyes and he just gave in to his fate and left that stupid Santa hat on. Even Potter and Weasely giggled softly and he tried to ignore them as best as he could, but he couldn't help but grind his teeth. These two wouldn't laugh anymore once they were back in his class after the holidays...

A thought that made him grin too.

The huge doors of the great hall opened once again and this time it was Hagrid who entered and wishing them all a merry Christmas.

Out of the corner of his eye, Snape could see Potter rise from his seat and run down to Hagrid, beaming with joy; Weasely hot on his heels. He snorted softly as he watched the scene and had to refrain from rolling his eyes again. These two stuck together like pitch and brimstone since the very first day. And how Potter fell into Hagrid's arms when he opened them invitingly for him...

He shuddered at the sight, because it only brought back memories that he would like to forget forever. Memories, that go back just an hour. Memories of him crying like a baby in Albus 'arms...

The big difference in this scene was that Potter didn't cry like a toddler, but laughed loudly and full of joy when Hagrid hugged him and immediately grabbed Weasely, who literally went breathless when he hugged him.

With so much sentimental behavior, he had the feeling to vomit and he grimaced in disgust as he watched the scene for a moment and then decided to focus his eyes on his food instead.

The truth was, the image of Hagrid hugging the two boys barely let go of him. He could try to convince himself from the opposite as much as he wanted to, but it didn't change the fact that he wanted to feel the warm feeling of a hug again. Furtively he glanced over at Albus and to his great horror he saw him smiling knowingly at him and his eyes twinkled so strongly that Severus had to use all of his Occlumency shields in order not to lose his self-control here and now, to get up and to leave the hall in a hurry.

"Merry Christmas, Professor Dumbledore."

Snape winced when Potter's voice was suddenly very close to him and when he turned his head forward again he saw the boy standing in front of the staff table. He smiled at Albus as he wished him a Merry Christmas. Then he turned to Minerva and wished her a Merry Christmas, too.

Severus expected that that was it, that he would turn around and leave the great hall with Weasely and Hagrid.

He was all the more shocked when Potter turned to him and smiled at him!

"Merry Christmas, Professor Snape."

Then he turned around and ran back to Hagrid.

Severus was left puzzled and didn't know how to react. Did the boy seriously wish him a Merry Christmas? Him? The meanest teacher at Hogwarts who had made his life hell in his very first Potions lesson?

He didn't understand anything anymore and silently he stared at Potter and how he laughed loudly and tried to escape Hagrid's huge hand that wanted to reach for him. The half-giant grabbed the two boys and tucked them under one arm each. The two laughed so loudly and so carefree that something in Snape's stomach contracted painfully.

"There, there, Hagrid. That you bring them back to me in one piece," he heard Dumbledore's amused voice reaching his ears from far away. He barely noticed Hagrid's answer because he was too busy with his own thoughts and feelings.

He still couldn't find an answer to the question why Potter of all people wished him a Merry Christmas and why he was still so happy around him.

All the other students would not even dare to come near the staff table if he was sitting in his seat, much less bear to sit next to him. Potter had been nervous at first, as had the Weasely boy, but now? Now the two of them laughed carefree and fooled around with Hagrid, who carried them both out of the hall and soon calm returned when he, Albus and Minerva were all alone again.

"To be young again..." he heard Albus say and that finally pulled him out of his thoughts.

Shaking his head, he looked back at his plate, but he didn't feel hungry anymore. He still couldn't get Potter out of his head and the question of why grew stronger and stronger in him. Something that Dumbledore seemed to notice too, because he felt his eyes on him and shuddered.

"Are you all right, Severus?" Minerva asked and in response he nodded his head. But his body language said something completely different and concern was now reflected in the older witch's eyes.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod and she could see how his whole body stiffened.

"Don't worry about him, my dear. Severus has just learned what it feels like when the students appreciate you despite everything."

Minerva smiled at that and Severus snorted contemptuously, forcing his face to look monotonous again. Still...it just couldn't get out of his head. First Minerva who cheered him up, then Dumbledore who comforted him and now Potter who wished him a Merry Christmas?

That was just too much for him!

Mumbling quietly to himself, he took a cup of tea and at the same time tore his Santa hat from his head and to his great relief he managed to pull it off his head this time. The fact that he heard Dumbledore laugh softly he tried to ignore as best as he could. If only he had stayed down in the dungeons...

"Oh come on, Severus. Don't put on such a grumpy face. After all, it's Christmas and at Christmas people are happy. And why are you sitting so far away from us? Move up two places and don't separate yourself from us."

Oh man, slowly he really got a headache, but since he knew that it made no sense to argue with the two of them, he simply surrendered to his fate and, at Minverva's request, moved two chairs up so that he was now sitting right next to her.

"There! Satisfied?" he growled with a scowl in her direction that had no effect on her.

"Almost satisfied."

"Almost?"

"Now we just have to work on your expression. The way you look, I wouldn't be surprised if you scared Santa Claus himself."

Thanks a lot for the compliment, Minerva, he thought, grumbling quietly. But he couldn't help but wonder whether he really had such a negative effect on other people. Was it really that bad?

It had to be like that, because he was the only teacher who managed to ensure that an entire class fell silent as soon as he entered the classroom. Or the students literally fled from him when they met him in the hallways. Even some teachers were extremely uncomfortable around him.

Only one student at Hogwarts didn't seem afraid of him and even had the nerve to wish him a Merry Christmas, even though he loathed that day. But Potter couldn't have known that. Just when he thought of the boy and remembered those green eyes, he felt that stabbing pain in his chest again.

Lily's eyes in James Potter's face...

He was so confused!

Harry looked like his father, but was very different from him. Even he had to admit that. Still...he could hardly bear to even look at this boy, or his green eyes and having him sit in his class almost every day was pure torture for him.

Still, he couldn't get it out of his head that he'd wished him a Merry Christmas. The last time someone had wished him a Merry Christmas, it was Lily who uttered these words, followed by such a warm hug that the corners of Severus' mouth twitched up into a small, warm smile without him noticing it.

"I don't dare to believe my eyes..." Dumbledore's excited voice reached his ears and he winced when he was torn from his thoughts again. He quickly tried to rebuild his protective wall and wipe the smile from his face, but Dumbledore had seen enough.

"Don't even try to hide it from us, Severus. I and Minerva saw the smile clearly."

He could feel a slight burning sensation on his cheeks as he blushed.

What was wrong with him? He'd been smiling far too often lately...

"I think it would be better if I go back now. I'm starting to feel tired…"

This lie sounded more than pathetic, even to his own ears, but he couldn't think of any other excuse to leave the great hall and to go back to the dungeons.

"You want to leave us now, my boy? It's not even six o'clock yet. Stay with us a little longer and keep us company. We still have a few wizard crackers that have to be opened. Not to mention all the Christmas treats that are just waiting to be tried."

No, he didn't want to stay longer than necessary and no, he neither wanted to open these stupid wizard crackers nor did he want to try the "Christmas treats" because a Severus Snape didn't care about this childish Christmas stuff at all!

However Albus did it, in the end he managed to get Severus to sit at the table for another hour, open a wizard cracker (which "coincidentally" revealed a gray / tabby plush cat) and tried all sorts of Christmas sweets that he was sure he would get a sugar shock from if he ate just one more.

And again there was that little smile that just didn't want to disappear from his face. Not even when he got up and wished them both a good evening and was about to leave. But before he even managed to get one foot out of the great hall, Albus and Minerva stopped him.

"Didn't you forget something, my boy?"

Severus raised an eyebrow in question as he turned and looked at Albus, whose eyes twinkled mischievously, making him shudder once more. Especially when he saw Minerva appear behind Albus who had the same mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I don't think I've forgotten anything," said the young potions teacher and he slowly backed away from the two of them as they were getting closer and closer. Before he even got a chance to protest, Albus had grabbed him and pulled him to his chest for a hug and to his horror he felt Minerva behind him, pressing against his back.

A double hug...oh man, he was spared nothing today!

But he didn't really fight against it and he simply blamed it on the fact that he hadn't gotten much sleep last night and was now too tired to fight against it. Yes. It had to be that and only that and nothing else.

The warmth in his chest, the gentle smile on his face and the way he joyfully closed his eyes and snuggled into Albus' soft robe unnoticed, he just ignored.

However, he opened his eyes again when he heard Albus laugh softly and he looked up at him questioningly and the twinkle in his blue eyes had increased even more, if this was still possible.

"Look up, Severus."

His eyebrows rose again and finally his eyes too and when he saw the mistletoe hanging over them, a panicked expression appeared in his dark eyes and he tried to wriggle out of the embrace. Well, more or less. It were half-hearted attempts and he felt the smile come back on his face and how it grew wider the closer Albus and Minerva got to him. One from the left, one from the right, they held him and came slowly closer to his cheeks.

"No! Don't!" he shouted and to his absolute horror a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh (which he would deny later) came out of his throat and he squeezed his eyes shut and blushed deeply when two pairs of lips met his cheeks on both sides and two fleeting, playful kisses were pressed on them.

He was so glad that the three of them were all alone in the great hall at that moment. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if there were other teachers or even students present who had to watch this. The ridicule would certainly never stop. But he also knew deep down that Albus and Minerva would never have done such a thing if others had been present. They knew about his pride and that he was very attached to his reputation as the meanest teacher at Hogwarts and they didn't want to embarrass him. Therefore, they only allowed themselves to do something like that when no one else was present who could watch. And Severus was secretly grateful to them for that. And at the same time he enjoyed the attention these two gave him. Tenderness like this was still alien to him and he still had to get used to the hugs and all that went along with them, but it was a bit easier for him now, even if he was still tense. And this warmth in his chest that slowly melted the ice around his heart...was this the feeling a loving mother and a loving father triggered in a child? If so, then he never wanted to miss this feeling ever again...

He was hugged again. This time separately. First from Albus, who smiled at him so gently that Severus' eyes got wet and he quickly blinked away a small tear, pretending that he had something in his eye. And then from Minerva, who also smiled gently at him, gave him a short hug and then pressed a tender kiss onto his forehead. She held his face gently with both hands and wiped the small tear from his cheek that had now come out, which made Severus blush again, but she didn't say anything further because she knew that it would made him feel uncomfortable.

"Thank you for changing your mind and spending Christmas Eve with us. That means a lot to both of us, Severus."

To Minerva's and Albus' great surprise, it was now Severus who hugged the older witch gently.

"Thank you for always being there for me. I really appreciate that. Even if I don't always show it," he whispered so softly that one could hardly understand it, but the two had understood every single word.

"We know, my boy. We know..." Albus whispered quietly, who also hugged him again.

They stood there in silence for a few moments before they parted again and Severus cleared his throat, slight embarrassed and wished the two wizards a good evening before he made his way back to the dungeons.

And while he was walking down the spiral staircase to the dungeons, he couldn't get rid of the big smile on his face anymore...

~TBC~