Pairing: Hermione/Severus
Prompt: Person A knits Person B a sweater for Christmas.
Christmas Sweaters
Hermione knits Severus an ugly sweater for Christmas.
Severus stared at the wrapped box on his table, bewildered as to who could have dared trespass through his wards without alerting him. He pulled out his wand and waved it over the box, checking it for Dark curses, but there wasn't anything wrong with it. He sat down on his chair, slowly swivelling around to look at the box with a suspicious gaze.
He had never received a present before from anyone except for Lily, and he doubted the sender's intent. What could they have possibly meant by sending him a present? The box was wrapped in a garishly red wrapping paper with black reindeers on it, and a gigantic Slytherin-green bow was tied on top.
Despite his reluctance and suspicions, Severus scowled and cautiously tugged on the bow. It easily unravelled, and Severus stared at the wrapping paper, wondering if it was a trap. Curious as to what was inside, Severus lifted the cover off the box and peered inside.
To his confusion, he found a sweater with a small note on top. Frowning, he picked up the note and read it. Merry Christmas, Severus!
Even though there was no name on the note, he knew very well who had sent the present to him. Granger. He gritted his teeth as he pulled the sweater out from its confines.
"Oh, Merlin," he whispered with horror as he gazed at the monstrosity held delicately between his fingers. "What is this?"
It was the ugliest sweater Severus had ever seen in his life; Severus had never been more terrified of a piece of cloth before — if it could even be called a piece of cloth. It was so colourful it hurt his eyes: lime-green, peach, lavender, golden, baby-pink, navy-blue, black, and burgundy wools were used to knit it, and Severus grimaced when he saw the way the colours changed colours every few seconds. It even had a hood knitted near the shoulders, and Severus closed his eyes.
A knock on the door startled him, and he grunted. "Come in."
Hermione Granger, the newest addition to the Hogwarts staff, peeked around the edge of the door at him, a huge smile on her face. "Hello, Severus!"
He let out a soft sigh of irritation and waved her in. "What do you want now?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to check on you. How are you?" she asked, closing the door behind her. She sat down opposite him and smiled.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Professor Granger, how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in making small talk with you?"
Hermione's smile dimmed for a millisecond, but she kept it fixed on her face. "Okay, I'll come to the point. I was wondering if you'd like to come over tonight. We could —"
"Professor Granger, I'd like to maintain a respectable distance, and therefore, I have to reject your offer. Now, please, leave me be."
Her shoulders slumped at his words, but still, she went on. "It's Christmas Eve, Severus. You can't be alone on Christmas!"
Severus stated, "I don't mind. Now, I have a few things to attend to."
Hermione got the sign that he didn't want to talk to her anymore, so she nodded and murmured, "Okay, but if you change your mind, my door's always open."
"You shouldn't leave your door open. Anyone could just wander in."
Hermione sighed and stood up. "Merry Christmas, Severus."
He watched her leave his office and looked down at his desk. The Christmas sweater shimmered and almost blinded him with its radiance.
"I feel for Hermione," Pomona Sprout said to Minerva McGonagall later that afternoon. They had gathered in the Great Hall for lunch before they left for Christmas holidays. "She's got nowhere to go this year."
"I told her she was welcome to come home with me, but she said she would spend Christmas at Hogwarts instead."
Severus' ears pricked up at her words, and he wondered why Granger didn't have anyone to go to on Christmas. She had the Weasleys and Potter, didn't she? And what about her parents? His silent questions were answered by Minerva a second later.
"Mr Weasley's currently dating Miss Brown again, and Mr Potter and Miss Weasley are both on tour with their teams, so she said it would be too awkward without them there."
Pomona said, "I wonder what's keeping her from going to see her parents. They're back in London, aren't they?"
"Yes, but she said that they're still not talking to her after what she did to them during the war. It's a sensitive subject for her," Minerva said, shaking her head sadly.
Severus tightened his grip on his fork as he ate. So, she's all alone this year? A seed of guilt bloomed in his heart at the thought of the witch all alone in her room on Christmas Eve. Maybe she'd spend it in her beloved library. He glanced over at the witch in question, who sat next to Filius Flitwick.
The joyful look on her face as she chatted with the Charms professor cemented his hesitant decision.
A knock on the door started Hermione from her book. She frowned as she looked up, wondering who it could be. She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and realized it was almost midnight.
"Come in," she called out. She slurped on her hot chocolate, savouring the taste of the warm drink sliding down her throat by closing her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she almost choked on her drink. Severus Snape stood in front of her, dressed in the colourful sweater she had knitted for him earlier that month. "Wha—"
"Don't you dare say a word to anyone about this," he hissed as he tugged on the collar of the sweater. It caused his neck to itch, and he wished to tear the sweater off and throw it into the fireplace, but he controlled himself.
"You…" Hermione trailed off as she watched him gracelessly plop down in the armchair near her, the sweater shimmering in the dim light. "You're wearing it. You're actually wearing it."
"Tell anyone I did this and I'll deny it till the day I die," Severus growled, glaring at her angrily. He tugged on the collar again and snapped, "Why is it so itchy? What did you do to it?"
"You didn't have to wear it," Hermione murmured, her eyes trained on Severus' uncomfortable form. "I know I'm not very good at knitting things."
"You're despicable, yes." Severus looked around the room uncomfortably and said, "I will burn this monstrosity afterwards."
A radiant smile formed on Hermione's lips, and Severus' heart lurched at the sight. He may not like the witch, but her joy at seeing him wear the ridiculous sweater for her caused his stomach to flip.
"Okay, would you like some hot chocolate?" she asked, still beaming at him.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, give me some, so I may leave quickly."
Hermione grinned as she brought him a large cup — with Christmas trees and presents printed on it — with the hot drink. She knew he was averse to emotions and feelings — reminding her of Batman — but if she could just find a way to get him to lower the walls around his heart, she might be able to help him find some sort of happiness.
Christmas was a time for kindness and generosity, and Hermione was determined to show the older man that there was no need for him to be alone all the time. She wanted to be there for him, and she would prove it to him.
As Severus sipped on his drink, Hermione smiled behind her mug and thought, 'At least, he wore the sweater. Who knew he'd actually do that?'
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