Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter.
Writer's notes: thanks to my beta HGranger89, and thanks to everyone reading and following along.
A seven-year-old Severus was sitting down on a bench, near the football field. The practice had finished an hour and a half ago. He did not even want to play the sport, but he did it because his father said it would help make him a man. Severus began to shiver as the cold autumn wind blew, holding himself tightly for warmth. The young boy looked up as he heard a car approaching, and got up from the bench when he saw it was his father.
"Get in boy," Tobias growled as he slowly bought the car to a stop. Severus made his way over opening the car door and climbed in the front seat. Tobias started up his car again and did not once look at his son as he pulled out of the lot. The drive was filled with awkward and uncomfortable silence for five minutes until they stopped at a red light.
Tobias sighed deeply with great annoyance, "Should warn you now," the man spoke without looking at son, while Severus just stared out the window, looking at the many coloured leaves. "Your mother is having another one of her monthly episodes. I emerged from my sanctum this afternoon," Severus didn't know why his father called his garage a sanctum, "Not only did I discover that she hadn't made me lunch, but she also locked herself in the bedroom weeping... loudly. Now it's one thing for women to cry, but when they howl like a banshee for the entire neighbourhood to hear, that's when you know they're doing it for attention."
Tobias suddenly stopped talking about his day to violently pound on the horn and honk at a driver in front of him. He began cursing and throwing curses before flipping the driver off as he passed, who happened to be an old woman.
"So anyway, a few hours later, I was having a good run on my novel. I had this interest sentence and a great idea that just kept flowing for pages and pages. I thought how rare it was to have my creative juice flowing really. Most days I cannot string two words together because my worthless, stupid child is blasting that thrice-damned telly. That's when I realized your mother failed twice in one day because she forgot to pick you up from your fruity little dance class, you little shit." Tobias did not seem to notice that his son was wearing a football uniform and Severus did not see the point in correcting his father, so he continued to look out the window, enduring a typical car ride with his father.
"Sundays are my day," Tobias continued to rant, "Sunday is the only day I have off from the goddamn mill, but you and that succubus that birthed you, have ruined my peace once again.. Guess this is a good lesson for you boy, you can never depend on anyone. Eventually, you have to learn that no one else going to take of you and you cannot rely on others. It's good you learn this now."
A few weeks had passed by since the Halloween feast, and ever since that day Snape had kept watch on the pitiably mediocre wizard known as Quirinus Quirrell. The scared, greedy and cowardly bastard had been lying low since the troll incident. Their little chats became more and more frequent, but no, more how strongly Snape pressed him, Quirrell played his pitiable, helpless act. Severus was even unable to Use legilimency on the man from afar, his occlumency skills were too strong, and when they were alone together, the Potions Master felt an odd sensation that made his long-dormant Dark Mark tingle, his blood run cold, and it turned his stomach.
Hogwarts was ushered into the Christmas season with a large blanket of snow covering the grounds. Classes had ended for the year, and most students had returned to their homes for three weeks. To Severus pleasure, this meant there was now less few dunderheads roaming the hallways causing trouble. A few days before Christmas, Severus found Quirrell attempting for the stone, and had gotten himself bitten by that thrice-damned three-headed dog, much to Severus' amusement. Of course, the rest of the staff believed his story about being bit by a monster in the Forbidden Forest, while he had been out getting, some forest air that was supposedly was good for his health.
"Quirrell, I do believe we talked about you and your little visits to the third-floor corridor," Severus drawled.
"Sev... Severus, I was co... concerned about the st... stone, I be... believed that so... someone is... after it. I was ... checking to see if th.. the de... defences se... secure."
"You don't fool me, Quirrell." Severus had a tight hold on the scruff of Quirrell's robes. Boring into his eyes, he could tell Quirrell was hiding something. Severus had seen true fear in many people's eyes when he threatened them, and Quirrell did not have that look of horror.
"Sev... Sev... Severus?" Quirrell was weeping.
Severus pinned Quirrell to the wall, his forearm just grazing the man's neck and his wand held tight in his hand aiming it at a very shaking and trembling Quirrell, "You don't want me as your enemy Quirrell."
"I do... don't know wh... what you're ta... talking about."
"You know exactly what I am talking about, Quirrell," Severus sneered. However, he turned away from Quirrell when he thought he heard someone gasp. Looking around Severus found nothing. He turned back to Quirrell and was about to continue questioning him when Filch ran up to them.
"Professors, I found this in the library," the old caretaker smiled holding a broken lantern. "It's still warm, that means a student is out of bed. The two Professor nodded in acknowledgement, and Severus took one more glance at Quirrell before making his way to find the errant student. The student out of bed should pray for a miracle, for they would face Severus' wrath if caught. Try as they might, the three men found no student out of bed.
After failing to find the student, Severus returned to his quarters, which were in a room just next to his office. Once inside, Severus sunk himself down in his couch facing the fireplace. Pouring himself a glass of wine, he reflected on himself before deciding to turn in for the night. As he rose to his feet, something caught the Professor's eyes, as he spotted a bottle on his side table that he usually used for chess games with Minerva or Filius. Laying there was a green card with a silvery script., so picking it up, and opening it, he found a Muggle Christmas card with a wintery scene on the front. The inside said 'Wishing you a Merry Christmas,' signed by the little muggle-born Gryffindor, Hermione Granger.
He just stared blankly at the card in his hands for a few moments, allowing his fingers to graze the cover.
It was then he realized the shitty thing about the card in his hand. Receiving this card, from a little girl, who did not even know him, was a greater act of kindness and compassion than his parents had ever given him in his entire Merlin-damned life. She, a student, practically a complete stranger, was the first person in many years to take the time to make him something and for nothing in return.