A/N: I apologize but this chapter has been very quickly cobbled together.

Albus's Presents

The final bout of gifts was from the revered, and admittedly slightly whacky, Headmaster. Firstly, he presented Filius Flitwick with a square box wrapped in aubergine coloured paper. Filius, though not wishing to sound ungrateful, prayed to Merlin that the present within would not be in Albus's general mad colour scheme.

Thankfully, within the package was a soft white cotton t-shirt that had been magically shrunken to fit Filius exactly. When unfolded, however, the shirt portrayed a message that Filius had been trying to put across for years: 'I'm not short, I'm just vertically challenged.'

Evidently this became a great source of humour for his colleagues as Pomona let out a very unladylike snort, Severus hid his face behind a handkerchief and Minerva was bright red in the face.

"It's nice to know you think this is so funny," said Filius sarcastically.

"Oh my Merlin! D-did Filius just do sarcasm?" asked Minerva in a tone of faux-astonishment.

"Okay, claws away please," Albus intervened quickly. "Pomona, this is for you."

He passed her a bright pink present that contained a shiny bronze plaque. Engraved into it was the phrase 'Save a tree – don't do your homework'. It was a well-known fact that Pomona Sprout despised assigning homework and only did so very occasionally or when she was feeling particularly evil.

"Don't use that! We'll never get our essays handed back!" exclaimed Severus.

"If we don't I am entirely blaming you, Albus," threatened Minerva.

This seemed to be enough to subdue Albus so he quickly said:

"Er... moving on, then. Severus, this one is for you."

He gave Severus a heavy rectangular parcel. Inside it was a big black book entitled 'Christmas Basics for the Modern-Day Scrooge'.

"I resent that," was all that Severus could manage in reply.

"You're losing your touch, Snape."

"I beg to differ, Minerva, you flea-ridden old tea cosy."

"Tea cosy? You really are losing your touch!"

Sensing a brewing argument (he always got it a bit late), Albus presented Minerva with a bulky red package that was covered in green stars. Wrapped delicately in soft tissue paper sat a large cold crystal ball, just covering the single word 'SORRY' from view.

"You little newt! That is just wrong! I can't believe you sent me that!"

"Now, now, Minerva I think it's high time that you got over your irrational fear of Divination," announced Snape.

"I'm not afraid of it, I just think it's ridiculous."

"Like Albus, you mean," interjected Pomona.

~*~

The staff stayed there for a couple more hours before, one by one, they each retired to their chambers. That was the end of another Christmas. Who do you think gave the best Christmas presents?