Part 4
Severus was falling all of a sudden, and he groped blindly for the spirit's hand, finding nothing but the thick and rather substantial cloth of-
"My duvet!" he cried out in a suspiciously joyful tone of voice, rubbing his tear-blurred eyes as he slid from his mattress onto the cold stone floor with an echoing thud; then, "Ow!"
Severus sat up and leaned against the mattress feeling somewhat disoriented. A strange sensation had begun to bloom in his chest. It was where he supposed his cold and ill-used heart must be located, for he surely would be unable to survive without its pitiful beat.
Just as he was about to pull himself up from the floor, the fireplace roared to life with a greenish, golden light and a hearty voice boomed through the floo connection with a strangely familiar timbre.
"Come through, good man! Come through!"
Severus pulled himself to his feet, his legs wobbling just a bit. He did not wish to go through the green flames, especially in this state of undress. It wouldn't be proper-
But before he could even bring himself to finish the thought, a massive hand shot through the flames and grabbed Severus by the foot as easily as if he weighed nothing at all.
Severus was not proud of the shriek of terror that escaped his lips, but he couldn't help it. His eyes were momentarily lit up in a blaze of green and he swirled around in the green flames for a dizzying moment before being deposited, in a significantly more sooty state, on a very familiar and incredibly tasteless rainbow rug.
"The Headmaster's quarters?" he asked, his eyes wide in shock as he looked around the room, which, as far as he knew, was supposed to be a cluttered junk room full of garish items that Albus had left behind to Severus in his will (the bastard!).
But the room wasn't filled with clutter and dust any longer. A roaring fire heated the room, casting merry shadows on the wall so that it seemed that they were dancing to some as-yet unheard music. The walls were hung with thick garlands made of evergreen boughs, with tinsel and ornaments running up and down them, as was the massive tree that nearly kissed the ceiling in the corner, which boasted real floating candles and charmed ornaments that moved as though they were alive. The presents under the tree were a veritable mountain and Severus could hardly believe that all of them could fit underneath.
"Undetectable Extension Charm, you know," said the booming voice from before, and Severus turned, his mouth hanging open in shock. A giant man, nearly as tall as the tree, and just a bit wider than it, sat behind a massive table filled to the brim with all manner of rich and delicious food. Steam still rose off of the turkey, the goose, the ham, the duck and the stuffing, which was as plump and as flavorful as Severus had ever smelled in his life. HIs mouth watered as he cast his eyes down the table, seeing puddings of all different types, both savory and sweet. Then came a horn full of fruit that looked as fresh and as ripe as he'd ever seen on any table. There were sweets, of course, and drinks laid out in pitchers and carafes and bottles of all shapes and sizes. It was a feast of feasts- a feast to end all feasts, and as Severus stood there, the man, no...the spirit, for though he seemed substantial as any living being, there was something about the eyes that twinkled merrily down upon Severus that made him think that they had seen more than was possible in a thousand lifetimes.
"Welcome, Severus Snape," the spirit boomed jovially, his belly jiggling like a bowl full of jelly, and Severus momentarily wondered if Santa himself would be impressed. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present."
"You remind me of another man of large stature who is fond of speaking so loudly," Severus said, wincing as he stuck his finger in his ear to help clear out the ringing in it.
"Ah, a brother of mine, perhaps?" The spirit laughed heartily at this, and Severus winced again.
"No. His hair and beard are black, not blazing red like yours. But you seem a reasonable fellow, so I beg of you...please, Spirit, hear my plea." Severus tried to look as repentant as he could, if only to avoid having to be sent out into cold world for more unsettling scenes to unsettle his heart and mind. It was bad enough that he'd already cried (and during the visit of the first Spirit, too), but he was sure that he would likely go deaf if he did not find some way to escape the clutches of this second spirit. "As you well know, I have been visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past. And, after seeing the terrible things I have done in the past, I believe that I have learned my lesson. In fact, I would love to save you and your cohort to come the time and simply-"
"You don't wish to waste any time? Good man, good man!" The spirit laughed and clapped Snape on the back until he nearly fell face first into a mince pie. "Come then, let us ride in style!"
The spirit picked Severus up, again as though he were nothing at all, and sat him up on his shoulders like a child.
"Here we goooooo!" The giant charged through the hearth with a hearty whoop, and Severus ducked down just in time to miss being knocked out by the top of the stone mantle.
"You crazy idiot!" Severus shouted over the roaring flames as glimpses of fireplaces rose and receded from view. "You have to shout your destination before jumping into the floo network!"
But the spirit either hadn't heard or had decided not to dignify it with an answer, and within moments, they flew feet first through a small hearth that was barely wide enough to fit Severus' slight frame, so he has no idea how the spirit had managed.
"It's magic, Severus," the spirit said with a hearty laugh, which disturbed Severus all the more because he began to have the creeping sensation that the spirit could somehow read his mind without his permission, "Now, then, let's take a look here, shall we? After all, you should see some familiar faces."
Severus looked around the somewhat shabby home with a bit of confusion. "You say that I know these people?"
But as he looked more closely, he began to have the oddest feeling of deja vu. It was only when a plump older woman rushed past, her face flushed with irritation, that he realized exactly where he was.
"George! You and your brother need to get down here right away!" Molly Weasley screeched up the narrow stairwell, her hands on her hips.
"Coming, Mum!" A pair of muffled voices chorused from upstairs.
"Hmph, of all the things!" Molly huffed as she stomped back to the kitchen. Severus, intrigued, followed her, the spirit trailing behind him with a jolly smile on his bearded face. The kitchen and dining room had been magically enlarged to feature a long table, at which sat a number of mismatched chairs and a couple of hastily transfigured sofas. The plates and silverware too all looked as though they were from at least ten different sets. An older boy with hair the color of a bluebird's feathers busied himself with setting the tables, all the while sneaking a few olives from the small plates set out on the table.
"Teddy!" Molly's stern voice made both Severus and Teddy jump nearly a foot in the air. He hadn't seen the woman come back into the room. She'd be a right terror patrolling the hallways of Hogwarts. "I told you that those olives were for Christmas supper!"
"I could take 'em out my mouf," Teddy said with his mouth full, sticking out his tongue, which had pieces of bitten up olive piled up on it.
"Ugh! You swallow those olives, young man! Food ought not to be wasted, especially in these lean times!" Molly admonished, shaking a dish towel at Teddy.
The boy, whose collars were so large and raised up so high that Severus guessed that they must have been hand-me-downs many times over, ducked his head down and gulped theatrically, making a huge show of swallowing until Molly smiled and shook her head.
"Can I go up and play with the others, Gran?" Teddy asked. "I finished setting the table!"
"Go on, then," Molly said, her smile weary.
Severus turned as the door banged open to reveal a very rosy-faced Arthur Weasley, his hair streaked with so much gray and bits of snow that it was nearly colorless.
"Brrrr!" he exclaimed, hugging himself, "It's a cold one out there, it is! Could freeze the nads off a garden gnome!"
"Arthur!" Molly tried to look scandalized, but she ended up giggling and ruining the entire show of sternness. Arthur wrapped his arms around her and kissed her nose, making her squeak like a witch half her age. "Oooh, you brute! You're just doing this to steal my warmth!"
"Guilty as charged," Arthur said, smirking, "but this is just because I want to."
Severus looked away, embarrassed, as Arthur gave Molly's bum a squeeze.
"You do realize that this is blatant voyeurism, don't you?" he grumbled at the spirit. "If we were caught, we'd get sent to Azkaban for a year!"
"Patience, Severus, you will see," the giant said with a knowing smile.
The door banged open again and a procession of various familiar faces poured in. There was Charlie Weasley, who had a tiny fire lizard named Clarice wrapped around his shoulders like a scarf.
"She thinks I'm her mum," he explained. "So she goes where I do."
Severus made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat as Charlie kissed the creature right on the snout and it made an adorable chirping noise; nuzzling against Charlie's nose happily.
Bill and Fleur Weasley came through the door with several large baskets laden with presents and wrapped plates of Christmas cookies. Their daughters were holding a poinsettia plant apiece, which Molly ooh-ed and ahh-ed over, placing them up on the somewhat barren-looking table in an attempt to make it more festive. This, of course, made the girls glow with the praise from having been so careful with the delicate plants.
Next was Percy Weasley, who brought his wife and daughters, all three of whom had fat, rounded faces and slightly upturned noses. Percy was obviously very besotted with them, though Severus couldn't see the appeal. They brought still more packages and food items that were enlarged and levitated to the kitchen by a very excited Molly Weasley, who might have been hovering off the ground by sheer Christmas spirit alone.
By that time, a gaggle of children had raced down the stairs, followed by George Weasley, Ron Weasley, and Ginny Weasley, who all wore identical looks of imminent mischief.
"Oh no you don't!" Molly shooed them out of the kitchen, brandishing the dish towel like a whip. "You go get the children washed up for the meal! Hermione and Mortimer will be back any moment!"
There was a fervent rush for the tiny bathrooms in the Burrow as hands were washed and mostly dried off, and the stampede to the table began in earnest.
"Not you, Ginny!" Harry said, the mischievous look on his face setting off alarm bells in Severus' head. "You hide in the kitchen, like we discussed."
A couple of the children who were old enough to understand giggled and most of them had settled down but had to cover their mouths and giggle silently as the door opened and Hermione stepped through the door with a little boy up on her shoulders.
He was much smaller and paler than the older boy and the girl who sat at the table next to their father, and whose bushy curls were a dead giveaway of their parentage. Mortimer breathed heavily, his body encased in a strange, shell-like cage festooned with runic shapes that glowed softly in the cozy light of the Burrow. He wore a cap on his head, which pushed down the honey-brown curls of his hair around his ears. The hair was the healthiest part of him, however, and as Hermione helped him down, he could tell that the child's legs were slightly bowed and he needed a tiny crutch to help him move more easily.
Rather than looking pathetic, however, the boy scuttled along with such vitality, that Severus nearly let out a cry of surprise. Though he'd obviously been given the short end of the stick as far as health was concerned, the boy was more adamant and full of drive than anyone Severus had ever seen.
"Hello everyone!" Hermione waved, her eyes growing slightly sad when they passed over Ron, who was picking up Mortimer and giving him kisses all over his little, pale face. "We were just at the memorial together, and it was simply beautiful in the snow. We kept the strongest Warming charm up, but even so, our noses got a bit frostbitten."
"And how was our Tim, then?" Molly asked, tucking her washcloth into the pocket of her apron.
"Oh, good as gold. Better, even," Hermione said, looking at her son wistfully. "He was the one who came up with the idea to place flower wreaths on all of the memorial statues. He said that he wanted them to know the brightness and color of summer even through the darkest, coldest winter's night. He's so full of light and energy, despite...everything."
Hermione seemed to deflate at that last word, and as Severus watched, he noticed how Ron's eyes were increasingly sad and slightly full of disgust as his son pulled himself up onto his lap.
"It's not that Ron doesn't love Tim, he just...he blames me for it all," Hermione said softly, and Molly patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't you worry your head about any of it. Why, with the new treatment, he'll be right as rain in no time!" Molly said with a gentle smile.
"If we can afford it...especially with the Headmaster the way he is…" Hermione trailed off, looking miserable.
Molly, on the other hand, looked utterly furious.
"Hmph!" Molly exclaimed. "He's no headmaster! His bullying and stinginess would make him better suited for working with goblins!"
"Hey, Mum!" Bill protested with a smile on his scarred face. "I happen to know some far better behaved goblins, thank you very much!"
Everyone, even Hermione, laughed at this.
"So, Harry, was Ginny able to get time off of traveling the world with the Harpies to see us for Christmas?" Hermione asked.
Harry did his best to look utterly crushed. "No. Unfortunately, they're working her to the bone for the next match in India."
Hermione gave him a sympathetic look and looked rather sad for him, which didn't last long, as George was practically howling with laughter into his napkin and Ron's ears had gone rather pink at the effort it was taking to keep him from dissolving into giggles. The children were a dead-giveaway, though as many of them had begun snickering loudly and were stealing rather undisguised looks at the kitchen door.
"SURPRISE!" Ginny shouted, bursting through the door, and Hermione shook her head and smiled as Ginny hugged her tightly. "We thought you needed a little prank to brighten your mood."
"Oh, I know I'm being silly," Hermione said, sniffling a bit, "I'm just happy you and Harry can…" The rest of her words were masked by loud sniffles, and Ginny went from being hugged to patting Hermione on the back sympathetically.
Molly handed over a cloth napkin and Hermione went to her seat muttering "I'm just being silly, don't worry about me…"
Hermione sat on the other side of her children, and Severus noticed that she was doing her best not to stare at a vacant place next to Ron. He found out the reason for this in a few moments, when a knock on the door sounded and Molly came back to the table with a smiling Cho Chang, who was in the process of pulling off her gloves and placing them in her jacket pocket.
"Come now, dear. Ron told us that you'd be a bit late, but I've set you up next to him, here," Molly said, ushering the young woman over to her spot. Cho sat down and waved at Harry, who waved back somewhat awkwardly, and Molly dashed back into the kitchen to bring out the food.
"Surely she doesn't intend to feed the whole family on that paltry thing," Severus said to the spirit, looking at the somewhat pathetic-sized roasted goose that had been brought out on a tarnished platter. But, somehow, as it was passed around the table, it became evident that there would be a bit of meat for all. Tim got a choice bit of breast that Molly had set aside for him especially.
"For your strength," Molly chided, not accepting his protests to give it to his father or his uncle, both of whom were eying it hungrily. There was a basket of biscuits, stuffing and quite a bit of other food, but it still paled in comparison to how many mouths there were to feed. In the end, not a scrap remained, and everyone put on a show of how full they were and how they could not eat another bite, thank you very much.
Severus could see how the lie didn't quite reach the eyes of the adults as the children blithely took meager seconds and complained that they wanted to be let go from the table to play.
"Not before we have the pudding!" Molly said exasperatedly. "Ron, you and George go and get it!"
The children's desire to leave the table vanished abruptly as cries of "Pudding! Pudding! Pudding!" echoed through the room and they clanged their silverware on the table, making a terrible racket.
It was then that Harry and GInny, in a bid to create suspense, started wondering aloud to one another (with a number of very obvious winks at each other, Severus noted), about how terrible it would be if the pudding were to have been stolen by garden gnomes or eaten by the ghoul in the attic. The children's cries became more fervent after that, and by the time Ron and George returned with the pudding, a resounding cheer filled the room, everyone excited to see how well it had turned out.
It was, blessedly, perfect.
Even Severus let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.
"I still don't see why you're having me watch all of this," he said, finally, to the spirit, though his tone of voice lacked the bite that he'd intended to include.
"These are but shadows, Severus, but they are important and must be seen," the spirit replied with a smile, and Severus was suddenly struck by the stark white hairs that had appeared in the spirit's beard and hair. Even his eyes crinkled with more wrinkles than had been there before, and Severus began to grow somewhat alarmed.
"Are you well, spirit?" he asked, realizing that he actually did feel sympathy for the being that he had not met more than a half-hour earlier.
"My time is both limited and infinite in ways that yours is not," the spirit replied cryptically, his voice much weaker than ever before. "Come, then, let us follow them to the back room."
Severus was familiar with the room in the back, which held another fireplace and a somewhat shabby looking Christmas tree. The presents were small and wrapped in what looked like twice-reused wrapping paper, but the room was filled with cheer, and the adults played charades, wizard's chess and talked while the children raced up and down the stairs, playing tag, except for Tim, who sat by the fire in a small wooden rocking chair that looked as though it had been handmade for his special shape and stature.
Severus was surprised to hear his own name and turned to see that Harry, Ginny, Ron, George, Bill and Hermione were talking rather animatedly.
"Well, he did save my life a number of times!" Harry was saying, but Ginny and Ron had their faces screwed up in twin expressions of disgust as they shook their heads.
"Just because he did some good doesn't mean he's a good person, mate," Ron said. "I keep telling Hermione she has to quit working for that awful place. I mean, Cho has offered-"
"I've told you time and time again, Ronald! I don't want your….or her sympathy!" Hermione exclaimed, taking a quick glance around the room to make sure that Cho wasn't in listening range. "Sure, the Headmaster can be strict and have an unpleasant manner about him, but he explains the reasons why he does what he does, and I can't fault him for his logic."
"Oh, and was it logic that made you cry the other day, then?" Harry asked. "Draco told me all about it when he came to pick Scorpius up from the house."
"It...it wasn't...come on guys, it's Christmas," Hermione entreated, her voice softening. "Think of Tim and the other children."
"Well, I still say that it would have been far better if he'd died on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, let me tell you!" Ginny said venomously. "Or, at least, had the good sense not to recover the way he did."
"Ginny, the children!" Hermione hissed as a group of children marched through the doors in a makeshift parade, complete with pots for drums and penny whistles that shrieked something awful. Tim clapped heartily but then set to coughing horribly and Hermione had to go to him, spooning out a dose of potion that Severus thought he recognized.
Then it was time for presents, which the children gleefully opened, though all of them were very careful to save as much of the paper as possible so that it could be folded and reused again. The spectre of Snape and the general consensus that the world was better off without him still hung about the adults as they watched the joy on their children's faces, and Severus himself began to feel a heavy heart to see others speak so candidly about the very things he thought of himself in his darkest moments.
And then, tiny Tim began to sing, and though his voice wobbled just a bit at the beginning, his version of O Holy Night was enough to send shivers down Severus' spine. Though he knew the song wasn't exactly a traditional wizarding carol, Severus knew that Hermione had been muggleborn, and it was entirely probable that she'd taught him the lovely song. Then, the rest of them began to sing a We Wish You A Merry Christmas in a round, and the room filled with song. For some reason, this made Severus wonder about Hermione's singing voice, but before he could find out, the spirit had taken him by the shoulder.
"Tell me that Tim will be fine," Severus said, his voice cracking slightly. "I mean, he will be, right?"
"There isn't much that I can tell you, for they are far more the territory of the future, but I will tell you this. If these shadows remain unchanged and your cruelty reigns unabated, there may soon be an empty crutch by the fire without a boy to use it."
Severus flinched at this. "But surely...surely, I cannot do anything to change his fate! Tell me, spirit. Tell me that his blood is not on my hands...I couldn't...couldn't bear-"
"There is one more place I wish for you to see," the spirit said tiredly, and Severus wondered at how the white in his beard was now nearly overtaking the red. The spirit's giant body had begun to stoop over, and Severus could see little spots of age on the spirit's hands and face.
Though none of the others in the room seemed to notice the roaring green flames, which was something that Severus was becoming accustomed to, they stepped into the floo again, and were whisked into quite a different looking room.
Here, too, it was Christmas, that was for certain. The cosily lit room was tastefully decorated with silvery ornaments and garland, and an elegant piano sat in one corner, though in the flickering candle and firelight, it was hard to see any fine details. The windows were fogged up and the room was filled with a number of very familiar faces.
"They're all former students of Slytherin House," Severus said, surprised. "Well..except for that one girl, over there. I think she was in Hufflepuff, but it's been ages."
It was then that Severus saw Draco, who was sitting next to his wife, Astoria Malfoy.
"...but did you have to invite Snape, Draco?" Pansy was saying, her pug-like nose held high in the air.
"Yeah, he's an unpleasant git if ever there was one," Blaise chimed in. "Not that, you know, I would want any of you repeating that information to him."
"Don't worry, Blaise, your secret is safe with me," Draco said with a grin. "I knew he wouldn't come, stubborn, miserly man that he is, but in the spirit of Christmas, I decided that there were two outcomes- the first being that my godfather actually develops some measure of Christmas spirit and we enjoy his company, or, barring that, we all get a quiet evening without a hint of his presence as my mere invitation has sent him running for the hills. As far as I'm concerned, it's truly a win-win situation!"
The room filled with a roar of laughter at this, and many appeared to be nodding their heads.
Rather than feel anger, Severus began to fill with a sense of shame and understanding that he'd never really allowed himself to feel before. They were right, really. And, though he knew that he should revert to the safety of blaming everyone else for his problems, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd never been able to hide the truth from himself once he knew of it. It was what had gotten him into so much trouble in the first place, really. But, regardless of his ego's desire to bury his head in the sand, Severus knew that he could no more do that than he could give up magic forever.
"Ladies and gentlemen...oh, and hot sexy minx of a wife," Draco said, raising a wineglass and winking at his wife a bit roguishly, "Since my parents have so graciously provided us an evening sans offspring, I propose that a toast is in order. Blaise, would you like to make it? You are, after all, living the glamorous bachelor lifestyle."
"Oi, Draco, don't joke about things like that!" Blaise said, winking at a plump girl who appeared to be related to Astoria in some way- perhaps a sister or cousin, for her nose and freckles were nearly identical. "I can tell you right this minute that a bachelor is the sorriest creature on the face of the planet, may Merlin rest my soul."
The plump girl giggled from behind a fan that was more for show than to keep her cool, which led to Blaise attempting to send a coded message by eyebrow twitch, and was so embarrassingly obvious to everyone in the room that Severus nearly blushed with shame for the poor man.
"Just toast already!" came the cry from the assembled group, after a time.
"Fine! To new beginnings! To ending bachelor-doom! To Christmas!" Blaise cried.
"Here! Here!" everyone cried out, emptying their glasses.
They played a couple of Christmas games, the first being a version of Blind Wizard's Buff in which Blaise insisted on being It, and using his status to shamelessly chase the plump woman across the room, even when others comically attempted to throw themselves in the way. By the end, they had to stop playing after Blaise had grabbed her a full five times and it was obvious that no one else would be spared the blatant nature of his attraction unless they switched to something else.
"I know! Let's play at questions!" Draco cried out. "I've got a hard one and I bet you lot would never guess it!"
Severus sniffed. It was a childish game, if ever there was one. Was he truly supposed to be learning something? Other than having been forced to view a set of courtship behaviors that one should never engage in under any circumstances, he couldn't quite see the point. He did have to admit that he was a bit curious, though. What, exactly, would Draco have come up with that was so impossible to guess.
"Is it a vegetable?" Blaise asked.
"No, but some might say it would be better as one," Draco said with a snicker.
"Is it an animal?" Astoria asked.
"Yes!" Draco said, looking highly amused at this.
"Is it a pet?" another woman asked.
"Not really," Draco said, snorting with laughter.
After about twenty minutes, they had narrowed it down to a rather disagreeable animal that lived somewhere in the Wizarding World, and was not wild or a pet or a magical creature or housed in a zoo, or led around on a leash or eaten for supper or a cat, or a bat, or a rat, or a lion, or a goose or a bear.
By this point, Draco was nearly in stitches and could barely let out a "yes" or "no" at each question.
"I have got it!" The plump woman cried out suddenly.
"Oh?! Do tell! Do tell!" Blaise let out an exaggerated cry of excitement and nearly jumped in her lap.
"It's your godfather! Headmaster of Hogwarts….Severus Snape!"
"YOU GOT IT!" Draco shouted.
Everyone was silent for a moment before breaking out into such a hearty roar of laughter that Severus was surprised that the house hadn't begun to shake on its foundation.
Once everyone had calmed down a bit, Severus noticed that a heated argument had broken out about whether or not "a bat" ought to have counted, but before he could get closer and hear what else they were saying, he felt the the pressure of the spirit's hand engulfing his shoulder. He looked at the raised tendons and wrinkled, loose skin, turning back slowly to see that the great giant's beard and hair was completely snow-white, and his face was so still that Severus thought that the spirit had ceased to move at all. But then, with a soft whisper of a voice, the spirit spoke.
"Come," came the whisper, and Severus turned, moving in front of the lagging spirit's body and faced the fireplace.
Instead of the cheery green in the fireplace, he was met with a misty gray wall of flame that poured out and pulled at his ankles like a living thing.
"The present cannot be for long," the spirit whispered, looking more weary than ever. "It becomes the past as quickly as it becomes the future, which is where you must go. I cannot follow you far, Severus. For that I am sorry."
As Severus turned back to ask the spirit what he meant by his cryptic words, the massive giant's hands took hold of his back and pushed him, hard, into the smoky flames.
And then, there was only darkness.