Chapter 13

Biter

She really did hope that Eva had been right. It would be too mortifying to hand him a present and receive nothing in return. In fact, it had never occurred to her that exchanging Christmas gifts was a possibility until Eva had suggested that she buy one just in case. Eventually, Patience had decided that her fear of angering him if he did expect something outweighed the possible embarrassment if he did not.

Therefore, she had traipsed back to the Hogsmeade High Street, her fifth visit that week due to all of the Christmas presents and decorations she had decided to buy, and looked round for something, anything to purchase. What did one get a man who one did not know, but to whom one just happened to be married? Patience could not exactly explain her situation to any of the very helpful clerks and shopwitches that she encountered, so she had eventually settled on a small select store near Madame Duvollet's. She had splurged rather badly in Madame's, purchasing herself a really lovely spangled blue winter dress robe. What did it matter that he was the only person likely to see her wear it? She knew he would not care how she looked, but she did, so she had bought it.

Madame herself had suggested Mr. Rubelov's Emporium for a wizard's gift, so Patience had entered the expensive looking store with a feeling of trepidation not entirely due to the light weight of her purse. However, nothing had been simpler. The really rather nice clerk had pointed out a table of gentleman's quills that were on a special price for Christmas. Patience had been surprised that the large, colourful quills were meant for wizards, especially the most expensive of the lot with a diamanté quill tip. However, since the price of the showy lavender one was exactly the amount she had left in her moneybag, Patience decided that this was an omen and bought it. If he did not like it then she would use it. The quill was really quite pretty.

Patience looked down on her shiny, dark desk at the piece of light green parchment in front of her, which she had bought earlier that week for only two Sickles a box, and read through the list she had written out. Yes, she had bought something for everyone important and it had all been sent via owl post that morning. No matter what Eva said, she was not going to send even a tin of Wicket's fudge to her parents. They deserved nothing and that was exactly what she would see they got. She had wavered slightly over her brothers, Govan was easy to disregard but she felt inexplicably guilty about ignoring Luther. However, Eva had helped to settle that. Nothing to either of them then.

She looked into the mirror at the complicated golden plaits that were looped and fastened with little silver pins all over her head. Rem had quite a knack with hair, which was wonderful, since Patience herself was so unfortunately cack-handed at braiding. She looked as good as she was likely to do, considering. It was time to go down. Wicket had announced Snape's arrival almost fifteen minutes before.

As she approached the bottom stair, Patience felt her dread increase such that she truly wished she could run back upstairs and avoid him until he was gone. However, she had never before allowed herself to indulge her fears, so Patience forced her feet forward and into the corridor. As she was peering up at the portrait of Elzbieta, who was looking rather cheerful for a change, Patience heard a very strange sound. It sounded like a growl. Actually, it sounded like a small dog or even a Crup.

Patience hurried forward to the sitting room, where Wicket had said that Snape would be waiting, and burst into the room to witness a very odd scene. Snape was sitting on a chair with an absolutely enormous tome in his lap, which was not surprising. However, at his feet was a very young Crup that was chewing on what appeared to be a rubber toy shaped like a severed head, which had been placed between Snape's boots.

"Ohhh, is he yours profess…sir?"

She watched his face as he turned towards her and growled, "No. Yours."

However, he did not look angry. She thought that he looked almost pleased about something. It was a good thing that she had listened to Eva. It appeared that he had bought her a present after all.

"However, if the infernal creature makes another attempt to eat my boot, I may reconsider the matter."

Patience had already run forward and knelt beside the little animal, whose tail she now recognised had only just been clipped. He must be only a month old then. She laughed as the Crup jumped up into her lap and began eating the tassel on her sleeve. "He's adorable! Thank you, sir! What is his name?"

"Whatever you name him."

Patience turned her eyes back to the Crup, which was frolicking on the rug like a puppy with a hambone and laughed again. He had got her a Crup! How had he known that she wanted one? They were ever so expensive, almost as much as a good broomstick. Tthe paperwork necessary to obtain a permit was extensive. He would have gone to some trouble to get this for her. She could not believe he would be so thoughtful.

As she looked up at him with cheeks flushed with embarrassment and feeling almost hopeful, she saw Snape regarding her with raised brows and a look of amusement. She could see that the amusement was less friendly and more at her expense, but it was possibly the most pleasant expression that she had ever seen on his face.

Patience took a deep breath and said nervously, "I…I didn't know what to get you."

"I require nothing."

"But I bought you something. Shall I give it to you now or tomorrow?"

"As you like."

She noticed the surprise in his voice as he answered and wondered if he had no friends with whom he ever exchanged gifts. Patience ran forward to the tree, where she had stashed the narrow box earlier that morning, and then turned to hand it to him. "I hope you like it. I am sorry if you do not. I did want to get you something useful."

As they were talking, the Crup had been creeping forward stealthily across the rug towards where Snape was now standing. Before Snape was able to reply to Patience, the Crup sunk his sharp little teeth into Snape's left boot. Immediately the little creature was sent flying as Snape shook his foot to loosen its teeth.

"Damn the animal. Take the thing into the garden if you don't want me to return it."

Patience scooped up her new Crup and raced out the door to the corridor leaving a scowling, furious Snape staring after her.

A Crup. A bloody little rubber-eating, boot-chewing, Muggle-baiting Crup. What had he done? Severus Snape cursed loudly and looked down at the brightly wrapped package in his hands. She had bought him a gift.

Patience paced the floor in front of the sitting room fireplace as she listed all the things that might have happened to keep Eva away. Eva was almost an hour late now, which was completely unlike her. Wicket had held lunch, but Patience really could not wait much longer. She was just too hungry. Perhaps Harold had come to see Eva unexpectedly. That would detain her and she might be too distracted to owl.

"Madame, Miss Rosser here for you."

Patience spun round towards the door and saw her petite, dark-haired friend standing next to Rem. She raced across the room to embrace her friend and, in turn, was grasped tightly by Eva. Both girls hugged and laughed with joy at finally seeing each other before they were interrupted by a series of sharp yips uttered by Patience's jealous young Crup.

"You have got a Crup! You didn't tell me."

"He gave it to me yesterday."

Eva stared at her friend in disbelief, "Really? I cannot believe it! They are such a hassle to have approved. Sarah's father had to make four trips to the Ministry before he got the permit for hers."

"Well, I think that was because they had such trouble with Mrs. West's Crup trying to eat that Muggle policeman."

"Yes, perhaps, but Professor Snape must have expended some effort to get this for you. I am surprised you told him what you wanted, too. I thought you were determined not to ask him for anything."

"I didn't. I have no idea how he knew. Maybe he just guessed."

"Not likely, darling. He wouldn't go to such effort over a guess."

"Well it's rather sweet of him, isn't it?"

Eva looked down at her friend, who was bending to pick up her Crup and kissing its little head. Nothing would ever persuade Eva to apply the word sweet in conjunction with the Potions master. Only Patience could be tenderhearted enough to make such an extrapolation. "Erm, yes darling, it is thoughtful. What did you name him?"

"Biter."

"Does he?"

"Yes, I think his greatest desire is to eat the Professor's boot. He's made five tries so far."

Eva looked at her friend uneasily and said, "You call him 'Professor'?"

"Well what do you want for me to call him? He doesn't seem like a husband."

Eva nodded, but continued softly, "But darling, you don't call him that to his face though?"

Eva watched as her friend frowned. Eva had always felt a deep protectiveness towards her best friend. Patience was quite simply the kindest person that Eva had ever known. Almost everyone who met her liked her. In fact, Patience had even been able to make a friend of that Yaxley girl, the snobbish Ravenclaw who had been paired with Patience in Potions and openly complained at being set to work with the stupidest student in the class.

It was a nasty twist of fate that Patience should be forced to marry one of the few men in Britain who was unlikely to be moved by Patience's sweetness or kindness. Eva considered that those two words were probably not even in Professor Snape's vocabulary. Eva was certain that even Snape would appreciate Patience's loveliness, because he was only a man after all. However, even her beauty would not be enough to attract such an evil, cruel man for anything but the baser desires. Did he require Patience to call him 'Professor'? Surely not.

"No, well I was, but he has asked me to use his name now, although as yet I haven't. It just seems awkward. Usually I just call him sir because it sort of comes out that way."

"Yes, I can see how that would be so, but it seems really odd to call your husband "sir.""

"If I'd married someone my own age, yes. But he's old. And he's not very approachable. He's never even here."

"Yes, so you've said, but I thought you were glad of that." Eva searched her friend's face and saw a brief look of real misery, which was hidden hastily by a mischievous smile.

"Yes, well I can hardly imagine him reading me Keats like Bobby did."

Eva could not help laughing. Even when Patience had believed that Robert Fleming loved her, she had been appalled by his taste in romantic poetry. "That is one thing in Professor Snape's favour."

"He, well, on our wedding day he told me that he didn't even want to be married to me."

"Oh Patience, how nasty of him!"

"He has gone out of his way to avoid me. He doesn't write to me, he doesn't talk to me when he is here, and he makes it abundantly clear that he thinks I'm quite thick. Well I am, but he is no more polite about it than when he was my teacher."

"You're not thick, darling. You are clever about people and things of that nature."

"Eva, I still can't even cast a Wrinkle-Releasing Charm. You could do that before you even came to Hogwarts. We both know I'm a hair's breadth away from being a Squib and about as smart as a troll. If I couldn't do Magical Creatures and didn't have that instinct about Astronomy they wouldn't have let me stay on after fifth-year and you know it."

Eva did know it. She had been the only reason Patience been able to get through to fifth-year Potions. The fact that she had privately agreed with at least half of Professor Snape's pronouncements about Patience's ability had made her feel horribly guilty, so she had resented him even more than most of the Hufflepuff students in their year.

"I know school was not your strength Patience. We all know that. However, you are not actually stupid. You can't really think that."

"Oh, I don't know. Living here, I feel like it sometimes and I grew up in a family of powerful wizards and very intelligent witches, you know. Look at Luther."

"I'd rather not, thanks. He might have got your grandmother's looks like you did, but he is a conceited, arrogant, egotistical prig. He cares more for his books than his sister."

"I don't think that Luther thinks about me at all, really. The only person besides himself that he loves is Govan and that is only because of the weird twin bond."

"Well, I think Luther is a berk. He has never done a single thing for you and he always let Govan maltreat you."

"Yes, but you know that I don't like you to criticise my brother. Are you ready to eat lunch?"

Eva stood up and said truthfully, "I'm sorry. Yes, I am famished. I apologise for being so late without owling. Great-Aunt Illiana suddenly came over with presents. She was not supposed to come until tonight. Mother wouldn't let me leave until Great-Aunt had been unpacked and fed."

"I understand. Let's eat. He ate already, so it will be just we two."