Chapter Six
Winter holidays begin tomorrow, and most students will be boarding the Hogwarts Express bright and early tomorrow morning, which means Danu must return to Bernadette's. If it were up to her, she would remain at Hogwarts for the next two weeks, taking full advantage of a quiet common room and an uninterrupted long, hot bubble bath. Unfortunately, with the castle riddled with Dementors, and Sirius Black still on the loose, all students remaining in the castle must have prior parental permission.
Most students are busy packing their trunks, the procrastinators and overachievers lounge in the common room, chatting about their plans for the holidays and family traditions that they are most excited about. This brings a pang to Danu's heart. Holidays at Bernadetta's are always the same; lukewarm hot cocoa in the morning with a breakfast of porridge and toast, cheesy Christmas movies on the tiny television in the recreation room, followed by a sparse Christmas dinner that is usually dry and bland. After dinner everyone gathers round the tiny Christmas tree with colorful lights strung with strands of popcorn, and gifts are passed out. It has been the same gifts the entire time she's been there, a voucher worth several Muggle pounds donated from a local shop, and a package filled with various sweets, socks, undergarments, and personal hygiene supplies in each person's size and preference. The smaller children usually receive a single small toy, the older ones will sometimes receive stationary, pens, pencils, and erasers. She has always been incredibly thankful for the gesture. Mostly though, winter holiday is just two weeks of her hiding reading anything that she can get her hands on and hiding from other kids.
Danu grabs her much loved copy of The Hobbit. She found it years ago in a cupboard at Bernadette's, and no one had missed it. The pages are dog-eared and yellowed, the cover peeling, the spine cracked beyond repair, and pages have become unglued, forcing her to wrap a rubber band around the width of the book when not in use to keep the pages intact. She knows that she should throw it out one day, but for now, she holds on to it as if it were a family Bible. Her first taste of magic, if even from a Muggles perspective. She wraps a blue throw around her shoulders and makes her way down to the dining hall. Even though it is after meal hours, the house elves keep the tables piled high with fresh fruit, muffins, scones, and piping hot tea and cocoa.
A small group of second year students pass her on her way into the great hall, undoubtably grabbing a hot cocoa to warm up after playing in the snow. The room is dimly lit with candles, the ceiling enchanted to match the weather outside, making one feel as if they could stick out their tongues and catch a snowflake between bites of food. This has always been her favorite aspect of Hogwarts. The dining hall has been decorated for the holidays for weeks. More than a dozen Christmas trees stand tall and proud throughout the room, garland and greenery on every surface of the room. Danu parks herself in her usual spot at Ravenclaw table, placing her well-loved book next to her, and pours herself a large steaming cup of Earle Grey tea before busying herself with plucking grapes from vine in the center of the table.
"I do believe, Miss Black, that it may be time to put this book, if you can call it that, out of its misery." His voice caused her to jerk and drop the blanket from her shoulders onto the bench beneath her. She didn't even hear him come in, much less sneak up on her enough to grab the book that was mere inches from her arm. She looks up at him, a black blob in the dim candlelight. He's holding her book at arm's length, turning it over in his large hands as if willing it to tell him how it has survived as long as it has.
"Follow me." He demands. "Leave the tea. I do not want you spilling it throughout the castle. The elves have done enough today." He turns and begins to leave, still holding her book, before she can answer. She wraps herself in her blanket and has to jog to catch up to him.
Snape makes his way to the dungeon, his long stride making it difficult for her to fully catch up to him. The lower they descend into the castle, the colder the air around them becomes. She pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders, thankful to have it with her. Snape unlocks the door to his office with his wand, flicking his wrist to wordlessly light the candles in the room as he strides through. He slams her book down onto the table, dropping pages as it lands. He must have taken the rubber band off of it in the dining hall as he inspected it.
"Sit." He commands, gesturing towards the chair across from his desk. She obeys, and he leaves the room through the door behind his desk that she has always assumed to be his private study. Danu sits patiently, picking the skin around her thumbnail as she waits.
Snape returns a few moments later, carrying the same China teacups he's brought her before. She recognizes the smell immediately, chamomile with cinnamon and ginger, and a hint of honey for sweetness. He places one before her, then reaches beneath his arm, producing a blood red hardcover book. He hands her the book, then takes his seat behind his desk, eying her copy of The Hobbit before him.
The two sit in comfortable silence for several moments, sipping their tea. Danu runs her hands over the smooth cover of the book he handed to her.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
Danu finishes her tea while running her fingers along the soft pages of the book. Snape clears his throat, and she looks up to him. The candlelight flickered in his eyes, making them look as if they were engulfed in flame.
"I have many books in my personal collection which you may find interesting. Although Hogwarts possesses a rather impressive library, I find it rather…..lacking for leisure."
"I have read almost every book in Ravenclaw library. I have yet to tackle the main library, outside of my schoolwork, of course. Thank you, Professor."
"You are dismissed." Danu stands to make her leave, afraid to ask for her book back. His hands rest possessively over top of it, as if shielding it from the flames of the candles.
"Miss Black," he begins, "leave this with me." He lifts his hands, gesturing towards the book beneath them. "I do hope I find my book in the same condition upon its return."
"I can't say the same for mine, Sir." The corner of Snape's lip lifts in a smirk, sending a flush of red to her cheeks.