23
The twenty-third dawned sunny and bright and the freshly fallen snow glittered like diamonds around Hogwarts castle. Severus Snape, however, had no idea that this was the case as he was hidden away in a place he had never seen before.
The Chamber of Secret was cold and the only light was an eerie greenish shimmer that seemed to come from the walls themselves. The floor was wet in many places, here and there were even puddles of water. Snape was not on the floor but a little higher although he could not tell what it was that he sat on. It was simply to dark.
From time to time a rat scuttled across the room and the potions master hoped with all his heart that the rodents were not going to spot him. It would not do to be eaten by rats so close to Christmas. It wouldn't do to be eaten by rats on any day of the year if he thought about it, and he had plenty of time to think.
Snape knew that Potter and the Dark Lord had checked the chamber several times throughout the game but people had been telling them that Santa was not going to hide him in a place only two people could access. The potions master resigned himself to having to wait for noon. He hoped there was a way to leave the chamber without a wand.
"I found it first! You have no right to be here," the Dark Lord was heard in the distance a while. Snape was glad. At least he didn't need to try and climb out of the chamber wandless.
"I conquered it. It's mine now and you know it. You have no business here," Potter snapped back at his arch-enemy.
"Conquered it? It takes more than to kill a pet to conquer anything from me," the Dark Lord replied. "THIS is my chamber. I am the heir of Slytherin after all." Snape could imagine the dark wizard using his pointing stick.
"And I'm the heir of Slytherin's downfall." Potter really had more courage than brains. A Gryffindor through and through.
"If you insist on being like that, I'll kill you after Christmas. Be glad that I promised to keep the peace until Christmas!"
"As if! You couldn't kill me when I was a baby! What makes you think that you will succeed now that I am a fully trained wizard?"
"You are not fully trained. You are still a student. How long have you been spending in seventh year now? Must be more than ten years."
"It's fun!" Potter defended himself. "And I'm waiting for my fame to fade before I sit my NEWTs. As it is I couldn't do anything wrong in the eyes of the examiners. I want to pass on my abilities not because I'm tested by fans."
"You are an idiot, Potter," the Dark Lord pointed out.
"Snape in a Cape!" the two wizards cried in unison as they spotted puppet Snape at the same time.
When the potions master turned back into his human form, whatever he was sitting on came crashing down. There was a clattering noise and Snape landed in a puddle of water surrounded by bones.
Bones?
The potions master looked around. There were lots of bones and a huge serpentine skull.
"You ruined it, Severus!" admonished the Dark Lord. "Not enough that Potter killed her, now you won't even let her bones rest in peace! Poor Gertrud! She was such a dear!"
"Is this the basilisk you killed in your second year, Potter?" Snape gasped. He had had no idea that it was that big. "I'm impressed."
"Remember the feeling next time you want to take points from me for breathing, Professor," drawled Potter. "Now may I have my present?"
"YOUR present? Excuse me! We are talking about MY present! I saw him first!"
"Nonsense. I gave the words first and that's what counts!"
The two wizards stared at each other with hostility. Snape got the present out of his pocket, hoping that Santa had cleared up who was the winner.
In a way, Santa had. "Share!" said a small label on top of the box.
"Don't think I'll forgive you because you only stole half my present," growled the Dark Lord. He reached for the box at the same time as Potter.
"How about I open it for you and then you can see how you can share the content." Snape offered.
The two wizards agreed and so it was done.
The present was a great one. A refilling bottle of fire whiskey and three tumblers.
"Now that is a nice thing to share!" crowed the Dark Lord. He conjured a table and chairs. The three men sat and Potter poured a healthy measure of liquor for each of them.
Santa clearly didn't do things sloppily. This was easily the best fire whiskey Snape had ever tasted and that was to say something since he was a regular guest at Malfoy Manor.
Once the glasses were empty, the Dark Lord refilled them. The teenage wonder called for a house elf and ordered some snacks.
They stayed in the chamber the whole day and even fell asleep there. The Dark Lord conjured camping beds for the group. They were rickety and not very comfortable but the man had spent a day trying to empty a refilling bottle of alcohol, so Snape was impressed.