December 25, 1993

That year there were hardly any students at Hogwarts for Christmas. Only those who had no choice had stayed in the castle, risking the wrath of Sirius Black.

Severus was grateful, he needed silence to organize his thoughts.

The passing of the days had not erased the memory of Lily's horrible memories. A part of him felt uncomfortable. He had already heard a rumor that Neville Longbottom's boggart had his likeness, but he had snorted at the idea. Longbottom was a cowardly boy who feared his own shadow. Even his own grandmother made him tremble.

But Lily...

Lily had stood up to Draco and his friends without hesitation. Lily had challenged him. Lily had dared to attack him. And yet, it was his face, Severus', that gripped her mind when the dementors harassed her.

And Severus couldn't help but associate that image with the memory he had of Tobias Snape. Tall, dark and menacing.

That thought worried him, and it bothered his conscience. He had always sworn to himself not to be like that man. And yet, he had ended up falling into the same vices, the same rage, the same violence.

And he regretted it. To his surprise, he was embarrassed, he shouldn't have lost his temper like that.

Maybe that was why he had sent Lily a box of chocolates for Christmas.

He hadn't included any note, and he hoped the girl would think it was a gift from one of her friends. But it made him feel better.

It was a small gesture, but at least it was something.

ooo

January 20, 1994

Lily tried to concentrate without success, frequently losing the thread of Professor Lupin's explanation.

Overwhelmed, she looked down at the parchment Astoria had filled with her tiny handwriting. She would have to borrow her notes later.

"And with that we have finished the topic of goblins. Any questions?"

The students began to gather their belongings, talking animatedly. Professor Lupin, laxer than the other teachers, did not scold them.

"Lily, can you stay a minute?" she sighed and waited patiently for the class to empty, before following the professor to his office. He motioned for her to sit down. "Lily, I couldn't help but notice that you've been feeling quite down for a few days. Is everything all right?"

"It's nothing, Professor. I have a hard time sleeping," Lily was looking at her knees, but her face seemed more tired and pale than usual.

"Is it because of the dementors? Do you have nightmares?"

Lily raised her eyes, looking at the professor in bewilderment.

"How do you know?"

Professor Lupin snickered.

"It was also difficult for me to forget the effect of the dementors the first time I felt them. But I promise you that everything will pass," he said in a kind voice. "For now, I recommend eating a lot of chocolate. Here, you can have mine," he offered smiling, handing her a whole tablet.

She accepted the chocolate, surprised and grateful. Then, she looked better at the paper that wrapped it.

"Professor Lupin, were you the one who sent me chocolate for Christmas?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Someone gave me chocolate, this type of chocolate, but I don't know who it was. My friends say it wasn't them."

"I'm sure whoever it was just wanted to make you feel better," Lupin replied, with a somewhat forced smile. "If it happens again, don't hesitate to tell me. Together we will find out who it is, okay?" she nodded. "Very well, I won't stop you anymore, I don't want you to be late for your next class."

ooo

The teachers were ending the daily meeting and were preparing to continue with their tasks when Remus indicated that he had one more point to discuss.

Severus grunted in a bad mood, as he had a literal pile of essays to correct, and he didn't feel like wasting any more time with nonsense.

"I'm worried about Lily White. She told me that she still has nightmares after the dementors attack."

"Poor creature, I will prescribe a relaxing potion so that she can rest," said Madam Pomfrey.

"And... Severus, maybe you should pay attention. Someone has sent her chocolate anonymously."

"Why should I worry about that?" Severus sat very straight, looking at him with contempt. His Occlumency barrier intuitively went up, hiding his thoughts.

"Because she is a student from your house, and she assures that it has not been sent by any of her friends. Considering that she has no family, I'm worried that someone might want to try to harm her or approach her with bad intentions."

"How thoughtful, Lupin," Severus hissed, glaring at him. Dumbledore sent him a fleeting glance before clearing his throat.

"I was the one who sent the gift," he declared, his voice calm. "It seemed to me that the poor girl needed something to cheer her up, and I did so anonymously so as not to create precedents. I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything, Severus," he added, addressing the professor. He took the hint and nodded.

"I would appreciate it if you would update me next time before spoiling a student from my house. I wouldn't want this... misunderstanding to happen again," he replied, in his usual unpleasant tone. But the matter was settled, and Lupin left satisfied.

Severus headed towards the dungeons, still thinking about the mountain of homework to correct, and at the same time cursing Lupin for his meddling.

While waiting in front of the stairs, he saw a brightly colored robe out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't say anything. He knew that Dumbledore would talk to him sooner or later.

"Chocolate, Severus?" the headmaster murmured.

"Is there a problem? It's not like it was poisoned," he defended himself.

"Perhaps next time it will be more effective for you to take preventive measures, before going too far. We both know that it is much more difficult to fix something when the damage has been done."

Severus didn't respond. As always, Dumbledore seemed to be aware of what was happening and was giving him a shout-out.

But he didn't need it. He had had more than enough time to reflect on what had happened, and the sensations conveyed by his ring had not been very pleasant.

The metal remained uncomfortably cold most of the time, reminding him that his actions had consequences.

ooo

January 24, 1994

Severus looked at the students. They were especially asleep, even for a Monday, and not even his sinister stare could wake them from their slumber. And anyway, today he had made a point not to be too unpleasant.

"Today they will practice Nightingale's revitalizing potion. Can anyone tell me anything about this potion?" Severus glanced surreptitiously at Lily, but since the incident in Defense class, the girl had become very withdrawn when she was in front of him. She no longer raised her hand in class, and only responded if questioned directly, always with her eyes lowered, without looking directly at him.

None of the other students raised their hands, and Severus pursed his lips. He had to put all his effort into maintaining his goal of not being so unpleasant.

"Maria Nightingale was a potions master who worked helping survivors of the concentration camps created by Grindelwald. During her work she developed this revitalizing potion, known to accelerate the physical and mental healing process," Severus looked around the students, who glared at him surprised and expectant. Severus was not known for his explanations, and even Lily had raised her head. "One of the peculiarities of this potion is that it is relatively easy to brew and requires ingredients that even muggles can use."

And finally, what he had been waiting for happened. Lily had timidly raised her hand, unable to contain herself. Her curiosity was greater than any fear he could cause her.

"Miss White?"

"Why those ingredients, Professor? Mint and ginger are not as potent as asphodenum or Trein algae."

Severus turned to the blackboard, where he had written the ingredients for the potion. Indeed, it looked like a muggle shopping list.

"It is true that all these ingredients have a more powerful analogue in the magical world, but Madame Nightingale did not have access to them, or if she found them, they were very expensive or of poor quality. In the description included in her book "Experiences of a Survivor" she explains that her purpose was to put an easy-to-prepare remedy within reach of anyone who needed it. Her work is an excellent example of how insight and ingenuity can transform a challenge into a reality."

Severus faced the class again. Surprisingly, all the students were drinking in his words, expectant. Was this how the other teachers did it?

"You can begin," he indicated, somewhat embarrassed, and soon, the usual noise of instruments and bubbling liquid filled the dungeon.

Relieved, he found that Lily had regained her usual energy, and was leaning over her cauldron, completely focused, taking notes, smelling the ingredients, and watching her potion take shape.

Severus allowed a discreet smile and continued pacing between the cauldrons. The atmosphere of the dungeon was more relaxed than usual, and perhaps it was the first time that the students did not tremble with fear as he walked by. It was such a strange sensation that Severus had to secretly pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

And then, it happened: an intense and pleasant aroma of mint and ginger filled the room, making everyone raise their heads to see where it was coming from. Lily stood in front of her cauldron, eyes wide, not knowing what to do, and then she looked worriedly at Severus. But he just nodded, satisfied.

"Miss White has managed to reach impeccably the first cooking point. As you can see, all the ingredients have descended to the bottom of the cauldron, causing the essential oils to float on the surface," he explained. "I recommend lowering the heat to half and changing your spoon for a silver one. Steel can leave an unwanted metallic taste."

Lily obeyed, amazed by the professor's subtle praise, and returned her attention to the potion.

The minutes passed quickly, and at the end of the hour and a half, almost all the students had managed to finish the potion with more or less satisfactory results, but as always, Lily had gotten a perfect potion that almost exceeded the strict professor's expectations.

The pleasant aroma of the potion made everyone smile relaxed, and for the first time in his career, Severus had the impression that the students had enjoyed the class.

Before finishing, Severus proceeded to bottle a sample of Lily's potion for each student, and indicated that the rest would be donated to the infirmary, to be used as a remedy against the effect produced by the dementors.

He had to admit, that had been the best idea he had had in a long time.

ooo

Lily was in bed, listening to her classmates also go to sleep. In her hand she held the small vial that Professor Snape had given them that afternoon. The light minty smell came from the cap, relaxing her mind and body.

Lily didn't know what to think about what had happened. Professor Snape had behaved very strangely. He had been kind. He had praised her potion, without using hints or fancy phrases that no one else understood. He had sent her potion to the infirmary, saying that she had brewed it.

The girl was not deceived, she knew that that day's class had been a very far-fetched excuse from the teacher to apologize, but she didn't care.

Just as Miss Anderson said, you had to take advantage of good things, even if they were fleeting, and she would keep the memory of that class to remind herself that even someone like Professor Snape could have virtues.

Besides, she told herself as she curled up in bed, the potion bottle in her hands, she also needed to be reminded from time to time that she was good at something.

...

It seems that Severus has learned his lesson, and has asked for forgiveness in his own way. Fortunately, Lily has not inherited his grudge.

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