Ms. Agatha Graves was an awkward woman. She fit every stereotype an astrologist could. She was tall, thin, with long dark hair and darker eyes. If it wasn't for her horrendous personality one could easily find her attractive, but the moment she opened her mouth it was obvious she belonged in a high tower, alone, in the middle of the night. She often spoke in abstract metaphors and if you could make sense of her words, you'd find they held no real point. Conversation with her was uncomfortable for everyone.
She had only managed to land her job teaching at Hogwarts because there was a lack of applicants. Ever since the second war, more and more of the older staff took their retirements and fewer and fewer witches and wizards were keen to fill the vacancies. Headmistress McGonagall had begun putting out job ads in American newspapers trying desperately to fill the many openings for teaching positions. Ms. Graves was one of the few to answer. Severus was highly adamant against her appointment, but Minerva felt they had little choice.
When the Christmas holiday began, Hogwarts emptied of nearly every student and staff member. The halls were cold, dark, and quiet. Severus had never enjoyed the old castle more.
Sure the dampness and drafts of winter made his body stiff and his joints ache, but it was a pain he greeted each morning as a friend. It was a constant reminder to him of his part in the wizarding war, and felt that he was deserving to suffer in pain for the remainder of his years. And he certainly preferred it to an undignified death in the shrieking shack which would have been his fate if it weren't for Fawkes the phoenix swooping in to plant its tears on his wounds. Severus woke up several days following the battle at St. Mungos. It was a long recovery made all the longer and more miserable by that blasted Potter sharing his most intimate memories with the wizengamot and clearing his name of any wrong doings.
Of course to add to his punishment in perpetuity, God had saw fit to torture him further with the arrival of this insane woman. Severus had been growing more and more annoyed by the new astrology teacher. As Deputy Headmaster, Severus found himself on the receiving end of her constant pestering. She wanted his approval to order new telescopes for the students, new star maps, celestial charts, a myriad of books. Severus answered every request with a resounding "NO!"
She would go on with inane phrases such as, "What good is a map if it's full of paper towns?" "Plagued with chromatic aberrations" or "planispheric distortions that even a no-maj could pick up." Severus had little time for her and even littler patience.
The woman gave him a headache more than anyone else; students included.
On the morning of Christmas eve Severus headed to his office with the hopes that he could spend the day alone. As he entered the familiar room he was greeted by a festively wrapped package atop his desk. The thing was in stark contrast to every other object in the room. It stood out like a blazing beacon of red and white against the dark oak desk and of course it was adorned with a bright glittering red bow. Severus sneered in disgust at it.
He picked up the card attached: "Hoping you have a Merry Christmas, Agatha Graves."
Severus felt that familiar headache begin to surface behind his eyes. He picked the package up and lazily tossed it into the waste bin.
He all but forgot about the damned thing when he heard the quiver of rustling parchment in the bin. As if it were bewitched like a howler, the small box levitated from the bin directly above the desk and from it came the woman's voice. "I didn't think you'd open this, but I do mean it-"
Severus cut the package off with a flick of his wand and it silently dropped back upon his desk. Of course she wouldn't make this easy. He sighed out of contempt before picking the box back up and throwing it out into the corridor and slamming his door shut.
Thankfully, he spent the day uninterrupted by neither person nor package.
When the bell rang signaling the dinner hour Severus stood. He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting at his desk. His back ached and his knees didn't want to move. He forced himself a stretch, much to his body's displeasure, and headed to the great hall. He was greeted by Minerva in the corridor and the pair entered the dining hall together. As he headed towards the staff table, he was so focused on the discussion with the Headmistress that he hadn't noticed the peppermint package was sitting on the table at his seat to the right hand of McGonagall.
Minerva noticed. "Looks like Ms Graves remembered you for Christmas too, Severus. I received a similar looking gift this morning. It was very thoughtful" Minerva McGonagall knew him better and longer than anyone at the castle. She knew that he detested receiving gifts and doubly so when delivered publicly.
Severus pursed his lips. He'd love nothing more than to incinerate the thing, but doing so would come with one of Minerva's long lectures on civility. Instead he recounted in his head how many headache relief potions he had in his private stores and considered brewing more.
Severus slid the package out of his line of sight. He was intent on ignoring it while he ate and would find a way to be rid of it once and for all after dinner. Ms. Graves, he noted, was not present at the table that night. Thank God for small miracles.
As if the little package were the size of an elephant, all who appeared in the hall noticed it sitting next to the dour looking potions professor. Absolutely no one brought it up.
His initial plan was to leave it behind when he got up to leave and hoped to forget all about it.
"Professor!" Said a naive 1st year Slytherin. "You forgot your present."
After catching a severe look from McGonagall, Severus snatched the damn box by its ridiculous red bow and took it down to his rooms in the Dungeon. He was nearly at his private door when he remembered a book he left back in his office. Severus was keen to continue his research, but his immediate priority was the package.
Severus strolled into his sitting room, he ignited a fire in the hearth with his wand and tossed the box on top of the flaming logs. He wheeled around without stopping and headed back to his office to continue his work.
His focus on his research kept him occupied for several more hours in his office until the ache in his back could be ignored no longer. He needed to let himself rest. He felt every vertebrae crack and pop as he straightened out and stood. There was a time he could remain working all night and he often did. The war and the part he played had taken its toll. Severus's body felt decades older than himself. Still alone in his office he allowed himself to yawn and rubbed his temples before heading back to his rooms.
By the time he arrived the fire had died down to mere embers glowing in the otherwise darkened quarters. Severus stepped into his private bathroom and performed his nightly ritual for bed. He emerged several minutes later wearing his comfortable old night shirt. He yawned again as he set his wand on the bedside table; he didn't notice, until he turned the blankets down, that the package lay unharmed as red and white as ever on his pillow.
Severus groaned in displeasure. He gripped the package, throwing it as violently as he could across the room and against the wall. He would destroy the bloody gift first thing in the morning. Even if he had to use the sword of Gryffindor to do it. He settled into the cold bed and fell asleep quickly.
When Christmas morning arrived Severus allowed himself the only gift he actually wanted. A bit of a lie in. He woke up, grunted his indifference, before turning over and falling back asleep.
When he finally did awaken he sat up in his bed and mulled over the various methods he could use to destroy the gift from the astronomy professor. For a brief moment his curiosity did surface and he wondered what it might contain, but knew the greater gift would be to rid himself of it.
Severus smirked, recalling an acidic potion for the first time in many years. It was an acerbic cocktail requiring many complicated ingredients including volcanic minerals, pyrite and cyanide.
It would take the whole day to brew, but the idea of making this particular caustic solution brought back a sense of pleasant nostalgia in Severus. He thought back to his younger days when he was more ambitious in his lab. The shimmering fumes of a complicated potion, the soft rolling bubble of the cauldrons contents. Improving upon recipes that had been standardized for centuries. Why not, he thought. It was Christmas, afterall.
Severus got out of bed, easily ignoring the aches in his body. He prepared himself for the day. Showered, shaved and dressed. He grabbed the red and white box by its bow and headed down to his classroom.
He took his time selecting the best quality ingredients from his stores. He pulled from a locked cupboard his largest crystal cauldron, by far one of the most expensive items in his possession. He took his time scourgifying all remnants of dust from within its basin. He wanted this potion to be perfect and wanted to ensure no particles could potentially contaminate the concoction he had planned to brew. His hands ran over the smooth glass-like surface with admiration. The cauldron had seen many potions since it came into his possession, but he hadn't had a reason to pull it out of its slumber in many years. The deep basin felt smooth and cold to his touch, he let his fingers trace the rim adoringly. He gingerly placed it upon a flame, its alabaster color starkly contrasting to the darkness of the potions classroom.
The wrapped gift sat atop his desk; Severus glanced over to it. He imagined it was aware of its fate. Knew that its demise was imminent.
The last item Severus needed was his pair of special corrosion resistant gloves. The gloves were gifted to him many years ago by his old potion master Horace Slughorn upon his graduation. They were made of dragon hide and stitched with gold. Severus retrieved them from an old box in his desk and ran his fingers over them. They were once hardened leather, but now soft and supple with many years of use. He had thought back to many of the potions he had used them for. They still fit perfectly, broken in and worn only by his own hands, they felt familiar, warm, inviting as if each finger were being hugged.
Severus worked diligent and attentively throughout the day. He only took breaks when the potion required it. He was completely in his element and entirely unbothered. Not even the pain from his old bones was enough to draw his attention.
He flitted from table to cauldron, perfectly preparing each ingredient, crushing, slicing, grinding... Muscle memory had taken over. It was a dance he hadn't done in years and he enjoyed the fact that he could still perform it confidently.
As the potion reached its boiling point, Severus summoned a pot of tea. He poured a cup and held it up towards the red and white package. It was a toast of thanks. Severus couldn't remember the last time he was in this good of a mood.
It was nearly ready by the time the dinner bell rang. All ingredients were added, it was the perfect shade of green, the smell of vinegar wafted up with the steam. Severus needed to allow it time to simmer and be stirred for a few more hours to ensure the last ingredient properly dissolved. He bewitched his stirring rod to perform the task for him so he could allow himself to eat for the first time that day.
He headed up to the great hall where he discovered the long tables had been cleared and a single smaller table was set to allow the few faculty and students to sit and dine together.
Severus surveyed the few empty seats left. Of course the right of Minerva sat empty for him, and the one to his own right was empty (no one being keen to sit next to the brooding Deputy Headmaster on Christmas day), and one final seat across from him was empty. Severus noted Ms. Graves' absence and stoically hoped she wouldn't appear tonight, or that if she would, she would be couth enough to NOT bring up her gift.
Severus took his seat. Each place setting held Christmas crackers and a few silly trinkets. Severus brushed his off onto the table, not wanting to be bothered by frivolity. While the remaining seats filled (Graves directly in front of him, unfortunately) The students and teachers filled the hall with sounds of pleasant conversation and laughter. Severus sipped the mulled wine silently and expressionless. His thoughts were on the potion down in the dungeons. He was feeling quite proud of himself for perfecting a potion he must not have even thought about in over a decade.
Severus was brought out of his musing when he felt a nudge to his left. He looked to Minerva who held the end of a Christmas cracker to pull. Severus rolled his eyes and grabbed the tissue paper of the end held to him. With a loud bang the cracker exploded and bursting forth from the confetti and smoke were candies, beaded necklaces and THAT DAMNED PRESENT!
Severus glared at Grave's with utter contempt. The witch feigned an air of innocence and quickly turned her focus to the student next to her to avoid further venom from him.
"Open it, Severus. It's Christmas, afterall." Pleaded Minerva trying to keep his temper civil.
Begrudgingly, Severus focused his attention to the innocent looking box with its glittering bow. He roughly pulled the tabs of ribbon allowing it to fall upon his plate. He pulled the lid off and plucked out the tissue paper that hid the gift inside revealing a glass jar. Severus lifted the jar to see its contents. Within was a perfectly preserved, very rare specimen of an Amanitas Phalloides. The death cap mushroom. Severus was familiar with this fungus. He knew of its uses in potions, and did always find it to be quite a useful and intriguing ingredient.
Revealing no thoughts, Severus placed the mushroom jar back into the box. He did not want to admit this, but he was indeed taken aback by her gift. He looked between Agatha and Minerva to see the two of them eagerly awaiting his reaction. With a deep sigh, he nodded in thanks towards Agatha.
Agatha blushed and looked away from him. After a few more minutes, she politely said her final "Merry Christmas" And stood to leave the table heading back to her office in the high astronomy tower.
Severus returned to his lab that evening and finished up his potion. He couldn't shake something about Agatha's gift. She had not only given a rare and impressive gift, but she had clearly taken time and effort into its preservation. He couldn't destroy it now. He had never considered that she may possess a more sensitive, considerate, and possibly brilliant side he was not aware of. He noted how little she said to him at dinner and mused that when she was silent, not spewing her wild abstractions, she was tolerable.
Severus cursed himself for musing pleasantries about a colleague, a subordinate, at that. But still, with her kind gesture, he felt a sense of debt to the woman. He went to his office grabbing a rolled scroll which he had been ignoring on his desk. It was a purchase order for new astronomy supplies she had requested him to approve weeks ago. He scratched out several items listed, rolled his eyes as he signed off on it and headed out of the office towards the astronomy tower.
When Severus arrived at her office he hoped she wouldn't answer. He knocked on the door and heard her voice from within. "It's open." He turned the latch letting the heavy wooden door swing ajar. Inside sat Agatha Graves at a large drafting table. She appeared to be plotting a star chart, the table was strewn with instruments of measuring and a large ornate telescope was positioned out the window towards the night sky. The room was dark but for a couple candles to illuminate her drawing. "Good evening." She said simply staring at him. Her dark eyes glittering in the candle light.
Severus pulled the scroll from within a pocket of his robes. He held it out to her and stepped inside the office. "Your purchase order." He said simply. He allowed for a silence to linger in the air before continuing. "Hogwarts hasn't the budget for new telescopes, but I can approve your request for the maps and charts you requested."
Agatha's face brightened even in the dim light of the room. She stood and strode towards him eager to see his signature on the parchment. "Thank you, professor!" She said with a kind smile.
He pulled the scroll backwards as she reached out to grab it. "I do not appreciate your methods, Graves. Don't assume I can be bought with petty trinkets."
"Understood, Professor." She said, diverting her eyes to the floor. Severus allowed her to take the scroll from him. "You didn't like the death cap?"
Severus held back a sneer. "It is an adequate specimen." He could tell from her expression that she understood it was as close to a compliment as he would ever give.
Severus was about to turn and leave when she stopped him. "Can I ask you a question, Professor?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"How many times did you try to destroy it?"
Severus let a hint of smirk show through. "More than once" He said simply before turning on his heel and leaving her.
Agatha called out to him as he left the office. "Good night, Professor. Merry Christmas!"