FIC: Phoenix Rising, Part 27 of 37

[geri_chan]

Title: Phoenix Rising, Part 27 of 37
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Word count: ~9,680
Warning: AU; my own version of Year 6 (was written pre-HBP).
Author's notes: {} Indicates character's unspoken thought
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn
Summary: The students prepare for Christmas and the Yule Ball, and Snape gets into the Christmas spirit (well, sort of).

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24, Part 25, Part 26

***

That very night, Gwydion and his brother were summoned to the Dark Lord's side. Not all the Death Eaters were there; Dylan and Snape seemed to be absent, but Gwydion recognized Wormtail's silver hand and Bellatrix Lestrange's heavily-lidded eyes.

"You have been seen being quite friendly recently with an Auror, one known to be a friend and supporter of Dumbledore," Voldemort said in a cold voice. "Would you care to explain yourself, Gwydion?"

"You mean Shacklebolt?" Gwydion asked, startled. "How did you know about that? I thought I was your only source in the Ministry--"

"I have eyes and ears everywhere, Gwydion," Voldemort interrupted. "Nothing you do escapes my notice. Crucio!"

Gilbert fell to the floor, screaming. "Stop!" Gwydion shouted.

"If you betray me, Donner, I will slay your brother before your eyes!"

"I haven't betrayed you, Master, I swear!" Gwydion screamed. "Please stop!" Voldemort stared directly into Gwydion's eyes for a moment, then broke off the spell.

"Then explain your sudden friendship with this Shacklebolt," the Dark Lord said, still sounding suspicious.

"He came to me, not the other way around!" Gwydion shouted. "He wants my help in clearing Nymphadora Tonks's name! He wants me to use my influence to help her, that's all, I swear!"

"And have you agreed to help him?"

"I pretended to agree," Gwydion said, squirming under the intense gaze of his Master's crimson eyes. "I thought perhaps I might be able to gain some useful information from him in return. I did it to help you, Master!"

"I see," Voldemort said, holding Gwydion's gaze a moment longer, before breaking eye contact. Gwydion shuddered with relief. "And have you learned anything useful?"

"They don't seem to have any reliable leads on the whereabouts of the escapees--um, my recently freed brethren," Gwydion replied nervously. "And they're still watching the Rosier estate. It was Moody who put them up to it. They don't know exactly what it is you wanted from the mansion, or that you already have it."

"Good," Voldemort said curtly. "Continue gathering information--and Gwydion?"

"Yes, my Lord?"

"In the future, be sure to keep me apprised of your activities, in order to avoid such...misunderstandings."

"Yes, my Lord!"

"You are dismissed."

Gwydion and Gilbert Disapparated, not waiting to be told twice. Voldemort turned to his Death Eaters. "We must keep an eye on that one; he won't hesitate to betray us, if he thinks he can do so without losing his precious hide. Your contacts are proving useful, Lucius."

Lucius Malfoy grinned beneath the hood of his robe. "Thank you, my Lord. Clerical workers hear a great deal more than their superiors realize. And the beauty of it is, they can't be exposed as Death Eaters, because they aren't Death Eaters."

"They still have no idea who they're reporting to, then?"

"No, as far as they're concerned, they're merely passing on a little harmless gossip to help some anonymous pureblood family play politics. And the gold I'm paying them keeps them from asking too many questions. It seems our civil servants regard themselves as overworked and underpaid; they're quite eager to supplement their meager salaries."

Voldemort laughed. "Very clever, Lucius!"

"It is my pleasure to serve you, my Lord," Lucius said, with a very self-satisfied smile beneath his hood.

***

The teachers at Hogwarts usually eased up on the workload when the holidays drew near, since their students' attention spans seemed to decrease around that time, but Snape, Blackmore, and even Lupin, showed them no mercy.

Professor Blackmore had her classes studying how to summon earth and water elementals, although she didn't intend for them to cast the summoning spells yet; she said it was difficult for beginners to summon an earth or water elemental in the winter, when the ground and water were covered with snow and frozen over. But she did summon an ice elemental as a demonstration; like the smoke elemental Soot, it resembled a miniature dragon, only this one appeared to be made of ice. Blackmore led them out of the dungeon into the castle proper, and the children gasped in awe as the ice elemental blew gently on the windows, forming lacy, crystalline snowflake patterns on them. Blackmore cast a spell that would prevent them from melting until after the holidays, and the Headmaster cheerfully thanked her and the elemental for helping with the Christmas decorations.

Lupin continued to drill his students in defensive spells, reminding them sternly that their lives might someday depend on what they were learning in class. They continued working on their Patronus Charms, as well as on shield and stunning-type spells. He also taught them something new, how to draw runes of warding.

"These can be placed on an object, or around a door or window," Lupin explained, "to keep intruders at bay. The simplest wards keep out anyone but the caster; the more complicated ones can keep out or let in certain people specified by the caster."

Harry and most of the other Gryffindors looked eager and excited, but Draco yawned. "Is this really new to you Gryffindors?" he asked contemptuously. "I already have wards on my trunk and desk in my room."

"Then perhaps you can demonstrate for us, Draco," Lupin said smoothly, before the Gryffindors had a chance to respond. Draco blinked in surprise, but obediently walked to the head of the classroom and accepted the plain wooden box Lupin handed him. He used the specially prepared ink Lupin provided to draw a simple lock-rune on the top of the box, then took out his wand and invoked the warding spell. Lupin tried to open the box, and it remained sealed tightly shut. "Very good, Draco," Lupin said cheerfully. "Ten points to Slytherin. You may keep the box," he added, handing it back to Draco, who smiled at him for a moment before he caught himself and sneered. The Gryffindors looked annoyed, but before anyone had a chance to voice a protest, Lupin asked, "Who'd like to go next?"

"Me!" several of them shouted at once, raising their hands. The Slytherins remained silent, but they looked eager as well. Lupin provided a box for each student in his class, and by the end of the period, everyone, even Crabbe and Goyle, had managed to cast a successful warding spell on their box.

The girls were especially delighted; Parvati and Lavender wanted to use their boxes as jewelry boxes. "Can we decorate them, Professor?" Lavender asked. "It won't hurt the ward, will it? The boxes are nice, but they are a bit plain..."

Lupin smiled. "So long as you do not erase the rune of warding, you may decorate it as you wish, even paint over the rune, and the spell will still be effective. In fact, tomorrow I'll show you how to draw a pattern that is both decorative and protective, but for now, our time is up. Class dismissed."

For once, the students were unhappy to see class come to an end, and groaned in disappointment, but they left and headed to lunch, admiring their boxes.

"This is really cool!" Ron said. "I can hide stuff in here, and no one will be able to touch it!" As the second-youngest child in the family, with several mischievous older brothers, he was used to not having much privacy and having his brothers go through his things.

"A strong enough mage can break a simple warding spell," Hermione started to say, but as Ron's face fell, she hastily added, "but this should hold against casual intrusion--like snooping brothers, for instance." Ron grinned again. "And I'm sure Professor Lupin will teach us the more powerful spells once we master the easy ones."

"Do you think he can teach us a spell that can ward out Slytherins?" Ron wondered.

"Ron!" Hermione said indignantly, and Ron and Harry laughed.

"Just joking, Hermione," Ron grinned. "Still, it would be nice, wouldn't it..."

"It would be nice if we could ward you Gryffindors out of the school!" Draco retorted as he walked by with his cronies, but he sounded almost cheerful, and not as nasty as he usually did. With Lupin's box tucked under one arm, he sauntered on his way, not pausing to see if Ron would respond. Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini hurried after him, but Crabbe and Goyle lingered behind for a moment and smiled shyly at Hermione. Goyle proudly held up his box, revealing a very carefully drawn warding rune.

"Are you two coming or what?" Theodore called to them impatiently, and they hurried to catch up with their companions.

"What was that about?" Harry asked in a puzzled voice.

"I think they were trying to thank me," Hermione replied, looking pleased. Ron and Harry stared at her in shock. "They were having a lot of trouble drawing the protective runes in Blackmore's class for our project, so I helped them out. I didn't really do much," she added modestly, as Harry and Ron continued to stare at her openmouthed. "I just noticed that they were getting flustered and frustrated when they saw a complicated rune, so I just broke it down into steps to make it seem simpler. Anyway, I think all the practicing we did must have helped them to draw the warding rune today."

"You helped Crabbe and Goyle," Ron said weakly. "And they were grateful?!"

"Yes," Hermione replied cheerfully. "They're not so bad, really, when Draco's not around. I feel sorry for them, actually. It sounds like they have a tough home life. I don't think their parents treat them very nicely."

"Crabbe and Goyle talked to you about their families?!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yes," Hermione answered blithely, not seeming to notice that her two friends were still in shock. "Do you know that most purebloods don't marry for love? They have to marry whomever their parents pick out, whether they like the person or not!"

"Yeah, well, that's how most of the powerful Slytherin families do it, anyway," Ron said, still sounding a little dazed.

"Your parents' marriage wasn't arranged, was it?" Hermione asked, sounding distressed.

"Hell, no!" Ron said firmly. "They don't go in for all that snobby blood politics stuff!"

"Crabbe and Goyle," Harry muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief.

***

"I have a new assignment that will keep you busy right up until school ends," Snape announced to his Advanced Potions class with sadistic glee, and his students--except for Hermione, of course--repressed a collective groan. Even his Slytherins looked rather put out. "A very challenging project," he continued, ignoring their glum faces. "Not precisely a potion, more of an unguent, really."

Draco and Hermione looked up curiously at that, while Ron whispered to Hermione, "What's an unguent?"

"Five points off Gryffindor for talking during class," Snape immediately said, looking more pleased than ever; it had been some time since he'd had an excuse to dock points from Gryffindor. "Mr. Nott, will you please explain to the less educated members of this class what an unguent is?"

Theodore grinned maliciously at Ron as Draco and the other Slytherins snickered. "An ointment, salve, balm, cream, lotion--"

"I think we get the picture, Mr. Nott," Snape interrupted, but in an almost indulgent tone. "Five points to Slytherin." He turned to Neville with a much more stern expression on his face and asked, "Do you remember what I told the class at the beginning of term, Mr. Longbottom?"

Neville went pale as Snape hovered over him almost eagerly, much like a vulture might hover over a dying man, anticipating its next meal. "Th-that the H-headmaster wanted us to learn things about c-combat and defense," Neville stuttered.

"That's right," Snape said, scowling and sounding disappointed; the vulture's dinner had just gotten to its feet and walked away. "This unguent combines both properties."

"Combat AND defense?" Draco asked; Harry resentfully noticed that Snape didn't deduct points when Malfoy spoke out of turn.

Snape, in fact, looked pleased. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy. Who can name some of the properties of woad?" Both Hermione and Draco immediately stuck their hands in the air. "Draco?"

"It can be used to make a blue dye," Draco said, looking smug. "The ancient Celts used it to paint their bodies when they went into battle. The leaves have healing properties and can be used to staunch bleeding. They're used in certain healing salves and poultices."

"Very good, Draco," Snape said approvingly. "Ten points to Slytherin." Draco smirked at Ron and Harry, who glared back at him. "The so-called 'body paint' the Celtic warriors used was in certain rare cases a magical unguent prepared by a wizard, though obviously, only clans who had access to a mage could obtain this unguent. They used the woad not just for cosmetic purposes, but for its healing properties. The woad, combined with valerian, rue, hyssop, and devil's bit for healing, saxifrage for strength and courage, and vervain for luck and healing, creates a potent unguent that gives the user strength and lessens the severity of his wounds. It won't stop a killing blow, of course, but it will immediately begin to heal minor wounds, and help stop the bleeding and dull the pain of more serious wounds, enabling the warrior to fight on much longer than normal."

Harry forgot his anger, intrigued by this new assignment. There was something he wanted to ask, but he knew that Snape would probably mock his ignorance. Then he mentally shrugged--well, that was nothing new, after all--and hesitantly raised his hand.

Snape's eyebrows shot up, but all he said was, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Does this unguent provide any protection against magical attacks, sir?"

Snape stared at Harry for a moment, his black eyes unreadable, then answered, "The rue and vervain provide a very limited protection against malevolent magic, but I wouldn't recommend taking on a hostile mage armed with nothing but the unguent." Then he grinned, looking rather malevolent himself. "After you finish brewing your unguent, perhaps we'll test it and see just how effective it is." Harry gulped, Ron turned pale, and even the Slytherins looked nervous.

The unguent (its official name was Celtic War Paint, but Snape seemed to find that distastefully melodramatic, and simply referred to it as "the unguent") was the most difficult and time-consuming concoction that Snape had assigned so far. The other leaves and roots had to be chopped, ground, or mashed, which was tedious enough, but preparing the woad was the most complicated part of the process: the leaves had to be chopped up, steeped in boiling water, the liquid strained off to separate it from the leaves, then mixed with ashes (its alkaline properties being required to "fix" the blue dye, Hermione cheerfully informed Harry and Ron as Snape gave her a sour look, which meant that she was no doubt correct as usual), then that mixture had to be allowed to steep until the sediment settled to the bottom. Then they had to strain it off, add fresh water to the sediment, and repeat the last step several times until they were left with a dark blue sediment, which, when dried, left behind the blue powder which formed the base of the unguent. The dye, Harry and the others found, was difficult to wash off, and several members of Snape's class walked around with blue hands for a few days until Hermione found a cleaning spell that would remove it. The Slytherins, of course, didn't have to worry about stained hands past the first day. Draco claimed that he'd found the spell that kept the dye from clinging to their hands, but Harry suspected Snape had simply given it to them--probably to shut up Pansy Parkinson, who had screeched about her blue hands as if she'd been permanently disfigured until Snape had threatened her with detention.

All the ingredients then had to be mixed together, in very specific proportions, and "steeped in sunlight for one day, then steeped in moonlight for one night," according to Snape and their textbook. The problem was finding someplace safe to "steep" their jarfuls of unguent where they would not accidentally--or on purpose--be knocked over. It was Hermione who came up with the idea of asking Blackmore for help--brilliant, because she seemed to be the only person other than Voldemort that Snape feared, and ever since the incident with Bane, Draco lived in absolute terror of her. Blackmore smiled at Hermione's request, then spoke to Professor Sinistra, who granted them the use of the Astronomy Tower for one day and night. Blackmore herself drew a protective warding circle around the Gryffindors' jars, then went to Snape and cheerfully offered to do the same for his other students. Snape scowled at her, but reluctantly acquiesced. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs looked relieved, while the Slytherins looked sullen and disappointed--or at least Draco did. Pansy and Millicent didn't seem to care one way or the other; Blaise was quiet and expressionless as usual; and Theodore always looked sullen, so it was difficult to tell whether it was in response to Blackmore or not. But in any case, the jars of unguent were safely steeped and retrieved by their owners the following morning.

The class nervously awaited the "testing" of their unguents. While Harry had envisioned Snape hurling hexes at them or cutting them with a knife to test the efficacy of their unguents, he merely ordered them to coat their hands with it, and set them to work slicing nettles. To Harry's surprise, the prickly stems and leaves did not sting his hands as they had the last time, when he had been preparing them for the Healing Potion that had been their first assignment. Or rather, they stung, but only briefly, then the pain quickly died away.

"Ouch!" Justin Finch-Fletchley exclaimed as his knife slipped and cut his finger. Then he stared in amazement as the shallow cut slowly sealed itself and stopped bleeding, leaving behind a thin red scar beneath the blue unguent.

"You are clumsy, Mr. Finch-Fletchley," Snape observed in a cold voice, "but it seems that your unguent was properly prepared, at least."

"Well, the healing part works," Justin whispered to Harry as Snape moved on to observe the Ravenclaws, "but I don't feel any stronger or braver."

"You'd need to be wearing more of the unguent to feel that effect," Snape said without turning around, and Justin jumped a little. "The ancient warriors used to cover their bodies with it, not just their hands." Justin fell silent and concentrated very hard on slicing his nettles, and Harry privately thought that even if he covered himself from head to toe with the blue unguent, he would never feel brave around the intimidating Potions Master.

After they were done with the nettles, Snape had them cast minor hexes upon each other. He had them work only with their housemates, and Harry was a little surprised--he'd half-expected Snape to set Draco against him, as he had during Lockhart's ill-fated Dueling Club. Snape seemed to notice Harry's surprise and said dryly, "I don't wish to fill out a lot of tedious paperwork if you should accidentally kill one another, particularly so close to the holidays." They discovered that the unguent mitigated the effects of a spell that caused physical wounds, such as a Stinging Hex, but had no effect on something like an Impediment Curse or Disarming Spell. Snape watched them carefully to make sure the hexing didn't get out of hand, so it was almost like one of Lupin's Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, and Harry, even more surprised than before, found that he was actually enjoying himself. He was almost disappointed when the bell rang and Snape said, "Label your sample vials and leave them on my desk on your way out. Class dismissed."

Harry and his friends removed the unguent from their hands with a cleaning spell and filled their vials. Normally they poured their leftover potions down the drain after giving a sample to Snape, but Harry capped his jar and slipped it into his bookbag. "It might come in handy sometime," he said in a low voice to Ron, Hermione, and Neville. "You never know." His friends followed his example and kept their jars, too. Snape's eyes narrowed as he watched them leave, but he said nothing.

***

Since most of the Slytherins, following Snape's suggestion, were staying behind for the holidays, the Headmaster decided to hold a Yule Ball this year; he said it might help lift the students' morale in these difficult times. Because of this, many students from the other Houses elected to remain at school as well. Everyone was quite excited about it, and Harry was a little torn; he wanted to stay behind and go to the Ball with his friends, but he also wanted to spend Christmas with Sirius. "Well, it's not like I have anyone to go with, anyway," he said a little wistfully.

"Why don't you ask Ginny?" Ron suggested. "You don't have a girlfriend, and she just dumped Dean. I think she's over her crush on you, but you could go as friends and still have a good time. A better time, maybe, than going with a girlfriend, 'cause you don't have to worry about impressing her or being nervous."

"If the two of you are staying for the holidays, I'll stay, too," Hermione said. "I think asking Ginny to the Ball would be a wonderful idea," she added, trying not to look too smug. Clearly, her two male friends were clueless; although Ginny claimed that she had long ago given up on Harry, Hermione thought she might still secretly harbor some feelings for him. Personally, Hermione thought they would make a perfect couple, but she knew Harry would resist if she tried to push the idea on him, so all she said was, "Ginny's been a little depressed since she broke up with Dean. It would do her good to go out and have some fun."

"Well, sure," Harry said slowly, warming up to the idea. "Go to the Ball with a friend, have some fun, no pressure."

"I'll even give you dancing lessons," Hermione said with a grin.

Harry grinned back, then looked worried. "But Sirius will be disappointed if I don't spend Christmas with him."

"What if you spend Christmas with him, but come back to Hogwarts for the Ball?" Hermione suggested.

"Can I do that?"

"You can ask the Headmaster for permission to be on the safe side, but I don't see why not. Dylan is going home for a week and then coming back early to study for his O.W.L.s."

Ron scowled. "Is Rosier going to the Ball?"

"No, he won't be back till a few days later."

Ron cheered up when he heard that. "Well, if Harry's going to the Ball, then we should all go. Um..." He flushed a little and cleared his throat. "Maybe...uh...you and me could go together, Hermione, since, um, neither of us is seeing anyone either."

Hermione hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Sure, that sounds like fun."

"Then it's settled!" Ron said, sounding relieved. "We'll all go the Ball!"

***

Meanwhile, in Slytherin, Draco was privately chewing out Dylan. "You can't go home now, Rosier! Snape's supposed to tutor us in the Dark Arts--on our Master's orders!"

"I know, but I can't tell my great-uncle that!" Dylan protested. "He's a supporter of Dumbledore, you know! My family is insisting that I come home for Christmas. I told them that I need to study for my O.W.L.s, but Uncle Math pointed out that I'm already getting top marks in all my classes. I managed to convince him to let me come back a week early, but I'll make him suspicious if I keep arguing about it."

"Didn't Snape tell all the parents that he wanted the Slytherins to stay at school for the holidays?"

"Yeah, but Math doesn't trust Snape. I think he suspects Snape is still a Death Eater. He doesn't trust my mother either; that's why they keep her locked up on the estate all the time. I was lucky they let her come to the Quidditch match."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped," Draco grudgingly conceded. "But you'll be missing out on a week's worth of lessons."

"I'd love to learn more about the Dark Arts," Dylan said in a regretful tone. "My mother's taught me some things, but I'm sure Snape knows a lot, too."

"At Durmstrang they actually teach the students Dark spells, and not just this namby-pamby Defense stuff," Draco said. "Finally, we'll be learning something useful! Don't worry, Rosier; I'll go over the stuff you missed out on with you."

"Thanks, Draco," Dylan said, pretending to be grateful, and Malfoy finally left him in peace. But Dylan was a little worried; of course he missed his family and wanted to see them, but he knew that Snape could have persuaded them to let him stay at school. So why had Snape told him to go home? "Go home and spend Christmas with your family," Snape had said gruffly. "There will be little enough time for such things later. But come back a week early so that I can honestly say that I tutored you in the Dark Arts along with the others." Was there something Snape knew that he wasn't telling Dylan? Was the war going to start soon?

He tried to put these worries out of his mind, since there was nothing he could do about them right now. His female classmates all bemoaned the fact that he would have to miss the Ball, but Dylan wasn't really sorry about that, because couldn't ask out the one person he wanted to go with--Hermione. Besides, it would cause more trouble than it was worth to favor one of the Slytherin girls above the others by choosing one as a date; he preferred to keep things harmonious by treating them all equally, since he wasn't interested in any of them, anyway.

He was a little--well, more than a little--put out when he heard that Weasley had asked Hermione to the Ball. He was furious at the Gryffindor boy for moving in on his territory--although he knew that Hermione would kill him if she ever caught him referring to her as "his territory." And then he was almost amused as it suddenly dawned on him why Weasley had been so hostile to him ever since they had met. {He's jealous!} Dylan realized, then contemptuously thought, {Stupid git! I wouldn't have waited six years to make my move, if I were him!} Most girls would not see Weasley as competition for Dylan, but Dylan knew that Hermione was not most girls; she was not moved by his charm and good looks the way the other girls were (or at least, not much), which was what he liked about her, but it also made him worry that he might actually lose her to Weasley. He had to do something, he decided; at least give her a Christmas present even if he couldn't take her to the Ball. But he couldn't risk being caught sending a present to her by owl. He thought about asking Snape to give it to her, then dismissed the idea as ridiculous. But Lupin, on the other hand...

He managed to start an argument with Colin Creevey in DADA class; it was easy enough, with the Gryffindors still feeling a little touchy about their Quidditch loss. All he had to do was gloat a little and make a snide remark about Harry Potter, and not just Creevey but all the Gryffindor boys were up in arms. Lupin gave Dylan a nearly imperceptible wink, and sternly sentenced him to an afternoon's detention, then took ten points from Gryffindor, which was an added bonus. Maybe he should feel a little guilty about that, but after all, it was their own fault for letting themselves be baited like that.

He reported to Lupin's office, where his teacher served him a cup of tea and asked with a smile, "All right, Dylan, what did you want to talk about?"

"I was just wondering if you could give this to Hermione," Dylan said, pulling a small, brightly-wrapped box from his pocket. "I can't do it myself without raising suspicions."

"I'd be happy to," Lupin said, taking the package. "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir," replied Dylan. "Um...you won't tell Professor Snape, will you? I don't think he would be too happy about it."

Lupin just grinned. "Oh, don't worry about Severus, Dylan; I can handle him."

Dylan noticed, with some trepidation, that Lupin hadn't really answered his question, but all he said was, "Yes, sir."

***

Lupin asked Hermione to stop by his office the following day, ostensibly to discuss an extra-credit assignment she had done for his class. "This is for you, from Dylan. He knows it's not safe to give it to you in person, so he asked me to give it to you for him."

Hermione flushed with pleasure. "Thank you, Professor! Actually, I have something for him, too, but I didn't know how I could get it to him..."

"I'd be happy to pass it along," Lupin said cheerfully, feeling rather like Cupid.

Later, in Snape's quarters, Lupin handed Snape a large gift-wrapped box.

"It's a bit early for that, isn't it, Remus?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not for you, love," Lupin replied, laughing. "Though I do have something special in mind for you! But Hermione would like to give Dylan a Christmas present; I thought you could pass it along without raising any suspicions. It would look odd if I gave Dylan detention again so soon after the last time."

Snape scowled. "If you want to play Cupid for two hormonal teenagers, that's your business, Lupin, but please don't make it mine."

"Pretty please, Severus?" Lupin cooed sweetly, nuzzling his lover's neck. "Do it for me? I'll make it worth your while..."

"Oh, very well," Snape said irritably, flushing a little. "Just stop using that insipid tone of voice!" Lupin grinned at him; Snape ignored him and hefted the box curiously. "Feels heavy...must be a book. Not very romantic, but I suppose that's in keeping with Miss Granger's character..."

"You never know, Severus," Lupin pointed out, still grinning. "It might be a book of love poetry." He laughed at the horrified expression on Snape's face, but he suspected that his lover wasn't as opposed to the match as he liked to pretend. "They're your top-marked students, Severus; you should be happy. Think what talented little potion-brewing children they could produce if they got married someday!"

Snape shuddered. "Perish the thought, Lupin!"

"Maybe those children would call us 'Uncle Remus' and 'Uncle Severus,'" Lupin continued, enjoying his little fantasy--and the outraged look on Snape's face.

"LUPIN!" Snape howled.

Lupin burst out laughing as Snape glared at him. When he got himself under control again, he handed Snape another package.

"What's this?" Snape growled. "Does Dylan have another Gryffindor girlfriend?"

"No, Severus," Lupin replied calmly. "That one's for you. From Hermione. She asked me to give it to you."

"What?!" Snape exclaimed, staring at the small gift-wrapped parcel in shock. "Why would she do that?"

Lupin shrugged. "Maybe she likes you." Snape snorted derisively. "Or perhaps she appreciates the effort you go through, to teach and protect her and her friends. Maybe it's because of the gift you gave her last year."

"The gift that YOU gave her last year," Snape corrected him. "And I hope neither you nor she expects a repeat performance."

"Oh, come on, Severus," Lupin wheedled.

"Absolutely not!" Snape roared. "I'm not going to let you trick me again, Lupin! I'm not giving you a single Galleon to spend on those brats!"

"But Severus--"

"Besides," Snape continued, "it would be showing favoritism to give presents to only some of my students and not the others."

It was Lupin's turn to snort in derision. "Like you ever cared about that before! Are you getting Dylan a Christmas present?"

Snape blushed a little, confirming Lupin's suspicions. "Well, yes," he admitted reluctantly. "But none of his classmates will know, since he's going home for Christmas. I'll owl it to Mathias's estate. I'll even send Granger's gift along with mine, but I'm not buying presents for your Gryffindor brats!"

Snape refused to be moved, despite Lupin's wheedling and nagging. But Lupin thought Snape looked just a bit touched and bewildered as he looked down at Hermione's present again, before disdainfully tossing it aside, saying, "I can't imagine what that idiot girl was thinking!" So Lupin smiled and held his peace.

***

It was absolutely ridiculous, Snape told himself, to feel any sort of obligation towards the girl; he hadn't asked her to give him a present, after all. And he had never used the green scarf she had given him last year--he never wore anything but black if he could help it. But he still had it tucked away in the bottom of his dresser drawer; Snape didn't receive many Christmas presents, and part of him was loathe to discard one even if it was totally useless, although he was too embarrassed to admit that to anyone, even Lupin. So somehow he found himself gift-wrapping a textbook on warding spells; it wouldn't do to send a Potions text, because he intended to send it anonymously, and he knew that Lupin was covering warding in his Defense classes. However, the only problem was figuring out how to get it to the girl without anyone suspecting...

Then Bane showed up at his office, as he often did, hoping to cadge a treat, and Snape was struck by inspiration. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a large foil-wrapped chocolate Santa, one he had confiscated from a particularly idiotic first-year Hufflepuff after he had caught the boy eating candy during class. He shook his head a little, wondering if the students were letting their guard slip because it was so close to the holidays, or whether he was losing his touch at terrorizing the little brats.

Meanwhile Bane cawed eagerly and reached for the candy, but Snape pulled it out of his reach. "Do you want this, Bane?" he asked, and the raven nodded eagerly. "Then you'll have to do me a favor first." Bane cocked his head to one side, and listened attentively. "Take this package to Miss Granger, and don't let anyone see you deliver it, understand? And don't tell anyone, including your mistress, that it was from me." He felt a little silly saying that last sentence, but he suspected that Bane was able to communicate intelligently, at least with Branwen, so it was better to be safe than sorry. Bane nodded, picked up the package by grasping it by the ribbon with his claws, and flew out through the fireplace. He returned several minutes later and claimed his reward. Snape, feeling very smug and pleased with himself, scratched the raven on the head as Bane greedily consumed the piece of chocolate.

***

Parvati, Lavender, Pansy, and Millicent were gathered in the Incantations workshop, supposedly studying, but were actually gossiping about the Ball. Blackmore had declared that since the mixed groups had worked so well before, she would like to see them continue with the same study partners. The boys all complained loudly about that--safely out of Blackmore's presence, of course--but the girls didn't really mind.

"It's too bad Dylan has to go home for Christmas," Pansy sighed mournfully.

"Yes, too bad," agreed Lavender glumly.

"It doesn't matter," Millicent pointed out. "Pansy would still have to go with Draco, and Draco would never allow Dylan to take a Gryffindor to the Ball, so none of you would be able to go with him, anyway." She sighed wistfully, "Maybe I would have had a chance to go with him, though..."

"So you're going with Malfoy again?" Parvati asked Pansy, who nodded, without much enthusiasm. "You don't look too happy about it."

"Oh, Draco's all right, I suppose," Pansy said indifferently. "He's good looking, he's rich, and he comes from a good family. He's pretty full of himself, but I could do worse."

"Yeah, you could be going with Crabbe or Goyle," Millicent said.

Pansy made a face. "Draco's a good catch. At least, that's what my mother says. I'll probably have to marry him someday."

"What?!" Parvati and Lavender squealed.

"Well, my parents have been hinting that they'd like to arrange a marriage between us when we come of age," Pansy explained, looking confused at the Gryffindor girls' surprise. "That's how things are done, after all. Malfoy and I both come from good families. Aren't your families at least dropping hints about who they'd like you to marry?" Parvati and Lavender shook their heads, and it was Pansy's turn to look shocked. "You're purebloods, aren't you? Didn't your parents have arranged marriages?"

"My parents were school sweethearts; they met and fell in love at Hogwarts," Lavender said.

"My mother's parents were friends with my father's parents," Parvati said, "and they sort of encouraged them to get together, but they wouldn't have forced a marriage on them if they didn't like each other."

The Slytherin girls shook their heads in disbelief. "Gryffindors," Pansy muttered.

"So who are you going to the Ball with?" Lavender asked Millicent, trying to change the subject.

"Theodore Nott," Millicent replied unenthusiastically.

"Oh," Lavender said, surprised. "Well, he's a bit...um...lanky," she said in a falsely bright tone, "but he's not really bad-looking or anything. At least, he wouldn't be, if he didn't scowl all the time..."

"He only asked me because Draco told him to," Millicent interrupted in a gloomy voice. "I don't think he even likes girls. At least, I've never seen him look twice at one..."

"Then why don't you go with someone else?" Parvati suggested. "Blaise Zabini, maybe--he's kind of cute, if a bit quiet. Or Damien Pierce--"

Millicent shook her head. "You don't understand Slytherin politics, Parvati. Damien's family isn't as high-ranking as Theodore's, and the Zabinis are just one step up from being paupers. My parents would have a cow. Besides, Draco wants me to go with Nott, and it's not wise to offend the Malfoys." She looked even gloomier as she added, "I just hope my parents don't make me marry Nott."

"It's still better than marrying Crabbe or Goyle," Pansy said with a shrug. "But my mother says his parents will probably arrange a marriage with the Avery girl, since their families seem to be close."

"You're right," Parvati said, shaking her head uneasily. "I don't understand Slytherin politics." Mention of the Malfoys' influence reminded her that the Death Eaters were still at large, and she didn't want to think about such unpleasant things right now. "Well, we can still have fun at the Ball," she said briskly, changing the subject again. "What are you going to do about your robes and your hair?"

"I don't know," wailed Pansy, tugging at a lock of her lank, blonde hair. "I can't do anything with my hair!" She gazed enviously at Parvati's long plait of sleek, dark hair. "I wish I had hair like yours!"

Parvati, feeling flattered, gazed at the Slytherin girl with an appraising eye. When the Slytherins had been their enemies, the Gryffindor girls used to joke that Pansy had a face like a pug, but that wasn't really true. She had a round face, yes, and a short, upturned nose, but she wasn't ugly. "Your hair is too long and heavy; it doesn't suit your face," Parvati said. "You should cut it; it would look much better short."

"You think so?" Pansy asked uncertainly.

"I know so," Parvati said firmly. "I can cut it for you, if you like."

The Slytherin girls stared at her suspiciously, and Lavender added, "Parvati does my hair; she's really good at it!"

"Well, okay, I guess," Pansy said dubiously. "But if this is some kind of trick--"

Parvati sighed irritably. "I wouldn't do something like that! We're friends now, aren't we?" Pansy and Millicent looked startled but pleased. "Look, if you don't trust me, you can have Millicent watch while I do it." Parvati grinned. "She can hex me if I try something funny."

"Okay, then let's do it," Pansy said in a determined voice. "Quick, before I change my mind."

Lavender ran back to the Gryffindor dorm to fetch Parvati's shears and mirror. "Don't squirm," Parvati warned, as Pansy shifted nervously in her seat, watching her blonde locks fall to the floor. "Unless you want to end up bald!" Pansy forced herself to remain still, and finally Parvati said, "All done!"

"You look good," Millicent said, sounding a little surprised.

"Let me see!" Pansy said eagerly, and Lavender handed her the mirror. She now had a chin-length bob, which somehow made her look more pert than puggish. She tossed her hair and smiled with delight.

"You look so cute!" squealed Lavender, and Pansy preened.

"My head feels a lot lighter without all that hair," Pansy laughed. "I like it! Thanks, Parvati!"

"What about me?" Millicent asked eagerly, and Parvati looked at the tall, heavily built girl, who usually wore her long black hair in braids or a ponytail. She was never going to look delicately pretty, but...

"For you, we want a more regal look," Parvati decided. "We don't need to cut your hair, just style it differently." She brushed out and re-braided Millicent's hair, coiling it around her head in complicated arrangement that looked like a coronet. She stuck in a couple of hairpins to hold it in place, and triumphantly said, "There!"

Millicent gazed at her reflection in the mirror, while Pansy and Lavender cooed over her and told her how regal and queenly she looked. Meanwhile, Parvati looked at her creation with a critical eye. "Not bad, but it would look better with a couple of jeweled hairpins, and maybe we could weave some ribbons into the braids. Green and gold, I think, with your coloring. You should get a floor-length robe; dark green velvet--nothing frilly or fancy, something simple and elegant."

"What kind of robe should I get?" Pansy asked, eager for Parvati's advice now.

"No ruffles or frills like that robe you wore back in fourth year," Parvati said firmly. "And nothing pink--it makes you look all washed out. Something more bold--red, maybe. Hmm." She took out her notebook and quill and began making some sketches.

"How did you get to be so good at this?" Pansy wondered out loud.

Parvati smiled with pleasure. "Oh, I've always loved clothes and make-up and pretty things. I used to dress up my dolls and make outfits for them when I was little."

"And now you have life-size dolls to work on," Lavender laughed.

"My parents call me frivolous sometimes," Parvati admitted. "But...I'd like to be a fashion designer someday." She blushed. "I guess that's silly..."

"No," Pansy replied. "If you designed a line of robes, I'd buy them."

"Me too," Millicent and Lavender chorused.

Parvati smiled happily, and Pansy added, "Can I borrow this sketch? I want to send it to my mother and ask her to buy me a robe that looks like that for the ball."

"Sure!"

Professor Blackmore stood outside the door, listening to the girls' conversation; Bane had been spying on them, and had gone to report to his mistress that the girls were gossiping and playing around instead of studying. But instead of bursting in on them and giving them detention, she only smiled, lifting a finger to her lips to warn Bane to keep silent as well, and quietly returned to her office.

***

Although he was sorry to be missing the Ball, Dylan was happy to be home with his family on Christmas morning. His first present was a new broomstick--a very good one, but not quite as good as the one Draco owned. From the wink his mother gave him, Dylan was sure that was quite deliberate; Ariane, at least, understood how House politics worked, and knew better than to make Draco jealous. Dylan grinned back at her and opened his other presents. There was a chess set from Uncle Math, a book on the history of Quidditch from Aunt Goewin, and some new clothes from his mother--robes and shirts in black, silver-gray, and Slytherin green. "You have to keep up your image as a heartbreaker, after all," Ariane said fondly. She also gave him a silver hair clasp etched with the Rosier design of a rose in bloom surrounded by thorny vines; Goewin frowned a little when she saw that, but said nothing. There were presents from his friends, of course--some Zonko's magic tricks from Damien, and a set of Gobstones from Blaise and Theo; they knew better than to buy him candy (although Draco had given him a box of Chocolate Frogs) because they knew he would receive more candy than he could eat from his female admirers, and they were right.

"Oh my," Goewin said, staring at all the boxes of candy and cookies, many of them accompanied by perfumed notes; a few of the more creative girls had written poetry. "You certainly are popular, Dylan."

"That's my boy," Ariane said proudly. "Just like his father!" She began reading some of the love notes. "'Roses are red, violets are blue'--this one's rather trite!" She crumpled up the note and tossed it aside. "Now this one at least is a bit more original--'Your eyes like twin pools of mercury...'"

"Mother, please!" Dylan protested, blushing. Ariane laughed merrily, and Dylan smiled, and decided that a little embarrassment was worth it to see his mother acting so happy and carefree, looking like the young girl his father must have fallen in love with. He laughed along with her and continued opening his presents. Somewhat to his surprise, he found he had gotten presents from three of his teachers: a book on advanced protective runes and circles from Blackmore, a model Firebolt that could really fly from Lupin, and a book called Advanced Potion Brewing from Snape.

"My, my!" Ariane said, raising her eyebrows. "Who would have thought Severus could be so sentimental?"

"It's a textbook, Ariane," Goewin pointed out.

"Believe me, Goewin," Ariane replied, "for Severus, that's sentimental."

Dylan privately agreed with his mother; he had not expected Snape to give him anything for Christmas, and felt touched and pleased that he had. He felt a little guilty that he hadn't gotten anything for Snape, though, or Lupin, for that matter.

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear," Ariane said dismissively. "I sent Severus the usual Christmas bribe--imported French chocolates; very expensive, very high-quality." Goewin gave her a reproachful look, and Ariane calmly told her, "It's Slytherin politics, Goewin. It's traditional to bribe the Head of House to make sure he looks after your children. Evan's parents used to do the same thing, only Professor De Lacy preferred a bottle of good Scotch to chocolates." Goewin sighed, Dylan laughed, and Math looked amused.

After setting aside Snape's book, Dylan found that he had only one gift left. "It's from Hermione!" he exclaimed with delight.

"Yes, it came along with Severus's gift," Ariane said. She sighed a little, resigning herself to the possibility of a Muggle-born Gryffindor daughter-in-law someday. Well, she was hardly one to complain about unsuitable matches, she supposed...

Dylan was too busy tearing the wrapping off the box to notice his mother's reluctance. He opened the lid, revealing a leather-bound book, a quill, a bottle of ink, and a smaller parcel within the box. He picked up the book and saw that it was decorated with a pattern of warding runes around the cover. "It's a diary," he said in surprise. He found a note lying inside the box and read it. "Hermione gave me a diary," he explained to his family, "with a warding spell keyed to me so that no one else can open it, and a bottle of invisible ink. She says because I have to hide my true thoughts and feelings from everyone, I might like to have something I can secretly confide in."

"Be careful, Dylan," Ariane warned. "Such spells can be broken."

"I know," he replied. "I won't write down any dangerous secrets in here. But I appreciate the thought behind it. It's hard sometimes, not being able to tell anyone, even my friends, the truth..."

"I'm sorry, dear," Ariane whispered, hugging him. If only she had not set him on the road to becoming a Death Eater, if only she had recognized the danger sooner...

"It's all right, Mother," Dylan said softly, as if reading her mind. "It's not your fault. Professor Snape says the Dark Lord would have come after me sooner or later no matter what."

Ariane sniffled a little and wiped her eyes. "You have another present inside the box, dear."

Dylan unwrapped the smaller parcel, revealing a gray wool scarf just a shade darker than his eyes. It was embroidered on one end with a red rose. Dylan grinned and wrapped it around his neck.

"You look very handsome, Dylan," Ariane said, kissing him on the cheek and feeling slightly less perturbed about the possibility of a Muggle-born daughter-in-law.

"You have to open your presents now," Dylan urged, and settled back to watch his mother and aunt and uncle open their gifts. He had given Uncle Math a book on Welsh folklore and legends; Math knew such tales by heart, but he was still fond of reading and rereading them. For his mother and Aunt Goewin, he had brewed bottles of perfume from rose petals, which had been child's play after the difficult assignments he'd completed for Professor Snape. Both women seemed pleased, especially his mother. He also gave Ariane a silver rose pendant, and Goewin a stuffed teddy bear.

"For the baby," he said with a grin. "My future cousin."

Goewin smiled and hugged him, then continued opening her presents. The next one was a bulky, oddly shaped package. "It's from Remus," she said in a startled voice as she read the tag. "I wonder what it could be?" She tore off the wrapping, and Dylan burst out laughing when he saw what lay beneath it: a big, plush, black toy bunny rabbit that looked almost exactly like the hexed Bane. Dylan was laughing so hard that it took a few minutes before he could get himself under control enough to explain to his puzzled family what was so funny. "You'd better not let Professor Blackmore see that," he added, and began laughing again.

***

Snape spent a very pleasant Christmas morning with Lupin, who fixed them mugs of hot cocoa and snuggled up to Snape contentedly as they began opening their presents. Snape supposed it was a bit selfish of him, but he enjoyed having Lupin all to himself, at least for the morning and most of the day--their presence would of course be required at the Yule Ball tonight with the other teachers. There were the usual gifts of obligations from the Slytherin parents, of course--candy and spellbooks and expensive bottles of liquor. There were also the more welcome gifts from their friends. For Snape, there were boxes of sweets from Dumbledore and Professor Kamiyama, and some rare potion ingredients from Branwen. For Lupin, there were the usual tin of inedible cookies from Hagrid; warm, fuzzy striped socks from Dumbledore (Snape rolled his eyes at those); more sweets from Kamiyama and several volumes of manga comic books from his grandchildren; a blue sweater from Molly Weasley (she also sent Snape a green-striped one that he had no more intention of wearing than the one she had given him last year); a new adventure novel Lupin had been wanting to read from Branwen; a box of Canary Creams from Ron and Harry; a hand-knitted scarf in Gryffindor colors from Hermione; and new robes from both Tonks and Sirius.

Lupin joked, "I've gone from shabby, patched robes to being the most well-dressed teacher in the school!" Combined with the robes Snape had given him for Christmas and his birthday over the past few years, Lupin now had quite a respectable wardrobe. The robes from Sirius were a surprisingly practical gift from his impractical friend: heavy, black wool with a waterproofing spell cast on them; very expensive and perfect for winter. The robes from Tonks were a bit more colorful: Gryffindor colors, bright red and gold.

"Well, what do you expect from a woman with violet hair?" Snape muttered, staring at the bright, almost gaudy robes with a look of distaste. "Perhaps she's color-blind."

"Now, now, Severus," Lupin chided. "It's the thought that counts."

"Just please don't wear those in public!"

"My, my, who would have thought you were so fashion-conscious?" Lupin teased.

"Everyone knows that Gryffindors have no taste," Snape retorted.

"Then what does that say about the fact that I love you?" Lupin asked, smiling at him tenderly.

"I'm sure most people would agree that only proves my point," Snape replied in a wry voice, but he smiled back at Lupin and handed him his own gift.

Lupin opened it, revealing two more robes: one a pale blue, the exact color of Lupin's eyes, and the other a deep golden-brown that nicely set off his fair skin and light brown hair. "Thank you, Severus," he said, kissing his lover. "They're beautiful. And this is for you."

He handed Snape a small box containing a ring shaped like a coiled snake that resembled a smaller version of the copper serpent bracelet he wore on his wrist, an earlier gift from Lupin during their first Christmas together after Lupin had returned to Hogwarts three years ago. Lupin seemed fond of giving him serpent-themed gifts, for some reason. Snape supposed that was Lupin's way of showing that he embraced the Slytherin side of Snape, much as Snape embraced Lupin's inner wolf. Snape did not feel quite so comfortable about the more devious, selfish side to his personality, but he loved Lupin for accepting him as he was, so he cherished Lupin's gifts. He slipped the ring on his finger and said, "Thank you, Remus."

"I know it's probably not safe for you to wear it in public," Lupin said apologetically. "But I wanted to give it to you anyway, because I love you. I don't know, maybe it's a way of convincing myself that someday the war will end and we won't have to hide anymore--"

"It's all right," Snape interrupted with uncharacteristic gentleness. "You don't need to apologize, Remus. I love it. I love you. I'll keep it safe until the day I can wear it openly." He caressed Lupin's face. "That day will come, Remus."

"I hope so, Severus," Lupin whispered.

"It will," Snape promised, and kissed Lupin.

Lupin smiled, trying to shake off his melancholy mood; Severus had seemed so happy this morning, and he didn't want to spoil Christmas for his lover. Then he caught sight of Hermione's present, lying in the corner of the room where Snape had discarded it several days ago. "Sev, you never opened Hermione's present."

"Must I?" Snape sighed.

"Yes, of course you do!" Lupin insisted. "Come on, I want to see what she got you!"

Relieved to see that Lupin seemed to be feeling better, Snape gave in without a fight. "Oh, all right!" he said in a huffy voice that made Lupin grin, and retrieved the present. Lupin's grin actually made him feel grateful towards the girl--not that he would ever tell her that, of course. He tore the package open and a black wool scarf fell out.

"It's lovely, Severus," Lupin said.

"Well, at least it's black," Snape said gruffly. He firmly told himself that he was not at all touched by the gift. The girl knitted clothes for house-elves, for Merlin's sake, so it wasn't as if it was something special...

"You sound a bit choked up, Severus," Lupin observed with a twinkle in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

Snape cleared his throat and snapped, "You're talking nonsense as usual, Lupin! Of course I'm fine!"

Lupin smiled mischievously, but didn't contradict him. He took the scarf, wrapped it around Snape's neck, and said, "You look so handsome, Severus!"

"Hmmph!" Snape snorted irritably, but preened a little nevertheless.

"I have two more presents for you," Lupin added. "Here."

Snape opened the present Lupin gave him, which turned out to be a huge box of chocolates. "Thanks. So where's the other present?"

"Right here," Lupin said in a sultry voice, and began to slowly unfasten his robes. A little too slowly for Snape's taste, and he jumped up and began undressing Lupin with considerably more enthusiasm than he'd shown while opening his other Christmas presents. Lupin laughed, "I'm so glad that you're finally showing a little Christmas spirit, Severus!"

"Tis the season, Lupin," Snape said with a wicked grin.

"And hang onto those chocolates," Lupin said, grinning back at him. "You're the one who told me chocolate is an aphrodisiac, and you need to keep up your strength. We have the whole day ahead of us..."

"And werewolves are insatiable," Snape finished, still grinning.

"Well, I can't speak for all werewolves," Lupin said. "But this one is. And this werewolf would like to spend the entire day making wild, passionate love with you."

"Your wish is my command," Snape said with an extravagant bow. And he dutifully set about fulfilling that wish.

Part 28