I Was Younger Then

Moments with Snape: Happy Christmas

"Can you two pretend like you're taking this seriously," Fred scolded.

Penny and Cedric were doubled over in laughter, but quickly straightened, gasping for air.

"We gave a beautiful performance yesterday," Cedric said in a sulky voice.

"Until you made it to the most important part of the play and devolved into these antics," George said pointedly.

"I promise not to laugh a single time tomorrow, scouts honor," Penny said, hand on her heart.

"You'd better, it's our final rehearsal before show night on Christmas," said Fred, clearing the set with a wave of his wand.

Penny jumped off the stage, grinned at Cedric, and grabbed her things. She needed to pull it together or they really would ruin the entire show. Cedric and her had only managed a couple of decent rehearsals, the rest were ridiculous and filled with the back and forth antics of Cedric and Penny's jokes. The sappy romance was too much for either of them to take seriously.

Shrugging off the predicament, Penny leapt down the dungeon stairs and skidded to a halt outside of Snape's door. He was pushing it closed when Penny slipped through the last crack, sneaking past his frame as he snapped it shut.

"Office hours are over, Ms. Potter," said Snape glaring down at her.

He looked to still be in a foul mood, Penny speculated it was due to the impending holiday. She'd noticed he never liked to partake in the festivities and gave the Christmas tree's the look of disgust he normally reserved for Harry.

"That's fine, Professor, this is a casual visit," Penny replied, taking a seat at his desk without invitation.

"Casual visits are reserved for those I'm actually inclined to see," he said icily.

"Well, seeing as those inclined to visit you are in low demand, I figured you'd be happy for the company," said Penny, leaning backwards, her hands behind her head, she grinned up at him.

He rolled his eyes at her, but moved to take his seat opposite of her.

"Is there no one else you can harass, there are things I would like to attend to."

"Like what? Tomorrow's a holiday," Penny replied, her eyebrow arched skeptically.

"I know it must be hard for you to imagine, but the world does turn when you are not present," he said in a velvety voice, waving his wand to bring a steaming teapot to him.

"Ooh tea, two sugars please!" she said, sitting up straighter, and choosing to ignore his jab.

Snape gave her a look of utmost loathing, but dropped two sugars into a mug and filled it before setting it before her none too gently.

"Maybe you don't hate holidays after all," Penny mused, considering him over her cup as she blew on it.

"That would be your third incorrect assumption today, perhaps the festivities have dulled your mental faculties," he said, looking down his hooked nose at her while idly stirring his tea.

"Or perhaps it's your presence, it does have the tendency to dull one's mind, but I shan't hold it against you," Penny replied, her eyes narrowed.

Snape's lips twitched in what looked to be amusement, but he took a quick sip of his tea before she could be certain. Penny refused to let the man remain in a foul mood, not with Christmas two days away.

"If that is the case, please feel free not to come again."

"And deny you the chance to work on your social skills? My mother taught me better than that," said Penny, indignantly.

"You're an orphan, you have no mother to teach you anything," said Snape, dryly.

"How sensitive of you to remind me, and just before Christmas," said Penny, darkly, putting her tea down to fold her arms.

"Please spare me. The lonely orphan holiday trope is overplayed as is," he said in a a bored tone.

He leaned back in his chair to watch the irritation make its way to her face, giving her a cruel grin as she struggled with a response. Looking smugly satisfied, he took a slow sip of his tea. It made Penny fume, but she must not let the man distract her from her purpose.

"Almost as overused as the bachelor who hates the holidays, so I guess we are two peas in a pod destined for each other."

Snape looked as though he were trying very hard not to roll his eyes again. He decided on glancing away from Penny's face as he considered his response. Penny was satisfied he was contemplating her point. Christmas was never her favorite holiday as she always forced herself into an unnatural cheer during the holiday season. It was a welcome distraction to the sadness that lingered in the corner of her heart, the empty space that twinged every time she received a sweater knit by Mrs. Weasleys. How different might holidays have been if Penny's parents weren't dead? What traditions might they have shared. The thought left her full of a longing she dared not share with her twin. She only wanted the holidays to be perfect for Harry, but it didn't stop her from wishing she had a mother to make holidays perfect for her.

When Snape turned back to consider her, his expression was decidedly different, the sourness gone. His brows were slightly furrowed and eyes appeared distant ad though he saw something beyond Penny. He had the tendency to give Penny these looks from time to time. Sometimes they startled and unnerved her, but today the somewhat anguished look made Penny feel oddly connected to the man. Determining she would find no better moment than this, Penny reached in her bag and pulled out the mug cozy she crotched with the Slytherin crest on the front, wrapped in a neat bow and extended it to Snape.

"Happy Christmas then," she said, waiting tentatively waiting for him to take it. His brow creased as he looked from her down at the cozy, staring silently at the thing as though it were something indecent. When the seconds ticked by and he did not move, Penny placed it on the table before him and returned her hands to her lap feeling increasingly uncertain about her decision.

Snape continued to look down at the cozy, silent and lost in thought, leaving Penny to shift uncomfortably in the silence. In a sudden urge to flee, she quickly downed the rest of her tea, unable to endure another uncomfortable moment. The gift was evidently a mistake, but she'd hoped. . .well it didn't matter, Snape was right, her assumptions were off today.

Standing abruptly, she cleared her throat, "Well, I better let you get back to what you were doing, thanks for the tea," she said, her voice breaking slightly and heart thumping loudly in her chest.

"Just a moment," Snape said stiffly.

Penny watched him nervously, almost fearful of what would come next. He did not look at her, instead he took something from his desk drawer, walked around it and forced a small, clumsily wrapped box into her hand. The gesture would have felt rather aggressive if his hands had not closed resolutely around hers, as though ensuring she could not decline the gift. Utterly bewildered she looked up in the the uncertain black eyes that surveyed her.

Penny looked back to the present and then again to his face, a nervous smile spreading across her lips that quickly became a full fledged grin. Dare she believe what she was witnessing? Apparently Snape could not, because he quickly pulled his hands from hers, his eyes suddenly sharp as though he had returned to his senses.

"Out of my sight," he said in an irritated tone, turning away from her.

"As you wish, Professor," Penny said quietly, turning the present over in her hand.

Clasping it tightly to her chest, Penny made quickly for the door, desperate to know what was hidden beneath the wrapping.

"And Ms. Potter, next week, I expect you to be on time for office hours."

Heart lighter than it'd been all day, Penny skipped from the office.

Severus Snape, the scary Potions Master had given Penny a Christmas present, perhaps miracles were real.