Severus Snape's Christmas Eve with Harry, Draco and someone from the past
Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure
A thrill of hope
The weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks
A new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
The thin, sallow-faced, dark-haired wizard stood by the bed and regarded the young blond wizard who was fast asleep. Even though he hadn't wanted any harm to befall him, he was angry with the boy. His arrogance and thirst for power had cost him the one person in the world he truly trusted. The Headmaster of Hogwarts, who was now dead because of him. He should have tried harder to get the truth out of the spoiled young Malfoy. He should have forced him, tortured him – whatever it took. The second the thought had entered his head he regretted it. He could never have tortured the boy – he had always been his favourite. He sighed, running a hand through his black hair. It had been an arduous six months and even now Draco had still not fully recovered; he had, however, improved significantly since the end of June.
Severus Snape then went into the tiny kitchen, put the kettle on and heated up some soup for himself and Draco. The boy needed to eat more but Snape had just not had the patience to coax him.
"How are you, Severus?"
He froze. He recognised the voice but it couldn't be. He must be dreaming. A voice out of his past haunting him nightly in his dreams, a face that flashed before his eyes a million times as his Killing Curse hit him.
"Severus, turn around," came the demand gently.
His heart was racing; his skin felt clammy as he slowly turned.
There in front of him stood the old wizard.
Dumbfounded, Snape shook his head.
A moment of silence passed between them until the kettle whistled. The former headmaster calmly picked it up and poured two cups.
"Would you care to join me for a spot of tea, Severus?"
Trembling, the former Potions Master reached out and lightly touched Dumbledore's arm. "How? How did you survive?"
He handed Snape his tea. "Drink up, my boy. I promise I will explain it all later, but right now Harry Potter desperately needs your help."
Snape sneered and hastily took a sip, nearly burning his mouth in the process.
"Severus!"
"That arrogant whelp has been nothing but trouble!"
"He is the only one who can defeat Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore replied calmly.
Snape flinched slightly at the use of the Dark Lord's name. "How can I possibly help him? He doesn't listen to me; he always does the opposite of what I am trying to teach him; he's as cocky as his father was!" Snape spat.
"Severus, this really is getting tiresome. You don't hate Harry nearly as much as you think you do. However, none of that matters right now. He destroyed a Horcrux and he now has an injury as severe as mine was last year. He needs the potion you used to save my life," the former headmaster informed grimly.
"Can you bring him here? I can't leave Draco."
"Harry can't be moved. We will need to bring Draco with us. We have to go to Godric's Hollow."
Snape blanched. "Godric's Hollow?"
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. Harry and his friends went there."
"I won't be welcomed – they believe me to be a killer – your killer!"
"I will explain everything, now go and get the potion. I will carry it while you gather up Draco."
"Draco, he…" Snape's voice trailed off.
"I know what happened to him," he said gently before continuing. "He has come to our side. He lowered his wand in the tower, Severus. He never told you?"
Snape shook his head. He realized that Draco, after seeing him appear to kill the Headmaster, must have been terrified of him finding out that he had been about to switch sides.
Snape went into his brewing room and pulled out a flask containing a murky, rust-coloured liquid. He handed it, along with a number of other potions, to Dumbledore. Then he went into the tiny bedroom and gently shook the blond wizard awake. Draco looked at him warily. "Is is it t-time for another p-potion?"
"No; we need to leave now."
"I-is t-the D-dark Lord c-coming after m-me?" Draco asked, trembling.
"No, calm yourself. Draco, you need to know that the Headmaster is alive."
"I k-know," he whispered. "He was here b-before."
"I see," was all Snape said.
"W-where are we g-going?" Draco asked hesitantly.
Snape sighed. "A place called Godric's Hollow."
"T-that sounds f-familiar," the blond responded, wrinkling his brow.
Snape had no desire to explain. He reached down and lifted the blond to his feet. Draco tried in vain to suppress a whimper. "Just lean against me - I will hold you up. It will be time for a pain potion again after we arrive."
Dumbledore and Snape Apparated with Draco between them.
They arrived at Godric's Hollow in front of a small, two-storey cottage lit up with white twinkling lights. "This will be a wonderful Christmas!" declared Dumbledore. His two companions looked less than enthused.
The former headmaster knocked enthusiastically on the door as Snape and his charge stood back in the shadows.
Neville answered the door and then staggered back in shock.
A loud, "Bloody hell!" echoed across the room courtesy of Ron.
Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "Happy Christmas all. Harry, I see that your friends thought you must have been hallucinating."
Harry smiled; his heart leapt at the sight of the beloved Headmaster. He truly was alive.
Dumbledore continued. "I assure you all that I am not a ghost. I will explain all ofthis momentarily. Right now it is imperative that Harry get a special potion. Severus, please come in."
As the words came out of the Headmaster's mouth, the black-haired wizard came in, dragging Draco. Four wands were immediately drawn. Only Harry and Luna hadn't moved.
"Children, please lower your wands. I assure you that your former Potions Master is still on our side as is your schoolmate – Draco."
He then went over to a chair and transfigured it into a sofa. "Here, Severus, place him down here."
Harry could only stare. Malfoy was positively grey in the face with dark shadows under his eyes. He seemed very weak and unable to walk. He all but collapsed on the sofa where Snape placed him.
Draco had realized with horror that Potter and all his friends were here. He turned his face inwards towards the pillow so he was partially hidden.
Snape coldly glared at everyone then went to the Headmaster to get the potions.
He walked over to Potter, who seemed to be in pain. He regarded him intently. He was rather surprised that he had been successful in finding, let alone destroying,a Horcrux.
Harry fought back the rage he felt at seeing the pale, thin face of the man who had treated him cruelly all those years at Hogwarts. He was very confused as to what had happened. Yet he couldn't deny that the Headmaster was very much alive and that Snape obviously hadn't killed him. He glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded reassuringly. He took the potion that was held out to him. When he had trouble lifting his head because of the pain, he was startled to realize that Snape's hand had shot out to assist in elevating him.
He drank the vile-tasting liquid down, closing his eyes tightly against the feeling of nausea that rose in him.
"You will need the same dosage every six hours," Snape informed him curtly.
Once the nausea wore off, Harry marveled at how much better he felt. The pain had already started to subside a little. He took a deep breath and very gingerly sat up.
"Harry? How do you feel?" asked Ginny as she ran over to sit beside him.
"Better, much better." He warily looked at Snape. He still found it hard to believe that the sallow-faced Death Eater had helped him.
"Professor Dumbledore … how did you survive? Harry saw you die; we were all at your funeral." Hermione asked tentatively.
Dumbledore conjured up a tray filled with glasses of eggnog and offered them to the occupants of the cottage; he took one himself and sat down on the hearth, warming himself by the fire.
While Ginny stayed by Harry's side and Snape went to give Draco a pain potion, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna gathered around the Headmaster like children around a storyteller.
"It all began over a year ago. Professor Snape was being watched closely by Lord Voldemort. The suspicions that he was a double spy were strong and especially instigated by Bellatrix Lestrange. Peter Pettigrew was sent to keep an eye on our former Potions Master during the summer. It was at this time that Narcissa Malfoy approached him and asked him to make an Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and if need be to take over whatever task Lord Voldemort had given him. Unfortunately Bellatrix had gone along with her and there was no way that Severus could get out of it. So he made the Vow. We discussed it later that it was vital for him to find out what exactly Draco was to do."
He paused to drink some of the eggnog. He gave a contented smile afterwards.
"Warms the soul," he said to no-one in particular.
Severus did his best to get the information from Draco, but Draco, believing that the glory wouldn't be his, spoiled the plan. It wasn't until you, Harry, accidentally injured Draco and sent him to the hospital ward that the plan to kill me was finally revealed. Draco was in pain and shock and Severus was able to perform Legilimency on him. The only part missing was when the attempt would happen and how.
When Severus and I met I insisted that he kill me if he were put into a position where his life was at risk. With the Unbreakable Vow in place and when Draco failed to kill me, Severus was forced to follow through with this plan, although I had to plead with him in those last few moments." His gaze then went to Draco. "And I knew, Draco, that you would fail. You are not a killer."
"Just an insufferable git," Ron murmured under his breath.
"I ask you all to treat Draco with kindness; he is on our side now and he is recovering. He needs quiet and no bickering." Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Sir, what happened to him?' Hermione asked.
"Patience, my dear girl everything will be explained. That fateful night when Harry and I hunted for a Horcrux, I swallowed a poisoned liquid. It would have led to an agonizing death but I ended up ingesting water from the lake. The lake that is inhabited by Inferi. It saved my life for the moment but it also left me as an Inferi."
Gasps were heard around the room.
"When we returned to Hogwarts I was very weak, asmy body was starting to transform into that of an Inferi – a zombie-like creature that is a servant to the Dark Lord."
Neville stuttered, "Sir, are - are you an Inferi now?"
Dumbledore chuckled. "No, Neville. I am not. Relax, please. The incident, as painful and uncomfortable as it was, turned out to my advantage. Without it I would have died. What Severus did not know was that I had drunk from the water. He was forced to carry through with our agreement – reluctantly, however, I might admit." He peered at Snape over his half-moon glasses.
The former Potions Master still looked to be in shock.
"When I was hit with the Killing Curse, I was not killed, since technically I was already an Inferi." He paused to sip from his eggnog again.
"But how come you're not one now?" Ron asked, puzzled.
"When my body fell out of thetower, it appeared technically dead but I was already an Inferi. If Professor Snape had viewed my body, he would have known, but no-one else at Hogwarts would have had the experience to recognize this. I ask you all: how does one kill an Inferi?"
No-one, not even Hermione, responded.
Dumbledore looked specifically at Harry. "What is the one thing Inferi are afraid of?"
"Fire," Harry responded as the idea of what had happened started to dawn on him.
Dumbledore smiled again. "Correct. My body was cremated, effectively killing the Inferi."
"But then wouldn't you have also died?" speculated Ginny.
Luna, who had been quiet the whole time, suddenly piped out one word. "Phoenix."
"Well done, Luna," Dumbledore said, praising her. "Just before my body was cremated I was able to transform into my Animagus shape."
Harry gasped. "I saw a phoenix fly away at your funeral."
"Yes, you would have. As I'm sure you all remember, a phoenix is reborn by fire, it is the symbol of rebirth. I flew away in my Animagus shape and it took me many months to grow strong enough with Fawkes' help and tears in order to be able to transform back into my human shape." He lifted his hand, flexing it. "And as you can see as a bonus, my hand has completely healed."
Something happened then that shocked everyone in the room. Snape strode over to the Headmaster, then stopped, unsure of what to do next. Dumbledore stood up and hugged Snape. "I'm so sorry, dear boy, to have put you through all this, but I think you can now understand why it was so important. Lord Voldemort trusts you explicitly and you are our one source on the inside."
Snape pulled out of the embrace rather quickly but Harry could have sworn he saw a glint of moisture in the usually bitter man's eyes.
Snape sat down on the hearth beside the Headmaster as if wanting to be close to him so he wouldn't slip away again.
Dumbledore continued. "I have been watching the events. Harry, I was extremely proud of you for destroying the Horcrux, the one we thought had been in the cave. I'm very glad thatyou, with the help of all your wonderful friends, were able to trace it back to Grimmauld Place and to Mundungus. However, when I saw how badly hurt you were I knew I had to return and unite you with the one man who could heal you."
"Thank you, sir," Harry said humbly. He then glanced over at the blond on the sofa. "What happened to Malfoy?"
Draco lay, exhausted, against the sofa; he had listened to the story with a growing sense of awe. He realized for the first time ever how truly wily the old Headmaster was and also how self-sacrificing. He was now even gladder to be on this side, even if it did mean having to tolerate the stares and comments of Potter and his friends. He knew they despised him. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the gloating looks when Dumbledore explained what had happened. He knew he was a pathetic and pitiful version of his former self.
"Severus, I think you can best explain what happened."
Snape cleared his throat. "The Dark Lord was thrilled that the Headmaster was gone, as he always considered him to be a worthy but, of course, despised opponent. He was, however, furious that I could not longer return and play spy on the Order of the Phoenix for him. For that he blamed Draco and told him he was as useless and disloyal as his father. He then punished him by subjecting him to repeated Cruciatus Curses. I believe his intention was to push him over the edge to insanity. I had to interfere. I asked if he would grant him to me as a slave, once he recovered. The Dark Lord was so pleased that the Headmaster was dead, he conceded."
Neville had paled considerably upon hearing the news, andhe glanced in Draco's direction with pity in his eyes.
Snape continued. "Draco was in a coma until the end of September. He then slowly started to regain his senses. He was not able to speak until just a few weeks ago and his nerves are still very spasmodic. He is much too weak to walk or do much of anything by himself."
"We will help him," Dumbledore vowed.
Harry discovered that the pain had faded. He shakily got to his feet and made his way over to the Headmaster, who had risen to his feet.
"Sir, I'm glad you're still with us. I never had the chance to tell you … how much you mean, errr, how important you are to me. I really appreciate all you'vedone for me," Harry said quietly and awkwardly.
Dumbledore put his hands on Harry's shoulders. "I am very glad to still be here to watch you defeat the Dark Lord. As you know, Harry, I am not afraid of death – I would never have pleaded with anyone to spare my life.'
Harry then realized that he should have picked up that clue.
"No-one must know that I survived, other than, of course, the people in this room. I will assist you when I can but Harry, you know you must do the final act alone," Dumbledore remarked sadly.
He nodded. "I realized that after you had … well, after I thought that you had died."
Dumbledore hugged him. "Happy Christmas, dear boy."
"Happy Christmas, sir."
In the meantime, Hermione had quietly gone over to Ginny and quietly asked her something.
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.
She nodded. "I know he's been a miserable git but he's been through a lot and hopefully has changed a bit. After all he is, on our side now." She peered over at him. "He must be feeling very uncomfortable with all of us; I just want to extend an olive branch. If he doesn't accept it, then it will be his problem."
They both went into the kitchen. After a while Hermione came out with a bowl of Ginny's homemade oatmeal. She took a deep breath and made her way over to Draco. The blond looked at her with alarm.
She sat down across from him. He swallowed heavily. The glow from the fireplace and the twinkling white lights of the tree illuminated her hair. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled warmly. "I brought you some oatmeal. Ginny made it from Mrs. Weasley's recipe. I thought you might be hungry."
He reached out to take the bowl; he hated how his hand trembled. "T-thank you," he was able to say hoarsely.
She was glad that he took it and she was relieved that he seemed to appreciate her effort. She got up to leave again but he suddenly asked, "D-do you have t-to go?"
She looked startled. "No; did you want me to stay for a bit?"
His gray eyes looked into her hesitantly, and then he nodded. She smiled and sat down again, providing him with some company while he ate.
In the meantime, Ginny, Luna and Ron persuaded Harry to hang a few ornaments on the tree. At one point Harry noticed a star that seemed to be hanging crooked. He reached up to straighten it and at that same moment Ginny did also. Their hands touched. They looked at each other and Harry hastily let go of her hand, looking sheepish. Ginny, however, took his hand fiercely and pulled him over to her side of the tree so they would be hidden from the others' view. She reached up, kissing him softly. "Happy Christmas, Harry."
He heartily kissed her back "Happy Christmas, Ginny." He knew he shouldn't be kissing her; with all that still needed to happen he didn't want to endanger her, but it was Christmas and being here at Godric's Hollow was like being in another world. They kept on kissing until Ron loudly cleared his throat. They both blushed and then moved back to the front of the tree to continue hanging the ornaments.
Neville awkwardly made his way over to Dumbledore and quietly spoke to him. The Headmaster nodded but then, much to Neville's chagrin, he called Snape over.
Snape eyed his former student with much displeasure but as he listened to what Dumbledore was saying a different expression came over him. "Alright Longbottom, let's have a look at this."
Neville went to the other room and showed Snape the various plants he had used.
"I assume you concocted this potion in order to eventually try it on your parents?" Snape asked quietly.
Neville nodded. "I know it's still not strong enough for them and I need to seep the herbs and plants longer but the ones I used are known for their properties for nerve regeneration and brain stimulation."
Snape frowned. He could hardly believe that this awkward boy who fumbled his way through five years of potions had researched and come up with a potion that no-one else had ever thought of.
"I -I thought perhaps Malfoy…" His voice trailed off.
"Nothing you have shown me could hurt him, so it may be worth an attempt," Snape conceded.
"He wouldn't be healed with just one dose; if there is improvement there would need to be more," Neville explained.
Snape's face twisted into something that could be construed as an attempt at a smile. "I realize that, Longbottom."
They went over to Draco who looked apprehensively at the two of them together.
"Longbottom has come up with a potion for you to try." He held his hand up to stop Draco's retort, which he knew would come. "I approve of all the ingredients - they may actually help you. As you know, your aunt tortured his parents into insanity under the Cruciatus Curse. He has been working on this potion in an attempt to perhaps heal them. It may be of assistance to you, if you are willing?"
Draco looked at Neville and wondered why on earth the Gryffindor would be willing to help him after all the years he had bullied him mercilessly.
Neville, as if reading his mind, responded. "It's Christmas."
With his heart beating uncomfortably, Draco reached out and took the potion offered. Screwing his eyes shut, he swallowed it all.
"Do you feel any different?"
He shook his head but then a moment later warmth flowed through his veins. He gasped as suddenly he felt the tenseness leave his body. "I feel better. My hands aren't shaking anymore." He held his hands up in front of him in awe.
"You also seem able to speak without stuttering," Snape added. He turned to Neville. "Well done, Longbottom." He then turned and went back to the Headmaster, leaving a shocked Neville in his wake.
Draco looked up at Neville and quietly whispered, "Thank you."
Harry watched what had occurred. He had despised Malfoy and his love of the Dark Arts but he had also felt a twinge of pity for him after seeing him lower his wand. He knew how scared he had been and likely must still be. He glanced at Dumbledore, who was watching him intently; he nodded softly as if reading his mind.
Harry straightened his shoulders and went over to his former nemesis. He sat down across from him in the chair that Hermione had occupied before. He held out his hand. "Truce."
The gray eyes widened. Draco hadn't expected this gesture. He stared at Harry, dumbfounded for a moment.
"We're on the same side now," Harry said quietly.
Draco lifted his hand and clasped Harry's. "Truce," he whispered back.
The Headmaster smiled. This truly was an unforgettable Christmas. Forgiveness was a special gift and he knew that Harry had just bestowed Draco with it. He looked around the room. Luna, Hermione, and Ginny were busy winding a cranberry chain around the tree; Ron and Neville were sneaking cookies from the kitchen after noticing that the girls were preoccupied. Severus sat beside him quietly, also watching the activities. He seemed to be at peace for the first time in a long time as he spiked his glass of eggnog with some Firewhisky from a small flask he pulled out of his cloak. Dumbledore smiled contentedly.
"Happy Christmas all," he said quietly, raising his glass of eggnog in salute.
Shining, happy faces looked back at him and smiled. The warmth and glow of the magic Christmas united them all as the snow fell softly outside and the logs crackled in the fire. Whatever came in the days ahead, they had this special time to look back on and gain strength from.
O Holy Night Lyrics
Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!