Potions and Snitches
Snape and Harry Gen Fanfiction Archive

The Christmas Dance

The next few weeks passed quickly. The only thing worthwhile Harry could recall was Lucius Malfoy's trial.

FLASHBACK

Harry was about to go to class one day when Severus came to him with a message from Dumbledore. Reading the letter, he discovered that it was a note telling him that the trial of Lucius Malfoy would take place in several days. It included a portkey in which Harry, Draco, and Severus had to take to get to the ministry of the future time in order to attend the trial. Harry and Severus acted as witnesses while Draco was to testify against his father.

The trial passed quickly, although Draco seemed to be extremely jumpy and uncomfortable. He even took off his shirt, displaying the scarred back. Harry was more than a little unnerved, but at least he knew that Lucius had no chance against Draco. Draco had all the proof and evidence the judges needed to give the elder Malfoy a lifetime stay in Azkaban.

At the end of the day, they took another portkey returning them to the time of the Marauders.

END OF FLASHBACK

Now, it was almost Christmas and Harry had begun purchasing Xmas presents.

One afternoon, Harry had grabbed his invisibility cloak and sneaked off into Hogsmeade to purchase gifts for his friends. He got James a Quidditch Cleaning kit, Sirius, a box of pranks he had recieved from Fred and George, to Remus, a book titled, 'Goblin Wars of the Ancient Ages by Trisha Ashstaff', and Lily, a book on Advanced Charms. After a few minutes of thought, he brought a red scarf for Pettigrew. For Ron, he purchased a new broomstick while he got a book on Transfiguration for Hermione. For the older !Remus!, he got a warm, wool cloak. Draco's present took some more time. After wandering around for half an hour, he finally decided on a simple but elegent green cloak. Although Draco had plenty of clothes, he lacked plain items. All his clothes were adorn with expensive jewels and badges. He thought the blond could do with something nice and uncluttered for once.

For his father, he brought a small photo frame made of dark-red oak. He decided to put in a picture when he got back to school.

Just as he was about to leave, he had a sudden inspiration. Stepping into a jewelry shop, he looked around. Sudenly, he saw it: the perfect gift. It was a star, made of silvery marble. Imprinted onto the marble was a slithering, green snake, twisting around a pure white unicorn. The brooch hung from a simple, silver chain. He bought it for three galleons and placed it in his bag. With that, he stepped into the secret tunnel leading back to Hogwarts.

Getting back, he sat in the Room of Requirement and locking the door so that he would not be disturbed, began to wrap his gifts.

On Christmas Day, young Severus Snape woke up early in the morning. He took a quick shower as he pulled on black robes. He went back to his bed and glanced distastefully at the small pile of presents by his pillow.

He opened the first package to discover it was a new, silk cloak from his father. Green. Severus sneered. He preferred clothing in black.

The next present was from his mother: a box of sweets. He scoffed as he threw it aside.

After opening several more presents, he spotted a small box on the table. It was wrapped in silver and maroon wrapping paper. Strange. Silver was a Slytherin colour and maroon was Grffindor. Who would purposefully mix the colours together? Curiously, he reached down and opened it, pulling off the lid. What he saw inside made him stop slightly.

A star-shaped brooch lay in the box. Engraved onto the brooch were a lush, green serpant and brilliant, white unicorn, entwined together. The dark green and eerie white fit together perfectly, the opposite, yet the same. An almost undetectable smile graced his lips as he realized the irony: snakes were thought to be Dark creatures while unicorns were Light, pure and innocent. Yet here, on the brooch, they were tangled together like old friends. Somehow, the animals seemed to fit together: Ying and Yang, Light and Dark, Day and Night. Good and Evil came together to form a whole, to form a harmony. Pulling out the necklace, he realized there was a piece of paper also in the box. He pulled it out an began to read:

Severus,

I saw this necklace at Hogsmeade and it reminded me of you. I hope you like it. This brooch has a strong protection charm on it to keep you safe, so remember always to wear it.

Merry Christmas, young Slytherin.

From,

A Friend.

The words were written in a thick, purple ink. Severus looked at it curiously, wondering who had written it. He reached over and clasped the necklace around his neck. Looking down, he saw the brooch light up slightly before fading away once again. The unicorn's emerald green eyes glowed, reminding him suddenly of Ice. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he tucked the pendant inside his robes. He walked out of his dorm, through the Slytherin Common Room, and out towards the Great Hall for breakfast.

Harry woke up early on Christmas morning and turned eagerly towards the pile of present by his bed. He found that he had recieved a set of Quidditch balls from James, a Chudley Cannons poster from Ron (how on earth had the redhead managed to get it in this time period?), a strange mirror from Sirius, and books from Remus, Lily, and Hermione. From Peter, he got Chocolate Frogs while Draco got him a delicate glass phoenix. Harry smiled as he placed the phoenix by his bedside. From !Remus!, he got a small book. Flipping it open, he saw that it was another picture album, filled with picture of the Marauders. He tucked the book away into his trunk.

He recieved the most special thing of all from his father: a platinum necklace. Hanging from it was a silver snake with jade from eyes formed into the letter 'S'. He smiled, his throat constricting slightly: it was the Snape family emblem. He clasped the necklace around his neck as he dropped it into his robes. The jewelry dangled against his chest comfortably.

He looked up and saw that the others were still sleeping. Grinning slightly, he summoned a bucket of water. Walking to the side of Sirius' bed, he tipped it slightly.

Cold water poured down and splashed onto the sleeping boy, causing Sirirus to jump up. Harry smiled widely as he saw the mock outrage in his futrue- godfather's expression. "I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THAT, DARKICE!!!!" he heard as the black-haired young man jumped up and rushed into the bathroom to change into dry clothes.

By then, the others had awoken, thanks to Sirius' wake-up call. Each turned to their own pile of presents. Soon, they were done.

"Wow, thanks, mate!" James cried, eyes growing wide as he saw the brand-new Quidditch kit he had recieved from Harry. He knew it must have cost the boy a fortune. "I've wanted this for ages!"

After several more cries of delight, Sirius appeared from the bathroom and they headed down to the Great-Hall for breakfast.

!Severus! opened his eyes to the morning sunlight. Sitting up, he turned to leave when he spotted three boxes sitting by his pillow.

He was surprised. It had been years since he had last recieved an Xmas present. Leaning down, he opened the first box. It was from !Lupin!, and it contained a book on Potions. He put it aside, thinking it would come in handy later on.

The next one was from Albus. It was a huge supply of lemon drops. He rolled his eyes and tossed it aside carelessly as he turned to the last box.

His breath caught as he looked inside. It was a picture of him and Harry, sitting together, reading. Harry was leaning comfortably against him, book in lap, as he read. The boy occasionally reached down to flip a page, deeply immersed in the book.

The picture was placed in an oak frame. The wook was dark red and smooth, simple but elegant. His eyes seemed suspiciously moist as he turned it over and saw the words 'Merry Xmas, Father. From Harry.' engraved on the edge. Quickly putting it by the side of his bed, he changed and headed down for breakfast, robes billowing out behind him.

At breakfast, Harry had just finished eating and was about to get up when Dumbledore stood up and began to speak.

"Good Morning, everyone. I would just like to say a few words. I have good news for many of you: classes are canceled today due to the Christmas Ball we will be hosting tonight at seven. Dinner will be served in private rooms, as the Great Hall will be filled with decorations. A date would be ideal, although you could come alone if you like." His blue eyes twinkled at this. "Merry Xmas to all." With that, he sat down.

An excited buzz filled the room as the headmaster sat down. Everyone conversed loudly, discussing who they would take to the ball. Harry just smiled knowingly as he sat there between the discussions of James and Sirius.

That night, after a quick dinner, Harry went up to his room to get ready for the ball. The girls had disappeared several hours ago to 'prepare' and he hadn't seen any of them since. He was going to Hermione while James was going with Lily. Sirius had asked out Maria Langswood, Parvati's mother. Peter was going with a Hufflepuff named Annika McCliney, while Ron was going with Akio Marimoto, who, to Harry's surprised, happened to be Cho Chang's mother.

Draco was another matter entirely. Girls followed him around all day, each asking him to go to the ball with them. Harry chuckled as he remembered the boy trying to hide behind him as a crowd of girls approached. Well, it wasn't surprising, considering Draco's delicate blond beauty. Many girls had been heartbroken when the boy had refused. In the end, Draco had chosen Melody Pearlwood, one of Lily's many friends.

Pulling on silvery robes with high collars, he checked the mirror, pulling his long, black hair into place. Bangs covered his scar as pale skin stood out. Smiling slightly, he headed downstairs to wait for Hermione.

The rest of the boys were already there. Ron wore deep blue robes while James wore dark maroon. Sirius had on black while Peter wore bright red. Draco looked the most elegant with lush green robes and the emerald green cloak Harry had gotten for him wrapped around his shoulders.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of waiting, the girls started coming. First came Annika, then Akima. Maria came next, followed by Melody.

Next came Lily. Harry had to admit his mother looked beautiful in beige robes which fit her perfectly, fiery red hair flying behind her. She walked over shyly as James immediately went up to her, a small gift in his hands.

Finally, another girl stepped into the room. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he looked at the tall girl. Hermione. His friend looked stunning with lavender robes swishing around her, usually bushy brown hair pulled into an elegant bun at the back of her head. A simple butterfly necklace hung from her neck, glittering wings fluttering slightly in the light.

"So, what do you think?" Hermione asked nervously as she watched her friend's reaction.

Harry smiled when he heard the anxiety in the girl's voice. Ah, Hermione, always the perfectionist. "You'e look fantastic," Harry informed her in a serious tone. He grinned slightly.

Hermione grinned slightly at the mischievous expression. "Come on, let's go," she said as she dragged him after the Marauders, who had already left.

In the Great Hall, Harry looked around and saw other pairings. Lucius Malfoy was with Narcissa Black, Simon Lestrange with Bellatrix Black. Alexander Nott was paired Adella Parkinson. Looking around, he smiled slightly when he saw that Severus was with Praeclaria Malfoy, Lucius' second cousin.

After about half a dozen dances, Harry and Hermione dropped into chairs, both exhausted. Harry looked up suddenly though when he heard someone yell.

James was the one complainging. "LILY! What a HELL are you doing with HIM? Give me my wand so I can..."

Whoever was talking was abruptly cut off when Lily promptly raised her wand and said sharply, "Shut up! Silencio!"

James' mouth snapped shut as he watched his date being led off by Snape.

A grin spread on Harry's face when he saw the younger Severus leading Lily onto the middle of the dance floor. And then, they began to dance. As he watched, the pair joined hands.

They both seemed to transform before Harry's eyes. The moment their hands touched, it was as though a new feeling entered the room. The Great Hall became a ballroom and the two professional dancers were demonstrating their skill. With her right hand still holding his left, Lily twirled once underneath the arch it made and stopped when she put her left hand on the other's shoulder. Their moves were perfectly sycronized and flawless, smooth and elegant.

They danced as a couple might- two people so comfortable with each other that they sometimes forgot where one person stopped and the other began. They danced in perfect harmony, as though they practiced together all their lives. Severus, with his natural elegance, Lily, with her stunnign beauty. They were exactly the opposite, yet so similar at the same time. They were one, Day and Night, Light and Dark, Fire and Ice, coming together to form a whole. Harry saw this closeness as both spoke softly to each other, but never pausing in their movements. He saw it in their intricate footwork and in that footwork he saw their story.

The dance drew on and on. By then, the whole Hall was watching them in silence. The pair seemed unaware that they were being watched. Finally, Lily twirled faster and faster until she was but a blur. She leaped into the air and as she came down, Severus caught her easily, holding her up in the air.

There was a moment of silence as the dance ended. Then, Harry began to clap, his applause ringing through the air. Draco followed, and so did Hermione, as did Ron. Soon, most of the Great Hall were clapping, including the teachers. The only one's scowling were James, Sirius, and a few Slytherins.

Dumbledore stood up, eyes twinkling. "Ah yes, excellent dancing, Ms. Evans and Mr. Snape. This brings an end to our Christmas Dance. I hope you all enjoyed it. I ask students to now return to their dorms. Thank you, and Merry Xmas to all of you!"

As the Headmaster sat down, the Great Hall began to empty, students streaming out of the door. Lily and Severus left the room together, still talking. James could be heard running after them.

Harry smiled as he went into his dorm and crawled into bed, yawning. It had been a long day. And he was tired. Turning to face the wall, he closed his eyes and drifted off into dreamless sleep.

Chapter End Notes:
Thank you to all my readers for their encouragements.

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