Harry slouched through the halls of Hogwarts, blinking back tears. He was twelve, for goodness sakes. Twelve year olds most certainly did not cry, even if Christmas was to be ruined. Harry rubbed his eyes slightly, the very faint smell of smoke still on his clothes as he returned to the common room. He muttered the password, and the Fat Lady let him in, looking very sorry for him but knowing better than to say anything. Ron winced slightly when he saw Harry, looking up from his chess game with Hermione.

"Bad detention, huh?" Ron said. It was a testament to how bad he felt for Harry that he didn't even groan when Hermione's piece destroyed one of his.

Harry could only nod. He sunk down in a chair nearby.

"What did Snape have you do?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"Clean the soot off the bottoms of cauldrons," Harry told her.

"That must have sucked," Ron said. "On the plus side, Christmas is only twelve days away."

Harry felt like someone had pulled the air from his lungs. "I guess, huh?" he said, his words coming out strangled and choking, much to his dismay. "I'm ... I'm going to go upstairs."

Before Ron or Hermione could say anything, Harry was already on the stairs up the boys' dorm.

"Ron," he heard Hermione say. "As if reminding him of a holiday that his family ignores him during is going to help -"

Harry felt a warm rush of affection for Hermione, even if she wasn't overly accurate in her reasoning for Harry's poor mood.

Harry put on his pyjamas and got into bed. He did not sleep, and instead spent hours imagining what it would have been like if Father Christmas had just not shown up one year. Sometimes all he'd managed to keep going for had been that surprise gift on Christmas. Harry knew exactly how devastating it would be if it didn't come, and he figured that Snape did too.

They had to find a way to get the rest of the gifts made, but how?

***

"Toffee!" called Severus from the window in the wee hours of the morning, having finally gotten up after hours of being unable to sleep.

The familiar house elf popped into view beside Severus.

"Father Christmas, sir!"

"Not here!" Severus said, panicky. "Severus! Severus!"

Toffee, old and to the point that he was much less uptight than the other elves, just laughed. "It is just us here, sir. We is alone. What is it you is requiring, and at such an hour too?"

Severus sunk down at the kitchen table, and put his face in his hands. He waved at the other chair, and Toffee sat. He was quite used to being informal with Severus, given their collaboration for many years in getting some of the forgotten Slytherins gifts on Christmas in secret. Toffee was the inside connection to Hogwarts for deliveries too. Given the wards, the sleigh couldn't get to the castle, so he met Father Christmas at the gates every year, which had given Severus quite the surprise when he was coerced into filling in for Father Christmas last year. He'd believed Toffee had only been helping him deliver gifts to the Slytherins, let alone be in cahoots with the real Father Christmas and had his hand in getting gifts to the forgotten children in other houses too. Toffee had been over the moon to find out Severus had decided to fill the position.

"Toffee, the workshop burned down," he said at last, his words grating and hoarse. "We lost all the gifts from O through Z. The elves are all fine, and all their families were spared in their housing over the hill, thank Merlin, but it's only twelve days until Christmas and what on earth am I supposed to do! Merlin, Toffee what if it all just - I mean, these children deserve more than a just bloody note on Christmas - they're the ones that don't get anything, that are too poor or not loved or -"

"Master Severus, slow down," Toffee said gently.

"Sorry."

"So, what Toffee is hearing, is you needs extra help, and a place to work?"

"Yes, if Hogwarts has any elves to spare. But a place to work ... I've thought and thought, and there's nowhere that has the space, or the supplies like what we had stockpiled at my shop. We are hopelessly out of depth. I'm out of depth."

Toffee hummed slightly, swinging his legs and twisting the hem of his crisp Hogwarts tea towel. He put his hand to his mouth, great ears flapping as he let out a loud gasp.

"Come with Toffee, Master Severus!" Toffee practically screamed, grabbing Severus' hand, to his great surprise.

It was after curfew now, thankfully, so the halls were empty as Severus followed the elf. He nearly had to run to keep up with Toffee, who despite his age was rushing down the halls like was on the hunt for buried treasure and knew exactly where to dig.

"Where are we going?" Severus gasped, clutching a stitch in his side.

"Oh, you'll see!"

Toffee finally stopped outside a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

"What?" Severus said. "A tapestry?"

"It's the come and go room," said Toffee. "It appears when someone is in great need! Toffee and the other elves don't understand it completely, but places open for us when we must have them."

"I am not seeing a door, here," said Severus, frowning and crossing his arms as he scrutinized the tapestry.

"Walk three times, back and forth, and think of your workshop," Toffee said. For a moment, Severus stared at him, but after deciding that he was pretty much willing to try anything if it ensured he could get the gifts done on time, he did just as Toffee told. Besides, He trusted Toffee more fully than most people.

He pictured the workshop, and supplies, and the clock. All of it.

To his amazement, a door handle appeared. Severus grasped it quickly, and turned it. Breathless, he stared as the door swung open to reveal a vast, sprawling room decked out in green, silver, gold, and red, long tables ready and shelves upon shelves of toy-making supplies. A giant time piece was the crowning jewel.

"This ... it's perfect," Severus said. "But Toffee ... wouldn't it work if I ... requested a room full of gifts, exactly like we need? I'm still not sure we'll have to time make everything, even with a workshop."

Toffee frowned. "It is worth a try. This room will return if it does not work."

Severus shut the door, walked three times, thinking of all the gifts, from O to Z.

He reached for the handle, relief flooding through him. This would work. They would be right on schedule. The door opened, and he simply stared.

"It's the same," said Severus, looking at Toffee.

"You did it correctly," said Toffee.

"Then why would it not do as I asked?" Severus asked, crestfallen. "There's so much to make, and so little time ..."

"The room is funny, Master Severus," Toffee said. "As Toffee is saying, it gives you what you is needing. Sometimes what you is needing isn't the same as what you is wanting."

Severus frowned thoughtfully. "Well, it was a long shot, but this is still great," he said, relief making him feel oddly feverish. "Now we just need to get all one hundred or so elves to Hogwarts."

"Well, floo powder is not working for that," Toffee said thoughtfully. "Elves get very, very sick by floo powder. Elves is not like humans."

"But there's always apparition," said Severus, amused, thinking it funny Toffee would even suggest getting that volume through the fireplace.

Toffee looked very grave indeed. "At the start of the year Master Dumbledore is speaking with young master Potter about his summer. He'd said that a house elf got into Master Harry Potter's home."

"Yes, Harry mentioned it," said Severus, frowning. "Led to that the mess in the paper, with Lucius being arrested for slipping the cursed book in Arthur Weasley's daughter's cauldron. I suspect Arthur was only paying attention because Harry had told him about the warning, and he'd been on a lookout for anything suspicious. But how does that have anything to do with us getting elves in?"

"Master Dumbledore realized that house elves who isn't working for Hogwarts can get in by their own Masters' orders. After the Ministry realized how dangerous the book is, Master Dumbledore made sure Hogwarts house elves is only allowed to apparate within the school, or in and out of the grounds, no passengers allowed."

Severus groaned, leaning against the wall of the Hogwarts workshop. He looked around at the empty space, devoid of all elves. There was no apparent magic solution to getting any of the elves here.

"What if I can't pull this off, Toffee?" muttered Severus. "How can we get that many elves here, let alone that many gifts made? What if I fail?"

Toffee hummed quietly. "It will work out, Master Severus."

"But what if it doesn't?" Severus asked, rubbing his chin nervously, the bristly surface rough to his touch. "What if I do fail?"

"Then you will do twice as good next year," said Toffee. "Toffee does not think you will fail."

"Why?" muttered Severus, sinking down against the wall, resting his head against the stone. Toffee stood a few inches higher than he did, and Severus glanced over at him, imploring him, begging him for some reason why everything would work out. "What makes you think I won't?"

"Because you is never failing your Slytherins, not once," Toffee said stoutly. "The ones without gifts got one thanks to you every year, even before this."

"Yes, but had I failed then Father Christmas would have gotten them gifts."

"No, he wouldn't have," said Toffee.

"What?"

"Toffee talked with the old Father Christmas lots," said Toffee. "Toffee told him about our arrangement, how Toffee helps you get the gifts to the foot of the beds of Slytherins who hasn't any gifts. And you know what he told Toffee?"

Severus looked up from his lap, glancing at Toffee.

"He told Toffee that he knows he never needs to worry about those children again, not so long as Severus Snape is remembering them. They don't show up in his book, alone, like the others is. They is not alone, because Severus Snape cares enough to make sure they isn't left out on Christmas."

"He told you that?"

"Yes, Master Severus, he did. Toffee agrees."

"It's a nice thing to hear, Toffee," said Severus quietly, twisting his hands in his lap, "but I don't see how that means I won't mess it up this year."

"Master Severus, what Toffee means that even before all this if you had gotten busy, and Toffee knows how busy you is, and you hadn't gotten those gifts done, Father Christmas wouldn't have had time to make them gifts. But that never happened, because he knew Master Severus would always get it done."

Severus swallowed thickly. "I just wish I could have that much faith that things will work out."

Toffee took a deep breath. Severus, curiously, saw a strange sort of fire ignite behind the elf's eyes. He'd placed his hands on his hips, and his chest was swelling like he was about to start a lecture.

"He believes in you. And Christmas is believing. And you are Christmas." Severus' eyebrows rose as Toffee poked him hard in the chest. "You are what they believe in, the children who isn't having anyone to care for them or is being left out because they is poor and hungry. That is a the strongest magic of all, and it can make miracles happen, and ... and Toffee isn't going to let Severus Snape forget it even if it means Toffee has to hit him over the head with it!"

Severus, eyes wide, stared at the elf, whose arms were crossed, his chest heaving. Severus opened his mouth out to speak, but found he lacked the words. He felt like he imagined one would feel after being scolded by a parent who cared about them. He felt strangely ... emotional.

What was wrong with him these days?

Toffee's gaze softened, and he gave Severus an encouraging look. Severus cleared his throat slightly, and got to his feet.

"Well ... I suppose I have a plan to come up with," he said, "if I'm going to get a Christmas elves in here."

Toffee beamed. "Toffee will think hard about it too."

Toffee made to leave, but Severus spoke. "Thank you ... Toffee. Really."

Toffee bowed slightly, his eyes watering slightly, and then he left Severus standing there in the empty room, feeling oddly like he'd just been privy to some sort of cosmic wisdom.