A Hogwarts Christmas Carol

Zephyr, you are a star!!
Thanks at the bottom
It belongs to J.K Rowling and Charles Dickens

STAVE TWO THE FIRST OF THE THREE SPIRITS

Severus blinked his eyes sleepily. Thanking the gods that he always had a hangover potion on his bedside cabinet, he groped blindly for his wand and then remembered that it was in the robes he had shook off before his alcoholic binge.

\"That would have never happened when you were active,\" he said to himself, morosely. He struggled to get up and reach the potion. As his hand closed around the glass vial, the clock in his living room struck twelve. He frowned, that couldn’t be right, could it? It was well gone twelve when he had gone to bed after his encounter with Lucius. He started suddenly. Lucius.
(It must have been a dream,) he thought. (No more mixing muggle literature and alcohol for me.) He slowly made his way into his living room and slumped down in his chair in front of the fire, which was now burning normally. (It was always burning normally, you idiot!)
His eyes came to rest on the hearth around the fire. There were sooty marks leading out from it, which looked suspiciously like footprints.
He snorted. (Come on Severus, get a grip.)
He sat there for an age, just thinking about his dream and what it could have meant. He didn’t believe any of Trelawney’s dream prediction crap but something about seeing Lucius again had bothered him.

\"Another chance, that’s what he said,\" Severus mused aloud then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The clock above him started to chime, jolting him out of his thoughts. (The first will arrive at One am.) For the first time in a long time Severus Snape was a little bit afraid. He looked wildly around the room and saw nothing. He relaxed as the clock struck one and nothing happened. He was just contemplating how stupid it would be to have another drink, when once again there was a flash from the fire and the huge leaping flames licked upwards, this time red.

Severus looked on in horror as a figure stepped out of the fire.

\"What the fuck?\" began Severus shaking his head as if trying to clear it. The figure in front of him was tall and slim, with an untidy mess of black hair, and glasses. In fact the only thing that separated him from his son was the fact that his eyes were blue and not green.

\"James Potter,\" hissed Severus, his fear fading to be replaced with anger.

\"I’m not happy about this either Snape,\" said the father of the hero of the wizarding world in an irritated tone.

\"Is this some kind of joke,\" said Severus icily. \"Only it wouldn’t be the first time.\"

\"Oh yes, let’s bring that up again, shall we?\" James said with a sigh. \"Listen, I haven’t got all night so let’s just get this over with, O.K.?\"

Severus raised one eyebrow as if to say ’go on’, heart pounding because he had a nasty feeling that he knew what was coming.

\"I am the ghost of Christmas past,” said James in a bored voice. \"Let’s go,\" and in a flash of light they were gone.

~*~*~

Severus found himself face down in a snowdrift, he quickly pulled himself up with the full intention of telling Potter where to shove his Christmas past, but the words died in his throat when he realized where he was.

The Snape family manor was an imposing site from where they stood on a distant hill. A grand and looming mansion, it looked quite festive from far away. Lights twinkled brightly in every window and you could just make out the Fairy lights that adorned the tree that sat near the front windows.

\"Why are we here?\" Severus said rather stiffly, \"there is nothing there that I want to see.\"

\"Well then, it’s just as well that it’s not what you want to see that matters,\" said James solemnly. \"But what you need to see.\" Suddenly they were standing in the main living room.

(There was a big tree in the corner of the room and it was warm and cosy. Severus’s parents were sitting on a couch together by the fire and having a drink while they watched their five-year-old son playing with a small potions set. His dark hair fell into his eyes and his face was screwed up in concentration as he added a tiny vial of liquid to the mini caldron. The potion turned purple and the boy looked up at his parents excitedly, \"I did it, I did it!!\" He exclaimed.
His father clapped loudly and smiled. \"Well done son, I see a potions master in the making here. Anastasia, what do you think?\" He asked his wife.
She was beaming down at her only child. \"I think my baby boy is a genius,\" she said softly. \"Come here darling.” She gestured to her lap and the young boy climbed onto it, resting his head on her chest as she stroked his hair. His father put an arm around his mother and they just sat there together staring into the fire contentedly as a family.)

James turned to Severus, who was staring transfixed at the scene. \"You had it all Snape,\" he said, sadly, \"how did it turn into this?\"

They were standing in the entrance hall. The sound of breaking glass made them both look up and Severus sighed.

(His seventeen-year-old self was storming down the stairs shouting over his shoulder. \"You don’t understand. These people are my friends, together we will be the most powerful wizards ever.\"
His parents appeared at the top of the stairs \"Why do you need to be so powerful and at what cost to yourself?\" Shouted his father, \"I have heard terrible things about this group, how heavily into the dark arts they are and what their idea of ethnic cleansing is. They brainwash their followers with their evil ideas and I’ll tell you now that we will not tolerate it under our roof.\"

Severus reached the hall and spun around to face his parents. \"You will not have to tolerate it any longer Father, I am going to live with Lucius and his family. They know the true meaning of being purebloods. You are a disgrace.\" His father was red faced and his mother was crying.

\"What did we do to deserve this?\" His mother asked through her tears.
Severus looked up at her, his face expressionless. \"Goodbye Mother,\" he said, turned and walked out of the house.)

\"Have you ever been back to see them?\" James asked.

\"No,\" said Severus, sadly looking up at his parents, \"I’ve never had the courage to tell them that they were right.\"

James snapped his fingers and they were gone.

Severus looked up and found himself in Dumbledore’s office. He saw himself sitting in one of the chairs and the headmaster sitting behind his desk.

(“Please.... help me,\" whispered Severus, his voice trembling. He was beaten black and blue and looked like he could hardly sit up.

\"When was the turning point Severus, when did you know that this wasn’t what you wanted?\" Dumbledore asked.

\"When I saw what they did to innocent people, to girls, to children,\" he whispered.

\"Yet it has taken you three years to break away,\" noted the older man.

\"I was afraid,\" admitted Severus, his whole body was shaking. \"Do what you will professor. Kill me, hand me over to the Dementors, anything… Just make the pain stop, please.\" He begged, breaking down completely.

Dumbledore looked at his former student thoughtfully. \"I am going to offer you a deal Severus. I will not hand you over to the Dementors but at some point you may wish that I had.\"

Severus’s head shot up. \"A deal?\")

\"Ah yes, the day that Severus Snape became a double agent,\" said James, sarcastically, \"To save his own hide.\"

\"No!\" Severus said sharply, \"It wasn’t to save myself.... It was to save others.\"

\"Oh, I see. So you did have a heart, or at least a guilty conscience at some time or another?\"

\"Are we done here?\" snapped Severus.

\"Not quite,\" said James.

(The staff room was full. All the teachers were there, enjoying a Christmas drink, as all the students were in bed for the night. Dumbledore entered the room with Severus trailing behind him \"Can I have your attention, for just a moment please?\" Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at the two wizards.

\"May I introduce our new Potions Master Severus Snape\" everyone began talking at once.

\"Severus,\" said Minerva McGonagall, approaching him slowly, \"I’m so glad that you made your way home,\" she said kindly, kissing him on the cheek then moving to one side of him so the other teachers could come and greet him.)

\"They accepted me no questions asked,\" said Severus, looking at his former self, who in turn was looking around, amazed at the welcome he had received. \"Some of them knew what I had been,” he said looking at Minerva, who reached out and squeezed the headmaster’s hand, nodding at him in approval.

James looked at him thoughtfully. \"They were your family, were they not? Your friends, your confidantes, the ones who nursed you back from hundreds of curses and hexes, both mentally and physically. You were happy here once, despite the toll the constant spying was taking, you were actually happy.\"

Severus nodded sadly, looking around him. He missed this. He missed having friends. Getting happily drunk with Minerva and Albus, playing cards with Fillius Flitwick or just plain gossiping with Poppy. On the outside he was arrogant, mean, miserable and cruel. It served him well. The students were so terrified of him that they never acted up and Voldemort was convinced that Severus hated being in the castle surrounded by the light.

\"What changed?\" asked James.

\"You know what changed,\" spat Severus, coming out of his reverie.

\"Oh yes,\" said James, grabbing Severus by the arm. \"The final battle.\"

They were standing in the school grounds. There were bodies everywhere, from both sides.

\"I can’t do this again,\" said Severus in a slightly panicked voice.

\"You have to,\" said James.

(Voldemort was standing by the entrance hall, face to face with the traitor in his midst.

\"Severus,\" he hissed, \"I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in you. That you would follow that Muggle loving fool and his boy wonder.\"

Severus was ready to die. He’d had a few good years, and was surprised to have lasted this long. Voldemort had both of their wands pointed at Severus’s chest.

\"I did what I thought was right,\" Severus said calmly.

\"Well you were wrong,\" said Voldemort, smiling evilly and raising his wand.

\"Avada Kedavra.\" Two voices shouted the curse at the same time, Voldemort, to Severus and Harry, who had just come running out of the school, to Voldemort.

Voldemort’s eyes widened in surprise, as did Severus’s when, in seemingly slow motion, Harry ran down the steps and threw Severus to the ground, taking the hit of the curse full in the chest.
Hero and Villain both fell. Voldemort burst into pitch-black flames and was gone. Harry just crumpled to the ground.

Severus crawled over to where Harry lay, barely alive. He started to pick up the younger man, when Harry eyes opened, shocking Severus, so that he nearly dropped him.

\"Snape,\" he whispered.

\"Yes Potter,\" said Severus, in his meanest voice, although he was smoothing Harry’s unruly black hair as he said it.

\"Ron, Remus...they’re all gone. Take care of her for me, tell her I always loved her...promise?\" he croaked.

Severus looked stricken. \"Well Mr. Potter, if you let me take you to the infirmary, then there will be no need as you can tell her yourself,\" he said hoping to all the Gods that he sounded convincing.

Harry chuckled weakly, \"I don’t think so,\" he said, and died in Severus’s arms.)

James was silent, as he watched his son die.

Severus just stood there with tears streaming down his face. \"Bloody Gryffindor courage,\" he choked. \"Please, I beg of you, take me back?\"

James just looked at him and nodded behind him. Severus turned and saw Hermione Potter stumbling down the stairs.

(\"Why?\" she whispered, \"why did he push you out of the way?\" She dropped to her knees and held her husband.

\"I don’t know,” said Severus, helplessly, \"I… I’m sorry.\"

\"It should have been you,\" she cried, launching herself at Severus and throwing punches with all her might. \"You should be dead and he should be alive.\" She screamed herself hoarse and rained punches down on a non-responsive Severus until she passed out from sheer grief and exhaustion.
He just held her, as he had held Harry and repeated one sentence.
\"I’m sorry.\")

James turned to Severus. \"He had his reasons for taking the curse himself.\"

\"I find that hard to believe,\" replied Severus, looking down at Hermione, his tears still flowing.

\"It is not for me to tell, and your time is up,\" said James. \"For what it’s worth, ‘I’ am sorry,\" he said and with a flash of light, Severus was back in his living room, alone.

He stumbled to his bedroom and threw himself on the bed, fatigue drawing him into a deep sleep.


Ho Ho Ho!!

Peeves; Thanks so much! I just needed a break from the other one for a little while and I’m sure everyone else did too!! xx
Mary Kay; Thanks, I think that adaptation is a bit of a brave word and I’m glad you said it! I keep floating off in my own direction, and having to pull myself back!!xx
Rilla; Oh Rilla, thank you hon, I’m so glad you liked it!!xx
Zephyr; How can I resist a demand from the no1 beta!! I wouldn’t have posted it if you’d said it was shit!!xx
Tigress; Thanks, did you like who the first spirit was? xx
Sharon & Cassie; Thank you!!xx
RedWritingHood; Well, it was really more of an excuse to do another HG/SS fic!!xx
Filodea & Flick; Here you go, enjoy and thanks!!xx
PotionsMistressM; Oh M!! As if I would cheat on ‘SE’, I don’t want death threats!! and I am honoured that you are reading it even though you hate Dickens!! Thanks babe xx
Anna & Kristen; So glad you liked it!!xx
Deb; Oh Deb, you are such a star, thanks babe. I’m really glad you like it xx
Kait; Thanks! the bunnies are very pleased with you!!xx


Wow!! Thank you all for reviewing, It really makes my day!! I probably won’t get this finished before Christmas now, but I will definitely finish it!!
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If I don’t update before Christmas, have a good one!!
Kisses
GrrArrg