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Seraphim Beneath The Christmas Tree	By : starstruck86 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Ron Views: 8943 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor do I make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
A/N: Hello all. Me again! This is what happens when I get an
idea and run with it. I have a feeling this one could become my new baby.
You�ll see at the end. (And yes, before anyone says it, I do have far too much
time on my hands but in my defence, I type extremely quickly and am blessed
with the opportunity of multi-tasking between this and RL! LOL).

This is DH compliant (with one major difference, look at the
pairing and all is explained within) but not Epilogue compliant. I�ve decided
to take a different angle this time from my usual in terms of ages. Read on and
thou shall see, I suppose! This is for everyone who follows my RW/SS fics and encourages me to write more, but special thanks to
Sheree who started this whole Christmas tree
business. Bad influence *points*

As for the title, Seraphim Beneath The Christmas Tree, the
word Seraphim is noted to mean burning and fiery �they are the highest ranking angels in the
hierarchy apparently known for their zealous love (mentioned in a few places I
found online) amongst other things. I think they�re relevant here.

Please R&R if you so fancy, I hope you enjoy this new fic.

-------

I swear to fucking
Merlin this is the temperature where appendages start dropping off.

Ron glowered angrily at the tiny memorial which made up the centre
of the little village he was waiting in. To be placed on stake out on Christmas
Eve was not the nicest of presents he could have been given for the festive
season. Especially since there was absolutely nothing he could find to warrant
the unexplained magic in the very muggle area. There were no registered witches
or wizards in the area but the Ministry sensors had picked something up in the freezing little village in Scotland. From
his concealed position Ron had been sitting in snow fall for three hours after
moving on from the caf� which had closed.

Of course, he had the exemplary heating charms but they were
beginning to fail him as boredom set in. He looked at his watch, counting down
the minutes to nine o� clock when he could officially give up on his fruitless
activity and go home to his empty bed and very understanding rats.

Actually, probably not
so understanding, they�re probably wondering where the fuck dinner is. Arse and
shit and fuck and wank and I hate my fucking job, hate, hate, hate, HAAAAATE.

Feeling slightly better for his mental rant, Ron sent a
tempered kick at some of the snow which had built up around his shoe and heaved
a massive sigh. He really did hate his job. But quitting it now, when
everything else in his life was in uproar, didn�t seem a smart move.

The minute hand ticked closer to nine and he straightened
his spine eagerly, ready to leap off the bench and run far, far away from the
sub-zero village.

Why the fuck am I so
eager to go home? What�s waiting for me, other than Peaches and Penelope� who
are very lovely but sadly not human?

Ron knew he was never going to live down buying a pair of
female rats and then giving them alliterative, girly names. He couldn�t help
it, though; he�d wanted another rat ever since Scabbers
had proved to be a man masquerading as a rat. They�d been tolerated by Hermione
and it wasn�t an uncommon occurrence to find Ron flopped on the couch with his
rats running amok under his jumper, chewing said couch, and his jumper, and if
they felt chancy, his nipples.

And now it all seemed so bleak and they were the only beings
who didn�t seem to care that his love-life had had a torch set to it. They
loved him just the same, and seemed happier to be in a flat just with him. Ron
knew part of the reason the flat still felt so odd was that it was half-empty,
he had just let the furniture go because he didn�t want to argue.

His sapphire blue eyes dipped down to his watch again and he
started, realised he was one minute over nine and leapt off the bench, casting
a wordless finite to clear off all
his concealment and heating charms. He would never have joined the Auror force
after the war if he�d known it involved so much sitting around. He started out
across the square and heard the laughter coming from the pub, The Drunken Ass (with
the obligatory sign of a tipsy donkey swinging in the wind), and looked at the
light spilling out onto the snowy ground. He could practically taste the yeasty
atmosphere and the warmth. He stopped and the snow fell in his hair. He was
dressed as a muggle, as that was always easier when undercover to adequately
blend into the community.

His boots were dragonhide, his
jeans were black, his coat was long and broad-shouldered with silver metal
buttons, underneath he wore a simple black t-shirt. Plain enough, but he would
still look odd ambling into the village pub of what, he could tell, was a
close-knit, small community. But something in the pub called to him like flames
called to moths, the way the Knight Bus called to drunks; his mouth was
suddenly dry and desperate for a drink, any drink.

Screw it. I�ll just
say I got lost during the day and found myself here. They don�t ever have to
know who I am or what I�m doing. Nobody knows me here or what I am.

With that Ron crossed the snow and pushed open the heavy old
door to the pub, nearly dribbling as the smell he�d anticipated rushed up to
meet him and enveloped his frozen body. It was half full and the sound of
merry, chattering voices filled the low-ceilinged room. It was, Ron was thrilled
to find, exactly his kind of pub �mismatched tables and chairs, vintage signs
and bottles decorating the walls with all sorts hanging from the ceiling, and
the bar itself was made out of dark old beams of wood. Nobody paid him much
attention as he walked up to it.

There was one man standing behind it, his hair long, black,
and drawn into a ponytail. Ron looked him over and realised he was incredibly
thin, but then he didn�t really have room to comment. He remembered one of
Hermione�s parting remarks about cuddling up to a bag of bones and winced. The
man at the bar did not turn round to him, and just continued wiping the glass
he held. Ron bit his lip and looked furtively at the man�s back, willing him to
turn around so he didn�t have to raise his voice in the pub where he was the
outsider.

Then Ron�s eyes caught a sign tacked on one of the pillars
connecting the bar to the ceiling, which read:

�Yes, I am ignoring
you.�

He choked on his laughter and took a tiny step back to read
the other signs cluttering the beams.

�Dogs welcome;
children on application�.

He laughed outright at that and the smile didn�t fade from
his face as he reached up to unbutton the neck of his coat. The man at the bar
must have heard him, because he spoke in a low deep voice.

�Sorry, off in another world, what can I-�

If the world had exploded at that moment, Ron wouldn�t have
noticed. The man had turned as he spoke, and Ron found himself looking at
somebody who he had not seen in eight years. That was mainly because the man
was meant to be dead. And if Ron was in shock, it was nothing compared to the look of pure horror which spread over
Severus Snape�s face as he stood looking back across at him.

Pretty sure his mouth was open, Ron struggled for words, but
was saved from finding them when a figure appeared by his side and put an empty
glass on the bar.

�Same again, like usual,� he grinned with a rough, Scottish
accent. �Not seen you before here, lad, what brings you up this far on a night
like this?�

The shock still in his eyes, Ron turned to the man and
stammered for something to say. �I uh� well��

�Ach, I didn�t really care,� the man assured him with a
wink. �You just look a bit too city to survive out in that,� he jerked his head
to the snowfall outside. He chucked a note on the bar which looked like it had
seen better days and waited for his pint, which, Ron was shocked to turn and
see, Snape was pulling.

His dark eyes were trained on Ron as he did so, and when Ron
looked straight at him his skin seemed to bleach a little whiter.

�Keep the change and buy this one a drink,� the man jerked
his head at Ron. �Lad looks like he�s going to perish at any minute.�

He waddled off and sat back down with the other patrons,
leaving Ron staring gormlessly across the bar at Snape, having only been able
to shoot the man a grateful but still stunned smile.

�What do you want?� Snape asked him quietly, sending his
eyes over the punters, checking nobody was paying them any attention.

Ron couldn�t answer him and merely stood with his mouth
open.

�Weasley, seriously, what do you want? And for the love of
God sit down,� Snape hissed, gesturing to one of the old bar stools.

Ron plopped down wordlessly on the stool, not bothering to
remove the messenger bag slung over his torso, or the rest of his coat. �Anything.
Something strong,� Ron blinked a few times.

Snape looked at him before raising an eyebrow. �Whiskey?�

�Yeah,� Ron breathed, watching as the thin man turned away from him.

Alright, what the
bloody hell and fuck? Snape�s dead. This can�t be Snape. He tried to tell
himself that, but then something else struck him. It must be. He knew my name. He knows who I am and I� but I was there,
I was fucking there! Holy fuck and hell.

The glass was in front of him with ice and amber liquid
faster than Ron could have anticipated. He grabbed it and knocked it back in
two gulps, appreciating the burn in his throat and the way it scorched
beautifully down his gullet, leaving a mellowed taste on his tongue. He dropped
the glass back on the bar and looked back at Snape.

�B-but you�re� you died! I was there!� He got out wildly,
trying to keep his voice down.

�Really?� Snape looked at him disdainfully. �It seems
someone forgot to alert my central nervous system, it�s been miraculously
responsive for the past eight years.�

�But you� I know what I saw� and there��

�Was no body?� Snape finished for him awkwardly.

�You� you gave all that shit to Harry,� Ron swallowed. �All
those memories� why would you� if you weren�t� oh fuck; give me some more of
that stuff��

Ron finally reached up and tugged the bag strap up over his
head and then tore at the buttons of his coat �the heat had accosted him on
finishing the whiskey and his face had to be glowing an unflattering shade of
red as he began to roast. He stripped it off and let it fall from his
shoulders, draping down to the dusty pub floorboards. He kept his eyes on Snape
the entire time. He reached behind him to pull his t-shirt where it had stuck
to the sweat on his back.

Snape poured him a considerably larger measure but didn�t
ask for any money.

�What are you doing here?� Ron asked, feeling more
comfortable unrestricted. He reached down to make sure his wand was tucked
carefully down by his thigh.

�What does it look like I�m doing?� Snape shot him a glare.

�You look like you�re working in a pub on Christmas Eve,�
Ron raised his eyebrows. �And, more than anything else, you�re fucking alive. I don�t believe� if this pub
wasn�t full of muggles��

�Well, it is,� Snape said authoritatively. �Would you mind
explaining what on earth you�re doing here, Weasley?�

�I� work,� Ron finished lamely. �Look, do you still� do you
still practice magic?� he whispered.

Snape gave him a long, assessing gaze and then a tiny sigh
escaped his lips and there was a slight nod of his head. �But not all the time.
I live a mainly muggle life.�

�But you do use some?� Ron tapped his index finger on the
side of the tumbler and Snape nodded.

Well there�s my magic
then. Fucking hell. All that time and it was right under my nose in the sodding village pub. I�m a shit Auror. I should quit.

Sat in the warm pub with his fingers curled around a glass
of excellent whiskey, quitting sounded like a very tempting idea to Ron, even
if he was faced with someone back from the dead. He shook his head slightly and
looked back at Snape.

�I�m an Auror,� he said quietly. �I was assigned here
because some magic was picked up on our sensors� and because this place isn�t
all that far from Hogwarts, I got the short straw of trying to find out who was
casting it as they�re so protective of the school. And I obviously did a very
shit job. Well done, you�ve managed to give me a heart attack and make me
realise I am absolutely awful at my career in one night��

He couldn�t be sure, but he thought there was a tiny quirk
of Snape�s lips when he stopped talking.

�I�ve only been in the area for a few weeks,� the man said
softly. �I� well. I�ve moved around rather a lot and obviously got lax on my
location judgments��

Ron shrugged. �It�s in the fucking middle of nowhere. I�m not
surprised you didn�t realise.�

�You could try to clean up your language, Weasley,� Snape
gave him an eye roll. �They�re a peaceful folk round here��

Ron couldn�t believe he�d just been belittled by a man back
from the dead, whom he no longer had to obey at the seasoned age of twenty-six.
�Christ,� he muttered, �You�ve not changed, have you?�

�I seem to remember you having a mouth like a sailor at
school, as well, so neither have you,� Snape countered, folding his arms over
his chest.

Ron looked back at him before his lips curved into their own
smile and he gave him a tiny incline of his head and sipped at his whiskey.

�So I am the reason you�ve been dumped here?� Snape asked
him wearily.

�Yup,� Ron answered glumly. �I just finished and was going
home, thought I�d have a drink� and� look, let me see your neck; you do have
scars, right? That was one hell of a snake bite! How did you��

�Weasley,� Snape hissed, and there was a glint in the dark
eyes which left Ron in absolutely no doubt that this was his acerbic Potions
Master from the past �he�d seen it too many times before to fail to recognise
it. �Keep your voice down. I am not under duress to answer any of your
questions so do not presume to question me.�

�Actually,� Ron pointed out. �I am a Senior
Auror with the authority to arrest on sight if I feel the need.�

�Are you threatening me?� Snape asked in disbelief, his eyebrows shooting into
his hair.

�Not really,� Ron yawned. �Just remember that fact before
you try belittling me. I have the power to bust your arse for being
un-registered and if you treat me like you used to, I�d have no hesitation in
doing it. I�m not Harry.�

Ron watched closely to see the effect mentioning
The-Boy-Who-Lived would have on Severus Snape, the man who had given everything
to keep Harry that title. Shoulders stiffened and lips tightened, but other
than that Snape did not give any indication of caring about the mention of
Harry.

Instead of commenting, Snape dragged a stool out from under
his side of the bar and sat on it. Ron suddenly felt very self-conscious as the
onyx eyes raked over his form, no doubt taking in his pale, freckled face and
waving red hair, which reached his shoulders, much to his mother�s
consternation.

�How old are you now?� Ron could see him making calculations
in his mind.

�Twenty-six, twenty-seven in March,� he confirmed for him
with a smile. �How old are you?�

Snape ignored him. �And you�ve been an Auror since you left
school?�

�Yeah, we were the youngest to be accepted and the first
without NEWTs.�

�You did not sit for them?� Snape�s voice was full of surprise. �I would have
thought that Miss Granger�?�

�Hermione sat hers,� Ron gave him a shrug. �But I took what
was offered. I didn�t need to go back��

Ron fell quiet and looked behind the bar, stupidly hoping,
even after eight years. �You know� you�re back from the dead, so I might as
well ask, you�re not hiding my brother behind here with you are you?�

�Don�t be absurd,� Snape frowned.

�Stranger things have happened,� Ron sighed, and took
another mouthful.

�Who did you lose?� Snape asked quietly. �I apologise that I
have to ask, I stayed away from all the major publications during my recovery,
they only served to make me angry. I only know that you three survived.�

�Fred,� Ron added, �one of the twins,� in case Snape
couldn�t remember all the different redheads he�d taught.

They were interrupted by a woman ambling up for a round of
drinks and Ron fell into silent thought whilst Snape served her, and it was odd
to watch the thin, reserved man flit around the bar, doing something as menial
as pouring drinks and taking money. When the woman was gone, Snape sat back
down, and looked over Ron again.

�I�m sorry for your loss,� he said genuinely.

�It�s been eight years,� Ron shrugged. �It�s not so hard any
more��

�I dread to think how his twin must have taken that��

�Oh yeah, George is�� Ron let out a low whistle. �Struggling on but half the
man he was.�

�Loss is hard enough...� Snape didn�t need to finish his
sentence for Ron to understand.

�Did you marry Granger?� Snape then asked bluntly, and Ron
felt eyes linger over his hand, totally free of a wedding band. And free of the
engagement band he�d been wearing up until three weeks before.

�No.�

�Is there a tale behind that?�

Ron looked up, nearly choking on his mouthful of whiskey at
the man�s daring, but then he lost his astonishment and sighed. �She left me
three hours before our wedding was due to begin. And kept the flat.�

�Ouch,� Snape raised his eyebrows in surprise.

�You could put it that way,� Ron gave a conceding tilt of
his head and a grimace.

�Why did she leave?� Snape pressed further.

�Why are you asking?� Ron�s voice was full of depression, a
voice sick of talking about the subject hand backed up by a mind thoroughly
frazzled by holding a continual post mortem of the situation.

Snape looked at him with unreadable eyes and replied, �I
have not corresponded with anybody in your world in eight years, Weasley. I
would be lying if I said I had never wondered what became of you all.�

�Well you could have just picked up a bloody paper,� Ron
snorted. �As if our lives were ever going to be private again��

�Your� relationship ending made the Prophet?�

�Yup,� Ron nodded. �I swear if one of us let out a
particularly interesting sounding belch those vultures would report it.�

�Well, you needn�t ask me why I never returned, if that is
the way you see the journalists in your world, you already have my answer; it
is your own�� Snape raised an eyebrow.

�I wasn�t going to ask,� Ron chewed his lip, and then
stopped, remembering all the times Hermione had chided him for that bad habit.

A beautiful yet galling feeling shot through him �the memory
that he didn�t have to care what Hermione wanted him to do or not to do any
more.

�She left because it wasn�t working,� Ron looked into his
drink.

�Is that not why most relationships end?� Snape looked at
him sarcastically.

�I don�t know why,� Ron said into his glass. �I did
everything right. I was attentive, I was loving, I remembered birthdays and
anniversaries, I did the bloody mortifying thing of asking her father for her
hand in marriage because that�s what she wanted� I don�t know, Snape, I don�t
know why she left.�

He finished on a deeply bitter note and knocked back some
whiskey, then looked at Snape, who looked back with a blank face. It should
have rankled that he could sit and listen to another man�s misery without
feeling sympathy, but Ron actually found it the freshest breath of air he could
have asked for. For three weeks people had been creeping around him, asking
questions and making not-so-subtle digs about how he could have handled it
better. But Severus Snape just sat there and looked at him gripping his glass
of whiskey, and said nothing.

I suppose that�s what
it�s like when you�re a man who lived a life of miserable atonement like he
has.

�So why are you here?� Ron took a deep breath and asked.
�Now you�ve pried into my life.�

�I am surprised you divulged all that information,� Snape
turned and picked up a beer mat from the bar and began shredding it in his fingers.
�I certainly did not ask you to.�

�I know that,� Ron shrugged.

�If I am to tell you anything I want your word this won�t
get back to the authorities� I��

Ron instantly understood what the hiding man was saying.
�Even if I did, Snape, it wouldn�t matter �your name was completely
exonerated.�

Even that news didn�t draw more than a raised eyebrow out of
the statuesque man. Ron wondered just what it would take to move him.

�But your word?� Snape finally spoke again.

�Why does that matter so much to you?� Ron snorted, and
finished his drink.

�If you were in my position, Weasley, would you trust
anybody?�

Ron thought about it for a split second, then shook his head
and said, �No.�

�Well then�� Severus broke off as someone else approached
the bar to place their empties on the bar and bid him goodnight and a Merry
Christmas.

Ron didn�t find much festivity in the way Snape replied, but
then he had never seemed like a particularly festive man. From what Ron knew,
he couldn�t really blame him. It was strange to sit there and know so much
about a man he had thought it was okay to pry on simply because he was dead. He
knew everything Harry had uncovered, from the gifted memories to the journals
Snape had kept through school which had been found when they cleared the
Headmaster�s study at Hogwarts, along with several letters, obviously never
sent, addressed to Lily.

The group leaving seemed to spark off a chain of departures,
which surprised Ron seeing as it was only ten, but then it was the country and
the weather seemed to be getting worse, and it was Christmas Eve. When Snape
sat back down again, only they and two other groups remained in the homey pub.

�So do I have your word that whatever I tell you remains
between us?� Snape asked him, folding his arms over his chest.

�You don�t have to tell me anything if you don�t trust me,�
Ron shrugged. �I�d understand. I should really get going anyway� Do you want
money for the?� Ron gestured at his empty glass with melting ice cubes.

Snape shook his head and waved his hand dismissively and
fixed Ron with an intense stare as he got up, reaching for his coat.

�You are content just to walk away?� Snape asked, surprised.
�You find someone you presumed to be dead and are happy to just walk away and
not ask for answers?�

Ron didn�t put his coat on but answered, �Well. Yes. If
someone has lived in secrecy for eight years, something tells me my
interruption wouldn�t be welcome. I�m not thick, Snape, no matter what you
thought about me at school. I�ll apparate home, keep quiet, and nobody ever has
to know we met.�

�Sit down,� Snape commanded him suddenly and reached for the
whiskey bottle, pouring another large glass.

�I should go,� Ron wasn�t going to admit he was thinking of
his rats, hungry on Christmas Eve.

�You�re content to let that fine whiskey go to waste?� Snape
asked, screwing the cap back on the bottle.

Ron looked at the glass and then at Snape. He glanced over
his shoulder and saw that the snow was falling more heavily. Decidedly he
plopped down on his stool again and threw his coat over the next one.

�The pub belongs to my cousin,� Snape said quietly, picking
his half-shredded beer mat up again and looking at it as he spoke. �Who is my
last living relative. I have been in contact with her over the eight years, but
never before taken up her hospitality. I�ve been here about a month, and help
her when she needs me to �she has recently split up with her husband and
working alone was too much for her. Tonight is one such night.�

�Nice of you to give up your Christmas Eve,� Ron commented,
holding his glass against his lips.

Snape shrugged. �I do not celebrate Christmas.�

�Do you celebrate anything?� Ron twigged quickly.

�Not particularly, Weasley. There�s very little to
celebrate.�

For the first year in his life, Ron actually agreed with the
sentiment. In the run up to the holiday all he had felt was bitterness and
anger at the way what should have been his first Christmas as a married man was
ruined and he would be alone until he sloped miserably back home to his parents
for the actual day.

�I�ll drink to that,� Ron muttered finally and toasted his
glass to Snape with a minute move of his hand, before drinking.

�You certainly know how to put that back,� Snape commented,
watching him.

Ron shrugged. �Yeah, well. If I�m honest I�ll admit that
I�ve spent more time sloshed over the past three weeks than I have sober.�

�A dangerous way to cope with your problems,� Snape�s face
took on a hard edge and Ron felt stupid, remembering what he knew of Snape�s
childhood and his father.

�I know.� He sighed and set the glass down.

�I meant what I said, do not let that go to waste,� Snape
gave him a small smirk.

�Why aren�t you drinking it?� Ron asked interestedly. �You
seemed like a man back then who could appreciate the need for a stiff drink.�

�I was.�

�What changed?� Ron raised his eyebrows.

Snape looked at him again and then his black eyes flicked to
the two remaining groups in the pub. Ron nodded in understanding and changed
the subject.

�What have you being doing for eight years� if you�ve only just moved here?�

�Very little,� Snape admitted with a shrug. �Rather poor
show for someone so intellectually motivated, to be honest. In my last year at
the school I was writing articles for the Potions magazines under an assumed
name. But without access to materials all of that has fallen by the wayside,
and so have I.�

It was Ron�s pity that blossomed then; where Snape had none
for him, Ron was feeling it in droves for the pale, thin man sitting in front
of him. Something about his face had changed, Ron thought, which made his nose
look a little less offensive, made him seem softer around the edges. He would
never be described as handsome, not with those teeth, but Ron couldn�t help but
feel intrigued by his face.

�Weasley, you�re staring,� Snape raised an eyebrow.

�Sorry,� Ron shook his head. �You look different.�

�Older,� Snape rolled his eyes.

�No,� Ron licked his lips. �Something about you�s changed, I can�t place what.�

�You are much changed as well.�

�So I�d bloody hope, I was eighteen when you saw me last� I had hoped I�d
turned into a man somewhere along the way.�

�I think all of your year was turned into men long before their time,� Snape
murmured, and paused to throw the remnants of the beer mat into the bin by the
till.

What is it Harry
always says? Peeling the labels off bottles and shredding beer mats means
you�re sexually frustrated? Well� that wouldn�t bloody surprise me.

�So where are you living?� Ron pressed on.

�In the living space above the pub,� Snape waved at the ceiling.
�It means I can help on short notice if she has staffing problems.�

�Good of her to let you stay,� Ron smiled.

Snape hummed his agreement and then his attention was
grabbed by the two groups standing to leave and calling their goodnights. Ron
turned and watched as the man collected up empties and then when the last
person left he closed the door and bolted it before bringing the glasses back
to the bar.

�Apologies, I�ve just bolted you in �just go when you�re ready.�

Ron peered out of the window and saw the snow falling even
heavier than before and sighed. �I�m not going out in that,� he turned back to
his whiskey.

�I need to clear up,� Snape said matter-of-factly.

�Oh,� Ron turned backed to the pub and yanked his wand out
of his jeans. He cast a few spells to clean the tables then sent the chairs up
on them that he could and enchanted the broom resting on the side of the bar to
sweep up the floor. �Done,� he turned back to Snape with a smile.

�Thank you,� Snape�s voice seemed clouded and somewhat bemused.

Ron got to his feet and looked at some of the old pictures
framed on the wonky walls as he kept his drink close to his mouth. He felt eyes
on his body and knew Snape was watching him, but didn�t particularly care.

�The venom injured me,� Snape said suddenly, and Ron turned
back to him. �You asked to see my neck, but there is nothing really there other
than scarred puncture marks. The real damage was done to me inside.�

Ron frowned as he hopped back onto his stool and leaned his
elbows on the bar.

�I was without oxygen for a fair amount of time, I cannot
properly estimate just how long,� Snape walked to turn the lights off closest
to the door, leaving just the bar and the back rooms lit, though Ron noticed,
for someone who didn�t celebrate Christmas, Snape left the pub�s tree with its
multicoloured fairy lights on. �Alcohol I could drink bottles of now reduces me
to a drunken mess and hard spirits hurt more the next morning than they ever
did in my youth.�

�Sure you�re not just getting older?� Ron winked at him and
was surprised when Snape�s face relaxed into a half-smile. �Gods, it�s so weird
to have� that you�re here�� he gestured at the pub.

�Why are you so surprised, Weasley? Did you really think
that my life was a dead expanse between Dumbledore and the Dark Lord? That
there was nothing filling the gaps and nothing for me to turn to?�

�No� I just� it�s�. weird! You�re Snape, The Potions Master,
and yet here you are in a pub in the middle of fucking nowhere, drying glasses
and pulling pints.�

�I can see how it would be strange from your point of view,�
Snape conceded and leant back against the till. �But there is always more than
meets the eye, Weasley.�

Ron gave a curt nod and drank some more, beginning to feel
pleasantly warmed by the alcohol. It would be his last even if he didn�t leave.
His stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble and he flushed. �Sorry.�

�You were out there all day?� Snape looked absently through
the window. �You must be hungry?�

�I am, but it can wait until I get home,� Ron shrugged dismissively, but Snape
had already moved.

�There is some food left in the kitchen. You�re welcome to
it.�

Ron nearly fell off his stool because it slammed into him
once more how bizarre his evening had turned out, to find Snape in a pub, be
served drinks by him and now to be offered food.

Maybe I�m asleep? I�m
going to wake up and be warm and snug in bed and I�ll think �fuck, that was
whacked� and then I�ll forget it by the time I�m having my morning piss.

He gave an appreciative smile as Snape swept out of the bar �how does he still swoop when he has no
robes?- and disappeared into the back of the pub, leaving Ron quite alone
at the empty, darkened bar. Feeling odd, Ron�s eyes fell on the Christmas tree,
twinkling colourfully in the corner of the room. It was large, real and
standing straight on the floor and Ron had the sudden urge to lie down beneath
it and look up into the branches and lights, like he had when he was a little
boy.

Not wanting to seem a complete idiot, though, he settled for
getting up and wandering over to poke at the lights to make the colours jiggle,
ignoring the way they were hot and burnt his finger slightly. It was decorated
with glass baubles and wooden decorations. There was a window where he could
look out at the snow �all in all it should have been a perfect scene of
relaxation and happiness, except for the fact he was in the middle of nowhere
in a locked up pub with Severus Snape.

He�s not shown any
homicidal tendencies at all, you�re being judgemental� Ron told himself off
and a small smile crept onto his lips at the thought of what his friends would
be doing if they knew where he was.

�Here,� the voice made him jump and he slopped some of the
whiskey down his t-shirt. �Bollocks,� he muttered, making his way back to the
bar.

�What did I tell you about wasting that?� Snape raised an
eyebrow, taking in the damp stain visible even on the black material.

�Sorry,� Ron apologised, and sat back down so his drink
could come to no further harm.

�It�s just leftovers from when the kitchen was open tonight,
if it�s not warm enough, say,� Snape gestured to the food.

�Its fine,� Ron insisted, and gratefully ate a chip before picking up the fork
Snape had left. �Aren�t you eating?�

�There was only enough for one,� Snape shrugged, and sat back down, and picked
up the mug of tea which he had brought back with him from the kitchen.

�Oh,� Ron paused. �I didn�t mean to� steal your dinner.�

�You didn�t,� Snape assured him.

�You�re lying,� Ron stabbed the fork at him. �And I don�t want
to intrude. I can go home and eat. You should-�

�Weasley, I�m not going to stand here and argue with you
over leftover pie and chips. Eat the damn food and shut up.�

Ron let his eyes drop to the food, suitably chastened, and
did what Snape told him, even though he still hated being bossed around by the
man.

�You said I had been exonerated�� Snape trailed his fingers
over the till, deep in thought. �Would you explain that for me?�

Ron swallowed his mouthful and immediately replied, �Harry.
Harry just sort of� took it upon himself to clear your name, providing the
memories as evidence, and Albus� portrait��

�The memories� he��

�He would never have used them Snape if he thought for one minute that you�d
lived. We assumed the Death Eaters had claimed your body from the shack
thinking to dispose� uh� sorry. Bury you, as one of their own.�

That got a sneer on the thin lips and Ron cursed at his
insensitivity.

�Why?� Snape asked finally.

�Harry feels indebted,� Ron shrugged. �He�s� always been cut
up he could never thank you for everything you did� I� well. He�s not the
healthiest of blokes, Snape.�

�Are you insinuating that is my fault for saving his life?�
One eyebrow rose.

�Well. No. But yes. Without becoming obsessed by you I doubt he would have
ended up for a three week stay in St. Mungo�s for depression. Fucking Prophet
had a field day with that��

There was a slight growl then and Ron looked up from his
food to see Snape�s face completely drained of blood and his eyes glittering
with anger in the low lighting.

�You act as though I asked Potter to do all of those
things,� Snape hissed. �Like I asked him to drive himself into the
psychotherapists� hands!�

�Well no but you-�

�All I ever wanted was my job done and my debt fulfilled,�
Snape spat, his hands clenched into tight fists.

Ron set down his fork and got to his feet, retreating nearer
to the Christmas tree for what seemed like his own safety. The man had been so
calm and indifferent since the initial shock of seeing Ron had passed but now
he seemed alive, consumed with fire like Ron had known him to be before.

�Snape, I didn�t mean it was your fault-�

�Just because that insolent bastard saw fit to fall in love
with the image he saw of me as the hero doesn�t mean I should fall on bended
knee, Weasley, I�ve had enough of that in my life.�

�You ungrateful prick!� Ron suddenly heard himself seethe.

Maybe it was because of the insults to Harry, Harry who had
spent so much time making sure Snape�s name had been cleared, made sure there
was a headstone for him in the Hogwarts memorial cemetery when plenty wanted
him excluded. And maybe it was because he was just so tense and stretched to
breaking that an argument felt like a good idea. Nobody would argue with him
under the pretence of not wanting to hurt him any more. Maybe Ron wanted to
shout.

�What did you call me?� Snape passed the bar. �Weasley, I
have entertained you all evening when I should have thrown you out and locked
the door. Of all the fucking pubs in Scotland, you had to trounce into
mine!�

�Well excuse me for needing a bloody drink,� Ron hissed,
edging back towards the Christmas tree. �You still talk about Harry like he�s
nothing more than the thorn in your side. He�s not any more. He carries no
bitterness about you but you�re just the fucking same, aren�t you? Sneering and
snarling about your miserable bloody past. Everyone back there has fawned over
your memory for eight years, Snape, eight fucking years, and yet fulfilling
your debt didn�t do fuck all did it? You�re still a miserable bastard!�

�Weasley I suggest you watch your mouth �I do still have a
wand and I do still use magic,� Snape threatened, advancing on him, which
caused Ron to edge back further and one of his arms sank into the branches of
the Christmas tree.

�Well you are,� Ron shrugged. �Guess you always will be. You
can�t even find happiness living as a muggle. It makes me wonder why you�re
bothering.�

�A question I�ve asked myself many times,� Snape took
another step and Ron tried to move back, but all he managed was knocking against
the Christmas tree.

�Oh, fuck, no, shit!� he hissed as the tree gave a great
lurch and tipped to the side as his weight hit hard enough to move it.

He closed his eyes and waited for the sound of impact and
the feel of the water from the bowl at the bottom of the tree to splash up his
legs, but instead he wobbled himself, hearing the tinkling of breaking glass,
and then there were hands on his upper arms.

Fucking bastard
attacks me now when I�m fucking distracted �low little Slytherin shit!

Ron struggled free but lost his balance again, and then
there was a thoroughly odd sensation as hands grabbed his head, the thumbs on
his cheekbones, and seemed to be guiding him.

What the fuck? Ron
swallowed as he crashed onto the floor, Snape�s hands still cradling his head,
and then Ron realised that the other man�s face was oddly close to his, with
closed eyes. Absorbing Snape�s weight, Ron was winded on the floor and he
gasped, feeling the cold water from the tree�s upturned bucket seeping through
his t-shirt.

Is he kissing me? Is
that what this is? Fuck. This night just got a whole lot weirder� if� he�s�
Somehow Ron found his face lifting up and then stupidly, as though it were the
thing that had been going to happen all along, he pressed his lips to Snape�s
who froze deadly still and then pulled his head back with shocked eyes.

�What in the name of Morgana and
associated sorcery was that, Weasley?�

�A k-kiss,� Ron stammered, cheeks flushing madly.

�Why?�

Snape�s eyes were utterly confused.

�You kissed me��

�I assure you I did not, and would not,� Snape frowned, and
then Ron felt the hands cradling his head disappear, and he rested on the bare
floorboards. �I assumed that�� Snape reached over and carefully picked up a
shard of glass, bringing it into Ron�s vision. �You did not wish to spend your
Christmas Day in the hospital with a brain injury? And whilst we�re on the
destruction vein, look what you managed to do to the blasted tree.�

Ron stared at the glass like it were an alien, and then he
turned his head to the side and saw the piles of shattered glass from the
broken glass tree decorations �which lay exactly where his head would have
landed had Snape not grabbed him and directed him sideways. �Oh.�

�Indeed.� Snape dropped the glass back on the floor and
instantly got up, leaving Ron looking up at him.

�Eight years on, Snape� you still make me feel like a twat,�
Ron muttered, closing his eyes with the shame of what he had just done.

There was a short, deep laugh. �Your words, Weasley, not
mine.�

�Bastard.�

Another laugh and then Ron felt hands grab hold of his and
he was hoisted to his feet with strength he had not expected from a man looking
so thin. They stood too close together for comfort and Ron looked at the face
which was far more intrusive into his personal space than he had ever thought
it would be again.

His eyes are like the
fucking abyss� you could stare forever and never reach the bottom.

Fuck. How much of that
whiskey did I have? I�m thinking about Snape�s eyes�

And now I�m still
standing here looking at his eyes� and he�s looking back� fuck�

Ron glanced up then and noticed the mistletoe which had been
hanging next to the three and snorted a laugh. Snape followed his gaze and
closed his eyes, shaking his head.

�You should finish your food,� he said, stepping away.

Ron didn�t know what made him do it. He reached out and
grabbed the man�s upper arm, preventing him from walking away.

�You�re meant to kiss under mistletoe,� he said thickly,
swallowing some of the huskiness out of his tone.

Snape looked at him like he might have gone mad. �Weasley,
don�t be ridiculous. I understand you misinterpreted my actions just now. It
was ridiculous but I assure you your secret is quite safe with me.�

�Secret?� Ron frowned, not releasing his grip on Snape�s
arm.

�That you kissed such a broken man as me and a man at all at
that,� Snape narrowed his eyes. �You may finish your food and then you can
leave, Weasley. I thank you for the periodical news update you�ve given me. I
suggest you go home and heal whatever Miss Granger has broken within you.�

�How did you� I�� Ron stammered over the words that Snape
had guessed how much he really hurt inside �but then he wondered if he hadn�t
hidden it quite as well as he had thought.

�I wouldn�t worry,� Snape said softly. �I�m sure you�re
hiding it adequately from everybody else. I simply recognise the look in your
eyes, Weasley, is all.�

�Do you think we can drop the Weasley and Snape business?�
Ron breathed. �I can call you Severus; you�re not my teacher now.�

Snape looked at him and his jaw twitched, as though he
wanted to issue a sharp rebuke and send Ron away. Ron was totally expecting
that to happen.

�Ron, then,� Severus conceded with a slight nod of his head.
�You should finish your meal, and go.�

He stepped back up to the bar and started loading the
empties into a crate to take to the back room and said no more. Ron turned
around and looked at the royal mess he�d managed to make of the Christmas tree,
which was flattened on its side, devoid of most of the decorations and the
lights dangled haphazardly from the branches. And then Ron was laughing at his
own stupidity, looking at the piles of broken glass.

�Oh Godric I�m sorry,� he wheezed, pulling out his wand. He
dried his t-shirt. �I�m so sorry� I�m�� his laughter took over again as he
resurrected the pine and repaired the baubles. He stepped forward and started
re-arranging the lights by hand, though, making sure they were evenly dispersed
throughout the green, still chuckling as he did so.

Then he stepped back and looked at his handiwork with a
satisfied smile.

�That looks better than before,� Severus commented, close to
him again.

�Maybe I�ve found my true calling in life,� Ron reached out
and gently turned a sparkling star. �Christmas Tree Dresser.�

Severus shot him an amused smirk and walked past him to look
out of the window. �It is rather picturesque up here, is it not?�

�Well seeing as I spent my day freezing my bollocks off in
it, I�m not entirely in love,� Ron shrugged, and headed back to his food, which
was still warm. He was chewing when Severus spoke again, still facing the
window.

�This is a nice place. I was planning on settling here.�

Ron immediately felt guilty. �Sna-
Severus,� he corrected, �I meant what I said. I won�t tell a soul if you want
to remain hidden. I understand why you would.�

�Do you?� Severus walked back to the bar and leant on it,
looking sideways at Ron with an eyebrow raised.

He�s thin but there�s
something about him. His hair is so much cleaner than it used to be at school.
Longer�

�You�re staring again,� Severus sighed.

�Look, I�m sorry -I thought you were dead,� Ron shrugged
with a laugh. �You�ve got to give me some leeway here, I� spent months wishing
Fred back and he didn�t come, and that does things to you. People are dead,
they�re not meant to come back, no matter how much you want them to, and then
here you are. Though I�ll admit, I wasn�t hoping for you to be alive.�

Severus looked him over and then turned his eyes in thought
to the pumps on the other side of the bar. �Why did you not hope I was alive?�

�I just never thought about it,� Ron said slowly. �You were�
this bastard who I�d spent six years getting detentions from, insults� you
didn�t think I was worth anything, why the fuck would I want you back? Harry, yeah� I hope even you could see why
he�d want his chance with you, to clear the air, to say what he needed to say�
but me?� He shrugged. �You were, and I say this in the nicest possible way,
just a blip on my radar that had a tragic end but I had other things to deal
with. I don�t think you�re the sort of bloke that�d be offended by that. If I�m
wrong, though, feel free to give me a punch.�

�I�m not offended,� Severus assured him. �In fact� that
little speech has endeared you to me a whole lot more effectively than six
years at Hogwarts managed.�

�Not surprised, I was a shithead at Hogwarts,� Ron snorted
to his food.

�I don�t recall you being as bad as you seem content to
remember yourself?�

Ron put down his fork having cleared the plate. �Well. I
seem to remember a comment about me being so solid I couldn�t apparate myself
across half a room��

�You couldn�t,� Severus pointed out without emotion.

�Saying that to a sixteen year old boy is a kick in the
balls.�

�School is hard.�

�It didn�t have to be, you made it that way, for everybody,
just because it was how you went through school.�

�Plenty of people deal with life with such action.�

�Making it miserable because they�re miserable?� Ron raised
an eyebrow. �Well, yeah. I don�t operate that way� well� not any more. I
haven�t got the energy to hold grudges.�

�Which, I presume, is why you�re still sitting here?� Severus rubbed at his
chin nervously.

�Yeah, I guess.�

�And what about Draco Malfoy, hmm? If he were to walk
through the door right now?� Severus needled.

Ron fixed him with a long hard look. �The door�s locked,
Snape, nobody�s walking through it.�

�Ah, back to Snape I see, I�ve touched upon a nerve.�

�Severus,� Ron
said pointedly. �You picked Malfoy because you knew there was always bad blood.
Oh, wait, fuck knew, you encouraged
it from day one. You never stepped in to stop his comments about my family.�

�Why should I have? Your playground squabbles were not my business.�

�Harry�s should have been.�

�Harry�s squabbles were not your own.�

Ron laughed then. �You don�t get it, still��

�What?�

�Of course Harry�s squabbles were my own. I feel�
responsible for the way he and Malfoy were at odds, in a way. I met Harry alone
on the platform at King�s Cross,� Ron swallowed and continued with the memory.
�My mother set on him like the total mother hen she is and he looked so�
scared. As you would if some big hairy bloke had told you you
were a wizard.�

He looked up then, to see if Severus was willing to let him
talk or if he wanted him to shut up; the wizard just looked back at him with an
unreadable expression and gazing eyes.

�He met me and then because I was nice to him, he stuck with
me� and when Malfoy turned up his nose at me, Harry took it personally because
he insulted me. If I�d left him alone
on the train, said nothing more� with what the sorting hat said to Harry, about
him doing well in Slytherin� God knows how this all would have turned out.�

�He might still have made the choice he did,� Severus spoke
softly then.

�Anyway. My family�s problems became Harry�s. We were so� he
was like a brother.�

�Not more?� Severus asked suddenly, and when Ron looked up
the man was looking at the corrected Christmas tree.

�What?� Ron frowned.

�Well� considering you�ve just kissed me, Weasley, and I
seem to remember you being Potter�s person he would miss the most during the Triwizard...�

�You had plenty of time to delve into Harry�s mind,� Ron rolled his eyes. �Did
you ever once see a memory which insinuated we were more than friends?�

�That is not an answer to my question,� Severus looked at
him.

�He�s never been more than a brother,� Ron muttered. �I have
always been in love with Hermione.�

�Something god-awfully romantic like since your first day at
school?�

�No, I hated her when we first started. But I�d imagine it started
the day she lied for us about the troll��

�I knew she was lying,� Severus snorted.

�We were shocked,� Ron recalled, slouching in his chair, his
hands falling down between his legs as he looked up at the ceiling with a smile
on his face.

�I am sorry that things did not work out between you,�
Severus offered up again.

�You don�t have to be,� Ron�s eyes snapped to him but was
surprised at the fervency he saw in the dark pools. �But thank you, I guess.�

�How did your family take it?� Severus reached for another
beer mat.

I�m not going to
judge� I could do some mat shredding of my own right about now�

��Mostly well. Mum was
crying, not sure whether about the loss of her daughter-in-law or the loss of
the potential grandchildren.�

�Not for her heartbroken son?� Severus frowned. �I remember your mother well, a
very kind woman� It seems odd that she would be so callous as to not include
your own upset in hers.�

Ron looked at him, shocked. �I wasn�t aware you�d� paid that
much attention.�

�I was a spy, I paid attention to everything�� Severus reminded gently. �And
your mother was� well. I was part of the Order, but nobody trusted me. Your
mother made tea and handed out food regardless. When you�ve got a roomful of
death glares upon you whilst distrust radiates from every pore, you don�t know quite how much comfort one can find in an
offered chocolate digestive.�

�She�d be thrilled,� Ron told him with a warm smile. �That�s
my mum, charitable to the end even though she�s barely got two sticks to rub
together.�

�That and she never seemed to appreciate Black very much. It
instantly likened her to me.�

�No,� Ron shook his head in agreement. �Mum never took to
him� and I know why, she never fully trusted him, I don�t think. And she didn�t
think he was suitable to look after Harry. And she loved Remus, but his
devotion to Sirius coloured him in her eyes��

�How is Lupin?� Severus asked awkwardly. �I was� I kept up
the wolfsbane until I did what was requested of me
with Dumbledore��

Ron nearly fell off his chair before he remembered that
Snape had been without contact and had openly admitted he�d stayed away from
the papers just after the Battle.
�I never had the impression you liked him� all right, we�re being honest� I
thought you would have ripped his guts out had you been in close proximity for
longer than you had to be��

�Lupin was� insufferable in his own way,� Severus frowned.
�He never stood up to his friends, never joined in their torment but never
stopped them either� though I do, and always did, understand that to some
extent.�

�Well� he died, so did Tonks� they�d just had a baby, Teddy��
Ron said uncomfortably, keeping his eyes on the wood of the bar.

He was surprised when Severus immediately got up and walked
away, his hand covering his mouth, and stood in front of the window as he had
before, looking wordlessly out at the snow. Ron was overcome with the notion to
comfort, even though he couldn�t fathom why, and he followed the man quietly.
Without thinking, he reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Severus jumped and leapt back at Ron�s touch and he lurched
out of the way to avoid a collision, but, once more, only succeeded in
dislodging the Christmas tree, which went flying again with the same shatter of
glass and tangled lights.

Ron flushed hideously and winced, not looking sideways.

�Is it that you don�t like
the tree?� there was amusement in Severus� tone and Ron felt able to look up at
him and saw he was trying to hold in a laugh.

�No, I like the tree,� Ron sighed, and pulled out his wand
again, fixing the tree and arranging the lights as before; but that time
Severus moved to help him do so.

Ron reached up to straighten the fairy, but Severus had had
the same idea, and their hands met with a thud of skin-on-skin. Instantly
moving aside so that he could lower them, Ron�s heartbeat crept up a notch when
he felt a cool hand circle around his wrist. With embarrassing slowness Ron
looked at the other man.

�You step that way, you�re under the mistletoe again,�
Severus glanced upwards and released Ron�s wrist when he stopped moving.

�Why don�t you just remove it if you have such a problem
with it?� Ron grinned, and returned to adjusting the lights.

Severus stayed silent and did not move. Ron was round the
back of the tree when he spoke again.

�Why did you kiss me before?�

�I thought you were kissing me,� Ron said defensively.

There was a small huff of disbelief. �Yes, but that only
leads to the question �why did you kiss me back?�

Caught out, Ron blushed red again and suddenly felt
extremely hot. �I��

�There must be a reason,� Severus raised one eyebrow and
waited.

Furious that he was being tormented, Ron turned the tables.
�Well, why do you keep asking me about it?�

�I�ve been alone for eight years� and you come out of the
blue, and kiss me. And then you touched my
shoulder. And then your heartbeat started a merry little rhythm when I
touched you. I am merely enquiring as
to your actions.�

�Did you like it or something?� Ron frowned.

Severus stayed quiet and as Ron emerged from the back of the
tree he caught a moment of pain on the pale face.

�Are you� I�� Ron didn�t know what he was trying to say, so
he shut up.

�You will learn,� Severus gave a shuddering sigh. �That when
it comes to being alone, yuletide is one of the worst times of year. Knowing
that everybody is holed up with their families and loved ones, and yet you have
none to go to��

Ron unwittingly took a few steps closer to the man, the urge
to comfort rearing yet again even though he could tell it would not be well
received.

�Forgive me, I should not be scaring you with such
descriptions� you are hurt enough,� Severus murmured quietly, and turned, but
once more Ron reached out and grabbed him.

However, that time it was with both hands, one apiece on the
man�s upper arms and they were suddenly looking into one another�s eyes. Ron
could feel warm breath over the skin of his face and the steady thrum of life
force from Severus� body.

What the fuck am I
doing? Ron had no answer as he stepped even closer, bringing their chests
together, and let go of his grip on Severus� arms to slide them protectively
around his back.
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Seraphim Beneath The Christmas Tree