On the first day of Christmas

The first surprise came in the shape of a small, square box, wrapped in silver paper with a thin forest green ribbon and carried by a large owl in the direction of an oblivious Severus Snape.

Everyone looked up the owl, except for Snape who was engrossed in the paper he was reading, laid out on the table in front of him.

Hermione watched the owl like the other students, making sure she blended in. She was sitting with a sixth year Ravenclaw and a first year Hufflepuff on either side of her.

The tables had been discarded and now, one long one had replaced them all as all the ages and houses sat together, now all looking up to the package-toting owl that went overhead.

It was most certainly not mail time, and all the students were confused to see the owl heading in the direction of the surly Potion’s professor.

The owl circled about the aloof professor and dropped the package before swooping off. The small present landed with a splashing sound as it landed in Snape’s pumpkin juice, and splattered onto his surprised face.

There were muffled giggles all around as Snape shot a sudden glare around at the giggling masses, seeing who could have done such a thing. His eyes drifted over the smirking Hermione, and along the long row of smiling and smirking faces.

With the Weasely twins gone, the pranks had been few and far between and he was not going to let them start up again.

McGonagall, Sprout and Dumbledore looked over to the miserable Snape and tried to conceal a chuckle. Obviously he had an admirer. They tried not to laugh at the poor man\'s obvious embarassment.

With one more defiant glare, the smirks were gone and now the students just looked terrified. He felt his back arch as he sat straighter, giving them all one more disgusted look.

He decided the best thing to do was ignore it, if the culprit didn’t get a response, they would most likely not try a stunt like this again.

He wenck tck to his newspaper and meal, and felt his attention being drawn to his spilled drink. A small package was lying in the puddle amongst it.

He gave the glass a formidable look, and an eyebrow lazily made it’s way upward, as Snape took another look around the hall. No one met his eyes giving themselves away; all were looking to their meals.

‘Twits.’ He thought sourly, looking to the professors on either side of him. None of his peers looked to him either, and he grew increasingly agitated.

‘A gift for me?’ He thought miserably, ‘Probably some little prat giving me some prank gift that\'ll explode in my face so I humiliate myself…but what if?…’ his train of thought trailed off as he contemplated, what if someone had given him a real gift?

‘Well. No time like the present. Er…was that a pun?’

Discreetly with one hand he unwrapped the present, quietly while the professors talked amongst themselves around him, as he pretended to be reading his paper.

Finally the ribbon and wrapping was off, and surreptitiously he shot another look around the room. No one was looking at him a-…Wait a minute…had Granger just shot him a look? No. Must have been his imagination. She was just looking around was all.

He looked back down at the parcel and opened it gingerly, it was a small box after all and his tapered fingers opened the lid with swift ease.

He felt his breath catch a moment as he saw inside two small, snake shaped cufflinks. The snake’s eyes were small rubies, and obviously a lot of work and careful sculpting gave them an almost alive appearance. They were beautiful.

Hermione had to look then, just to see what he was doing. She felt her heart thump happily as she saw he was almost smiling…and suddenly darkened as Sprout leaned over to see what he was looking at.

\"What\'s that Severus?\"

He snatched his hand over the package and threw her a withering look.
\"None of your affair.\" he hissed miserably.

Hermione wanted to punch the stupid little woman, ruining Snape’s one little grasp at happiness. Snape slipped the cufflinks into his robe pocket before Sprout saw anything, and quickly stood, surve the the entire room, Hermione averted her eyes…but had she been quick enough?

Sprout, Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged meaningful glances as they viewed the agitated Potion\'s master. He was squirming in his seat and looking most disturbed.

\"Poor boy.\" Dumbledore tsked under his breath to the two elderly women, \"Never get\'s gifts from anyone...beside\'s me of course.\" he added on afterthought.

\"Oh and he does hate those socks Albus.\" Minerva said smirking good naturedly, as Sprout and he chuckled amongst themselves.

Snape gave them a withering sideways glance, feeling left out as usual and after emmiting a long sigh he stood and walked from his seat. He saw Granger\'s bushy hair at her table, and a strange feeling danced in his stomach.

He didn\'t like it.

He moved past the long table, his robe brushing Hermione’s back as he passed her…more slowly that usual? He didn\'t know what made him do it.

She could his his shallow breathing behind her and she waited for that voice to reverberate around her. It didn’t. He merely walked slowly past her, and she grew increasingly agitated as he did so, until he was out of the hall.

She breathed a sigh of relief then, going back to her meal as the twit next to her said in a whiny voice,

“Who would give Snape a parcel?”

Hermione wanted to slap her across her slimy face, but resisted the urge, deciding instead to eat her meal in reserved silence. No point in giving herself away.

Snape musn\'t ever find out.