Happy Christmas Severus Snape: A Challenge Fic

Here\'s my contribution to the Christmas challenge issued by LadyBlueEyes/Snapes_Goddess. I hope you enjoy it.



Title: The Christmas Ghosts



By:Mrs_Helene_Snape



Warnings: Angst, Lang, Abuse/Neglect, Early SS/HG



An in depth disclaimer can be found at the end so as not to give away any plot. As usual, I am not JKR. I don\'t own the world of Harry Potter. I make no money from this work of fanfiction.



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“Damn infernal Yule staff party! \'You must attend! It\'s required of all Headmasters. Think of the scandal for Slytherin House if you don\'t. The first Slytherin Headmaster in centuries being an antisocial wretch.\' Phineus Black\'s portrait practically badgered me into submission. I must be getting soft in my old age” Severus Snape muttered as he readied himself for bed.



“And I\'ll not be making those fools any of my special hangover potion when they\'ll inevitably require it tomorrow. It will serve them right, the drunken idiots.” Severus cast a warming charm over his sheets and crawled in.



“\'The Headmaster\'s chambers are warmer than the dungeons\' my ruddy arse! Damn bed covers won\'t even hold a warming charm. At least in my dungeons the room didn\'t sway when the winds were high. Ugh! Bloody freezing sheets!” Snape grumbled as he settled in. “Nox!” he shouted, effectively extinguishing every sliver of light in his bed chamber.



Snape almost immediately began dreaming the moment his head touched the pillow. This was an unfortunate side effect of him being unable to take Dreamless Sleep the week between his trials of the new versions.



He thrashed all over the bed, moaning and screaming.



“My Lord, Potter is being moved from Privet Drive the night before his 17th birthday.” Severus bowed low before Voldemort as he continued his news from the Order meeting, “There will be decoys Polyjuiced as Potter.”



“Excellent news Severus and as your reward...CRUCIO!”



“Ahhh! Fuck!” he shouted as he tried to regulate his erratic breathing, struggling to bring himself awake and shake off his recurring nightmare.



“Great bloody Hell!” a bodiless voice muttered as a small table fell over, its top items scattering across the floor.



“Lumos Maxima! Incarcerous!” Snape shouted, brandishing his wand towards the source of the disturbance.



“Ah!” the voice yelled prior to the thump of a body hitting the floor.



Snape swept his eyes and wand around the room. “What the...Malfoy?”



“Sweet Nimue\'s knickers Severus! Did you have to tie me up?”



“Lucius, what are you doing here? Didn\'t the Dark Mark\'s curse do you in? Why the Hell are you here disturbing my sleep?” he asked as he released the bindings on Lucius\' ankles.



“Merlin!” Lucius exclaimed as stood up and attempted to swipe the dirt from his clothes. “I\'m finally allowed to be corporeal for my last shot at the glorious afterlife and see what happens. Look at my suit!”



“What are you so uptight about? You woke me!”



“Morgana\'s left tit!” Lucius muttered as he smoothed the wrinkles in his attire. “Give me a minute before you start the interrogation Severus. Damn!” Lucius finally managed to right himself. “Are you this rude to everyone who comes into your quarters? No wonder you\'re still single.”



“Please tell me you\'re not here to discuss my bachelor status. If you are, you can get out now. I\'m not in the mood for rubbish conversations.”



“Get over yourself Severus. I\'m not here for that, which would be the shortest conversation on record, not exactly anyhow. I\'m here to give you a warning: change your ways, or you\'ll end up like me. As alone in the afterlife as I was in real life.”



Snape snorted “Alone? Please! You had a wife, child, countless friends...”



Lucius quickly interrupted “I didn\'t have a wife...I had arm candy who betrayed me in the form of \'comforting\' her dead sister\'s husband. I didn\'t have a child...I had an heir who fled the country, changed his name and was killed by non-marked followers of the Dark Lord after the final battle. As for friends...would you honestly consider a group a back stabbing Death Eaters your friends? Yes, I was alone in the sense that I had no one to share my life or my afterlife with. You have an opportunity I didn\'t...a chance to change your life. Tonight you will be visited by three spirits who will link together your past, present, and future. They will show you your life, how it is now and how it will end up if you don\'t do something different.”



“Merlin\'s fuzzy robes Lucius. You are out of your mind! Clearly I\'m still dreaming because what you\'re telling me is the stuff upon which fairy tales are built...RUBBISH! Visiting spirits...Bollocks! Now leave so I can get back to my real dream.”



“Fine Severus. I\'m going, but you can expect not to get much sleep tonight. The first of your visitors will arrive at nine.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.



“Fuck! I must be having a nightmare if Lucius Malfoy is paying me a visit” he snorted. “Three spirits my arse!” Severus yawned, fell against the pillows and passed back out.



The clock stuck the nine o\'clock hour. “Snivellus...er Severus Snape, wake up!”



“Ugh! This is no nightmare. I\'m in the fiery depths of Hell! Sirius Black is the first spirit, bloody fricking Hell!”



“I like this about as much as you do Snape. Let\'s get this over with. I\'m here to take you through important events in your Christmas past. So grab your cloak, it\'s going to be quite a cold ride.”



“Merlin\'s nappy beard. Didn\'t you fall through the Veil? I thought I was finally rid of you all those years ago. Now I have to relive my past with you? Of all the spirits in the world, it had to be you?” Snape asked as he donned his cloak, slipped on his boots and secured his wand.



“Quit bitching about it and come on. The sooner we get started the sooner it will be over. Now hold on to me, loath as you are to do so. Wouldn\'t want to lose you along the way would we?” Sirius snickered.



A snap of his fingers had them in Spinner\'s End, at the darkest house along a block engulfed by festive holiday lights. They peered through a window to see a very young Severus playing in the den.



“How old were you here Snape?” Sirius inquired.



“Five” he answered quickly as he brought his face closer to the pane of glass separating the past from the present.



Severus was playing with a red train set when his father came in stumbling in a drunken rage.



“God damned infernal toys!” Tobias Snape screamed as he stepped on a part of Severus\' train set.



“No!” Severus cried. “My Hogwarts Express!” He looked up at his father with tears in his eyes.



“What? You expect that train to take you away to that Magical world of lies? Fat chance of that ever happening you worthless wretch!” Tobias yelled. He snatched Severus up by his arm when the boy began crying. He dragged his screaming child over to the closet door, opened it, threw the boy inside and locked the door.



“Father, no! PLEASE!” Severus wailed as he beat on the door.



“Shut that crying up boy” Tobias said as he smashed the remaining train pieces beneath his boot. “Damn, I need a drink” he mumbled as the two outsiders pulled away from the window.



“Good Gods Snape and I thought my family had issues.”



“Mind your business Black. Just because I have to see this with you does not give you leave to do a Freudian analysis on my life. What\'s next?”



The image of Tobias Snape fuzzed out of view and a new scene appeared.



Severus was a few years older, bounding down the stairs to see his mother slumped across the sofa. “Mum, has Father Christmas been here?”



“What?” Eileen Snape mumbled incoherently. “Your father won\'t be here this Christmas thanks to you. You just had to prove to him you were a wizard didn\'t you? He was right pissed off when his beer disappeared before his eyes. He took every cent I had and left me. Sorry bastard!”



“Good riddance! But I was asking about Father Christmas. I\'ve been a relatively good boy. Did he at least fill my stocking?”



“When are you going to get it through your thick head boy? THERE IS NO FATHER CHRISTMAS!” her voice slurred as she yelled. “Go get my potion boy! I\'m going back to bed.”



“Stupid woman was addicted to Dreamless Sleep and she didn\'t even care” Snape muttered as the scene faded from view.



“Grab on Snape. We\'ve got other places to go” Sirius said in a strangled voice.



The were immediately brought to the Great Hall where a sixteen year old Severus was eating alone at the Slytherin table.



“Snivellus. Not going home for the holiday?”



“Bugger off Potter!” Severus growled as he abandoned his meal and exited the Great Hall.



“What is it Snivelly? Mum can\'t afford to bring you home? Poor little Snivellus, all alone for Christmas.”



“Mind your business Black! You don\'t know a damn thing about me or my mother, so stay the hell out of things which don\'t concern you.”



“Didn\'t your mum teach you to respect you betters? Let\'s show him what happens to those who are impolite” Potter sneered as he shoved Severus towards the main door leading outside.



“Ah, Severus. Just the person I was looking for. Are you ready to go?” Lucius Malfoy asked as he stared down Potter and Black.



“Go?” Severus asked.



“Of course. I invited you to the Manor for our Yule Ball, remember? It\'s quite the event and I want you there. Let\'s head down to the dorm so you can gather your things. The last train leaves in an hour.” Lucius lead Severus away from a sneering Potter and Black.



The vision faded as Sirius began to speak. “I\'m sorry Snape. I was a total shit to you and you never deserved it from me. I\'m not expecting forgiveness, but I\'m extending my apology nonetheless.”



“Thank you Black. I\'m not ready to forgive you but I appreciate the sentiment.”



“Fair enough. I\'ve shown you all that I was meant to. Expect your next tour guide at ten” Sirius said before he snapped his fingers, disappeared and sent Snape back to his bed.



“Unbelievable!” Snape moaned as he settled under his blankets. “What could possibly top that debacle?” he queried as he drifted off to sleep.



The clock tower began chiming the hour. “Severus Snape wake up!” a familiar voice boomed.



“Merlin\'s hairy bollocks! Please don\'t tell me...Albus Dumbledore?”



“In the flesh, so to speak. Good to see you Severus. Are you ready to go?”



“Let\'s get on with it. At least there\'s only one Christmas for you to show me. Take me to it...whatever it is.”



Dumbledore snapped his fingers and they found themselves smack in the middle of the staff\'s Yule party.



“Gads! I just left this wretched event. I don\'t want to come back. Augh!”



“Relax Severus. We can\'t be seen. Let\'s just observe for a while.”



Snape was thrown in the middle of a sea of former students. He could feel the itching hives creep up his body as the crowd seemed to close in around him.



“You do this to yourself every year Hermione. When will you get it through your head that it\'s pointless to give the surly bastard gifts? He always leaves them in the staffroom unopened. You\'re beating a dead horse Mione” Harry said with concern in his voice.



“I had no idea she gave me gifts. I always left the party before the customary gift exchange” Snape whispered.



“Please don\'t call him that Harry. He\'s the Headmaster and he deserves our respect even when he\'s not around to hear it. I just want him to know that at least one person wishes him well at Christmastime. I don\'t expect anything in return. I only want him to know he has a friend if he wants one.” Hermione sighed as she thought about the gifts she attempted to give the Headmaster every year since she took over as Librarian.



“Well, what do you make of that Severus? It appears that Ms. Granger cares about your well being.”



“Mione, you have to stop this madness. It\'s eating you up inside. Snape doesn\'t care about anyone but himself. Please don\'t do this to yourself Hermione. It will only make you crazy” Harry whispered as the rest of the staff opened their gifts.



“If he hasn\'t taken it by the feast tomorrow night, I\'ll stop trying. I promise Harry” Hermione said in a resigned voice.



The scene faded from view and they found themselves back in Snape\'s quarter\'s. “Ms. Granger actually respects me. I\'ve been a right bastard to her and her friends and she still wishes me good fortune? She wants to be my friend?” Snape was shocked at the evening\'s revelations.



“I shall bid you good evening Severus. Perhaps we can have a portrait to person conversation once the holidays are over, yes?”



Distractedly, Snape answered “Of course Headmaster. Good night.” He stumbled into bed, still dumbfounded over what was said at the staff party when Dumbledore disappeared.



He began to drift off once more as the clock chimed the hour.



“Severus” a melodic voice whispered in his ear. “Time to visit the future. WAKE UP!”



“Merlin\'s baggy Y-fronts! Lily Evans Potter.”



“Yes, it\'s me Severus. I\'m here to give you a glimpse of what may come to pass.” She dragged his arm from under the covers and pulled him to a sitting position. “Come on. We haven\'t got all night” Lily said as they were quickly transported by a snap of her fingers to an unfamiliar location.



St. Augustine\'s Wizarding Home for the Demented and Deranged the sign on the door read as they passed through. They walked down a scream-filled corridor towards the open door of a woman reciting potions ingredients.



Boomslang skin...lacewing flies...Polyjuice ready by sunrise” Hermione murmured in a sing-song voice.



“What on Earth is she doing here Lily? Such a great mind in a place for those who have lost theirs.”



“The Muggle disease Alzheimers. Once you quit working in the potions field, she never stood a chance. No one is making strides to cure Muggle ailments that attack Muggleborns and Half-bloods. Most people see it as an important part of Natural Selection, not realizing that it could affect the population several generations down the line.”



“Why did I stop working?”



“For one, you stopped caring. You no longer cared about a world who didn\'t give a damn if you had lived or died during the final battle. For another, you had to stop. You showed the early signs of the disease as well, from your father\'s side. You slowly lost your abilities to create wondrous potions out of practically nothing and Hogwarts\' governors board had you sent here. Your last act as Headmaster was to assign all future Potters, Weasleys and Grangers infinite detentions.”



“That sounds like me. But where am I? You said I was here.” Lily pointed to a room further down the hall. He walked toward the sound of two woman talking.



“Oye, Rebecca. Good riddance is all I have to say about that surly malcontent. Addled mind or no, he was as much a bastard here as he ever was as a Professor at Hogwarts.”



“Now Melanie, you know you shouldn\'t speak ill of the dead. Yes, Severus Snape was vastly unpleasant when he was alive but that doesn\'t mean we should verbally bash the man when he\'s no longer around to defend himself.”



“Lily, what the Hell are they talking about? I\'m dead?”



Lily sighed deeply as she answered his query. “Yes Severus. This is your fate if you continue to travel your current path. You\'ll die bitter and alone if you don\'t make a concerted effort to change.”



“What should I do? Tell me Lily what I need to do to alter this atrocious end for Ms. Granger and myself.”



The vision began to get hazy as Lily\'s voice grew softer “Look inside yourself Severus. Only you know what you need to do.”



“Lily, wait” Snape called out as he found himself back in his bed, sucked into a confusing vortex of his visitors\' visions and his mind\'s version of his future.



“No, not Ms. Granger” he moaned in his sleep. In his dream state he was still alive as Hermione\'s condition grew worse. “Why didn\'t I continue my research to find a cure for her? What a waste of such a brilliant mind.”



Snape continued to thrash around in his bed as his mind created worsening visions of the future.



“Ah!” Snape screamed as he awoke to sunlight creeping in through his window and the clock chiming the seven o\'clock hour.



“Ugh!” he groaned as he shook off the lingering effects of his night. “I need to get to the lab and get started on that hangover remedy for my staff. They won\'t be able to accept a reformed Headmaster if their heads are pounding too loudly to think properly.”



Severus quickly dressed and headed to his private lab off the Headmaster\'s suite. He searched his potions store and realized that he wouldn\'t need to brew before breakfast.



He gathered the necessary vials and headed down to the Great Hall. He put a vial in front of each place setting at the Head Table and sat down. He kept himself occupied with his own breakfast and the Yule edition of the Daily Prophet as he awaited the arrival of his staff.



Slowly, the people remaining for the holiday began filing in. They walked as if any sudden movement would cause last night\'s consumptions to make an unexpected return. Hermione took her usual seat to the left of the Headmaster\'s chair and requested weak tea to accompany her dry toast.



“Feeling unwell Ms. Granger?” Snape asked with a small smirk gracing his face.



“Yes, as a result of too much Yule revelry. I shall never again involve myself in a stupid Gryffindor drinking game” Hermione moaned as she placed her head gingerly on the table. The light from the bright ceiling décor reflected off the potion vial and blinded Hermione\'s vision. “What in the name of Merlin is that?” she mumbled as pulled her napkin over her eyes to block out the offending glare.



Snape snickered at her obvious discomfort. “That is my special hangover remedy. Unlike the usual version, this not only rids you of the god awful \'hair-of-the-dog\' but it also heals any injuries you may have sustained in your inebriated condition such as bruises from stumbling and things of that nature. It also eases the associated aches and pains” Snape mentioned this to everyone sitting at the Head Table, gesturing for them to partake of the vials in front of them. “No one should have to feel miserable on Christmas.”



“Thank you Headmaster” Hermione whispered as she blindly felt around for the promised vial. She cracked the seal and lifted her head enough to down the vial\'s contents. “You must be an angel Headmaster, because something this miraculous could only come directly from the Gods themselves.” When a house elf brought her requested tea and toast, Hermione said “I\'ve changed my mind. That potion did wonders for me. I\'d like my usual, a fruit cup, bowl of porridge and toast.” Hermione smiled at the elf as she disappeared to fill Hermione\'s request.



“Glad to see you are feeling better Ms. Granger. If you would like, perhaps we could have tea in the staffroom this afternoon. I\'m starting to research into magical cures for Muggle ailments and I think you might find it interesting. Did you know that there has been practically no work done in this vital area?” Severus asked.



“Well I know that spells and potions can not effectively help Muggles. But I imagine that you are referring to how Muggle diseases affect Muggleborns and Half-bloods.”



“Astute as always Ms. Granger. I would appreciate your input as you have had significantly more interaction with the Muggle world in the last twenty years than I have. You would be more up to date on the more pressing medical concerns of the Muggle world than I would. Any insight you may be able to provide would be greatly appreciated Ms. Granger.”



“Perhaps you could start with addressing me by my given name. If we are going to be working together, I feel that we could at least drop the formalities. Don\'t you think?” Hermione cocked her head slightly to the side as she looked at him with a questioning gaze. How would he respond to her seemingly bold request?



“I agree. It would be somewhat cumbersome for you to continually call me Headmaster and so on. I\'m looking forward to your contributions. I anticipate great things coming from our working together” Severus said as he arose from his seat. “Two o\'clock?”



“That would be lovely. I\'m looking forward to it as well. I\'ll see you then...Severus” Hermione said with a small smile.



“See you then...Hermione” he said with a quick nod as he turned and left the Great Hall in a billow of robes.



Lucius Malfoy was looking down upon the scene, as were Albus, Lily and Sirius. They were all snerking at Severus\' tentative steps towards establishing a rapport with Hermione.



“It\'s about damn time. After everything he has been through, if anyone deserves a shot a happiness it\'s Severus Snape” Lucius said to the unlikely group with a knowing smile on his face. He was rather enjoying seeing the world from this side of the Veil.



Lily and Albus both nodded their agreement as Sirius added his thoughts. “I agree. Now if he can only forgive himself I think he could actually have a shot at letting other people in. Don\'t you think Malfoy?”



“Let\'s all hope, Black. Let\'s all hope!”



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Disclaimers: I must give the highest praise to Charles Dickens for his wonderful classic Christmas tale (which I obviously do not own) with which I took a few liberties. Also, I am not Kevin Smith and do not hold any claim to the overt KS film references (Dogma) contained herein. Thanks for reading!