Chapter 46

The next morning was Christmas. Hermione slipped quietly from the bed and called Dobby to ask him to do her a favor. She then used her wand to quickly wrap all the gifts she had bought.  Another house-elf came with a Christmas tree; she'd asked Dobby to send it a few days earlier.  She worked quickly to decorate it and put the gifts she had bought for Severus under the tree. She then crawled back into the bed and snuggled up to Severus, who slipped his arms around her and held her close. Despite her intentions to wait for him to wake up, she slipped back into sleep.

Severus cracked an eye at her and smiled; she had been so busy when he'd awoken that he hadn't had the heart to spoil her fun.  He slipped from the bed and placed a couple of his own gifts under the tree and then crawled back into bed beside Hermione.

An ear-splitting roar made them both jump and grab each other.  Then a huge, furry mountain landed in the bed with them. "Grendel!  What are you doing here?" Severus cried out as he threw his arms around the hairy mountain.

"Surprise!" Hermione said. "I had Dobby bring him.  He's family, Severus."

"What about my lair?" he asked curiously.

"Dobby assured me that house-elf wards are impenetrable," she informed him.

"You know, Hermione, I sometimes think they are more powerful than we are," he said as he held the big animal close. "Why they don't take over is beyond me."

"They have a gift of servitude.  It's what truly makes them happy.  I learned that a long time ago," she murmured happily. "Come on, you have presents!"  She squealed like a child as she threw the covers aside and jumped out of the bed.

Severus followed, not ready to admit he was as excited as she was.  He hadn't had a tree or gifts under a tree in many, many years.  Even though he always gave the gifts he'd told Hermione about, they really hadn't made it feel like Christmas to him.  Minerva had always given him a bottle of Muggle Scotch. He'd never had the heart to tell her it made him think of his father, so he'd always poured it down the sink.  He just couldn't get past the smell to drink it.  Albus had always given him a book, and he'd felt that was his best gift each year.  Albus knew books, and he'd known Severus better than anyone beside Min.

Hermione was sitting on the warm, circular carpet that went under the Christmas tree. Grendel was lying next to her, gnawing on a bone big enough to have been taken from a dinosaur. Getting closer, he realized it was many strands of woven rawhide. 

"Where did you get that thing?"  He smiled warmly at her, watching his pet chew on it with obvious glee.

"It was in a Muggle pet shop.  It was a display item that was on sale.  I told them I had a Great Dane. I couldn't resist, and look how much he loves it," she replied, her eyes bright and happy as she looked up at him.  He was wearing only a pair of black, silk pajama bottoms.

Oh my gosh, he's handsome, she gushed to herself like a school girl.

"When did you buy that?" he asked, noting that she was blushing.  He wondered where her thoughts had wandered.  He took a seat across from her by the tree and crossed his legs Indian style.

Hermione laughed. "It was during one of the times you sneaked away.  I've got lots of pockets, too, and I didn't try on that many dresses." She laughed again at his look of surprise. "We witches can move fast when we want."

He pulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply.  "Thank you for bringing Grendel here.  It's a wonderful gift."

At the sound of his name, Grendel dropped his bone and came to lie near them. Then he pulled up his head and looked into Severus' eyes and whined.

"What's wrong, boy?" Hermione asked him, moving next to the big animal.

Severus reached out to touch his head.  "He's just confused; he's never really been away from the lair since he was a cub.  He was huge, but pretty young when Hagrid gave him to me.  I think he's very happy to see us, but he feels I'm very different now, and I think my happiness confuses him."

"You got that by touching him?  Severus, can you read his mind?" she questioned, astonished by this new revelation.

"I can't read his mind, but I can sense his feelings.  He's as intelligent as a human.  He doesn't have a language, but he feels so much more.  It's hard to describe the communication we have.  He's taken my injuries into himself, and he's suffered a great deal for me.  It's kind of like the Christ story: He took on our sins so we might have everlasting life.  That's what Christmas is really about, isn't it?"  He nearly laid over Grendel and hugged him. "I love him so much, Hermione.  He's like my mother, child, companion, and healer...it's a lot."

She slipped into his lap, again.  "I know, Severus.  Was it wrong to bring him here today?  Does it hurt him?"

"No."  He hugged her.  "He just has to learn that our lives have changed, and he no longer is just a guard 'dog' and a healer.  He can be a real friend.  But he can't stay here for too long.  If anyone comes close that's really ill, he would respond to him or her.  I'm not saying that's a bad thing.  Maybe, in time, we can help our friends with him, but I don't want him so drained that he's the one who's sick.  He's very rare, and if someone in the outside world or even ours found out his abilities, like Lucius Malfoy, we might lose him.  He's worth billions to the right person."

"You're right. I'm sorry.  I just wanted him here.  I love the big guy, too."

Severus hugged her. "I really am happy to see him.  I miss him when I'm away." He grinned. "Hey, did you say I have presents?"

Hermione kissed him and then grabbed a box from under the tree and set it in his lap.

Severus admired the gold paper and shiny red ribbon.  He ran his hands over the package. "It's beautiful."  He was touched and overwhelmed by the fancy wrapping on the gift.  As a child, he'd always envied his classmates their gifts.  He'd watch them unwrap their gifts from the background in his dorm room.  Slytherins mainly came from wealthy families, so they nearly always got nice things. 

"Open it," she urged, trying to swallow the emotion that overwhelmed her.  She was realizing this might be Severus' first wrapped gift under a tree in years...maybe his life.  He was trying so hard to blink away his tears.

Severus tore the paper off, letting it fly, and then lifted the lid off the box.  Inside was a beautiful lounge jacket...what they used to call smoking jackets.  It was black with brocade silk panels on the lapels.

"It's beautiful," he said, running his fingers over the lapels.  He was unable to stop the tears then, and his face reddened with embarrassment.

Hermione pushed the box away and held him close and let him cry.

"I thought I was all cried out," he finally managed, gulping for breath, holding on to her like a life jacket.

"These are happy tears.  I hope you'll have many of those over the years," she said as she stroked his hair.

"It's the best Christmas ever, even if I hadn't gotten gifts, Hermione.  Just being with you is gift and blessing enough for any man for a lifetime."  He cleared his throat and tried to sound like his old self. "All this bloody emotion is for the birds."

Hermione laughed when Grendel came bouncing off the floor at the sound of the old Severus and nearly knocked him over by rubbing against him.

She said, "I'm with you, Grendel. I like hearing the grumpy old professor myself."

"You do?"  Severus asked in astonishment.  "I thought you liked Raven's mannerisms best."

"Severus, I love both your halves.  I love when you grouch and complain, and I love your soft, dry humor.  I love your soft side, too.  It's all part of you."

"Well, wench," he said, grabbing her and tickling her.  "I will have to make sure you see both sides of me.  All this goody two shoes stuff was nauseating me."  He laughed.

Hermione laughed and planted a steamy kiss on him.  He obliged her and then set her aside and reached behind the tree and brought out a small box.

"I was so excited about your gifts I forgot you bought me a gift."  She grabbed the little box. It was covered in simple brown paper and had a string around it.

She ran her finger over the wrapping and said, "It's beautiful."

Severus threw his head back and laughed his wonderful deep laugh. "I'm glad you approve."  He caressed her face with his fingers.  "I saw this in Diagon Alley, and I thought you might like it."

Hermione's fingers trembled when she opened the box.  On a bed of black velvet lay a pendant with a golden chain.  The woman's head and face were carved in whalebone.  She was wrapped in ravens' wings on one side, and a cauldron was in front of her.  The cauldron had a ruby on its side, to match her ring. "Severus, it's beautiful," she said, leaning forward on her knees to give him a kiss. "Please, put it on me."

He took the chain, and she turned as he fastened the chain while she held her hair to one side. As he kissed her neck, she reached back and caressed his hair while he trailed some more kisses across her shoulder.

"I love your hair, Severus.  I hope you decide not to cut it shorter."  She moved away, on her knees, to pick up another box, and then she turned and handed it too him.

It was a small box, and Severus opened it carefully and lifted the top.  Inside on a bed of green velvet was a gold pendant; there was the head of a lion with a serpent wrapped seductively around it. The lion had a peaceful, content look.

"It's wonderful," he said, again overcome with emotion.  "Your turn: Would you put it on me?"  He was sitting cross-legged on the rug by the tree, so she came and kneeled behind him and fastened the chain as he held his hair out of the way. She continued to return the favor by placing some soft kisses along his neck.

"Hermione, if you continue, we may not get to the rest of the gifts," he gasped.

"There are more gifts? Couldn't they wait for a half hour?" she teased.

"Unfortunately, they can't. I always have breakfast with Min on Christmas morning, and time is running out.  But I promise that you will not go to sleep unsatisfied tonight."

She flipped around and landed in his lap, wrapping her arms about his neck. "I will hold you to that promise." 

Severus groaned. "Darn, bloody breakfast."  His voice was slow and grumpy as he sat holding her for a minute before releasing her.

Hermione smiled at him and went to get his next gift. 

He opened the box and found a nice quill and an ink bottle with his initials embossed on it.  "It's wonderful, Hermione. My old quill is about shot."  She also gave him a nice journal with a leather binding.

"I hope you like your gifts," she said.

"They are wonderful," he said, running his hands over the fine leather cover. "I have never received such nice gifts."  He leaned over to kiss her.

"I do have another gift for you, my love," he said, "but I am a bit apprehensive about giving it to you now that I have gotten it."

He reached again behind the tree and brought out a huge dress box.  "Women's moods change so quickly." He smiled at her near protest. "Please, if you don't like it, it can be exchanged."  He handed it to her reluctantly, like a child afraid to be rejected.

"Severus, I love everything you have given me.  I'm sure it will be wonderful."

"It's not the usual Christmas gift, and I got it on a whim," he tried to explain.  "I thought about keeping it a surprise till next week, but I want you to be able to give me some feedback on what you really want."

Hermione said, "Now you have me curious."

She tore the plain white wrapping away from the box and opened it.  There on a bed of fine paper lay the beautiful wedding dress she had been trying not to drool over in the dress shop.  The moment she had seen it, she had known that would be the one.

"Oh, Severus, it's the dress I wanted.  How did you know?"

Severus felt himself caressed as she said his name.  "It was hard to miss your longing stares.  You should have said something."

"But you hadn't even asked me to marry you yet.  I did not know if you wanted a marriage."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry; I hope it's an appropriate gift," he said. "I want you to marry me, you know that, but you don't know that I have asked Molly and Ginny to make arrangements for the wedding and reception for New Year's Eve.  I know it's not many days away, but I love you and want you to be my wife as soon as possible."

Hermione dropped the dress and threw her arms around him. "I'd marry you at a moment's notice."  She kissed him.  She felt him let go of his breath and relax. "You silly, wonderful man.  You do not have to be afraid of what I will say or do, Severus. I love you, and I will never stop loving you.  I can't say there won't be arguments...we are both stubborn people...but I will never stop loving you."

He trembled against her, letting out a ragged sigh. "These emotions are killing me."  He laughed to let her know that it was a joke. 

But Hermione knew this whole thing was still rough for him.  Remembering didn't make experiencing everything easy for him.

She sat back and playfully yelled at him, "You let Molly plan the wedding?  There will be a thousand people there and hippogriffs pulling Cinderella's coach."

He stared at her chagrinned until she laughed at him.  "We can go see her tomorrow and head off some of her crazy ideas.  "I'm sure it will be wonderful.  Best of all, I will start the new year as Mrs. Severus Snape."

"No, Mrs. Severus Raven Snape," he said gently, pulling her to him.

*****

They were a little late for breakfast, but Minerva brightened when they came through the door, and then nearly jumped on the top of the table when Grendel sauntered into the room.

"What the devil is that?" she roared.

"Min, meet, Grendel.  This is my secret keeper and my secret healer," he whispered, since they were now close enough for only her to hear.

"This animal?" she said, surprised.   She reached out to the hairy beast and caressed his head, and her eyes closed a moment. "It must be a Curanderian: They are legend.  Where did you get him?" she whispered back. 

"Hagrid," he answered quietly.

"I should have known."  She turned back to her meal. "You're late!" She said loudly enough for the other teachers to hear.

"Sorry, Min," Severus replied. "This was a very different Christmas morning." His gaze drifted toward Hermione as he spoke.

"I'm happy for you, Severus and Hermione. Come sit, and that thing," she said, pointing her finger at Grendel, "can sit behind you, I guess."  She gulped as if she expected Grendel to try to eat her.

"What is that?" Filius asked, cowering down in his chair. 

Severus said gruffly, "Just a half-breed monster Hagrid gave me years ago," he fibbed.  "I use it for guard duty.  It's really just a pet now since I'm retired from spy work."

Hermione giggled. She loved his slow, deep voice, and now she knew when he was laughing behind his voice.

Hagrid came through the door. "Sorry to be late!  My piggwillys got out, and I had to..."

His voice broke off as Grendel came barreling off the stage and down the isle. He hit Hagrid in the chest, knocking him down, and proceeded to slobber all over his face. 

Everyone laughed when they heard Hagrid say, "Why, bless me, he remembers his mummy."

Thank you, Lisa, my beta. You have stuck with me through so much.  You are so appreciated.

Becky, thanks for your support and enthusiasm.