The elves made a superb peppermint tea. His head was pounding and his stomach roiling with what was left of the alcohol that he’d used to attempt to soothe his soul and quieten his mind. It wasn’t anywhere near as lovely as his mother’s peppermint blend, though it served its purpose.
Severus didn’t like Christmas. That complete dislike is what led him to drink a litre of vodka and completely destroy his quarters in a drunken stupor. He’d woken up in the middle of the mess in the wee hours of the morning on Boxing Day and decided that maybe getting some air would help; it appeared that he was still moderately drunk, so he held himself together the best that he could and hoped that he would make it out before he was caught by a student or another teacher and threw up on their shoes. Minerva would have loved that report. He had barely made it to the kitchens before he gave up and made his way in, plopping himself down at one of the tables. His favoured elf, Tippy, appeared promptly next to him with a cup of the peppermint tea and a plate of lavender biscuits in her hands. He mumbled his thanks to her and accepted her offering.
The biscuits tasted much like his mam would make, whenever they had access to the ingredients. Sweets were not something common in the Snape household. Tobias tended to spend nearly all of his earnings on drink and left very little for necessities that a household needed. It also led to some peculiar holiday traditions, such as a little Severus watching the afternoon circus aired on BBC2 while Tobias drank whatever bottle he’d scraped enough quid together to buy. His mam would be in the kitchen putting together a Christmas dinner, something basic but filling. No matter what happened on that day, it was one of the few days a year where they were all together and Tobias would not be as terrible as he was on every other day. Depending on his mood, his da would drag him and his mam to St. Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church for mass.
His serenity was destroyed by Professor Granger. She looked terrible, her hair a mess and dark bags under her eyes. It appeared to him that she had not slept. She nodded at him in acknowledgement but said nothing, something that was out of character for her. Professor Granger always had a word or two for him, even if it was simply a ‘good morning’ as she slid into her seat at the high table for breakfast. This morning, though, the gentle nod was most welcome in comparison to her typical verbal vomit.
The moment she sat at the table across from him Tippy appeared with a cup of tea for his junior colleague, with a plate of Jaffa cakes.
“Weren’t you supposed to be at the Weasley residence, Professor Granger?” The moment the words left his mouth he felt deep regret. Her eyes, that immediately focused on him, were bloodshot as if she had been crying. “I apologize, I did not mean to dredge up any negative feelings this early in the morning.”
“You didn’t dredge them up, Severus. Ronald did all of the dredging, and then some.” She sipped her tea and sighed.
“I know we aren’t the closest of friends, but do you wish to talk about it? Or would you rather we just sat in silence?” It was a strange offer, coming from him. They frequently would consult one another on a professional basis, but a heart to heart talk? Completely out of character for him. “Would you like me to go hex him?” he offered, lightheartedly. He nearly laughed when Professor Granger minutely nodded and sniffled. “What did he do, anyway?”
“He asked me to marry him.”
“I wondered when he was going to finally do it. We were all shocked that he waited this long.”
“We?” she asked.
He nodded. “Yes, the staff. We all imagined that he would ask the moment you finished your final year here. No one thought that he’d try his hand at being an auror.”
“Oh, he’s no longer an auror. He helps George at the shop now.”
“Equally unexpected.” He sipped his tea. “That’s no reason to turn the lad down.”
She snorted. “That wasn’t one of the reasons. If he wants to work in a small business then I am happy for him! The ministry isn’t for everyone.” She sipped her tea. “He wanted me to quit my job. I was to stay home and mind the house and have a Quidditch team of children, make sure there was a homemade meal whenever he came home from work. You know I can’t cook.”
The Great Wagon Wheel Incident, as it was known among the staff, would never be forgotten.
“Maybe it was he that dodged a bullet and not you.”
Her laughter this time was genuine. “Really, Severus?”
“Oh, most definitely. If you cannot bake biscuits, I don’t want to know what would happen if you tried to make a full meal. You’d burn down the castle.”
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you? I can see the headlines now: ‘ War Heroine Destroys Hogwarts With Pot Roast ’.”
“So why did you turn him down? I’m sure you could have come to a compromise. He would make a wonderful house husband while you brought in the bacon.”
“He would never agree to anything like that. It’s just not how it’s done in this world, you know that.”
That he knew all too well. Most of the staff were unmarried, the women at least. The newer generations were not as stringent on the older traditions such as a woman’s place being at home, but it appeared that Weasley Six was not on board as his brothers were. “Did he not realize that his sisters-in-law are currently all employed, that his sister is a professional Quidditch player, and surely you would wish to keep your position as well? Bloody moron.”
“I’m not in love with him.”
Severus stopped the tea cup that he was bringing to his lips and looked at her. “Pardon?”
“I’m not in love with him,” she repeated. “I love him, just as I love Harry, but I’m not in love with Ronald Weasley.”
He put his cup back down on the table. “And that would be the true reason that you are here and not there.”
“Game, set, match.” She sighed. “The worst part? He decided to ask me in the middle of Christmas dinner, and he wouldn’t let me pull him aside to save him the embarrassment when I turned him down. Everyone in the family got to watch Ronald be turned down. Everyone but Harry seemed to be upset with me.”
He reached across the table and put his hand on hers. “I’m sorry, Hermione. I truly am.”
“I appreciate it, Severus.” She flipped her hand over and squeezed his. “It feels like I’ve lost the only family that I had left.”
He pulled his hand back and stood. “Up you get, we’ve got things to do, Professor Granger.”
She was clearly confused, given the look on her face, but she stood and walked around the table to join him. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but here. London for a bite to eat. My favorite chippy in Cokeworth. Your favorite diner. We could get a hotel room and watch cartoons all day for all I care. We are not going to spend Boxing Day moping around in the kitchens.” He started to drag her to the door.
“Who are you and what have you done with Severus Snape?”
“I am still Severus Snape, just more fun thanks to a litre of vodka.”