February 14th. Valentine's Day. The holiday was, by far and
away, Albus Dumbledore's favourite celebration. He loved to see
people, especially young people, starry eyed with infatuation.
He liked infatuations and made it a point to become infatuated
with someone every semester. Last semester, it was Mrs. Norris;
he really was a magnificent cat and very loyal to Filch. He
liked loyalty.
He really had to get a move on this semester, though. It was
February already and he had yet to succumb to the delicious
feeling of being benignly, completely and hopelessly in love. Of
course, the objects of his affections never knew about it. It
would scare them half to death, as well as fuel the rumours that
he was quite mad. The rumours were true, but there was no need
to confirm that.
The other reason why Dumbledore loved Valentine's Day was more
immediately gratifying. Sweets. Dumbledore had a pernicious
sweet tooth and there was no better time to find really good
sweets than at Valentine's Day. He had made a special trip to
Honeydukes to purchase Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills, toffees,
lemon drops, lollipops and everything else - except for the every
flavour beans. Earwax wasn't as bad as vomit, but he didn't have
the best of luck with them nonetheless.
----------------------
The staff meeting on the day before Valentine's was a little more
disjointed than usual. Professor Flitwick was paying no
attention to the meeting; he was attempting to write a sonnet to
his wife's knees and it wasn't going well.
Professor McGonagall was fretting about the next day. She liked
Valentine's Day well enough, but there were always a group of
heartbroken girls to deal with after everything was all over and
done with.
Professor Lupin was distracted, since he had found himself as
much the boys' confidant as McGonagall was for the girls.
Snape was, predictably, snappish and more taciturn than usual,
which, for him, was quite a feat. The last straw was when he
reached for a quill to make a note. Dumbledore almost said
something, but instead leaned back, hiding a smile.
"Dammit, Albus." Snape threw down the quill, which was made of
sugar. As were all the quills in the holder. "How is it you
still have teeth? Why haven't they rotted out of your mouth by
now, with all the sugar you consume?"
"I floss regularly," Dumbledore replied, flashing his sparklingly
white and healthy teeth. He decided not to mention the condition
of Snape's teeth, which were yellowish, but not from poor hygiene
or consumption of sweets. "If you need a quill, I believe
Professor Flitwick has one."
Snape snapped his fingers at Flitwick, who was absorbed in
finding a rhyme for 'patella' and, thus, ignored the peremptory
request to borrow the quill for a moment. This did not improve
Snape's temper in the least, but mindful of Flitwick's easy use
of charms, asked nicely. Flitwick exchanged use of the quill for
a half a dozen rhymes, which Snape provided without much thought.
Once done, Dumbledore asked Lupin to stay for a moment. He had a
wicked idea that could not be resisted.
"Remus, I need a favour from you..."
----------------------
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Hermione asked, as Lupin
used a small device to unlock the door to the Potions classroom.
"The headmaster asked me to do this," Lupin replied with a grin.
"You're not breaking any rules."
"Maybe not, but if Snape finds out..." Ron shuddered. "What if
he catches us?"
"Severus is in Hogsmeade, on an errand for the Headmaster,"
Lupin said, gingerly rifling through the desk. He had to be
careful; God alone knew what disgusting things Severus kept in
his desk.
The kids were going through the rest of the classroom, being very
thorough. Despite the misgivings, they were more than willing to
help out with this prank.
Lupin crooked his fingers in such a way as to get the secret
drawer in the desk to open, hoping it wasn't charmed. It was
Professor Sangreal's old desk, one he and the other Marauders had
broken into many times in the past. When first arriving at
Hogwarts, Lupin really hoped that the old desk was in storage
somewhere. It was a magnificent piece of furniture, and he was a
little disappointed that Snape had claimed it for himself.
The secret compartment popped open and Lupin found the object he
wished to replace. Beside it was a Muggle chequebook and a small
receipt from a florist in York. Curious. Lupin looked at the
receipt, then at the chequebook. Snape had bought an expensive
bouquet of flowers at a Muggle shop yesterday, to be delivered to
someone in Hogsmeade.
He chuckled and put the papers back exactly where he found them.
So Severus wasn't entirely immune to Valentine's Day. And,
surprisingly, he had some contact with the Muggle world, despite
his pure blood pretensions.
----------------------
Lupin decided not to let the kids help out with Snape's personal
quarters. Much as he liked the trio, letting any student in a
teacher's personal space was unwise.
Besides, he had no idea what Snape's quarters looked like, or
what sort of things he kept there. He had been to tea in almost
every other teacher's rooms, but not Snape's.
Trelawney's rooms in the tower were overstuffed, overheated
overdone and made his head ache. McGonagall's were tasteful,
restrained and bookish. Hooch had trophys from her schooldays
all around hers. Flitwick, who lived in Hogsmeade, had more of a
bachelor's pad, with curious objects all around that his wife
didn't want cluttering up her small cottage. Dumbledore's rooms
were, to say the least, unusual. They were cheerful and
whimsical, without much adherence to accepted taste, much like
the man himself.
Snape had the most unusual set of rooms, and the largest. The
dungeons rambled and no one really cared if Snape took three
rooms or twenty; Hogwarts was a huge place and many of the rooms
were unused. Lupin reflected on his own choice of rooms; a
small, efficient suite of three rooms, with bath. That was a
manageable space, considering his meagre belongings.
----------------------
Of the eight rooms Snape had claimed for himself, four of them
were strictly professional. He decided not to do anything in the
lab or the well protected storage room; to meddle with them was
potentially dangerous. The office, separate from his office as a
teacher, was fair game, though, as he went through it. The last
room was locked in such a way that even Dumbledore's passkey and
a handful of holding charms would not work.
The personal rooms were an eye opener. Lupin stood in the
doorway of the sitting room with surprise. It was very tidy,
thanks to the house elves, and cozy. That was the only word for
it; it was cozy and homelike.
It was also tastefully decorated, with matching, comfortable
furniture and mounds of books everywhere. The mantlepiece had a
collection of some of the most beautiful bottles and phials Lupin
had ever seen. They were obviously ornamental; they were
designed to be a delight to the eye.
Shaking off the surprise, he did what he came to do and went into
the library. It was very simple. It was lined with shelves and
stacked with books on all sorts of subjects. Lupin glanced at a
few titles and shook his head. Snape's reading tastes were
eclectic, to say the least. Tomes on magical creatures sat next
to Muggle books of botany and biology. Very advanced potions
books sat next to chemistry texts from some Muggle university.
And slyly shoved in here and there, were Muggle fiction, as if
there by accident.
He almost chickened out when he got to the bedroom. He forced
himself to go in and then laughed at himself for being so
foolish.
The bedroom held no surprises over and above the coziness. The
bed was somewhat larger than Lupin would have expected for such a
seemingly austere person, but it matched the rest of the rooms.
Finally finished, he took the bag he had brought with him and
left, casting a charm to erase any sense of his presence.
----------------------
Valentine's Day dawned and breakfast was a delight to the eye and
palate. The Great Hall was decorated in red and pink and white,
and Dumbledore allowed a few liberties with the nutritional
content of breakfast. Fairy cakes, strawberries and delicate
sandwiches were served along with plainer fare.
"Great," Snape muttered to Flitwick. "Children on a sugar high.
This is going to be an unbearable day."
Flitwick merely grinned and popped an entire raspberry tart,
covered with clotted cream, into his mouth.
Breakfast was mostly eaten when the owls arrived. For a time,
the hall looked as if it were under attack from the winged
creatures and it took nearly twenty minutes for the first
onslaught to deliver their cards, letters and packages.
Lupin watched, his own mail forgotten in his lap, as the noise
level reached a whole new peak. He glanced briefly at the
popular students, nearly overwhelmed at the piles of Valentines
they had received, then looked to the ones who, he fancied, would
be left out.
Well, everyone got at least one, he noted, and a little package
of sweets. He looked at Dumbledore, who winked at him. Yes, the
Headmaster would have made sure that all the children got
something.
Still, there were a few who got very little. Some of them didn't
mind, but some of them minded horribly. Lupin remembered
Valentine's Day when he went to school and gave a little shudder.
He had been too young and self absorbed then, but he now recalled
how hurt Peter had been to get nothing more than a courtesy
Valentine from Lucinda Avery, the Slytherin girl of very easy
virtue, who sent Valentines to every male for miles around.
Well, except for Severus, who somehow managed to serious annoy
her just before Valentine's day.
He leaned forward to glance at Severus, who was looking extremely
saturnine, despite the two or three cards by his plate. Severus
never got any Valentines in school.
Lupin was jolted out of his thoughts by the explosion, followed
by an explosion of laughter, from the far end of the Gryffindor
table. The Weasley twins were out of their chairs, rolling on
the floor with laughter as Hermione and Ron pelted them with
toffee.
The whole school turned to watch, until their attention was
caught by a huge owl swooping down on the Slytherin table, with a
magnificent bouquet of roses. The owl gracefully landed by
Millicent Bulstrode, a bad tempered girl who could only be called
plain by the very charitable. She looked absolutely
flabbergasted, but a brilliant smile was emerging through the
tears she had been shedding only minutes ago.
The smile made a huge difference in her looks. For a moment, she
was actually quite pretty, Lupin thought. What a difference a
bit of genuine happiness could make. She buried her nose in the
flowers, smelling their heavy scent and ignored the catcalls from
around the table.
He looked at Severus with sudden suspicion. He was looking
smugly pleased, and it made all the difference to his looks as
well. The look vanished as soon as he noticed Lupin looking at
him, but he seemed a little less grim.
----------------------
"That was a good thing you did," Lupin murmured to him as they
walked out.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Snape replied.
"The flowers. You made that young lady very happy."
"I still have no idea what you're talking about."
"Deny it if you will, but I still think you did a good thing,"
Lupin replied, with a smile.
"I wish I could return the compliment, Lupin," Snape said, in a
soft, silky tone that set alarm bells going.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lupin stammered,
hoping he didn't look anywhere near as guilty as he felt.
"Was this your idea? A nostalgic trip down memory lane for a
former Marauder, hm?" Snape purred dangerously. "No, I don't
think so. You haven't the resources. So tell me, what did Albus
bribe you with?"
"The Headmaster?" Lupin faltered.
"Yes. The headmaster. Albus Dumbledore."
"Well... I... Er... Um..." Eloquent, Lupin, he thought
miserably. Real eloquent.
"Ah, Severus. Enjoying your day?" Dumbledore himself came up,
beaming benevolently.
"No," Snape said harshly, dropping Lupin from his attention with
an almost audible thump. "I seem to have misplaced all of my
quills."
"How unfortunate." Dumbledore was still oozing cheeriness.
"YOU REPLACED ALL OF MY QUILLS WITH THOSE STUPID SUGAR
CONFECTIONS," Snape bellowed, at full volume. "In my office, in
my quarters, in my classroom and even in my library."
"I did no such thing," Dumbledore denied, looking meaningfully at
Lupin.
"I think I'll just go now," Lupin said hastily. Snape froze him
to the spot with a glare.
"How could you give him your passkey, Albus? Am I going to have
to put charms on my personal quarters?"
"How do you know it was Remus?"
"I know you." Snape folded his arms. "Look, Albus, I know you
think this sort of thing is very funny..."
"I just thought you could use some sweetness in your life,
Severus," Dumbledore said soothingly. To Lupin's surprise, Snape
turned beet red.
"Oh, no. No, Albus. Not again. I haven't recovered from the
last time..."
"Nonsense," Dumbledore scoffed. "I didn't do anything untoward
last time and I promise I won't this time, either."
Snape turned on his heel and walked away.
"Why me? Why does he do this to me?" he muttered, then turned to
the duo still standing there. "Just stay out of my rooms or
you'll be mourning the loss of your fingers. That includes you,
Albus."
"Hm." Dumbledore looked mildly astonished. "I would think he'd
be flattered."
"Sir?" Lupin frowned, thoroughly puzzled. "What just happened?"
"I believe Severus just threatened to put a sizzling charm on his
locks. I really must disarm them when he calms down a little."
"How did you get him to back down? He looked as if he was going
to dismember you."
"Oh, he was," Dumbledore agreed, his eyes twinkling madly, "but
a little affection goes a long way with Severus."
"Pardon?"
"I've decided to become infatuated with him," Dumbledore said,
with a smile. "He really is awfully clever and quite devoted in
his own way to the best interest of the school."
Lupin felt his jaw drop and then the gentle fingers of the
headmaster touching his chin, carefully closing his mouth.
"Infatuations are great fun, don't you think? All the joy of
being in love, but you never actually have to do anything about
it," Dumbledore continued merrily. "I don't usually let on to
the object of my affections, but it's much more fun if Severus
knows."
"Wait a minute. You've decided to be in love? With Severus
Snape?"
"For the moment. I try to include Severus in my heart as often
as I can. The poor lad really doesn't have anyone else to love
him, which is a great pity, in my opinion," Dumbledore replied.
"Next term, of course, I will pick someone else. Love is, after
all, infinitely expandable. Would you like to know when I get
around to being infatuated with you?"
"Um. No. Thank you," Lupin managed, although his head was
spinning.
"Very well." Dumbledore smiled. "Lemon drop?"
Lupin watched Dumbledore walk away, rooted to the spot. That had
to be the most surreal experience he'd ever had, and being a
werewolf, that was saying something.
"I see Albus has been playing with people's heads again,"
Professor McGonagall commented, joining him.
"Professor Dumbledore... just told me... that he was...
infatuated... with Professor Snape..."
"Again?" McGonagall looked annoyed. "Oh, dear. He always tells
Severus and it puts Severus into a bad mood for weeks. Not that
anyone can really tell, mind you."
"This is normal behaviour?"
"Albus is not normal, Remus," McGonagall replied mildly. "He
does this all the time. He fancies himself in love with somebody
or other every term. It's rather sweet, actually. He sends
little presents and love notes and everything."
"He doesn't actually mean it, then." Lupin looked relieved.
"Yes and no. No, he doesn't mean it as a real love relationship.
But, yes, he does genuinely love the person. Albus had the
biggest heart of anyone I know and isn't afraid to show it."
McGonagall sighed. "I was rather hoping that it was Albus who
sent Miss Bulstrode the flowers. She was so happy about them and
I think a little ego gratification will do her good."
"It wasn't him."
"Then who was it?"
"Professor Snape."
"You've got to be kidding," McGonagall objected. Lupin explained
about the chequebook and receipt. McGonagall shook her head
slowly.
"What?"
"And here I thought Albus was the only romantic fool in the
place."
----------------------
Snape retrieved his quills - real ones, not the absurd sugar ones
- and made a few notes for the upcomingg day.
"Professor?"
"Yes?" He looked up, surprised to see Millicent standing there,
her arms still full of flowers.
"I just wanted a word before class, Professor." She crept
forward shyly, a small smile lightening her rather heavy
features.
"No, Miss Bulstrode, you may not clutter up the class with dead
vegetation," Snape said immediately.
"I won't," she promised, her smile never faltering. "I just
wanted to say thank you."
"Whatever for?"
"The flowers." She indicated the armful of roses.
"You think I sent them?"
"I'm not in Slytherin for nothing, Professor. I can figure out a
connivance when I see one," she said, tossing her head proudly.
"But from now on, I will be the girl who got flowers from a
mysterious older man, not the girl who never got a valentine.
Thank you." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"Five points for Slytherin. And I'll take away twice that if you
ever mention who sent you the flowers. And three times that if
you ever kiss me again," he said harshly. "You're welcome. Get
to class. The bell is about to ring."
"Yes, sir."
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author: Adrienne
Rating: G
Pairing: Dumbledore/Snape (very mild)
Spoilers: Minor for PoA.
Archive: Sure, just let me know where.
Summary: It's Valentine's Day at Hogwarts.
