Severus put the finishing touched on the PMT potion and packaged it for Pansy Parkinson, with a green ribbon for as close to a festive touch as he got. He already had the other packages he would send ready - contraceptive potions for Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, and a box of the finest chocolates on earth for Narcissa, who got quite put out when she didn't receive a gift. And lastly, for Greg Goyle, a vial of Veritaserum so that he could know when he was being honest with himself, and a smaller vial of Felix Felicis, so that he could see a glimpse of what life might be like if he allowed himself to be happy.

Should he gives his employees something? But they already got time off with pay, what else should he give them? It wasn't as if they shared any kind of personal relationship. No, he'd keep things strictly professional. He checked the tags on the packages and placed them in the slot for delivery by the team of owls he used for deliveries.

Susan struggled through the door of the shop, loaded down with bags and parcels. She'd considered dropping the gifts she'd received off at her house, but since they were mostly clothes and useful things it made more sense to bring them here.

As she made her way back to her quarters, passing through the lab, she beamed at her boss. As ever, he was hovering over potions and packages.

"Hello, Professor. I hope you haven't eaten yet. I've brought a veritable feast from my mum and dad's. Let me put my things down and I'll fix you a plate."

"What?" He'd been so absorbed in what he was doing that he'd barely noticed her entry. "No, it's all right, I was going to cook something as soon as I finished all this."

"Don't be silly. I've got loads of food here, and my mum is a fabulous cook." Not waiting for a reply, she continued on to her room.

Once she'd unloaded her things, she took the leftovers down to the kitchen, busily doling out portions and casting warming charms where they were needed. She hadn't been joking about the amount of food. Mrs. Bones was forever worrying her daughter would starve to death living on her own - Susan hadn't felt the need to explain her current rooming situation - and had packed up a bounty of ham, mashed potatoes, winter vegetables, salads, and a variety of puddings. Setting the plate on the dining table, she cleaned away the rest of the food, started tea, and carefully placed a small box with a bow in to freezer.

"I've got a plate all ready for you, Professor. Tea will be done in just a moment," she called cheerily.

Severus was about to call back that he was going to prepare his own dinner, but then he glanced at the clock. All right, so he'd eat her reheated slop tonight, and then tomorrow repay her hospitality by allowing her to share the meal he prepared for his own Christmas feast. "Yes, all right, I'm coming."

Susan snickered quietly as Professor Snape came into the room. Did the man ever smile? Well, there was that once, but really, a smile brought on by behaving like a git hardly counted. Well, it was fine if he wanted to be grumpy, she was still going to sit and chat with him while he ate. It was Christmas, after all. It wasn't healthy to spend the entire day with no company. Even if he did prefer it that way.

She poured his tea and added the requisite two sugars before placing it in front of him. When her own cup was prepared, she settled into the other chair.

"So..." He felt like he ought to make some conversation, but he knew absolutely nothing about the girl. He didn't even remember anything from Hogwarts other than that she'd been in Hufflepuff, turned in slightly above average work, and took anxiety potions. "Did you... enjoy your family?"

"Oh yes," Susan said. "It's just my parents and me as far as family goes, but we the Smiths came over for Christmas dinner. Do you remember Zacharias Smith from my year? My parents have been friends with them for years, and since Zach's gone now we always invite them to our house. It's usually a quiet sort of day, but it's always nice to see my folks. What about you? I suppose you worked in the lab all day?"

"Not all day," he said placidly. "I spared some time for turning into a bat and terrorizing the local populace."

A surprised laugh escaped her, but she recovered quickly. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're socializing a bit. How's your food?"

"Surprisingly edible," he said. "I didn't have very high hopes for something made by an unknown and then reheated."

"Surprisingly edible, eh? I'll pass the compliment along to my mum," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Oh, I almost forgot!" Rising from the table, she went to the freezer and pulled out the box she'd stored in there earlier. Holding it out to him, she said, "Happy Christmas, Professor."

"Oh." Severus looked at the box as it if contained a deadly poison and he had no bezoars. "How... thoughtful." It was as good a word as any, even if he still lacked the fortitude to open the box.

Her face fell at his look. Not that she'd expected a big reaction, but the open displeasure was a little disheartening. Suddenly uncomfortable, she fidgeted with her sleeve. "Are you going to open it?"

"Yes, of course." He was being churlish, as he really did possess better manners than that. Carefully undoing the wrapping, he opened the box to a true surprise. "Ashwinder eggs? Wherever did you get these?"

"They were my aunt's. I wasn't sure if they'd still be good since they're several years old, but I figured if anyone would be able to find a use for them it would be you. I'd forgotten about them, really, but I came across the box when I was pulling things out for dinner and thought you might like them." She still wasn't sure of his reaction. Perhaps it was a silly idea. Who wanted old eggs?

If he was slightly less controlled and trained in formality, he would've hugged the girl. "Thank you. These are very hard to find. They should be good, but I can run some tests to make sure..." He was halfway out of his chair before he realized two awful things. One was that they hadn't finished eating and it would be rude to leave the table, and the other was that he had to devise some equivalent gift for the girl he barely knew.

Susan smiled as she realized he was excited about her gift. That was good. For a moment she'd worried that she'd made a terrible fool of herself. Seeing his expression as he sat back down, it occurred to her that Professor Snape had probably not anticipated exchanging gifts with her. If she hadn't happened across the ashwinder eggs, she probably wouldn't have thought to give him anything either.

"It's alright if you don't have something for me, Professor," she assured him. "I wasn't expecting a gift. I just thought you might be able to use those."

"Of course I have a gift for you," he snapped, despite the perfect opportunity to weasel out of the obligation. "It just isn't ready yet. I think the owl is delayed - I'll check on it tomorrow."

"That's very sweet of you, sir," she said, pleased that he'd thought of her.

It was getting late and the store was open for business as usual the next day, so she decided to call it a night. She couldn't say whether it was just the Christmas spirit, the happiness she felt that he'd gotten her a gift, or just an insane urge to find out if his head would explode from shock, but as she passed by on her way from the kitchen she bent down and kissed his cheek. "Happy Christmas, Professor."

He muttered something that sounded very like "Happy Christmas," while his mind churned. What had Pansy Parkinson said about his cloak and the young girls? Surely she'd been joking, right?

Of course she had. It was a friendly kiss on the cheek, as given to an uncle, or even a grandfather. He had nothing to worry about, other than getting the ashwinder eggs back in the deep freeze before calling it a night. That and owling the offices of Madame Prince to get a package fit for an empress delivered immediately.

{Summary: Susan shares some Christmas spirit with Severus, whether he wants it or not. There is surprisingly edible food, a good gift, and the unhappy realization that he ought to reciprocate. Oh, there's also a kiss.}