Wine But No Women

Wine But No Women: A Death Eater Christmas
by Eilan

When Severus Snape stepped out of the fireplace he wanted to immediately turn away again and go back to where he had come from. This was... ridiculous. Why the hell were they going to be celebrating Christmas? Especially this year? Octavius Rosier and Jeremiah Wilkes, two of their friends, had just been killed two weeks ago. It was no occasion to celebrate anything, much less Christmas.

"Ah, Severus, it's good to see you. We nearly thought you wouldn't come," a voice startled him. It belonged to Armand Avery who had invited him and Corwin Nott over to his house for the day. Severus scowled. This was such a bad idea.

"Armand." He merely nodded and headed straight for the door behind where Avery's living room was. He had been in this house countless times and didn't bother to wait for an invitation. After all, he hadn't asked for an invitation to this 'event'. It seemed to be just fair.

In the living room, he could see why Avery had said 'we'. Corwin Nott was already there, sitting in a comfortable armchair around the other fireplace Avery's house had.

"Severus." Nott seemed to be as confused about why they were there as Severus himself. Severus greeted him and then sat down in another armchair, facing Nott.

Only then did he notice the Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

He nearly fell off his chair in shock.

"What the..." he began and was cut off by Avery who had just entered the room.

"What is what?" Avery sat down in another armchair so that they now formed a triangle. Armand Avery, Corwin Nott and Severus Snape; just like it had been at school, Severus noticed, with a tad of nostalgia.

"The Christmas tree."

"What about it? It's Christmas, isn't it?" Avery seemed to have no clue what Severus was referring to.

"I think he's talking 'bout the colours, Armand. What the hell are you doing with a Christmas tree decorated in blue, red and gold? Have you suddenly changed into a Gryffinclaw fan?" Nott replied and Severus just nodded. That was exactly what he had meant.

Blue was okay, as it was Ravenclaw's colour, but red and gold? The Gryffindor colours? That was too much to take in at Christmas, Severus decided, at least too much to take in without a decent alcoholic beverage. He took out his wand, quickly summoned a glass of wine and waited for Avery's reply.

"Well," Avery stuttered, "I'm sick of green and silver, so I em... I didn't even notice it were the Gryffindor colours."

Severus rolled his eyes; Corwin Nott sighed audibly. Avery might've been a really nice man (if you thought that being nice and torturing and killing Muggles didn't exclude each other, of course -- Severus didn't thought they did), but sometimes he was a bit too thick for their liking. Whilst Severus and Corwin had always been the brains of the trio, Avery had been the 'man of action'. He had also been the first to join Voldemort, but the other two had followed him soon afterwards.

"You didn't even notice it? What's up with you, Armand? I mean, what is this all about? Celebrating Christmas just two weeks after Wilkes' and Rosiers' death?

This isn't a time to celebrate anything." Once more Severus could do nothing more than nod and raised his wine glass to his lips, only to discover that it was empty. He refilled it and decided to keep a low profile. Watching Nott and Avery argue had always been a favorite hobby of his.

"The Malfoys and the Lestranges are also celebrating, so why shouldn't we? We’ve spent every Christmas since our first year together. It's a tradition," Corwin defended himself and somewhere deep inside Severus had to agree with him. Maybe the recent events hadn't given them any chance to celebrate, but it was Christmas after all. They could at least spend the evening like the previous Christmases: with too much wine. He would make sure they were just as drunk as he when they finally went to bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two hours later it seemed that he was on his best way of achieving his goal. They had each drunk at least one bottle of wine, and Nott especially couldn't hold his liquor.

"You know, we shouldn't be sitting here," Severus now said, realizing that his voice made it obvious that he also was going to have a hangover from hell in the morning.

"I think we already discussed that, Severus," Nott replied slowly. "We decided that we would celebrate Christmas, even if the circumstances aren't the best." Nott was fairly drunk by now.

Severus of course could stay sober a lot longer than the rest of them. A result of too many 'drinking-dares' between him and the one year older Jeremiah Wilkes. So much for Jews being ascets when it came to alcohol. Avery was also like that, but Nott was already looking as though he was going to fall off his chair any minute.

"No, I think Sev' wasn't talking 'bout that." Severus suddenly felt the urge to kick Avery for using that dreadful nickname. On the other hand Avery at least seemed to get what he was referring to.

"I meant that as a 'good Death Eater'," Severus had to smirk at the thought of anyone calling a Death Eater 'good', "we shouldn't be celebrating Christmas."

As a good Death Eater...

A memory welled up in him.

Alastor Moody stopped him in the corridors in front of the Transfiguration classroom, one day after Severus had been made a Death Eater. Moody had been out of Hogwarts for five years then and returned this day to discuss something with Dumbledore.

"Snape."

"What, Moody?"

"There's something I would like to tell you."

"What would an Auror have to tell me?" He even managed to let the word 'Auror' sound like insult and he was proud of it.

Moody didn't seem to bother and leaned forward, starring into Severus' eyes.

"Something very important," he whispered. "You're being watched, Snape. Remember: Only a dead Death eater is a good Death Eater."

Moody turned to leave, but before he was out of hearing range, Severus replied loud enough for Moody to hear.

"And only a dead Auror is a good Auror, Moody. Remember that."

"Why not?" Nott again.

"Because we're just celebrating the birth of 'Christ'." Contrary to popular belief, Severus Snape had indeed taken Muggle Studies as a subject for two years. A classic case of Know Your Enemy, as Malfoy always said.

Severus snorted. Malfoy was an idiot 95% percent of the time. During the remaining 5% he was asleep.

"We're celebrating the birth of what? Christ? But isn't that a Muggle custom?" Now Severus wanted to kick Nott. Hard. How the hell had he gotten that much NEWTs if it took him more than two minutes to realise that? He decided against kicking him. Nott at least had a very good excuse: they hadn't been drunk when doing their exams.

Severus desperately hoped so.

"Christ isn't a Muggle custom, Christmas is, but at least you seem to get the idea." Severus sighed and took another sip of his wine.

"But wasn't Christmas celebrated by the Founders? Even Slytherin?" Avery now asked.

"Why do you think that?" Severus was of course aware of the fact that Christmas was being celebrated at Hogwarts nowadays, but he was quite sure that in the era of the Founders they hadn't. After all they had been persecuted by Muggles.

"I think it was mentioned in Hogwarts: A History."

Severus saw Nott nearly spilling his wine and he himself couldn't help but stare at Avery.

"You? Read? Hogwarts: A History?" Severus could've kissed Nott just for stating his thoughts. As with the kicking, he decided against it. Too many complications.

"Yes. Didn't you two?"

Severus couldn't believe it. Of course he had read Hogwarts: A History and he thought Nott, too, but Avery... Avery had been lucky not to spend eight years at Hogwarts, as he had just barely passed his NEWTs.

"Of course I read it," Nott replied. Severus just nodded as a reply. Watching Avery and Nott was indeed fun.

"There was a section on it about how Christmas was celebrated by the Founders. Slytherin of course didn't take part in it."

Of course.

The only question now was how the hell Avery could remember something that even Severus and Nott couldn't any more.

Severus decided this was a question that was better asked and answered when he was sober again.

Therefore, definitely not during the next twelve hours.

He summoned another bottle of wine.

END