A Very Black Christmas

"Good morning, Severus."

This cheerful and gullible claim provoked a loud grunting sound from the covers of Severus Snape's untidy dormitory bed.

"Shut up, Regulus," he replied in a hoarse voice, digging his face deeper into his pillow, both eyes pinched hard together, "and while you're at it, piss off as well. This isn't your dorm." Regulus' began to stubbornly tug at the silk bed covers and just as stubbornly, Severus held on to them with tight grasps.

"Now, now, don't be like that," said Regulus in a cheerful tone, "Come on up, it's a beautiful day out there. The snow is white and clear, flakes are dropping from the sky like tiny downs and the sun is shining like it was the first morning."

"Which gives me yet another reason to stay in bed," Severus mumbled, sounding slightly disgusted.

Regulus stopped tugging at his bedding and his arms fell to his sides as he sighed and said: "I know Christmas isn't your favourite holiday, but come on. Throw me a bone here."

Severus rolled over onto his back and tore the covers from his face, revealing to the dark-haired teenager his pale and newly woken face. He blinked at Regulus, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow as he waited for a reply. Severus simply blinked a few more times and gave another grunt, before pulling the covers back over his face and rolling back onto his stomach.

"Please, just leave me alone," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Come on, don't be so full of self pity. You have lots of reason to be happy today: you have the dorm all to yourself, they're serving delicious food down in the Great Hall, there are beautiful decorations all over the castle and you have the pleasure of my company throughout the whole holiday!"

Severus turned around and peered at his smug but kind smile over the edge of the covers.

"Well, hurrah for me," he muttered.

The smile vanished from Regulus' face within seconds and he sat down on the mattress of Severus' bed, suddenly looking a bit concerned. He seemed to ponder something for a moment, then looked at the heap of bedclothes that was Severus Snape and said: "Look... I promised to help you get through these weeks, didn't I? Well, you're not making it very easy. I don't know what to say."

Severus sighed and for the second time pulled the covers from his face, except this time less violently. With weary eyes, he considered the slightly younger boy sitting there on his bed, only asking him to accept his kindness and his concern for him. Then he sat up, sighed again and muttered: "Whatever. I'm starting to get hungry now, anyway."

Regulus gave a warm smile and stood up. Just then, Severus noticed a single dark green package with black strings at the foot end of his bed, which appeared to be nothing other than a Christmas present. His mouth opened slightly as he tried to get it into his head. He hadn't gotten a Christmas present for several years. He blinked at it, half-expecting it to turn out a hallucination.

"You... you got me a present?"

Regulus looked at the package, then at Severus, then at his hands and said: "Yeah. I did. I know you don't like that sort of thing, but I wanted to give you something anyway."

Severus reached for his present and felt the gift wrapping rustle pleasantly under his fingers. It was a rather small, squared item, probably nothing fancy, but still. He removed the black string and begun to tare away the paper, carefully and slowly, as if he wanted to savour the moment. Inside was a box with a picture of a green and silver chessboard, and, in capital letters, the words "WIZARD'S CHESS SET" were written above it. He opened the box and pulled out the chessboard and the pieces.

"You like it? I wasn't sure whether or not you actually play chess, but if you don't, I could always teach you," Regulus said with a faint smile, regarding him.

"Yeah," Severus answered without looking away from his gift, "yeah, no, I play. My- my dad taught me. When I was a kid. We used to play a lot."

He fell silent and Regulus got the feeling he'd stomped in on private property and didn't know quite what to say. Silently, he watched as Severus sat in his bed, entangled in the sheets, with small chess pieces scattered out around him and a chessboard in one hand, carefully touching the surface of it with the palm of the other, caught up in his own thoughts. He looked, for a second, like a little child. His eyes seemed glassy and distant and Regulus instantly felt bad. Severus seemed to have forgotten that he was present. Regulus gave an awkward hawk and Severus broke away from his thoughts, looking up at him.

"Yeah. Sorry. Thanks for the gift, Reg. Um, I'll get dressed and then we'll get some breakfast, alright? D'you mind waiting outside?"

Shoving Regulus out through the door and closing it behind him, Severus shut his eyes and rested against it for a moment or two. He took a few deep breaths and then he rubbed his face with his now cold and sweaty hands. He went over to his bed and brushed the chessboard and the pieces down into his trunk, which he then closed and locked. Pulling his clothes from the chair next to his bed and putting them on, his mouth was slightly open and his isolated mind still wandering somewhere completely different and very far from the seventh-year Slytherin boys' dormitory at Hogwarts.