Chapter 65. Christmas
December 24, 1976. Hogwarts
Staring up at the ceiling, where dry, fluffy snow drifted down, Severus considered whether to spend the two-week holiday finishing his work in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, or return to Diagon Alley to continue his experiments with potions and the artifact. Slughorn was also staying behind to supervise the students, along with the Headmaster and several other professors, and had suggested that Severus remain in the castle to continue his studies.
It was a good idea, of course, but he definitely wouldn't be able to get any proper work done in the Room of Requirement, and he doubted he could remain covert with only two dozen students left in the castle. He would be in plain sight of five professors and Dumbledore, and that was not something he could ignore.
Then he glanced at the huge Christmas tree behind the staff table, decorated with gold ornaments, stars, and candles. He sighed tiredly, took his knife, cut off a piece of steak, and fed it to Nagini, who had slipped out from under his robes. She swallowed it and immediately slipped back under his robes again.
"Delicious!"
"Glad to hear it, but tell me, how do you chew? If I remember correctly, snakes usually swallow food whole." Severus asked with mild interest, mostly to distract himself, because he still had a whole day to think it over.
"It is not difficult. I use my tongue to help, holding the food and biting. It is uncomfortable, but I am used to it," Nagini answered calmly in her mind. She emerged again and took another piece. "You should eat too."
"I would gladly." Severus glanced at the deer, the dog, and the rat in the corner, all of them staring at him with open fury. "What do you think of venison stew?"
"Severus, do not dirty your hands with them. They are idiots. Do not pay attention."
He could not help smiling as he stroked Nagini's head with a finger.
I'm not talking about them. I wouldn't feed that rotten meat to pigs, not even stray pigs. I mean normal venison. The day before yesterday, I asked Toby to buy some good meat. After all, it's New Year's. We should spoil the children with something tasty and unusual, and the Headmaster didn't refuse my gift. Lately, funding has been very tight because of this war. After that, Nagini looked at him strangely.
"And you still call me a cunning one. You should be ashamed, mister!" They both glanced at the deer.
Nearby, Regulus watched with interest as Severus fed Nagini. Judging by the emotions on his face, Severus seemed to be communicating with her. Nagini herself behaved oddly, too, as if she understood their speech. Sometimes Regulus would say something stupid, and it seemed to him that Nagini looked at him with contempt or hissed as if she were laughing at him. It was too strange, and he felt embarrassed to ask.
What is it?
Severus asked, noticing Regulus's thoughtful stare. "Just thinking. Never mind me," Regulus said quickly with a crooked smile. Severus shook his head and went back to feeding Nagini, also eating. Nothing beat a house-elf's cooking.
After breakfast and a great deal of persuasion from Nagini, Severus finally agreed to rest. Lessons were canceled for the holiday, and he had promised to give Regulus some attention, to assess his progress with that spell and how much his energy foundation had improved, since his strength and casting speed depended on it.
Regulus did not disappoint him. He had truly given one hundred and twenty percent. In only a few months, he had risen from apprentice to novice master, managing to form two spears and nearly completing a third, despite having no affinity for fire at all, which spoke volumes about his talent.
In his opinion, Regulus could reach Middle Master rank by the end of the fifth year, and by seventh year he might even reach High rank. But even then, Regulus would hardly compare to the professors. Even if their cores were on the same level, the difference in experience was far too great. Of course, there were exceptions, like himself. At the Archmage rank in his past life, he had personally killed a dozen Great Archmages, and at the Master rank, using Dark Flame, he had destroyed an Archmage with a material core, shocking many. Then the hunt for him began, and his name spread across the kingdom.
After lunch, leaving Regulus alone to study a new spell he'd recently created using runes from this world, Severus left the room and wandered through the castle. The corridors were decorated with garlands, wreaths of holly and mistletoe, and all sorts of toys, brooms, hats, and stars.
This time, he wasn't looking for anything. He was simply walking with Nagini. From the Astronomy Tower, there was a beautiful view of the snow-dusted grounds and rooftops, and the glowing village not far from Hogwarts. In the center stood a huge Christmas tree decorated with toys and garlands, and happy children ran around it while cheerful adult wizards looked on.
A festive mood filled the castle, even though the civil war hadn't ended. Still, no one wanted to think about that today.
Shortly before seven, Severus left the tower and headed down to the Great Hall. Several Slytherins joined him on the way, along with Regulus, all of them especially excited because Severus had taught Regulus another powerful spell. Regulus could hardly wait to go home tomorrow and start practicing.
They reached the hall ten minutes before dinner. Most of the professors and the Headmaster were already seated, and the students were gradually taking their places.
A few minutes later, soft music began to play, and food appeared on the tables. The main dish, of course, was turkey, the traditional Christmas meal, and beside it lay steaks, ribs, brisket, tenderloin, and other cuts of deer meat. There were also salads, fruit, and juice.
The students and some of the teachers were surprised, but the meal began quickly enough.
In the corner, a deer sat at a small table with his minions, a dog and a rat, and they were also having dinner. James did not understand why he felt a faint disgust at the sight of beef. He had never felt that before. Still, he forced himself to take a bite and was surprised to find it delicious. The meat was tender, with a strange, specific scent that only sharpened his appetite.
Strange meat. I've eaten beef plenty of times, but why is this tougher than usual and tastier?
His friends weren't far behind. They eagerly attacked the food, ignoring the turkey, because they ate turkey every year anyway, often on holidays, and this beef looked much tastier and smelled wonderful.
Dinner passed peacefully. The students chatted cheerfully. Finally, Potter finished the ribs, and he would have smiled in satisfaction if he could. But the next moment, the bones vanished from his plate, surprising him. He was even pleased, thinking dessert would finally appear.
"As soon as I get home, I will ask Father to find that bastard who did this to us," he thought. But for some reason, as he thought about it, he kept looking at Severus, who was smiling and talking with Regulus. He's definitely connected to this somehow. And according to Lily, that bastard is interested in Dark Magic. I need to remember to tell Father so he deals with him.
Then, lost in thought, he noticed the dessert had finally arrived, and his heart nearly stopped. A deer's head sat on his plate, an apple stuffed in its mouth, steam rising from the cooked flesh. It had no eyes or fur, just two olives where the eyes should have been.
He reached to fling it away in panic, but the apple and olives fell out, and the head grinned like a demon.
Horror danced in Potter's eyes, and in Sirius's and Pettigrew's too, for they could not look away as it squirmed.
"I hope you enjoyed my meat," a quiet voice said. Their blood froze, for it had come from the head. "And now I want to eat. EEEAT!" It opened its toothless mouth and flew at James. James froze in place, and then his eyes rolled back. With a dull thud he collapsed onto the floor, unconscious, foam spilling from his mouth.
At the same moment, Sirius howled and lunged at the head to protect his best friend. Pettigrew, like a real rat, jumped off the table and fled in terror toward the professors.
The braying drew the other students' attention, and they stared at the bizarre scene in bewilderment: a deer lying on the floor foaming at the mouth, a dog tearing apart a turkey, and a rat sitting in a salad, squeaking at a tomato. It was surreal, especially once they realized these were not animals, but people.
Noticing the commotion, Dumbledore rose from the table and hurried over to the animals.
He noticed the stag's head lying on a plate at once, then looked down at Potter.
"Madam Pomfrey, please examine him," Dumbledore said with a tired sigh. Looking at the rat and the dog, he immediately understood why they were acting that way, and with a flick of his wand, he immobilized them.
Sirius blinked, then stared at the turkey in confusion.
"Calm down, Mr. Black. Everything is all right."
At the same time, Nagini narrowed her eyes and looked at Severus, who smiled calmly as he drank his juice, ignoring the commotion in the hall.
"Want some?" Severus asked, offering her a piece of venison. Nagini stared at him for a few more seconds, then swallowed it in one gulp. "More?" he cut off another piece. Nagini ate it just as quickly and finally looked away. "What a cunning one."
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