"From Hell to Heaven" (Severus/Lily) M/E
From Hell to Heaven
Chapter 13: Of Punishments and Pranks
Severus and Lily spent a few hours in an empty classroom, practising spells. They started with a spell that changed hair colour. It caused Severus some difficulties, but with Lily’s help he mastered the spell. Then they worked on defensive spells and jinxes they had been studying in Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Severus shared with Lily many useful tips he had found in a few of the books Dumbledore lent him. Finally, they practised the Patronus Charm, but once again neither of them could conjure more than a silver mist. Severus especially struggled; no matter what happy memory he summoned, it refused to stay in his mind. It slipped away, momentarily replaced by memories of his father or Potter, or by anxious predictions of the upcoming trial.
When evening came, they went down for dinner. They stayed in the Great Hall, eating and talking, long enough that they were the last ones to leave, ushered away by the irritated House-elf who wanted to start cleaning the Hall. Lily didn’t want to leave Severus alone, but the time had come for them to separate and go to their own common rooms.
Chapter 14: Before the Trial
Severus had never been a big fan of Christmas. When he was a child, before Hogwarts, Christmas wasn’t much different from any other day. There was no Christmas tree, no presents, no special dinner. Sometimes if Tobias felt generous enough, he gave Eileen some money so she could cook something better than usual. What Severus hated the most about Christmas, and what his father loved the most, was the fact that Christmas Day was a day off from work. And that meant that Tobias didn’t have to wait until his shift ended to start drinking. He would open the first bottle right after breakfast and would continue drinking until the late evening, ignoring Eileen’s pleas to stop and spend some family time with her and their son. The day would end either with Tobias falling asleep in front of TV or with him finding some bizarre reason to start a fight with Eileen which more often than not resulted in Eileen and Severus getting hurt.
Severus had only one fond memory of Christmas from his early childhood. He was seven and his father tried to quit drinking. Tobias was sober for two months (he would last four and would never try it again) and because he wasn’t spending money on alcohol, he had enough to buy ingredients for a proper Christmas dinner and a toy car for Severus. It was the only gift Severus had ever got from his father.
The Christmas holidays at Hogwarts were much nicer. The grounds and the surrounding mountains looked picturesque under the heavy fall of snow, and the castle was always stunningly decorated. There was plenty of food, there were no rows and violence (to Severus’s great relief, Potter and his gang always spent the Christmas break at their homes), and every year Severus got a small present from Lily and her parents. The only downside was the fact that Lily almost always returned home for Christmas (she had stayed at Hogwarts once in second year to see how Christmas was celebrated in a magical castle). Severus felt a bit lonely without her, but overall he liked the Christmas break: the freedom to explore the almost empty castle, and plenty of free time to enjoy his favourite books in the peaceful common room.
Severus had often dreamt about Christmas spent with a loving family. But the first holidays he spent with his new family exceeded even his wildest dreams. Even though it was spent in a Muggle household, it felt like the most magical thing.
