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'Sit down, sit down ya old chap', Hagrid said light-heartedly and pointed at the big and very worn-out looking sofa next to the fireplace. 'And don't ya dare protest', he added, when Severus as always tried to insist that a simple chair was enough. 'It's yer birthday today an' I like my honoured guests to get an honourable spot in my modest home. Even tho' I must say it don't look that honourable', and his cheeks blushed slightly.
Severus chuckled, voice filled with amusement. "It's completely fine, Rubeus. I wholeheartedly appreciate your thoughtfulness.' Hagrid beamed. 'Very well! So let's get started then!' 'You have my full presence and attention', Severus replied, a small yet relaxed smile on his lips.
If any of the pupils would have seen him in this moment, they'd probably consider it a very unsettling hallucination, but contrary to popular belief Severus knew how to smile. Or be in good spirits. He simply preferred to save his better moods for the ones who really mattered to him. Those who had earned his respect and trust. There weren't many he could count among them. And it took a rather long while for him to let those individuals in, to be allowed to peek behind his steel-hard walls of emotional occlumency, guarded by an additional level of confusing pretence. An outsider - and almost everyone was considered as such by Severus - would get lost in this fog of role-playing before running into the said walls and losing any last desire to find out what lay behind. And Severus was completely at peace with that, just as he was sitting here in Hagrid's hut, preparing to play the traditional card-game which his slightly sweating and highly concentrated comrade was now laying out on the wooden table.
Absentmindedly, Severus took a careless sip from his steaming mug of apple cider with a generous portion of elf wine in it and hissed, throat burning fiercely. Hagrid looked up, confused, then popped his tongue. 'Master Snape, yer bein' inattentive. I fear yer gonna eat way more cake tonight than appropriate... Patience, lad, it's gonna cool down soon. Who would've known yer so eager to drink that cider.' Severus glared at him for a second, but said nothing. He knew he was getting lost in his mind once again, something he very, very rarely allowed himself and therefore became easily distracted by the friendly, warm, laid-back atmosphere, lulling him into a state of welcoming comfort. The only dreadful thought he still had to put up an effort to shield his consciousness from was the fear of a sudden Summons from either of his masters, interrupting the game. The wine most definitely assisted him to master this challenge, and Hagrid knew it, and every sip from the mug was Severus' wordless expression of gratitude.
Severus sighed quietly, then focused his eyes on the by now sorted cards on the table. 'There we go', said Hagrid, taking cards into his hands and looking at Severus expectantly. 'Yer first, birthday boy.' His counterpart rolled his eyes and stole a quick look at the side of the table, where a giant, slightly messy chocolate cake was placed on a plate, a huge knife next to it. 'Don't look at it like that!', Hagrid warned, 'I won't have any excuses this time! Yer skinnier than a bloody Thestral!'
Severus rolled his eyes again and sighed, smirking nonetheless. One had to muster a lot of patience in order not to get irritated quickly by Hagrid's remarks. But the man had a point. Last year had been a very exhausting one for him. Too many sleepless nights, too much energy spent at saving Potter's skin and the Dark Lord hadn't been too easy with him either.
'Alright, Rubeus. I promise', he said and made his first move. Hagrid looked content.
Soon enough they had fully immersed themselves in the game, with each one of them having had at least two pieces of the said cake as both of them had already managed to lose a match. There were still many hours left till midnight when they would bid each other goodnight and Severus would walk up to the castle, moving a little clumsily while his stomach would attempt to process the unusually large amount of food and wine.
The fire burned happily in the fireplace and for one evening in a year, Severus could indulge himself in the few moments of a mundane idyll, pretending this illusion of peace was something easily attained and enjoyed, without the need to have any second thoughts.