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It was pretty unorthodox to be wandering Hogwarts late at night, and especially down in the school dungeons, but you were on a mission. You couldn’t stand to see someone alone or unhappy at Christmas. So, you may have collected a few rare potion ingredients, most of which were seriously weird and gross, and planned on anonymously giving them to Professor Snape for Christmas. That was the plan, anyway.
The plan first went wrong after you snuck into his office. He'd been on his way out and not knowing what spell unlocked his door, you just sort of dived in unnoticed. What you didn’t realize was that you’d be locked in. You sat the ingredients on his desk and found a piece of paper to write a little note. This would be your last year at Hogwarts and the last Christmas you could spend here, so you were trying to make it as memorable as possible.
After writing your note saying, "Everyone could use a little Christmas gift. –Your loyal student" you made sure the things were where he could easily see them and headed for the door. That’s when you discovered you were trapped. You tried dozens if not hundreds of spells after that. You just couldn’t seem to find the right one. So, here you were, trapped in Snape's office, probably until morning when he came back. Might as well make yourself at home for the night.
Several hours passed before you gave up all hope of figuring your way out and of a miraculous rescue. Instead, you resigned yourself to your fate and got comfortable in one of the chairs. At least it was dark, so that you could get some sleep. And sleep you did. You were out like a light in minutes.
You’d told yourself you’d only take a short nap. A few hours tops. You needed to be awake before Snape came back and realized what had happened. That was not to be. You slept the whole night through and did not wake by the time Snape entered his office the following day. He quietly surveyed you asleep in the chair and then took notice of the presents left on his desk. He had been planning on startling you awake and giving you some sort of punishment. He would if it were anyone else, but not you. You intrigued him. You’d always been a good student, but it wasn’t just that, and the gifts left on his desk proved that. You cared. Your note was enough to tell him that your caring was genuine and not some juvenile prank like what he’d come to expect from most students.
Snape walked over to you and gently brushed some of your hair out of your face. You felt the light touch and woke up. Startled, and a bit confused, it took you a moment to remember where you were. And then you looked at him. You quickly went into a rambling apology. "I’m so sorry, I know I never should have come in here, but all I wanted was to spread a little Christmas cheer to those who needed it the most and I sort of got myself locked in here. I’m sorry."
"It was a very generous gift," Snape said, not even a hint of the expected anger or agitation in his voice. "I won’t ask where you acquired it all." You smiled at him with a hint of guilt in the expression. It truly hadn’t been easy to get some of the stuff you gave him. "Thank you," he said, and that was your cue to leave. You got out of the chair and paused after you stood. Then you made a bold move. You hugged him. And awkwardly, he hugged you back.
"Happy Christmas, Professor," you said before letting him go, and walking out of his office.