Professor Snape hadn't turned up for lunch that day. Or dinner. Or any of the meals the next day. Heather was worried. She didn't have Potions class, so she hadn't seen him since that talk they'd had.
After dinner, Heather walked determinedly to the dungeons. She made a left turn instead of the right which led to the common room and knocked on the heavy oak door.
"Enter," a low voice stated irritably. At least he sounded like his regular irascible self.
The Slytherin Head was sitting at his desk, marking essays. He glanced up at the opening of the door and tensed imperceptibly.
"Miss Potter," he said stiffly, "is there anything I may assist you with?"
He seemed to have recovered from the episode, except for the uncharacteristic courtesy. "Just wanted to check if you were feeling better, sir," Heather answered, allowing her concern to bleed into her voice. She didn't want to risk coming across as mocking.
"Your worries are unfounded," he snapped. Ahh, there it was. "As you can see, my...lapse had no lasting effects." He was staring fixatedly at her face as he said the last few words.
She realised what he was looking for and obligingly said, "Nothing a simple spell couldn't fix, Professor. No lasting effects here either."
His eyes narrowed. "Madam Pomfrey did not inform me that you had gone to her."
Heather smiled wryly. "Like I said – a simple spell," she repeated. "Episkey," she stated as further proof. She was grateful that she knew actual healing spells, courtesy of the school matron. Those monthly visits weren't just spent checking her weight.
The Professor seemed to want to avoid arguing – a first, surely. As such, he made no more mention of the subject. "Unfortunately for you inept adolescents, I remain alive and snarling. Now, you should leave. Surely you need all the time you can spare to maintain those grades of yours," he said dismissively.
Heather almost gaped. Was that insult or...? She smiled brightly and said, "Thank you, sir! Speaking of which I have several questions regarding potions. May I schedule some time to come back?"
He gave that penetrating stare. He was looking at her a lot today. She hadn't realised how much he had avoided her eyes until now. "Next Wednesday," he finally allowed.
Still smiling radiantly, Heather left the office while mentally listing all the questions she'd been unable to find the answers to.
~~~
"Hey Heather?"
"Yes Fred?" Heather hummed distractedly from where she was proofreading George's Potions essay. "Remove this part – there's no such thing as an Eyeball Exploding Potion," she murmured to George.
"What's your brother's favourite colour? I know yours."
"Blue, sapphire blue, to be precise. Why?"
He waved the letter in his hands. "Mum wants to know."
Heather rolled her eyes at the nonsense George had written. She knew he was doing it on purpose. "Rewrite it, George! I didn't spend all that time tutoring you guys for you to get Trolls!" Turning back to Fred, she repeated, "Again, why?"
The boy shrugged. "She didn't say, but I can guess."
While Heather gave a puzzled look, George looked up from his essay and piped in, "Must be for a sweater."
Nodding, Fred said, "Yeah, Mum knits sweaters for everyone at Christmas."
She blinked dumbly. "Christmas sweaters? For me and Rian?"
"Uh huh. You're our bestest friend-" George said casually.
"-and you talk so much about your brother-" Fred continued.
"-that it feels like we know him well too," they completed together.
The Dursleys usually just gave them coal. It would have been far kinder to not have given anything at all rather than purposefully gifting them horrid gifts. But now...a real Christmas present. A hand-knitted sweater.
"You're my very bestest friends too," Heather said in a bid not to sob.
The twins gave her matching unimpressed looks, as if she'd just made a redundant statement. Maybe she had.
"I got you the greatest present ever!" George announced. Heather started in shock.
"Except for mine, of course," Fred said, smiling smugly, "Mine's the best present you'll ever get!"
George glared at his elder brother while Fred smirked at him in challenge. That was enough for George to tackle him and give him a violent noogie.
While the twins were occupied, Heather was panicking inwardly. Presents! That meant that she had to reciprocate! Where would she get them? What would she get them? She knew zilch about the season of giving! All she'd ever given Hadrian were stolen sweets and she didn't think those were exactly appropriate.
"What do people give for presents?" Heather asked casually. "In the wizarding world, I mean," she added hastily.
Without breaking from their scuffle, they answered, "The same as muggles, probably. Things people would enjoy."
Great. That was immensely helpful. They weren't even allowed out of school to shop for presents. Unless she bought them during the Yule Break itself. But then she would only be able to give her presents when school started again.
Heather looked around the room, trying to simply appear bored. Really, though, she was trying to avoid the twins' gazes – they were unexpectedly (or not) shrewd.
Oh look, the bare stone flooring had tiny bits of white in them...
~~~
The weeks leading up to the Yule Break passed by in a flurry of activity, for Heather at least. She hadn't known how difficult thinking of and preparing gifts could be. Between researching the requisite spells and sneaking around the twins, she barely had time to relax. She also exhausted herself keeping up the strong disillusionment in their room so that the twins wouldn't catch an early peek of their present. So when the last day of term arrived, she was ridiculously grateful.
"Hurry up, Fred and George!" Heather exclaimed impatiently.
"Chill, Heather. You're fast for a little sprite." George mock panted as he caught up with her.
"Yeah, where's the dragon?" Fred rolled his eyes.
Stopping outside their room, Heather turned and shyly said, "I'm giving you your presents early. It can't be wrapped." She relaxed slightly when they exchanged gleeful looks. She'd been worried that they wouldn't be happy with that.
"No complaints about getting a gift early from us!"
"Err, but where's our room? The door isn't here 'nymore."
Heather smiled sunnily. "That's part of the present. Place your hands here for a minute," she signalled to a seemingly random spot on the wall, "Good, now hold still."
George and Fred watched with undisguised curiosity as Heather waved her wand in a few slashing motions and muttered a few sentences in Latin. They both shivered when a wave of heat passed through them.
Their curiosity turned to amazement when the stone wall shifted to form a door, not unlike the entrance to Diagon Alley. Both stared, flabbergasted, at the newly-revealed entrance. Heather looked at them expectantly and proclaimed, "Welcome to the Den!"
When it became apparent that they wouldn't be snapping out of their daze anytime soon, Heather jabbed Fred sharply in the ribs. They both jerked and yelped in protest. Hmm, interesting...
"Go on inside! The door's not going to bite."
They reached for the door and it swung open on contact. Heather nudged them none too gently into the room and followed after. Nervously, she waited for them to do something other than their statue impressions.
"Well?" she snapped worriedly, "What do you think?" They didn't look very happy. "Do you guys like it?" Slowly, they shook their heads. Heather felt her face crumple in disappointment and opened her mouth to apologise.
Then Fred and George turned around and shouted, "We love it!"
"How did you do all this?"
"Is this where you've been sneaking off to?"
"It looks amazing!"
"Best present ever!"
Heather chuckled in relief. They liked – no, loved – her gift! She regarded the room with pride. There was a large cherry wood table in the centre of the room surrounded by three wing-backed chairs. A large plush couch sat facing the large window. Trails of honeysuckle wound around a trellis fitted to the frame of the window. A corner of the room had been converted into a mini potions lab, with a tiny fire pit and benchtop. All in all, the room was a far-cry from the completely bare room they had found three months ago.
Settling comfortably on the sofa, she watched the twins prod at the new additions. She would have to thank Mipsy again for her directing her to the rooms with abandoned furniture. All the effort she had put into repairing the furniture, setting up the wards and cultivating the stubborn honeysuckle was worth it.
~~~
"Wake up, Heather!" Hadrian bounced excitedly around the cupboard. "It's Christmas!"
Heather blinked sleepily and tugged her energetic brother back onto their tiny cot. She placed a light kiss on his forehead and mumbled, "M'rry Christmas, Rian."
Heather was once again back in the Cupboard Under the Stairs at Number 4 Privet Drive. Hadrian had jumped on her almost as soon as she'd arrived. He looked much healthier, no longer stick-thin. He had even grown a little. She supposed regular meals would do that to a person. They'd spent most of their time cuddled together (not much of an option, what with the space they were allowed) and talking. No matter that they had exchanged daily letters, it was no substitute for actually being together.
"Don't you wanna open your presents, Heather?" Hadrian cajoled.
"Rian, it's not even five yet." At his pouting look, she gave in. "Okay, okay. I'm up." He cheered and retrieved the presents from her trunk.
There were only a handful of packages, certainly much fewer than the haul Dudley was sure to get again this year. Nevertheless, they were immensely grateful; this was the first time they had anything to unwrap.
"Here, open this one," Heather said, handing one of two lumpy presents to her brother. She opened the other one and promptly put it on.
Eyeing her brother, she saw that he too was swathed in the large woollen sweater. His was a beautiful sapphire blue with a white 'H' in the front. Hers was exactly the same in inverted colours.
"Wow, this is really warm. Mrs Weasley knits really well," Hadrian said as he snuggled further into the comfortable material. Heather nodded her agreement and gestured to the remaining presents. Both were neon orange with sparkly silver ribbons.
Each of them reached for one to unwrap. When Heather saw the contents of her box, she gasped in delight. A short note accompanied the gift and she read it out for Rian.
Dear Heather
Don't harp at us about spending too much on the present. We just fixed up an old one Dad had lying about the house.
Happy Christmas!
Gred and Forge
Heather picked up her gleaming wizarding camera with reverent hands. She noticed that someone (probably Fred), had inscribed on it a pattern of tiny white heather flowers.
"Oh, this makes much more sense now," Hadrian said, holding up a book. "It's a never-ending photo album." The cover of the album had the same heather pattern embossed on it. There was already a picture of the twins wearing Santa costumes inside it.
She carefully set the camera and album down to admire later. They had two more presents left. She beckoned her brother over and handed him a plain leather-bound book and a wooden box.
She pointed to the box first. Rian opened the clasps carefully and gasped at the contents. Rows upon rows of tiny phials filled with liquids of varying colours filled the box. He picked one up to look at more closely.
"They're basic nutrition potions," Heather answered her brother's unasked question. "I tried to make them taste like various desserts but the book says the downside is that it really lowers their effectiveness. Hence the number of phials."
Hadrian peered closer at the potions. They were carefully labelled 'pumpkin pudding', 'chocolate cake', 'vanilla ice cream' and many more. His eyes lit up in anticipation.
"Only one per day, Rian," Heather said firmly, "At most. And they're not substitutes for actual meals either." Her brother pouted but agreed.
Heather indicated the book next. "Flip it open, Rian." Eagerly, he turned the cover over. Pages and pages were filled with the nightly letters the siblings had exchanged the past few months. The letter log read like a book, detailing their thoughts and experiences these past few months.
Facing his sister, Hadrian said wetly, "You collated all our letters into a book? You kept all my letters?"
"Of course I did! And you did too; how do you think I made this?" Heather said, waving to the book in question. "You can add future letters to the book using magic."
Hadrian hugged his sister and thanked her enthusiastically. "Thanks, Heather! This is the greatest Christmas ever!"
The second photo in the album was of the Potter siblings, both wearing matching sweaters and beaming smiles.