A Gift For a Hag

Chapter 36: The Very First Valentine's Day

(Extra Chapter)

A little something special for the holiday…no, it is just I can't leave a Gift for a Hag alone…love it too much! Unfortunately, I was unable to post for a while due to the busies….

It was not a pleasant sight to take in on such a beautiful afternoon. Truly a blight among the other lovely sites he saw. The birds sang their song back and forth, sound trilled throughout the air as if it was some competition for beauty of song. Sprout's gardens bloomed in a riot of colors, bright yellow, red, magenta, orange, purple….and then there was the monster that plowed through them.

Such a pity… The dark boots walked swiftly as the hem of the cloak trailed behind. Professor Snape noted with derision that the creature in view paused to bend down to grasp a particularly lovely bloom from the side. Why Sprout hadn't fenced in magically this garden to keep out such ungodly creations, he would never know. The monster rose again slowly and kept on. It left the garden to enter a side door of Hogwarts castle, moving quickly now to barge through the hallowed and stately gallery that led to the Great Hall of Hogwarts Castle. There were other ways to go, but this was shorter.

Well…. he thought, Vector had to get to her office somehow one would imagine.

He was angry. This would take him all day, up until the time he decided that he would stealthily enter the monster's office to avoid it to fulfill his unfortunate obligation to the staff grab bag. No need to take in the unsightly creature. He had had his fill for the day.

Sometimes, the Headmaster simply asked too much of him.

He couldn't decide how to wrap it. He hated pink and red, but they were the color scheme that coincided with this blasted holiday after all. Either way he lost. Pink was nauseating and red denoted love. Neither would do. And he thought white meant friendship and that would not do either. He sighed in annoyance, his mind now made up. Green for Slytherin house…too bad if she didn't like it.

The rest was easy. Silver ribbons, also Slytherin. And now the next troubling hurdle. What to write in the card enclosed. Dear Dunderhead… he started…Dear, you do know you are not and never will be my valentine, is that agreed? Dear monster, suspected vampire, confirmed hag as of yet….

He abandoned all. Dumbledore would have something to say about it. And then he would continue to insinuate and say more that Professor Snape just didn't want to hear if he desired to keep down his lunch.

He just went with To Vector, From Your Mentor….

Was it enough. Enjoy your holiday. Clearly I cancelled this out for myself when I agreed to uphold my duty and honor my obligation by bestowing any kind of gift I procured on you.

Too wordy, perhaps?

And he could kill his owl, Charon, who went off and got some type of stomach virus. He could have made his master's life easy and just delivered the damned thing. Now he had too.

He left the Room of Requirement and entered the hallway quietly but not before evanescoing the gift temporarily in order to retrieve it the very second he broke in to her office.

Happy Valentine's Day Professor, Vector…he almost smiled.

He made his way to her office near the Ravenclaw common room. He looked around but the halls were quiet. He was about to retrieve his wand from his cloak when he heard someone say as he faced her locked door.

"Oh, Professor Snape. She is not there. She went out for the afternoon with Professor Sinistra."

"How nice," drawled Snape, as he rolled his eyes with intense loathing. He swiveled to face Professor Flitwick and hoped he didn't look guilty.

Flitwick noticed that he made no motion to leave.

"Don't forget that it is Valentine's Day and the single members of the staff are sure to be out and about. Ah, such good times I had in my youth…" His giggle made Snape slightly nauseous.

Snape didn't want to know. He was probably the Puddifoots clientele sort. It made him want to throw up even more now.

"Do you….what did you get her?" asked Flitwick cautiously, but he couldn't help but ask.

"Something. Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise…surely she will tell you later…"he gritted his teeth.

"Well, I have Minerva's gift and to tell you truly you may be right. Wouldn't want to spoil anything myself before she receives it." He grinned at Snape.

This wouldn't spoil anything. Not for him. When Vector received this he would never have any chance of having to talk to her again. Certainly Dumbledore would replace him as her mentor. He almost smiled at Flitwick deviously but caught himself. Then again his ingenuity clearly surprised himself at times.

"Well, see you later Professor Snape. What a lovely girl. You chose from the Sorting Hat well."

Snape nodded and made his escape. He wished to ask him if he felt all right. The creature was a nuisance, dumb, and not attractive in the least. Really, was long dark waves and purplish blue eyes really that appealing? He had better see Madam Pomfrey truly.

He walked back down to the dungeons in frustration. This monster was trying his patience as usual without even being present. He had to think of some other way to deliver the gift.

And then it hit him. And then he thought, no…far too risky. But then he thought of another spell. It could work. He had never tried it recently. He could pass through the door and also be concealed with a rather elaborate and taxing invisibility charm.

So he decided to continue with his plan, raised his wand, thought the spell, and was genuinely satisfied when he could no longer see himself in the mirror, and then turned on the spot.

Now invisible, he used some dark magic and hoped nobody, especially Dumbledore, detected it. He turned into mist, which would be black, had he not used an invisibility charm.

None would be the wiser…he smirked with self-satisfaction.

He reached her office and seeped through the door. When he got through he restored himself to his original self.

Well, she was out with Sinistra, time to investigate…

Her office was airy, with many charts and maps and other items associated with the excuse for a subject she called Arithmancy. She had pictures of family and friends and other items from her travels. He looked at a sofa and rolled his eyes when he saw a stuffed hippogriff doll.

Unbelievable… he muttered to himself, but hardly surprising. She was daft after all…He looked up at the ceiling asking Merlin to give him strength.

On a wall, she had a bookshelf filled with many books on her subject and other subjects, mostly academic and advanced tomes. He swept past and then stopped abruptly. He paused and then walked backwards. He leaned in for a closer look and raised a hand to cover his eyes with disbelief. He inwardly shuddered.

The complete works of Gilderly Lockhart….

He hated her even more now. He could never forgive her for this….maybe being a monster, I mean, one couldn't help that…but never this. Ever!

Disgusted, because he had seen enough, he whipped out the present and laid It on her desk. He looked at it, arranged it, and twisted it around.

He knew he should leave, but for some reason he didn't. He felt something in the pit of his stomach. A twinge, a very slight twinge and he knew unfortunately that it was guilt. Something he rarely felt and certainly not for this creature. How could you sympathize with someone who deliberately and voluntarily either purchased anything Lockhart put out or received it as a gift and allowed that nonsense to grace their bookshelf? He couldn't quite gather how it was possible to overlook this.

Unfathomable…He had always suspected she was unhinged.

He turned and walked toward the door prepared to once again transform, until he flew down to the safety of his dungeons.

He stopped himself and turned back to the desk. Dumbledore would make him buy her something else. He would not see the practicality of a copy of Magical Makeover: Putting Your Best Claw Forward: (Hag's Edition.) It was only to help. Dumbledore would not see it that way. He sighed with regret. Perhaps another time?

Ah, but what to give her then? And then he knew.

And he gave it begrudgingly. She had ruined his view before, but this could help him too. He would never have to see that monster trudging its monster legs through the gardens. He chose a generous dollar amount and then added more. Just being practical….

Trying to avert another assault on his sense of sight, he unmagicked the wrapping paper, pocketed the book, and put the paper on a gift certificate to Florien's Florals, the best flower shop in Hogsmeade.

He grimaced and turned toward the door. He heard the latch. The hag was back!

He went to an old rickety window in the old antique bathroom. It had ventilation slits. He noticed a hippogriff tub floating toy, and he smirked. He transformed and went out of the castle out to the open air.

But unfortunately, he forgot to also use the invisibility charm.

He didn't see the students playing underneath the window until one shouted out.

"What the bloody hell is that? Black mist or smoke… or, er, something coming out of that window. LOOK!"

"Yeah, look…what is that?"

Snape called out, and the students looked around unsure of who was addressing them. They heard a voice but saw no person.

"It is nothing. Just that fool Longbottom messed up a potion again and there was an explosion. No need to worry. Carry on as you were…"

He grinned slightly and headed back to the dungeons. His obligation was fulfilled and he would just have to think of an excuse for next year for the grab bag.

This time he would be better prepared.