3Immediately after the Battle of Hogwarts, the School and its students have decided to celebrate Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom's Birthday together at the Great Hall. Though the school is under repairs, the students and the faculty members are also expecting the return of the Spy who lived on the same day. What would Severus Snape say or worse do if he finds out there is a party to honor the three of them?
Disclaimer: The regular disclaimer still stays in place, I owe nothing but the AU and OC. The rest belongs to JKR. My mind lives in the Harry Potter fanfiction world though my body is still thankfully anchored in the monotonous reality of existence. My themes, plotline, and storyline may, therefore, get indirectly influenced by many of the brilliant fanfiction writers on this site. And I humbly bow to such creative genius who give me much needed literary pleasures to see through the toils of mundane life.
Lastly, I would like to thank Hermione's Nook admins to tempt me into thinking out of the box. Reviews would encourage this introvert writer to peep out of her literary closet. Part of Harry and Neville's birthday celebration.
Birthdays and Missing Hairbrushes
" 2nd May the wizarding world heaved a sigh of relief with Neville Longbottom swinging the Gryffindor's sword slicing the pet, Nagini into two and Harry Potter disarming the master with a precise Expelliarmus... " come to think of it, seriously with Skeeter in Azkaban, Daily Prophet now prints digestible news," Seamus Finnigan quipped from the far side of the Great Hall. They eat and slept there since it was repaired. The school was currently closed for repairs after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the students had stayed back to help the faculty with the tedious job.
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and other residents of the castle were excited. Severus Snape was alive, healed up, and exonerated by Wizengamot. Minerva McGonagall had sworn at Dumbledore's grave, she would bring Hogwarts rightful Headmaster back to the castle even if she had to drag him back by his scuffs, "All these years, lying on my face, Severus, you will have to pay for that, I am telling you. Don't you dare say no to this offer!" As the witch breathed heavily and beside her Bellatrix Slayer, Molly Weasley was grinding her teeth, turning red with the passing second. The man had given up convincing those two, then and there. He was supposed to return to Hogwarts on 31st July.
"So Harry and Neville, gifts! Tell us what would you like to have?" Ginny asked excitedly. Harry just said," Peace!" and Neville stretched his arms, muttering," honestly, I wish to hide somewhere, I am getting too many unhealthy fan mails," turning to Granger, he begged," Please Mione can you invent a spell, to dispose of those explicit ones' …" George and Fred protested," dispose of them, Merlin! Are you insane, grow up! Hermione, darling dearest, we got a better idea, why don't we bind them together into a fancy book and gift it back to Longbottom on his next birthday!" The twins now were once again identical, each without a left ear.
Neville groaned as the whole group burst out laughing. Soon everyone was suggesting insane gifts to give each other on their upcoming birthdays. Even the Creeveys shared, how they found the house-elves bribing Argus Filch with a catnip and muggle cat food for Mrs Norris, during Umbridge's Reign of Terror.
Both Harry and Neville slept beside each other, as the others were still planning their surprise birthday party. Watching them wistfully, propped up on their elbows, Neville mused," Never thought I would see this day." Harry smiled as he watched Ginny sleeping beside the Patils," Neither did I, Neville. Neither did I."
The boy added," Harry, Snape is a strange man." Harry cocked his head, replied airily," the word 'strange' hardly does him any justice." Longbottom hummed," Yeh, he kept saving us from Carrows! Unbelievable. "
Sitting up, facing his friend, Harry nodded," I won't have believed that either if I had not witnessed his death…" he trailed off thinking the rest should be kept as a secret. The world is a better place without people talking about the personal life of a very private and guarded man.
Dean Thomas and Ron returned. Sliding into their sleeping bags, they joined into the conversation," Snape is an enigma, end of the story," Thomas yawned. Ron was still reeling with those wacky ideas he had heard previously. He hunched forward and whispered conspiratorially," I know Harry, his classmates gave him a tough time, but seriously, did that man ever receive any gifts on his birthday?"
Blaise Zabini had been listening to their conversation all along from the opposite row. He popped his head up and drawled," We gave him cards and chocolates. Draco told us, his Godfather loved chocolates. But alas, he gave them away to the house-elves. I found that a bit Grangerish if you ask me. It is almost like thanking them."
Harry thought a bit and explained," well, muggles sometimes do that, donate, feed the poor and stuff like that on their birthdays."
Justin Finch-Fletchley mumbled, half asleep, beside Zabini," And house-elves would make chocolate desserts throughout the following weeks to make sure the professor was having a few of his presents. So chocolates as a birthday present is a huge nay." Fred and George crawled beside the small group and grinned," How about gifting hairbrushes, boys? That man is badly in need of one!" several groaned aloud except for one.
As predicted, on 31st July the great hall was teeming with young people dancing and singing. The Hogwarts Kitchen had outdone themselves. The students had decorated the whole place in the honour of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom and also to welcome the Headmaster back.
The Birthday boys had their eyes glued to the hall entrance. They had decided not to cut the cake without Severus Snape. Professor McGonagall and Molly Weasley had gone to fetch the man and would be back any minute now.
There was only one glitch. Everyone had managed to dress up as decently as possible, only they could do nothing about their hair. No spell could tame those unruly strands. Every single comb and hairbrush had vanished overnight! The Twins were thoroughly grilled by one livid McGonagall but in vain.
The door parted with a bang and the Severus Snape stood at the threshold. The Great Hall went quiet, but for 'weird sisters' crooning from the gramophone. The students gulped as both Harry and Neville followed by Ron and Hermione walked up to him. Then suddenly Peeves appeared from nowhere, wailing aloud, dragging a big sack behind him.
The poltergeist dropped it on Snape's feet and hugged his long legs," Headmaster Severus Snape, the greatest spy, savior of these Birthday Boys, accept my gift of appreciation. These dunderheads forgot your return gifts, but Peeves remembered!" The sack disappeared and a heap of hairbrushes of all colors and sizes tumbled over the dour man's dragonhide boots. For the rest of their lives, the two men would remember the most wonderful gift they ever received, Severus Snape laughing aloud then hugging both of them together, to whisper into their ears," Happy Birthday."
A/N: I always wondered how did Peeves getaway, with someone like Snape, around. If that man was ever onto something he would make sure to teach his victim a fitting lesson. With the war, the Dark Lord, and the Carrows breathing down his neck, Surely Snape didn't have time to address the 'Peeves' issue. And now that he is free from those shackles- who gets sentenced to the gallows or worse trapped in a charmed potion vial- obviously Peeves. :D
