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The December weather had turned bitterly cold, with howling winds and snowflakes once again swirling outside, battering the frosted windowpanes. The surface of the Black Lake had long since frozen solid, glimmering with an iron-blue chill.
Christmas was fast approaching. Hagrid's towering figure was bustling about in the Great Hall, single-handedly hauling in twelve fresh Christmas trees with a series of grunts and heaves. The staircases were wrapped in lush green holly and shimmering tinsel; everlasting candles flickered inside the helmets of suits of armor; and every few steps along the corridors, great bunches of mistletoe hung like clusters of tiny bells, swaying gently in the breeze.
"Old Sluggy's Christmas party didn't invite you?" Patrick Abbott asked, his face full of surprise.
They were trudging through patches of vegetable plots, their boots crunching on the wind-hardened soil as they made their way toward the greenhouses.
Patrick glanced sideways at Snape, smirking. "Guess he's finally seen through your wicked nature."
"Indeed," Snape replied with a smug air, "which is why I've decided to spend the entire day with you, dragging you into the inescapable abyss."
"No way—" Patrick's eyes widened dramatically as he waved a hand in protest. "You know I've got plans!"
"No matter," Snape said with a sly grin. "I'll just lurk nearby, keeping an eye on you both."
Patrick shot Snape a withering look, letting out a soft huff through his nose before quickening his pace.
The week-long gales had finally died down today, but that eerie, thick fog had returned. It took them longer than usual to grope their way through the mist to the greenhouse where their lesson was held.
"Seriously, though," Patrick said, lowering his voice, "are you really planning to spend Christmas alone?"
They were gathered around the gnarled stump of a Snargaluff plant, preparing to put on protective gloves. The Snargaluff was part of their term's curriculum.
As Patrick slipped on his gloves, he jerked his chin toward Pandora, who was standing nearby, carefully fastening a sap-resistant face shield.
"I'll invite her to join us," Snape said, his voice muffled through his own protective shield.
"I swear, you won't find me that day—ow!" Patrick grumbled, but in his haste to put on his protective goggles, he let go too quickly. The strap snapped back, smacking him hard on the eye socket.
"Careful, mate," Snape said with mock sympathy, letting out a long sigh. "Madam Pomfrey can't fix a ruined eyeball. If you lose it, you'll have to settle for a magical one—"
"No more talking!" Professor Sprout's voice cut through, sharp and stern, as she strode over. "You're falling behind. The other students have already started—Pandora's got a pod already!"
They turned to look. Sure enough, Pandora was sitting there, lips bloodied, her face scratched with several red welts that looked rather alarming. Yet she was staring with keen interest at the nauseating, wriggling thing in her hands—a pod the size of a grapefruit, squirming relentlessly.
"Right, Professor, we're on it!" Patrick called.
As Professor Sprout turned away, Patrick leaned in and whispered urgently to Snape, "I take it back. If you two spend the whole Christmas together, I'm afraid the next time I see you, you'll be lying in pieces in a wooden box."
"Enough, let's get to it…" Snape rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Don't forget, my protective charms are better than Professor Grubbly-Plank's by now."
They took a few deep breaths and dove into tackling the knotted, gnarled stump. The Snargaluff reacted instantly, like a monster startled awake. Long, thorny vines shot out from its top, whipping through the air with a menacing whoosh.
One of the vines snagged Patrick's hair, but Snape quickly swatted it back with a pair of pruning shears. Patrick managed to grab two vines, yanking them together and tying them into a knot. Amid the writhing, tentacle-like branches, a small opening finally appeared. Snape seized the chance, thrusting his arm into the hole. The opening clamped shut like a mousetrap, biting down on his elbow.
Patrick tugged and twisted the vines with all his might, forcing the opening to widen again. Snape yanked his arm free, clutching a pod like the one Pandora had extracted.
Instantly, the thorny vines retracted, and the gnarled stump lay still, lifeless as a piece of dead wood.
"Cough," Patrick choked, coughing a few times before recovering. "How did she manage that on her own? That's terrifying."
"Good question," Snape said, eyeing the wriggling, pale-green, caterpillar-like pod in his hand with disdain. "I've always wondered how her experiments actually work."
"It makes no sense," he continued. "She can make sage fiercer than a Venomous Tentacula."
"Don't just stand there—squeeze the juice out while it's fresh for the best quality!" Professor Sprout's voice rang out again as she patrolled the greenhouse, urging the students on.
"I've never seen…" Patrick resumed their interrupted conversation, gripping the pod with both hands and squeezing with all his strength to force the juice into a bowl. "I'll admit, after seeing her experiments last time, I've never seen a witch or wizard do what she does. It's a bit scary."
"If you saw more, wouldn't that be even scarier?" Snape replied, flipping through Flesh-Eating Trees of the World to find the proper method for juicing Snargaluff pods. "Stop struggling with it. Look here—we need to pierce them with something sharp."
"Hand me that, Sev," Patrick said, taking the pruning shears Snape passed him. "Oh, by the way, I heard after the holidays, we'll get to take Apparition lessons with an instructor from the Ministry. You interested?"
"Of course," Snape said eagerly. "I wish time would move faster. I turn seventeen on January ninth."
"I'm in March," Patrick said, setting down his pod. "That means we can both take the training."
"How brilliant would that be?" Patrick snapped his fingers, mimicking a disappearance, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Once I've learned, I can go wherever I want in Hogsmeade on weekends…"
"Yeah," Snape said, lost in thought. "We'll be able to go anywhere, and the Trace will be gone…"
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