#this idiot got everything eone amd ready and then mom came 'take a walk' and i just up qnd wemt and so is 6 hours late xD

[deepperplexity]

Prompt: 16. Keep Warm [B5]

Pairing: Snape x Fem!OC

POV: First, OC

Setting: Hideout Cabin somewhere in Scottland

Continuation of: Prompt 2. Restless Waiting, 3. Snowballing, 7. Stormy Reunion & 8. Rosemary For Holly

A/N: It's Saturday and we're really digging in on the second half of Rickmas2023 now! As you probably remember I'm celebrating the first of three Christmas events this weekend so this fic is a bit shorter and I'm afraid there is a bit of a cliff at the end 👀 But, it's Snape time and even if he's not a lot in today's fic I'm hoping you will enjoy the build-up, after all, getting closer to real Christmas so I'm certainly feeling some building excitement over here 🤭👏

Tags/TW’s: Worry, Light Anxiety, Waiting, Being Alone, Receiving Gifts, Potion Drinking, Loss Of Bodily Control, Wishing For One's SO

Word Count: 1.6k+

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Over a week had passed since I last saw him. Every day that passed my heart hurt worse. I caught myself wishing I'd never decorated for him, had never stayed and waited for him, had never tried to get close to him. The hurt of now knowing he felt for me as I did for him was almost too much to carry, waking each day wondering where he was, going to sleep each night hoping he’d return but never falling asleep knowing it would happen. He hadn’t told me how long to stay, when he’d be back, or even if he would return at all.

“Christmas is turning out to be horrible this year…” I muttered to myself as I shoved my feet into the too-big boots to fetch wood from the shed behind the cottage. I don’t have to stay, I could just leave… But of course, I wouldn’t do that. I would wait for him, stay hidden as he wished, and hope he’d come for me one day. I busied myself as best I could with upgrading the cottage, stuffing cracks with old rips of sheets, covering the creaky and cold floors with rugged mats I'd found in the attic, and even washing every piece of cutlery and china I could get my chilled hands on in the old kitchen. I did everything the muggle way, to make it take longer and drain my energy so my mind wouldn’t spin.

I grabbed the door’s handle and a swoosh filled the air, but it came from behind me. As I spun around I saw nothing at all.

“Down here, miss,” a squeaky voice said and my eyes lowered to the floor by the sofa. An elf in the strangest of clothing stood all proud and smiley with the biggest set of eyes trained on me.

“H-Hello,” I said while turning to face the little creature. “And who might you be?”

“Dobby, miss. A free elf,” he said, all proud and sweet-looking.

“Hello, Mr Dobby,” I said with a slightly confused smile. the little elf gasped and seemed to melt with emotions by my knees; a rather adorable sight with those big eyes of his and the raising of his wobbly ears.

“Here with goods, miss.”

“Goods?”

“Yes, miss. Dobby has all the goods,” he said and I nearly laughed at the use of words.

“Well, what, umh, goods are you here with, Mr Dobby?”

Only Dobby, miss. No Mr." I nodded at him in compliance.

The little elf snapped his fingers and appeared right by me, opening a little bag that seemed to just keep on opening as he pulled on the fabric. Eventually, it covered most of the floor with a gaping black hole as the only content.

“Give Dobby a minute, miss.” I nodded and he jumped into the bag that was more of a blanket of nothingness by now. Things began to fly out of the bag, piling up next to it by the entryway to the kitchen. Decorations of all kinds as well as books, clothes, food and lastly a present wrapped in green silken paper with a black string all around it. From Severus?

Dobby appeared next to the big pile with a great big smile stretching his face almost weirdly wide.

“Is this all for me?” I asked.

“Yes miss, miss has many friends.”

“Friends?”

“Yes, miss. Dumbledore sent Dobby, Dobby loves to help, miss.”

“I-, I don’t know what to say,” I confessed as I looked at the elf and the pile. “Do they know where I am?”

“Dumbledore knows everything, miss. He’s a great wizard, he knows they can’t trace Dobby, miss. Dobby is an elf.”

“Yes, yes I can see that, a very handsome elf with such, umh, colourful clothing.” He beamed at my words, even if they weren’t fully honest. He looked more like he’d robbed a second-hand store of elf and jester clothes but it was cute, in a way.

“Dobby will leave you now, miss.”

“Oh, wait, no, won’t you stay for just a moment?” I asked while taking a step forward.

“Dobby has a lot of work, miss.”

“I-, well, of course you do. I’m sorry. But, can I ask a question?” The elf nodded. “Is Severus well?”

“Professor Snape, miss?”

“Yes.”

“Dobby has not seen him, miss—” My heart sank. “—but the package is from him. Dangerous man, miss. Miss should stay away from him. Harry Potter says he is a very bad man. Dobby has seen him many times at-, at Dobby’s old master's house, miss. Bad men, bad women. Miss should stay away.”

As I had already been dressed I elected to go fetch the wood before getting a fire going and moving in on the big pile of stuff the elf had left. With my wand, I moved the things to the right rooms before I bent down and picked up the gift that remained on the floor. The silky paper was soft to the touch and the black string matched the one tying up the rosemary to the garland above the fireplace.

I exhaled a too-deep breath. “Thank you, Dobby. But he’s not a bad man, he’s a good man. One day, the world will know what he has done.” Dobby tilted his head so his big ears not covered by the three hats atop his little head flopped about.

“Miss sounds very sure?”

“It’s not my secret to tell, and I heard you, as an elf, is good at secrets and know the value of them?”

“Oh, yes, miss! Dobby is most good with secrets, only telling secrets when Dobby needs to, miss!” I don’t think that’s what it means to be good with secrets…

“Thank you, for the company and gifts, Dobby,” I simply said and the elf smiled once more before sweeping his hand out to magically gather the bag anew before he nodded at me and snapped his fingers. He was gone, and I was alone once more.

I sank down on the sofa, the gift shook in my trembling hands while I did all I could to hold back my emotions and keep my thoughts in check. If I didn’t, I’d go mad in the cottage and perhaps do something stupid that would risk not only Severus’s life but the lives of many if his cover were to be broken. No matter how it hurt, I’d simply do as he asked. Stay, hide, do my part to keep him safe. To help him in any way I could even if it meant feeling useless and worried.

I opened the gift, not caring it wasn’t Christmas yet — there was no note telling me to wait either. Within the box, nestled among layers of crinkled paper, lay a vial with a purple liquid within. It shimmered and shined as I held up the bottle, the content appeared to move of its own accord in there, forming mesmerizing swirls. The label simply said Keep Warm and nothing else.

What am I supposed to do with this? Drink it? I wondered while rummaging around in the box only for a piece of paper to cut my finger. I hissed and sucked at the wound by instinct. I hate papercuts . But I didn’t think more of it as I picked up the little yellowish piece only to be met by Severus’ handwriting. My heart instantly kicked up a stir.

“Lay down and drink, think of the thing you want most. Keep warm and be fully dressed.” Well, that makes little sense… But it was in his handwriting, I’d know the harsh but pretty swirls of ink anywhere. So, I didn’t wait for the night to come. If Severus took the trouble of brewing a potion and getting it to me it was surely worth it. I already knew the thing I’d think about was him being with me.

I followed his instruction, stoking the fire, dressing well and readying the bed with extra blankets to keep myself warm for however long the potion would keep me under. My blind faith in him, it was nearly scary. But Christmas was the time of miracles, and that’s what I thought of as I snuggled up under the blankets with several candles lit in the room and my body fully dressed from head to toe.

I drank the thick liquid, it seemed to crawl down my throat rather than slink down like any other drink. It tasted sweet, like honey, and the texture wasn’t much different from the gooey golden substance. My mind only held the thought of wanting to be with Severus as I slowly became heavy and immobile. My mind turned sluggish yet I held on to the thought of him, the want of being in his arm and seeing that he was safe.

I had never thought I’d end up in a blizzard, ravaged by slicing winds and attacked by tiny flakes of ice and snow that nipped at my skin with what seemed a wish to draw blood. I lay immobile in the deep snow, feeling it turn to water from my body heat only to chill me through my clothes. My body was still stuck in the grasp of the potion while I tried to get my bearings despite not seeing anything but swirling snow around me.

...To Be Continued...

“Belinna!” came his voice from far away. “I feel you!” he called but the storm seemed to swallow up the words.

“S-Severus,” I whispered, my words a mere fog of breath.

“Belinna!” he called again, closer this time as my fingers began to twitch, the sluggishness slowly subsiding yet I still couldn’t move.

“Where are you?” he shouted over the howling winds while my heart began to thump too hard in my chest. His voice was farther away.

“Here,” I whispered. “I’m, here, Sev…”

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A/N: Well, okay, cliffhanger it is today. I'm sorry darlings for leaving you at en end like that and for the fic to be shorter but I'm in the middle of celebrating Christmas with my mom, hubby, and daughter so forgive me for the shortness 🙈❤

TAGLIST: @lizlil @snapefiction @darkthought15 @monstreviolet @flowerdementia @marvelschriss @once-upon-an-imagine @ravennight41 @caseydoodles98 @slytherinprincess03 @theconsultingdetectiveswife @grimmyhild @monster-energies @myobscureimaginarium @snowblossomreads @eternal-silvertongued-prince @cherryglossie @setsuna-meiou31 @helena211 @a-queen-and-her-throne @justsaturn0 @turvi @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @sunnylikesfrogs @mamawolfsmith16 @dianilaws @sassanoe @snapesrn @bernadette-peters12 @sammy-13 @smartowl999 @castleofthorns @serenanight87 @leah1243

Q: Would you rather walk around for a week dressed as a Christmas elf or a Christmas reindeer?

A: I think, since I'm tall as it is, the horns would be annoying for me. I'd bump into stuff overhead (like in doorways) so I'll have to go with the elf costume - even if it has really big shoes and way too many stripes according to my idea of an elf 😂

@morphineisouthoney @meteoritewolf69 @bionic-otp @elizabeth-baelish @romanceandsarcasm @severuslovebot @glowstar826 @rickmandowneyjr @yellowbadgermole @snapesangel @a-queen-and-her-throne @impulse-anchor @commodoreseverus  @writewithmarites @alisongurl13 @yan-senna @writewithmarites @reinekefoxart @nixislight @lokisbjchnl  @lght-n-drk @ladykardasi @lyrixsnape @sunset90 @mamawolfsmith87 @snowblossomreads @ladykardasi @a-queen-and-her-throne @eternal-silvertongued-prince @lyrixsnape @imwithyoutiltheendofthelinebucky @daddythanatos

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[Dec:2023]