Snowflakes drifted lazily outside the window on Christmas Day.
Snape held two hoods in his hands and slowly led Pandora out of the Great Hall, preparing to head for the fourth floor.
"Ah-ha!" came a shrill, eerie cry from above, startling them both.
They had not noticed that they were walking directly beneath Peeves.
Peeves was hanging upside down from an ornate chandelier, grinning wickedly at them with bared teeth.
"Are you sure you want to open that mouth?" Snape drew his wand, giving the floating ghost a menacing look.
"Little baby and crazy girl sneaking away together, " Peeves began to shout at the top of his lungs.
But before he could finish, Snape's wand was already raised, and he pointed it sharply at Peeves.
Peeves immediately clutched at his throat in panic, choking soundlessly, his face twisting in shock.
He shot toward the window and zoomed out, making obscene gestures at Snape and Pandora as he went, but he couldn't utter a single word, his tongue was now stuck fast to the roof of his mouth.
Free of Peeves, Snape and Pandora continued onward until they reached the statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch on the fourth floor.
"Hogsmeade," Snape whispered close to Pandora's ear, lowering his voice. "There's a secret passage hidden here that leads straight to the cellar of Honeydukes. The entrance is right in the hump of this one-eyed old lady.
"Since everyone's busy with their own holiday plans today, how about we spend Christmas in Hogsmeade?"
Pandora clearly wasn't one to follow rules. Her eyes lit up immediately at Snape's suggestion.
She instinctively patted the front of her robes, then nodded eagerly.
Seeing her agree, Snape quickly glanced around to make sure no one was near. Then he drew his wand and tapped the statue lightly, murmuring, "Dissendium."
At once, the witch's hump split open, revealing a narrow opening just large enough for a slim person to crawl through.
"You go first."
After giving the corridor another quick sweep with his eyes, Snape followed Pandora, diving headfirst into the hole.
They seemed to slide for a long distance down a stone chute, the rushing wind whistling in their ears, before landing on cold, damp earth.
Snape got to his feet immediately, brushing the dirt from his robes and raising his wand. "Lumos."
Only then did they see where they were, a narrow, low tunnel made of packed earth.
"Follow me," Snape said, taking Pandora deeper into the passage.
The tunnel twisted and turned like an enormous rabbit warren.
Snape held his wand aloft, the faint light swaying back and forth through the darkness. The ground was uneven, and he stumbled now and then on its pitted surface.
Time seemed to pass endlessly in the dark. After what felt like an hour, the tunnel finally began to slope upward.
Ten more minutes later, they reached the bottom of a set of old stone steps that disappeared into the shadows above.
"Let's go," Snape whispered to Pandora.
They began to climb carefully, making as little noise as possible.
One step, two steps... they started counting. A hundred steps, two hundred... but soon lost track entirely.
Without warning, Snape's head struck something hard with a "thud."
It was a trapdoor. He stood there, rubbing his forehead, listening intently for sounds from above.
After a long pause, hearing nothing, he slowly pushed the trapdoor open and cautiously peered through the crack.
"No one's here. Let's go up, they must all be out celebrating," Snape whispered.
They emerged into a cellar filled with crates and wooden boxes.
Snape climbed up first, using both hands and feet. Once he was steady, he bent down to pull Pandora up after him.
Then he gently closed the trapdoor. Its color blended perfectly with the grayish floor; without close inspection, no one would notice there was an entrance there.
"Put this on," Snape said, handing one of the hoods to Pandora. "We'd better be careful outside."
After pulling up their hoods, the two of them crept up the wooden staircase leading to the upper floor.
At the top, they slipped quietly through the door and found themselves behind the counter of Honeydukes.
The shop was empty, the lights extinguished.
Trying not to make a sound, they tiptoed past the counter. "Alohomora."
With a soft click, the front door unlocked, and they hurried out into the cold night.
The street was equally silent. Only the tavern near the station was lit, bursts of laughter and cheer spilling from within, breaking the stillness of the night.
"Come on. Weather like this calls for a mug of Butterbeer," Snape said, turning toward Pandora.
Pulling their cloaks tighter around themselves, they made their way toward the Three Broomsticks.
The wind was bitterly cold, and their hands were nearly frozen stiff. Finally, after crossing the road, they pushed through a swirl of snow and slipped into the warmth of the pub.
In the center of the room stood a beautiful Christmas tree adorned with colorful lights and ornaments of every kind.
The place was crowded tonight, so packed that the usual tables had been cleared away. People wandered about with drinks in hand, clinking glasses and exchanging festive toasts.
Snape squeezed his way with great effort to the bar, pitching his voice slightly higher as he said to Madam Rosmerta, "Two Butterbeers, please."
Rosmerta turned to look at him, studying him for a moment in mild puzzlement, then smiled charmingly and handed him two large, steaming mugs of Butterbeer, their frothy tops spilling over.
As Snape took the mugs, he felt her pinky finger lightly scratch across the back of his hand.
His heart skipped. From under the hood, he sneaked a glance at her.
But she had already turned away, busy preparing drinks for other customers. All he saw was the long ponytail tied neatly behind her back. It was the first time Snape had ever seen Madam Rosmerta wear her hair that way.
"Do you like it?" Snape asked, raising his voice to be heard over the noise as Pandora took a big gulp of her drink. The bar was filled with the loud hum of the Christmas broadcast.
Celestina Warbeck's voice drifted melodiously from the large wooden radio.
"It's wonderful!" Pandora said happily, raising her mug. "Merry Christmas!"
Snape took a deep swig. It was one of the most delightful things he had ever tasted, the rich, sweet flavor spread instantly through his mouth, and warmth flooded every inch of his body.
As a jazzy tune called A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love played in the background, Snape and Pandora talked loudly and clinked their mugs together in rhythm.
"Oh, come and stir my cauldron,
If you do it right tonight,
I'll brew a cauldron full of hot, strong love,
To keep you warm all night."
They quickly finished their first mugs of Butterbeer.
Then came a second, a third, a fourth... Snape lost count of how many times he went back to the bar.
He even caught himself grinning foolishly at Madam Rosmerta.
When he handed another mug to Pandora, she, too, looked a little flushed and dazed.
"Severus, I've got something for you," Pandora said, her voice airy and light from the alcohol.
"What is it?" Snape asked, swaying slightly to the music.
"This," Pandora said, pulling a man's wallet from her robe pocket and squinting at him. "It can hold a lot."
At that moment, Celestina began singing "You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me".
"Oh, my poor heart, where has it gone?
It left me, bewitched away,
and now you've torn it apart,
Please give my heart back to me!"
Celestina ended on a long, high note, and the radio erupted in applause.
Pandora clapped excitedly along.