Chapter Text
“Good morning, Dr Snape.”
“Good morning, Mr Potter.”
It had only been a week but the bass of his voice hit me in the gut, freeing a flight of butterflies like it had the very first time I had heard it. I had also missed his face, currently bent over paperwork at his desk in his office, its chiselled angles and sharp tongue. I traded my winter coat for a lab one next to my locker in the break room from where I could see him. I was trying really hard not to stare but, damn, had I missed him. He was so attractive in his black and green scrubs. And let’s face it: I was a sucker for his man bun.
“Yes, Mr Potter?”
Dang. He caught me staring. Again. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
“Hum… I got you a little something for Christmas…”
My heart felt like it was in my throat and my palms were sweaty. But I knew that now was the best time to give it to him before our colleagues arrived. I had already put it off for way too long.
“Christmas, Mr Potter?” He said with a questioning eyebrow raised. “As in last December?”
Did I mention that I had put it off? I mean, he is my boss and quite intimidating, plus I don’t know him on a personal level so I am not sure of his tastes so… I got him a gift in August when I was on vacation with my parents in Mexico (sounded like a great idea at the time!). I thought it would be weird to bring him a gift from vacation for no particular reason (other than the inadmissible fact that I was smitten with him), so I decided to wait until Christmas. I pondered about giving it before or after the 25th. Couldn’t bring myself to do it before, which was totally fine because after made just as much sense. But something always seemed to be in the way: colleagues arriving early, or leaving late, the flu season, which got us slammed and exhausted, his mood, mine, etc. Anyway, let’s be real, I was anxious (Hum… yes I was kind of scared of his reaction). So, after the New Year, I thought that it was still ok because his birthday was around the corner on January 9, but then I started thinking that he would probably find it strange to get a gift from me on his birthday when no one else at work would even mention it (it was common knowledge that he wasn’t at all into celebrating his birthday). And now we were comfortably in February, and I was finally working up some courage to give it to him (very much encouraged by my treacherous best friend who had threatened to just give it to him if I hadn’t by Wednesday night, our usual hangout night every week). And today was, well… Wednesday.
I am pretty sure that I was about as red as a freaking tomato right now. I cleared my throat in hope of dissipating my embarrassment.
“Hum, yes. I had forgotten it at my parents’ on Christmas and could only retrieve it this past week.”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was a blatant lie. A plausible one, mind you, but a lie nonetheless. I had been carrying that thing every single day since I had left Mexico, back and forth from work in my bag. Now the little bow was crushed and the gift wrap was wrinkled all over and torn in places. It looked really shabby. There seem to be no end to my embarrassment as well as no escaping giving him his gift now that I had said something. I entered his office, approached his desk like one would the gallows and deposited the small box with a sweaty trembling hand. Not at all how I had played it in my head a gazillion times: I was definitely NOT the image of charming self-assuredness I had dreamt to be in that moment.
His eyebrow remained raised at the pitiful sight. No, but seriously, how was he doing that? Did the man ever get forehead cramps? Did he follow a special training? I could picture him study a book like How to Terrify Your Employees with One Eyebrow in 12 Simple Steps. This man…
I held my breath as he picked up the box, delicately tore the wrapping paper off with his long fingers and rested it on his desk to open it. His face remained blank as he looked the content over.
Drat! He didn’t like it. Of course, he didn’t. What was I thinking about, getting him a gift??? Right about now, shame started mingling with my embarrassment and prompted me to open my mouth to justify myself: “It is nothing really I just saw it and thought of you… I mean I thought you might like it. Anyway, I am going to go over our overnight delivery. I will see you later”.
I was about to flee and find a hole in which to burry myself until summer rolled around when he spoke softly.
“Mr Potter. Where did you find this?” As he was asking, he got the little articulated silver snake out of the box. Delicately, he played with it. He looked just as mesmerized as I had been when I had found it. So against my better judgement, the truth spilled out of me in hushed tones.
“In Mexico last summer, at a silversmith’s shop. There is a town called Taxco: it is known for their mining and silver jewellers. It looked so realistic and it felt so good when I picked it up... And I am not sure why but I thought of you.” I quickly added as an after-thought: “Probably because it is one of the symbols of pharmacology.” Or probably because I was thinking of him constantly.
He was looking at me now, his eyes piercing: “Thank you Harry. This is beautiful”.
Right then, the back door opened and Neville came in. “Good morning, Harry. Good morning, Dr Snape.”
And just like that the spell was broken. We went back to our everyday routine while the other employees trickled in and my heart rate slowly went back to normal.