The light within -Snupin-

Chapter 11

Remus found his friends after a while of searching through the crowds in Hogsmeade. James and Lily were nowhere to be found and probably went off with the two of them to get some privacy. Sirius was secretly complaining to Remus after his arrival about Peter which made him grin.

Severus and he crossed paths a few times and saw him disappear in the quills shop.

'I'll be right back guys. Need to buy some quills,' he excused himself. Sirius was glaring angrily at him for leaving him alone with Wormtail but didn't give much thought about it because he was on a mission now: finding out if he indeed joined them.

It was fairly quiet inside and not many people were there, most of them were at stores like Honeydukes or the Three Broomsticks Inn. He found Severus silently in a corner with his infamous bag he had last time against his hips, looking around.

'Surprised to see you here,' he said while walking towards them. Severus flinched at hearing the loud and familiar voice and was almost scared the other Gryffindors were there to mess with him.

'Sod off Lupin. I'm not in the mood for your pranks,' he sneered. Severus had to act this way in public because he didn't know how Remus would be with his friends. Maybe he would pretend like they hadn't spent the night together a few times on the Astronomy Tower and like he hadn't almost jumped off it.

'Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you like that.'

'I'm not scared. Now if you'll excuse me,' he tried to walk towards the exit even though he hadn't pursued a new quill yet, that would come another time.

'Oh uhm. I was actually wondering whether you would join me-' Remus wanted to finish the sentence but the door already opened and Severus was gone the next second. He ran one hand through his hair and sighed. This mission wasn't going to be easy.

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Severus was surprised to see Remus without his little friend group in Hogsmeade. He knew what he wanted to say but didn't feel like having company around at the moment and would rather be alone.

He was debating whether he should get Lily a gift for Christmas. Seeming the surcom standings it wasn't the best choice to do so but it is- was- his best and only friend he ever had. It wouldn't do so much harm to get her something small anyways and got her some supplies for Hogwarts.

Severus was a little short on the money but he saved it all up for this occasion even though it was more expensive than he thought. He quickly found a good present for his mother to send to her because coming home wasn't an option with his abusive father still in the house. He begged his mother to come see her at Christmas but she simply refused and eventually he gave in and dropped the subject. He was feeling sorry for her that she couldn't enjoy Christmas and was stuck with the pathetic man called her husband. Although, he couldn't deny being scared of the man.

The freezing wind blew through his lanky hair and he wrapped his scarf tighter around the neck. Not many people choose winter over summer but he definitely did. Not only because of the magical looking surroundings the white snow created, but also because he could hide himself even more than usual.

Summer meant exposing more skin and wearing less clothes which freaked him out. Severus was very self-conscious about his looks but wouldn't admit it to anyone else after his father told him only weak people have insecurities.

He pondered about getting a present for Remus. If he would, it was going to be anonymous because he didn't want his friends to find it of course.

He got into a shop in the corner not even bothering to look at the name and his only attention fixed on the beautiful looks of it. It was small but looked cozy.

He entered the shop and briefly glanced around before walking towards the front of the room to the old looking woman behind the counter. The shop truly had everything, from candy to Cauldrons. The woman behind the counter was probably in her 90's he guessed. She had wrinkles around her eyes and grey hair that was shining in the light. She had a friendly looking face and small glasses on the tip of her nose which studied the boy's look.

'Hello my dear. How can I help you?'

'I'm looking for a gift for my....friend. Something special and personal,' Severus explained to the cheerful woman.

'Ah I see. Can you describe the boy's personality?' Severus thought for a few seconds before he began speaking again.

'He has a brilliant mind and is very clever. He's really sweet to everyone and even though his best friends are twats, he stays true to himself. When I see him smile, it immediately brings joy to whatever day I had and is one of the closest friends I had so far. It's someone who's there for you through thick and thin and doesn't judge others. He cares for people....even though he barely knows them.'

The words were flowing out his' mouth and he startled even himself that he actually said those things about Remus.

'Seems like a very special boy indeed,' she offered him a warm smile before turning her back to him.

'You're lucky that I have the perfect gift.' Severus couldn't help but smirk when she said that. He couldn't see what she was doing because her back blocked the view and he waited patiently. She placed a black, little box with a ribbon around it on the counter and shoved it towards the Slytherin boy.

'What is it?' he asked curiously.

'Oh don't worry about that.' She winked and waved him goodbye. Severus snoopily to know what was in the black little box but once he opened it, he couldn't close it anymore and so he trusted the woman blindly. He just hoped the woman knew what she chose and didn't screw up his blossoming friendship.