77 Chapter 76

After twirling around the ring in his hand for a while, he shook his head and simply tossed it into his wallet. 

'I'll figure it out later,' He thought and, stroking the top of the head of the owl with a smile, he headed for the door. "Come on, I'll give you something to eat."

As if understanding him, she joyfully began to rub against Severus's cheek, because she still remembered that very tasty fish that she was fed a week ago.

Finally entering the house, he looked in bewilderment towards the living room, where everyone was, even Eileen, whom, at her own request, he left at home.

"What's happening?" Taking off his shoes, Snape calmly walked towards the assembled group, and as soon as he opened the door.

"Bang! Clap~Clap!" 

From the loud pops, the shocked owl flew off the wizard's shoulder with a frightened "hoot", and the surprised Archmage was showered with confetti. 

"Happy birthday!" Everyone inside the room exclaimed gleefully, causing him to stupor for a few seconds. 

"Birthday…?" Severus asked as he tilted his head.

"Today is your birthday! Your mom told us about it! After all, there was no need to hide it!"

"It's true ... today is the ninth of January, which means ... that ring is most likely a gift from Malfoy," the wizard finally realised with a grin 'but the fact that there was no letter still looked strange.' 

"Thank you. To be honest, I completely forgot about it," stroking the happy little house-elves on the head, he looked tenderly at Nagini, and then turned a much thoughtful look at Eileen.

"Come on, Thank your mother! After all, she was the one who remembered it!" Wrapping her tail around his palm, she pulled him towards the phantom. 

Severus for the first time in his life after the loss of his family, experienced such a feeling as awkwardness. 

"Um… thank you…" the wizard nodded with a forced smile, which made the women's lifeless eyes come to life, the early cold disappeared, and was replaced by warmth. Smiling softly, she walked up to him and kissed his forehead. "Happy ... birthday…."

"Why are you standing like that?!" At this moment Nagini poked him in the side, and finally regaining consciousness, he smiled bitterly, because for a moment Severus saw the face of his mother, who looked at him with the same tenderness on his last birthday. 

"…Thank you…" Noticing his strange expression, Nagini was a little surprised, but after remembering Snape's story, she felt guilty. 

"I can't wait to try the cake," Severus added with a hint of fun in his voice in order to dispel the tension hanging in the air a little, and stroking the snake on the top of her head, he looked at the house elves. "You guys sit down at the table."

"We won't dare!" the house elves exclaimed with horror on their face, nodding their head simultaneously as if agreeing with each other's feelings. 

"That's an order!" Severus rolled his eyes and gave them an order.

"Y-yes!" Both of them were already in chorus, but they only sat after Severus first sat down at the table. 

The cake itself was not too big, instead it was of medium size, but it was very tasty. After all, few can compare with the house elves in cooking. 

And, blowing out the candles, Severus cut the cake into four even pieces and put it in front of everyone, and then, taking the fifth plate, the young man touched the pocket watch hanging around his neck, and after a few seconds, the fifth piece of cake appeared on it, causing surprise to everyone, because it was a little transparent, but Eileen liked it very much. 

The next hour passed in a rather silent atmosphere. The house elves were afraid to speak, Nagini was silent herself and it was a little difficult for the phantom to hold a conversation but Snape still tried to establish at least some conversation. 

In general, it was a very good day, "if compared with the last thirty holidays that the wizard did not celebrate at all". 

And after that Severus decided to put aside the armour and any other business for the rest of the day and spend the day in the company of his loved ones… 

Karner visited him around the evening and congratulated him, while bringing a box full of letters and many gifts that came to the shop address.

It can be said that everything there was really expensive: robes, artefacts, rare ingredients, books and many more things.

Of course in addition to these, there were a couple of damned little things, but without any address, which was a little sad but he would dump these things in the knockturn alley anyway, so he did not think much about them.

In the letter pile, Severus found a letter from Malfoy, which was supposed to come with a ring, but someone forgot to put it, as well as a letter from Bella, in which, surprisingly, there were pleasant wishes and even a gift in the form of an electric bracelet. To keep its owner in check as soon as he began to behave insolently or arrogantly. 

He also liked the gift from Regulus in the form of a school robe with curse repelling and self-cleansing charms, made of very expensive fabric, because he always wore the most ordinary one and did not even think about putting any spells on it. So the gift was just in time. 

In addition to them, someone also sent him the latest model of a flying broom - "Nimbus 1001", which Severus put at the very bottom of his wallet, because he still really wanted to have children in the future, and he did not have a single ounce of belief on the spell that should protect that very place , moreover, no one is immune to accident, especially boys.

But Severus was in no hurry to sell it, because he knew who to give this broom to ... 

~~~~~~~ 

Severus also had a meeting with Slughorn, which the young man did not miss even at Christmas. The potion professor congratulated him and had already sent a rather rare copy of the book by Flamel about the "Laws of Alchemy" in advance.

Severus had asked him more than once about the French wizard, so the professor decided to give the book as a gift, thinking that Flamel was Snape's idol. 

In general, the evening was very fun, especially when he had to write answers to each person who sent him a letter ... 

~~~~~ 

Monday came again, the day when you have to return to study. Putting on a new mantle, which itself shortened to the desired size, he moved Eileen into the necklace, and then, allowing Nagini to climb on himself, called the house elf - Tobbi. 

He appeared next to Severus and bowed silently, snapped his fingers, and in the next moment they moved to Hogwarts, right into Snape's room. 

"Home, sweet home…" Severus sighed, going to the window, from which there was a beautiful view of the castle grounds and the village nearby. 

After all, even though the Slytherin common room was in the dungeon, it looked like it was actually on the top floor of Hogwarts, thanks to the charms that he had previously seen in the office of the main goblin, turning the window into a kind of screen broadcasting an image from a certain point of the castle . Throwing his robe over a chair, he sat down on the bed.

"Severus." Nagini at this moment crawled out and looked at him.

"What happened?"

"Will you answer one of my questions?"

"Ask," Severus nodded with interest.

"You have a huge amount of Galleons, in terms of knowledge, watching how much you read, I can say with confidence that you can give odds to any teacher, and I don't even mention your martial skills, but why are you still here?" she asked him in bewilderment, because the snake had been puzzling over this question for a long time, but could not understand this, so she decided to ask directly. 

"It's very quiet here, and I won't be able to practise properly with Slughorn as soon as I leave this place," the wizard answered without hesitation, looking at the reptile. "I'm interested in runes and spells, and there are two real masters teaching here. I also want to find out all the secrets of this castle, isn't that a good reason to stay here for another year and a half? And it is not such a long time."

"Hmm… I still don't understand you…" swaying from side to side, she still nodded. "Okay, it's none of my business. Perhaps it is for the best, it is much safer here than outside."

Snape didn't reply to his companion's mutterings, but only looked at the house elf. "Are you ready?" 

"Yes, master! I will not let you down!" Tobbi exclaimed, striking his chest confidently. 

"Well, glad to hear it. Get ready, at six o'clock we begin our performance." Saying this he took out a cauldron and a small table on which ingredients began to appear, he also pulled out a few hairs from his head and put them on a glass plate.

"What are you doing?" Nagini asked him, breaking out of her thoughts, staring at the ingredients in surprise. 

"A potion that will help us to be in two different places at the same time," the wizard replied calmly, noticing how the water slowly began to boil. "You probably don't know, but they began to suspect me ... well," stretching out his hand, he tore out one of her scales, of course, using an anesthetic charm in advance.

"Hey!"

"And that's because of you, by the way," he poked at the displeased muzzle with a smile.

"Me…?"

"Yes, we have been watched too much lately by both the Death Eaters and the Ministry of Magic. And then, having caught one of them, I already found out that they suspect that there is no "teacher", and what happened in the cave then, as with all those gangs, these are just pre-prepared "performances" in order to scare everyone, and it's all because of your color," stirring the liquid in the cauldron, he threw a leech into it. "But you can understand them too, they don't want to believe in the existence of such a terrifying magician, that's why they invented all sorts of fables."

"Sorry…" She said slowly, lowering her head.

" "You take everything too personally," smiling warmly at the saddened snake, he stroked her head. "On the contrary, you helped me a lot."

"…?" She looked at him in bewilderment.

"Now I can dispel all this misunderstanding so that they don't even dare to think that I and "he" are the same person …" Seeing a bloodthirsty grin on his face, she realised that today there would definitely be some victims …

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Sorry for not uploading yesterday, I had an interview.

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