After entering the Dungeon, Mr. Snape was still grading essays. One could tell from his increasingly gloomy expression that it was not going well. Miss Rhea quietly sat down without a word, then inched her chair closer and closer to Mr. Snape bit by bit.
"Miss Rhea, would you care to enlighten your poor teacher as to what manner of bizarre, creeping maneuvers you are performing?" Mr. Snape said without even lifting his eyes.
"Teacher, I sense that you are very tired, and I want to help relieve your physical and mental exhaustion with a massage." Seizing the opportunity, Miss Rhea stood up, walked behind Mr. Snape, and used her magic to massage his head and shoulders to ease his fatigue. Miss Rhea often used massages to soothe Mr. Snape's entire body, but she was always extremely careful every time, terrified that her teacher would discover how unusual her magic was.
Mr. Snape had been under a great deal of stress lately. With Harry Potter's enrollment fast approaching, Dumbledore still hadn't spoken to him about the matter, leaving Mr. Snape's mind somewhat chaotic. Lately, he constantly found himself reliving Lily's death—the lifeless corpse in his arms at the very end—as well as his former self who had blindly pursued Voldemort without a second thought, and the monstrous mistakes he had committed. Every day was pure agony. It had to be said that Miss Rhea's massages were remarkably effective; every time, Mr. Snape could feel his exhaustion melting away. Perhaps because he was simply too exhausted lately, Mr. Snape drifted off into a deep sleep under Miss Rhea's massage. Miss Rhea could sense that her teacher's state of mind had been very poor recently, and the figure seated in his dreams every night invariably radiated sorrow. Using her magic, Miss Rhea guided her teacher into a deep sleep, believing that he needed to relax.
When Mr. Snape woke up, he found himself lying on the bed in the Dungeon's bedroom. This was the first time in so many years that he had slept so peacefully. At that exact moment, Miss Rhea walked in, bringing her teacher a cup of tea—leaves obtained from Chinese cultivation practitioners that restored the nerves and the body.
After finishing his tea, Mr. Snape stood up to check the time and saw that it was already 8:00 PM, whereupon he brought Miss Rhea back to Spinner's End.
Stepping out of the fireplace, Mr. Snape thought he had walked into the wrong house. The room, which was usually filled with gloom, now featured a sparkling Christmas tree. Lights illuminated every corner, exuding a rich Christmas atmosphere, and the dust in every dead corner of the house had been magically cleaned away. A single bouquet of black roses sat in a vase on the dining table.
"Respected Miss Rhea, Mr. Snape, dinner is ready. As Miss Rhea requested, the meal consists of coffee and pasta." Wearing an apron, Bidodo flashed into existence before them.
Mr. Snape couldn't quite describe his mood; the atmosphere at home felt so unfamiliar that he wanted to flee. Before he could say anything, Bidodo's appearance interrupted his train of thought.
"Teacher, let's go eat. After dinner, I'll give you another massage so you can rest properly. Tomorrow we'll spend Christmas together—I've prepared a surprise for you," Miss Rhea said playfully.
"Hmph," Mr. Snape thought that something must have definitely scrambled his brain. Why on earth was he feeling a little bit of anticipation for tomorrow's Christmas?
After dinner, Mr. Snape leaned back on the sofa and let Miss Rhea massage him. From the end of the massage until Miss Rhea returned to her bedroom, Mr. Snape feigned sleep. He thought that if Potter were sorted into Slytherin upon entering school, he would lose his mind; if Rhea were sorted into Slytherin, at least that would be good news. What on earth was Dumbledore thinking, and what were his plans for the future? He could feel that the contract within the Dark Mark had not vanished. Thinking about it all, he truly drifted off to sleep.
Realizing that Mr. Snape had fallen asleep, Miss Rhea draped a thin blanket over him and went over to the Christmas tree to retrieve her gift and place it on the sofa, so that when Snape woke up, he would see her present right away.
Early the next morning, as soon as Mr. Snape woke up, he saw the gift Miss Rhea had given him. It perfectly matched Slytherin aesthetics: dark green wrapping paper paired with black and gold ribbon. Upon opening it, he found a compendium of elixir recipes and some ancient Potion books. The corners of his mouth curved up into a tiny smile. He was very happy with this gift; it could truly be called a surprise. He solemnly put the books away and stood up to go to the bedroom.
When Miss Rhea woke up and went downstairs, Mr. Snape had already returned to his bedroom. Miss Rhea went to unpack her own gifts: a cauldron, sweets, various books—including a full set of first-year textbooks—and an owl...