Chapter 4: Pure Birthday Magic

When I woke up, I noticed a blank piece of parchment lying on my bedside table. Had I been foolish, I might've simply thrown it away—but this wasn't ordinary parchment. It was a magical object. Like the Marauder's Map I'd seen Potter and his friends use—Granger accidentally mentioned it once.

This being at my bedside at this hour, with no other student awake, meant one thing: Potter—maybe the Weasleys too—was summoning me somewhere. Strange as I am, Potter is even stranger. So he must be resorting to weird methods to get my attention. Curiosity won, and I opened the map—I could activate it, after all, since my father, Severus Snape, was at Hogwarts in the same era as the marauders.

The map sprang open and I scanned Hogwarts' blueprint. Everyone was in bed—even a Weasley! Only Potter was in the Room of Requirement. That place was discovered last year when I fled from Slytherin house students, but Potter must have followed me.

Clutching the Marauder's Map and my wand, I slipped quietly out of the dormitory. The risk of getting caught by a prefect or teacher was low—as long as I stayed fast and discreet with the map. Soon I found myself at the Room of Requirement's door. I thought, "I need to find Potter," and the door appeared. I folded the map and tucked it into my pocket.

Wand in hand, I stood poised. It could be a trap—Potter might want revenge. What else could it be?

My heart raced as I slowly cracked the door open. Had this brilliant friend done what I suspected? Developed feelings for me?

I remembered seeing him glance at me a few times, or finding flowers tucked between my books and sketchpad. But I never allowed myself to hope.

As I muttered to myself about what I'd gotten into, my body betrayed me—I opened the door.

I braced for a shield spell, but the room was wide and beautifully decorated. Everywhere I looked—balloons, banners… all the typical trappings of a birthday.

Could this be real? A giant birthday cake stood at the center. As I stared, the door opened again. I swung around, wand ready.

Hermione and Luna stepped in.

I quickly ran and hugged them—but Potter was nowhere in sight.

Then, he appeared in front of me, removing the Invisibility Cloak. "I invited the people I see you talking to... since I didn't know who you were friends with," he said, hesitating.

I was so embarrassed—after harboring so much hostility, only to see the kindness in him was stronger than my animosity. I rushed and hugged Potter.

After thanking him over and over, I apologized for my hostile behavior.

Harry, surprised, paused—then, trying to seem cool and confident, said, "It's okay."

His "It's okay" created a silence between us—but it wasn't tense. It felt warm, rather strangely intimate.

Hermione handed me a small gift wrapped with "Happy 13th Birthday" written on it. Luna immediately followed with another—a slightly lopsided but heartfelt necklace she made herself, with a tiny thestral tooth at its center. "Don't worry," she said, "this tooth fell from a thestral years ago. It's supposed to bring luck."

For the first time, my birthday was being celebrated. My home never made room for such things. When I was born, my mother simply said "get well soon," and my father saw birthdays as useless formalities. But now, someone remembered my birthday—someone I used to consider my enemy. Inside, something softened. Maybe… just maybe…I was worthy of being loved.

Luna used magic to turn on the small radio on the wall. Soft music began to play. Hermione excitedly asked, "Shall we dance?" I tensed—dance? Me? I'd only ever practiced curses or drawn wand movements, but never danced. Luna smiled. "We'll just sway gently, feel the rhythm."

Harry extended his hand to me. "If you want, you can take the first step."

My cheeks burned. But swallowing my embarrassment, I took his hand. It was a small moment, yet huge. We began to dance—soft music, hesitant but real. Hermione danced with Luna nearby, and for the first time at Hogwarts, I felt like myself. No longer just "a Snape," I was someone they loved for who I was.

My eyes drifted to a table in the corner filled with books. One was familiar—the potion notes written by my father… Harry noticed me looking and explained:

"You left it in Snape's office the other day. I wanted to return it—but when I found out today was your birthday… I wanted to do it differently."

I gently picked up the book. On the cover was my father's handwriting. As I flipped through, a small note fell out—it was in my mother's handwriting.

"If you are reading these lines, it means there is still hope. Live for yourself. Build a life where you're not controlled by others, but where you find yourself. I will always love you."

Tears welled in my eyes. I sat quietly, not knowing what to say. Harry, Hermione, and Luna sat with me. None of them spoke—they just sat there. My mother never made me feel loved…but now I understood why she'd written that note. But in that moment, none of that mattered.

Because right now… I had friends who loved me. Who were my family.