Curiosity won over the insane fear that you were overstepping your bounds, and he leaned forward to see the glinting... cuff links? He reached out to look at the tiny shapes cloisonné-d into a quite lovely rendition of the Hogwarts shield.

Twisting it this way and that in the growing candlelight, he saw each of the houses represented in almost stained-glass perfection. He looked up to you in question.

"I had such a hard time figuring out what would be a nice gift for you. It's not like you want for anything.  Or if you do, you just go out and get it. And certainly, we aren't so close that you would disclose it to me..."

He stared at you, thinking about that interesting statement, as you continued.

"And then one night, several of us were talking." You shrugged and sat back on you heels. "We talked about you and the school, and how you give so much of yourself to it, despite your attitude. But..." He almost didn't want to know why you had chosen this. Your little speech was both expected and shocking at the same time. He'd known about these sentiments. It was why he avoided the other professors as he did, secluded up in his tower in the heart of Hogwarts. The oddity was to hear it from you, or rather, from the perspective of one who 'knew' what the others felt...

That made him ask, almost too quietly, "But what?"

You bit you lips closed between your teeth, looking like you'd rather not say. You inhaled, opened your mouth, then closed it again. You thought about something, then leaned towards him a bit. "They said you wouldn't appreciate it. That I was better off ignoring your birthday.  'Best not to upset him'."

His eyes shifted to one side and then down to the cufflink in thought, then focused back to you, completely flummoxed. "Him?"

You nodded and looked from the cufflink in his hand to the box in yours. You placed it on the arm of his chair, "You: Professor Snape."

He returned the piece of jewelry to its container, closed the lid and leaned back in his seat, giving you a look that told you he really didn't follow what you were getting at.

"I think I understand why you prefer Severus... and correct me if I'm wrong, please... But the others and the students... they only know you as the cold, hard professor."

That racing feeling was back, along with an increased tempo of his heart. What were you saying? That you dared assume that you knew him better than others?

"As for the cuff links," You leaned forward and rested your head on your hands on the armrest very near him, "I thought they might go nicely with your clothing. Make your day a little better knowing at least someone acknowledges how much you care about the school. Even if that is the only thing you care for at the moment."

You smile stayed only a moment. It faltered as you stared each other down, one struggling to understand, the other wanting desperately to be clear. You looked from his eyes to his arm, placed so gingerly next to you face on the padded leather arm of the chair. And then, as slowly as  a  caterpillar, your fingers stretched out to brush against the black cashmere sleeve. Your thumb delicately hooked under the hem at the wrist and pulled it back  to reveal the pristine white cuff, beneath. Pinching the buttoned closure, you looked back up to him, "You see? I think they would look very debonair on you."

Thousands of thoughts flew apart across the span of his mind. You were... almost a nuisance before today. Yes, he'd noted your attributes, he'd have been blind not to, but somewhere between unexpected decision to acquiesce to the use of his name and the odd feeling he'd had when you presented your gift to him... his view of you changed. You became more than a former student hell-bent on earning his good favor; more than a calculated last vestige of his past left wedged in the door between his life now and then.