*7*
After having made sure that the red eyes had only been temporary, Severus went to breakfast in the Great Hall. Making an appearance there from time to time reminded the student body that they were scared of him. It wouldn't do to lose a perfect reputation just because of a minor carousal.
Severus took a total of forty points on the way to his chair from all houses but his own. After a delicious meal, the potions master set out for his dungeons. The first class of the day was with his NEWT students and that needed a little more preparation than the average lesson with the younger children.
In the Entrance Hall, he was intercepted by Draco Malfoy.
"Sir, my father's house guest asked me to inform you he was delighted with your latest delivery. He expects to get more and wishes to know why you didn't send anything yesterday."
"Do you have means of contact faster than mine?" asked the potions master carefully.
The boy nodded. "Father sent me a letter which will return to him by magic in a half hour. If you want me to pass a message on, I can."
Severus cocked his head. "Please thank your father's guest for the firewhiskey he sent me. It was delicious but nothing spectacular happened. I hope I will have news for him later today." He watched the blond run off to note down the message before the letter returned home. He just hoped that today's window was going to meet the Dark Lord's expectations.
Potter looked furious when he came to the potions master's office at the beginning of lunch break. Severus was not surprised. It had started when he took those hundred points from the boy for ineptitude and had continued when he had emptied Potter's cauldron before he could bottle a sample for grading. He didn't expect it to end anytime soon.
"If this wasn't for the younger students…" the boy started.
Severus interrupted him. "But it is, so spare me your whining. Are you ready?"
The Gryffindor trio nodded and Severus touched his wand to the skull. He looked at the three expectantly; that they didn't scream was a good sign. That they blushed crimson was… unsettling. "Well?" Severus drawled.
"My pants are gone," breathed Potter.
"So are mine," whispered Weasley and Granger nodded vigorously.
"Then we are lucky your robes didn't become transparent," smirked the potions master.
Granger shrieked and jumped to hide behind Weasley. Severus made a point of rolling his eyes. The red-haired boy glared at him angrily but before he could say a word, the headmaster's magically magnified voice ordered every inhabitant of the castle to the Great Hall.
The trio hurried to obey but Severus jumped in their way. "Wait until my Slytherins are gone. I don't want you to be seen coming out of my office."
The potions master was the last to enter the Great Hall since he had given the Gryffindors a head start. It wouldn't do to be seen arrive together with them.
"Professor Snape, good of you to join us," muttered Dumbledore before he cast Sonorus. "It seems," he informed the students, "that for reasons which need to be discovered yet every single inhabitant of the castle lost their underwear ten minutes ago. Or does anybody still have their pants?" He let his eyes wander over the crowd. Nobody spoke up.
"Look!" a child's cry interrupted the ensuing awkward silence. A Hufflepuff boy pointed up into midair, at a point somewhere above the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.
Everybody looked up.
A pair of white lacy knickers had appeared.
"Those are mine!" a fifth year Ravenclaw whispered, mortified.
The knickers flew at her and landed right in her face. In the place where they had hung, a pair of black silk boxers appeared.
After two minutes, Draco Malfoy claimed them.
Within the next two hours, student after student and teacher after teacher got their underwear back. Severus got more information than he ever wanted.
Albus claimed a magenta monstrosity with black kittens on it; Minerva called something with black frills to her. A group of his sixth year Slytherins seemed to favour thongs in ridiculous colours while leopard spots were particularly popular among Hufflepuff girls.
Potter's face was priceless when he claimed greyish boxers about twice the size he needed and Severus was going to never forget Draco's expression when Pansy Parkinson admitted the panties with the blond's face on the backside were hers.
When the last pant had found its owner, the headmaster cleared his throat. "Why don't we all have an early dinner and forget this ever happened?" There were cries of consent from all four tables and the old wizard ordered dinner from the house elves immediately.
The food appeared slower than usual, but nobody complained since most had had lunch not so long ago. Severus ate his dinner without really taking in what it was. The most important thing was that the Dark Lord was going to like today's mayhem. Content, he got up to leave after he had emptied his plate. On Dumbledore's other side, Minerva McGonagall got up, too.
"Severus," she purred when he walked past her, "you sly dog! I never took you for adventurous!"
"What are you talking about?"
The witch winked at him. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed that you didn't get anything back."
Severus paled, but having been a spy for so long, he recovered quickly. "You're being ridiculous, woman." He turned in a swirl of robes and rushed to the door.
On his way out, several female students winked at him. Severus wanted to die.
