…10…

The next morning – was it really the tenth already? Snape had to think of some serious Christmas shopping or he wouldn't be able to acquire those few gifts he shared every year in time – saw a very unusual guest in the Great Hall.

It was the Dark Lord in all his megalomaniac glory.

As a result of yesterday's discussion, Severus Snape had been sent to the Dark Lord to ask him for a contribution to the Hogwarts Charity Bazar. He had tried to talk his way out of the task by pointing out that Lucius was far better with things like that.

Miraculously, Dumbledore and Lucius Malfoy had been of one mind when it came to reprimanding the potions master for the suggestion. Dumbledore insisted that Lucius was needed to organise the bazar itself – they needed invitation cards, food stands and a bar – while Lucius acted offended at being considered a suitable choice for begging for donations.

Snape was livid but he was outvoted. Even Minerva McGonagall agreed with the two men!

Grudgingly, Snape had apparated to the Dark Lord's lair. It had taken almost two hours to explain the situation. The Dark Lord, always diligent when interviewing people, wasn't satisfied before he knew the whole story; advent calendar, Malfoy pictures, bazar plan, everything.

At last the evil wizard agreed to participate. His cooperation came, of course, with a price. Voldemort insisted he get to open an advent calendar window and that he got one of Snape and Creevey's magically photoshopped pictures. In return he agreed to not only hand-deliver a couple of things for the auction – he insisted that his donations were not going to even get near a common selling booth – but to also order his followers to donate and attend.

Snape had spent the meagre remainder of his Sunday instructing Creevey what to do and not to do with the Dark Lord's picture, and explaining to Potter that he was not allowed to kill Voldemort on the spot during breakfast. The boy was so dense! It was almost midnight when the potions master had given up on the case and had slipped the wizarding hero a hearty dose of dreamless sleep.

Now the Golden Gryffindor was snoring on Snape's sofa while the rest of the school was having the most awkward meal in Hogwarts' history.

"Say, Tom," Dumbledore addressed the Dark Lord as both wizards enjoyed some fresh fruit, "isn't it nice to sit here among the children? I really wish you would see the advantages of becoming a proper citizen for good instead of only acting the part before Christmas."

"If it wasn't for Santa's naughty list," Voldemort replied as he peeled a banana, "I'd have killed the lot upon entry. You are lucky I want my Christmas presents."

"My Lord," Snape interfered from the Dark Lord's other side, "may I suggest a change of topic? The faint-hearted could consider this a threat and threatening a whole school may cost you your presents."

"As always, you are watching out for me, Severus." Voldemort replied benignly. "Thank you." He reached for a small pitcher of chocolate sauce. "I didn't mean it as a threat," he assured the headmaster as he poured sauce onto his banana.

"I didn't take it for one," the old wizard waved it away. "I know you are a man of your word, and you promised not to curse anybody."

"Your students seem a bit subdued today," the Dark Lord felt compelled to point out.

Dumbledore nodded "They are not used to important guests. You have to forgive them."

Snape thought the students eating in silence was a pleasant thing.

When the Dark Lord had eaten his breakfast, the potions master informed the students that leader of the Dark was going to open an advent calendar window. Dumbledore had insisted on an unbreakable vow that the Dark Lord would not go after the makers of the calendar if he was not pleased with his gift.

The students would have preferred one of their circle to get the window but of course nobody said anything. Too scared were the children of being a target of Lord Voldemort's ire.

The Dark Lord made a show of opening the window and proudly presented his treat, a small piece of chocolate wrapped in red. He consumed the sweet immediately.

First there was dumbfounded silence but then Draco Malfoy got up and started to clap his hands. The Slytherins followed his lead, as did Dumbledore. Snape dutifully conjured a mirror and held it out to the Dark Lord. "It looks truly regal, my Lord," he told the dark wizard.

Voldemort gasped as he looked into the mirror. It had been some time since he had seen himself with a nose. And it was an elegant nose. Not too big, straight, a bit pointy but not too much. A real masterpiece.

"I wish to speak with the creators of this calendar. I want to place an order!" cried the wizard.

"I shall arrange a meeting at my office," Dumbledore replied quickly.

"Quick, Severus! I think this is a good time to take my picture," the Dark Lord cried.

The potions master did not point out that they could have magicked a nose onto picture-Voldemort. Instead he signalled Creevey and they took the Dark Lord to an unused storeroom in Slytherin territory.

"We have room to stage whichever setting my Lord would like," Snape explained.

Voldemort nodded in understanding. A couple of spells by the dark wizard and the storeroom was a cosy living room with a roaring fire and a Christmas tree. The man explained to Snape and Colin Creevey what he wanted and the two wizards added some statues to the setting.

The boy took several pictures. Snape was amazed how bravely the young Gryffindor ordered the Dark Lord how to pose, and how patiently and willingly the dark lord Voldemort followed his instructions.

Once the pictures had been taken, Snape accompanied the Dark Lord to the headmaster's office. The donations for the bazar hadn't been handed over yet. It had been agreed that this would be done while Creevey and Snape worked on the Dark Lord's pictures.

On his way back to Creevey, Snape instructed his morning class of Slytherins and Gryffindors to go to the library to research sleeping draughts. "I expect you to find at least three recipes for various durations of sleep. Discuss their magical properties and come up with a scenario when you would choose to use this particular one for each of them. – No, Mr Weasley, I do not know where Potter is. I'm not his warden."

Two hours later, Snape and Creevey came to the headmaster's office with their finished work. The Dark Lord was just signing a contract with the Weasley twins. His nose was gone again but no doubt he was soon going to have it back.

On Dumbledore's desk lay a small stack of books and a couple of magical objects the Dark Lord had brought for the bazar.

Voldemort was thrilled when Creevey handed him a total of three manipulated pictures. In one, a wizard whose face was turned from the camera was kissing the Dark Lord's feet. Going by the unruly hair, it could be Harry Potter. In the second, Bellatrix Lestrange was walking towards the Dark Lord's sofa with swaying hips, and in the third, Voldemort was surrounded by a huge amount of presents.

Snape was convinced that all three pictures could have been staged without manipulation but the Dark Lord was pleased, so who was he to argue.

Voldemort left a little later, his pictures happily clutched to his chest. For once, Snape was glad to be able to return to his dungeon classroom to teach.