19
On Thursday, Snape woke to the delicious smell of freshly brewed coffee.
He was up in an instant, wand in hand. The elves never brought anything to his quarters unless he asked for it, they would not answer to Gloria and the fairy was too small to move a pot or kettle. Which left only one possibility: there was an intruder in Severus's quarters!
The potions master tiptoed to his bedroom door. He just hoped it was only Dumbledore who had decided to pay him an early visit. The headmaster was, of course, able to enter any room in the castle. Snape had not given his password to anyone and he shuddered who of his acquaintances would be powerful enough to get through his wards. No, he really didn't want to see any of them while he was still in his nightshirt.
Once he had reached the door, Snape pushed it open carefully, little by little and peeked through the clearance between the frame and the door.
What was that?
A black travelling cloak and a pink scarf were lying on the back of the sofa.
Snape pushed the door open.
"Master!"
Snape harrumphed as the body of a girl collided with him but wrapped his arms around her immediately.
"Welcome!" he purred. "When did you arrive?"
"Maybe ten minutes ago or so. I finished my project just after midnight but decided to wait until morning. You need your sleep."
"Nonsense," Snape replied fondly. "You know that you are welcome here at any time, day or night. Where are your things?"
"The elves put them into the cupboard." The apprentice smiled. "I hope you don't mind. I miss my old room."
Snape chuckled. "You just miss me for my pool."
The girl laughed. "Of course. There are no swimming pools in Vienna." She rolled her eyes. "I'm starving. Can we have breakfast now?"
They had a cup of coffee and some vanilla croissant before Snape excused himself to get dressed properly. While they ate, they exchanged little stories. Snape told the apprentice how Dumbledore and the Dark Lord had cheated in the curling tournament. The apprentice laughed in all the right moments during the story and in the end was scandalized on Snape's behalf.
In return the girl told Snape how she had nearly destroyed the Vienna underground system when she had practice the pink spark spell for the calendar on her way home. Something had gone wrong and in the end the muggles had to replace something they called cables. The underground was out of order for almost a week.
Snape asked what cables were but the apprentice had no idea. Like her master she was used to navigating the muggle world but the details of muggle technology were beyond her.
Later, on the way to the Great Hall, Gloria described Dumbledore's limbo performance.
"Ah yes, he was always good at that," the apprentice mused.
"You have seen him do that before?" Gloria asked with interest.
"Of course! We often held limbo parties at the poolside during my apprenticeship," the blonde revealed. "Severus was great at it but Dumbledore was in a league of his own. That is until he overindulged and was down with lumbago. Madam Pomfrey was so mad at him!"
Meanwhile they had reached the Great Hall and Dumbledore hurried to meet Snape's guest. "There you are!" he cried merrily. "We were wondering when you were going to come! Welcome, welcome!" He offered his arm to the witch and proudly led her up to the head table.
"My dear children," he then addressed the students. "Most of you will recognise her but for the younger ones, let me introduce Professor Snape's former apprentice."
The younger years clapped politely but the seventh years cheered enthusiastically.
"Thank you for the calendar!" cried Harry Potter from the Gryffindor table. He knew the apprentice well because he had often worked with her when she had resided at Hogwarts, especially during detentions. Eventually they had bonded over a heap of cauldrons they had to clean by hand.
"My pleasure, Harry," the blonde waved at the Golden Boy. "How did you like your wings?"
"Wonderful! All the girls want to touch them," Harry cried back.
"Potter!" scolded McGonagall. "There are impressionable children present!"
"No problem, Professor," Potter replied cheekily, "I don't think Malfoy paid attention to what I was saying."
"Some of us don't need false wings to be interesting for the ladies," Malfoy added his two cents.
"My wings are not false!" Potter protested.
Snape decided to interfere before the boys could start a real shouting match.
"Why don't we open the advent calendar window," he suggested. Without waiting for an answer, the potions master reached for the goblet. There were not many envelopes left and it was easy to find the right one.
"Today's calendar window is for," he made a dramatic pause until the students had quieted down in anticipation, "Susan Bones."
The Hufflepuff witch beamed and went up to the head table to get her envelope.
"Hi Susan," the apprentice greeted her. The two witches hugged before Susan took the envelope from Snape's hand.
When the pink sparks dissolved – they did three full laps of the hall before they swirled around Susan – everybody was dumbfounded because it looked like nothing else had happened. The apprentice chuckled but said nothing.
Professor Sprout was the first one to notice. "On your lapel, dear!" she cried.
And really, on the lapel of Susan's robes was now a sewing needle. Which was without a doubt a magical sewing needle.
"I thought you might like to be in charge of the costumes for the play," the apprentice explained to the young Hufflepuff.
"I would love that! Maybe the Patil sisters can help me. They are good with fashion."
The twins agreed immediately.
"Excellent," cried Dumbledore. "If we get a volunteer from Slytherin, this will be a true inter-house project. Any fashion experts in your house, Severus?"
"Miss Greengrass, perhaps?" Snape suggested.
The older Greengrass sister, Daphne, nodded and the four newly appointed costume designers sat together at the end of the Hufflepuff table to discuss how to proceed.
"Potter, shouldn't you be part of that meeting? With you being the director and all?" Snape asked smugly.
"Nah," the saviour of the wizarding world replied. "I think I'll send my assistant. I'm not really into fashion."
"I don't have time for that," Snape growled. The apprentice agreed.
"You are not very supportive," Potter pointed out. He looked at the headmaster expectantly.
"I'm sorry, Harry," the old wizard said, "but Professor Snape needs to take care of his guest. Either you take care of the matter or you will have to find an assistant to the assistant."
In the end, Lavender Brown was appointed to be the director's assistant when it came to fashion.
Snape spent the day teaching like always. The only difference was that his apprentice joined him in class like she had done before she had become a potions mistress. It was like good old times. The young witch knew which ingredients to get and who needed assistance before Snape told her. It was pure bliss.
In the evening, they attended a rehearsal for the nativity play together. Everything went well but for another shouting match between Potter and Malfoy. Snape had to interfere when the boys started to push each other.
Once the rehearsal was over, Snape retreated to his quarters with his guest and Gloria. They had a dive in the pool and enjoyed a strawberry margarita before they went to bed. Snape hadn't slept so well in a long time.