1

The next morning, Snape was up and about at the crack of dawn. Firstly, he was excited about the new advent calendar and wanted his present – even if it was only a chocolate frog – and secondly he had no doubt whatsoever that Dumbledore was going to blame him if something went wrong.

Years of experience had taught the potions master that it was less trouble to just look out and prevent things from going wrong.

In spite of his early appearance at the Great Hall, Snape was not the first to turn up. A cete of Hufflepuffs was already sitting at their house tables, a convocation of Ravenclaws was discussing what to expect at theirs, a small pride of Gryffindors was yawning over cups of cocoa and a nest of Slytherins was observing the other houses from under their lashes.

Even the Head Table was not empty. The headmaster himself was sitting there, raising his cup to those who entered the Great Hall.

"Albus," Snape said instead of a greeting as he sat on the headmaster's left side, "you are up early."

"Yes," the old wizard replied while he poured his younger colleague a cup of coffee, "I'm so excited! It's one thing to make a magical item but an entirely different thing to see it in action."

"You are sure that your bags work!" Snape gasped.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Of course, of course, my boy. We'd have a mutiny to deal with before you can finish that cup of coffee if they wouldn't. Don't worry. I've made similar things before, on a smaller scale of course."

Snape wondered with whom the headmaster had exchanged random gifts before but he didn't dare ask. Sometimes it was better to not know everything.

"So," he said instead, "when do we open the bags?"

"Why, when everybody is here, of course. But for our three quarantined guests. That goes without saying." Dumbledore smiled benignly.

"You haven't said that yesterday," protested Snape. "We could be waiting forever until the last one shows up!"

"Nonsense," McGonagall said as she sat on the headmaster's other side. "Nobody goes to classes without a bite first and lessons will start in an hour."

"Indeed," the old wizard agreed. He chose a muffin from the tray in front of him. "I don't think we'll have to wait long. Everybody will want to know what they got."

Under different circumstances Snape would have begrudged the headmaster being right but as he wanted to know what was in his bag, he hoped with all his soul that the man was, indeed, right.

It was a little less than a quarter hour before the start of lessons that Snape's least favourite students – Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom – along with a group of their housemates finally made an appearance.

"Where were you!" Snape cried as soon as the boy wonder and his friends walked through the door.

Potter stopped and looked at the potions master, clearly puzzled. "Did you miss me? Did I miss something?"

Snape had to use every iota of occlumency at his disposal in order not to blush. "The whole school is waiting for you," he said in his strictest teacher tone. "We can only open our advent calendar bags when everybody is here. Your inconsideration is appalling!"

"You tell him, Snape!" somebody shouted but since it sounded like the hoot came from the Slytherin table the potions master did not react. Slytherin house never discussed transgressions in public.

Potter had the decency to blush and apologize to the student body at large.

"Apology accepted! What a great example of proper behaviour you set for our younger students, Harry. Ten points to Gryffindor!" cried Dumbledore.

Snape's jaw dropped but before he could point out the injustice of Potter getting points for being late, the headmaster proceeded to encourage the students to open their bags.

There was a rush for the walls and soon everybody – the teachers included – was sitting back down with a parcel in hand. The headmaster had made it a requirement to gift-wrap the tokens which were placed in the bags.

Snape's gift was small, just big enough to house a walnut or a golden snitch, and wrapped gaudily in orange. Could it be? Had he got the gift provided by the headmaster himself? He was just reaching for the bow, when his attention was drawn to the Hufflepuff table.

The students there were laughing hysterically. One of the seventh year boys was now sporting lime-green curls. Somebody at the Ravenclaw table pointed him out to his housemates and soon the whole hall was laughing and clapping. The Hufflepuff blushed and joined the good-natured laughter.

"Your doing?" Dumbledore asked the potions master.

Snape admitted that, yes, he had put a hair changing potion into his bag. "I thought a little bit of fun would do the children good."

"Good thinking, Severus," McGonagall agreed.

"Let's see what the others get," Dumbledore suggested and the others agreed.

Most students got sweets, but there were a couple of more creative gifts. Somebody had given a wooden flute (Snape suspected Hagrid), Draco Malfoy discovered a muggle novel (Snape saw him chuck it away in a show of disgust but pocket it later), Harry Potter unwrapped a red lipstick and was teased mercilessly by his dorm-mates.

At last it was the teachers' turn to open their gifts.

McGonagall got a chocolate frog. Dumbledore discovered a gingerbread man with red eyes in a black box covered in little green skulls. Flitwick received a small jar of broom handle wax and Sprout laughed when she unwrapped a small porcelain flamingo which was charmed to walk around her teacup.

Snape was among the very last to open his box.

It contained a small glass sphere not much different from a remembrall. He yelped when a miniature version of his apprentice appeared inside the ball and waved at him.

"Ah," Dumbledore purred beside him. "A miss-me-not! One of my better inventions."

"What does it do?" asked Flitwick who was sitting too far away to properly see the mini-apprentice.

"It shows the person you miss most," Dumbledore explained.

McGonagall chuckled. "How predictable you are, Severus!"

"It doesn't take a seer to predict whom I miss most. You weren't expecting to see yourself in there, were you?" Snape snapped at the witch.

The woman huffed. "Of course not. Why would you miss me when I'm right here?" She got up. "Excuse me, I have a lesson to teach."

Snape felt bad about having snapped at his colleague. True, they were not always of one mind, seeing that they were heads of rivalling houses, but they always treated each other with respect. With a sigh he accepted that he had to apologize to the witch.

It was only during the lunch break that he had time to seek the Head of Gryffindor out. "I come with a peace offering," he announced his presence as he stepped into the Transfiguration classroom. He held up a bottle and two tumblers. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"That better be the good stuff," McGonagall said sternly.

Snape nodded and poured two drinks. They clinked glasses and with that things were in order between the two teachers.

During dinner Snape mentioned to Dumbledore that he wondered what the Dark Lord and his group had got.

The headmaster smiled.

"I went up there to thank Tom for my gingerbread man…"

"You didn't!" cried McGonagall. "Which part of quarantine don't you understand!"

Dumbledore stopped her with a raised hand. "I didn't go into their rooms, Minerva! I magicked a piece of wall transparent and magically transferred the sound. We were able to see each other and talk without being in the same room."

"Thank Merlin!" the witch was relieved.

"Anyway," continued the headmaster, "Tom got a new quill. He was thrilled. Lucius got a jar of hand moisturizer and Bellatrix got a liquorice wand. They, too, were very happy with their bounty."

After the meal Snape discovered another perk of this year's advent calendar. The students retired to their houses soon after dessert in order to have time to prepare gifts for the next day.

Speaking of gifts, Snape needed one, too. With a small smile on his lips he retreated to his rooms, too.