Chapter Six
In Which Snape Washes His Hair, Is Threatened With Bat Dung And Doesn't Wear Black.
Snape was awoken by the Tempus charm the next morning. For a moment, he was confused by the green velvet canopy waving slightly above him & the warm presence at his side, then memory came rushing back & he grinned at the happiness which welled up within him. The Tempus charm was flashing at 5:45am. Piper stirred sleepily in his arms & he smiled down at her as he laid a gentle kiss on her temple & got up. The Room of Requirement sensed his need & the wall next to the store room door shimmered slightly. When it cleared, a bathroom lay beyond the open archway. The bath was much like the one in the Prefect's bathroom & remembering Piper's advice, he washed his hair. A small noise alerted him to Piper's presence. Naked, she wandered over to the steps & descended slowly, still half asleep. She reached him as he rinsed out the shampoo. "Sevvy, stop hogging the scented bubbles." Piper's sleepy complaint came from around his chest area & he glanced down in time to see her lay her head against him. "If you fall asleep again, I'll turn off the hot water, Pip." Piper pulled away & glared impressively. "You dare, Severus, & I will see to it that all your potions turn to bat dung for the rest of the week. You should know better than to tease me in the morning. I'm not in the mood till I've had breakfast." Snape kissed her soundly, then grinned as he climbed out. "You finish your bath love; I have to go talk to Dumbledore about what we have to do with you." Out of a habit long since forgotten from the days when the pair of them would sneak out at night for intimate baths together, Snape turned on Piper's favourite scents; lime, vanilla & passionfruit as he got out & Piper let out a sigh of pleasure as the familiar scents filled the air. Spike dried his hair with a wave of his wand & decided to wear something other than black for once…a green so dark it was almost black should do nicely. Feeling better than he had in years, Snape swept out of the Room of Requirement & made his way to the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk as usual when Snape entered. He glanced up at his potions master & went quite still. "Severus, you look, well, exceptionally cheerful today. I see you've finally decided to stop using that dreadful Mortis Animaus Glamour." The twinkle in the old man's eyes was so bright; Snape wondered how he wasn't blinded by it. He realised he had indeed forgotten to cover his features with the attraction-dampening glamour spell. He had used it since Piper's disappearance. She was back though, so there was no reson to continue its use. Snape crossed the room in three strides, sat himself in the chair opposite & stared into Dumbledore's eyes in invitation. The old man hesitated for a moment, then sat forward & gazed back. Snape dropped his barriers as he felt the cautious 'knock' on the 'door' of his mind. He felt Dumbledore's light intrusion & pushed forward the recent memories he wanted to show & locking up the ones he didn't. Dumbledore skimmed for a moment, then sat back. The whole thing had taken no more than a few moments, which was why he had chosen a mind link over explaining it himself. Dumbledore slumped into his seat with a heavily exhaled breath. "I had wondered at the similarities between Miss Devereaux's disappearance & all the other victims of Riddle, but to imprison her in that manner seems rather twisted, even for Riddle at such a young age. For the moment, I see no reason why Miss Devereaux cannot simply join you as your Potions Assistant. From what I recall, she missed only a few weeks of schooling?" Snape nodded. "Then I think it is fair to say if you can arrange with the other staff members to complete her training in the next few months, she can study as your assistant in a more permanent manner. Or perhaps replace Professor Higgle in Enchantments? She was quite skilled at those, yes?" Again Snape nodded. Dumbledore smiled. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Severus. For the time being, Miss Devereaux may sit with you at the Staff Table in the Great Hall. I will leave her living arrangements to you." Snape blushed slightly, then rose to his feet. "Thank you headmaster. Piper will be staying with me for the moment." With that he swept out. Piper met him at the bottom of the staircase, smiling. She was dressed in a robe two shades lighter than his, & her hair was loose but for two sections over her temples which she'd pulled back & plaited. There were Slytherin-green streaks through her dark locks; the result of one of Piper's favourite enchantments. The colour brought out her eyes. Snape passed the gargoyle & opened his arms to her. Piper ran at him & Snape spun her around, laughing.
Holding her close, he breathed the scent of her clean hair greedily. "Pip, you are going to be my assistant. I have to talk to the other teachers about you finishing up your final year, then Dumbledore says you can go for the Enchantments position if you want to." Piper looked a bit over whelmed as he let her out of his embrace & linked arms with her so he could guide them towards the Great Hall where breakfast awaited them. "I'd like that Sevvy. Enchantments was always my best subject by far. What did Dumbledore say about…well, us?" Her hold on his arm tightened & Snape smiled down at her gently. "You're going to be staying in my apartment until you choose to move out. Dumbledore can rustle up another Teacher's Flat if you'd prefer…" His words were silenced as Piper pulled them to a halt & faced him. "Severus, I want to be with you. If I'm in a different apartment, how am I supposed to sleep next to you & see you naked? Silly, I don't want to live by myself. Ever." She stood on her tip-toes & kissed him soundly. Snape was thankful for the blissfully deserted corridor. Spinning them, Snape pressed her against the wall & proceeded to prove his approval to her words.
Unfortunately, he heard a slight noise & had to break off his exploration of her welcoming mouth. They got themselves sorted just in time to greet a bunch of Gryffindor sixth years. Potter was among them, as well as the youngest male Weasley, the-know-it-all Granger, the Irish boy; what's-his-name Finnegan & that useless Longbottom boy. Snape glanced at Potter & nodded. "Morning, Potter. We will be starting Alchemy today, so you & Granger may want to brush up on general knowledge, not that it will do you much good Mr Weasley. The potion we will be trying today turns copper to gold. It's rather advanced. Fifty points to anyone who gets it right." He left the stunned Gryffindors behind as he & Piper descended the main staircase to the Great Hall. Piper habitually tried to head for the Slytherin table, only to have Snape pull her back discreetly. "Staff table, Pip luv, remember?" Piper flashed him a grin & strode straight down the length of the hall, stylishly tailored robes swirling. Snape gave her a moment, then followed.