3
The morning of the third found the population of Hogwarts searching the castle and grounds before the first shade of light appeared above the horizon.
Harry Potter had opted to search near the gates which opened to the path to Hogsmeade. So far he hadn't found anything but a lost fifth year potions book.
He extinguished the light on the tip of his wand in an instant when a cloud of pink sparks appeared on the Hogsmeade side of the gates and watched, his wand trained on the sparks.
A witch materialised and walked through the gates unhindered.
"You came!" Harry squealed and lit his wand.
"Harry, what are you doing here at this time of the night? You are supposed to be in your bed, dreaming of Christmas!" The apprentice – blonde hair as curly as ever, dressed in pink from head to toe like always – drew the young wizard into a hug.
Harry explained.
"My poor master!" cried the apprentice. "Everybody knows how much he loves breakfast! Harry, we have to find him so that he can have his coffee, help me search!"
"Don't worry, the whole school is searching for him. Even the Dark Lord is here."
"Voldemort is searching for my master in puppet form?" the witch shrieked. "Come on, we have to hurry! – Have you tried Accio?"
Harry had not and the witch cast the spell immediately.
"Oops!" she cried when after several moments a tirade of curses and threats was heard.
Harry chuckled. "Forgive me," he laughed, mock-bowed to the witch and extinguished his wand light again. He just managed to disappear into the dark before an enraged potions master landed in the snow in front of the witch.
"I'm going to kill you, slowly!" raged the wizard. "And I'm going to use your sorry remains for the most disgusting potions I can think of!" He paused in his rant, when he registered the pink high heels in front of him. "Is that you, you imbecilic darling witch?"
The blonde conjured a warm blanket for the potions master and socks and shoes onto his bare feet. "The most disgusting potions you can think of, eh?" she asked as she sank to her knees to embrace the man.
"I'll revaluate that plan," muttered Snape as he returned the embrace.
"Thank you," the witch got up. "Now, let's get you back to the warm castle. I was lead to think you were a helpless puppet." When there was no answer, she turned to look at the man, but he was gone. Thinking quickly, she cast Accio again, but to no avail. It seemed that Santa had anticipated that possibility and made the Snape puppet unresponsive to it.
"Harry!" the witch cried. "Help me look for Severus!"
"I repeat: the whole castle is looking for Severus!" Harry replied from a little to the left of the path up to the castle.
"It's cold out here," the apprentice informed the young wizard, "I'm going to look for him inside." She hurried up the path as fast as her high heels would allow.
"What are you doing here?" shrieked a female voice at the witch as soon as she stepped foot into the Entrance Hall. "Have you come to steal my Lord's prize?"
"I've come to pay a visit to my master, Bellatrix," sighed the apprentice. "I had no idea there was an advent game going on!"
"But now you are going to participate!" Bellatrix glared at the younger witch.
"Of course! He's MY master after all!"
The women glared daggers at each other. Luckily the headmaster intervened before wands were drawn. "Welcome! Welcome!" he cried as he embraced the apprentice. "Bellatrix, have you looked in the kitchens yet?" He watched as the dark witch hurried away with a smile.
"You have looked in the kitchens, haven't you?" the apprentice grinned.
"Of course," chuckled Dumbledore. "I wouldn't send a guest into a potentially dangerous area, would I? – Would you care for a cup of coffee, my dear? You must be tired and freezing."
"We have to go looking for Severus!" the witch protested. "He is missing!"
"Not really," the headmaster pointed out. "If nobody finds him, he will turn up for lunch. You can partake in the game another day." He led the way to the Great Hall and they walked up to the Head Table.
"Snape in a Cape!" the apprentice squealed as soon as she spotted the black clad puppet on the teachers' table.
"You found me!" praised the potions master. He climbed off the table as gracefully as he could.
"You are so elegant, Master," the girl squealed and clapped her hands.
"I do what I can," groaned Snape. "It doesn't get easier with age, my dear."
"Have you been neglecting your training?" the apprentice asked sternly.
"I have a present for you," Snape tried to distract but a stern glare from the girl in front of him told him that it hadn't really worked. He handed the witch a small pink box. "And maybe another later," he winked. Yes, that worked.
"Let's have coffee first," Dumbledore suggested and his companions agreed.
The apprentice waited to open her present when most of the students and teachers were assembled.
"We really need a signal to announce you have been found," Dumbledore told Snape as he sipped his coffee. "Or people will miss breakfast for nothing."
"Shouldn't giving schoolwide signals fall into the array of your duties?" Snape snapped.
"But you will be the first to know you have been found," Dumbledore pointed out.
"But I don't have permission to cover the whole school with signals," Snape growled.
"Permission granted," Dumbledore shrugged.
"Excellent," interrupted the apprentice. "I'd like to open my present now."
The whole student body oohed when she pulled a pink handbag out of her parcel and opened it to look inside. The students oohed again, when the girl stepped into the handbag and disappeared from view. "It has an amazing extension charm!" the girl cried from the depth of her new bag.
A half hour later, the girl showed Snape the inside of her new bag back in the potions master's quarters. The bag held an entire flat, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and all, and even a small swimming pool.
"It's nothing like your pool, but it will be extremely handy when we travel," she pointed out and Snape couldn't but agree.