-4-

The next morning, Snape was up and about early. He was woken by laughter coming from his cupboard. What was that girl doing now?

Eager to swim a couple of lengths before breakfast, Snape put on his swimming trunks and entered the cupboard.

"What in the name of Merlin!" he bellowed when he saw the pool. There were bubbles everywhere! That girl had turned the pool into a foam bath! The whole area smelled of raspberries! The girl in question, clad in a pink bikini, was sitting by one of the small tables where they usually had their pina coladas. On the table, however, was no drink but Sverre. The little fellow had been bathed and now he looked like a ball of fluff with antlers and a pink bow.

"Who is the cutest of them all?" the girl cooed.

The little reindeer baaed and the girl clapped her hands. "Exactly!" she praised. "Our master!"

"I'll give you cute! What have you done with the pool? I was going to swim!" Snape growled.

"Oh, come on, big crybaby! Are you a wizard or what?" The girl produced her wand from Merlin knew where and with a swish returned the pool to its usual state. "There! You can go swimming now."

"Will you come?" Snape asked.

The girl didn't answer but instead leaped into the pool with an elegant header. "Snail!" she teased.

Snape followed her immediately and to prove that he was no snail challenged the apprentice to a race. He won, of course.

A half hour later, but still early for breakfast, Snape, the apprentice and Sverre made their way to the Great Hall. They were among the first to arrive and the potions master got to enjoy his coffee in peace.

He was about to finish his first plate of waffles, when the Dark Lord arrived.

"Severus," he said without preamble, "I heard there was a commotion in the potions classroom yesterday. Why was I not informed?"

"It was nothing," the potions master replied, hoping that the dark wizard was not going to ask any further. Alas, he was not that lucky.

"Rumour has it, that I was involved." The Dark Lord said it casually but Snape knew that he was only waiting to strike.

"You'd certainly know if you had been involved," the apprentice interfered.

"Severus, do tell," the Dark Lord ordered.

Snape did some quick thinking. "Potter was so enthusiastic about his Dark Lord fan figure, that he showed it off to the class. He was so clumsy that two of my Slytherins were hurt and I had to take points."

"Fan figure?" the Dark Lord was all ears.

"Of course! Didn't you realise that everybody got a toy that resembled a person important to them? Since you and Potter are not on friendly terms, it must be an indication of some kind of fan worship that he got you."

The Dark Lord beamed. "You must be correct. Why haven't I seen it like that?"

Once everybody had been fed, Snape opened the advent calendar and Sverre – still very fluffy – carried the small present to the Ravenclaw table. The recipient was Penelope Clearwater.

"As a reward for helping Mr Malfoy with the stretchers," she read out.

The parcel was about the size of a honey jar when it stopped growing. Penelope opened it and gasped. It the parcel were musical instruments. "I think we are supposed to form a band for the Christmas party!" she cried. "Professor Flitwick, you will help, won't you?"

Of course the little Charms professor was willing to help and announced that there was going to be an audition after dinner.

Lessons were very quiet that day. Nobody wanted to get detention and miss the audition. Snape, having no desire to participate in a band, retired to his rooms before the audition started. There he found his apprentice by the pool, sipping a cocktail.

"So, they are fan figures?" the girl purred. "And you got tiny me. Tell me more about you feel about me."

Snape was just going to inform the blonde about the meaning of her tiny pink self that was sitting on his nightstand when there was a knock at the door. The potions master rolled his eyes. Couldn't Dumbledore leave him alone for just one evening?

It was not Dumbledore, however, who sought entrance to Snape's chambers. In the corridor, looking nervously behind them, where Lucius and Bellatrix. As soon as the door was wide enough open, Lucius elbowed his way past Snape. Bellatrix followed closely and slammed the door shut as soon as she was through.

"Quick! Hide us!" cried Lucius.

"Why would I hide you?" Snape asked, puzzled.

"Fan figures!" Lucius huffed. "He is in a fit of rage because Bella and I haven't got a Dark Lord toy. And I would hide in your place as well because as far as I am aware you have no Dark Lord either."

"OF course he doesn't have a Dark Lord," snapped the apprentice who had been looking forward to hearing of Snape's feelings. "Why would he, when he can have me."

Lucius hinted a bow. He had a tiny Narcissa, and Bellatrix a tiny Rodolphus. The latter had come as a surprise given how devoted to their master Bellatrix was but it seemed her spouse still took priority.

Suddenly the door to Snape's quarters shook. "Let me in!" boomed the Dark Lord's voice. "I know you are hiding in there."

"Only if you calm down first!" cried Snape. He hoped that Dumbledore was quick. He almost certainly had been informed of the commotion by a ghost or painting.

"Calm down? You rats!" the evil wizard was irate.

"Oh, let me," huffed the apprentice. She weaved her way past Snape and opened the door. "You are coming to rooms that are not yours," she said sternly as she looked at the wizard on the other side. "You will calm down and be polite as befits a wizard of breeding. You will treat your host with respect, as well as his guests, or you will leave."

"Who asked you, girl!" cried the Dark Lord. "You stole Severus's devotion for me!"

"Now you sound like a jealous lover," the girl tsked. "Really, that's beneath you."

"He got your fan figure and not mine!" complained the Dark Lord.

"Of course," replied the blonde as if it had been expected. "He can see you whenever he wants but I'm only here for a couple of days before Christmas. Of course he got my fan figure! That way he can at least look at me all year. You didn't get Dumbledore because he's the most important person to you, did you? You got him because you rarely see him in person."

It turned out that just then was one of the few occasions the Dark Lord got to see Dumbledore because the very man was hurrying towards Snape's quarters.

"What is going on here?" the headmaster cried.

"Just a short meeting before bed," the apprentice said. "We were going to enjoy a glass of firewhiskey together." The Dark Lord nodded. "Yes, we were," he agreed. "Would you like to join?"

"No," said Dumbledore. "I was going to audition for the band and had to give up my place in the queue to come here. I hope the audition is still going."

"The audition!" cried the Dark Lord. "I forgot!"

The two wizards hurried back up to the Great Hall.

Lucius and Bellatrix took their leave shortly afterwards without having had any firewhiskey. They both claimed they wanted to write to their spouses.

"That was close," sighed Snape once they were alone again. "Now, where were we?"