V: Friends Reunited

Chapter V: Friends Reunited

Snape narrowed his dark eyes, contemplating the liquid in his cut crystal glass by the dim light from the three candles that stood on the rickety table next to his armchair. Dark red, almost blood-like.

He swirled the glass for a solid ten seconds, helping the wine vaporise some of its alcohol and release its natural aromas. He watched as the legs from the wine tricked down the inside of the glass then took a quick whiff to sample the bouquet. Cherry, rum and raisins.

He brought the glass closer to his nose and inhaled deeply, detecting a note of sandalwood.

Once more, he swirled the glass, letting the aromas mix and mingle before sniffing once more. Vanilla, and just a hint of dark chocolate. This was promising to be an excellent wine indeed.

Finally, he took a taste. Just a small sip. He let it roll in his mouth. Not too heavy, not too sweet. Just right. He started noting dried fruit. And again, there was the sweetness of cherries.

He swallowed, closing his eyes for some moments. The aftertaste lingered on his palate, and he could taste the remnants of the wine on the back of his mouth and throat. It felt as if a delicious piece of chocolate were melting in his mouth.

Opening his eyes again, Snape once more contemplated the blood-red colour of the wine. There were many things that could be said about Lucius Malfoy, most of which weren't especially flattering, but he did have a fine taste in wine. This particular vintage had been a birthday gift from Lucius, and Snape had been waiting for the right time to open it.

The summer had been busy for Snape so far, pulled between the Order and the Dark Lord like never before, and so he'd not had much time to relax. Today, however, he'd finally had a chance to put his feet up and had decided to celebrate Lucius' incarceration with his own bottle of, no doubt, eye-wateringly expensive elf-made wine.

'To good health, my friend,' Snape toasted aloud to no one, raising the glass into the air. 'May you rot in hell for all the sins you have committed.'

Or in Azkaban prison, Snape did not really care. For the time being, he was just glad Lucius was locked up and out of the way. The blond wizard had been the cause of enough misery over the last year alone to be locked up forever, in Snape's opinion. But unfortunately, Lucius sitting in Azkaban didn't make his deeds undone. Nor did it bring any relief to the ones who were left behind, the ones who were still suffering, such as Lucius' wife and son.

Snape's eyes travelled across the room and came to rest on the very spot where he had made the Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa a fortnight ago. He would, as he had promised, do everything in his power to protect Draco from harm. But he doubted that it would be of any use. The Darkness would forever leave an imprint on the boy's soul, and even if he managed to keep him from committing a murder, Snape doubted that Draco's soul could ever be fully healed.

And all this because Lucius had messed up. All this because he had lost control.

All of a sudden, the wine tasted bitter in his mouth, and Snape put the glass down on the table beside his armchair, knocking over the small, delicate silver mirror that was propped up against two books. Carefully, he picked it up.

The mirror had been activated a week ago. The charm he had placed on it had informed Snape about that. And the same charm had told him that Charis and Morgana had used their mirrors on several occasions over the last seven days. But so far, Snape had failed in catching as much as a glimpse of either a pair of green or blue eyes in his mirror. It looked as if the girls had developed a liking for midnight conversations, a time during which Snape was either fast asleep or kissing the hem of the Dark Lord's robes. Hence, Snape had so far no idea how his two girls were getting along. But at least, they appeared to be talking.

He was just about to put the mirror back onto the table and give the wine another chance when the glass clouded. It seemed as if a mist were creeping under the mirror's frame, tinting the glass green and blue. His Alert Charm. His girls were using their mirrors at this very moment.

'Really, Charis. I'm standing about two feet away from you. We don't need the mirrors,' Snape heard Morgana say in an exasperated tone.

'I just want to see how I look to you when you're talking to me,' Charis insisted.

She produced her own mirror from the vanity case in her handbag and propped it up on the bedside cabinet, right beside Morgana's. Then she positioned herself on the bed so she was right in front of one of the mirrors. When she craned her neck, she could see her eyes peering at herself in the other one.

Snape held his own mirror up, surprised to see the girls together. This had to be a good sign. He peered forwards, watching the scene before him intently.

'Genius!' Charis exclaimed. 'Whoever came up with those mirrors should be awarded the Nobel Prize.'

'The what now?' Morgana asked and flopped down on the bed beside her friend.

'Never mind.'

Snape couldn't help but smile. Maybe, Morgana should not have dropped Muggle Studies after all.

Picking up his glass again, he reclined in his chair, making himself comfortable. He had missed listening to Charis and Morgana. They had always had such interesting discussions over their cauldrons in his class, and he'd always enjoyed hearing them laughing and joking together. They were unlikely to discuss potions now, Snape was aware of that, but he couldn't resist eavesdropping. Just for a while, he told himself, to assure himself that everything was alright between his girls.

'So, ready for some pampering?' Charis asked, looking expectantly at her friend with her lovely green eyes.

Morgana, however, wrinkled her pretty little nose. 'Do we have to?' she asked, sounding almost whiny. 'It's so... girly!'

Charis giggled. 'Last time I checked, we ARE girls. Unless you've done some weird gender charm...' Playfully, she plucked at Morgana's top as to check if she still had breasts.

'Oi! Those are mine!' the Slytherin exclaimed and slapped her friend's hand, which resulted in yet another giggle.

Snape sipped at his wine and unconsciously crossed his legs.

'Right, what to try first? Primpernelle's Pimple Popper? Or Squeaky-Clean Skin Potion?'

Charis' eyes were glittering with excitement as she surveyed all her beauty products. But Morgana seemed reluctant. She had retreated towards the head of the bed and was now leaning with her back against the headboard, with her arms crossed in front of her chest and a slight scowl on her face.

'Pimple Popper? Sounds disgusting.'

Charis took off the lid of a mauve lotion and inhaled deeply. 'Mmmm! Smell this one. It smells like Honeydukes!'

'I doubt you're supposed to eat it,' Morgana replied haughtily.

Snape snorted in amusement. So typical. Charis had always been – to use Morgana's word – the girly one of the two. Gentle, feminine, sensuous. She had always enjoyed sweet smells. Her favourite perfume at school had carried the scent of roses. Morgana, meanwhile, had always appeared affronted at anything explicitly feminine, preferring musky smells and trying to hide her femininity behind cropped hair and trousers. But she was still a young woman underneath all her bravado, Snape mused, and a striking one at that.

'Oh, look!' Charis exclaimed, ripping Snape out of his thoughts. She had obviously tested some lotion on her hand. 'It makes the skin glow, like a Veela!'

Still, Morgana seemed unimpressed. 'That can't be good,' she commented drily and snatched the lotion from her friend. 'For baby smooth skin,' she cited from the label. 'Now, who wants that?'

'Me!'

As if Charis needed a lotion for that, Snape thought. As far as he could remember, her skin was smooth as silk, soft and warm. Just like her lips. And her kisses had been warm and gentle.

Snape groaned. As much as the memory of his intimate encounters with Charis excited him, he still felt guilty about how he had treated her. He had toyed with her, used her and then pushed her away. For her own good, he'd tried to convince himself. He would never be able to give her the kind of love she wanted from him. And so he had advised her to stay away from him. But he couldn't help but wonder if he'd broken her heart that night.

In their room in London, the girls were unaware of their former Potions master's remorse. Morgana had smeared some of the lotion onto Charis' nose and was now grinning broadly.

'Glowey nosey,' she said in a baby voice. 'Rudolphus would be jealous of that nose!'

'Who?' Charis asked, a puzzled look on her face.

'Rudolphus. Isn't that the name of the reindeer that pulls Father Christmas' sleigh?'

Charis collapsed in a fit of giggles. 'It's Rudolph, silly! Really, you should not have dropped Muggle Studies!'

Morgana's aim was perfect. The pillow she threw at Charis hit the Ravenclaw right on the side of the head and made her topple off the bed, where she lay for quite a while, unable to get up because she was laughing so hard. When she finally clambered back up, after being given a helping hand by Morgana, her eye was caught by a dark red tin.

'Silky Skin For Saucy Sorceresses.' She raised an eyebrow. 'Now, that sounds interesting!'

'Saucy?' Morgana questioned, sounding insulted. 'Whatever are you implying, Miss Byrne?'

'That you and I are witches of the night, my dear,' Charis replied theatrically.

'Thought for a moment you said creatures of the night,' Morgana replied lazily, stretching out her hand for the tin. 'This stuff better not make us sparkle.'

Charis moved up the bed and made herself comfortable beside Morgana, trying a bit of the lotion. 'Wow, feel this!' she urged. 'It's so smooth!'

'Baby's bottom all over again, eh?' Morgana asked, rolling her eyes, but changed her mind once she had tried the lotion herself. 'Wow!' Then she looked at her friend. 'Shame to waste all that stuff on our hands, though, don't you think?'

Charis looked confused for a moment, but already Morgana had plan.

'Silvy!'

In a fraction of a second, the little elf appeared with a loud crack, at once bowing so deeply that her nose touched the floor.

Morgana ignored the ostentatious display of servility. 'Silvy, dear, do you think you could get hold of two bath robes and comfy slippers?'

'Yes, M-Miss Morgana,' the elf stuttered. 'Anything else M-Miss Morgana wishes for?'

'No, thank you, Silvy. That would be all.'

The elf disappeared with another crack, and Morgana huffed. 'I wonder if she'll ever learn.'

'Learn what?' Charis asked.

'Not wanting to call me mistress. She almost chokes when she calls me something else.'

'Naw, she can't help it,' Charis defended the elf, not noticing the dark look on her friend's face as she was distracted by Silvy returning with two satin robes, one green, one blue.

Snape, however, had noticed. And he could understand Morgana's sentiments. Mistress was an ambiguous word, especially for Morgana. It must be more than awkward for her to be called mistress by an elf which had once belonged to Lucius Malfoy.

Charis nipped off to the bathroom to get changed in privacy while Morgana stayed in the room. This was her home now, after all. Of course, she would get changed in her own bedroom. She had, naturally, no idea of the prying dark eyes on the other side of her mirror.

Just like Charis had earlier, Snape noticed that Morgana had lost weight. She had been exercising, alright. Her stomach was flat, her butt firm and her breasts perky. And as much Snape tried to, he was unable to look away. Just as he had been unable to look away that afternoon at Malfoy Manor, almost a year ago. And he had to admit that he was disappointed when Morgana pulled her robe around herself. Quite why she seemed so keen to quash her femininity was beyond Snape. She was a very nubile young woman, and he could feel his body beginning to respond to the sight of her flesh.

As Morgana once more settled on her bed to idly play with some of Charis' tins and phials, Snape buried his face in his hand. What was he doing? He had purchased the mirrors so the girls could keep in touch and so he could keep an eye on them and be able to step in should they be in any kind of danger. And now, when he was watching them for the first time, he was growing aroused at the sheer memory of their bodies. How deep could one sink? He would be frequenting Persephone's Palace with Avery in Knockturn Alley next if he kept going like this.

He was just about to do the decent thing and turn his mirror over when Charis entered the room, and her giggle made him look once more.

'I saw in your bathroom mirror that my nose is still glowing. It's just too cute.'

'It sure is,' Morgana agreed and patted the bed beside herself for Charis to sit down. 'What do you want to try next?'

'Well, when I mentioned that I am about to work at the Ministry, Madam Primpernelle recommended this,' Charis replied and pointed at a tiny, cream-coloured bottle. 'She said it releases muscle tension and makes the skin smooth and glowing at the same time.'

'A miracle potion,' Morgana pointed out, smirking, and uncorked the bottle. 'Now, where is Milady aching?'

'Now that you mention it, my shoulders are aching. I guess my shopping bags were too heavy. Would you mind?'

'Anything for you, my dear.'

Morgana gave a dramatic bow that rivalled Silvy's, and Charis giggled, shrugging her robe off her shoulders. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, right in front of the mirrors, and Morgana came to kneel behind her, already warming the potion between her hands. Snape couldn't believe his eyes. For seven years, he had watched Morgana avoid any kind of physical contact, and there she was now, offering to massage her friend's aching muscles.

'Mmm, this stuff smells yummy, too,' Charis commented after a while.

'So do you.'

Snape saw shy smiles appear on the girls' faces, and could see a tenderness in Morgana's touch which he hadn't expected. He watched as her hands glided almost effortlessly over her friends smooth skin, and saw how Charis' robe had lowered just enough for him to see the succulent pale orbs of her breasts peaking over the top.

He crossed his legs once more. The sight of Charis' soft skin combined with Morgana's lover-like touch was arousing him no end. He knew it was wrong, to be watching such a private moment like a voyeur, but he could not tear his eyes away from his two girls.

'You still use that rose shampoo, don't you?' Morgana asked quietly.

Charis nodded. 'It's a Muggle brand,' she explained. 'I'll give you a bottle if you like it.'

'No, that's alright,' Morgana replied. 'I don't really like the smell of roses. But it sure smells nice on you.'

Roses and dark chocolate. Snape's breath caught in his throat. Morgana's Amortentia smelled of roses and dark chocolate, she had told him once. Did that mean...?

Snape noticed that Charis had closed her eyes and that her head had dropped towards her chest. She was obviously fully relaxed and enjoying her friend's touch.

'You're good at this,' she whispered.

Snape's eyes wandered to Morgana's face now. She looked relaxed as well, but there was something in her blue eyes Snape didn't really like. She seemed confused. And he couldn't help but wonder if she was contemplating the smell of her Amortentia, too.

Now she was running her hands down and up the side of Charis' arms, making the girl shiver slightly. Then her hands came to rest on Charis' shoulders, and Snape could see her move a little closer and bend forwards slightly, breathing ever so softly on Charis' neck.

The blonde Ravenclaw and Snape gasped simultaneously, and Morgana shrank back. Her hands, however, didn't leave Charis' shoulders.

Charis' heart had started to race in her chest. What Morgana was doing felt good, and the breathing on her neck had sent shivers of pleasure down her spine. She didn't want Morgana to stop, but at the same time she was confused about her feelings. She looked over her shoulder at her best friend and was about to speak when a loud crashing noise outside followed by screaming broke the tension.

Morgana was off the bed in an instant and at the window, pulling back the curtains for a better view. Just when she had snatched up her wand, Charis didn't know.

'What the hell was that?' Charis asked fearfully, pulling her robe around her and joining Morgana at the window.

Morgana opened the window and craned her neck to get a view, but all she could see were people fleeing, and the flashes of light that were the tell-tale signs of spells being cast. There were more muffled cries and shouts. It sounded like chaos down there in the street.

Then, on the corner of Knockturn Alley, Morgana saw some figures Apparate. They were dressed in black robes and wearing terrifying, skull-like masks over their faces.

'Death Eaters,' Morgana whispered, pushing Charis away from the window and pulling the curtains shut again. But she herself didn't retreat. Instead, she kept peering out into the darkness from a gap between the curtains.

'Death Eaters?' Charis repeated, feeling her throat become tight, and her stomach swooped with the thrill of dread. 'For goodness' sake, Morgana, get away from the window!'

'It's not us they're after,' Morgana replied calmly and slowly turned towards her friend. 'I think they've just entered Fortescue's.'