Bound To You

Chapter 14: Fun Time!

Severus' hand was steady as he moved them with almost inhuman grace, his face passive, but there was a vindictive light within those obsidian orbs. Sirius, or, well, Padfoot, was curled up in a dark corner, watching the dark man grade the student's summer homework with dark glee in amusement. Only he would take such dark pleasure in grading homework.

The ungraded pile of parchment was slowly decreasing, and once it was completely gone, he'd never seen anyone look so sad and relieved and irritated at the same time. "What are you staring at, Black?" Seve--Snape snapped, glaring at the black grim in the corner. Padfoot got up and shifted into Sirius, and with an amused grin, walked up to the office desk.

"Only you, Snape, that would be so happy to grade homework," he shook his head. Severus just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Was that a compliment, Black?" he leaned back to look up to silver eyes. "Because if you were to stop being a child and a dunderhead yourself, you'd also feel that degrading other dunderheads while grading them will be a recreation all on its' own."

"Yeah, well, too bad I'm not a dunderhead, huh?"

"So you say, though in my standards you're still one."

"Your standards only stand in potions, Snape," Sirius scoffed. "If it were in pranking, you'd be the dunderhead."

"As if," Severus scoffed back. "I'm brilliant in pranking."

"Complimenting yourself, Severus?"

"Complimenting yourself, Sirius?"

They stared at each other, daring the other to make the next move. Sirius narrowed his eyes in challenge.

"How about we determine whose pranks is the best, hm?"

"To see who has the most ingenious prank?"

"To see who makes the most interesting, and amusing pranks?"

"You're on."

"You're gonna regret it," Sirius grinned.

"Oh? What, afraid to lose, Siri?"

"I'm more afraid of what I'm going to do when you lose, Sev."

"As if."

"Winner can do anything to the loser, deal?"

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Deal," Severus smirked, mirroring Sirius'. "Prank war starts next week."

"Next week it is, then," Sirius nodded, leaving to do his nightly ablutions. Severus watched him disappear into the bathroom, not noticing the smile he had on his face. He'd never felt so free, and when he looked at the red ink that was splattered across the pile of summer homework, he decided that a prank war was far more interesting and freeing than grading.

None realized that they'd called each other by their given names.

"Harry," Tom called when he saw him walk alone in a corridor after lunch break.

"To--Professor Marvolo," Harry said, his eyes lighting up. "What is it?"

"I need to talk to you," he said, nodding towards an unused classroom. "In private."

"Umm, alright," the younger wizard nodded. Once Tom had warded the door with many spells and charms that it was nearly impenetrable, Harry asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Your mind healing sessions," he said, straight to the point.

"Oh, um... when are we gonna do it, and where?" Harry asked.