"Potter's been stealing from my potions supplies." Severus snarled as he stormed into Albus' office. Albus bit back a sigh and placed the monthly Wizenmagot review aside.
"The missing boomslang, I presume?" Severus jerked his head in a sharp nod. "Ah. Did he confess, then?" Albus pursed his lips to avoid smiling at Severus' glare.
"Of course not!" He growled. "But he's always getting into mischief, just like his blasted father, and when I looked I saw the whole thing! The miserable little cretins even threw a firework into Draco's cauldron as a distraction!"
At this Albus could't keep the frown off his face. "Severus," he admonished. "There's a reason that using Legilimency on a minor is illegal. And you know I can't punish him without revealing your use of it, and then it will be you that is in trouble, not he." A look of disgust passed over Severus' face, and Albus held up a hand to fend off the inevitable tirade.
"Bloody Potter." Severus spat, but visibly clamped his mouth shut to keep from saying anything further.
"If that is all?" Albus said mildly. Severus narrowed his eyes and stalked out the room.
Albus did allow himself to sigh then. He stood, and stroked Fawkes' magnificent plumage as he thought.
"At least we know what exactly it is that Harry and the young Weasley boy are doing in a girls' toilet." He told Fawkes. Fawkes trilled a melodious harmony in answer. "Yes, I think perhaps I ought to take a look at what they're brewing, just in case."
He gathered up a box of potions ingredients and disillusioned himself, and then ambled through the halls to Myrtle's bathroom. For once his passage received no awed stares or panicked interruptions as he passed students and teachers alike. He entered the bathroom after confirming that it was empty, and found a cauldron bubbling away in one of the stalls. He peered into it, and his jaw dropped.
Polyjuice potion. Albus chuckled to himself. Miss Granger truly was the greatest witch of her generation. It seemed that she was brewing a Class Five potion, and mostly succeeding. He sprinkled a few lacewing flies into the cauldron and gave it three stirs, nodding to himself as the potion turned a slightly paler shade of green.
He exited the bathroom, resolved to return again in a week to check on her progress. He cancelled the disillusionment charm, and smiled at the next Gryffindor he saw; Charles Sandhurst, seventh year prefect.
"10 points for a smartly turned out uniform." He proclaimed cheerily, and pretended not to notice Charles gape at him, before he straightened and grinned at his friends. He whistled merrily all the way back to his office. Perhaps he should be worried that Harry and his friends planned on impersonating some unfortunate children, but the boy seemed to be lacking a mean streak entirely and he had no doubt that their victims would come to no harm. Besides, this way he'd be able to keep an eye on the amusingly dubbed 'Golden Trio'. Their curious natures would not allow them to ignore the mystery of the Chamber, and this was a safe outlet for them.
"All is well." He told Fawkes, who chirped back. "Alas, you are correct. I must return to the monotony of paperwork."
But as he sat and resumed his review, there was a small smile upon his face, and his heart was light.