"Do you think there's any way we can persuade our daughter to leave this inchoate habit behind?" Severus asked Harry as he tugged his hair out of Nora's grasp again. "If I keep allowing this, she'll yank on my hair all her life."
"As I understand from Molly, it's perfectly normal, and they grow out of it," Harry answered absently as he flipped through a book.
"Research?" Severus asked, freeing his hair again.
"Yeah. You know I'm working on a really good Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. To teach my class properly, I have to draw things together from all sorts of sources. I want to write one that teaches everything decently."
"Oh, right. Do you want some help with that?" Severus pulled his hair out of Nora's grasping hands again.
"Later. I want to bring together the basics first. I'll ask you when it comes time for more specialized knowledge."
"Okay. Nora, don't pull Daddy Sevvy's hair," Severus instructed, freeing his hair yet again. Nora laughed and curled her chubby fingers around Severus' hair again.
Harry looked at him. "Why don't you just tie your hair back?"
"She yanks it out of the ponytail. That hurts even more than her just pulling on it. Nora, stop that. It hurts!" He gently tugged his hair out of Nora's hands again. Nora reached for it. Severus grabbed her hands and held on to them tightly. "No, Nora. Don't yank Daddy Sevvy's hair, okay?" Nora giggled.
"What about cutting it?"
Severus stared at Harry. Nora took advantage of his distraction to free her hands and tug sharply on a lock of hair.
"OW! Nora, I said stop it. I mean it, Nora, stop it!"
Nora laughed again.
"Harry, I thought you like my hair long."
"I do," Harry affirmed. "It looks good on you. Makes you look sexy. But I'm not about to ask you to keep your hair long when it clearly frustrates you that Nora keeps yanking on it."
Severus glared at Nora and yanked his hair free again. "Nora, stop it!" He sighed and looked back at Harry. "I like long, anyway. Besides, she'd tug on my hair if it was short."
"She'd have a harder time pulling it properly if you kept it very short. Whatever you want, though. I'm not going to talk you into anything. Certainly not going to talk you into cutting your hair. I like it long."
Severus smiled at Harry, then scowled as Nora yanked his hair again.
Harry smiled as he watched his husband and daughter. Severus, despite his upbringing and continuing nastiness to the vast majority of humanity, spoiled Nora rotten. He adored his daughter and never lost his temper with her. Apparently, fatherhood suited Severus well.
"So, what are you going to do about Nora's insistence on pulling your hair?" Harry asked as he turned back to his work.
"I am going to mold her inchoate will to my much more mature one," Severus answered, freeing his hair again.
Inchoate – adj. 1. In an initial or early stage; just begun. 2. Imperfectly formed or formulated. Word of the Day, March 10, 2008)