"Slytherin!"

"Fuck."

"That's another galleon."

The first night of the new year at Hogwarts meant the sorting feast. Where scared and nervous children awaited their fate from an ancient talking hat as it blurted out the chosen house for the whole Great Hall to hear. Including two professors, huddled together with multiple mounds of odd shaped coins between them on the table.

Harry Potter, professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and flying master, looked upset as he moved a coin from his pile to that of his partners.

Draco Malfoy, professor of alchemy and currently the master of nothing as Harry liked to remind him, looked smug as his pile grew larger. "That makes 8 already. Did you bring enough money, Potter? Don't want to make you go into debt on the first day."

"Shove off. We aren't even half way through. Gryffindor could make a comeback." Harry replied as he eyed his own pile, as if to count the coins to see if he could afford many more Slytherins.

Draco smirked. "Face it, children these days are much more cunning and clever than they are dumb."

The statement was met with a scoff.

And a glare.

The latter from the center of the head table, where a formidable looking man loomed over the others even from a sitting position. He was supposed to be watching the ceremony, giving reassuring looks to the newcomers. But he rarely did that anyways. But definitely not when two of his own staff were acting like First Years themselves.

"You want in, Severus?" Draco asked the man, "Galleon for each Slytherin sorted. It's a profitable bet."

Harry and Severus both rolled their eyes. "Please try to act as if you're grown men with wisdom and knowledge to bestow on these children. And not as if you got confused on where to sit." Severus Snape drawled as he turned back to the ceremony where a short red headed girl was chosen for Ravenclaw. He gave her a nod as she looked up at him before scurrying off, his face devoid of much emotion.

The other professors at the table all tried to hide their laughter. It had been almost 8 years since the end of the war, 4 years since the two youngest professors joined their table. They didn't quite realize how stuffy and tense it was to be a Hogwarts professor until the young men had come aboard. Now staff meetings and meals were often full of laughter and petty pranks. It was a needed change.

Even the Headmaster could appreciate them and the attitude they brought to the staff. Though their antics could be bothersome and a tad inappropriate.

"Slytherin!"

"Fuck!"

"Welcome back students!" Harry's voice was warm and bright as he faced his first class of the year. He had only been teaching for four years, but he had learned quickly that the Third Year students were his favorite. They weren't so new that he had to teach them everything about everything, but they also weren't hormone ridden teenagers with smart mouths and excuses for everything. They were eager to learn and have fun. Just his type.

The students gave Professor Potter a sea of smiles. Not that he was bragging, but Harry was definitely their favorite teacher. He walked around to the front of his desk and leaned back against it and crossed his arms over his chest. "Another year, another lesson plan."

"This year I will challenge you more, give you more creatures to study and spells to learn. You will start working on shielding charms and by the beginning of next semester, you'll even be dueling." There was murmur of noise from the children, excitement and nervousness and even some fear shown on their faces. Harry smiled. "Once the year is over, you'll be offered an invitation to my personal favorite club at Hogwarts, the Dueling Club. So make sure you pay attention when we work on shield charms. Students much older than you and more experienced are members. They don't hold back."

Harry winked and then moved to face the blackboard behind his desk and flicked his wand, "On that note, let's begin. Chapter one."

The lesson went smoothly. It was mostly theory they discussed today.

When Harry first started teaching the subject, he didn't know how to approach the class. He didn't have much to go off of from his own school experience. He didn't want to just teach them spells, that was what Charms was for. And he could introduce a bunch of creatures, but this wasn't Care of Magical Creatures. And the Dark Lord had been dead for years, so the imminent threat of death wasn't there either. He decided early on that he was going to make it up as he went along. As he did most everything.

But it worked. And his students were doing well on their OWLS and NEWTS. So he must have been doing something right. And as much as Harry was sure he would love to, Headmaster Snape hadn't sacked him yet.

Harry flicked his wand to see the time.

"Alright class, you are dismissed!" Loud scrapes filled the room as the students got out of their chairs. "Oh and the flying master in me must remind you that Quidditch tryouts are next week!" He yelled over the noise.

Harry was erasing his blackboard when he felt a familiar presence behind him. "Need some teaching tips already, Malfoy? It hasn't even been 3 hours." He joked as he finished the chore at hand before turning around. Malfoy was leaning back in one of the seats, his feet perched on top of the desk. Some straggler students gave Draco a look and a giggle as they filed out of the room.

"Hardy har har, scarhead. I just had some time to visit." He answered as he began rocking onto the back legs of his chair, balancing just right.

Harry rolled his eyes. He knew when Draco wanted to talk about something, mainly girls. "Any specific topic of discussion?"

Draco slammed down on the floor with a loud bang and stood up, "Well since you asked. I got a letter today. From a certain redhead." He strolled towards the front of the room where Harry was.

"Ron?" Harry asked sheepishly and ducked as the other professor swatted at him.

"No you twit! Ginny!"

"Ahh."

Harry sat on top of his desk and gave his full attention to the blonde-haired man. "And? What did she stay?"

"She wished me good luck on the first day of class." Draco answered, standing in front of Harry with his hands in the pockets of his teaching robes.

Harry waited for some more explanation but when none came he swung his leg out, connecting to the shin of his friend. "That's it? That's what's got you in a tizzy?"

Draco kicked his friend back. "Oww. You arse. Well what does it mean? Why does she care how my first day goes?"

"It's called being friendly."

"Screw friendly. I'm friendly with you but I wouldn't owl you on the first day to wish you luck." Draco replied, seemingly sulking.

Harry gave him a knowing looking, "You would too."

Draco scoffed. "The only owl I would send you, Potter, is one full of itching powder."

Harry began to itch just at the memory of that particular mail day. He jumped off the desk to distract himself. "Maybe she just wanted to test the waters. Small talk and all that. Is she still dating that bloke from the Ministry?"

Draco scowled at the question. "I don't know. I can't exactly ask her, you know." Harry rolled his eyes.

They began to walk out of the classroom, Harry shutting the door behind him. He had another hour before his combo Ravenclaw-Slytherin class. "Do you want me to ask Hermione?"

"No! I will not be the subject of your threesome gossip group." Draco exclaimed.

Harry began laughing. "Too late for that."

Draco stopped, "What? What the blood hell do you say to them?"

Harry just shrugged and kept walking. Draco sent a stinging hex at his back, but Harry was prepared and blocked it easily.

"Well do you also gossip about your lack of sex life and fear of commitment?" Draco asked, now back at Harry's side.

Harry rolled his eyes, "It's not a fear of commitment. It's lack of time and lack of dating pool."

Draco gave Harry a "Mhmm" and they fell silent as they entered the teacher's lounge. It was small room with a large table in the middle big enough to fit all the professors for staff meetings. There was a counter on the back wall where a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits were magically kept hot and fresh every day. There was cupboard in the room as well, which held random items that professors collect from their students and then dump on the way in.

The room was almost empty. The only person in there was Snape, who was reading a stack of mail while eating a chocolate covered biscuit.

The headmaster didn't look up when the young men walked into the room. He didn't acknowledge them at all.

"There are plenty of men that you could date, Potter." Draco continued, "Just ask Severus. He knows a thing or two about dating." He passed his Godfather as he made his way to get some tea. He patted the man on the shoulder as he did so.

Harry sat down across from the Headmaster. "Good morning, Headmaster. Good reading there?"

Snape looked up briefly, "Just another love letter from my slew of conquests," he deadpanned while continuing his reading.

Draco snorted into his tea and Harry gave a wide smile. "See. If Severus can get some, so can you." That got Draco a dark look. Draco ignored him. "You just don't put yourself out there enough, Potter. Maybe a mail-order Husband is your thing?"

Draco joined Harry at the table and swiped one of Snape's letters. He began perusing it while taking a sip of tea. Snape smacked his Godson on the head and grabbed the letter back, "A little bit of privacy would be appreciated Draco."

"I tell him that every day." Harry responded while Draco rubbed the sore spot on his head. "What if I just don't want to date, Malfoy? Not everyone enjoys having a different person in their bed every day."

"Excuse you, Potter! That better not be the kind of stuff you gossip about to your idiot friends!"

"Afraid they'll tell Ginny?" That earned Harry a biscuit to the head and a glare.

There was a sigh from the other part of the table, "This room was so quiet five minutes ago," The headmaster muttered, his head in his hand.

"What are you doing in here today, Professor? Don't you have a much more comfortable office with less prying eyes?"

Snape put his letter down into the stack of others and looked at the two men, "Comfortable, yes. But I have a hundred portraits in my office who have been bored for a thousand years. My office is full of prying eyes." He took a sip of his own tea. "To answer your question, I wanted to make myself available for the new professor. The lounge is closer."

Draco smirked, "You just want to be closer to the dungeons in case he blows up your lab."

"It's no longer my laboratory, Draco. It is in fully capable hands." Snape answered with a stern look.

Draco laughed at the man, "That's what you think now. Maybe we should have another bet, Potter. How long before you think he blows up the potions classroom?"

Harry shook his head, "Oh no. I'm not taking that bet. It's a lose-lose situation."

"Scared, Potter?"

Harry didn't dignify that with a response, instead he gave the man a rude finger gesture and took a sip of tea.

Draco jumped up suddenly as if the gesture burned him, "Shit fuck!" He quickly shoved the chair back under the table and began to sprint out of the room.

Harry stared mouth open after him. That was weird. He looked to the headmaster in hopes he knew what that was about.

"His next class started five minutes ago," Snape answered Harry's unasked question while calmly drinking his tea.

Harry barked in laughter, not expecting that answer. Snape rose one elegant brow at him and went back to his letters. Harry sat quietly, enjoying his tea but not enjoying the silence. He wasn't used to being in a room alone with the Headmaster. Not since he was a student himself. Most of the time he had Draco to take the awkward moments away. But alone, well that was a different story. He finished his tea quickly and cleared away his mess. He stood up from his chair. The other man never looked up.

Harry cleared his throat roughly, "Um. Have a good day, sir." When there was no response, he nodded slowly and walked out of the room.

Snape looked up silently as the man retreated, "To you as well."