Disclaimer: The world of HP isn't mine; it belongs to JK Rowling and WB. I'm not profiting from this, save for personal satisfaction.
Prompt: (Quote) "There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes."- The Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who
Beta Love: Copper's Mama, secretfanficlover
Snow crunched under Severus' boots. The grounds were covered in fine, white powder, the trees and castle topped with it. Overall it was very idyllic, the sort of imagery one would find on a postcard, or even inside of a snowglobe.
Winter break was his favorite time of the year. The castle was devoid of children for the most part, there were no classes to teach, no patrols to worry about (being a senior staff member did have perks), no mandatory meals in the Great Hall. He was free to do whatever he wanted for two blessed weeks. Everything was on the table: long library sessions, sitting in front of the fire with a nice wine and a novel, endless hours in his lab focusing on personal projects, walks around the grounds when the frigid Scottish weather would allow; it was bliss.
Until a younger generation joined the staff and made his bliss slightly less blissful.
Several years after the war, Hogwarts was graced with the presence of two former Gryffindor thorns in his side, in the forms of Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. They had both attended university, for herbology and arithmancy respectively, and returned to their alma mater to teach the next generation. Quite noble, really.
They had both proven less annoying with age, though Longbottom still had the tendency to cower whenever Severus blew into the staff lounge, almost as if he'd forgotten that he was a professor and was in his full rights to be there having his tea. Poor chap was excessively jumpy around him, but also a true asset to the school with his expertise in his field of herbology.
Granger, on the other hand… she was a mystery waiting to be solved. She was nothing like the student he had taught; while she still had a burning desire for justice and drive for knowledge, she was more logical and knew when to step away from a situation. Professor Granger was very well liked among the students and staff alike, with a reputation for being fair to all houses, unlike some of the other professors he knew (specifically Minerva). Unlike Longbottom she did not cower from him; if anything she proved to be a delightful conversationalist with a humor as dry as his own and a mind sharp enough to keep up with him intellectually. He found that he did not mind that she would sit next to him at meals or seek him out for advice on her own side projects.
He was startled from his reverie when some of the snow he'd deemed idyllic splattered across the front of his robes. Severus stopped and surveyed the scene. The only life forms were those of trees, including the Whomping Willow, and he doubted that the Willow had taken to snowballing inhabitants of the castle. "When I find whoever did that, they will be scrubbing cauldrons for a month. By hand!" he shouted.
From behind the Whomping Willow Severus thought he heard a moan. There was only one person in Scotland that was able to get that close to the violent tree and not be smashed to a pulp… "Mr. Longbottom."
Neville popped out from behind the tree, his face as red as the Gryffindor sweater that he was wearing. "I am so sorry, sir, really! I wasn't aiming for you, I swear! I was-"
"Enough." Severus glared at the boy - yes, the boy, because that is what Longbottom would always be to him, a boy. "Is that proper behavior for a professor of this esteemed institution, Mr. Longbottom? What sort of example are you setting for the children?"
Before he could utter another word he was hit with another clump of snow, this time in the shoulder. "He's showing the students that there's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes!"
Hermione looked radiant. She had snow in her hair and her cheeks were flushed with cold. "Did you just quote Doctor Who at me, Professor Granger?" he asked. He ignored Neville's squeaked protest of "Why am I Mister while she's Professor?" in favor of cocking his head to the side in surprise and raising an eyebrow.
"I did," she replied with a smile, all while readying another handful of snow that was very likely to be thrown at him. "And who is to question the Doctor's orders?"
Quicker than expected, Hermione lobbed the snow at him; of course she was not quick enough for him. A wave of one hand stopped the snow projectile, while the wave of the other sent it right back at her, hitting her in the shoulder much like the ball she'd lobbed at him.
What she had clearly not expected was the other snow that bombarded her from all directions, sneaky wandless magic that he cast with the other hand while distracting her with the one snowball. "A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it is by no means the most interesting," he quoted back. "Who is to question the Doctor's orders, indeed?"
The rest of the afternoon was spent outdoors, just as planned, though with the added benefits of smiles and warm laughter. Even Longbottom was no longer cowering from him by the time the three Professors trekked up to the castle for dinner. It was clear that he needed to follow the Doctor's orders more often.
House: Gryffindor
Position: Muggle Studies
Drabble/Standard: Drabble
Word Count: 899
Prompt: (Quote) "There's no point in being grown-up if you can't be childish sometimes."- The Fourth Doctor, Doctor Who
