Silver Linings
Grading was tedious, to the degree that Severus almost regretted becoming a professor. Currently, the only student who actually impressed him with her work was Mary. Of course, he was also subjected to the absolute mediocrity that comprised the rest of his students, particularly when it came to Gilderoy Lockhart; he'd caught him trying to plagiarize from Potionmaking for Dunderheads, which was quite possibly the single most stupid thing he'd ever witnessed. The only reason he hadn't asked for Lockhart's expulsion was the fit of laughter he'd succumbed to while pointing out how stupid Lockhart was, to Lockhart's face, no less. That had been a highlight of his day.
But right now, Severus sat grading the summer essays, with Alice sitting on his lap. Lily was busy with her own grading, but given that she was new to the post, Severus thought it best that she got through her own work without distractions. And so here he was, gently bouncing Alice on his knee while he graded. There was a knock on his office door, but given his current situation, he couldn't afford to get up. He set the quill down and flicked his wand, opening the door.
Mary walked in, Prefect badge on her robes and Brandy skipping beside her. "Good evening," Mary said happily.
"Professor," Severus corrected.
"I'm not a professor yet, sir," Mary said with a smirk.
In another life, Severus would have taken points away. "Not yet," he said, returning her smirk. "Did you come for your essay?"
"I came to see Alice." Mary knelt down beside Alice, who was still on Severus's knee, and said, "Hi, Alice!"
Alice looked at Mary blankly and immediately shot her arms out to be picked up by the older girl. A wide smile appeared on Mary's face as she lifted the baby off of Severus's knee.
"Are you helping Daddy grade?" Mary asked.
"I'd prefer not to baby-talk her," Severus said.
"... sir, she's a baby."
"And she'll grow into a baby if I speak to her like one."
"Yes, sir," Mary said with resignation. She turned back to Alice and said in an overly serious tone, "Now then, Alice-Marie, it would seem that your father wishes for you to develop into a fine, respectable, erudite woman. Would you, perchance, care to read the works of the Bard with me?"
Alice began a long, incoherent tirade on a subject Severus had no knowledge of (although it was probably something very important to her), her tiny hands gesturing wildly as she formed imaginary words and sentences.
Mary looked down at Alice, blinked, and then said to Severus, "They grow up so fast."
Severus looked at Alice as she continued her speech and smiled. These were the moments that made his job worth it.