Severus Snape sat with his head in one hand, quill in the other, scratching out the final grade on the Gryffindor sixth year’s Potion’s essays as the candles on his desk grew to nothing more than melted stubs. He looked at his watch; ten thirty. Even with Potter’s help, he had been grading papers for more than six hours straight. Apparently, in his absence, the substitute saw it fit to assign twice as much homework as was necessary, which may have explained his student’s smiles when he walked into class Friday morning. He might have expected such from his own house, but not from a class full of seventh year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.

Across his desk he spied the three neat stacks of homework Potter had graded, one for each year. Severus had intentionally not given the boy his classmates work to grade, because he didn’t want him to play favoritism… but then again, Potter had surprised him more than once that night, and he thought it would have been an interesting test to see what he would have done, should he have needed to mark points off of his friend’s work.

Knowing he needed to check the work Potter graded, he reached across the desk reluctantly. He was tired, and a headache the other staff liked to refer to as, Grading Pains, was setting in.

The first stack he had grabbed was that of the fourth years. At first he felt like letting out a groan, because the grade on the top paper was marked as O, for outstanding, and belonged to a Gryffindor student Snape had not known to do spectacularly in Potions, or anything else for that matter. He read through the paper though, and could not find a thing wrong with it that Potter had not marked. In fact, the only thing Potter had found wrong with it, was something not even on the grading ruberik. It was an obscure use for the plant that the student had missed, and that Snape didn’t remember being in any of the assigned texts. Satisfied with the grade, he moved onto the next paper, a stark contrast to the first. This one was marked D for Dreadful, and had red ink all over it. With his headache, the red ink made his eyes ache, and he didn’t understand how that much could be wrong with how little was written by the fourth year student. Potter had found plenty wrong however, and had also taken the time to write out all of the correct answers, and then some. Snape shook his head. He usually didn’t have the time to do that.

He thumbed through the rest of the stack, and stopped on a random paper in the middle. This one belonged to Ginger Greenwell. It was an acceptable grade, and the paper was marked as the others in the stack were. Severus picked up the other two stacks, and found the same thing as with the first, with the exception that on the top of the second year stack, were two assignments marked with a failing grade, and the same note across the top. Snape frowned at the two papers for a moment, before he decided that they were cheating, and were indeed deserving of the given grade. Snape shook his head again, and rubbed his right temple as it gave yet another throb. He looked at his watch, and gave up on looking over the papers, deciding that if the ten or fifteen he had seen were graded well, than the rest were too. With tired, and slow movements, so as not to anger his aching head any more, Severus lifted himself from the chair, and moved off towards his room, pulling the locked door closed behind him. Silently he wished for the first time, that Potter would get into more trouble so that he could grade more papers. If he would have been thinking straight, he could have made the boy stay and grade more, even though he hadn’t been that confident that he would do a good job.

The next morning, Ron and Hermione strolled into the Great Hall hand in hand, and sat down in the seats next to Harry that had always just been assumed as saved, by the other house students. Harry looked up at them and returned the grin Ron was giving him.

“How’d it go last night mate? Did he make you scrub potions containers?”

Harry shook his head. He hadn’t seen Ron or Hermione last night after he’d gotten back, even though it hadn’t been very late at all. “No, I graded papers.”

Hermione dropped the fork she had just picked up with eggs, and looked over at him. “You graded papers Harry?”

Harry shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I went to his office and he pushed a stack of papers towards me, and said grade.”

Hermione’s eyes were wide now. “Harry, I don’t think that’s very fair. You shouldn’t be grading papers from sixth year.”

Harry mixed his potatoes and gravy up with the sausage on his plate as he said, “I never even saw the sixth year papers. I graded the first, second and fourth year assignments.”

“And he just let you do that?”

Harry gave an odd look to Hermione. “I’m not incompetent you know.”

Hermione frowned and picked up her fork again. “I never said you were.” She almost had a hurt tone to her voice that Ron seemed to be noticing too.

“Hermione, you should get detention tonight for doing something, and then you can spend two hours grading papers,” Harry told her in a falsely serious tone. Ron cracked another grin, but didn’t laugh outright since Hermione was there.

Hermione looked up at Harry, wide eyed. “It only took you two, hours?”

Harry shrugged, “It was easy. The grading rubric was right there… I didn’t even have to look at the one from fourth year because I remembered the answers from when we did the assignments.”

Hermione gave him a long look, and Harry wondered if he had said something wrong. He wasn’t sure why she was looking so put out. The only thing he could think of was that she had never been asked to grade papers before by any professor. On the other hand, he couldn’t see why she would want to. He had only been doing it as a punishment, even though a punishment for something he hadn’t done wrong. With this thought, Harry gave a long glare up at Professor McGonagall, who didn’t notice because she was talking to the Headmaster. Severus Snape however, who walked into the Great Hall a moment later, caught the look the Gryffindor was giving his head of house, and wondered about it.

After breakfast, Care of Magical Creatures went very well, all things considered. The all things, being the group of sixth year Slytherins who were off in a corner of the paddock Hagrid had taken them too, keeping to themselves. Harry didn’t even want to know what they were planning, but at the same time, felt the need to know to protect whoever was going to be the butt end of their next joke.

Back in the Entrance hall, Harry stood talking to Ron and Seamus as they waited for Double Potions to roll around. Seamus was shaking his head in disgust at the idea that they had to spend another two hours with the Slytherins, when Harry pointed out that Double potions with the Slytherins twice a week, was better than one hour of potions every day.

A drawling voice came from across the hall at that moment, and they didn’t even have to look to know that it was Draco. “Oh GAWD!” Draco was talking to Pansy and Crabbe as they came up the stairs from Care of Magical Creatures. “Another two hours with the famous Harry Potter!? I don’t know if I can stand it… I might feel the need to ask him for his autograph.”

Harry shot a look of warning over to Draco, who took it in good stride by returning a grin. He strolled over to Harry casually, who motioned Ron and Seamus off, who only took a few steps back just in case they needed to step in and defend their friend.

“Have fun out there with our Head of House Potter? I heard you got to serve detention with him last night too… I thought our bathrooms were looking a little more clean this morning… maybe next time you can make them shine.”

“No Draco, I think I’ll leave that task for you,” Harry said calmly, even though he was sending Draco a look that told him to just try something.

Draco scoffed, “Come on Potter, I know those Muggles you live with-” Harry took a quick step towards him, and Draco reached for his wand, although he didn’t withdraw it. Harry wasn’t even thinking about his wand, but more of grabbing up the front of Draco’s shirt, although he didn’t know what he had planned on doing from there. Fortunately for both boys, a distant spectator of the incident stepped up to them at that moment.

“Mr. Malfoy,” Snape intoned quietly. Draco looked up at him. “I would be very careful around Mr. Potter, as he is grading Potions papers for my class now.”

Draco’s eyes grew wide for a moment, and he looked back to Harry, who was looking confusedly up at Snape, and then over to Draco again, with the same confused look.

“Professor?” Draco asked him.

Snape didn’t answer, and instead beckoned Harry toward the dungeons, and away from the crowd. “A word Mr. Potter, if you please.”

Harry gave a worried look back to Ron and Seamus, and now Hermione who had moved to stand with them, but grabbed up his book bag off the floor and followed at a slow pace anyhow, only fast enough to keep up with Snape.

Once down in his office, Snape motioned for Harry to close the door, who did so, but reluctantly. Snape moved around to the other side of his desk, and sat down, before looking up to see Harry, still standing there on the threshold of the office again.

“Professor?” Harry asked uncertainly.

“It is unwise to get into brawls in the middle of the Entrance Hall Potter,” Snape said, pulling some stacks of papers from within a desk drawer.

Harry was in disbelief. “I’m getting detention for that!?” he half shouted. “I didn’t even do anything!”

Snape glanced up at him. “Not detention Potter, sit down.” Harry didn’t move, just stood there, staring down at him.

“Sit, down, Potter,” Snape said again, more forcefully this time. Harry moved to take the chair near him, but didn’t bother putting his bag down on the floor again. He wasn’t planning on staying for long.

“You surprised me Potter,” Snape told him, handing over a few of the papers Harry recognized as the ones he had graded the night before.

“What?” Harry asked, “I shouldn’t have gotten anything wrong on those!”

Snape shook his head. “You did not, which is why I was surprised. You caught things that were not even mentioned in the assigned readings, and wrote out comments on how the students could improve…” here Snape paused, and looked up at Harry from the papers, “which tells me, that you should have done much better in my classes over the years.”

Harry hadn’t thought about that as he had been grading, only that he had remembered most of the material.

“I expect you to do well this year then as well, because I am going to begin grading you more harshly now that I know you know the material.” Before Harry could say anything though, Snape continued, “This will not change no matter what happens in the future.”

Harry wasn’t even looking at him now. Instead he was staring down at his shoes wondering how he had gotten himself into this mess.

“I would like to make a request of you however, that the Headmaster… rather forcefully suggested.”

Harry did look up a this, more confusion playing out across his features.

“I have far too much work to do, and could use the help from someone who will grade fairly. As much as I despise the idea Potter, that would seem to be you.”

Something caught in Harry’s throat. “So I’m getting detention every night?” he asked.

“No. You do not have to accept this job. The Headmaster has informed me that you will be paid for grading papers, and it is your choice to take the position or not. You will of course only be grading the first through fifth years, but, Mr. Malfoy does not know that.”

Harry let a small smile cross his face at that thought despite of himself.

“So I’d have to grade all of the first through fifth year papers?” His mind was drifting to his own assignments, and Quidditch practices since he’d been made Captain this year.

Snape shook his head. “No. Assignments will start to be made due at the beginning of the week. You would pick up one year’s assignments at a time to grade, and get as much done as you can handle by the end of the week… before the weekend. I will be grading assignments as I do normally throughout the week, and between the two of us, all of the assignments would get done.”

Harry thought about it for a moment. He liked the idea of Draco leaving him alone for a while, though he wasn’t sure how long that would last. He didn’t really need the money either, but it could never hurt.

“Have you considered hiring Hermione instead?” Harry suggested.

“Is that to say you do not want the job Potter?” Snape asked in what could have been seen as a threatening tone.

“No, no it’s not that,” Harry put in quickly.

“No,” Snape said more to himself, thinking that Potter was bad enough, but he couldn’t handle Granger trying to re-arrange the way his class was taught and the assignments given.

Harry sighed. Snape hated him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to be working for the man, and on the same note, why Snape wanted him to work for him. The same thought came to Harry as the night before, when he had been walking to the dungeons for detention, that he now had something to use against Harry should he choose to, and Harry didn’t want to deal with that.

He looked up at his Professor, who was again considering him, and looking as if he were wondering what was possessing him to hire a Gryffindor. Harry nodded though, and said, “Alright… I can do the job.”

Snape nodded, and said, “You begin Monday then. You will come to my office at five o’clock. I expect any papers you grade to hold to the same standard that you graded last night, including no mistakes being made. Any papers you grade will be due by the same time Friday. Just one mistake Potter, and you’re done, understood?”

Harry nodded, again wondering what he had gotten himself into, and then if there were any ways to get out of it. Deciding that there weren’t any good ways, he stood, and left for class.

In the Potions room, both Slytherins and Gryffindors alike were giving Harry odd looks. Harry took up his seat next to Ron and Hermione, and Ron leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Did you get detention again?”

Harry didn’t even look at him. He just shook his head, and said, “No, I got a job.”