“How did we get dragged into this?” a young Severus Snape asked his companion in a low voice.

“Shut up, he might hear you!” the other boy said, shoving Snape to the side.

“Yeah, right. These things don't work.” Severus scoffed with a sneer of superiority. “If they did we wouldn't need owls.”

“There's no string that long! How would you contact Mrs. Weasley?” Harry Potter asked his friend and former teacher, Severus Snape. “As it is, we'd be lucky to reach the Great Hall from here.”

“Shut up. You don't know anything, Potter,” Severus growled.

Harry pushed the other boy again and grabbed the tin can with the sting leading out of it. The Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, had recruited the two young men to test out his newly made String Walkie Talkies. It was a concept Harry found both endearing and disturbing. He wondered if the Headmaster had finally lost his marbles.

“That old coot's lost his marbles,” Severus hissed.

“What would you know about marbles?” Harry asked snidely. “You're the potions master that got yourself de-aged. Again.”

Severus pointed a threatening finger at Harry. “That was Neville Longbottoms fault, not my own.”

“Whatever.” The Boy-Who-Lived said with a 'you can't lie to me' tone of voice.

Snape huffed and threw the tin on the ground. “This is not working and I need to see if Pomfrey has made any progress on my cure.”

“You do that.” Harry picked up the pseudo-communication device. “I'll go return this to the Headmaster.”

They parted ways, both boys strutting and full of self-importance. Harry mused about how much nicer Snape was as a teenager even as he raged internally about how infernally irritating the former teacher had become. The dark haired boy rolled the pink string around the can as he walked so that he would not trip.

Entering the Headmaster's office, Harry held up the tin. “Sorry, sir, I guess it didn't work,” he said.

The Headmaster looked up, his eyes gleaming. “On the contrary, my boy – lemon drop?” He offered the treat and Harry shook his head. “I heard a very entertaining conversation between two lovely boys. I must say, if I had known you and Severus were so keen on one another, I would have had him stay with you in the tower. Minerva would gladly welcome the reprieve, I promise you that.”

Harry's mouth fell open in complete shock. “I'm sorry, sir, but are you saying I would make a good babysitter for Severus Snape?”

Dumbledore lifted his end of String Walkie Talkie, holding the tin to his ear and then taking it away again. He plucked at the string and then set the whole thing down, distractedly. After a moment, he nodded.

“Yes. Yes, I think I am. What do you think, Harry?”

“Merlin's Beard,” Harry whispered in shock. “This whole schools gone mad.” The last he said with a squeak.

“Not in the least, dear boy.” Albus said with a shake of his head. “De-aged potion professors, famous babysitters and string walkie talkies are all pretty mundane compared to some of the things I've seen in my day.”

Harry shook his head. “I think I might take that lemon drop now,” he said in defeat.