-II-

"That's detention with Mr. Filch on Saturday afternoon in addition."

"For what?" Severus protested.

"For insubordination."

"Half of the class is sleeping. Why are you picking me out?" Severus became louder and louder and did not even realize that he had stood up.

"Out this instant. Go to the headmaster and inform him about your misbehavior. I will send a note to his office."

Severus grabbed his book and his bag, fuming, and left the room. What did that old bastard think? He never cared if any other student slept in his class. Severus was so angry that he did not realize that Filch was standing in the hall before he collided with him.

-II-

"Sorry, Argus," Severus muttered while he was entangling himself from the old man.

"What did you call me?" Mr. Filch asked, not having a closer look at the boy.

"Ehm...sorry, Mr. Filch."

"What's your name?" Filch brushed off his robes and then finally looked up. "Oh, I...Severus?"

"Yeah, not very impressive anymore, right?"

"Not much, but you still look grumpy." Filch grinned, showing that he was missing some teeth.

"Binns kicked me out. And he gave me detention with you on Saturday. He's making my life hell."

"I think he's just paying you back, Severus. You were never very polite to him. You thought him a coward for being a ghost and not going into the afterlife. And then your comments about his teaching methods and morals, and-"

"I got it, Ar...Mr. Filch."

"Forget the 'Mr. Filch.' It's still Argus. I could use a connection to the little bastards here."

"I'm one of those little bastards now, Argus."

Filch laughed. "Yes, you are. Never would have believed it possible. So I can torture you on Saturday."

Severus' face fell. He knew of Filch's awful detentions. While he was an adult he had often planned them with Argus, and they had laughed about the poor students over a glass of wine when the detention was over. Filch had let Severus witness the event through Legilimency.

Argus laughed loud and patted Severus' shoulder forcefully. "This time, I don't have to share the memory with you afterwards."

"Yeah, very funny. I think I should go to the headmaster's now as Binns had instructed me. I'll see you on Saturday."

Filch grabbed Severus' arm when he passed him. "I'm sure I will find something amusing for both of us for your detention. We could speak with the Bloody Baron. He'll know how to make Binns' life-or death-a living hell in exchange."

Severus grinned. So Saturday would not be as bad as feared.

"Ah, finally, young man," a female voice said as Severus strolled through one of the halls that led to Dumbledore's office.

Severus looked around, puzzled, until his eyes fell on a portrait of a chubby woman in a yellow dress. Her hands were on her hips, and she was looking seriously at him. Damn, Helga Hufflepuff.

"Exactly, young man. Now come over here so I don't need to scream to talk with you. Your thoughts are loud enough for me to hear them, but talking will be impossible that way.

Severus gulped, immediately remembering his comment to the Sorting Hat during his second sorting.

"I see you remember. So come over here and tell me face to face what you think about my house."

"Great, another scolding for something everyone does but only I get in trouble for," Severus muttered while he stepped closer. "Everyone says Hufflepuff is for losers. You can't make me responsible for it."

"I cannot make you responsible for what you think about my house?" She raised an eyebrow, her hands on her hips.

Severus groaned. "But everyone else thinks so."

"I'm not talking with anyone else but you at the moment. And I can assure you that at least my Hufflepuffs do not think so." She looked challengingly at him.

"Fine. I need to go to see the headmaster. I'm already in enough trouble."

"Pomona said I should be lenient with you. That's the only reason why I didn't ask the castle to annoy you a bit."

"Annoy me?"

"Changing stairs in directions you don't want to go, closing doors, activating trap steps. So, do I need to go on?"

"No. Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I have nothing against Hufflepuff. I just didn't want to be placed in that house. Pomona is...I like her."

"I know." Her face softened. "I just don't like it when professors have the same prejudices as their students, but I think I need to see you as a student now. Salazar says he misses the heated arguments with you. Maybe you should show up at one of his portraits. The new Potions Master is too-what did he say? 'Passive' for Salazar's taste."

"Wow, one person who likes me grumpy. I will try to visit him, but I really need to see the headmaster or Binns will give me even more detention."

"Professor Binns, Mr. Moody," Helga said and winked at him. "You really should have been sorted into Hufflepuff. Then your family would represent the possibility of a union of the four houses."

Severus grinned. "Yes, now we are one Ravenclaw too much. I never thought about Poppy belonging to the same house as I do now."

"Yes, only Hufflepuff is missing."

"Don't tell Poppy that or she will adopt a Hufflepuff as well."

Helga laughed. "No, I think she has enough to do with you and Mr. Potter. Now off you go; the headmaster has just alerted all the portraits to look out for you and send you on the way to his office."

"Great, just great."

Severus was running now after ten portraits had scolded him and instructed him to hurry. Even now that he was already running, the portraits still commented on his tardiness. When he reached Albus' gargoyle, he was out of breath. "Fudge...fudge flies."

Severus stepped onto the moving staircase, but the closer he came to the door, the faster he stepped backward. As an adult, he had often thought about the possibility but had never gone through with it. He dreaded what would await him, and he just wanted to have more time to make up a good story. Helga had prevented him from creating one on his way. Suddenly, the stair stopped moving and Severus lost his balance and fell over. Then he felt a hand come down on his backside, and he yelped. Looking around, he saw nothing. There was nobody else there, but nevertheless Severus quickly climbed up the stairs and looked over his shoulder to make sure nobody was attacking his bum.

Severus did not realize that the office door was open until he was in front of Albus' desk.

"Ah, so you finally found your way. Fifteen minutes, Severus?" Albus fixed him with his blue eyes, his expression unreadable.

Severus gulped and bit his bottom lip. "Binns is totally unfair."

Albus raised an eyebrow. "Professor Binns, Severus. Do you want to tell me you weren't sleeping in his class and weren't shouting at him?"

Severus opened his mouth but then stopped himself. Albus was a wicked man, and he knew everything that happened in the castle. He could read minds even without eye contact. Now that Severus was unable to occlude his mind, it would be better to tell the truth.

"It is always better to tell the truth, Severus," Albus said, amused.

"Not always. I never told you that your purple robes are ugly, even though it's the truth and it's better I didn't say it because otherwise you would...damn, why did you put up that spell? I'm not one of the stu-why are you doing that?"

"Severus, you are a student, and that spell is always on my office. As an adult, you just weren't affected by it. Don't look so grumpy. As an adult, you enjoyed the opportunities of the Tongue-Loosening Spell."

"But as you said yourself, I'm no longer an adult."

"Yes, that's right, so now you are at the other end of the spell and need to live with it. Sit down. Tea?"

Severus sighed.

"What was that?"

"No, thank you."

"Hot chocolate?"

"I suppose." After a pause, he added, "Thank you."

"So, what's your problem with Professor Binns?" Albus asked when they were seated.

Severus sighed. "He has a problem with me, Albus. He is trying to pay me back for everything bad I've ever told him. Even Argus says so."

"You met Argus?"

"Yes, that's why I'm so late. And Helga Hufflepuff also held me up."

"You spoke with one of the founders and the caretaker of Hogwarts when a professor sent you to come to me immediately?" Albus looked sternly at Severus.

"You make it sound as if I had a choice. I literally ran into Argus, and he stopped me from coming. I even informed him that Bi-Professor Binns had assigned me a detention with him on Saturday. That was good, wasn't it?" Albus raised his eyebrows, and Severus groaned. "And I could hardly refuse to speak with Helga Hufflepuff. She would have called the castle to punish me."

"She cannot call the castle to punish you, Severus. How did you get such an idea?"

Severus gaped at Albus. "She told me so."

"Oh," Albus said and quickly looked away hide his grin. Spooning sugar in his tea also helped to conceal his laughter. Severus looked confused and wondered who was correct.

"Severus, you are Professors Binns' student now, and you need to respect him as your teacher."

"I do, but he is boring and unfair. I'm not the only one falling asleep, but he only punishes me."

Albus looked thoughtfully at Severus. "Still, you need to find a way to attend those classes successfully. Sleeping isn't helping that goal."

Severus looked grumpily at the headmaster.

"Talking back and even shouting at Professor Binns is also not the correct behavior." Albus glanced at the clock. "Minerva, Charlie, and Professor Binns will be here in a few minutes, Severus. You should think about a solution to this problem, and an apology will be needed as well."

"But I'm not the only one. Why do I get in trouble for it? Why Minerva and Charlie? Isn't it enough that I had to come up here?" Severus again realized too late that he was standing and shouting.

"That will definitely not help at all." Albus said sternly and looked seriously at Severus.

Severus flopped down on the couch again. "I knew it would be like this. I'm no longer an adult, but I also won't be treated like any other student."

"Any other student would be here as well for shouting at a teacher, Severus."

A knock rescued Severus from replying to that statement. Minerva and Charlie stepped in and Binns floated into the room behind them. So it was safe to assume that the ghost had already given Charlie and Minerva his version of the whole story. Now they would be biased.

Minerva's stern look spoke volumes, and Charlie obviously felt very uncomfortable to now have to play the responsible and stern Head of House with Minerva.

"I demand that you punish him, headmaster," Binns said, glaring at Severus.

"What? You already gave me detention. Two detentions!" Again, Severus was up and looked angrily at Binns.

"Sit down, Severus, and apologize for shouting at you professor," Minerva ordered sternly.

"But he is being unfair!" Severus protested and felt very lonely.

"We will talk about that, but first you will apologize and sit down."

"What do you mean 'we will talk about that?'" Binns asked, affronted, and looked sourly at Minerva.

"I mean that you most likely aren't as innocent as you pretend to be, Cuthbert. Severus hasn't been behaving inappropriately with any other teacher." Her stern glance was directed at the translucent ghost, and Severus sat down, not feeling as helpless and alone as a few minutes ago.

The ghost was gasping, but Minerva did not give him time to form a reply. "Severus, I'm waiting."

"Ehm...I'm sorry for shouting at you, Professor Binns." Severus did not look up but rather stared at his hands in his lap.

"He does not mean it, Headmaster! You cannot let him get away with everything just because he was close to you as an adult."

That stung, even though Severus did not know why. He let his head and shoulders sink.

"I'm still very close to him, Cuthbert," Albus said as he watched Severus closely out of the corner of his eye.

Severus straightened up a bit after hearing that, but he was still very nervous about what would happen now.

"So he will be treated specially? He can sleep during my class and be insubordinate?" Binns asked angrily.

"Of course not, but if I'm correctly informed, you have already assigned two detentions. One for sleeping and one for his, as you call it, insubordination," Albus said seriously.

"Still, there is the fact that he behaves like that in my class all the time."

"He's only had two classes with you, Cuthbert," Minerva said, but Albus' raised hand made her stop.

"Minerva is right. I think you should give Severus time to adjust. You two had a bad start and never were on very good terms, Cuthbert. I'm sure Severus will behave from now on. Won't you, Severus?" Albus fixed Severus with his ice-blue eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"So, are you willing to give him more time to adjust, Cuthbert?"

"What other choice to I have, Headmaster? As you don't seem to be willing to handle the situation as the protocol envisions, I will have to discipline him."

Severus looked, shocked. That sounded bad, very bad. He looked at Albus.

"You already punished him, Cuthbert. I expect my teachers to suit the punishment according to the fault of the student. Two detentions are adequate punishment." The warning tone was obvious to everyone in the room.

Binns nodded, still angry and floated through the door.

Now all eyes were on Severus.

Albus broke the uncomfortable silence. "Severus, you need to be polite around Cuth...Professor Binns. He is your teacher now."

"I was polite, but he is unfair. He waited for me to fall asleep."

"Then don't fall asleep, Sev," Charlie said.

Severus glared at him. "As if you hadn't slept through half of his lessons."

"That's not the point," Minerva intervened when Charlie wanted to defense himself. "You need History of Magic to finish your second year, so your need to pay attention and be respectful, no matter what you think about your teacher or the class he teaches." Her lips were a thin line, and that meant that nobody should try to argue with her. Severus knew that very well.

"I know."

"Then I expect you to act upon that knowledge, Severus. If I hear about you shouting at Professor Binns again or being disrespectful in any other way, you will be in detention with me, and we both know that you don't want that."

Severus went pale. He definitely did not want that. "No, I don't."

"Then we both understand each other."

Severus looked unhappily at Minerva. "You won't tell Alastor and Poppy? I mean, the parents of other students aren't informed about things like this, right?"

"We don't need to inform them. They will be present for the staff meeting in twenty minutes, and I bet that Cuthbert will make your behavior a topic there again."

Severus felt sick. So he would be in even more trouble when he came home. Immediately, the Astronomy Tower came into his mind. Why was he always thinking about that tower when he did not want to go home?"

"I want you to go home now, Severus; no detours," Albus said knowingly. "Remember, you have your first lesson with Professor Montanasi in half an hour."

Severus looked accusingly into Albus' twinkling eyes. "It's not legal to read other people's mind."

"Says Mr. A-Little-Legilimency-Here-And-There-Can't-Hurt," Minerva laughed.