The 31st of August
Your belongings dragged behind you, enchanted to follow your every move. Apparition to the Hogwarts grounds was not possible, so you had found yourself outside the tall school gates and began your walk down the long path to the castle. The walking did not bother you as you couldn't stop beaming, and your cheeks hurt from the smile that had been on your face since the moment you crawled out of bed this morning. The sight of the ancient building amazed you, just like it did when you were a student. The tall towers and the turrets were visible as you got closer to the huge oak doors of it's entrance, and you spun round to look at the scenery. The valley in which Hogwarts was built was home to a deep forest area, which surrounded a major part of the grounds. The forbidden forest, as you had always known it, looked much less menacing now in the daylight (and as an adult.)
The doors opened, magically enchanted for all magical visitors, when you turned back around to continue your journey into your new (or you guessed, old) home for your first term. You felt a little nostalgic as Minerva McGonagall, your old transfiguration teacher, came rushing towards you with her arms open. She held you in a sweet embrace for a few seconds, before pointing her wand at your belongings, citing, "I will send them straight to your new room. Follow me to the teachers lounge, dear."
Stepping in time with your new colleague, you felt a new sense of purpose walking down the long halls of your old school. It was a great feeling, being back, and you found yourself mentioning it to the lady beside you who smiled.
"I remember your time at school here very well, one of our best students. When Albus approached us with the idea that he wanted you to join us, we were all quick to encourage him!" McGonagall was happy to tell you, "And I am now the head of Gryffindor house, and as I am sure you remember from your last year at school, now the head of the Transfiguration department."
"Congratulations! I couldn't imagine a better head of house, and I do remember you becoming the head of department too. You are one of the best teachers I've ever known," You were quick to be cheeky, "next to Professor Slughorn, of course. Does he still teach? Is he who I will be working with?"
She laughed, "Everybody knew he was your favourite, and you his. But no, he retired a few years back. Severus Snape is our current Potions Master and head of Slytherin house. I think he left Hogwarts just as you started, if my memory stands correct."
"I believe he was in his seventh year when I was in my first," You fought hard in your mind to remember his face but to no avail, "we didn't cross paths much. Maybe not at all. My brother made sure of that when it came to the Slytherins."
"I heard about what happened," Minerva came to a halt before a large portrait of a trio of three wizards who smiled and waved at the two of you, "with your family. I would like to be the first one to say that you were very brave, and that I am proud of how far you've come since then. Should have been a Gryffindor in my eyes, if it wasn't for that brain of yours."
"You flatter me, professor McGonagall!" You laughed as she interacted with the painting that moved aside with her command.
"It's Minerva to you now, missy." She smiled as you followed her up the stairs that had now made themselves seen. "To get to the lounge, by the way, you just need to say 'I need a rest' and they'll let you through. One of Dumbledore's attempts at being funny, we never rest!"
The two of you laughed with each other as you climbed the ten or so steps that circled between stone walls, coming to a stop at the teachers quarters. Some professors you recognised, Professor Quirrell who was previously your Muggle Studies teacher, Professor Trelawney who was fascinating at Divination, and some other adults who you didn't know yet. Minerva ushered you in, carefully pushing you over to the other teachers. Introduction after introduction followed, and you came to know everybody in the room.
"I heard you were helping out at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley," The short witch you now knew to be Pomona Sprout spoke, "and although your talent lies in potions I have heard through Albus that you were very gifted in Herbology!"
"I believe the two go hand in hand, Pomona. To have an understanding of plants and their uses can always help potion brewing. If you know that dragon dung fertiliser will encourage your dittany to grow large and healthy, then you'll be able to make any healing potion successful and powerful!" You explained, albeit nervously, "Of course, not all ingredients are plant based but it bodes well towards potions as most require a plant or two."
"Wow! I'm tempted to steal you as my own teaching assistant, that is a great outlook! Maybe you can come and give my students a pep talk or two so they appreciate the art of magical plants a bit more!" The small woman exclaimed, "By Merlin, you're going to be a joy to this school!"
"P-Perhaps, there is a l-link between p-p-potions and defence against the dark arts?" Professor Quirinus Quirrell stuttered in your direction, intrigued.
"Well, if you know your ingredients and where they come from or what the affect on our bodies are, you should easily be able to distinguish that your flesh eating slug venom will corrode your skin and in turn, make sure you stay the hell away from the beasts! Plus, the magical creatures that we must defend ourselves from also happen to give us a fair few common or rare ingredients, and to get them?" You smiled, "Well, we also have to know our curses, hexes and jinxes."
"B-brilliant!" Quirrell clapped.
The teachers seemed to be impressed with you so far, apart from one. He had given you a small mumble of a hello on your arrival, choosing to keep his long hooked nose in his newspaper than to join in with the talking going on around him. That teacher was Severus Snape, the one you would be spending most of your year with. In secret, he was actually impressed with what he had overheard but he was still cold to the idea of sharing the dungeon with you for however long he had to. Although aware of your skill, he continuously tried to object to Dumbledore's position for you. He did not need an assistant, and yet here you were. Snape almost wished he'd sent that letter full of dung bombs anonymously to make you decline the headmaster's offer. Childish, yes, but he really did not want an assistant.
The conversation continued, quickly changing to the fact that Harry Potter would finally be entering his first year. The teachers started to gossip, whispering about the rumours and hearsay about the boy.
"I hope he will follow in dear Lily's footsteps." You commented honestly, not noticing Snape's interest in your words, "She was so nice. I was only a first year when she was in her last, but she was the kindest witch I knew at school. I wasn't even in her house and she always took me right up to the door of my classes if I got lost - even jinxed a Slytherin when my brother's friends decided to try and push me off a bench in the forecourt once. I can only imagine how nice of a mother she would've been..."
"Yes well," Minerva put a hand on your arm out of care, "we mustn't dwell on what could've been. We can only hope for the Potter boy's success after such an horrible ordeal, but-"
"I suggest that we treat the boy as any other student, Minerva," Severus hinted, his paper now faced down at his lap, "special treatment may be the last thing he needs."
You looked over at the dark haired man, accidentally meeting his eyes for a moment as you thought about what he had said. Wise, yet insensitive. You could only wonder what he was going to be like to work with. His paper covered his face quickly after your eyes had met, and you found yourself taking him in. Dressed in all black, his left foot rested on his right knee as he sat back in his chair. He seemed relaxed, but his hidden demeanour said otherwise. You didn't know much about him, but you figured you had a tough year ahead of you.
You tore your eyes away from the mysterious man and quickly became engrossed in the continued chatter surrounding you.
"We best let you get to your room, [first name], so you can get yourself familiarised with everything before tomorrow. We usually meet for a staff dinner around seven o'clock tonight, so we can talk more then. Albus will be joining us," McGonagall smiled, then looked towards Snape, "your living quarters are nearby the potions classroom in the dungeons. I'm sure Severus will be kind enough to take you down and give you a small tour."
At the mention of his name, Snape's newspaper was smacked against his lap. His words were nice, although his actions were not, "Of course. Shall we go now, miss [last name]?"
And he stood up, storming out of the room without even looking to see if you were following. Minerva gave you an encouraging smile and you scrambled after him, thundering down the stone steps to see that Snape was already halfway down the corridor. You jogged to catch up.
"You know, you can call me by my first name, Severus." You tried to spark a conversation.
"I prefer we stay on last name basis, miss [last name], as it will be easier when the students arrive and you have to refer to me as such." He huffed, and you almost thought he started walking even faster as you struggled to keep up.
"Right, of course," You responded, a little breathless, "I must add, Professor Snape, I've heard great things about your greatness at potions and hope that I too can learn more from you."
"Typical Ravenclaw," Snape spat, turning unexpectedly to almost fly down the spiral steps to the dungeons, stopping at the bottom to face you, "I think both of us would find it easier to continue this tour with you being quiet. I have things to prepare for tomorrow as well do you."
"Now, the dungeons. Straight down the corridor, to the right and down is the Slytherin common room. My students are smart and understand the rules, they will be tucked away in the common room at 9pm sharp. The three doors on your right, are the potions classroom, storeroom and another classroom. To the left, first door is my quarters and the second yours. Your things should already be there. Goodbye, miss [last name]."
And without you being able to squeak out a goodbye in return, he had stormed through the door to his room and left you stunned in the corridor. You soon found yourself to be annoyed at his behaviour, and soon stormed into your own room just as he had. The room wasn't as dark as you had assumed. Slytherin students in your time at school had been slimy, horrible people and you had always thought that their living quarters would be the same. You were pleasantly surprised by the enchanted window that was bright and contained colourful stained glass with all of the Hogwart's house colours.
There was a fire crackling under the fireplace which made the room warm and inviting, and you found your bags and cases neatly in a line by the end of your large double bed. Hogwarts never failed to disappoint. This room was just as grand as the students, possibly even nicer as you had it all to yourself. There was a walk in closet, which you had found as you started opening one of the three doors that you had noticed around you. One door led to a perfectly clean bathroom and the other to a small storage area. Using a little magic to help, you sprung into action to put all of your things away. The clothes were easy, finding their way into the wardrobe with ease - it was your ornaments and equipment that you found hard to place. You didn't want to lock anything away in the storage room, opting to put your beloved clutter on shelves, cabinets and the desk that was pushed against the wall in the corner.
Once your bags had been emptied, you shooed them away into storage and fell back onto your bed. The sheets were navy, probably a nod to your old house, and very soft. It felt like you were laying on top of clouds and you almost closed your eyes, when you noticed the time. With only twenty minutes to spare, you freshened up and made your way to the great hall ready for dinner. Your stomach rumbled as you walked, reminding you that you had skipped lunch today which made you start to daydream about the food at Hogwarts. Remembering the majestic feasts that would cover the long tables made your mouth water.
You stumbled into the great hall just as the clock hit the hour, all the other professors were already sat around a small circular table in the middle of the room. Minerva McGonagall held her glass of wine up to you in greeting, and you quickly sat down in the spare seat next to her. Awkwardly, to the other side of you, sat Severus Snape who wore a blank expression. You greeted him anyway, and the rest of the table, with a smile.
"Ah! I am delighted that you are here to join us, professor [last name], it is a lovely night for a feast!" The great Albus Dumbledore announced, looking around at those surrounding him. "I would just like to say a few words, to welcome our new member of staff, and that is, to Hogwarts! Where our magic only grows! Here is to another year."
As soon as the last word left his lips, and as well known to all, the tasty looking food appeared on everybody's plates. The teachers started to tuck in immediately, obviously just as hungry as you. Conversation began and after a few glasses of wine, you began to feel merry and welcome. Bring on tomorrow, you thought, excited to meet all the students.