House:Slytherin
Category: Short
Prompt: job interview
Word count: 828
"What brings you to my office, Professor Snape?" Professor Dumbledore asked curiously. "Is there something I can help you with? This isn't about the Potter boy, is it?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
"No, Professor, it is not," Professor Snape answered dryly. "I came to ask you about the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."
"Yes? What would you like to know about it?"
"Is the position still open?"
"Yes, I do believe so."
"I would like to have an interview for it then, if that would be possible," Snape said, putting in as much enthusiasm as he could muster, but it only made so much difference.
"Absolutely, Professor. I've noticed you have quite an interest in this position, am I correct? I mean you must, after going through this conversation year after year," Professor Dumbledore asked him, amused at the fact.
"Or I might just want a bigger classroom," Snape coolly replied. He whisked his robe away and left the office.
Why should he care why I want the job? It's my business and only mine. If anything, he should've given me the position long before now. I can't seem to figure out his strategy of hiring anyone else but me, Snape thought to himself.
The next day in Potions, the students were bustling. Snape entered the small classroom, which usually went silent upon his appearance. However, this time, the chattering still went on.
"Silence," he ordered sharply, finally shutting the students up, making them immediately straighten their backs.
"Professor," a Gryffindor student began, "are you actually applying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?"
"Again," another Gryffindor added with a smirk.
"That," Snape snapped, "is none of your concern, Mr. Bell."
XXX
Professor Snape could hear the whispers about his interview throughout the whole day. Do they think I can't possibly hear them? he thought to himself, annoyed at how pretty much the whole school was in his business.
As he walked closer to Professor Dumbledore's office, he straightened himself up, readjusting his cloak. He shook away his expression of worry and nervousness and replaced it with a level of coolness and confidence.
Before he could say anything upon his arrival in the office, Dumbledore beat him to it.
"Are you ready for the interview, Professor?" Dumbledore casually asked, giving off an unprofessional vibe.
"Obviously," he replied smoothly.
"And why's that? You seem very confident in yourself," Professor Dumbledore said, testing him.
"I've had practice, Professor," Snape answered, feeling embarrassed at the amount of job interviews he'd done for this position.
"Very well then. Let's begin," he said. "Why do you think I need a new professor each year for this position?"
Snape waited a few seconds before answering, so that it didn't seem like he was impatient and as if he thought about his answer very deeply.
"Because the past professors were not adequate for teaching. They did not have the skills, time, nor effort to teach the students the necessary units they needed to learn." Professor Snape considered himself more than capable to take on this position.
"And if you were offered this position before, what difference would you have made?"
"I would have taught the students lasting lessons that would have stuck with them until they die. My lessons would have been well taught and useful. I wouldn't have quit so easily, unlike many of the past professors."
"What makes you think that you're better than the other professors? The past professors, specifically."
"I would not have given up so quickly. This job is easily one of the most, if not the most, important positions in the school. Those who gave up and did not last the whole year shouldn't be considered adequate enough to teach. I would rather be a Death Eater than to give up so easily as a professor."
Dumbledore nodded and kept stern eye contact with Professor Snape, his quill the one writing down notes on a piece of parchment.
"Well, Professor, you seem very confident with your answers. You are well prepared, it seems."
Professor Snape kept himself composed, not letting his guard down. He knew there could be a trap, or something that would make him seem incapable of holding the position.
The quill stopped writing and laid itself on Dumbledore's desk. The piece of parchment barely had any notes written on it as it laid exposed. Professor Snape was confused at the "notes" that the quill was supposed to have written. Could it mean a good thing? Surely not.
Professor Dumbledore smiled at Severus. "You did well. However, I think, considering the number of interviews you've done before, you know where this is going."
"Obviously," Snape replied, slightly annoyed, but knew he proved his point of not giving up for that job.
Snape got up and turned away towards the door, already knowing the answer to his interview. He had already begun rehearsing his answers for the next time Dumbledore opened the position to interviews.