The Hall was buzzing with the excited chatter of the Hogwarts students. Above the calamity were infinite stars in the charmed ceiling. Ghosts were swirling about, conversing with curious children. The Slytherin house table sat in the very corner, in the shadowed alcove. It looked out of place due to the lack of students. The ones that did sit there were oblivious to the oddity-to the fact that fellow classmates had succumbed to the dark side during the war.
One person, who did notice, was Draco Malfoy. His silvery white hair had lost its sheen, and now looked like dying wheat. His shoulders were slumped as he hovered over the table and his empty plate, staring at it with equally blank eyes. Under those eyes were bruised bags of tormented nights.
Severus Snape watched his godson from the teacher's table. He regretted letting Draco come back for his seventh year. Narcissa would have preferred it to Draco wallowing in the manor, not knowing when night ended and day began. Snape sighed deeply. Draco's depression made time worthless, whether it was in the haunting home or his equally haunting school. His heart ached for the boy, so jaded by war at an early age. He saw himself in Draco. And he knew that was why he'd dragged him back, kicking and screaming-sobbing, actually.
He needed him close, to protect his adopted son.
Severus glanced at his fellow professors. Hagrid was scratching his beard with a dwarfed fork in his mammoth hand and the other moved animatedly as he talked to Lupin. That horrid beast. Albeit, honorable and kind, a beast nonetheless. Snape didn't want to kid himself. After the war, many prejudices wore down. Including his. He liked Remus, actually, a lot. The problem was, whenever he warmed up to the man with the fluffy corn silk hair, he was reminded of the marauder's abuse. It put a damper on things. He didn't want the man sitting so close though, their elbows touching.
Headmistress McGonagall sat by his side, humming happily- like a throaty purr, as she ate. She was tapping her nails lightly on the table as she spoke to the new Muggle Studies teacher. Some Vampire. Severus found it to be sickly ironic and could never hide the smirks when he was near the Veela-looking leech. Snape reprimanded himself, but old habits die hard. Everyone was socializing and he suddenly found another thing in common with his godson. They were both loners now. One man wolf packs.
He looked out into the sea of students. The golden trio-minus one pauper redhead-duo, sat languidly in at the Gryffindor table. Ginger had stayed home this year to care for the new beast in the family, Bill Weasley. Harry Potter, boy wonder, had his head resting on the girl weasel's shoulder as she spoon-fed him treacle tart from her plate. His eyes were closed and his glasses were sitting in his clean plate. He looked blissfully at peace and Severus found himself envying the youth, yet again.
Hermione Granger flanked her best friend. She had a novel hovering in front of her face, Witches: Sexism in Wizardry. Snape lifted his pumpkin juice goblet and drank to cover the smile. He watched her slim fingers curl around a glass flask and raise it to her rosy lips. He squinted. What was she drinking? What was that potion? She swirled the flask in circles, swishing the milky white substance about. He watched her tongue dart out and frantically sweep for remainder of the creamy potion from her pretty lips. Was that Amortentia? No, it couldn't be. That had the distinct mother-of-pearl look but men would be all over her.
He nudged Remus. The werewolf looked up at him questioningly. "Lupin, what is it Granger is drinking? I've not heard or seen a potion of that consistency." After all, he was the potions master. It was his job to know that stuff.
The Defense teacher squinted at the flask and crinkled his nose in confusion. Severus found it peculiarly endearing. "I've never seen such liquid….You don't suppose it's a potion from the Restricted section, do you?" Snape sneered, enjoying the slip up.
"How very Slytherin of Ms. Granger." Remus opened his mouth to refute, to fix his mistake, but Severus rolled his eyes. Idiot.
"Let's find out what our resident bookworm has been sipping. Shall we?" He instinctively reached out for Remus' hand, but quickly latched on to his goblet and took a swing. Remus blinked suspiciously, but got up and slipped out, with the dungeon bat in tow.