One of the absolutely magnificent things about Harry Potter I believe, is the characters, not only are they all great and memorable in their own right, but they actually also seem to have a life outside of the main story, which you can sort of sense and fell upon.

I just love the little community of the hogwarts staff, because they honestly do have their own sort of little community where there are people who dislike each other or like each other, people who think each others subjects are silly, yet they all have sort of working relationships and when it comes down it it, they work together as a group when danger is near, looking out for each other and the students, and they stand together to fight the injustice happening at the school in their own special way.. most noticeable in the Dolores Umbridge year where the entire staff was clearly working together behind her back to make Umbridge's life at Hogwarts as difficult as humanly possible.

I just love this staff, and this is just supposed to be a fun collection of conversations happening in the staff room doing the years of the Harry potter books.

"Isn't it a delight to see that the boy turned out all right after all?" Flitwick cheerfully chattered, he was getting into one of the most burning subjects at recent time, the freshman celebrity Harry Potter, who was also of special interest as most of the staff had clear memories of one James Potter and Lily Evans, which was probably also why the kid drew more attention to him than he should. "A little shy, but intelligent, that's a keeper you have gotten yourself there Minnerva." Flitwick smiled.

"indeed." McGonagall nodded. "Lets just hope he will rub off on Weasley, instead of Weasly rubbing off on him, the two of them is always together, and quite frankly, Weasley is a mess."

"Po-Potter, indee-deed, s's's'seems to have a fla-flair for de-de-fence." Quirll stammered. "Ve-very eager to learn." He finished.

McGonnagal lifted an eyebrow. "Have you tried meditation?" she asked. "It's not something I could ever imagine using myself, but I think it would help your lectures a great deal if you did something about this." she gestured at him. "I think everything would be worth a try if you don't want to go grey at a early age."

"No-no-no, I have no-not tried that." Quirll swallowed. "I will co-consider it."

Sprout also looked a little curiously at him. "You know, I got some herbals for tea that should be good for reliving the tension, always works like a charm for me." She commented. "I'll get you a bag at dinner."

"Tha-thank you." Quirll stammered.

"Well." Flitwick looked a little wide-eyed at him before seemingly deciding to switch the topic back and away from Quirll. "What about in your classes Severus? Is the boy as eager to learn?"

"Hardly." Snape didn't even look up form the papers that he was grading.

The four other members in the room looked at him, clearly wanting elaboration.

Snape sighed deeply. "His performance in class has so far at best been abysmal." He commented dryly finally bothering to look up. "He does not study before class and is thus never prepared, he does not listen and the potions he delivers are all so far spoiled, not only that, he doesn't take responsibility for this short comings, which clearly shows me that he is very arrogant."

McGonnagal smirked. "So is every freshman Gryffindor." She cheated. "We are only a month into term Severus, maybe he'll surprise you."

"I highly doubt that." Snape retorted dryly and then returned to his papers.

"Granger must be a student just in your taste though." McGonagall continued regardless. "Always well prepared, always orderly, she must be refreshing for you."

"She lacks any kind of imagination." Severus rolled his eyes. "Of cause she mastered the feet of following the written formula to the dot, oh how difficult that is, just to do what is written in the book or on the board, and that is as far as she will ever go in my class, that is however fortunate for Longbottom as he seems to have the reverse problem." He snorted. "He absolutely doesn't lack imagination in potions class, the ways he can destroy a potion within seconds simply amazes me."

"Really?" Sprout asked. "I thought he would be at least decent in potions, his knowledge of herbology is actually rather astounding, he seems know every single plant in the plant house, as well as their functions, he should be able to handle them well as potions ingredients, plus he is certainly not scarce of getting dirty fingers." She looked at Snape. "being reluctant to chub up slubberworms or not knowing what the ingredients do can't be the reason for him to perform badly in potions." She mussed. "Perhaps you're making him nervous?" she suggested. "He is rather jumpy."

"If I am making him nervous, that is no fault of mine." Snape snapped.

"I would have to agree with Severus on that one." McGonagall looked up the ceiling. "I do have my work cut out for me with that one, he also always seems to be nervous in my class as well."

"And my class." Flitwick sighed. "It's not that uncommon that the freshmens are nervous in the first couple of lessons, but we are a month in now, and the lad still shakes like a leaf every time it's time to get the wands into use."

Defeated McGonagall shook her head. "I refuse to believe that it's because he is dim, sometimes he honestly shows spurts of being gifted, but then he just retrieve right back into that nervous persona." she sighed. "I am lead to believe the only thing he really need is belief in himself, but with a bit of luck that shouldn't take to long."

"And what if it takes long?" Severus asked.

McGonagall sighed deeply. "Then we are in for some rough years."

Quirll started to raise up as he shovelled papers together in front of him.

"Going all ready?" McGonnagal asked.

"Ye-yes." Quirll responded. "I-I-I ne-need to pre-prepare for cla-class to-tomorrow." He gulped. "The Ne-Newt stu-stu-stu-stu." He seemed to have gone into extra stammering mode.

"They are going through the unforgivables." Snape cut him off. "That is the usual thing for NEWT's to start their term on, is it not?"

"Ye-yes." Quirll seemed like he was sweating. "Ex-excuse me." And he vanished through the door.

"Severus really." McGonagall shook her head. "That was uncalled for."

"Come on, if I hadn't finished for him he would have gone into a glitch and we would have been sitting here the entire night." He snorted.

Flitwick looked at the door he had disappeared through. "There is something really odd going on about that lad." He mussed. "I mean, really odd."

"Glad you can see it." Snape snorted.

"Be reasonable." McGonagall then said. "We don't know what nasty dark magic that turned him into such a wreck."

Snape looked darkly at her. "Minnerva, I know dark magic, and I know how it affects people, the way he is acting doesn't seem like any thing I could recognise." He sneered. "It seems very clear to me, that he is covering something up."

"I however still believe in innocent to proven otherwise." McGonagall flat out stated. "He is here, and he is our colleague, it would not be fair of us to be suspicious of him." She took a slight sip of her cup of tea. "Beside, he is even helping protecting the stone."

"Minnerva, I am helping protecting the stone, and if Dumbledores mad theory of the dark lord coming back have the least bit ground to it, I should have been the last person to be included." Snape rolled his eyes. "So it really doesn't count as much."

"The man has a point." Sprout pointed out.

"So you don't think You-know-who is out there?" Flitwick asked interested.

"I honestly can't say." Snape said a little annoyed. "But it would be a meagre existence if he really is out there, if he was truly in power." Gracefully Snape pulled back his left sleeve to showcase an arm, which was so significant precisely because there was seemingly nothing on it but a red area that seemed a little annoyed. "I really think that I would know."

It was far from a secret among the staff members that Snape was a former death eater, in fact.. Everyone in the room had known him through child-hood, had taught him classes from his first year, and they had been there as he had been named a death-eater by the ministry. And as Dumbledore had cleared him, they had even been among the people to lift eyebrows at it, but now it all seemed like a very long time ago, and they had settled into their own little routine, they had a well running working-relationship with each other, had learned how to deal and communicate across the table and had accepted they were for all intense and purposes a sort of family, the four head of houses did may have feuds once in a while, but they all knew that they were there for the school and therefore knew how to corporate and just accept each other.

"Well that's a relief." Flitwick responded with a smile in his voice.

"Do remember to tell when he does come back." Sprout added, also with a smile in her voice.

Snape however, looked extra grummy at them. "Do not, take it so lightly, there is nothing amusing about it, so please."

"Sorry." Sprout shrugged.

However as time went on, Snape suddenly found himself alone in the room, while still grading papers, probably his own fault for handing out so much home-work though he knew it would be send straight back to him.. though as he was alone, he in a dreading motion, lifted up his arm, to pull away the sleeve as he furrowed his brows looking at the red spot.. you could only see it if you were really close, and Severus was even questioning if he might wasn't just imagining things, but it had to be.. if you looked really close, a light greyish marking of a skull seemed to have appeared, he was almost about to trace a finger over it, but changed his mind in the last second, as he didn't really dared to touch it. And quickly Snape covered it up again, trying to suppress the chill going down his spine.