Severus paused at the top of the stairs, looking out the window. The lake was empty, but he could just about hear the piercing whistle of the Hogwarts Express, tucked out of view behind the looming forests and hills. The new students would be here soon, very soon.
The Potions Master forced himself to continue walking towards the Great Hall. On one hand, Severus had sworn to protect Harry Potter, and it would be much easier to do once he was here.
On the other hand, Severus didn't know if he could handle another seven years with another Potter that treated Slytherins like dirt.
Of course, he could be more like his mother. Of all people, Severus should not judge on blood and appearances alone. Certainly, Severus liked to think he wasn't his father. He would have to hate the boy anyway, or at least pretend to. Draco Malfoy would attend this year, a Slytherin no doubt, and he would complain endlessly if he thought his godfather was favoring the Boy-Who-Lived.
Hopefully Potter wouldn't be a Gryffindor. A reckless lion would be a thousand times more difficult to protect and the Slytherins were loyal and obedient, to him at least. A Slytherin Potter would be far easier to manipulate and train as well. The Potions Master shook his thoughts off long enough to notice Albus, dressed in vibrate purple robes, sweeping through the halls towards him. His blue eyes twinkled behind half-moon specs.
"Severus, my boy." The headmaster smiled through his silver beard. "Heading down to the Great Hall? The students will be here any minute."
"I was thinking of going on a walk." Severus replied without any conviction. In all the years he had spent at Hogwarts, both student and professor, he had never been allowed to miss a Sorting without a reason more pressing then murder.
"Come now, Severus, you can't miss the Sorting." Albus said happily, folding his hands inside his robe sleeves. "Of course, I suppose there may be time for a quick run around the grounds, if you must." There was a knowing glimmer in Albus' grin.
"Thank you, Headmaster." Severus said stiffly. He stepped around the headmaster, slipping elegantly past the doors to the Great Hall and out into the cooling grounds. Once he was absolutely positive no-one would see him, he stopped and breathed in deep, damp breaths of air. With a twist like a silk sock being turned inside out, Severus shifted into a massive panther. He stretched, muscles tightening and loosening in great bunches under satin-soft fur, and took off at a run.
The broad silver moon sailed across the purple sky, turning the great black cat into a graceful blue shadow. Distantly, the excited gasp of children twitched his ears, bouncing across the rolling hills and flat lake. Severus saw the first of the boats drifting under the overhanging rock leading to the castle. More then one child stood up with a frantic chatter, pointing to where Severus bound over the stony shores. The clatter of Thestral-drawn carts rattled over into the courtyard as returning students flooded out, a few sharp-eyed witches and wizards waving and calling as they caught a glimpse of the huge feline flowing away from the inky flat lake.
Severus answered back with a low roar, darting out of sight and back into the castle through a large Familiar's Door before shifting back into his usual taller, dark and intimidating shape. He sighed, rolling his shoulders and leaning against the stone wall. Severus always felt much better after a run, however short, to empty his mind. It certainly made it easier to deal with snot-nosed brats that seemed to deliberately and maliciously destroy cauldrons and other students.
The Potions Master straightened his robes, smoothed back his hair, and slipped silently into the Great Hall from the teachers' entrance. The new students had just filed in, watching Professor McGonagall skittishly as she opened the list and cleared her throat.
Severus crept unnoticed to his seat beside Hagrid at the end of the table and sat down before the first name was called. Albus shot him a look of amusement, with plenty of eye-sparkling and half-smiling.
"Cuttin' it a bit close, Sev'rus." Hagrid beamed good-naturally.
"Life on the edge, Hagrid." The Potions Master replied dryly. The half-giant wasn't the worst company to have after a run, but as Hagrid always sat on the outside corner Severus found himself next to the DADA teacher. Quirrell stuttered a nervous greeting in a tiny voice, plucking habitually at the ends of his sleeves. Severus frowned at him, hooked nose twitching at the overpowering stench of garlic. He wondered if the smaller man's obsession with garlic even in the Great Hall was due to the rumours of Snape being a vampire. Severus subtly bared his canine teeth in a wicked grin and watched Quirrell's exposed neck tremble like jello.
The line dwindled down quickly. Severus clapped politely and even managed a small smile in reply to Draco's beaming face when he was sorted into Slytherin seemingly before the hat even touched his head. The professor could almost hear the Malfoy heir composing a long letter to his father.
Potter, predictably, ended up in Gryffindor. Severus suppressed the urge to wince, imagining years of having to stop reckless lions from jumping into danger.
As the last student was sorted, Albus Dumbledore stood up, opening his arms like he was embracing the new school year.
"To our new students, welcome. And to our old students, welcome back! A few announcements before we dig in." Albus twinkled. "Our caretaker Mr. Finch has forbidden several new items this year, any wishing to see the whole list may find it pinned up just outside the hall. The Forbidden Forest is, as implied, still forbidden." There was a few scattered laughs. "Muggle Studies Professor Quirrell, who recently has gone a sabbatical, has returned to take the post for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The third floor corridor is off-limits to those who do not wish to die a slow and horrid death." That's Dumbledore, Severus thought with sarcasm but a touch of fondness as well. Toss in dangerous and important rules like a horseshoe and hope it sticks. "And just one more announcement, if everyone can find the patience." Severus closed his eyes with a long-suffering sigh. Please don't call me- "Some of you may have seen the Shadow of Hogwarts on his run this evening." The professor hid a wince. He hated that name. "Shadow is a large black panther who lives on the grounds." Albus continued. "I must ask you to treat him with the respect you would show your professors. Shadow often runs the grounds at night or late evening."
Dumbledore finally sat down, watching the silver plates fill suddenly with food. The student body was mercifully silent as hungry children starting eating like hippogriffs before a rumble of chatter filled the hall. Even from the teachers' table, Severus could hear the children bragging and whispering about his embarrassingly named animagi form.
"Charlie said Shadow is twelve feet long and can cast spells!" One of the many Weasleys shouted over the crush of voices.
"Panthers can't preform magic, Ronald." A bushy haired first year managed a clumsy sneer. Granger, the Potions Master recalled. "Besides, its not even in Hogwarts, a History. Shadow of Hogwarts, honestly!"
"I think its sorta cool." Potter muttered. He spoke so quietly even Severus' sensitive ears strained to make it out. The boy looked over to the staff table, squinting through clunky glasses. Potter's face twisted into a scowl, the exact image of his horrible bully of a father. Severus felt a hot flash of anger that melted inexplicably away when the boy pulled his glasses off his face and rubbed the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. Was the curse scar still bothering the boy? How?
Severus reluctantly let Hagrid pull him into small talk, making note to research curse scars and the extent of remaining residue.
Severus dragged his feet down the dungeon hallway. Three hours of putting up with Hagrid's overly cheerful chatter, Albus' secretive winks and eye-twinkling, and settling down his new snakes left him at the end of his rope; and it was only the first day! Classes hadn't even started yet!
The ex-spy knew he wouldn't be able to sleep yet, no matter how tired he was, and dithered on wither he should start a new potion or run his excess energy off in the Forbidden Forest. There was also a new potions book Albus had gotten him to make up for picking Quirrel of all people over Severus as the new DADA professor...
A curious thumping noise echoed off the stone walls, shaking Severus out of his thoughts. He seemed to be getting lost in his own mind more of late. Peeves shot down the hallway on a broomstick, cackling madly as he bounced towards Severus, knocking down indignant and protesting portraits along the way.
"Peeves!" The Slytherin Head snapped, dodging the whooping poltergeist. He was holding someone's wand. Probably some poor muggleborn first year unused to the antics of mischievous poltergeists. "Accio wand!" The holly stick flew out of Peeves' pale hand and into Severus'. The troublesome spirit continued down the hall undeterred, still giggling. Severus made a note to send the Baron after him if he got too close to his quarters.
Three black robed firsties skid around the corner, huffing and gasping for breath. "P-Pee-Peeeevessssss," Arthur's youngest hissed like a leaking tire, his face was as red as his hair.
"That's not Peeves..." Granger said faintly. She looked in much better condition then the boys, though she turned a ghastly white as her brown eyes met the professor's blank black ones.
"Messrs. Potter, Weasley and Miss Granger," Severus scowled down at them, tapping his long pale fingers along the length of the holly wand. "Its past curfew. What are three first year Gryffindors doing in the dungeons?" Of course, the answer to his question had just sped down the hallway on a stolen broom but no-one in the history of Hogwarts had ever claimed Severus Tobias Snape was fair.
"It was Peeves, sir." Potter gasped, leaning on his knees. "He stole my wand!" His brilliant green eyes fixed on Severus hand. "That wand!" He reached for it, just missing as the ex-spy childishly raised it over his head.
"Mr. Potter!" Severus snapped. The brat froze like a startled deer. "I asked, what are you doing here? Unless Peeves has had your wand for the last half-hour, I demand to know why you three are out after curfew!"
"I-I-"
"I wanted to explore the grounds, sir." Granger broke in, looking nervous. " I-I'm a muggleborn, so I wanted to know more about magic and Hogwarts. Ron and Harry warned me I'd get in trouble but-"
"Noble an effort as it is," Severus sneered. "It would take more then a first year Gryffindor to fool me, Miss Granger. As it is the first day, I will take only ten points and inform Professor McGonagall of your after hour activities."
Granger, surprisingly, looked grateful while Potter only shrunk back in shame and Weasley looked fit to explode in a messy tomato-coloured fit.
"Thank you, sir. We'll just head right back to the tower- no need to bother with us, professor..." The bushy haired muggleborn babbled, dragging her two friends back by the collar of their robes.
"If I find out you've gone anywhere other then the Gryffindor tower," Severus' voice was as soft as silk as he dropped Potter's wand into the boy's unresponsive hand. "I will personally see to your two week detention. Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, sir." The children chorused, eyes wide. Without another seconds' hesitation, the Gryffindors disappeared back up the hallway.
Feeling marginally better, Severus slipped out of the dungeons and went for a run.
