Books and Cleverness
Severus Snape threw his invitation in the bin. He hadn't spent the last five years trying to improve the education system, curriculum, and general outlook of the wizarding community, to suddenly believe a ball of all things would unite the country and magically fix everything that was wrong. Apparently, some idiots did think that was exactly what would happen. Well, he wasn't going.
And until he could find a better location for the temporary Hogwarts, and a way to get the students and parents to trust each other again, he would not be going to some frivolous event. Don't think he hadn't tried Quidditch and inter-house activities either. No, until Hogwarts was back under one roof, there was only so far he could go with his initiatives, especially if he had to keep his personal involvement a secret. In fact, the way he had spent the last few years, it was no surprise that some people just assumed he had died in the war. He would gladly keep it that way, forever if necessary.
Severus sighed and warmed up his cold cup of tea. The sun was dipping low on the horizon and he was only halfway through his proposal to the board of governors. It would be another long night.