The damage to the Hogwarts castle and its grounds was profound and significant. Not only were entire wings in need of rebuilding, but the bridge, the courtyards, and Hagrid's hut had sustained immense damage. Even the ancient stones riddling the grounds had been upended, some blown apart entirely. Rebuilding had taken the entire summer and was still in process. The Daily Prophet framed it as a way of healing the magical community. Severus had not helped, but then again, he had not been asked to help.
After nearly dying in the shrieking shack, it was agreed upon by the Wizengamot as well as the Minister himself that Snape had done more than enough. Beyond that, healing was slow. Despite perhaps the only good luck he had experienced his entire life, the snake bites were still quite extensive. Dumbledore, prior to his death, had insisted Severus find the antidote to Nagini's venom after Arthur was attacked. Through some ingenuity and innovation, he had been able to replicate and improve upon it. He always kept a vial on him , though he never expected to use it on himself, and perhaps that was where his good luck ended.
Severus had been heralded a hero, even receiving an Order of Merlin. He had not attended the ceremony, but was told that many were in attendance by McGonagall. In fact, aside from healers, McGonagall was perhaps the only person he had spoken to in months.
She had offered him a generous apology as well as an equally generous offer of early retirement. He refused, feeling at a loss as to what he would do outside of being a professor, but also fearing that being out in the wizarding world at this juncture in time would be difficult with his newfound celebrity. Besides, Potter and his ilk had been allowed to graduate without attending their final year and he could essentially resume what he had done prior to Potter's first year: teaching incompetent young wizards and witches.
He had, of course, considered the coveted position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but even with the curse lifted, the thought of the subject left a foul taste in his mouth. The appeal it had as a young man had faded with each death that he saw, and he had seen many.
A memorial had been put up for the lives lost in the battle of Hogwarts, as well as those lost in the war effort in general. There was talk of having a statue erected of Potter himself, but Harry thankfully rejected that offer. It was one of the few good decisions Potter had ever made, Snape thought.
With Potter well on his way to being an auror and Snape left only with a few faded scars and an award, life had moved on. His summer in St. Mungo's and then Spinner's End had been quiet, with many books to read and well-intended letters to discard immediately. Before he could even think to question why on earth he was going back to the place that held many of his worst memories, Snape found himself apparating back to the gates of Hogwarts prior to term starting.
The gates were apparently one of the last things to be fixed, as he was greeted by the sight of Filch ordering around some wizards and witches as they levitated stones to form the archway and repaired the wall near the gate. It was purely ornamental. Though many of the magical wards had been obliterated in the attack, they were immediately recharmed and reinforced. Minerva had taken several extra precautions, only a few known to Severus, as well to protect the students. Despite Voldemort being dead, there were still many dangerous wizards about.
McGonnagall hoped that Snape's cynicism would decrease after the war was won, but had been mistaken. He eyed the crowd warily, noting every person he recognized. Some were parents of students, even a few former students of his which he eyed particularly closely. There was also a group behind him, lead by Hagrid, who were repairing the stone building of Hogsmeade station. Snape quickly turned back to the gate, intending not to be caught in a conversation with his colleague.
Though Hagrid was not his least favorite colleague, that was reserved for whoever was in the role of Defense professor in that particular year, he certainly did not offer the most interesting of conversations and frequently reminded him of exactly why he owned so many books. He had always regarded Hagrid as being a kind, though occasionally oafish, wizard. His trust for Snape was always appreciated, but Hagrid had always liked dangerous creatures.
"Hullo Severus!" called Hagrid, stepping away from the crowd of workers and walking toward Severus.
Severus closed his eyes tightly and exhaled through his nose. He quickly turned around, his robes billowing around him and smiled tightly at his colleague.
Hagrid was, Severus had to admit, exceptionally brave, even for a Gryffindor. Between his recruitment of various magical creature, capture by death eaters, and subsequent carrying of Potter to the castle, Hagrid had saved many lives in the war. He did deserve a conversation and kind hello, though Snape did not necessarily think it should come from him.
"I hope yer summer treated you proper." Hagrid said, clapping Snape on the back in greeting.
"As properly as can be expected." Snape said, vaguely gesturing to his scarred neck.
"Aye, I wanted ter write yer but…" He trailed off, unsure of how to apologize for something he knew Severus wasn't actually offended by.
"I was very busy. I didn't even notice." That wasn't a complete lie. He hadn't noticed. The only name that stuck out in his pile of letters was Potter's and even that name had appeared less frequently as the summer months went on. However, Severus was not busy. Despite this, he had a difficult time getting rid of the feeling of urgency that had followed him for years. Like a shadow, the stress of the war had stayed with him and left him feeling rather exhausted. It likely didn't help that he had trouble sleeping.
"I can imagine tha'. Been busy 'ere ma'self." He gestured around to the grounds, before he turned back to Severus. "The new Transfiguration professor has been a real help this past week. She's around her somewhere. I'll introduce yer."
Snape feigned disappointment for a moment before saying "Unfortunately I have other things to attend to, such as lesson planning." Another lie. Snape had not had to plan lessons in years, but Hagrid didn't need to know that.
They said their goodbyes, and Severus turned back toward the castle. His eyes were drawn to the spire of the astronomy tower and a sharp pang went through his neck. He lowered his gaze and began the long walk to entrance hall, giving a slight nod to Filch as he passed.
While the year prior's summer was a fowl, grey, distinctly British summer, the late August sun was out in full force. It was as if nature herself was taking its revenge on the dark wizards who had ruined her for the past year, and Severus' well being was the direct consequence of that. He occasionally cursed his affinity for buttons, and this was one of those moments. Years ago, he discovered a need to keep his sleeves from riding up, prior to even taking the dark mark. After singeing more than one set of robes, Snape had custom ordered one set for every day of the week from Gladrag's Wizardwear. The seamstress, though talented, was not quite as gifted in charms as Madam Malkin and he felt the weatherproofing charm had faded significantly over the years.
He imagined going back and ordering a new set, and perhaps a different style that would be a bit cooler so he could enjoy the remainder of this unseasonably warm summer, but quickly dismissed it. He hadn't enjoyed a summer since he was a child. There was no reason to think that might change now. He would simply have to perform the charm on himself. In the meantime, he muttered a weak Glacius spell and felt a chill run down his body. No sense in spending money, especially if his position at Hogwarts was tenuous at best.
Despite Harry Potter immediately coming to Snape's defense, public opinion was slow to change. Rita Skeeter had published a nonsense book about his life. He was sent a copy by Rita Skeeter herself. It was used as kindling to keep a dreamless sleep potion simmering overnight. Many parents had written the school to protest him taking up the position of Potions Professor again, especially considering his continued association with the Malfoy family. The Malfoy's as well as Snape had been pardoned almost immediately, but long held biases were slow to change. Of that he was very aware.
Beyond being unsure of what to do besides teaching, Snape felt a need to be a guiding figure to the Slytherin students. They would need someone to look to in the new world that was emerging that did not tolerate their outdated beliefs on blood status. Many students had lost their parents on both sides. Many of them felt they had lost the war. They were misguided at best, a danger to their peers at worst. Snape knew he was needed, as the war was not over in the minds of many young Slytherins.
As he approached the entrance to the castle, Severus was struck with an intense urge to turn around and return to his dingy home by the fowl river of his childhood. There were too many bad memories in this place. It was hard to imagine another fifty years of seeing the faces of children. They were children of people he killed, or children of people who had killed. Perhaps some of them were killers themselves.
But he pressed on, watching the giant doors open before him to the entrance hall. The ceiling had been erected again after its collapse and the giant hourglasses filled with house colors stood in front of the entrance to the great hall. He could smell the familiar scent of candles and felt the slight glimmer of tangible magic that is unmistakable in the Hogwarts halls. For some reason that comforted him.
Minerva would want to see him before he went to his rooms for the remainder of the day. He imagined she had information to pass on to him. He was appointed as Deputy Headmaster rather quietly over the summer, though she sternly reminded him not to favor his own house and told him that there would be consequences should he allow for his students to behave improperly. As if he tolerated misbehavior from any student.
He began the climb to the Headmaster's tower, only stopping to greet the ghosts and paintings he was familiar with. It seemed even the paintings had heard about his heroics, as they kept apologizing to him profusely. For only having to climb to the second floor, the walk was exceptionally long.
McGonagall chose to continue on the tradition set forth by Dumbledore of candy-named passwords. Severus begrudgingly muttered "candyfloss" and entered the Headmistress' office.
Minerva sat at her desk looking over a long list of names, before looking up at him from over her spectacles. She smiled at him, which he returned tightly before she pushed the papers to the side and gestured to a chair in front of her desk.
"I would prefer to stand." Snape said, glancing around the room. The décor had drastically changed since his abandonment of his role as headmaster. He was not able to get rid of all of the trinkets and instruments that Dumbledore had adorned the office with, instead letting Minerva do with them what she wished. In his short tenure as headmaster, he had left the office barren save for the portraits with which he communicated in secret. He had not wanted to decorate, as he thought his time as headmaster would be short. He thought his time alive would be short as well. It was admittedly nice to see some of the whirring silver instruments back, as well as a few personal touches of Minerva's, including a portrait of her deceased husband.
"Very well. I trust your summer was sufficiently restful?" She asked, already knowing what his summer was like as she insisted on popping by every week or so. Her comments about his dark under eyes are what spurred him to brew a batch of dreamless sleep to begin with.
"I did." He responded curtly.
"As you know, we have a few new teachers this year. As Deputy Headmaster, I'd like you to be responsible for informing them of their duties and patrol schedules. Perhaps you can let them shadow you. The new defense professor is a former student of mine, prior to your time at Hogwarts. You may have heard of him, Gawain Robards."
Severus had. A talented auror who was notably absent during the war, but very eager to be the voice of the Auror Office after.
"Our new transfiguration teacher is American. She may need a bit more hand holding than you would prefer." Minerva shot him a look. "However, I expect you'll find her a competent professor."
This information caught Severus by surprise. Though there were people from all over Europe in attendance at Hogwarts over the years, rarely was there someone from America. Especially after the first wizarding war, immigration slowed significantly. During the second war he imagined much of the same occurred.
"Quite delightful for an American to teach at Hogwarts, isn't it Severus?" Dumbledore said from his portrait, catching Snape off-guard.
"I have never met an American I would describe as delightful." Snape replied.
Minerva let out a snort before replying "Well, while I would not describe Mrs. Sometimes as delightful, she is a very intelligent young woman and an excellent conjurer. I would not underestimate her."
"I have no intention of doing anything of the sort." Snape replied before turning toward the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to retire to my chambers until the meeting this evening."
With a slight wave, McGonagall went back to making notations on her list of names.
Snape descended into the dungeons, finding his chambers mostly the same as when he left: bare save a bed, suitcase and wardrobe. It wasn't the first time he had skipped dinner with the rest of the staff in favor of his own company, but he knew he had to join after for the staff meeting where he would have to interact with the disillusioned auror and the American.
He never liked meeting new people and thought that this would be no different. Little did he know that there was something very different about Mrs. Sometimes.