2. An Unpleasant Surprise
Severus Snape snorted in disgust as he was making his way through the cold, dark dungeons he was so familiar with.
He'd left the Start-of-Term Feast as soon as possible. The Potions Master had never been fond of this, in his opinion, redundant tradition, but the headmaster deemed it necessary for all core staff members to attend the festivity. As always, Severus had been disappointed by the new first-year students.
"Just another bunch of prepubescent troublemakers without any appreciation for knowledge and not an ounce of respect for authority," he thought grimly. He surely was going to take great pleasure in showing them why everyone feared the so-called greasy git of the dungeons.
Finally reaching the bizarre painting of a seemingly maniac knight riding a famished donkey, which hung in a hidden corner of one of the most desolate parts of the dungeons, Severus ignored its resident's strident battle cry as he quickly mumbled his secret password before entering his private quarters. Once inside, he removed his thick black robes, revealing an all-white dress shirt.
The time since the war had ended had been good to him. While he continued to be covered in countless scars all over his body, he had gained some much-needed weight and was now filling his clothes out nicely. He had still not fully recovered from all he'd had to endure, of course; but he was physically healthy at least. Unfortunately, regaining his bodily health also meant his scary image had suffered some damage. No longer looking like a haggard dungeon ghoul, the infamous professor could not rely on his ominous, nightmare-inducing dark presence anymore. However, all of that just meant that he needed to work a little bit harder – and be even meaner and nastier – to ensure that those useless brats would show him the respect he deserved.
Severus was just opening the first of the many buttons of his shirt, badly longing for a cold shower after such a long day, when he noticed a small roll of parchment paper tied to a tiny pouch which was lying on his much-loved reading chair. Frowning, he walked over and picked up the little package. The small bag was made of vivid pink silk embroidered with silver sequins along the seam.
"That annoying, stupid old man!" the teacher hissed.
He gingerly separated the colourful sack from the parchment roll and opened it. Several pieces of Dumbledore's favourite candy, sherbet lemon, fell to the floor, some rolling under the plum coloured wing chair.
The half-blood cursed under his breath as he grabbed the paper and unrolled it. The letter read:
Severus,
I would like to invite you to an important staff meeting taking place in the Great Hall before breakfast tomorrow. Even though this is last-minute, attendance is compulsory. Undoubtedly, you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this little get-together.
Your friend,
Albus Dumbledore
P.S. I do hope that you enjoy these delicious Muggle sweets as much as I do!
Snape scowled. A surprise staff meeting was the last thing he needed right now. Crushing a few pieces of yellow confectionery under his heavy black dress shoes, he finally headed to the bathroom, now craving an icy shower more than ever.
Later that night, as he was lying in bed, the black-haired man pondered over the headmaster's invitation again. "Your friend Albus Dumbledore," he whispered. No – the old wizard was wrong.
Severus Snape didn't have any friends.