Word spread quickly of Hermione's duel with professor Mallory and, in true Hogwarts fashion, the rumors were getting more dramatic and outrageous with each telling. When the professor in question failed to show up to dinner that night, the hall was abuzz in speculation.
The gossip nearly grew to chaos when Dumbledore himself approached the Slytherin table and requested that Hermione, Luna, and Pansy pay a visit to his office that evening.
Many were convinced that Hermione had been expelled for almost murdering a professor while others suspected that her secret association with the muggle mafia had been discovered and she was now being taken into questioning on the whereabouts of Professor Mallory.
No one really knew the full truth of course, as most sixth years were not keen on talking at length on the subject, seeing as many had yet to come to a conclusion on their stance towards the muggleborn Slytherin and were therefor unsure how to share such a story.
Severus Snape watched with the rest of the hall as Hermione rose from her seat and nodded across the hall at Luna, who somehow seemed to understand this cue and began making her way in their direction as they followed Albus Dumbledore out of the Great Hall.
Though he had come to tentatively regard the three transfer students as friends, he had to admit that they were highly suspicious. He knew they were odd from the start and further interaction with and observation of them had proved to only increase this perception.
And often he got the distinct impression that they were playing a big joke on the entire school and simply had yet to clue them all in. But not a joke in the irritating way the Marauders gave hints of when planning a prank. No, the girls seemed to have a darker humor laced into their interactions at times that he couldn't quite place.
He desperately wanted to figure them out, but he found himself curiously reluctant to pursue the matter on the chance that the very strange friendship they had unexpectedly thrust upon him would suddenly be snatched away, just as his childhood friendship with Lily had been.
Having them around had been a great relief lately as his former so-called "friends" were reluctant to approach him in the Transfer Trio's presence and thus he was not being plagued with decisions of his alliance in the blossoming war and was excused from having to neutrally indulge Avery's and Mulciber's whims in order to maintain unobtrusive within his own House.
While the Trio's attention did shine some of the spotlight in his direction, it was largely assumed that they were simply dragging him along on a whim while he begrudgingly placated them. In actuality, he enjoyed their company and was loath to risk losing it simply because he was too damn curious for his own good. He resolved that he would just have to wait for the time when they revealed their history to him.