Severus handed out his students' timetables quickly, carefully not sparing Harry any more attention, positive or negative, than any other first year. Turning before he would have to see Potter's reaction to his mild snub, he retreated out of the churning sea of teenaged hormones to the relative safety of the head table where he, unfortunately, was stuck sitting next to Quirinus again.
"So, S-S-Severus, what's it l-l-like having Harry P-Potter in your house?" Quirinus asked, with a small, twitchy smile, while loading his plate with food. "I d-did not see that coming."
"Hmm, it is yet to be seen," Severus said, deadpanned. He had had a month to think about his strategy in dealing with the boy, and he was still not entirely sure what to reveal, or how to publicly react. The headmaster was looking at Harry like he was a galleon with 'savior' stamped on one side, and 'budding Dark Lord' stamped on the other, and was expecting Severus to sit back and treat Harry with cold distain while he waited for the coin to land. Lucius Malfoy was grooming Harry to land 'Dark Lord' side up, while expecting Severus to do the same. And, with the children of Death Eaters littering his house, who knew what information the Dark Lord was privy to, if he was indeed still alive.
"Are y-you ant-t-ticipating t-trouble?"
"It's Potter. I'm anticipating the unexpected."
Quirinus gave a forced chuckle. "B-best to keep an eye on him, S-Severus. Keep him s-safe."
Severus gave the turbaned man a sharp look. "You think he'll be in danger?"
Quirinus shrugged, watching him with an unnervingly sharp eye. "It's P-Potter."
"Yes, he undoubtedly is that. This year is bound to be even more irksome than normal."
Quirinus relaxed a fraction, and turned his attention back to his plate of food.
Not for the first time, Severus found himself deeply unnerved by the mild-mannered professor, since he had returned from his vampire- ridden sabbatical.
If he found the time, between keeping an eye on Harry and countermanding the insipid schemes of the Weasley twins and their ilk, Severus would have to dig a little deeper into the unassuming defense professor.
Speaking of the Weasley horrors, Severus had double potions first thing with the Gryffindor and Slytherin third years, and if the rivalry between the twins and Pucey and Warrington had not miraculously abated over the summer, he had best get to the potions classroom early, lest it become collateral damage on the first day of term.
And what a day it was.
Classes were, much to Severus' utter lack of surprise, just as chaotic and aggravating as they usually were. The morning's second double period with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff third years had been relatively less eventful than the morning's first double period, but it had still somehow managed to include a cauldron that had fused itself to the workstation, after it had partially melted. The Hufflepuff responsible, the Partridge girl, had burst into tears before Severus had even deducted house points, or assigned detention, both of which he had still done, despite the water works. The only saving grace in the situation was that he had already assigned the Weasley twins detention that night, and now he could pawn the task of figuring out how to unstick the damned cauldron off on them. He had no doubt that they'd be able to get it done in less than an hour, if he tied their success to the duration of their punishment, the menaces.
His teaching woes were forgotten about entirely, though, when he had made eye contact with Quirinus during the evening meal – the insufferable man was still insisting on sitting next to him – and had felt the telltale pressure of legilimency probing at his mind. Severus had not been aware that Quirinus even knew legilimency. He'd subtly confirmed that Albus had not been looking at Severus over Quirinus' shoulder – the old man was facing the opposite direction and chatting amiably with Professor Sprout - and continued eating, as if nothing had happened. His passive occlumency walls had thwarted the attempt, and Severus did not think Quirinus noticed that he'd been caught in the effort, but it made Severus on edge.
What was Quirrell up to?
Severus would definitely need to keep a close eye on him, this year, and watch his own step around the man. At least the strong scent of garlic would warn him if the dunderhead was lurking around the next corner, or under a disillusionment spell.
What a headache. Another headache, which he certainly did not need.
Once the tables had been cleared of food, Severus followed the other professors to the staff room for their first post-term-start staff meeting.
Severus managed to find a seat that was neither next to, nor directly across from, Quirrell, and managed to avoid eye contact with the man without tipping his hand.
As Albus had no new announcements for his staff, so early, the professors began swapping tales of their first day's classes, pointing out which new and returning students were off to a promising start, and which were already headed for trouble.
Numerous professors were waxing poetic over a first-year Gryffindor girl named Granger, and several of his Slytherin first-years, including Potter and Malfoy, were also praised for their early grasps on the subject matter. He might actually have a decent crop to work with, this year, although he was sure they all had plenty of room to improve.
He made sure to emphasize the Weasley twins' disruptiveness in class, while downplaying Pucey and Warrington's retaliation, and was satisfied by the exasperated looks etched on his colleagues' faces when the twin menaces were discussed.
The first year Gryffindors and Slytherins would not have potions with him until Friday, since the Welcoming Feast had been Monday night, so that bought Severus some time, before he would have to directly address his thoughts on Potter to the members of staff and the headmaster. He was hoping that someone else would give the boy a detention with him, so he would have the chance to speak with the child privately without arousing suspicion, or further hurting the boy, but even in silver and green, the other professors did not list Harry amongst the students with possible behavioral issues to watch out for. He was likely to have a detention record more like Lily's than James.
He had exchanged too many letters with the child over the summer. It had been foolish, to establish such expectations of active participation and openly expressed care, when he knew he'd have to keep the boy at arm's length at school, but Potter had been so lonely, starved for validation, and of course, eating out of the palm of Lucius Malfoy's hand.
He hadn't really had a choice, but now, he'd have to find some way to let Harry know that he wasn't being punished or abandoned by Severus' public coldness. He could hardly explain to the boy that Severus was expected to act as a spy by using his previous designation as a Death Eater, once the Dark Lord inevitably returned to power, after all. That information was far too sensitive, too dangerous, to entrust with an eleven-year-old, even one who was the Boy Who Lived.
Once the staff meeting had concluded, Severus pointedly avoided both Albus and Quirinus as he swept from the room. He met the Weasley twins in the potions classroom, and gave them their task of unsticking the half-melted cauldron, before retreating to his office and collapsing into his chair.
One day down, several long months of torment to go.