Nobody Cared

Halloween

31 Oct 1991 - Thursday, Halloween

The Silver Trio were back together at the Slytherin table, huddled, whispering. The twins Weasley and Neville Longbottom had joined them but there was no conversation. If they were looking forward to Halloween Snape doubted it. Their spirits were just not as excited as all the other students were.

Snape glanced over at Minerva to see how she was doing while he awaited the appearance of his breakfast. There had been no word, yet, from the Board of Governors about her position with Gryffindor. The Transfiguration professor had been quiet since leaving the Ministry. Something he had expected. Snape hoped resolution would come soon.

A full day of teaching, and then a night filled with over-sweetened children, and overly hormonal teenagers to watch over, Snape mused, as he sighed at his breakfast. At least Dumbledore's rosebushes, a popular hiding place for teenaged couples to seclude themselves, would be free of his minor Blasting Spell this year. Snape expected that it would be Minerva who kept her eye upon such things with the older years at their ball. He would be dealing with the lower years, which allowed him to watch over his son.

Snape stabbed at his sausages with his fork, brutally impaling one upon the four tines. With his knife, he sliced it smoothly into bite sized pieces that he did away with forthwith. Coffee, very strong and bitter, followed the sausage giving Snape some sensation that he would survive this day.

The Potions Master glanced over at the Slytherin table to watch as the twins had begun to entertain the Snakes with some sort of legerdemain juggling act in order to shake the Trio from their ennui. He glared as he caught his son's worshipful appreciation of the identical redheads. Although Fred and George were doing well in watching out for the youngest Snakes (Minerva was sure those two had adopted all the first year Slytherins), Snape was not sure he wanted his son to worship the Weasleys as heroes.

"Severus, stop staring at Harry before you burn a hole in him," chided Minerva.

He glanced over to see a letter in her hand that she had not opened. "From the Board?" he asked astutely.

She nodded, tapping the edge of the letter by her plate. Impulsively, Minerva shoved the letter at him. "Would you?" she asked a bit nervously.

Snape took the letter, eying the older witch. "Worried?" he asked as he broke the seal.

"I'm fairly certain as to what they decided, Severus, but I'm not overly inclined to read it." She tapped her fork into her eggs as her colleague unfolded the letter. "Don't read it. To me, I mean. Just tell..."

"They have relieved you of your Head of House duties," Snape summarised bluntly. He knew Minerva would appreciate his brevity. "The position is to be taken over by the new Deputy." Minerva sighed, a small smile gracing her lips. "I take it you were hoping for this, Minerva?" He folded the letter and dropped it beside her plate.

"Albus would never have let me go, Severus," she spoke softly, although their conversation was well concealed by the other teachers chattering over their breakfasts, and the students in the Hall. "His favours aren't always the blessing he intends them to be."

"You were easily manipulated," he said cautiously.

"I was, then, a young girl infatuated by an older man," the witch scoffed. Snape smirked and she inclined her head towards him. "And..." she paused, smiling wryly, "I was easily manipulated."

Snape strode briskly across the front of his class as he looked at his students. Two Gryffindors dared to continue chatting over some silly gossip after he had begun class. "Miss Brown! Miss Patil! Your gossip is hardly germane to my class. 10 points each! Everyone, take out your books and turn to page 149."