The Serpent

FOUR

I smiled at him while sitting down at the Slytherin table. He was sitting up there with the other teachers, but he didn't look at the students entering the Great Hall. Instead, he looked over to me proudly. I couldn't wait to talk to him and tell him about Slughorn. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy to talk to him while being in school. My school days were well planned to the fullest and I couldn't afford to run through the corridors of Hogwarts during curfew. We met every weekend and talked about our week, sometimes we would go out to visit Hogsmead. It was like he had two different personalities in school. On the one hand, he was a very strict teacher that even I would fear to upset. But, on the other hand, he was still my loving father. Whenever we reunited it was like we were at home again. It made everything easier to bear.

The last year had changed a lot. After the Dark Lord exacted his toll, the promise my mother gave him before she died, I had a lot to learn. Dad and I used to meet in his office every now and then for me to learn new spells and to control my mind. It wasn't easy. But, you wouldn't expect anything else being a deatheater. That was the reason for Draco and me to not end up in a relationship until he was clearly becoming a deatheater after his father got arrested. I wondered, if I could see Dad as often as last year. There was nothing new to learn, only practice. So, it wasn't necessary anymore. But, I loved talking to him about everything like he was my own personal diary.

"Anaïs, do you want some of the eggs?", Draco asked next to me. Torn from thoughts, I looked at him. He was the sweetest boy on earth when he smiled like that. "Sure!", I agreed returning the smile. Like the gentleman he was, he put some of the scrambled egg on my plate.

Professor Dumbledore entered the hall and distributed the timetables to the four heads of the houses. Dad was the first to get up from his chair and take the pile of papers. He walked to our table.
As we were finishing breakfast, he made his way along the table handing out the individual timetables for the 5th, 6th and 7th graders. Soon, he had reached us in the middle of the enormous long table.

"Dad, can I talk to you later?", I asked directly.
The First Years sitting next to us started to whisper secretly in excitement. Confused, the two of us looked at them for a moment. Puzzled, because I expected it to be nothing new to any student, I looked back at Dad.
"Of course. Is everything alright?", he asked worried.
"Yes! I just want to talk.", I explained smiling in delight.
He nodded and gave me a wink. "You know where to find me, Miss Snape.", he joked and continued handing out the timetables.

"I thought we were going to... talk?", Draco asked lowly and definetly was disappointed.
"Sure. But, allow me a moment to gossip to my father.", I replied, trying to reassure him caressing his upper leg under the table.
"Just a moment though.", he claimed grinning.
"Of course.", I laughed and he laid his hand on my leg, too.

"Is Professor Snape really your dad?", a First Year boy asked curiously. I smiled at him. I loved kids. At least if they were old enough. Some of them reminded me of myself and I would've loved to have a little brother or sister to teach everything about discipline and determination.
"Yes, he is my father. He's actually very nice and cool.", I told them nicely. "Really? My big brother told me that he would be very mean and his class would be really cruel. Did he lie to me?", the girl next to the little boy said. She had snot running down from her nose to her mouth, but she didn't mind removing it. I loved how kids didn't care about other people's opinion and just spoke out what they had in mind.
"No, he didn't lie. To be honest, his classes are really exhausting and you have to pay attention all the time. But, you will see that it helps you learn a lot. At Hogwarts there are a lot of fun classes to enjoy, but in the end you won't learn anything you actually need for your lives.", I tried to explain.
"It's easy for you to say that. Don't fool these kids, Anaïs! Her father truely is a mean and strict teacher if you're not talented.", Blaise disagreed. "That's what I am saying. His class isn't just for fun, you're supposed to pick up on the learning content. If you don't study, you won't succeed.", I replied miffed.
Blaise rolled his eyes at me.
"I want to be just like you one day!", the snot kid said. Sweetly, I smiled at her, touched by these words. "I am sure, you don't have to fear my father. Just stick to your goals and make yourself proud.", I said and smiled over to Blaise. He sighed and shook his head, but he smiled back at me. He knew that I was right. He just didn't want to accept it. "Let's go back to the common room!", Draco suggested self-motivated. We all agreed. Before leaving, I gave the kids a big smile and wished them a great first day at Hogwarts. They smiled as widely as I did.

"Malfoy, are you joining the Slytherin Quidditch Team again this year?",  Urquhart, this year's Team Captain, asked as he was about to enter the Hall. "Uhh... I could be substitute if you need me, but first and foremost I want to concentrate on my... tasks. You know, the classes don't get easier.", he replied unsteady. "I see, brother! Don't worry, we'll get the trophy anyway.", Urquhart mumbled, clapping Draco on the shoulder while walking away. What an egoistic nagger! No wonder everyone believed that all of us Slytherins were as disgusting as him...