HP - Shadow Monarch!

Chapter 19 - First Day 07.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV

Hogwarts.

...

...

Minerva looked around at all her students leaving the room. There hadn't been much interaction among them after Snape left; the room had indeed been quite silent except for some low conversations and murmurs.

It didn't take long for the class to end with the arrival of lunchtime. As everyone left, Minerva waited for the last student to leave before she headed to the exit, locking the room up until the class with the fourth year that would take place in the afternoon.

She sighed as she walked through the corridors of the castle; after all, her mood had been ruined by the interaction she had with Snape. He had treated her in a way that almost no student had in her academic career, and she could hardly do anything about it, leaving her even more surprised when he simply turned his back on her class, implying that he was only interested in showing up for the final exams of that year.

"Did you hear that Severus Snape has returned to Hogwarts and is completely different?" A student asked another in the midst of a group of students.

"Severus Snape? Who's that?" said a girl in the group.

"Don't you remember that student who chased after that Gryffindor girl all year?" Another asked.

"Yes, what do you mean he's changed?" The girl, now recognizing Snape, asked.

"Sorry, I heard he's very different in appearance. I heard a student found him wandering the school and when questioned, Snape's eyes shone blue, and he threatened to cast an Unforgivable on him," the student said, spreading the gossip.

"Is he a dark wizard?" Another seemed alarmed.

"I heard he killed a mandrake in the Ravenclaw Herbology class!" said a fourth student.

"So he joined Voldemort's group..." The girl said.

"Yes, that's what I heard!" Another said, certain of the gossip.

"Excuse me." Minerva's voice reached the students; she had stopped since they were blocking the corridor to talk while she listened to the entire conversation.

"Hm?! Professor Minerva?!" The students were startled to see her standing there, looking at them as stern as always.

"You must leave the corridor and keep the path clear for students, 10 points deducted from Hufflepuff," she declared, leaving the students frightened.

"Don't take our points!" They cried, but she just moved on towards the communal hall to have lunch.

As she continued on her way, lecturing a student here and there, the only thing she could hear from the students was about Snape, with everyone talking about his changes and some wanting to know how he did it, wanting his secrets.

If Minerva was already in a bad mood, hearing Snape's name throughout her journey certainly didn't help. And she could finally sigh in relief when she arrived at the communal hall, entering and heading to the teachers' table while the tables were filled with students still repeating Snape's name in their gossip.

"Professor Minerva! Good to see you!" Albus greeted her while sitting in his principal's chair.

"Director Dumbledore, professors," she greeted the director and the already present professors, while her colleagues nodded politely.

"What's with that face, you seem to be in a bad mood..." Albus commented.

"I had a problem with a student," she said, sighing, and Albus was quick to guess who it was.