Spiteful Beginnings // Severus Snape x OC

35 - Inconspicuous

"Good morning."

Kalina was walking along the corridors, just having come back from her first lesson of teaching the Fourth Year students (Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff) in one of the Greenhouses when a tall figure had stopped her whilst she was walking to the break room.

She froze momentarily, not expecting Igor Karkaroff to stop her in particular but she did, holding her large Herbology books to her chest. "Oh, good morning Headmaster. I hope you are settling in alright?" Kalina asked politely.

She hadn't spoken to Igor before, specially after he gave her a dubious look on September 1st when she had arrived. Kalina wasn't sure how to act around him, if she should be careful with what she says, how she acts and how she should speak for example. Igor and The Durmstrang Institute, if she correctly remembers, were from the North which was not a shock to her when she saw a number of the students wrapped up in large red woollen coats. The weather was slightly chilly where Hogwarts was but the coats were not necessarily needed.

"I am. Mind if I walk with you? If you don't have a lesson to teach that is." Igor had asked, holding out his arm gentleman like.

Kalina felt a sudden warmth rise to her cheeks at his off but obliged, looping her arm through his. "I was just heading to the Break Room. I don't have another lesson for a few hours." Kalina stated even though Igor didn't ask.

Igor could sense that she was slightly tense when they were walking together and looked down at her to say, "You don't need to be nervous around me, I'm a nice guy really."

Kalina scrunched her nose up at this, feeling slightly embarrassed that she seemed to be nervous around him, which was not unusual for her with anyone, but then again, she wasn't used to his company.

"Apologies, Headmaster."

"Please, if we are not in the presence of a student, Igor suits me best." He told her, his accent thick and heavy. Kalina glanced up at him, seeing that not once did a smile break way onto his mysterious and pale face but she didn't feel up to smiling either. It was her first day back officially teaching and she forgot how awful Stinksaps were in Mimbulus Mimbletonia plants and someone had managed to set three off in class.

"It's Oakblood? Isn't it?" Igor had asked suddenly after a few minutes.

"It is. I prefer Kalina though when not around students." She said in a friendly manner, pretty much copying what he had said to her which was not enough to make him smile but he managed to scoff a small chuckle with his mouth closed.

"Do tell me, Kalina, what is it you think of Alastor Moody?"

"I'm afraid I don't know much about him, Igor. We only met last night and didn't get to speak so much when the Feast had ended. Why you ask?" Kalina asked casually but was deeply interested in wanting to know more about Igor thinks of him. Kalina didn't seem to miss the look Igor had gave her, and she certainly didn't miss the long kind of glare that he had given Alastor that evening.

"Just a question is all, now, if you'll excuse me." Igor broke his link from her arm and took a hold of her hand, kissed the back of it gently before turning on his heel. As she watched him leave, her eyes landed on a large burly looking boy, no older than eighteen with a shaved head practically marching down one of the corridors, Igor hot on his tail.

Kalina stood still, slightly puzzled at the strange and very brief encounter she had with the Headmaster but said nothing of it to anyone once she stepped through the portrait hole after ushering the password to a large Shire horse and a huntsman who sat on top of it.

There were a few members of staff scattered around, clearly having no lessons but they seemed busy in their own cups of herbal tea, one that Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy Professor, was swirling the spoon around the teacup, making some dinging noises but her head was stuck in charts than to notice her ongoing noise.