The breeze rustled Eleanor's robes ever so slightly as she stared up at Hogwarts. It was so good to be back for her 6th year after two long months away. Subconsciously she rubbed her arms where thin scars crisscrossed underneath newly formed bruises. Noticing what she had been doing, she tugged her sleeves down further and darted after the other students into the castle.

"Elle – over here!" a voice called over the noise of the students.

Eleanor lifted her head and peered around for the source of the voice. A small smile slipped onto her face as she spotted her best friend Leigh waving frantically at her from the doors into the Great Hall. Eleanor hurried over to her, surprised that she hadn't found her on the Hogwarts Express earlier. Leigh quickly explained that she had come four days earlier with her mother who was the Arithmancy teacher Professor Septima Vector.

"Why?" Eleanor prodded as they sat down at the Slytherin house table. "You normally just come on the train."

"Well, they got the new potions teacher, and mom suggested that it would be nice for him to have someone help him get set up. She bribed me with a new broomstick."

"Ooo…who is it?" Eleanor looked up at the staff table in search of the new teacher. After peering around for a moment, she spotted a sallow-skinned young man that she vaguely recognized.

"That's Severus Snape. He was in his seventh year when we were in our first year." A look passed over Leigh's face that Eleanor quickly recognized as one that her friend got when she had good gossip. "Rumor has it that Snape was a fairly faithful Death Eater. No one knows why Dumbledore trusts him."

"So, what is he like?"

Leigh just shrugged. "He was super quiet. I carried some stuff in for him and organized potions ingredients. All he ever said was 'thank you' and 'place that over there.' He's also a bit creepy, but what Slytherin isn't? We're kind of infamous for it."

"Did you like him? Will he be a good teacher?"

"Why so many questions, Elle? Do you want to date the man or something?" Leigh smirked. "He's actually probably your type…all dark and brooding."

Before Eleanor could snap something back, Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and stood up. His snowy white beard cascaded over an elegant royal blue robe, and his piercing blue eyes sparkled behind his half-moon glasses. Eleanor swallowed her comebacks out of respect for the Headmaster.

"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore called out. "Before we dig into the delectable feast provided by our wonderful house elves, I have a couple of quick announcements to make. First off, I want to remind all students that the Forbidden Forrest is off-limits. Secondly, there is an updated list of forbidden objects up by Mr. Filch's office, including a numerous amount of items from Zonko's. And finally, I would like to introduce everyone to our new Potions Master, Professor Severus Snape. He graduated from our own Slytherin house several years ago and has chosen to return as a teacher at my request. He's a fine addition to our staff, and I expect everyone to pay him respect."

The staff table clapped politely for the new teacher and the students soon joined in, most of the applause coming from the Slytherin side of the room.

"Now...tuck in everyone!" Dumbledore took his seat and food instantly appeared.

Eleanor immediately grabbed for the platter of turkey and dug in. As she ate, she talked with Leigh and some of the other Slytherin sixth and seventh years. Everyone chattered on about their summers and family trips; Eleanor just kept quiet and listened to the stories, living vicariously through their tales. Occasionally Leigh would glance at Eleanor with a subtle sympathetic look. Leigh knew that Eleanor had family issues and hated holidays with her family, but Eleanor rarely told Leigh more than that.

Dinner soon changed to dessert, but Eleanor was no longer hungry. She whispered that she was leaving to Leigh and slowly slipped out of the Great Hall. The hallways were completely deserted and silent because virtually every single person was still in the Great Hall; Eleanor quite liked Hogwarts like that. She hugged her cloak around her curvy body as she headed down the steps that would lead her to the Slytherin common room. A problem arose when she came to the blank stretch of wall that would normally let her in; she hadn't bothered to get the password from anyone.

"It's 'cobra' if you were wondering," a deep voice muttered to her left. Eleanor swiveled around to see the new potions master coming towards her from the direction she had just come from.

"Um, thank you…"

"Did you grow tired of the feast as well?" he asked, surreptitiously glancing at her curly red hair.

She nodded. "I'm not overly fond of listening to everyone else's summer stories when mine wasn't exactly spectacular." Red color crept into her cheeks. Why had she just told him that?

"I understand fully. My summers weren't enjoyable when I was in school. They were bearable because of a wonderful friend, but Hogwarts was always my home."

"It's mine too." Eleanor found herself smiling at the black-haired potions master. "Are you glad to be teaching?"

He sneered slightly. "It's a job." Then he shrugged. "I like Potions, but I never saw myself being a teacher. Not to mention I am much more inclined to the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Do you like Potions class?"

"Oh very much," Eleanor enthused. "It's one of my most favorite classes, and that is saying something because I'm a bit of a bookworm."

"Ah, a little bit Ravenclaw, aren't you?"

"My whole family was in Slytherin, including my older sister Rosaline. I adored her and absolutely clung to her when I was younger, so I wanted to be just like her. She's a good ten years older than me." Eleanor cocked her head to one side. "Why am I telling you this?"

He smiled at her. "It's just nice to have someone to listen sometimes. Well, then, I'll let you get into your dorm now. Goodnight; I will see you in class tomorrow."

His dark head disappeared down the corridor. Eleanor silently agreed in her head that it was nice to have someone listen. Perhaps Professor Snape would be as good a teacher as Slughorn…and quite a bit less selective about the students he liked.