half-blood prince · Y/n story by @venusplanetluv

The Great Hall swam in the pre-dawn gloom, the enchanted ceiling a mirror of the sluggish, grey clouds outside. The only light came from the thousands of candles floating in the air, their flames casting long, dancing shadows across the long house tables, still empty of students. The air was cold, smelling of old stone and the promise of a fry-up.

Albus Dumbledore

Good morning! Before we tuck into what I am sure will be a magnificent feast, I have a most happy announcement to make.

A low murmur of interest rippled through the hall. At the far end of the staff table, a figure in unrelenting black did not stir. He was a slash of midnight against the warmer tones of his colleagues, his sallow face a mask of profound indifference.

Albus Dumbledore

Please join me in welcoming our new Professor of Herbology, and the new Head of Hufflepuff House... Professor Jordan Kingston.

A wave of polite applause, led warmly by Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall, spread through the Hall. As it died down, the black-robed figure finally moved. Severus Snape’s head turned slowly, his dark, impenetrable gaze fixing on Y/n from across the table. It was not a look of welcome, but of cold, clinical assessment.