Chapter Text
Insistent knocking on the door connecting his quarters to the Slytherin common room and dormitories woke Severus from a deep sleep.
Cursing under his breath – it was not often that he got to actually sleep well – he swung his legs over the side of his bed. Still half asleep he shoved his feet into his slippers, picked up his dressing gown and looked at the clock right next to his door.
It was much to early.
Quickening his steps he finally reached the door, opening it, just to see one of his prefects standing there.
“Professor, I’m sorry to wake you. But there is a problem in the first year’s girls dorm that I can’t solve myself.”
“It better be, Miss Farley.” He threw her a withering look. He would not encourage the prefects to search him out for every little thing. This probably was a case of homesickness. Not unusual for first years. Unfortunately.
They walked down the corridor right through the warded door into the common room. From there they turned into the passage to the girls dorms, Severus already working on getting into the mindset that would allow him not to snap at the students.
Even before they opened the door they could hear the yelling.
“Give it back!”
“No!”
“You stole him!”
Raising a brow Severus turned to Miss Faley. “Can you give me some information before I step in there?”
“All I can really say is that there is a trunk turned over, the content strewn all over the floor, and the girls are yelling at each other.” She shrugged.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a few deep breaths.
He opened the door, taking it all in.
One trunk had indeed been toppled, strewing books, robes, parchment all over the floor and at least one bottle of ink all over, soaking into everything.
“What is going on here?” He had to raise his voice more than he usually would, letting his gaze roam over the girls.
“Miss Greengrass, Miss Davis, maybe you can explain why Miss Parkinson and Miss Bulstrode are engaged in what looks like a fistfight.”
Miss Parkinson was holding a stuffed toy – was that a turtle? – away from Miss Bulstrode, who had cried by the looks of her.
“Pansy took Flippy from Milicent’s bed, making fun of her.” Miss Greengrass answered from where she was sitting on her own bed.
“And she didn’t want to give it back.” Miss Davis added, while continuing to put her books into the shelves next to her bed.
Severus concentrated on the two girls who looked sheepish where they still where half entangled from where they had stopped their tussle.
“And why, pray tell, did you feel you had the right to take Flippy,” Severus restrained himself from rolling his eyes at that name, “from Miss Bulstrode, Miss Parkinson?”
“We are too old to need cuddly toys.” The false bravado Miss Parkinson was showing, a wobbling lower lip giving her away, made it all to clear to Severus what was happening here.
“One is never too old to search for comfort where one may find it. Give Flippy back, and then clean up the mess. It is way past your bedtime.” And it was. He had no idea why in magic’s name they were still up. But he also was not inclined to care about it this night.
It was the first night they were at Hogwarts after all.
“If I hear anymore from this dorm tonight you all will spend your first weekend here in detention.”
He turned, closing the door behind himself. Wondering once more why he had agreed to be Head of House on top of teaching, Severus made his way back to his quarters and his bed.
Hopefully sleep would find him again.