Professor Black: A Reader Insert

7. Educational Interests

The great hall was warm and quiet, but not the eerie variety of quiet it was more so that quiet that came with anticipation, it was softly filled with the murmured discussions of the staff. (y/n) sat between Hagrid's empty seat and Pamona watching the doors like a hawk.

"Dear, you're vibrating." Pomona chuckled.

"I'm not the only one." (y/n) was filled with nervous energy, a good bit of it wasn't hers. 

The returning students filtered in and to their seats, their eyes grazing over the staff table already beginning to catch up with their housemates. Some of them looked scared when their eyes fell on (y/n), turning to speak with their friends who looked at her too and shook their heads sending their anxious friends a look that made them quit their stammering. Those were the ones that probably thought Rita Skeeter was the infallible truth seeker she doesn't even try to be.

"No one fell in the lake this year. I've go' a good feeling abou' this lot." Hagrid huffed as he sunk into his seat. "Then again 'arry's one of 'em so there's bound to be a fair bi' of bias." 

"How was his situation with his aunt?" 

"Righ' dreadful people tha' lo'."

"I see. He's probably touch starved based on that and malnourished from the hunger pains I've felt from him through the years," She mumbled worrying at her bottom lip in thought.

"Minerva's bringing them in any moment now dear, you're a staff member now so you should act like one. Besides you're making Severus blush." Pamona nudged (y/n) with a smirk.

"I doubt that Pamona, Rus is good at keeping his thoughts under wraps." (y/n) waved off the older woman.

"I've seen him crack a fair few smiles with you." Pamona carried on. "He's at ease when you're around."

"Professor Sprout the first years are coming." Poppy hummed feigning disinterest in the topic at hand a beat before the doors opened and the group of students led by Minerva McGonagall entered the Great Hall.

 (y/n) watched the wonder bloom on Harry's face as he took in the scene around him. She leaned towards Hagrid and quietly got confirmation that the boy that looked so much like James Potter was indeed Harry and not an anomalous occurrence in another family's gene pool. Her eyes drifted to the Weasley she vaguely remembered was too young to remember her before sliding across Draco only to be put off by the smug look on his face and moving her gaze to the other first years.  A girl was looking at her with a conflict hiding behind her gaze. She of course had stopped when they reached the front of the hall and stood facing the returning students waiting for the Sorting. Only for the hat to start its song as per the course. (y/n) wondered for a fraction of a moment if it would rap this year only to be disappointed.

(y/n) could taste the anticipation rolling off of the students of all years as the applause simmered down. Things were a blur for her as she watched the Sorting play out applauding appropriately for the ones sorted into Hufflepuff and a little more than the polite applause she used for the other houses when a Slytherin was sorted. Dumbledore gave his opening remarks and food appeared. Hagrid piled food onto her plate as she was 'a wolf the size of a house and needed the food' as he put it before piling food on his plate and drawing gulp after gulp from his goblet.

(y/n) probably managed about a fifth of the mountain of food Hagrid gave her before a sharp phantom pain on her forehead had her eyes darting to Harry who was sending a complicated look to Severus who was probably either zoning out of his conversation with Quirrel or doing that thing he does when people stare at him and stares right back. The pain was likely caused by Quirrel's turban. She wasn't hungry enough to overpower the compulsion to guard against the enemy so she sat back in her seat and calmly sipped her wine as she observed the large room. Mostly Quirrel but Something in her told her not to just watch him so she didn't.