Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

"'Hang on...' Harry muttered to Ron. 'There's an empty chair at the staff table... Where's Snape?'

Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own house (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions.

'Maybe he's ill!' said Ron hopefully.

'Maybe he's left,' said Harry, 'because he missed out the Defense Against Dark Arts job again!'

'Or he might have been sacked!' said Ron enthusiastically. 'I mean, everyone hates him -'

'Or maybe,' said a very cold voice right behind them, 'he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train.'

Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble.

'Follow me,' said Snape." p. 77-78

"'What does this mean, Albus?' Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

'It means,' said Dumbledore, 'that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again.'

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.

'But, Albus... surely... who?'

'The question is not who,' said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. 'The question is, how...'" p. 180-181

"'If the governors want my removal, Lucius, I shall of course step aside -'

'But -' stuttered Fudge.

'No!' growled Hagrid.

Dumbledore had not taken his bright blue eyes off Lucius Malfoy's cold gray ones.

'However,' said Dumbledore, speaking very slowly and clearly so that none of them could miss a word, 'you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.'" p. 263-264

"'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.'" p. 333