The next time Severus looked up, he wasn't disappointed. Linton had just entered, or rather, he was being dragged in on the end of Miss Lamb's hand. He still looked a little nervous -- even after all the time they'd spent brewing together. Severus tried not to be disheartened that he still seemed afraid of him. Of course, he was painfully aware of how intimidating he could be when he tried (especially with the younger students), but he made a point to be as non-threatening as possible in Linton's presence.
And speaking of being non-threatening, he and Sappho hadn't made their way to a table yet. He imagined Linton wouldn't care for the idea of sitting at the Slytherin table, even mostly deserted as it was. Severus planned to suggest the Ravenclaw table, since it was Miss Lamb's House and rather neutral territory. When the other two were more than a few feet inside the door, Severus raised his hand in greeting, though not an outright wave. That would be a little less than dignified.
"Hello," he said, when they reached where he and Sappho stood. "I was thinking of sitting at the Ravenclaw table today, if that's all right with the two of you?"