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snapeaddict · 2 months ago

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What was Severus like as an adult around other adults?

Cheers :)

- Mostly, he’s very practical and straight to the point, he’s polite but cold, keeps an indifferent, cool façade because he doesn’t want anyone to know of his weaknesses/or because of the fact that he is a spy, and that he has to hide his true nature from almost anyone.

- He’ll be detached with most of them, mostly respectful and polite with Dumbledore.

- When he is with Lucius or Narcissa he’s very polite and calm, some sarcastic comments about other people may slip when he’s with them.

- He likes to mock low ranks Death Eaters and Bellatrix, because he knows he has the upper hand, and he likes to beat around the bush and play semantics with Bellatrix, fooling her and going dangerously close to the truth without her noticing, leaving her without any retort.

- He’ll enjoy the feeling of being in control, of playing cat and mouse with Bellatrix, because he knows his strategy is foolproof, he can see that she has no proof, and he enjoys how powerless she is.- He’s mostly “friendly” with the Head of Houses. He doesn’t mind Madam Pomfrey, he likes how professional and logical she is.

- He has a healthy rivalry with Minerva, and every year they bet how the newly arrived DADA teacher is going to lose the job, they sarcastically mock people like Lockhart, and they’ll generally have nice conversations, as they agree with strict control of the students and with the management of their lessons.

- The moments when he’s mostly awkward are during Christmas and on his birthday. When he was 24, Minerva stopped him on the 9th of January and handed him a present. Severus frowned and took it, and when he eyed the writing on the package, which said “Happy birthday, Severus” he flushed and he stared at her for a good while, astounded and speechless. He then walked away, unable to say anything, and later that evening he opened Minerva’s present, finding a very rare and expensive tome with ancient potion recipes written in runes.

- He avoided Minerva for the next three days, talked about being indebted to her, went to see Albus and grumbled about him having told her when his birthday was. Albus chuckled and presented him with a collection of black teas and various socks. Severus flushed again, stuttering and storming out of the office, carrying his presents and shaking his head, too taken aback to do anything than just walking away.

- He scowled for the next days, hating being indebted to the both of them, and got Albus a very old book about phoenixes, which the Headmaster beamed at, thanking him and telling him that it was the most interesting book he had received in a couple of decades. Severus just shifted uncomfortably, muttering “it was nothing” and “nonsense”, deep down flattered and embarrassed.

- on her birthday, an owl delivered a package with a beautifully transfingured quill, charmed so that it would never run out of ink, and fairly expensive parchment, charmed so that every time she finished writing on it, a new stash of fresh parchment would appear.

- Minerva was impressed and surprised by the gesture, and she smiled softly when she read the envelope. “The potions volume was greatly appreciated. -Severus Snape”

- As she gathered he hadn’t known what to write, being embarrassed, she approached him in the corridor and thanked him, saying that his transfigured quill was a show of amazing talent and precision. He blushed, pursing his lips, and mumbled a thank you, excusing himself.

- Severus is mostly a very collected person, but he still has his awkward moments whenever someone shows kindness. Then he gets very embarrassed and flustered, and he’s very awkward.

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snapeaddict · 2 months ago

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A teacher's trick

For @mmad-lover <3

"I must say, I was quite surprised. The level of precision was that of a third-year; and it was brewed by an average student at best, Miss Ladislaw. Clearly, the discussion we had two weeks ago made a lasting impression. The girl has potential, and it pains me to admit it as I usually have a keen nose for those students with probable skills - I shall keep a close eye on her."

Minerva smirked slightly, although her expression also had something of that motherly fondness one finds in older people's faces as they listen to naive statements from their younger counterparts. That particular smile did not last long, however. She knew Severus would not appreciate what he would qualify as a "patronising attitude" - or what was it that he had said last time? - "ageist condescension". She had not taken it well; then Albus had looked at her with the very same expression, and told her she should know better than to lecture someone who was no longer a student. His amused eyes above the half-moon glasses, the slightly raised eyebrows... yes, Severus might have had a point after all. He was 24 already...

"And what is it that you told Miss Ladislaw two weeks ago?" she asked, her tone as neutral as could be.

The Potions Master slightly shrugged his shoulders.

"Merely that I thought she could achieve a satisfactory grade if she applied herself, and that her needing to work harder than some of her classmates for the same results should not hinder her from trying."

Minerva smiled again, then immediately took a sip from her teacup to hide it, pursing her lips.

"Well, it makes perfect sense." She couldn't help herself.

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You told the girl you believed she could do well. You might as well have given that kind of student a bottle of Felix Felicis - it yields the same results."

"We are talking about a student who successfully brewed a Wiggenweld potion, not a Draught of Living Death."

"You understand my meaning."

Severus sighed, although he bowed his head slightly.

"We cannot go about telling every student such things hoping it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I would not have said it to half of them. If I had, it would not have been more than a white lie. All I can do is make sure they pass - I am no miracle worker."

"Oh, I don't know. It seems to be exactly what those new educative methods are about... you know, from the last board meeting. I thought..." She stared at him, then looked away, lowering her eyes. "I thought I could certainly incorporate some of them into my teaching. Be a bit more mindful. I am rather old-school, I'm afraid."

Severus kept looking at her. Then he simply replied, well after she had averted her gaze:

"We cannot be parents, Professor."

Minerva wondered if his momentary defeated expression had more to do with the immensity of the task at hand - to work at Hogwarts, one had better not gauge the assignment too closely - or with his own mixed feelings towards teaching. She thought it a little paradoxical how unforgiving he was with regard to academics, while he would go out of his way to try and fix things he could never fix, like broken homes and intra-student hierarchy. He was, it had to be said, an unforgiving teacher and a surprisingly supportive Head of House; Albus would certainly provide a satisfactory analysis for such behaviour, although a little too Lacanian to her liking.

She poured him another cup of tea, which he accepted with a slightly embarrassed nod of the head. The friendliness between them was new and ever fragile. In its present state, it was a succession of extended hands quickly taken away when glares of suspicion, or the occasional snide remark, emerged again.

But she was trying, truly. This evening, she had originally planned, was to further their mutually beneficial relationship.

"You should not be so reluctant to make use of that Pygmalion effect, you know, Severus. It did yield great results with you."

He stared at her, looking genuinely surprised.

"With me?" he repeated, the intonation quite unlike him.

"If you recall, you were not very fond of Transfiguration as a boy."

"I shall make no comment on the subject."

His voice was rather cold.

"You need not justify yourself", Minerva replied gently. This time, she held his gaze. "I know you had your reasons, all of them justified."

You did not feel safe, she wanted to add, but she said nothing. As usual, another thought rushed to complete the former - does that justify anything?

She knew he would never claim that it did; although they had never brushed the subject, Albus had made no indication that the boy made any connection at all between the bullying, and his joining You-Know-Who. No, it was her; she made a connection. She saw a pattern, some kind of single path he was made to follow, perhaps a personal failure. It was in her nature to self-scrutinise when and only when she formed a bound - empathy enabled introspection as readily as dislike blinded her to any conclusions she might have previously drawn.

She was startled when he spoke:

"Not all of them, no."

She looked at him confusedly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Not all my reasons for disliking Transfiguration were sound", Severus elaborated, smirking slightly.

She stared at him for a second. It was as if he had guessed...?

"It was too much like muggle magic", he continued, purposely ignoring her expression. "Put a poor rabbit in a black hat; it is transformed into a dove. The coin disappears and reappears. You pull out metres of tissue from the magician's pocket. It seemed to me this was all that this was - magic tricks."

This time, Minerva was fully shaken out of her daze. She looked frankly scandalised.

"Magic tricks!" she repeated, her right hand on her heart. "Tricks!"

Severus seemed to enjoy her half-genuine, half-theatrical display of indignation. He continued, sipping his tea with exaggerated nonchalance:

"I thought it horrendously inelegant. Turning animals into glassware while we brewed potions the colour of the starry sky... While we learnt to bottle things without essence... "

"I beg your pardon, no matter how you put it, it still is soup you are making down there", she cut sharply.

The Slytherin narrowed his eyes. "Now, Professor, you do not want me as your enemy", he said slowly, putting down his cup in the middle of the English porcelain before him.

"Oh, but I do", Minerva replied in a syrupy tone. She put down her own cup with every bit of nonchalance he had just displayed. "Potions are just large soups. That is, boiling water with things you put inside of it."

"Transfiguration is but a distraction for children at a garden birthday party."

"... While their parents bake the birthday cake by throwing ingredients into a big bowl in the right order, which is what you do, if I am not mistaken."

Severus raised his eyebrows, now looking amused and somewhat surprised. He thought of a few bitting comebacks - some that he would not have shied away from using a few years later - but hesitated for a second. This was, after all, still his former professor...

"Well, Severus? I am sure you of all people have a witty reply to offer. You are a man of many talents."

This was enough to stimulate a formidable combination of those replies he was pondering upon - something to do with Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, its first principle, the impossibility of conjuring up food, the birthday cake, screaming children, ethical considerations about vanishing said children, and a muffling draught. He was about to speak; then, Minerva's words reached him fully. "You are a man of many talents."

He closed his mouth, smiled slightly, then nodded, all without a word.

You are a boy of many talents, Severus. Be sure to remember this next class.

"Pygmalion effect", Minerva said, leaning back in her seat. She clasped her fingers, smiling pensively. "You did so well that next Monday. You transformed that match into such a beautiful flower - truly the most remarkable one I had ever seen. I brought it to Pomona, I remember. She said it looked like a Lotus, Bleeding Heart, and Edelweiss had been bred together; it did not exist. It was a pure product of your imagination."

Severus frowned, although more from concentration than annoyance.

"I barely remember".

"You got an O. I cannot tell you how frustrated I was that you only got an E for your O.W.Ls. The only one! Nine 'Outstandings' in all other subjects!"

Severus gave her an ironic look.

"I am sorry to have disappointed".

She rolled her eyes. "Do not put words into my mouth. Look", she added, getting up and circumventing her armchair, "I even took a picture."

She pulled out a drawer from the nearby buffet, then searched through its content for a few seconds, smoothly retrieving a mid-size, cardboard-like paper which she handed to him. Carefully, Severus lowered it down on his knees.

On the top right corner, in green ink, the words "Mr Snape - 1972" were written in the neat, strict handwriting that he had known since his first year, although usually in red. Somewhat clumsily this time - for whatever reason - he turned the paper over. It was, indeed, a picture: that of the flower he vaguely remembered, but now could study plainly, with its long petals and queer tear-shaped extensions right at their extremities. It looked more alien than beautiful, but that was not what his mind was occupied with. Rather, his black eyes scrutinised the background in the picture, clearly that of Minerva's personal desk, which had not changed much since then. His eyes went from the picture to the desk, dimly lit by a few candles at this time of the evening.

"I wish it could have lasted longer", Minerva said softly, still standing by his side. She had followed his gaze. "It is one of the tragedies of transfiguration - nothing lasts forever."

For a few moments, Severus could not speak. Minerva put a hand on the back of his armchair, looking at him expectantly.

With difficulty, he gathered himself, and finally cleared his throat.

"I was merely thinking... thinking that if you were to cast a combination of Epoximise and Orchideous spells, and I to brew an Elixir and Revigorating Draught, all of this put to use at regular intervals - it could potentially keep such a flower intact."

Minerva raised her eyebrows, her interest fully sparked. She turned around, searched through the buffet drawer once more, and placed a match in front of him. Her wand was out.

"Brilliant, Severus. What do you say I perform some tricks, and you bring over some soup, so that I can give you another O?

#love you my friend #some early sweet moments between the two of them #severus snape #pro snape #minerva mcgonagall #snape fandom

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