#my severus snape statement

[maxdibert]

Pretty messed up how some people are fans of a creepy and obsessive guy who didn’t care if a man and a child died just so he could get the girl.

Alright, let's break this down, anon, because there's a lot to unpack here.

I think I've mentioned this in several posts already, but I'll repeat it: Severus owed James Potter NOTHING—no compassion, no empathy, no mercy. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. James Potter was a rich, popular brat who abused his social and economic capital to torment a poor, unsupported boy for seven years just because he didn't like him from the moment they met on the train to Hogwarts, and from that moment on, he had it in for him. He was a terrible bully who used his friends to join in on that nasty bullying. So if Snape didn’t care that he died, well, Snape had every right to feel that way. Do you go to victims of domestic violence and tell them they should feel sorry for their abusers? No, right? Well, this is the same thing. James was an abuser, Severus was his victim. Severus did more than enough by not telling Voldemort to torture him to death with Cruciatus, because I would have. Honestly, I don't understand why Snaters always bring up the whole "James was dead and Snape walked over his body" as if it were some horrible thing when, hello! You're talking about an ABUSER being dead, mate. Of course, he walked right over his body—what surprises me is that he didn’t throw a party.

Harry had to die. I know this sounds terrible, but it’s basically what the prophecy indicated. He was a target that Voldemort wasn’t going to let slip away, his fate was sealed. And yes, it’s unethical. And yes, it’s immoral. But the truth is that wars are unethical and highly immoral, and horrible, monstrous decisions are often made. Harry was not an option—asking for mercy for him was pointless because there wasn’t going to be any.

I don’t think Severus ever believed that if James was out of the picture, Lily would go to him or anything like that. I mean, they hadn’t spoken for five years—about six by that time. Severus NEVER harassed or stalked Lily. The only time he went after her was when the whole SWM incident happened, and he tried to apologise. Once she made it clear she didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, Severus respected her decision, and as far as we know from canon, they never interacted again. So, I don’t think, after six years of not talking, with his supposed former best friend having married and had a child with his personal bully, Severus had many expectations of them ending up in any sort of romantic relationship. I think, quite simply, that Lily always represented the only good part of his childhood—the only happy memories, the only moments of peace amidst the hellish violence he endured at home. I believe this was crucial for someone like him, whose childhood and teenage years were marked by violence, and he wasn’t willing to let the one good thing in his life end up murdered.

I agree that Severus is highly obsessive, but haters tend to frame this in a derogatory way, referring to his "obsession" with Lily, and I think it needs some clarification. Yes, Severus is obsessive, and he’s terribly immature at times, and he overreacts enormously when confronted with something that really triggers him (just look at how quickly he loses his temper with Sirius, for instance). This is obviously because he’s someone who never had the opportunity to grow up normally or develop cognitively as he should have, because his whole life was marked by violence. His home life was violent, and at school, he endured violence, and then at 20 years old, he handed his soul over to Dumbledore’s cause and had to work for nearly two decades at a school that was the epicentre of many of his traumas. He literally had neither the spaces nor the environments needed to heal and grow into a functional adult, and you can clearly see this in his behaviour. I’ve always said Severus is more of a diva than the cold, mysterious character people often make him out to be in fanon. To me, he’s someone who, on a personal level, hasn’t been able to grow emotionally in a healthy way and doesn’t know how to manage certain situations, especially those tied to his emotional issues. That said, I also don’t think he was romantically and/or sexually obsessed with Lily. I do think he loved her or was infatuated with her in his youth—first love, crush, whatever. But I don’t believe his need to avenge her death was due to romantic or obsessive love. I think it’s more about his obsession with repaying his debt to her. Severus always felt partially responsible for Lily’s death, and that’s where his obsession lies: it’s not that he’s obsessed with her, per se, but with the fact that he feels guilty for what happened. He feels, in some way, responsible for the death of the one person who showed him kindness, affection, and care during his childhood, which made her the most important person in his life at one point. And guilt often leads to obsession, much like grief that is not properly processed, and I don’t think that kind of obsession is creepy. I think it’s a very human kind of obsession.

Lastly, I don’t find Severus creepy at all. Why is he creepy? I mean, Harry was running around with his invisibility cloak, spying on everyone. The Marauders had A BLOODY MAP that allowed them to track everyone at Hogwarts 24/7 like some kind of magical GPS. Is Severus really the creepy one here? There are literally Animagi who turn into animals to spy on people—I have to laugh at the whole creepy argument.

That being said, if you’re going to come into my DMs to complain about Severus, at least bring some convincing arguments because it’s a bit tiresome hearing the same nonsense over and over again.

[keepmycandleburning]

I've thought a lot about Voldemort's speaking style in order to write dialogue for him. First of all, he typically speaks formally without using contractions. You can see this in the majority of his dialogue. But sometimes when he's teasing someone or joking (the next few examples too), he does use contractions:

Or when he's copying someone:

At the DE meeting in DH ch 1, Voldemort only uses one contraction the entire time, when he's saying this to Bellatrix:

In the graveyard, he seems to be putting on quite the dramatic performance. He has a speaking quirk where he repeatedly asks (mostly rhetorical) questions in a certain style, with a structure of 'is it not?' 'did you not?' 'will you not?' Typically with a name right after: did you not, Wormtail? He's doing this over and over and over in the graveyard scene:

It's so recognizable and so characteristic that I love to make my Voldemort speak this way. It's so him. And it's a fascinating thing because of how affirmation-seeking it is. He doesn't just make his statements, he has to actively draw the other person into it with this provocative questioning where he's almost daring them to disagree with him. Interestingly, in the rest of the series I think he only uses this structure once, to Bellatrix in ch 1 of DH.

Voldemort uses people's names very frequently when he's addressing them. This mirrors how the majority of the Death Eaters use a formal title for Voldemort every single time (or very close) they speak to him. See how frequently he uses Lucius's name here:

The only thing Voldemort ever (in the canon era obv) calls Peter Pettigrew is Wormtail. Voldemort calls most DEs by their last names: Yaxley, Avery, Rookwood, Rowle, Dolohov, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott; and some by their first names: Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Severus. He is also on consistent first name terms (I mean... not reciprocally) with Bellatrix (and even nickname terms with 'Bella,' something she's only otherwise called by her sister, her brother in law, and her family house-elf), which notably remains consistent even in Voldemort's internal monologue that calls Lucius 'Lucius Malfoy' when the cup is stolen and just 'Malfoy' in the Shrieking Shack—and also note how in the Shrieking Shack Voldemort calls Snape 'Snape' when speaking to Lucius, and that later in the Shack Voldemort's internal monologue calls him 'Snape' even when out loud he's saying Severus. I'm not sure to what degree this is just the writing style of the books but to me it's notable because these sections are from Voldemort's POV.

On the note of names, Voldemort speaks of himself in third person as 'Lord Voldemort,' typically as a fear/power tactic, and also as 'he':

He frequently warns people not to lie to him (and calls them out for lying, like Wormtail in GoF 1 and Lucius in DH 1):

Voldemort tells a lot of jokes, most often at the expense of other people and for his own entertainment or the entertainment of his Death Eaters. He has a teasing, clever sense of humor:

I would have to make a whole post to show all the moments of Voldemort being funny as hell. Maybe I will...

Voldemort is often described as speaking quietly and softly (and the verbs whisper and breathe are used), so much so that multiple times his voice is barely audible (but also see the above quote where his voice remains audible even though it's quiet):

In GoF, he speaks lazily (he's also described as moving lazily, and looking relaxed in the Slughorn memory, and as 'gliding' when he walks). In DH, he screams multiple times to express negative emotions, typically fear. His voice is described as a hiss, and as 'sibilant.' And of course, high and cold and clear. He spoke differently when he was young, and super differently at the orphanage, but that's a whole new post.

Voldemort has distinctive mannerisms. He tilts his head a little to one side:

He holds wands delicately:

He paces, in the graveyard and in the Shrieking Shack. He's often in dim lighting (can his slit pupils see in the dark, like a cat?), and is drawn to be near fire (for warmth?): in the Riddle House, at the Death Eater meeting, in the Forbidden Forest. He laughs and smiles, again often at other people's expense. He's in general a very expressive person, which you can see in his face (so many examples. In his meeting with Dippet he even looks nervous and his face reddens) and eyes (wide with astonishment in the graveyard; pupils contract to thin slits when he's shocked) and nostrils (dilating with excitement lol). And he has this one weird facial expression he does when he's really happy:

When Voldemort was a child, he was tall, thin, and pale with jet-black hair and dark eyes, and looked a lot like his father. He was described as very handsome consistently.

In the scene with Hepzibah Smith (late 1940s or 50s), his hair is a little longer than it was at Hogwarts, and his cheeks are hollowed, but he looks even more handsome. He's pale in a way that makes Hepzibah think he's overworked. And his eyes become red when he's feeling a strong emotion.

In the interview scene with Dumbledore (around 1968), his appearance is drastically different:

Notably here, it's not just his irises that are red, it's his entire eyes.

As Dumbledore says in HBP (unless he's wrong/lying...), Voldemort's appearance is changing because of his repeated Horcrux creation. After this interview, he has around 13 years for his appearance to continue changing; note that at no point of the First War was Voldemort handsome (directly stated in above quote).

I'm running out of image space LOL, but it's really important that in the graveyard, Voldemort directly states that he got his 'old body back':

The potion that revived him gave him his old body. The way he looks in the graveyard is how he looked on Halloween 1981. This is also supported by Voldemort looking this same way in book 1 when possessing Quirrell, by the DEs immediately recognizing him, and by the Ministry workers immediately recognizing him in OotP. Also in the Halloween 1981 flashback, Voldemort's face scares a child, and he's described as having a 'white hand.' His skin is described as 'white' post-resurrection, but only as 'pale' at the DADA interview & earlier, which again implies that by 1981 he looked the way he did in the 90s. Also, at the interview his voice is already 'higher and colder,' which means his voice was a gradual change too.

And the way he looks is:

(Notice how it's the exact same face Harry recognizes.)

In GoF, OotP, and DH, Voldemort is described as:

-tall

-skeletally thin, with a gaunt face (very likely not muscular)

-white skin

-scarlet eyes with vertical slit pupils like a cat (also described as wide, red, bright red, livid, blank, pitiless, gleaming) (remember the whites of his eyes became red too)

-a flat nose with slits for nostrils like a snake

-lipless mouth

-masklike face

-snakelike in appearance, likened to a skull; flattened, serpentine face

-large hands with noticeably, unnaturally long fingers (compared to spiders)

-His eyes gleam in the darkness (GoF) and he's so pale he seems to glow (DH 1 'so pale that he seemed to emit a pearly glow,' DH 32 'the pallor of him gleaming slightly in the semidarkness').

-He wears black (hooded) robes and black cloaks.

-He is described only once as 'hairless,' and not until DH 1: 'his face shone through the gloom, hairless, snakelike, with slits for nostrils and gleaming red eyes whose pupils were vertical.' Voldemort is never described as 'bald,' despite the fact that a number of characters are called bald and balding throughout the books (none of which are ever also described as 'hairless'), and notably it's Voldemort's 'face' specifically that's described as hairless, which is odd. He's specifically described as black-hooded in OotP at the Ministry, so I can only assume he's dressed similarly in the graveyard and that's why. IDK why his head situation isn't described at the DADA interview. If you saw one of my author's notes on Keep My Candle Burning, you will know that when I was a child I guess I was either imagining him in the earlier books before I read to DH (or saw the films), or I missed the single word 'hairless' description that's only given once, and I was imagining Voldemort having black hair as he was described in his youth. There's something strange about this and I almost don't know what to make of it. If he's bald, why doesn't it say so clearly, and earlier, and more than once (like how his eyes are described probably a dozen or more times, and his long fingers, and his white skin)? I kind of wonder if this was decided after, like because of the films or something? Lol anyways... enough heresy...

-He's never described as having long fingernails, fangs (LOL), a forked snake tongue (LOL), any unnatural skin things like scales (LOL), or as not wearing shoes. (Other than in the graveyard where he doesn't appear to put shoes on, or underwear...) But you can write him however pleases you

[romaevelizz]

Hair

Severus Snape x Blk!Wifereader.

sum: just some dad snape fluff!

warnings: none! Reader is mentioned to be A hufflepuff, and is Earthology teacher(it’s my own little thing), and reader is pregnant! not proofread!

It was almost 10 after 9, second periods were just about to get to an end as Severus was walking around the halls with his four year old daughter. Severus was set with the task of getting his youngest ready for the day for her mama had and early class with the 4th years. Sa’diyas hand in her fathers as she wore a happy grin and skiped next to her gloomy father, “How come I have to go to Mommy now?” she asked.

“Because i have a Class of my own with first years i’m sure your mother will enjoy your company..” he spoke.

Her dark eyes looked up to him, “Do you think she’ll like my hair?”

Severus looks down at his daughters hair that felt like took ages. To be honest he was just starting to get confident doing his girls hair, but for the first time he smiles a little looking at the two parted braids going down the back of her head into two small puffs, two green bows decorating them. “perhaps.. I think she will.” he said picking her up quickly.

The pair soon entered her class room, the sunlight peeking thought the green house like top, His eyes found his wife her long braids curly strands decorating them, her hair was put back out of her face a few hanging infringe of her shoulders. Her yellow satin robes enbroided with vine and flower like designs glistening in the early morning sun. Soon her attention made its way twords the door where her students gazes fell, The earthology teacher turning on her heels her hands places under her swollen belly.

“Ah professor Snape! Seems you’ve brought me a visitor.” she Smiled up at her husband.

“Well Mrs. Maverick, I have a class of first years next period and i can’t have your daughter running wild.” he spoke putting Sa’diya down. The little girl grinning wide, she watched as her mothers eyes shifted to hers.

“You can tell daddy got your ready today hm..” she giggled holding out her arms the toddler leaving her father side going to her mother.

Severus raised a brow at the statement, to be fair he did but it was obvious when his daughter was head to toe in his house colors. The little girl wearing a white blouse with a Green sweater over it, a gray skirt black tights underneath, cute white socks and black mary jane’s with bows on the clips. Not to mention the two dark green bows that were placed on top of her pigtails.

“He did and he did my hair!” ‘Diya said her small voice excited as she was held by her mother, her little hands gently touching her head.

Snape watched his wife grin widely “He did, did he. And he did such a good job.” She spoke kissing her daughter’s face.

The professors had basically forgotten about the class of 4th years around them. Everyone knew they were married well especially after she had a small difficulty with her pregnancy during class and she asked for him, to be honest the two were never secret with it but that one little moment where ache called for him as she held her stomach just proved a point.

“You did great Sev..” she hummed.

“there’s no need for you to hold her she can stand.” Severus spoke urging his pregnant wife to put down their 4 year old.

“She is just fine I’ll hold my baby if i feel like it!” she huffed popping her hip out sifting the toddler away from her father.

Severus only gave her a look, “Don’t over do it.”

“Don’t worry Dad she’ll be fine.” the voice of his oldest shifted his gaze.

Zhuri her normally serious face giving him a reassuring smile. If there was one thing Severus was always grateful for with his girls if that they got their beauty and reassurance from their mother. “How come you never did my hair that well when i was a babe?” she spoke making a snarky comment at her dad.

“I didn’t have the skill at the time..” he muttered towards the Slytherin. She only hummed, her words mouthing to her younger sister ‘I’m still the Favorite’

Only for Sa’diya to stick her tongue out at her older sister. “Enough,”

Snape soon realized the classes attention was on them “Back to it!” he spoke quickly the students all shifting in their seats.

Professor Maverick only shook her head as she put her daughter down. The younge girl putting her hands on her hips sassily “Hey! you be nice to them! we’re causing a ruckus not them.” She said.

Severus raised a brow at his daughters attitude his gaze meeting his wife’s who let out a small giggle. “You Need to apologize.” Diya huffed crossing her arms her lips pouted.

“You heard her.” Zhuri said a small grin on her face knowing he was getting bosses around by a toddler.

“She is your daughter.” Snape said glaring at his wife who had her arms crossed aswell.

“you only say that when she has an attitude as if you don’t either.” she scoffed with a laugh.

Severus rolled his eyes looking down at his daughter “I won’t do such a thing the need to mind their own.”

With a poor attempt to roll her eyes Sa’diya damanded her father apologize for yelling at the class. Soon enough to save himself from the embarrassment of his sassy child he did. Earning a nod from her of approval.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be soon professor?” Y/n asked walking up to him tucking a piece of hair behind his ear her hand holding his face for a moment.

“As a matter of a fact I do, Unfortunatly.” he hummed.

she smiled at him holding the little girl close to him, he held her face giving her a kiss on the forehead “Bye bye Daddy see you at dinner!” she waved.

The students never saw this side of him but to be honest it was wierd. Snape never seemed like the family type but to know He’s a father of Two girls soon to be Three it suited him. A household of bossy women. He couldn’t ever ask for anything more, those were his girls.

[madamestephanie]

🌺I honestly think Sirius Black's 12 years in Azkaban was karmic retribution for bullying Severus.

Okay, hear me out, this thought was doing circles in my mind, because the layout is just too perfect. (this is still just my personal opinion, so don't kill me pls)

There are no accidents and The outcome will always match the input are applicable here. Let me explain.

These are laws of the universe, many religions believe in these statements, and if we truly examine our lives, we surely can find one or two scenarios where these pieces of wisdom appear.

As we all know, we ourselves create our own future with our actions and the way we make people feel, (keep this in mind, this is important for later), and for those believing in reincarnation, actions can result in certain punishments that reach us even in our next life. (In Sirius' case, the punishment is not from his past life, but I digress.)

Punishment is not even a good word. Energy matching is a better expression. Vibe, if you will. The whole universe is one constant oscillation. Feelings have vibration, this is why people can read and be affected by other's vibe.

Anyways, point is, if you behave badly, bully others, and make people feel anger, hate, resentment towards you, those low vibes will return to you in one way or another, and that's what we call KARMA. (it's true the other way around as well, do positive things, and you shall receive good back) Do you see where this is going?

To be honest, all of the marauders got their "punishment" for their deeds, and according to the level of participation in said bullying withal!

Lupin, he wasn't too involved in the torment of Snape, plus, he had his own issue to battle (being a damn werewolf) so life kept him in a kind-of-normal place, a middle spot. Still, Severus set the score when he revealed Lupin's secret in POA, so there, punished accordingly.

Peter, I like to imagine him as the parrot on James and Sirius' shoulder, like the backup hype man for the rappers. He stayed in James and Sirius' shadow out of cowardice, but still took part in the bullying more so than Lupin, so he was forced to stay in his rat form for 12 years out of fear. I imagine it's not quite pleasant to be a rat for that long... plus he became Sev's "servant" for a short while, courtesy of Voldemort himself! So, checkmate on Snape's part. Punished accordingly.

Sirius. Need I say more? Years of harassing others gets you years of torment for yourself as well, my friend. He was innocent in the case of not killing people, but he wasn't innocent in the eyes of the universe. Every time he spit out Snivellus through his teeth, every time he thought he should pick on Snape just for fun, all of that was poured right back onto him in Azkaban. He felt the same fear as Snape, the same irritation as Snape, the same humiliation as Snape. He asked himself when will this end? every day, just like Snape did. What goes around, comes around, dude. Punished accordingly.

James. I don't even have to expand his case. 😂 Instant death, as soon as he was out of school. XD And again, from the universe's perspective, it happened indirectly by the hand of Snape, because he was the one who told the prophecy to Voldemort and the rest is history.

There are no accidents.

And as a last fun fact: They died in the exact order of their crime's severity. I close my case.

Thank you for coming to my mental TED talk. ❤

[bibbityboppitybillyharvgrove]

Frustration

Summary - Severus couldn't seem to understand why so many girls were failing and getting detention with him until Minerva told him the reason.

Warnings - Use of Y/N, long haired Snape,

Author's Note - #4 out of the way! It's a short one but I love it! I think it turned out soo good!

Based off an idea by @acupnoodle

Expect delays in my posting! My semester has started and I am taking 4 classes! Please be patient with me!

My requests are open!

my masterlist

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

Enjoy!

Snape hadn’t been expecting to be such a popular professor, nor did he think that his students would misbehave as much as they did. It was only the first month of him being a professor at Hogwarts and he had given out so many detentions he lost count. The girls in particular never seemed to pay attention.

“Minerva, why is it that when the students are in your lessons they pay attention but don’t in mine?” He asked the older professor during dinner one night.

“Because they have a crush on you,” She stated very matter-of-factly. Severus spit out his wine at her statement. 

“Do they not know I’m engaged?”

“I don’t think so, I think it’s the hair.”

“The hair?”

“Long hair is attractive to young girls, maybe that’s why Y/N is with you,” She joked.

“Oh shut up,” Severus chuckled, “She does really like my hair.”

“How is she? She hasn’t been around this week?”

“Busy, her schooling is making her extra tired. Neither of thought that becoming a healer would be so tiring for her but she’s passionate about it so I’m going to support her however she needs.”

“Sorry to interrupt, Professor Snape, I’ve been having a hard time with the sleeping draught, is it possible for you to help me tomorrow?” A 7th year asked.

“I’ve seen you make a sleeping draught better than me, you don’t need help. Is it my hair to you girls? I’m confused,” Severus questioned the girl.

She visibly blushed before rushing away.

“You embarrassed the girl!” Minerva laughed.

“I can’t help it! It’s getting annoying. I’m in a very happy relationship! I am getting married in a week! Get it through your mind already!” He practically shouted, the students all looking at him, “Do you all understand now?”

All of the girls that were purposefully getting into trouble and flunking his class all nodded. 

“Good.”

[ashdreams2023]

Hello! It's me again :)). Whenever you're free, could please do a Lucius x younger sister!reader? Where The two of them really has a special bond that makes Lucius very protective over her. What happens when Lucius caught his sister kissing Sev? Sev and reader have been secretly dating for months now.

Hi! Of course I’ll try my best

Severus snape x reader

Lucius malfoy & sister reader

Losing game

"Malfoy come on! Your sister is an absolute ba-" the ravenclaw boy swallowed back his words when the end of Lucius’s wand pressed into his throat.

"Dare complete that statement and feel the pain of a million electric shocks you’ll wish you were never born"

"Bloody hell mate what are you doing?!" The ravenclaw’s friend dragged him away and almost stumbled while doing so. Lucius had it up to the top of his head, why can’t these boys understand that none of them is worth the time of day of his sister.

You’re a malfoy for Merlin’s sake, isn’t that enough to make it clear that you’re a lady with class who wouldn’t put up with their pathetic tries to smooth talk you.

"Lucius I understand that you’re protective of her but don’t you think it would be better to give her the decision instead of scaring off every guy who’s shows the slightest interest in her?"

"Cissa she’s my only sister and I know how boys her age are, they are only after one thing and I don’t want her to get hurt….I have to make sure she’s safe and happy you know that, right?" Narcissa sighed, she understood, from the very beginning he made it clear how important you are to him, how he will kill anyone who just looks at you in a weird way.

You and lucius were very close, he was your shield that protected you from day one, from his father that wanted tried promising you to an awful pureblood that only cared about heirs.

"Ok but at least talk with her, she’s your sister and she’s not a baby anymore, I’m sure she at least like one person" Narcissa hoped she wouldn’t regret this, you made her promise not to tell but it was serious getting stupid.

"Fine, I’ll go talk to her now"

"Great!"

Let’s go severus can defend himself…

It took lucius using a tracking spell to locate you and when he finally found you his words stopped in his throat, what were you doing?!

Sitting there all cozy with severus, the genius potions boy, actually not just potions but that has nothing to do with his point, the point was that you were going behind his back and seeing severus because friends don’t just kiss each other or blush at closeness.

Why would you do something like this?! Were you not afraid of father’s furry and the punishment he might bestow upon you? Severus was a half blood, Merlin lucius is gonna have a heart attack.

He stomped his way towards you two and prepared his wand in hand, he wasn’t thinking at all but there was something that registered from the whole ordeal before doing something stupid….you looked happy.

Genuinely happy, the type of happy you experienced when you’re far away from home doing whatever you wanted, the type of happy he liked to see you feel.

Severus made you happy, he made you laugh and smile, he was blushing clearly but entirely enchanted by you.

Lucius knows a love struck puppy when he sees one, but still why? Why did you hide this from him? Maybe Narcissa was right…

"Lucius!" You finally seemed to notice your brother standing a few feet away, severus snapped his neck to look back and stood up immediately.

"Lucius I—"

"How long?" Said lucius, his knuckles turning more red on his albino skin "how long have you been hiding this from me?!" His voice dangerously over the volume he uses in school.

Severus swallowed then looked down at you, you looked defeated.

"A few months….I wanted to tell you but I knew you wouldn’t approve of it! You never let anyone approach me and severus is the nicest guy I could end up with!" You screamed at him divested, he always did this, you love your brother but sometimes he couldn’t get it through his skull that you’re grown and able to make your own decisions.

Lucius glared at severus, a headache was threatening to happen, he took a deep breath and collected himself before speaking again.

"Yes I would disapprove of this but not for the reasons you think, I would disapprove of this because I had no knowledge of it beforehand and because I know this is a dangerous step you’ve taken, I trust severus is a decent guy but that doesn’t mean you can go around sneaking with him behind my back."

His words hurt, they hurt like knives through your chest and you hated him for it, you hated how he was still right, how if your father knew you’ll be domed or disowned, you hated how he was still looking out for you.

"I choice this and I don’t want to step back brother" the simple statement left your lips and you stood up.

"I did too, I have no alternative motive lucius, I just…you know I would never hurt her intentionally!"

The worst part of all of this is that lucius believed him, that boy was telling the truth, he might do mistakes but he cares for those who show him love, which is exactly what you’re doing.

Damn it, this was a losing game and apparently you’re choosing to go through with it.

"Fine. Both of you are responsible for what happens if somebody finds but remember my words severus, I will kill you in an instant if my sister go hurt because of you, am I understood?"

Severus nodded "Crystal clear."

You sighed "thank you lucius"

[loving-daisy]

You Had Me At Hello | Severus Snape x Reader

Young Severus Snape never knew what love was. That was until he met her, his Valentine.

YHMAH Masterlist • loving-daisy masterlist

—————————————

Chapter 3: To Resist Those Eyes

Word count: 1,972

“Potions are going to be a lot harder this year than last year, my dear students.” Professor Slughorn, Hogwarts’ current potions master stood in front of the room, informing the whole class. 

“And I really would like to avoid any accidents or any other unpleasant circumstances to arise.” He continued. “That is why starting from today, you’ll be grouped into two and this partnership will last until the end of the year.” 

The room erupted into quiet murmurs, some happy with the fact that in case they’d get in trouble, their partner gets in trouble with them. Or maybe, they were happy with the thought of partnering themselves with someone smart and freeload their way into potions class. Some groaned, including Severus who was not really fond of the idea. 

On second thought, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad at all. That is, if the professor chooses who's going to be partnered up with who. Because if that was the case, Severus wouldn’t have a problem finding anybody to partner up with. Not that he cared, though. In case that the total number of the people taking this class was odd, he’d be happy to work alone. He was better off alone anyways. 

“Fortunately for everybody, you get to pick your own partner.” Severus let out another quiet groan at the statement. “So quickly, children. Pick your partner and table!” The professor urged, eyes observing the class as students diverged and converged. 

After a lot of thinking in a short period of time, Severus decided to just stay in the table he currently is using. There’s no point in finding anybody. Someone will come, eventually. You just got to wait for it. 

Truthfully, the quiet boy didn’t really expect anybody. But he really really didn’t expect it to be “Valentine?” he quietly mused, confused as to why the girl people branded as the Slytherin Sweetheart took a seat beside him when she could’ve picked someone else. Severus wondered why the girl didn’t partner with her own friends. The blonde twins? The boy on the quidditch team? The girl who owned a bird? Or maybe even someone else! Someone else but him. 

The girl turned to face Severus, looking at him directly, eye to eye as she softly greeted “Hello, Severus.” 

The boy didn’t know what was written behind the girl’s eyes but never in his life did he feel so drawn to somebody else’s eyes. Aside from Lily’s bright one, of course. 

“Why are you here?” He shyly asked, trying the best as he could to not make his tone seem rude and ungrateful. 

Y/N Valentine sent him a small smile, showing off her pearly whites. “Because I’m going to be your partner for potions starting today?” She carefully suggested as if it wasn't obvious as to why she was seated beside him. 

Severus’ curiosity got the best of him. He didn’t mean to ask another question but he couldn’t help it. He just had to know why she would pick him when nobody ever does. “Why me?”

The girl gave him a small shrug before turning her attention back to the potions professor, who was starting to explain the specific qualities of the potion that they were going to brew today. “Because you’re my friend and you’re the best in potions.” 

_______________

Y/N Valentine’s bold move resulted in a couple of uncertain glances and visible confusion from the girl’s friends. I mean, it really wasn’t a big deal. Valentine and Snape were housemates after all.

Also, it wasn’t like the students of the Slytherin house cared about whoever got partnered up with the girl. It’s not like Y/N Valentine was popular. Sure, she’s what they call the Slytherin Sweetheart but she’s not a Greengrass or a Black or a Lestrange. She was a pureblood but she wasn’t Slytherin royalty like them. In fact, that's the reason why she got her nickname - She was not like them. Well, aside from her last name. A lot really liked her last name. 

However, it just happens for Y/N’s friends to have the same prejudice as that one specific group of Gryffindors against Severus Snape. Most people in Slytherin thought the boy was smart and mysterious but that’s it. There really wasn’t anything special about Severus Snape. 

“What’s going on with you and Severus Snape?” The girl’s friend, the boy who happened to be one of Slytherin’s chasers in the quidditch team, interrogated her. His hands on his hips as if he was a father scolding his child. 

Valentine lifted her chin to face the tall boy, her features displaying an innocent look. “Nothing. We’re just friends.” she expressed nonchalantly. 

“Woah.” One of the blonde twins let out. “Never have I thought that Severus Snape was actually capable of having friends.” Commented the other twin. 

Y/N furrowed her brows, arms crossing against her chest. “Don’t be so mean.” She scolded. “He’s actually nice if you get to know him more.” 

_______________

The two Slytherins found themselves at their usual spot in the library. It became their ritual. Whoever would have their class finish earlier would go straight to their usual table at the far end corner. But one wouldn’t start on their homework unless the other arrives. They’d occupy themselves with a book. 

Both had homework laid in front of them but the female was distracted. Her attention was solely focused on the boy in front of her. The boy who knew what she was doing but ignored it, the boy who had his mind occupied with forming cohesive and comprehensive sentences for the essay their potions professor assigned them, occasionally dipping his quill on his ink bottle. Snape knew that Valentine was staring at him. The reason, that he doesn't know. But he chose to ignore it, deciding that the parchment in front of him was more important. But after feeling a little self conscious, he hid his face with his long hair. 

“Aren’t you bothered?” The girl asked. 

Severus didn’t exactly know what she meant but he assumed it was her staring. “I am now, since you asked a question.” He answered, his eyes not leaving his parchment. 

Y/N shook her head, chuckling at the vague answer. “No, I mean...your hair. It covers your face a lot. Doesn’t it bother you? Does it not hinder your line of sight?” 

The boy shook his head “No.”

Silence enveloped the space the two Slytherins were in. The girl continued to stare at the boy in front of her, watching his every move with curious eyes. Severus continued to ignore her, he is halfway finished with his homework after all. It’s not his problem if Y/N Valentine wasted so much time staring at him when she could have been at the same pace as him in the assignment. But the girl finally caught the boy’s attention when the sound of paper being detached was heard. 

Y/N ripped a piece of parchment on her roll, taking out her wand to transfigure the piece into a little black hair tie. 

Severus thought the tie was for herself. He noticed how the girl always had her hair tied up whenever she needed to focus. But he also noticed the usual ribbon the girl used wrapped around her hand. 

Y/N stood from her seat, making her way behind Severus, using her fingers to comb the boy’s raven hair. 

“What are you doing?” Severus asked, surprised. 

“Stay still, Sev. You’ll see.” She answered. With her left hand, Y/N gathered the boy’s hair, using the tie on her right hand to put them in place. 

She retrieved her seat, eyeing the work she did on Severus. “Isn’t that better?” She suggested, finally opening her bottled ink and grabbing a hold of her quill to start on her assignment. 

Thankfully, Severus didn’t react Y/N expected him to, Truthfully, she thought that he’d call her off, scolding her for touching his hair, and put his hair back the way it used to. But he didn’t. He only offered her a small smile. 

Valentine finally got a better look at Severus' features. The boy had a big pointed nose, high cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. He had eyes similar to a black hole; dark and has the tendency to pull you in. Y/N wanted to get lost in them and see the emotions inside. If only she didn’t feel the pull inside her mind and the shield the boy was holding. 

It seems like Severus was skilled at legilimency and occlumency. The girl was amused.

“I get it now.” The boy mumbled, shaking his head before turning his attention back to the essay he was writing.  

“What?” She asked, confused. 

“You're skilled at legilimens and occlumens. That’s why I never get to read what’s on your mind.” 

Y/N shrugged. “Just like you, Sev.” 

_______________

“Why are we here again?” Severus reluctantly asked, grabbing ahold of his black coat to tuck himself further away from the cold. 

The two Slytherins found themselves outside the castle, in Hogsmeade as thick snow fell towards them. The boy had no intention of going out at all. If it weren’t for the personal charms the Slytherin sweetheart possessed, he would have been able to say no. But he just couldn’t resist her bright eyes and curled up lips. Severus just wouldn’t know what to do if he was the reason the light on her eyes turned off or the reason those lips turned into a frown. 

“Every Saturday, they bring out limited edition chocolate frogs! They have all sorts of flavors like dark chocolate, white chocolate, caramel, hazelnut, almond, and strawberry chocolate! It’s hard to get my hands on it alone so I figured that you could help me.” 

“How were you able to get it before then?” 

The girl shrugged. “Pure luck.” She boasted, taking a peek at the shop’s window to know how many frogs were displayed to calculate how she would strategize to get her hands on every flavor there is. 

Severus was amused at the girl’s antics, a small smile displayed on his features. Well, if you’d consider it a smile. His lips were kinda a little curled up anyways. 

“I don’t believe you.” He declared.

Y/N rolled her eyes. “You shouldn’t have asked if you weren’t going to believe me.” 

The two spent most of their day going through different shops around Hogsmeade. Y/N successfully got her hands on all of the sweets she was craving, all thanks to Severus secretly hexing the other students who were on their way to grab the frogs. 

Evening came, the two were now seated at the Great hall for supper. Just a few moments ago, the headmaster finished his evening speech, clapping twice to fill each houses’ table with good food. 

Owls came in after. Dropping packages and letters to the hands of the rightful receiver. 

A medium-sized box dropped in Y/N’s hand, a tag with a messily written ‘to sweet Valentine’ tied around it. Severus noticed the familiar logo of the sweet shop. 

“So that’s how.” The boy mumbled. “You get gifts from your secret admirers.” 

The girl chucked, shrugging. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.” 

“You have lots of chocolate frogs now.” Severus commented. “I hope you don’t eat all of them in one sitting. You’re gonna get cavities.” 

“Yeah, and my throat will ache!” She quipped, her lips curled into a wide grin, showcasing her pearly whites.  

“That’s why I’m gonna share it with you. Meet me at the astronomy tower later?” The girl proposed, eyes hopeful. 

Y/N Valentine was giving the same look she gave Severus earlier at breakfast when she forced him to go to Hogsmeade with her. How can Severus ever resist those eyes? 

End of Chapter 3

[momo-t-daye]

“Hey, Sirius,” said James Potter, “Why has Snape got your scarf?" “The little asshole was whinging about being cold,” Sirius shrugged, unconcerned by the chilly evening air. “I thought he might gag himself but no luck yet.” “Huh,” said James.

“I still think it’s just a marketing ploy,” the little asshole swathed in woolen scarves said thoughtfully.  “Everyone knows he doesn’t sell firewhiskey to students and his butterbeer is near rancid, but once you’ve hiked all the way up here to check out the goat it’s almost a waste of time to not buy something.” “A giant goat is quite the statement given his, ah, past legal entanglements,” Narcissa said with the sort of obvious delicacy that teetered dangerously close to turning suggestive. “It really must be seen to be believed and the last few have hardly lasted any time at all.” “It looks so flammable,” Lily Evans gushed, bubbling with malicious anticipation. The best thing about the magical world, Lily maintained, was the sheer number of holiday traditions that eventually included lighting something on fire.  Her mother’s nerves had never been up for a proper Bonfire Night and Cokeworth’s Catholics weren’t the type to celebrate it either.

“Hey, Sirius,” said James Potter, “Why has Snape got MY scarf?" “Because Evans said it was cold and you gave her your scarf to be gallant and she then handed your scarf over to him” Sirius replied, without any worries over his best friend’s apparent memory issues. “Right,” said James.

“He’s bound to have put up some anti-arson charms on this one after the fiasco with Dumbledore’s pet phoenix last year and inexplicable triple lightning strikes the year before,” Severus scoffed.  “If it’s properly phoenix-proofed— and I doubt the rest of Hogsmeade would allow him to put another goat up that wasn’t properly phoenix-proofed— we’d need a miracle to burn it down without being caught.” “We’ve got the blessings of tradition with us, Sev,” Lily replied. “Can’t you see? The goat must burn again!”

“Hey, Sirius,” said James Potter, “Why has Snape got Remus’ scarf?" “Because I was foolish enough to take my scarf off inside and Snape picked it up and put it and just looked at me when I asked for my scarf back,” Remus interjected, slightly bitter at his ignoble defeat. “Gosh,” said James.

“Twice is hardly sufficient grounds to claim a tradition,” Narcissa opined. “Three is a far more magically significant number.” “So you’re saying it’s up to us to ensure the sacred fires once more hold back the darkness!” Lily said, full of pyromaniacal resolution. “I say it’ll take planning and proper intelligence gathering, neither of which I’m inclined to do while my mouth still tastes like something died in the Hog’s Head butterbeer barrels,” Severus sighed. “Let’s stop at the Three Broomsticks, Potter will buy us all a round of the special seasonal cinnamon spiced butterbeer, and we’ll work on preparations back at school.”

“Hey,” said James Potter.  “Why hasn’t Snape got—” “Unlike you all, I know better than to leave my clothes and stuff unattended in Snape’s vicinity,” Peter interrupted, smugly snug and cozy. “Oh,” said James. It really was quite cold.

_______

For an assortment @snapecelebration's Snoliday 2023 prompts

[sev-life]

Snape is Harry's guardian

Petunia opened the door in the middle of the night to see her nephew in her front step. She wanted nothing to do with her show off sister and cut contact three years ago with reason. Her hands were full with Dudley and the Lord knew her parents never loved her as much as Harry. But she didn't know what to do with the freakish child. Not until Vernon was turning the paper and she caught the article of Tobias Snape's prison sentence. A freak with the biggest freak she knew. That would work.

Severus was woken up by loud pounding at the door and groaned through his hangover. But he dragged himself off the floor, half dead. And there was Harry freaking Potter on his dead grass. "Shit."

Harry was screaming at the top of his lungs, freezing cold and in need of a diaper change, screaming for mummy and daddy and the little tot was starving. "Oh fuck it all. Come here," he nearly puked at the stench and picked up the boy bringing him inside where at least he could warm up. One transfigured diaper and a sink bath later, Harry was now in one of his shirts. "What can you eat? Can you eat? I don't have formula." The toddler only started crying again, "You're about as helpful as your father. But at least you are cuter."

He found some apple sauce that was only a week past its expiration and fed the boy with a spoon too big for him and he picked up the corded phone and dialed the fire department.

"Hey. Um, someone left a kid on my door and I don't know what to do?"

"Do you know the child? How old are they?"

"Barely. Umm, he's my ex best friend's kid and her and her husband died two nights ago. I don't know why he's here. He's like ummm... A year and a few months?"

"Were you listed as a guardian? Did a social worker bring him?"

"No for both. There was a loud banging and then baby in the yard and I'm hungover and I don't have diapers. Harry keeps crying but I don't have toys."

"We've sent an Officer to the location your number is registered at. Is Harry injured?"

"Yes. Um, his forehead, has a cut on it. I cleaned that though. Put a bandaid on." Severus gave him another spoonful of the apple sauce from a jar.

"You did the right thing in calling us, help is coming soon." Severus thanked the man and hung up, still feeding Harry because he didn't seem like he wanted to be done eating.

Paperwork and statements and a doctor's visit left Severus holding Harry and a social worker setting out some papers, "You do have options here. The next guardian would be a Sirius Black, just arrested for murder so we can't have that. Mr. Harry can go into the foster system, or you can take temporary guardianship since you were trusted with him, even if you don't know why."

"I'll keep you for Lily," he looked at the green eyes, "So what now?"

It was another few hours before Severus left with the toddler, a bag of supplies, and a social services appointment for the next week. But he swore to protect the little guy napping on his shoulder, even if he did look too much like James Potter.

[holybladeknight]

Sing for me 🎼💞

Characters: Severus Snape x GN!Professor!Reader, random Slytherin students

Tags/warnings: Christmas themed romance 🎄, bad grammar

Summary: During the preparations for the Yule Ball, you discover that Severus actually can sing...

Author's note: My first romantic fanfic, please be gentle 😳

Special thanks: @severus-snaps for the lovely inspiring chit-chat 💖

"This song is stupid..." Draco mumbled in annoyance, when Severus stopped the rehearsal once again.

"I agree, Mister Malfoy. Perhaps, you should say it to Professor Dumbledore in person? It was his idea, after all," Severus answered in his usual stern tone, clearly being annoyed too.

Children's chorus singing the Christmas Carols for the Yule Ball indeed was Albus' idea. This tradition was quite popular in his youth, so he wanted to recreate it for the next celebration. Though, it was much easier to say than to do...

Severus deeply sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, standing in front of the young Slytherins. He didn't like this song too. Honestly, he didn't like the grand celebrations overall, preferring to spend the winter evenings quietly in your company, but he had no other choice. At least Severus wasn't teaching the Gryffindors how to dance, like Minerva, and the thought that he wasn't suffering alone somewhat reassured him.

Severus didn't care much about traditions, holyday spirit and other ephemeral nonsense. He considered learning the Christmas Carols with his students as an another working task, no more, no less. And Severus was used to do his work properly and thoroughly.

"One more time... Repeat after me and follow the rhythm. We need the perfect syncing. Understood?" Severus waited until the students' attention got focused on him again, and then began to sing. He didn't know you were standing behind the door and listening...

The results still weren't as perfect as these children's choruses from the old Christmas movies, but more than less acceptable. The rehearsal was over for today, and Severus let the students out. He massaged his temples, feeling tired and a bit frustrated, when you came in.

"Merlin, save me..." Severus thought, seeing your wide smile and your shining eyes. He knew very well what was coming next.

"So, you can sing," you said with barely contained excitement in your voice.

"Shouldn't you work on the decorations right now?" Severus asked in response, hoping to change the topic. It didn't work on you, obviously.

"Would you sing something for me, Severus?" you slightly tilted your head, watching his reaction carefully. Severus knew it wasn't a question, it was a statement. He couldn't say no to you, of course.

"You have a terrible musical tastes," Severus huffed in his signature witty manner.

***

Getting back to home, Severus was exhausted and overwhelmed by the noisy teenagers, his brain felt hard-boiled after the long busy day. You understood his desperate need for silence, so you stayed quiet... expressing your love in other ways than words.

You were peacefully sitting on the couch, when Severus layed down here and rested his head onto your laps, just like a cat silently asking for pets. You got his hint and softly stroked his hair, brushing your fingers through the long black strands. Severus closed his eyes and smiled contentedly, relaxing under your soothing touch.

"Severus..." You spoke to him gently, continuing the stress-relieving scalp massage.

"I remember, love. What do you want me to sing?" Severus responded, recalling your request. He was in the much better mood now, and the idea of him singing didn't look that ridiculous for him anymore.

"Anything from your poetry. At your choice," you asked almost sheepishly. Only you knew about Severus' secret passion, only you he trusted his verses to.

Severus sat up straight and cleared his throat. He didn't need to look in his notebook, he remembered every single line by heart, since he wrote them by his own. After a brief pause to gather his courage, Severus started to chant one of his verses, as if it was a song lyrics.

At first Severus sounded shy and insecure, but the pure love in your mesmerized eyes inspired him to keep singing. As he immersed himself in the rhythm, Severus got more confident, lowering and deepening his velvet baritone voice. There was no need for any background music, Severus' magnificent acapella was more than enough for you.

Severus sung for you, and you felt his raw emotions in every note. It was a love confession in the form of song. The lyrics themselves were amazing, full of colorful metaphors and tender epithets, but being embodied in Severus' voice... It was something above and beyond.

Severus ran out of breath at the few final lines. The lack of experience was evident, though the sincerity of his feelings outshone any flaws in his performance. Severus' heart fluttered in his chest as he looked at your with a hopeful eyes, waiting for your reaction.

Your mind went blank. You were speechless, being unable to formulate any thoughts because of the overwhelming emotions. You just grabbed Severus in your embrace and showered his face in gentle kisses, whispering incoherent yet sweet nothings about how much you loved him.

***

"Severus... Will you sing the Christmas Carols along with your students at the Yule Ball?"

"Of course not."

"But Sevvy... Pretty please..."

"..."

"..."

"...fine. I'll sing, just for you, my most devoted fan. Perhaps, I'll even sign an autograph..."

You planted a tender 'thank you' kiss on his cheek.

[maxdibert]

Hello, I've been following you for some time and I love your posts and analyzes about Severus, I regularly update your blog hoping for more and I always wanted to send you something, but I never had the opportunity.

But recently I saw a video on TikTok, which I didn't pay much attention to, but I saw the comments and one of them talked about how if Harry was a woman and looked like Lily, Severus would be a pedophile and that that gave people the creeps. And I, personally, find this statement very funny, because as far as I remember, Snape never had inappropriate contact with any Hogwarts student, or with anyone, in fact. But people intentionally forget that the only person who had the opening to do this was Peter Pettigrew. Ron himself said that they slept together and, probably, Peter saw the boys, literal children, changing their clothes, but, obviously, it would be Snape who was the child predator.

Sorry if it wasn't very understandable, English isn't my first language and I'm using Google to help.

Hi! Thank you. I'm glad you like my rants and sometimes nonense lol

About your pint... Well, this is a very old story. If I had a penny for every time I’ve read someone spouting this nonsense, I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d have enough for a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. It’s so absurd that I don’t even think it’s worth refuting, but just to clarify a few things:

Severus resents Harry for two main reasons, and neither of them has to do with being in love with Lily. It’s not something as childish as “uh, my crush married someone else.” No, there are several layers to it.

The first and most obvious is that, unfortunately, Harry is the spitting image of his father, who, unfortunately, was a jerk who spent his school years torturing people—specifically, and with great enthusiasm: Severus Snape. James spent seven years hunting him down and attacking him for sport, backed by his loyal ally Sirius Black and supported by his lackeys, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. While the latter two might not have physically assaulted Severus, they were there as enablers and complicit bystanders. Four against one, at the end of the day.

Severus never had the chance to heal from that abuse because, at 21, he was forced to return to the very place that had been hell for him. He had to teach students who were likely old enough to have witnessed some of those humiliations during his time as a student. A victim cannot heal in the place where they were consistently harmed.

Then Harry comes along, looking like an exact replica of James, and every time Severus sees him, it triggers him immensely. When he looks at Harry, he doesn’t see Lily’s son, nor does he see a child—he sees his abuser. And we all know Harry isn’t to blame for any of this, but the thing is, we can’t expect someone who isn’t acting rationally to be rational. Especially when we’re talking about someone who desperately needs therapy and probably medication, neither of which he’s ever had access to.

Then there’s another factor—a deeply emotional one—which is that Harry’s very existence is a painful reminder of Severus’s own role in Lily’s death. The fact that this kid is there, an orphan, is a constant reminder that Severus overheard a prophecy, reported it to Voldemort, and that Voldemort then chose to kill the most important person in Severus’s life because of it. It’s a perpetual mix of anger and guilt.

Looking at Harry forces Severus to relive his past as a victim, his most humiliating moments, as well as the terrible decisions he made because of them and their devastating consequences. This doesn’t excuse his behavior, but it does explain it quite well.

What I’m trying to say is that the reasons behind how he treats Harry are deeply tied to trauma. If Harry were a girl and resembled Lily, Severus would still feel deeply triggered every time he saw her. The only difference would be that instead of seeing James in her, he’d see Lily. I think, rather than anger, it would fill him with depression and guilt to such a degree that, instead of antagonizing her, he’d try to avoid her as much as possible. He wouldn’t want to get within ten miles of her because seeing her face would constantly remind him of the person he failed and indirectly condemned.

At no point do I imagine anything even remotely sexual crossing his mind. Especially when you consider that Severus never once confessed his feelings to Lily or behaved inappropriately toward her. I do think he’d act “softer,” but not because of her appearance specifically—more because Severus is always gentler toward women. I mentioned this in another post, but his more cordial relationships are almost always with female characters, and when he’s cruel, it’s typically far worse with men than with women.

People who lack even the most basic comprehension or analytical skills… Honestly, if they’re going to hate on him, the least they could do is come up with more convincing arguments. Sometimes it’s just exhausting to explain why their theories don’t make any sense.

[mrs-snape5984]

“How can I take the pain away? How can I save a fallen angel, in the dark?”

“Fallen angel, just let go. You don't have to be alone. Fallen angel, close your eyes. I won't let you fall tonight.” (“Fallen Angel” by Three Days Grace)

I guess, I have to put another trigger warning on the next three paragraphs of this post. I never mention it explicitly, but my words might imply my suicidal ideation. If you might get triggered by this topic, please feel free to skip the aforementioned parts of my text.

As I already explained in my last few posts, I’ve commissioned some of my beloved artists of Snapedom for a special project of mine. I’ve asked them to draw different stages of my afterlife journey for me. In my imagination, I will finally be able to go home with Severus, when I shuffle off this mortal coil (oh, how very Shakespearean of me 🙄) and leave my unbearable torments and pain behind.

The varying phases of my everlasting life will be shown in multiple artworks of Severus and my undeniably self-inserted OC Jules. I’m clinging to Severus as my comfort character for more than 21 years already. He’s been there for me whenever the burdens of my existence became too overpowering for me. For this reason, it seems only natural to me to expect him waiting for me…and we will finally be allowed to live the life, we deserved to have.

Since I’ve already spoken to both of my closest friends about my wishes for the time after my demise - for which I’m still feeling immensely guilty and remorseful about - I just started to put my requests into writing in an official statement by formulating my “living will” and my “last will”, which I’ve also informed my mother about. And damn, I know, that I have to apologise to my friends for all those dark jokes, which I’m making about this topic (yes, I’m very aware of the fact, that there won’t be a coffin, which could be big enough to bury me with all the items and framed artworks of my personal Snape-Museum 😅), but I need to cope with my sorrows by the usage of my dry wit.

For this component of my personal project, I’ve commissioned my precious friend @opalchalice again. Her mesmerising piece of art shows Jules as a fallen angel in distress, desperately searching for guidance out of her misery. Severus is already awaiting her with open arms, ready to guide her into the pure bliss of her afterlife. This might sound strangely pathetic to some people, but nothing else can soothe my troubled heart as much as these daydreams.

Lia, I know, that you’re very proud of this beautiful drawing and believe me, I’ve never seen anything better from you, yet. I’m immensely impressed by your talent and dedication to the improvement of your skills. It’s always fascinating to me, to go through your former illustrations, recognising the progress, you’re making with every new artwork. Your creativity and your kindness are the reason, why I’ll support you as long as I’ll be capable of going online. Thank you for everything, my lovely friend!

🖤Severus & Julia🖤

🖤Sevy & Jules🖤

[sideprince]

What are your thoughts on Snape's parents/childhood/upbringing ?

Sorry it's taken me ages to get to this ask! I wrote a meta post about Eileen Prince recently ("recently." It sat in my drafts for about a month as I whittled away at it) but I can go off a bit on Tobias and the kind of home a young Severus might have lived in, though it'll be a bit of a messier convergence of meta and headcannon, probably.

The tl;dr of the Eileen meta post is that I think she may have come from a family with reasonable wealth and reputation, and ended up stuck with Tobias as the result of an accidental out of wedlock pregnancy that led her family to disown her. @vulnus-sanare left one of my favorite comments on that post, which I'm just going to quote in full:

"It is hard to not think that Severus may have been the outcome of an unwanted pregnancy. It is harder to believe that "love" was ever in the foundation of the Snape family. My theory is that Eileen and Tobias had a fling, it had consequences, the Princes disowned Eileen for getting impregnated by a Muggle, and Tobias was forced to marry her out ... Patriarchal honor. However, the first time Eileen and Tobias had a violent argument, Eileen threatened him with her wand for defense. He didn't sleep at home that night. The next morning, Eileen found her wand split into two unsalvageable pieces on her bedside table. Tobias was home. And there would be no more magic."

My personal take is that we see clear statements in the books that depression can sap a witch/wizard of their powers (Merope Gaunt), and also that existing powers can't be suppressed, they'll find a way to come out and with terrible consequences if bottled up for too long (Ariana Dumbledore, and basically every underage wizard). Because of this, my own interpretation is that Eileen probably lost much of her powers due to despair. We see Severus in a memory shooting down flies with his wand alone in his room as a teen, and that casual use of magic makes me think that the Ministry still had magical activity registered at that residence on Eileen's account, otherwise Severus would have had to deal with the repercussions of violating the Statute of Secrecy and, if that was the case, he certainly wouldn't have used his wand and done magic so nonchalantly. Eileen's magic would have been too weak to stand up to Tobias, but still enough to warrant the Ministry thinking there was an active witch at their house.

Nevertheless, I love the idea that Tobias split her wand! It's a striking and complex statement on what that relationship might have looked like. Tobias must have been insecure (secure people don't tend to abuse their loved ones). Eileen had power over him that he would never be able to match. Even so, every person with power has a vulnerability - for any wizard it would be that their power must be channeled through a wand to be effective. A wand which, despite the power of the witch or wizards who wields it, can easily be snapped in two. What might its core have been? Would Tobias have been surprised to find it wasn't merely a stick carved on a lathe, that there was something running through its center that he couldn't identify? I love the irony of such a mundane, muggle act stopping the power of magic in its tracks. And, after all, if Eileen had no money of her own and she and Tobias had little to live on, she wouldn't have been able to buy a new wand. Or perhaps she eventually did, but her powers remained weak (or perhaps she bought a cheaper wand she could afford, maybe even secondhand, and it never worked as well as her own had). As for her magic struggling to get out without a proper way to channel it, perhaps her wand's destruction may have been the final straw for her spirit, which broke as a result of her isolation from her family and her world, and her being tethered to such a man.

As for Tobias, I think that while he may have had a proclivity towards abuse, it didn't truly come out until sometime after Severus' birth. I think he was always working class, and possibly fought in WWII like every man of his generation, but that the crippling poverty of the family was brought on by some kind of workplace accident that left him unable to work and dependent on welfare. Eileen wouldn't have worked, having few skills and weak magic, but back in the 60s many working class families only had one breadwinner. There are signs that Severus was both poor and also neglected, particularly his ill fitting, mismatched, hand-me-down clothes that no one even attempted to sew to size for him (let alone use magic to do so). Eileen would have made sure Severus was out of the house as much as possible, if Tobias was home most of of the time, and tried to take the brunt of Tobias' anger when possible. Severus wouldn't have understood this for a long time, and would have felt rejected and isolated as a result.

As Severus grew older, got a wand, and expanded his knowledge of magic, he would have stood up to Tobias more in the weeks he was home from school. He wouldn't have trusted his father, and would have eventually realized that their power balance had shifted. I think there may be a parallel with Voldemort there, too: as Dumbledore says, all tyrants fear that one day someone will rise up against them. I think perhaps Severus felt more able to be that person and undermine Voldemort, because he had already done so with his own father. He had learnt, firsthand, that terrifying people, people who intimidate with violence and brutality, are not infallible. It makes sense for his character: throughout his school years we see Severus reject his bullies and fight back against them, even though they attack him four against one.

As for his own experience of growing up in that small house on Spinner's End, I think Severus must have been a lonely child. We see the way he feels the need to pick his moment when first meeting Lily; he doesn't have the confidence of a child who's been able to spend much time playing with others. His parents fought a lot, and if his mother tried to protect him, he would have spent a lot of time alone in his room listening to them do so. We see him as a teen shooting down flies with his wand, in a dark room, alone. I think his world at home was small and often painful. Like many children of abuse, he wouldn't even have been aware how much pain he was in, or how constant it was, it was just a part of his internal wallpaper. I don't imagine he had much of a relationship with his dad, though the need for approval from him would have been buried in him somewhere. Perhaps, as he grew older, his relationship with his mother grew more complex and there was a bond.

My own headcanon is that Tobias, a middle aged, disabled, working class man on the dole, wouldn't have survived austerity under Thatcher. I like to think that Severus, living on a teacher's salary in a prestigious school and not needing much beyond the room and board that his job provides, would have used his savings to take care of a widowed Eileen. Perhaps he visited her once or twice a year. They were never sentimental, and talked very little. They would have a cup of tea and a game of chess, or maybe even Gobstones. When Voldemort returned, Severus would have made sure that, if he should die, Eileen would be taken care of. He would not have been able to leave her a letter or any kind of explanation, for fear of it being found. She would have been proud to learn he had been appointed Headmaster of Hogwarts, though he would not have taken pride in it, knowing it was a tactical appointment, and not an earned one. She would have been prouder still, maybe, to learn of his heroism after his death.

[laalaaliaa]

HEAD OVER HEELS

summary: sirius constantly chases for your affection; or in which after years of chasing after your heart, he realizes he doesn't have to anymore (requested)

sirius black x gn!reader

tags: angsty at first (?), fluffy fluffy fluffy towards the end, sirius is pretty sweet, reader is in denial, (no usage of y/n)

wc: 1.3k

(Working on my requests)

For the many years you knew Sirius, he was always there. He was always lingering nearby, always in the vicinity, and for some reason it was reassuring. Like the time he comforted you after getting yelled at by one of your professors in second year. Or the time he willingly took a trip all the way down to Hogsmeade to buy you treats after your first break up. He was always a shoulder for you to lean on, even when you didn't want him to be. He was your greatest friend. He seemed happy at your revelation, although you were confused when James busted out laughing at your statement. Sirius could only smile, throwing glares at James whenever you looked the other way.

That was nearly two weeks ago. Sirius was no longer there. He was busy, often skipping your invitations to study, or hangout. It was unusual. You no longer felt like Sirius was a presence lingering nearby, you'd seen Severus Snape, more than you saw Sirius in those two weeks. It sucked.

"Can you stop frowning so much?"

Lily inquired as she pushed your feet off the coffee table in the common room, shuffling past you before she ended up plopping down on your side. "No, my best friend won't talk to me." Lily laughed a bit, covering her mouth as she tried her best to present a blank expression on her face, only to fail miserably as a smile spread across her face. "What is it with you people and laughing whenever I call Sirius my 'best friend'?" You pressed with a frustrated look on your face, even going as far as using finger quotes around the word 'best friend'.

"Cause you're an idiot." Lily deadpanned, gently patting your leg as she sighed. You seemed to be the only one out of the loop, confusion seemed to swarm your face whenever your other friends laughed upon calling Sirius your 'best friend', it made no sense. "He likes you." Lily emphasized, a smirk plastered on her face as she took in your expression that practically screamed "impossible" as she laughed. "Stop kidding around Lily, I'm telling you something is seriously wrong with him--no pun intended."

Lily rolled her eyes at your obliviousness, groaning out loud in the silent common room. "You're an absolute idiot, you think he doesn't like you?" You shook your head at her comment, making her scoff as she grabbed your shoulders, shaking you lightly. "He is seriously in love with you--don't," She pointed her finger at you as you began to smirk. "I'm being serious, not Sirius, but serious, he told me himself." You seemed to perk up at her final statement as she grew silent, gazing at you with a look of hope in her eyes.

"Good joke."

Another week passed and you were growing restless at his absence. You were so used to seeing him at breakfast, having him walk with you to class, and ending your night with a simple "goodnight" before you were off to sleep. That was all gone, and you hated it. Why did it bother you so much that your supposed "best friend" was off doing better things, and likely hanging out with better people? You slammed your book shut, startling Remus, Dorcus, and Marlene who were sat in a circle around you, discussing their assignments.

"Guys, I think I like Sirius." You blurted out after a moment, gazing at every single one of their expressions. Not a single person seemed perplexed or surprised even. Marlene laughed, slamming her hand onto the table as she leaned onto it with a weak smile. "Finally, I thought I was gonna lose my bet with James he bet you'd break in four, I said three." You threw an offended glance her way as well as a scoff before Remus gained your attention. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, I was talking to Lily a week ago, and she said he liked me, and I thought 'well isn't that ridiculous' and I really thought about everything he's done for me and I realized just now that I like him, more than a friend." You rambled, making a smile appear on his face. "Then what are you doing? He's in our dorms right now." Remus murmured, lifting a brow slightly as he silently said: "Just go already." And you did, you left everything behind, because if there was anything you learned in your seven years of being at Hogwarts, it was that you were in love with Sirius Black.

It was like a breath of fresh air when you saw him again. He seemed shocked at your presence, awkward even as he sat up in his bed. He had so many questions, and you did too. "I'm gonna go..." James awkwardly coughed out from his bed, gaining the attention of both of you as he ushered his way to the door, throwing a sweet smile your way. It was just the two of you now, and for some reason, you felt like you couldn't look your best friend in the eye after some new found feelings.

"When?"

That was all you asked, making his brows furrow in confusion. "I'm sorry, what?" He spoke softly, unlike his usual loud and boisterous self. "When did you fall...for me." He seemed to recoil at the question, finally standing to his feet as he rubbed his palms on his pants. He was nervous, and you couldn't blame him, cause you were starting to become nervous by his silence. "I'm sorry I shou--Fourth year." He cut you off, finally growing some confidence as he gazed at you, a look that you couldn't quite decipher upon his face.

"I developed a crush on you in our third year, and that day after you caught me crying over--everything in our fourth," He let out a sad laugh, a sincere smile crawling up his face as he walked closer to you. "I fell in love with you." Sirius watched silently as you retraced the memory in your head before you smiled, gazing up at him as you let out a laugh. "I remember...you cried over that argument with James, and your parents constantly being on your tail." Sirius hummed as his hands gently came up to cup your face as he grinned that Sirius Black grin.

"When did you realize?" It was his turn to ask questions, making your cheeks flush in embarrassment as you tried to avoid his stare, except it was impossible when he was practically making you hold eye contact. Damn him. "A couple minutes ago." He laughed, his head tilting back slightly as he scrunched his nose a bit. His laughter made butterflies come to life in your tummy, making you hold your hand on your tummy. "I'm sorry." You mumbled out, making him shake his head reassuringly as he used his thumbs to gently rub your already red cheeks.

"Why are you sorry?" He seemed to be teasing you, his voice growing an octave higher towards the end as he leaned closer. "Because I'm an idiot and Lily was right and our friends were betting on us, which by the way--." You couldn't finish your sentence, not because you didn't want to, but because Sirius Black was kissing you. You were frozen, unable to do anything, you could only close your eyes, finally moving your lips against his before he pulled away, forcing your eyes to open up as you gazed at him silently. "Was that uncalled for?" He asked innocently, tilting his head to the side as he smiled. Bloke.

You released a soft breath as you nodded, "Very uncalled for." He shrugged sweetly as he smiled, a toothy smile. "Can I do that again? That just didn't feel real." He laughed, gazing at you like you were the love of his life. You only rolled your eyes playfully, pulling his head down as you pressed your lips to his. It was sweet, gentle, and contained all the silent love you two held for each other. Once you both pulled away you both looked down to your hands, watching as your pinkies entwined, making the both of you laugh.

"I like you a lot."

"I like you a lot too."

[bibbityboppitybillyharvgrove]

Always There - Chapter Five: S.Snape

Summary: Y/N Potter was left with a baby to care for after her brother and sister-in-law were murdered by Voldemort. One person was there for her, a person she didn’t expect but soon became her comfort person, Severus Snape. During Harry’s third year at Hogwarts and her third year as Herbology professor, a few old friends come around again. Y/N has to handle the feelings of these old friends being around again as well as handle her feelings for a certain potions master all while she tries to hide these things from her godson.

Series Masterlist

My full Masterlist

Pairings: Severus Snape x Female Professor Reader, Potter!Reader x friend!Remus

Chapter Warnings: Female Reader, Potter Reader(No physical description of reader) probably shitty writing, Harry growing up in a loving home, Happy Snape, sappy Snape, mentions of Voldemort, the dark mark, death eaters

Series Warnings: Female Reader, Potter Reader (No physical description of reader) probably shitty writing, OOC Snape, Harry grows up in a loving environment, mentions of death and murder, poorly written angst, Remus is a shitty friend, poorly written pining,

Please let me know how I can improve my writing and being more inclusive to POC as I am whiter than white. Please also let me know if I have to add more to the warnings! My messages are open as well as my asks!

I am starting a taglist so leave either a comment or something in my asks if you would like to be tagged in any of my works or just this series!

Author's Note: We are officially out of Prisoner of Azkaban and into Goblet of Fire! Please let me know how I can improve or if you find any errors! Correct me, don't be afraid to! I want to improve my writing and become a better writer so any feedback or advise is welcomed!

Word Count: 1690

My asks are open for questions, suggestions and feedback!

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged!

Enjoy!

not my gif

not my gif

Although Y/N and Severus never made anything official, the word spread around Hogwarts like a wildfire. It had gotten to the point of students asking Harry for details about the pair even though he knew just as much as they did. In the middle of Y/N’s lesson about wolfsbane, somebody's hand shot up in the air. Theodore Nott, one of the most intelligent students she had met, a pureblood Slytherin who was friends with Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Enzo Berkshire.

“Yes, Mr. Nott, you have a question?” The professor called on her student. She had hoped he was going to ask a question about the lesson but deep down, she knew that his question had to do with her and a certain broody professor.

“I certainly do, professor. Are you and Professor Snape together? He’s been awfully cheerful lately. I quite miss the Snape that had a stick up his arse,” Theodore Nott, he was a massive pain in her ass. She did have to admit that his comment was quite funny however, she had to suppress a chuckle before having to reprimand the boy.

“I hope you know I will be taking 5 points from your house for foul language as well as detention with both Professor Snape and I tonight, Theodore. And to answer your question, that is certainly none of your business. What is going on between Professor Snape and I is our business and that’s all,” She told the boy, his smirk falling once she took away house points and gave him detention. No matter how much the boy bothered her during lessons, she had never once given out detention or taken away house points.

Another hand went up this time, it was her nephew. “Yes, Harry, please tell me that this question or statement has something to do with the lesson and not my personal life?” She practically begged her nephew.

“Well, no. It has nothing to do with the lesson-”

“Great, then let’s get on with the lesson!” She cut her nephew off in a cheerful tone before returning to teaching her students about the deadly nature of wolfsbane to humans. About five minutes in, the door to the greenhouse opened and closed, footsteps approaching. She knew just by the sound of the steps that it was Severus. When he came into view, the students all turned around, smirks coming onto the faces of the Slytherin student’s faces. “This is going to become an interrogation isn’t it?” She asked her students. All of them replying ‘yes’ in unison.

“What is going on here?” Severus asked Y/N as he approached her desk, “Sorry for the interruption, I just need a few ingredients for my store.”

“I was being interrogated by one of your students as well as my nephew. They want to know if there is anything going on between us since you’ve been incredibly cheerful as of late,” She explained to him.

“We might as well answer some of their questions instead of leaving them in the dark.” Y/N gave Severus a look of surprise, she was not expecting him to want to answer any of the students' questions about their private life but she was wrong. “However, if any of you ask any inappropriate questions, you will be receiving detention and house points will be taken. Now if you have questions, raise your hands.” Practically the whole classes hands’ went up in the air.

“Let’s start with Hermione,” Y/N said, knowing the girl would be respectful.

“How long have the two of you been together?” The girl asked.

“Not very long, however, we’ve been at each other’s sides for the last 12 years,” Y/N answered, then pointing to the next student.

“Why her, professor?” Draco asked Snape, his voice sour with disgust, “Why a Potter?”

“That will be a detention and 5 points taken from our house Mr. Malfoy. I chose her because she cares about others and she is the most selfless person I’ve met in my life. I don’t care that she’s a Potter, I don’t care that her brother was a bully, I only care about who she is and she is the most intelligent, loving and caring person I’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” Severus explained, his voice softening when he began talking about the woman. The girls in the class all collectively cooed at the words Severus had just spoken. 

“That was absolutely disgusting,” Y/N said, “But I loved it.” Severus then picked the next student to ask a question, his choice was calculated, knowing it would end the conversation about the pair.

“Mr. Longbottom, what is your question?” Severus asked the boy.

“Can we return to the lesson? I’m very happy for the two of you but I was quite enjoying the lesson,” Neville explained his reasoning, the class groaning.

“Everyone relax, Neville is right, we need to get back to the lesson before class is over. What we told all of you today is all you need to know for now,” Y/N explained to the class, “Grab what you need, honey, you know where everything is.” 

“Thank you love,” Severus replied, going to the cabinet in the back of the classroom that held all of the harvested ingredients. He grabbed everything he needed and as he walked towards the exit of the greenhouse he stopped for a moment, just to listen to her talk, taking a seat on one of the many stools around the room. He stayed on that stool until the end of her lesson, watching the students file out of the classroom one by one. 

“You stayed,” She commented.

“I did,” He replied back, “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“You are such a sap. It’s official, I have made the fierce Severus Snape soft!” Y/N joked with a bright smile on her face.

“I am not soft! You saw me, I took points away from my own house! I never do that!” He defended.

“And why did you take points from your own house, honey?”

“Because Malfoy is a pest and he insulted you.”

“So it was a defense for me, which in turn, means that you are soft.”

“Think what you want to love, I am not soft.”

“Also, that reminds me, Theo has detention with the both of us tonight as well.”

“Why did Nott get detention?” Severus asked her, his head tilting slightly in wonder.

“He said he misses when you had a stick up your arse, his words, not mine. But I will say, you did have a stick up your ass for a long time.”

“Why you little witch!” Severus exclaimed, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her body into his. “So I had a stick up my ass, I wonder who must’ve pulled it out?”

“Perhaps it was Remus, you two have been awfully close lately,” She teased. 

All that could be heard outside of the greenhouse was laughing coming from the pair, students who were sitting outside got a good listen to what Severus Snape’s laugh actually sounds like. Of course, word about the interrogation held in the greenhouse had already started to spread around the school. Students coming up to Harry to ask questions about what was happening between the potions master and the herbologist. Not only was Professor Potter happier, but also Professor Snape. The two of them being more lenient when it came to mistakes in the classroom, as well as just being more pleasant on the side of the potions master.

The school year quickly came to an end, summer coming and going in a flash. Most of the summer Harry had been at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Herminone. Arthur had gotten tickets for the Quidditch world cup and had agreed to take Harry and Hermione along with his children. Y/N and Severus had been out together, going to apothecaries and greenhouses the whole day when they got word that there had been an attack at the world cup. The dark mark appearing in the sky and death eaters returning to their old ways. Y/N had been scared half to death and apparated with Severus to the Burrow where Harry, Herminone and the Weasleys were holed up.

“My boy! Are you okay? Did any of you get hurt? What happened?” She quickly questioned, her head spinning with worry until she finally embraced her nephew. “My Godric, I’m so glad that you’re okay. I’m glad that all of you are okay.”

“I’m going to go find Albus and update him about everything. I’ll see you very soon my love,” Severus told the woman.

“You can’t stay? We have another day until we have to be back at Hogwarts!” She asked him, trying to convince him but she knew he couldn’t stay.

“I’m afraid not, darling. I promise you that everything will be okay, you’ll be safe as will Harry. I must go to Albus and tell him everything that happened tonight,” Severus replied, his heart breaking slightly watching her expression fall. He didn’t want to leave her here, even if it was only a day, they had barely spent any time apart during the summer. He knew that this would upset her but he needed to tell Albus about the dark mark and the return of the death eaters. Severus needed to tell him about the dark mark on his arm getting darker by the day.

Y/N had let go of her nephew and pulled Severus into a tight embrace. “Please be safe, Severus. I know why you have to go, I’ve noticed it too. I love you,” She spoke quietly in his ear.

“I love you, darling. I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise,” Severus replied, giving the woman a quick kiss before apparating away from the Burrow. The dark lord was getting stronger, how? They had no idea but with the mark on Severus’ arm getting darker everyday, it was something to worry about. Something big was going to happen soon, the dark lord was going to return. He was going to return soon.

taglist

@acupnoodle @chxelsxaa @fluffyrat365 @fanficwriter5 @atanukileaf

[defectivevillain]

dueling determination

pairing: severus snape x reader

reader’s pronouns: he/him

read the series here [unfortunately, this piece won’t make sense otherwise]

Gilderoy Lockhart just can’t seem to take a hint. The man is, in a word, an asshole. He has the most inflated sense of self-importance that you’ve ever seen in a person. Every conversation, Lockhart will brag and boast about himself, to the point where all your other colleagues are beginning to become annoyed with him too. Unfortunately, he sits next to you, so you’re somewhat unable to avoid him. At least, for a little while.

You soon begin to master the art of hasty exits from the Great Hall after meals. You arrive a few minutes early and eat quickly. The moment you see him enter, you exit. It leaves little time for discussion and even littler time for him to annoy you. Unfortunately, the professor catches on. To your immediate discontent and frustration, he starts arriving to breakfast at the same time as you. His seat is right next to yours—thank Merlin, you think sarcastically—and his desire for conversation is prevalent as always. You feel yourself growing more snappy and annoyed with each remark.  

The next meal, you have a brilliant idea. You pass your seat, ignoring the confused glances leveled at you, and continue walking until you’re behind an empty chair. Relief flooding through you, you sit down and begin eating. Unfortunately, after a few minutes, someone sits down next to you. You’re a moment away from cursing Lockhart out when you realize that the professor sitting at your side isn’t Gilderoy Lockhart.

“Severus,” you remark, eyes widening as you realize that the seat you chose is directly next to the Potions professor.

“What are you doing?” Severus asks, his eyes flitting about your face as if searching for an emotion that will give him the answer. You blink up at him and he looks across the hall, to where you usually sit. Understanding falls onto his face. Lockhart sits at his typical seat. His posture is abnormally straight and his eyes flit about the area. Severus turns back to his food. “Seeking refuge, I see.” You nod and take another bite of your food, risking a glance at your old seat. Unsurprisingly, Lockhart isn’t silent.

“Merlin, does he ever shut up?” You bemoan, watching as Lockhart talks to the Muggle Studies professor—who looks rather chagrined at the thought of being in a conversation with him. Unfortunately, you don’t realize you’re starting until he’s returning your gaze. Lockhart grins and gets up from his seat. Dread coils in your chest and you watch in slow-motion as the menace himself walks over to you. You tilt your head down and stare at your plate, but it doesn’t seem to dissuade him in the slightest.

“Professor!” The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor grins, running a hand through his hair in a gesture that is clearly supposed to be attractive. Unfortunately, it only makes you want to punch him in the face. Severus is silent at your side. You have to fight to keep the disgusted snarl from your face. “You’re not leaving me all by my lonesome over there, are you?”

“Lockhart,” you greet him in response, clenching your fists in your lap. Thankfully, the tablecloth hides them from view. You have to take several deep breaths before you can continue speaking to him. “I would never. I was simply… seeking some solitude.”

“Of course, of course,” Lockhart nods. He pushes a strand of hair behind his ear and you resist the compelling urge to stand up and walk away. “I simply can’t stand people who refuse to stop talking.” At that, Severus lets out a pointed cough that sounds rather reminiscent of a snarky laugh. Of course, Lockhart doesn’t notice. He only notices what he wants to notice, it seems. You have to resist a chuckle at the irony of his statement, too.

“Anyway, did you need anything from me?” You interject before he can go into one of his tormentous spiels about his adventures abroad. Lockhart blinks at you for a long moment. You’re rather brutally aware of Severus’s presence at your side. You want to be embarrassed, but you’ve made your disdain of the Defense professor clear to Severus many times now. Lockhart simply doesn’t give up.

“I was going to ask if you’d be able to join me for a demonstration duel,” the professor eventually says, an easy smile on his face. At least, you suspect that he thinks it to be easy. To you, however, the smile looks strained at best. You inhale slowly, trying to manifest the patience you need to finish the conversation. “It’s for the dueling club I’ve started, naturally.”

“Oh, um,” you stammer, relief coursing through you when you realize that he’s just asking for academic purposes. Unfortunately, a practice duel still necessitates the professor’s presence. You sigh, not quite able to come up with an excuse on the spot. “Yeah, sure.” You see Severus eyeing you over his goblet out of the corner of your eye. You pretend not to notice.

“Excellent!” The professor remarks, before proceeding to go into painful detail about where and when the duel is. Once you catch the time and date, you let your attention wander. You’re torn out of your thoughts when Lockhart grips your shoulder briefly. “Your help is greatly appreciated.”  He winks and it makes your skin crawl. You bite down all sorts of insults and instead watch silently as he walks away.

Suddenly, you’re not hungry anymore. You push your plate away from you and get to your feet. Inexplicably, Severus gets up too. The two of you share a walk along the halls, until Severus turns a corner to go to his office. You make the way back to your own office, thoughts running a mile a minute. You hadn’t really wanted to volunteer yourself for that duel in the first place, but the entire prospect felt unavoidable.

As the week continues, you begin to dread the coming duel with Lockhart. The wizard is immensely frustrating, talking your ear off at every possible moment. Despite your attempts at avoidance, you constantly cross paths with him—to the point where you begin to believe that he’s orchestrating it. You’re both grateful and miffed that your classes are keeping you busy. You don’t see Gilderoy much throughout the rest of the week, but time passes rather fast and before long, you’re standing in the room that Lockhart has designated for the duel.

“Professor!” The DADA professor greets you with a smile. “Glad you could make it. You know I greatly appreciate your assistance.”

“Any time,” you respond with a smile that hurts your cheeks. Thankfully, Lockhart is too busy with his preparations to notice the discord in your voice. You feel rather out of place, but you manage to have a few conversations with some of your students to pass the time. Lockhart seems moments from getting things started when, suddenly, the doors swing open and a commanding presence enters the room. You watch in thinly-concealed shock as Hogwarts’s Potions professor walks towards you.

“Severus?” You blink at him once, twice. He stares at you in response. You’re almost expecting this to be a fever dream, because Severus’s presence is entirely surprising. “What are you doing here?” You’re sure the relief you’re feeling is showing in your voice, but you can’t find it in yourself to care. Surely, this won’t be that bad if Severus is here.

“I’ll be your opponent,” Severus remarks, an unreadable expression on his face. You withhold the urge to grimace. Of course, you’re very grateful that you’re not alone with Lockhart. On the other hand, you had been anticipating the duel to be rather easy. Now that Severus is your opponent, you know that will not be the case. Fortunately, Lockhart gets things started before you can stammer and stutter any longer.

Gilderoy seems bent on making his presence known, as he goes into explanations concerning duels and the proper behavior when dueling someone. Admittedly, the longer he talks, the more you’re getting nervous. Severus is one hell of a duelist. You, on the other hand… Well. Your expectations for yourself are extremely low. You don’t think the duel will last much longer than a minute. Severus will beat you soundly.

Lockhart finally steps off the stage, to your simultaneous relief and regret. Before long, Severus and you are walking to the center of the stage, before turning on your heels and taking three paces forward. The moment this is completed, you whip around and cast a shield. You think it to be an unnecessary movement, but you end up blocking a curse that would’ve definitely hurt your chances at winning.

You can’t even begin to describe the duel that ensues. Your focus has never been more intense, and your movements have never been quicker. Severus is a serious threat, after all. His spellcasting is unrivaled. Hell, he’s made spells before. Merlin, you’re kind of screwed, aren’t you? Despite your rather low chances at winning, you manage to focus on the duel at hand. Severus’s command of magic is beautiful and you find yourself nearly becoming entranced by it. You’ve never been more thankful for nonverbal spells, because Severus is far too fast and agile for you to cast verbal spells with accuracy.

You have no idea how much time passes. Everything in your surroundings fades to the background. Your breaths are short and winded, but you’re certain you’ve never felt more alive. At one point, you have to wipe the sweat off your forehead from the exertion. Severus takes that opportunity and casts something at you, to which you dodge and laugh. Your voice echoes in the silent chamber and if you had time, you’d feel embarrassed. Severus’s gaze falls on you as you smile, and you take the afforded opportunity for distraction and cast a spell to disarm him. There is nothing but silence for several moments and your heart is racing as you hold Severus’s wand in your nondominant hand. You breathe heavily, taking on the shocked looks on the students’ faces. For almost an infinite amount of time, no one makes a sound. Thankfully, Lockhart must be entirely immune to the tension, because he claps his hands and makes himself the center of attention once more.

The Hufflepuff students cheer and you roll your eyes. You look to Severus, only to find that he has a rather uncharacteristic expression on his face. He almost looks impressed, awed. His dark eyes are gleaming in the low light of the room. You bite your lip and avert your eyes, passively allowing Lockhart to flit about and talk about the duel. Despite all the attention from all the students and the rather annoying Defense professor, you only really notice Severus’s gaze burning into the side of your face.

“Excellent!” Gilderoy claps, turning to address the students gathered around the space. “Well done, indeed. Unfortunately, that’s all the time we have for this week! Our next meeting will be focused on defensive charms.” With that, the students all file out of the room. You turn to Severus and hold out his wand in your palm. Severus has a complex expression on his face as he takes a step closer and reaches out to take his wand back. The look on his face is a strange mix of wariness and something darker. You’re certain that you would’ve been stuck staring at Severus for hours, if not for Lockhart clapping a hand on your shoulder and breaking the tension. The Defense professor continues to praise you, but you only have eyes for Severus’s withdrawing figure.