s. snape ⢠what he will not forget
Pairing: Severus Snape x Professor!Reader
Warnings/Tags: Sexual Themes (nothing explicit) 18+, mutual (squint at first) pining, one-shot, herbology professor, small age gap (~4 years)
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Severus Snape needs a simple ingredient from the greenhouses; unknown to him, the ingredient he needs is a very strong aphrodisiac grown only at Hogwarts. Feelings that he convinced himself to be only irritation reveal themselves as something a little more... complicated.
A/N: This is my very first post haha! I've had this idea in my head for a little while. I feel it necessary to say that this takes place about mid-80s when Snape is in his mid-20's while the reader is early 20's. I hope whoever may read this will enjoy it!! I feel like there are some things to improve on but time will tell!
Moonlight glittered through the high windows of the dark, damp dungeon, illuminating a singular figure draped in black. In the latest hour of the night was when Severus Snape always found himself hunched over a bubbling cauldron. Not that he would complainâhe preferred the solace of what he had always known.
Potions never startled him.
They never shifted beneath him.
They never asked him to change.
In his years of working at Hogwarts, heâd grown accustomed to the routine heâd carved out for himself: attend breakfast, teach Potions, skip lunch, hand out detention, attend dinner, and stay up until ungodly hours of the morning.
That was until recently. Life, in its usual cruelty, had found a new way to upend his peace.
Winter had swallowed the castle whole, pressing silence against its drafty stones. Normally, Severus welcomed the quiet of December. The holidays emptied the corridors, muffled the echoes of his past, made the castle feel⌠bearable.
Almost immediately, the routine he had so carefully crafted over the years fell apart at the seams with the arrival of a new Herbology professor in September. And now, with the castle blanketed in snow, Severus found himself spitefully unused to your presence.
The absence of students during the holidays only made matters worse. With fewer bodies filling the corridors, it felt as though his chances of avoiding you diminished entirely. No matter where he went beyond the safety of his dungeons, there you wereâimpossibly, infuriatingly present.
Youâ the professor with unbearably kind eyes and ever-consuming smiles, who greeted each student with an enthusiasm that could rival a Niffler discovering a treasure chest. It irritated him endlessly.
But worst of all, he couldnât avoid you no matter how hard he tried. Potions and Herbology were frustratingly intertwined, and you were the gatekeeper of nearly every essential ingredient he required to do his job.
Which is how he found himself heading to the greenhouses tonight, striding through the damp, cold corridors in the late hours of Christmas Eve.
Severus tried, rather stubbornly, to reason with himself. Surely, you wouldnât be awake at this hourâespecially on a holiday. He knew precisely which ingredient he needed and exactly where to find it; all he required was the faint hope that you wouldnât be in the one greenhouse he had to enter.
If the universe had even a shred of mercy, he could slip in, gather the berries, and slip back out without anyone the wiser. Especially you, with your bright eyes.
But naturally, the universe had never been on his side.
Night had settled over the greenhouses, the warm glow of enchanted lights casting soft pools of illumination over the magical flora. Your attention was held on a delicate Moonlace Orchid, its pale petals shimmering faintly in the lamplightâa gift from one of your Hufflepuff students.
It wasnât unusual for you to be awake this late, but it wasnât often, either. You could blame the flower if you wanted, though the truth was simpler, sleep rarely found you during the long, quiet winter holidays.
A soft sigh escaped your lips as your fingers brushed the smooth, round petals. The buds glimmered faintly, like sunlight dancing across freshly powdered snow.
The soft click of the greenhouse doors made you start slightly, though your hands didnât falter on the glowing flower. You hadnât expected anyone to be here at this hourânot tonight, not on Christmas Eve. Your eyes lifted just enough to catch the shadow slipping through the doorway, moving with careful steps. Whoever it was had clearly assumed the greenhouse would be empty.
You lightly clear your throat, drawing the attention of a figure all too familiar as it moves across the greenhouse. He falters slightly as he nears the towering branches that stretch toward the glass roof.
âI did not⌠expect anyone here.â
âI can tell,â you reply, a faint smile tugging at your lips.
Annoyance flickers across Severusâ face before he turns back to the towering branches in the corner. Slowly, you rise from your spot by the Moonlace Orchid and make your way toward him.
âWhat brings you here so late, Severus?â you ask from behind. If your presence startled him, he gave no sign.
Instead, he remains silent, as if trying to will you out of existence.
After a beat of silence, he replies, voice clipped, âOne might ask you the same.â
His back is still to you, head inclined toward the bare branches. You could almost imagine his steely gaze willing the bark to produce whatever he sought.
You huff softly, amused. âWould you at least tell me what it is youâre looking for? After all, I am the one who plants everything in here.â
Severus tilts his head back, raven hair shifting to reveal dark lashes that frame his onyx eyes, narrowing just slightly before he concedes.
For a moment, you think youâve just heard Severus Snape make a jokeâhis first ever, perhaps. But when he holds your gaze with the same cool seriousness, you realize he is not joking. Bewilderment blooms in your mind, your thoughts scrambling to connect the pieces.
Why does the most anti-social man Iâve ever known need mistletoe berries on Christmas Eve?
Preoccupied with an impossible notion, your words trip over themselves. âO-oh, yeah! Of course.â You step toward the opposite side of the room. âI moved the mistletoe over here because the plants werenât getting as much sunlight in that corner, though I canât say I see much of a difference now. Maybeâif I moved them to the east wallâŚâ
You trail off, realizing your rambling is likely of no concern to him.
Without a word, Severus steps in front of you, entirely ignoring your monologue. His right hand reaches for the nearest mistletoe, plucking the berries and dropping them into a wide jar tucked beneath his cloak.
As his cloak shifts, the scent of spearmint mingled with a faint trace of wood smoke drifts over, and heat prickles through you at the unexpected familiarity.
Your stomach flips. Reeling, you step back, closing your eyes for a brief moment to steady yourself.
You shake your head, trying to clear the sudden heat rising in your cheeks. Itâs late. Youâre tired. Hormones. Just the winter, thatâs all. Anything to explain why your pulse has gone rogue and your thoughts feel scrambled.
You take a slow breath, forcing your mind elsewhere, focusing on the soft glow of the Moonlace Orchid, not the faint smell of him lingering in the air.
And yet⌠even as you tell yourself all of that, your mind wanders. You notice the curve of his shoulders, the way his cloak shifts with each step, the dark glint of his eyesâeven when heâs ignoring you. Over the past few weeks, youâve felt it creeping in, inexplicably, whenever heâs near: aflutter, a pull, a warmth that makes you catch your own breath.
He turns finally, slowly, eyes narrowing as they sweep over you. He pauses, letting his gaze linger just long enough for your pulse to continue sporadically. His expression is unreadable, but thereâs something in the way he studies you that makes your stomach twist.
âYou look⌠unwell,â he says finally. âAre you about to faint, Professor?â
You blink, shaking your head as though that would erase the truth your body is betraying. Iâm fine. Iâm fine. Itâs late, Iâm tired, Iâ you force the thoughts down, pressing your hands together, willing your racing pulse to slow.
His lips press into a thin line, and his eyes narrow further. âDo not lie to me. You are trembling. Look at you.â
âIâItâs nothing,â you murmur, fumbling for composure. Every word comes out too breathy, too fast, and you mentally curse yourself. Banish these ridiculous thoughts. Focus on the flowers. The orchid. Anything but him.
He steps closer, just enough to make you aware of the heat radiating from his body. He doesnât seem to notice anything more than your supposed weakness. âStop fidgeting. Compose yourself,â he says sharply, irritation edging his tone. âYouâre acting ridiculous.â
You canât think straight. Your mouth moves before your brain can catch up, and your feet drag you away from his imposing figure. âBack off, Severus.â
You turn away quickly, bracing your arms against the edge of a potting table, your head tucked between your shoulders. Itâs as if your body has a mind of its own, possessed by the raging hormones of a teenager.
And then it hits you, all at once.
How could I be so stupid?
Glancing back at Severus, you donât meet his eyes, knowing anger is surely painting his face. Instead, your gaze drops to the jar in his handsâthe one holding the mistletoe berries he had just pluckedâand you notice something. One of the berries had been crushed, its juice staining the inside of the container. The sharp, sweet scent begins to fill the air, and with it, a sudden flush rushes to your cheeks.
A sharp pang of regret stabs through you, and before you can stop it, the words spill out. âI shouldâve left after showing you the berries, Iâm sorry. This was a mistake.â
You take a steadying breath, avoiding his gaze as much as possible. âTake the berries to whoever you need them for, Severus. Iâm sure theyâll be more useful to you there.â The words are out before you can stop them, and as soon as they leave your lips, you feel your heart drop.
What the hell am I even saying?
You canât stand another second in his presenceâyouâre only embarrassing yourself more. Without waiting for his reaction, you turn sharply on your heel and push through the greenhouse doors, your breath coming fast as you step out into the cold, biting night. Snowflakes cling to your hair as you hurry away, each step away from the greenhouse feeling like an attempt to escape the weight of the moment.
Steam fogs up the bathroom mirror as the water drips down your face, the heat seeping into your skin, but it canât chase away the uncomfortable realization still gnawing at you. You stand there, leaning against the cool tiles, your mind replaying the words from years ago like a broken record.
Professor Sproutâs voice rings clear in your head, despite the years since sheâd spoken them:
âWhen extracting mistletoe from the branches of Crab-Apple trees, be very careful not to puncture or break the berries. Mistletoe berries are a special kind of aphrodisiac, though their effects are only felt when there is already a pre-existing connection or emotional inclination.â
You groan, thumping your head against the shower wall in frustration, the coolness a sharp contrast to the heat spreading across your skin. No. No, no, no. This canât be happening.
Your mind whirls, trying to block out the implications. Feelings for Severus Snape? The same man whoâs barely spared you a glance all semester? The one whoâs treated you like an inconvenience in his otherwise perfectly regimented life? The one whose every word drips with disdain whenever he does speak to you?
You shake your head, trying to push the thought away, but it refuses to go. You donât feel anything for him. You canât. He barely even notices you. Youâre just another professor at Hogwarts, another annoyance in his carefully constructed routine. Right?
The droplets of water on your skin feel colder now, though youâre sure itâs just the chill from the bathroom air. You close your eyes, the mist from the shower swirling around you, but it does nothing to calm the heat thatâs already spreading across your chest and neck.
A few minutes later, you found yourself cozied in your favorite chair by the fire, a book in hand, letting the warmth of the flames dry your hair. Your head was spinning, and the last thing you wanted was to think about Severus again, but there you were, doing exactly that. You tried to focus on the book in front of you, but your mind kept wandering back to the greenhouse, back to him, and back to those damn berries.
Just as you were trying to lose yourself in a paragraph, a brisk knock on your door jolted you from your thoughts. You froze, the book slipping from your hands, heart skipping a beat.
Frowning, you pushed yourself up, crossing the room quickly. You cracked the door open, eyes meeting a shock of raven-black hair before they flicked up to meet his darkened gaze.
Severus Snape stood there, looking as composed as ever, though his presence seemed to fill the doorway, imposing and heavy.
You were caught off guard. The last person you expected on your doorstep was him, especially after the situation at the greenhouse, and there was no way you could hide your surprise. You awkwardly tucked a damp strand of hair behind your ear, eyes dropping to the floor.
Severus cleared his throat, his voice smooth but with a hint of an edge. âThey were for a potion.â
His words didnât register at first. A potion? You blinked, still processing his unexpected arrival.
You stared at him, confused. âA potion?â
Severusâs eyes narrowed slightly. âThe mistletoe berries. They were for a potion.â
âOh,â you said slowly, the realization dawning on you with a sinking feeling in your stomach. âRight.â
It was clear that Severus was growing impatient, but you couldnât help it.
He exhaled, almost as if he were begrudgingly sharing an explanation. âNot that I owe you an explanation, but I feel itâs necessary to clear up the misunderstanding earlier⌠for your own sanity.â
You blinked, feeling that strange flutter return to your chest. âI see,â you muttered, unsure how to follow up.
You wanted to leave it at that, to walk away from the whole conversation, but the awkward tension in the air made it impossible to escape. Severus wasnât going anywhere.
Trying to clear your thoughts and regain some semblance of composure, you clear your throat and gesture toward the empty chair by the fire. âWould you like to sit and have some tea, then?â
Severus gives you a tight nod, his gaze flicking briefly to the chair before he strides into the room. His movements are purposeful, as always, and yet thereâs something different in the air nowâa quiet intensity.
He walks towards the chair you had been sitting in by the fire, eyes catching on the book you had abandoned on the armrest. It sits there, its pages still open, the words now irrelevant as your thoughts scatter like leaves in the wind.
For a moment, neither of you speak. Severus seats himself in the chair nearest to the fire, his expression unreadable as he watches you prepare the tea.
You take a slow breath, finally glancing at him, but only for a moment. âI wasnât expecting you to⌠come here,â you murmur, unsure how to break the silence.
He doesnât respond immediately, his attention flicking briefly to the fire. âNor was I expecting the⌠misunderstanding in the greenhouse,â he says, his voice cool but still not entirely comfortable with the situation.
You nod, though the knot in your stomach tightens, reminding you of the heat in your cheeks from earlier. You try to push the thought awayâtry to remind yourself that this is just about clearing things up. Nothing more.
His fingers brush yours briefly as he takes the cup from your hands, a simple contact that sends a small jolt through you. You immediately look away, feeling the pulse of warmth again, but not from the tea.
âSo⌠you said you were using the mistletoe berries for a potion?â You prod lightly, trying to keep your voice casual.
A scowl deepens on Severusâ face, his dark eyes flickering to yours for just a moment before his gaze hardens. âYes. A forgetfulness potion. As you should know, the only reason I collect ingredients from the greenhouses is for potion making. It is, after all, my job as Potions Master.â He leans forward slightly, his voice lowering. âNot for the use of unprofessional⌠pleasure activities.â
Heat rises in your cheeks, and you feel a pang of shame. âYouâre right,â you mutter, shifting uncomfortably in your seat. âI shouldnât have assumed. It was late, and⌠well, never mind.â You pause for a second, trying to shake off the awkwardness. âThough I am correct in assuming youâre aware of the properties that mistletoe berries carry, yes?â
Severus narrows his eyes at you, his lips thinning as he processes your question. His gaze shifts away briefly as he contemplates, but then he responds slowly, as though weighing each word. âI⌠am aware of the basic properties of mistletoe berries for their use in my craft. My knowledge extends to the fact that magically grown mistletoe berries act as an aphrodisiac when consumed orally, rather than a poison, as most Muggles believe.â
You nod, not surprised by his knowledge. âNormally, yes,â you reply, your tone thoughtful as you glance away from him, staring into the fire. âHowever, the mistletoe berries grown here in the greenhouses are⌠a special variation.â A pause. âThey grow on Crab-Apple trees, which alters their aphrodisiac properties slightly.â
Severus doesnât interrupt, but you can see him taking in your words, his gaze steady. You clear your throat before continuing, choosing your next words carefully.
âThe berries grown here at Hogwarts are⌠stronger than normal. Instead of being affected only by oral consumption, all it takes is the smallest punctureâor in our case, a crushed berryâto release the aphrodisiac compounds. The very smell of them, when present, enhances pre-existing sexual feelings or emotional inclinations.â
The weight of your words hangs in the air between you, and for a moment, Severus only looks at you, his expression unreadable.
âAnd,â he starts slowly, âI accidentally crushed one while jarring the berries.â
You nod, not sure if you should be relieved or embarrassed. âYes.â
Thereâs a pause, a stretch of silence thick with the unspoken truth. Severus clears his throat. âAnd those were Crab Apple berries.â
You nod again, just a small movement, but it feels monumental in the quiet of the room.
His eyes hold yours for a beat longer, and then, in that voice of hisâalways so dry, yet somehow now laced with something that you canât quite placeâhe asks, âWas your reaction in the greenhouse⌠caused by the crushed berry?â
Your breath catches in your throat. The question lingers, and your mind races, caught between the need to respond and the part of you that still wants to pretend none of this is happening.
You open your mouth to speak, but no words come out at first. The weight of his question is almost too much to bear. Slowly, you find your voice, but itâs shaky, a breathy whisper. âI⌠I think so,â you admit, your voice barely audible over the sound of the crackling fire. âBut that⌠that doesnât change anything, Severus. Itâs just⌠it was a mistake, and it wonât happen again.â
Severus leans forward slightly, his fingers tightening around his teacup as though the warmth is the only thing keeping him grounded. His expression is tight, but thereâs something in his eyesâsomething flickering beneath the surfaceâthat betrays the storm of thoughts roiling within him.
âTo make this perfectly clear,â he says, his voice low, as if heâs forcing himself to stay composed. âI came here to clarify that I was using the mistletoe berries for a potion, not⌠not using them for any sort of sexual activities.â He emphasizes the words, his lips curling into something between a sneer and a grimace, but his gaze doesnât waver from yours.
You nod, swallowing thickly, trying to steady your pulse as the air between you thickens. âRight. Of course,â you mutter, rubbing your thumb along the rim of your teacup, still avoiding his gaze. âI understandââ
His voice slices through the air like a blade, sharper now, the irritation evident. âBut now youâre telling me that this,â he gestures vaguely between the two of you, his hand cutting through the space in front of him, âthis⌠situation, is a result of the mistletoe berries enhancing our already existent sexual inclinations?â
The words hang in the air like a storm cloud, and you feel your throat tighten, your heart skipping in response. The way he says itâlike thatâmakes something shift inside you, a sudden, unsettling clarity creeping in. His question feels like a challenge, like heâs daring you to admit something youâre only just beginning to understand.
You blink, the words hitting you harder than expected. âExcuse me?â you manage, the heat rising to your face as confusion churns in your stomach.
Severus breathes in slowly, but thereâs a tension in his posture, in the way his shoulders stay rigid. His eyes are dark, searching, almost predatory in the way they lock onto yours. âIs this not your conclusion?â he asks, his voice growing more clipped, a cold edge creeping in. âThat the berries affected us both equally? That the⌠reaction we had in the greenhouse was because of them?â
You freeze. A sudden realization floods your senses like a rush of ice water. You thought he was unaffected. Hell, you were sure of it. The only reason you could explain your own reaction was the berriesâthat was the only logical way to account for it. But Severus? He had seemed⌠so composed. So detached. Almost indifferent.
A small, tight laugh escapes you, but it feels wrong, forced. âI⌠I thought it was just me,â you murmur, your voice faint, the words stumbling out before you can catch them. You clear your throat, trying to steady your breath. âI thought you were fine. You didnâtââ
You stop, suddenly aware of how exposed youâve become. You donât even know how to finish the sentence. How can you even say it? You bite your lip and try to push it back, but the truth is out, hanging between you like a weight.
The implication lingers in the air, thick and charged. Your pulse races, your thoughts scattering in all directions. You were sure you could handle this conversation, but now that itâs spiraling, youâre unsure where to go next.
He leans forward, and you feel the weight of it, the subtle shift in his posture. His gaze doesnât leave you for a second. You almost canât breathe under the intensity of it. Thereâs something simmering beneath the surface, and it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
The room feels small now, the space between you two electric. The seconds drag on, stretching impossibly long.
Severus lets out a soft exhale, a barely-there sound that you could easily miss if you werenât paying close attention. His gaze flickers downward for a brief moment, his jaw tightening again before he looks back up at you, his eyes ever-darker than before. âI find it⌠interesting,â he murmurs, his voice low, almost thoughtful, âthat you assumed I would be unaffected by something as potent as mistletoe berries.â
His words hang there like a challenge, and you find yourself frozen, caught between the desire to look away and the magnetic pull of his presence. Youâve never seen him like thisâthis close, this engaged. Itâs as if the air is thickening with something unsaid, something dangerous.
âIâŚâ You struggle for words, but they all feel wrong, inadequate. âI didnât thinkâŚâ you start, but then the truth settles like a stone in your stomach, and you stop, suddenly aware of just how much youâve misjudged.
The silence stretches again, taut and electric, before Severus speaks again, his voice almost a growl. âAnd now?â
It was an invitation. Severusâs tone left no room for misinterpretation, not even the shy kind. He leaned forward, knees canted outward, black robes splaying as if to clear more territory. His gaze darted along your cheekbones, then lower, then up, making you acutely aware of every inch of yourself. The warmth along your skin was dizzying.
You shifted in your chair. The wood creaked, and the sound was obscenely loud in the hush between you. You tried to keep your voice steady. âI-I donât⌠I mean, Iâm not sure-â
Severus scoffed, but there was no real derision in it. âYou have an imagination, I should hope. Or is that, too, a casualty of your⌠socialization?â The last word came out sharp, but his attention on you didnât waver. A strand of his hair had fallen loose, and now it hovered somewhere between his jaw and his collar.
You considered what answer he wanted, and what answer you had. âI have an imagination,â you managed, sounding less cowed than youâd expected. âJust⌠not the right frame of reference, apparently.â
His presence is overwhelming, the heat radiating from him a tangible force that presses against you, leaving little space for breath. His knee brushes against yours, a touch that sends a shiver through your spine, the intensity of it making your heart race.
âThen perhaps we might⌠correct that.â
The words are low, thick and with something unspoken, they settle in the air between you like a promise you canât ignore. Your thoughts scatter, but somehow, in the chaos, youâre hereâright where you want to be.
With a trembling hand, you slide it from the armrest of your chair, fingers lightly brushing the dark fabric of his trousers, tracing a line up his thigh. You move down slowly, away from your chair. The tension between you both pulls tighter with every inch of distance you close, until your hand slides all the way up and finds its place at the center of his chest, holding him there, grounded.
Folding your legs beneath you on the ground, you position yourself between his legs, spread in his chair. Your gaze remains locked with his, the deep onyx of his eyes pulling you in deeper with every beat of your heart. A soft whisper leaves your lips.
The sound of his name is almost like a plea, a quiet question hanging in the air.
His hands move before you can process it, gentle but firm, cupping your face, his thumbs brushing the skin of your cheek as he tilts your head up to meet him. Thereâs something in his eyesâa quiet fireâsomething you never expected to see from Severus Snape. But itâs there, unmistakable.
A warm finger begins to trace the soft flesh of your lower lip, your own gaze dropping to his mouth as your left hand slides across his thigh to his hip, your right hand still resting on his chest.
âPlease,â you sigh into his caress.
Severus leans closer, his breath warm against your lips. His eyes flicker from yours to your mouth, as though testing the waters. His gaze is intenseâlike heâs waiting for you to make the first move. But in the space between, in the silence that fills the room, neither of you speak. The only sound is the pounding of your heart.
And then, heâs there. His lips brush against yours in the lightest of touches, a whisper of contact that sends a jolt of electricity down your spine. You freeze, just for a moment, your body catching up to whatâs happening. You lean into him, pressing your lips more firmly against his. His hands slide from your face to your neck, goosebumps trailing in their wake.
But then, something shifts.
The tension between you cracks open, and the kiss deepens. His lips, once slow and cautious, begin to press against yours more firmly, with purpose. His fingers tighten around your neckânot painfully, but enough to show his control, as though heâs done holding back.
Thereâs a sudden urgency in his movements now, as if the hesitation had shattered and something raw is finally surfacingâŚ