𓆩♡𓆪 synopsis: young Severus Snape doesn't understand how the popular slytherin girl could be interested in a nerdy loser like him. PT2
⌓ young!severus snape x F!famous reader
PS: Maybe the P3 will be the last part before some OS? PROMISE, next time they will have som smexx
𓅓 Content warning : Insults, SA'd from James to Severus, 2nd POV, harassment, smut, slow burn, obsession, wandless magic (reader),toxicity (Severus), jealousy,animagus reader (artic fox) lack of self-confidence, f!reader, virigins. MDNI
The late afternoon had gone by more peacefully than expected, to the point that you both ended up sleeping deeply in each other’s arms all the way through the banquet, as if nothing had happened. Yes, Severus had a terrible sleep deficit, but you were going to find an alternative, weren’t you? However, that was a problem to deal with later. The thing on your mind was the curious looks Narcissa and that stupid Lucius kept giving the two of you. Why were they looking at you like that? Was it simply because your shoulder was touching Severus’s while he was trying to eat? Or was it because you were scolding him for refusing to eat? Surely, it was a bit of both. Still, it was pretty bold coming from them, considering how they were always openly flirting with each other in front of everyone without giving each other a moment’s breathing room as if it were an Olympic sport.
You were so focused on Severus’s efforts that you hadn’t even heard the footsteps of an old man approaching until he stopped behind you and placed his hand on your shoulder, his long, hideous fingernails making it look as though he were competing with Wolverine.
“Is the meal to your liking, young prefect? I sincerely hope it is, from the bottom of my heart, just as much as I look forward to your presence in my office once it is over.”
Oh, you didn’t even need to turn around to know that it was the big, bearded man wearing a huge smile as he said that. No doubt about it. How dare he do that right next to Severus? Without even asking how he was doing?
“Always, Professor Dumbledore. Always.”
Hopefully, Severus would keep eating until the end of the year, until the train arrived, just so you could escape this encounter. But no, the idiot had eaten enough after a good ten minutes while watching his favorite show: his annotated Potions book. And that was how you eventually made your way to the revolving statue.
You didn’t even bother knocking on the door anymore. In any case, that old creep knew everything, all the time. A bit like some old, perverted voyeur, but that wasn’t your problem, was it?
“Ah, I didn’t think you would come. Did you leave young Snape in good hands?”
“Better hands than Potter’s, indeed. Shall we discuss that incident?”
“Not only that, so don’t be in such a hurry, young lady. I have taken care of the matter, as have young Lupin and his colleague. I should punish you as well; using magic against students is not permitted, prefect or not. However, it was done in self-defense, wasn’t it?”
Did he seriously expect you to admit that you were about to cast Confringo or Avada Kedavra on that idiot Potter? Oh, you would have done it without hesitation if Snape hadn’t intervened.
“Indeed, Professor. It is my duty to do so, especially when the Head Boy is watching and allowing something that horrible to happen. Is that the only matter we’re going to discuss?”
“You seem quite busy, young lady. You are certainly the prefect with such potential. There are still some things you need to learn, aren’t there? What do you know about Apparition?”
“Apparition is a spell with different forms. There is either teleportation, where you visualize a location and then your body is teleported there, or there is the transformation into a cloud of smoke, either white or black, depending on whether the person uses dark magic or not.”
“Would you like to learn it? Consider it a sign of… congratulations for your good work on behalf of the school.”
Mhm… It could help you protect Severus and potentially create a spell that would place a magical marker on him, allowing you to Apparate directly to him at any moment. Besides, it was always one more spell to add to your arsenal, wasn’t it?
“I suppose I wouldn’t mind learning it, no.”
With a slight nod, that was how you began learning the spell under the tutelage of the great Dumbledore. If the other students came looking for you? Things were getting worse by the day. You could simply spend your classes with Severus and your nights with him, sneaking around as an Animagus.
If only the year had ended like that. However, after your rise through the dueling club, Filius Flitwick offered or rather, took you hostage to have a duel in front of everyone. The greatest duelist of his generation against a prefect who didn’t even have half as much experience as he did? Was that really normal? But why not, after all! You could earn points for your house, and that was better than nothing.
Wednesday morning, the day of the duel, came earlier than expected. Were you really ready for this? Would you ever be? In the worst-case scenario, you’d get beaten just as everyone expected. In the best-case scenario, you’d win and probably secure the House Cup for your house. So if you lost, Slytherins would hate you… great.
Fortunately, Severus was there. He had really helped you. The duel was going to take place on the Quidditch pitch so that everyone could watch, meaning you had to find some advantages in being there. If you knocked Professor Flitwick off the pitch, would you win? No? All right, Azkaban for murder was probably more likely. But you weren’t going to stop looking for a way out.
You did have one advantage, after all: being wandless had improved your control over magic, which meant your magic was considerably more powerful with a wand. And if Flitwick disarmed you? You’d still be fine, whereas he would have a much harder time fighting without his wand.
And so you trained under the watchful eyes of some students, with Severus helping you practice Protego Diabolica. However, you often had trouble making the flames disappear, to the point where the fire would start coming back toward you. You couldn’t afford to put anyone in danger not even yourself. Although the other professors were there, you had to be careful. That was the most complicated part of dueling.
Still, you could never thank Dumbledore enough for enchanting the grass so that it wouldn’t catch fire. For once, he had done something useful without some hidden agenda behind it.
It was only after a few hours that the cheers and noise surrounding the pitch began to grow louder, and a certain professor appeared behind Dumbledore and McGonagall before stepping forward to face you.
“Nervous, young lady? Have you been training relentlessly? The fruits of your hard work are surely about to show themselves now.”
While Professor Flitwick was getting ready, you looked at Severus as he nodded in your direction before starting to walk away. Was it the stress that had made you brush your fingers against the palm of his hand without even realizing it? Probably. Although he stopped immediately, you could feel the tips of his fingers gently brushing against yours before he continued on his way toward the stands, taking a seat beside Narcissa and Blondie Malfoy right at the front.
After Dumbledore repeated the rules, which everyone already knew, the bow was exchanged, the firecrackers went off, and the duel began. Flitwick didn’t waste a single second before attacking you directly with a few Stupefy, Expelliarmus, and other relatively weak spells. Was he trying to gauge your level? You weren’t stupid. You hadn’t lost a single duel since your first year. Then, after a few minutes, he stopped laughing. You could see an Incendio heading straight toward you. What better way to keep it from reaching your area than a Protego Totalum? What you didn’t see was the spell immediately behind it: Incarcerous.
You had no other choice but to cast Protego Diabolica around Flitwick, then use Fumos to Apparate into the air before casting Confringo directly into the middle of the blue flames surrounding him. Had Dumbledore deliberately taught you Apparition for moments like this? However, you hadn’t expected Flitwick to get out of it so easily or so quickly. You barely had time to realize you were falling before you hit the ground, though surprisingly, it didn’t hurt at all. Was it you, or had Dumbledore just helped you cheat by casting Molliare to soften your fall?
Fortunately, you had enough time to cast Magicus Extremos before a Repulso came flying toward you, just as you cast Petrificus Totalus at Flitwick. Although you saw the spell coming, you didn’t have time to dodge it. You were sent flying into the Slytherin stands, knocking most of the students over in the process. You had to get back up, didn’t you?Before your spell wore off and Flitwick could win. But your body hurt so badly. No one had the right to touch you, leaving you there, bleeding on the ground as though nothing had happened, while you fought against your own body just to find enough willpower to move.
After a few seconds, your trembling body finally decided to listen to you. You managed to stand and raise your wand into the air amid the cheers of the crowd only to collapse from exhaustion moments later, everything going black. Was it a dream? Had you really just defeated the great Flitwick? Why had you even agreed to the duel in the first place? Probably because of your ego. Or greed. One of the two. Everything was so quiet. Why was it so quiet, anyway? Weren’t the Slytherins supposed to be celebrating? You had won the House Cup, after all. It was only when you saw the walls of Madam Pomfrey’s infirmary surrounding you that you understood the silence. Until you felt a gentle touch running through your hair.
How long had that idiot been waiting for you to wake up? With a little courage and a lot of pain, you managed to cast Levicorpus, pulling him down so that he was lying against you. You wrapped your legs around his without him even reacting, which gave you a pretty good idea of just how long he hadn’t slept while waiting by your bedside. You couldn’t help thinking it was absolutely adorable. And the thought that he would make a perfect boyfriend crossed your mind too at least when it came to you.
After falling asleep again for several hours, still desperately lacking sleep yourself, you eventually heard a deep voice calling your name, sounding worried. A little too worried.
The young boy sat up, watching you slowly open your eyes. He gently brushed his fingers across your forehead before smiling. It was a genuine smile. The first you had really seen since the beginning of your friendship. A wide, sincere smile you had never truly seen from him before. And it warmed your heart so much that you couldn’t help smiling back. You gently stroked the back of the hand resting against your forehead, guiding it toward your lips before timidly brushing your lips against it. He simply stared at you, completely stunned by the tenderness of the gesture and by the way you were treating him.
“Sleep well, Severus? I can hardly believe you sleep better by my side than you do with anyone else, anywhere else.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I only tolerate your presence because of the rescue. I can’t exactly throw you away like an expired potion.”
“Oh, you’ve definitely fallen for my charms. I’m eagerly awaiting a bouquet of flow-”
Before you could finish your sentence, you received a flick on the forehead from a grumpy, black-haired boy who was strangely blushing. Maybe you weren’t entirely wrong after all. Of course, he couldn’t possibly admit it either. Perhaps that was why you and Severus got along so well. Despite your egos, neither of you could seem to stand being apart from the other.
Before you could continue daydreaming, the infirmary doors suddenly burst open, revealing most of Slytherin House, along with students from the other three houses. They rushed toward you carrying gifts, most of them shouting and cheering. You didn’t even have time to say anything to Severus. You turned your head for a moment, only to find that he was gone. Had he seriously just disappeared? Where had he gone?
While everyone else celebrated you, you smiled softly as you looked at all the gifts, already planning to enjoy them with Regulus, Severus, and the couple. After visiting hours were over, you were finally told you could leave the next day. Thanks to your rather impressive recovery or perhaps simply a very good nurse you spent the night coming up with all sorts of little scenarios involving Severus. The next morning, Madam Pomfrey barely had time to finish telling you that you were free to leave before you bolted out of the infirmary, practically running to find your favorite nerd.
After spotting him in the Great Hall, you immediately went to sit beside him, facing Regulus and Narcissa while a crowd of people gathered around you, already preparing a celebration for the duel. After announcing that you would be attending the party, Severus began to get up from the bench. You immediately stopped him, wrapping your hand around his wrist.
“You’re coming too, Sevy. You don’t have a choice, and you know that just as well as I do.”
He made a slight grimace before nodding, finally giving up on the idea of telling you no. Once you were sure he was actually going to come, you let go of his wrist, and he didn’t waste a single second escaping from the crowd that made him feel suffocated. The rest of the week passed peacefully, while your relationship with Severus remained stagnant, and it frustrated you more than you would ever admit. But what had you expected from him? It wasn’t as though he was going to make the first move for… a date? Going out with you? Anything would do at this point. After talking the situation over at length with Narcissa, she helped you come to terms with your feelings. You had to leave him a letter or some kind of message, but you weren’t going to make it easy for him. He was clever enough to figure it out, wasn’t he? Besides, you had already been far too patient with him.
And so you began thinking about how to leave him a message without actually saying it outright. What did Severus like? Dark magic, Potions, you, peace and quiet, and knowledge. Mhm, so many questions… But you had an idea for the riddle, didn’t you? The hardest part was getting the objects and knowledge you needed for it. And that was how you disappeared for a while, determined to put the gift together quickly and properly for his birthday.
First, you had to get a book on Dark Magic and another on Potions that were forbidden for sale. Easier said than done, and yet, after a good week of relentless searching, you managed to get them not without a few threats, though. First step? Done. You still had… a good ten or so steps left. Maybe Severus would have started a family before you even got through the next one. More seriously, you now had to read both books and educate yourself while hiding your excitement from everyone around you and preparing for the party that was coming up soon to celebrate the duel you had won and which you may or may not have completely forgotten about by then.
The book on Dark Magic was finally finished. You could understand why Severus liked it so much, to be honest. Necromancy was rather fascinating, and some Potions were even connected to Dark Magic. Oh, you were almost certain Severus dreamed about all of this. But that wasn’t your concern not for now, at least. You could look into it another time. The book on Potions took longer to understand. Oh, you were never going to actually practice any of it, except perhaps to carry out an assassination attempt using failed Potions.
And so, it was time for the riddle.
A - Accromantula
S - Snake
T - Toad
R - Raven
O - Occamy
N - Nightshade
O - Oak
M - Mandrake
Y - Yew
T - Thestral
O - Occamy
W - Wolfsbane
E - Erumpent
R - Rat
That was your mental checklist. Did he really think you were just going to remove the first letters and hand him all the answers at once? No, no. You were simply going to remove the ingredient names. It would frustrate him so much that he’d fall straight into the trap. And so, on the blank first page, you wrote:
“You know what they have in common. Take only what they share.”
Of course, you added a little spell that he would have to see through. You almost felt sorry for him, considering the ingredients weren’t in any particular order, meaning he would have to work them out manually himself.
You already had one W out of the three. WWW. Now there were only two riddles left. For the “When,” you had already planned everything too. What a perfect woman you were, weren’t you?
Once he found the location, he would have to use a spell to reveal the hidden text. But would he realize that a compartment inside the book would open, revealing three Potions lined up side by side? This time, the riddle would rely on his sense of smell. He would have to smell them, not drink them.
The first Potion would smell of freshly cut grass, cold air, and rain, giving him the clue: outside.
The second would carry the scent of jasmine and dampness, leading him to the clue: night.
And the last Potion would contain twelve ingredients, meant to give him the time. So, if he was clever enough to put all the clues together, they would spell out:
You had done most of the hard work already, which was something to be proud of. The only problem left was the final W, which stood for WHY. You were simply going to give him Amortentia. It was a double-edged sword, though. Either he would smell your scent, or he would smell Lily’s. Still, everything was ready for his birthday present. Now, the party had to become the main event. There would be a celebration in the Great Hall, followed by another one in the common room. Maybe you had saved someone’s life or something. If there was a ball or anything like that, you were definitely going to take Severus. But would he accept? And what if you had to dance? You probably didn’t even know how to dance. Even if you did, would you actually manage to dance pressed against him? Would you even be able to breathe that close to him? No, probably not. And so you spent the entire day imagining your evening with him.
Thank to Merlin or Narcissa had let you wear one of her dresses. Maybe she had deliberately given you the only dress in Severus’s colors: green and black, everything he liked. And what was even better? The Great Hall doors were closed in front of you while you could feel someone’s gaze burning into your back, with Regulus talking to you and congratulating you. Thinking about it, you actually talked to him about plenty of serious subjects, unlike with Severus, where it was mostly just classes. Yet you couldn’t seem to go a single day without thinking about him. Oh, you were definitely screwed, weren’t you? After the bell rang, the huge doors finally opened, revealing the tables pushed to the sides, while the Great Hall had an almost… empty appearance. It wasn’t ugly, not at all. It was just strange, somehow. The evening had already been going for a while and, against all expectations, you had survived the congratulations, the looks, the smiles, and even the few people who came to ask how you had managed to stand your ground against Flitwick. You answered politely, as always, but you had never really known what to say to that kind of compliment. You had won. That was all. Well… almost. You had merely launched what was essentially a terrorist attack on a professor, while potentially nearly killing him in the process.Because ever since the Great Hall doors had opened, you hadn’t stopped searching the crowd for a certain silhouette.
You had spotted him several times. Near the tables, then with a few Slytherin students, before he disappeared from your field of vision again. And every time, your heart did that ridiculous little thing that was starting to seriously annoy you. You were supposed to be used to attracting attention. You were Hogwarts’ best duelist, a Slytherin prefect, and, incidentally, the reason this entire evening was taking place. Everyone knew who you were. Everyone had seen your duel against Flitwick. And yet, all it took was Severus looking at you for a little too long for you to completely forget how to behave. You eventually went back to Regulus, who had spent a good part of the evening talking to you as though you had all the time in the world. You talked about the party, classes, certain professors, and even much more serious matters. With him, it was easy. Natural. With Severus, you could barely string three sentences together if they weren't about Potions or spells.
You were definitely screwed.
The music finally began echoing through the Great Hall, drawing a few students toward the center. You immediately regretted wondering earlier that day whether there would be a ball. Because there was one. And now, a much more important question had to be answered. Were you really going to ask Severus to dance? You might have been capable of disarming someone in a matter of seconds, but the simple thought of walking up to him and asking for a dance suddenly felt like the hardest duel of your life. You had promised yourself you would do it. You had even started making your way toward him.Then you saw someone talking to him.
You stopped. Then someone else approached him. Well, you were probably going to be waiting for quite a while. The evening continued like that, between conversations and the few dances you eventually agreed to join. You had even managed to forget about Severus for a few minutes. Well, you had tried. Because the moment you turned your head, you found him there. On the other side of the room. His eyes were fixed on you.And this time, he didn't look away.
Your smile disappeared almost immediately, replaced by that familiar feeling in your chest. You had no idea how long he had been watching you. Maybe a few seconds. Maybe longer. You had no idea what he was thinking. But for the first time that evening, you no longer felt like running away.
Just a tiny smile. And, against all expectations, Severus gave you the same in return. Barely noticeable. But enough to make you realize that, perhaps, this evening wasn't so bad after all. Unfortunately, by the end of the evening, you hadn't spent any time with Severus. You hadn't even received a compliment, at least not from him, and it was frustrating you to no end. Bloody hell. With alcohol running through everyone's veins, everyone finally made their way back to their respective dormitories far too late, including you and Severus. Of course, that idiot hadn't had a single drink, which was why he had one hand resting on your back as he guided you toward the dormitories, probably hoping that you wouldn't remember the next day just how close he had been holding you.
