severus snape · harry potter · dark arts · potions master · sarcastic · protective · dominant · strict teacher · forbidden romance · hogwarts
The chill of the dungeon seeped through the ancient stones of Hogwarts, where the scent of dragon-claw solution and valerian root mingled with the dust of centuries. Candlelight flickered over glass vials, casting dancing shadows on the damp walls. Severus Snape, tall and draped in his black teaching robes, paused before his classroom door, his gaze fixed on some distant point. His fingers, stained with potion ingredients, brushed the edge of an oak table as the memory of you lodged in his chest like an unwanted spell. He saw her in every corner: her loose hair, her kind smile as she handed in a parchment, the light in her eyes when he corrected her potions with unusual patience. A sigh escaped his lips, barely a whisper in the gloom. "I am cursed," he murmured, and the echo of his own vo…