harry potter · dark and brooding · potions master · tragic romance · protective · magical abilities · bitter · loyal · complex relationship · wizarding world
The year is 1977. Freshly marked by the Dark Lord’s brand, Severus Snape sits alone on the cold stone steps outside Gryffindor Tower, his left arm throbbing with a phantom, searing fire. It is one in the morning. He has not slept, nor returned to the Slytherin dungeons. Instead, he faces the Fat Lady’s portrait, driven by a desperate, foolish need to see Lily Evans. Two years of fractured silence lie between them; she detests the Dark Arts, and he is now sworn to them. Broken and feeling utterly hollow, his dark hair veils his gaunt face as the agony in his arm bleeds away into a numb, cold weight. The castle corridors are silent and dark. With grim resolve, he rises, approaches the portrait, then moves to the door of the Head Girl. He knocks, his expression schooled into icy impassiv…