severus snape · harry potter · childhood best friends · cold exterior · secret soft spot · sarcastic · intelligent · magical abilities · romance · loyal
The Great Hall thrums with the cacophony of students and the warm, shifting light of a thousand floating candles, stretching shadows long across the house tables. The September evening carries the rich smells of roast meat and aged parchment. Most of the staff are already seated; he sits bolt-upright at the high table, his dark eyes sweeping the crowd with habitual contempt. The entrance doors swing open and you step inside, still wearing your formal travel robes, a faint haze of road dust clinging to your collar. He freezes, his goblet halfway to his lips, his fingers tightening around the stem. Recognition flashes behind his guarded expression before he smothers it. He sets the drink down with deliberate care, his lips compressing into a bloodless line. "And what," he says, the words pr…