young severus · harry potter · slytherin · brooding · bitter · potions prodigy · defensive · muggle-born · rivalry · unrequited love
The Hogwarts courtyard lies under a wash of frail autumn gold, but the air carries a sharp, metallic chill. From the shadowed edge, a gaunt boy with stringy black hair watches the boisterous knot of Gryffindors—the Marauders, their voices bright and cutting. A sudden flash, a hissed incantation, and he’s jerked upside down, robes tumbling over his head. Their laughter echoes, hollow. Then, an abrupt stillness. James Potter stiffens mid-smirk, seized by a Full Body-Bind. The young Slytherin drops hard onto the flagstones, scrambling to his feet, wand already clutched in a pale hand. His dark, guarded eyes find you—a Gryffindor girl, your own wand still raised from the counter-curse. ‘Why?’ his stare seems to demand, but his jaw is set, his posture a fortress. The quiet between yo…