Hope For The Hopeless (Severus Snape x Reader)

Walk Me To My Quarters?

"It was definitely a curse that killed her - probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times..."

You rolled your eyes at Lockhart's bluster, it clearly was no such thing and every other witch and wizard in that room knew it. Filch was weeping for Mrs. Norris, as Lockhart continued to make the situation worse; Ron, Harry, and Hermione looked shell shocked.

You examined the cat's body with Dumbledore. Lockhart continued chuntering on about a village in Ouagadougou and amulets but you weren't really paying him much mind. Far too focussed on the stiffened form of the ginger cat. Dumbledore looked at you, "Well, y/n, what do you think?"

You were surprised that Dumbledore was asking, he clearly would know himself.

"She's not dead," you realised quickly. "Petrification, I think."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement as he poked his wand carefully along the cat's body. He signalled for you to tell Filch.

You spoke softly, "Argus, she's not dead."

At your announcement, Lockhart stopped his incessant counting.

"She's not?" He looked relieved but still sobbed, "Then what's the matter with her?"

You looked at Dumbledore and he gave you a soft nod to say it was okay to continue. "She's been petrified."

Lockhart interrupted before you could go on; he knew that, obviously. The whole room seemed to give him a look of annoyance and brought their attention back to you.

"I've only ever seen it once before, I wouldn't be able to say what it's from without some more investigation." You looked around, everyone listening intently. When you glanced over at Severus, he looked impressed. Or as close to impressed you thought he could look.

Filch then implicated Harry as the culprit and you were shocked when Severus spoke up for him and his friends. It was slightly backhanded but something was better than nothing you thought. Dumbledore had to step in and calm the atmosphere though, reassuring Filch that there was a cure for petrification.

"I'll make it." Lockhart chimed in, saying he could make a Mandrake Restorative Draught in his sleep. You and Minerva shared a look of aggravation and if you were Lockhart you'd have been terrified at the way Severus was glaring at him.

"Excuse me but I believe I am the Potions master at this school and as such, I will deal with it and if I don't, then y/n will."

Lockhart, and his various alter egos that milled about in the portraits surrounding his office, looked sheepish. The authority in Severus' voice made you squirm, you shouldn't have enjoyed it so much, but you did. It left a terribly awkward atmosphere in the room.

Presumably, Dumbledore not wanting the trio of pupils to see a fight between teachers break out, ushered them to bed. They were all petrified, not magically, but emotionally and they scurried out without a word.

"The Mandrakes won't be ready for months, Albus." You said quietly in a worried tone, trying not catch Filch's attention as Minerva tried to console him some more.

"Don't worry, I'll placate Argus for as long as is needed." He tapped your shoulder, "Do excuse me." You watched him relay something to Severus quietly and he nodded in response.

"Good show there, y/n, knew it all of course but wanted to give others the opportunity." Urgh, slimeball. He reached his hand to the back of your elbow, "Why don't we go have a drink in my chambers and you can tell me all the other fascinating information you have stored in that magnificent head of yours?"

Snatching your arm away you quietly let him down, "No thank you, Gilderoy."

"Some other time then, I will get you, dear," he said playfully and winked at you.

Without much thought, you checked to see if Severus had been watching the exchange; he had. He was still talking to Albus but his eyes had been on you. You weren't particularly worried about him thinking you were interested in Lockhart, you had shown him over the last month enough that you weren't. Partly out of your natural dislike for the man and partly because you wanted Severus to know that it would never happen.

"I have things to attend to. Good night, Gilderoy." You gave him a quick fake smile and walked away.

You let the other teachers know you were leaving and exited Lockhart's homage to himself or his office as it was officially known. The students had gone, most likely ushered to their dormitories by the prefects, making the hallways deathly quiet as you walked back to the writing on the wall.

The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware.

The warning played through you mind. The chamber of secrets. There was no actual proof that it existed, it was a story, or so you had always thought but it worried you greatly. You had come to Hogwarts for a new start, a peaceful new start and you couldn't help but feel this was the beginning of something much bigger and sinister than you wanted to deal with.

Footsteps echoed in the silence, you didn't need to look to know who it was; at least you heard him coming this time, you thought. The footsteps stopped next to you.

"The Mandrakes, how long until they're ready?" he asked.

You didn't take your eyes off the wall, "Months. Maybe 5 or 6," you replied and as you turned your head to him, he didn't hide his stare, - "but you knew that already."

Looking at him, you tilted your head slightly in confusion. What are you really doing here?

He cleared his throat, a thought playing at his lips, "Minerva told me to check on you."

He broke eye contact. Liar.

"Did she now?" The lilt of your voice told Severus you knew he was lying.

You watched as the muscles along his jawline tensed and relaxed, tensed and relaxed again. "I was checking on you."

He looked back at you then, not his usual intense stare but something a little warmer and you couldn't help but soften. Kindness and affection wasn't natural to him but he was at least trying.

"I appreciate it." You smiled softly at him and then looked back to the wall

"What's this mean?" You gestured towards the warning with a slight bow of your head, your arms wrapped around your body for warmth.

"Honestly. I couldn't tell you for sure."

You believed his reply this time as you heard his concerns mirroring your own.

"And you can't tell me what's going on at Hogwarts either I assume?" You held your hand up before he could even open his mouth, "It's okay, I don't actually expect an answer."

The continued troubled look on his face said it all. There was more. So much more.

You don't know what possessed you in that moment but you watched as your hand reached towards his face, as if it did so of its own volition, and smoothed out the crease that always formed in the middle of his brow. His skin was softer than you imagined but what you found really surprising was his lack of protest. He just watched, breath held and unmoving.

You smiled shyly, "You'll give yourself wrinkles."

"I think they're the least of my worries," he said almost breathlessly, glancing at the warning again.

Feeling brave you linked your arm with his and his warmth was a welcomed delight to your cold body, he tensed slightly but made no move to extract his arm from yours.

"Come on.." you looked up at him, - "...walk me to my quarters?"

With a nod of his head, you were both walking towards the dungeons. You smiled when he kept his pace slower for you.