home (reader at hogwarts)

thirty four

"albus!" you giggle, going in for a hug.

the man wraps his arms around you for a brief moment and then the pair of are pulled apart as severus pulls you by the waistband of your skirt back to him.

you frown up at him and he ignores you placing a firm hand on your shoulder.

"y/n told me that she would like for me to stay throughout this discussion of the plan."

albus' smile falters for a second and he looks down at you.

"are you sure?"

you nod.

the head master leans back in his armchair and studies the pair of you carefully before shrugging.

"fine by me. take a seat."

severus and you sit on the long sofa you had fallen asleep on and face dumbledore.

"we need to figure out what to do now." albus says. "it was a vital part of our plan to ensure that you got into gryffindor- in order to make it easy for you to become friends with harry potter."

"does she really need to be friends with him?" severus snarls. "i mean she already knows what's going to happen- does she need to associate herself with him?"

albus smiles. "if they were friends it would be easier for harry to let her in on plans he may have- on intervening in voldemort's return."

severus tenses at the name and you hold his hand, feeling him relax.

"harry would grow suspicious of me- always at the right place at the right time if he hadn't been the one to invite me with him himself." you agree.

"okay so maybe she has to be friends with him." severus hesitantly continues. "it'll definitely be more difficult now that she's been sorted into slytherin."

"the hat has made it clear to me that he takes great offense in our decision to sort y/n without him, and that him and the book of acceptance have collectively decided against having you resorted any time soon."

"see, he is a him." you tell severus and he throws you a look that screams 'focus' at you in a 'or i might just throw you out a window' kind of way.

"it's impossible to move your houses, the castle itself would object." albus says, sounding defeated.

"that's insane." you laugh, impressed. "but also complicates things majorly."

you look down at your palms. "i might've already made friends with most of the kids in slytherin- that ought to make harry a little weary of me."

"you never know." albus opposes. "it might make him feel less threatened by you- when he sees you're impartial, a friend to the school as well as the slytherins."

"or it might make him brand her. brand her as one of the bad ones, like the rest of the gryffindors do." severus counters.

"ah yes, there's always been such a rivalry." albus agrees though you feel severus tense up again.

"i wonder why." he grumbles and the headmaster seems to turn a little pink- no doubt aware of his contribution to the everlasting war between the houses .

"so what, i play the emerald field most of the time but play the scarlet when harry goes through something important?"

you cringe at your own wording and hold a hand up as the two men open their mouths to speaks.

"actually, don't answer that. i've decided it's wrong." you take a breath. "i think i might still be a bit giddy."

"come here, sit back." severus says, adjusting the pillows so that you are completely sat on the sofa, resting your back on its charcoal grey plush back.

"what's wrong?" albus asks. severus checks the temperature of your forehead.

"she experienced hysteria. probably a reaction inside of her body, nothing we need to worry about." severus pulls his hand away. "slightly cold now- let's get you warm."

you feel yourself get wrapped up in a cozy blanket before melting into severus side as he spoke attentively to dumbledore.

the three of you decide that it is entirely a matter of managing to make yourself seem likeable enough to harry and his friends, defend them from the slytherins to an extent that they favour you if not as one of their own- then at least an acquaintance.

you derived that severus would purposefully take extra jabs at the gryffindors to give you a chance to argue for them- in the many classes where slytherin first years and gryffindors will mix.

you find your eyes are growing tired from being pressed against severus' warm sleeve.

"i'm totally gonna rip you to shreds, sev." you yawn, stretching your arms. "watch how i defend harry with such vigour that they'll doubt your paternity."

"that-" severus stutters. "you might not want to do that, darling."

"agreed. y/n, play lion for as much as you think you may need to- but you are a snake." albus tells you, sternly.

you nod- he is right.

"i'm sleepy." you say and albus gasps as he takes a glance up at the time. "oh dear me, look at the time!"

"bed time..." you say, your words sounding slurred. "sleepy time for y/n."

"merlin." severus sighs, looking down at you as you hug his arm. he shakes you off and you flop onto the sofa, your eyes shut.

"i can't take her to her dorm and i fear that gemma farley and harold greaves are currently patrolling the other end of the castle." severus tells albus.

"i can ask percy to-"

the dark haired wizard gave albus a look hard enough to kill a man.

"understood." albus nods, looking down at you.

"she can stay here," severus says. "i'll have her up early so she can head back to the dorms in daylight."

"perfect." the headmaster shakes severus' hand before stopping quickly at the door as severus sees him out. "you take care."

severus looks at his mentor intensly, before nodding. "you too, sir."

as the door clicks shut behind him severus can hear your faint calling from the sofa.

"sevvy." you say. "don't leave me here."

you're still fast asleep and severus makes sure of it before pulling off his over coat and sitting in just his cotton tunic on the floor infront of where you rest.

your hand falls onto his shoulder and he reaches up to grab it in one of his own.

"i'm here, y/n. go to sleep, love."

"mm? sleep?"

"sleep, y/n."

"y/n." you repeat. "y/n and sev."

he bites his lip before pushing the few very painful words out.

"would it kill you to call me dad?"

........

severus turns after a few seconds of absolute silence, just the sound of the crackling fire beside the pair of you and looks up to see your face half-smushed into the sofa, breath quietly escaping your shiny lips as you lay fast fast asleep.

not awake to hear severus' question.

not awake to feel him kiss the back of your hand.

not awake to feel him fall asleep, a worried frown still etched on his brows, beside you.