home (reader at hogwarts)

thirty five

you wake up to severus shaking you vigorously.

"up! up!" he barks at you and your eyes snap open.

"where's the fire?" you mumble stupidly, before rolling your head on your neck to ease the stiffness and looking to your left at the green flames roaring in the fireplace.

"alas. fire." you chuckle.

"are you laughing at six in the morning?" severus grumbles, walking past you and throwing a towel at you.

"perhaps." you yawn. "you know severus, it's ten in the evening somewhere on the planet."

"i'm aware. i know how time works." he says, fixing his cuff around his wrist. "now you've just enough time to get back to the slytherin common room and head back to your dorm, so get up- shower and get the hell back to where you should be."

you stare at him from the couch. "why are you talking to me like that? did i do something wrong?"

he looks at you for a second before his expression and body language changes entirely and he realises his morning stress isn't being very kind to you.

"i'm sorry, sweetheart." he says, walking to you and ruffling up your hair. "busy morning. lots of people to see. you know i hate people."

"okay, mr. i'm angry when i'm stressed." you laugh and stand to make your way to the bathroom.

"oi!" you hear him call behind you as you lock the door and turn on the shower.

showering is infinitely quicker with magic, you can even dry yourself with a wave of your wand. you're not sure why, but you prefer doing most of it with a towel in all honesty. it's why severus always hands you one before you hop in.

you slip into some pajamas that severus has seemingly left in the bathroom for you and head back out when you're all done, glad to see that-

wait a minute.

"where's breakfast?"

severus throws a pillow at you and you groan. "ah, what was that for?!"

"for being stupid." severus chuckles. "honestly, i thought i'd raised you better."

"shush, dad." you laugh. "how am i stupid?"

"breakfast is served in the great hall. not in the potions master's quarters."

"oh." you can't help but be a little embarassed at your own foolishness. still, slip ups happen to everyone. even someone who knows this castle inside out, who knows this world like it was her own.

was it?

"go on then, y/n. might want to head back to your dorm before people notice you've been missing for too long."

you hug severus quickly before leaving.

"y/n!" gemma farely bumps into you just as you step into the slytherin common room.

"uh, hi." you stammer, shocked.

"where have you been? not strolling around at night i hope. you weren't caught, were you?"

"no." you laugh as she frets. "father kept me longer than i had anticipated. i'm back now, don't worry. i've just got to get dressed and i'll be ready for breakfast."

gemma smiles at you, her green eyes twinkling with pride. "there's a good girl. off you pop."

you slip upstairs and head into your dorm, glad to see that everyone is asleep. well, almost everyone.

"serena?" you breathe, spotting her sitting fully dressed and reading a book at the edge of her bed.

"morning, y/n." she smiles at you.

"you're awake, already? it's six something."  you ask, heading over to your bed to grab your trunk and pull out a new set of uniform.

"i woke up half an hour ago for the morning prayer." she tells you, "i've been doing it for years."

"insane." you almost fall over trying to slip into your tights. "you're not tired?"

"slightly. it's not the end of the world." serena laughs, playing with the end of her head scarf. "i have superpowers."

"you really do." you laugh, quite enough not to wake up the other girls.

"pansy snores." serena makes her way over to you and helps you fold the pajamas you just took off.

"does she?" you smile, watching her leave them on your bed. she nods, leaning on one of the beams of your four poster bed, staring down at the several gold rings on her fingers.

"you were with your father, weren't you?" serena asks and you nod, pulling your hair out of your white collared shirt and letting it fall behind your shoulders.

"is he kind to you?" she asks and you can't help but watch her zone off, staring at the ground.

"he is." you answer quietly, feeling terrible. she doesn't want to know because it's severus. she wants to know because she doesn't know how it feels.

"do you want to come down to breakfast with me?" you ask, twisting your shoes on. "i'd love to get to know you a bit more."

serena seems to come back to earth and nods eagerly at you. "let's go."

"okay." you take her hand and the two of you head downstairs to the common room.

gemma is still there and she's talking to a taller man with rotten teeth that stick out of his mouth like he's constantly snarling.

"flint, if it happens again-" gemma points an accusing finger at him and he lowers it.

"it won't, gorgeous. you have my word." he replies, backing away slowly and heading back up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

gemma turns to the two of you, her face that of someone very frustrated, before she smiles again holding her arms out at the two of you girls.

"snape, shafiq. why are you two up so early?"

"we have superpowers." you grin and serena lets out a giggle.

gemma seems amused and taps both of your heads and you slip past her.

"straight to breakfast! no wondering!" she calls behind you and serena sighs.

"i don't know about you, but i'm far too hungry to be adventurous." she admits and you agree.

the two of you head into the main hall where you and met nose first with the smell of delicious, delicious breakfast.

one thing was for certain.

hogwarts would feed you well.