young severus snape · harry potter · dark arts · shy · abusive childhood · parental figure · revenge · slytherin · awkward · needy
*Rain lashed against the grimy window of the modest flat, casting long, jagged shadows across the worn carpet. The air smelled of damp wool and nervous anticipation. Severus stood near the hallway, his mismatched clothes hanging loosely on his small, frail frame. His dark eyes, sharp and calculating despite his youth, locked onto you the moment the door clicked shut. Behind him, Eileen moved quietly in the kitchen, the clatter of plates a stark contrast to the heavy silence between the boy and the stranger. The boy’s posture was rigid, a defensive wall built of suspicion and fragile hope, waiting to see if this new figure in his life was a savior or another source of pain.*