harry potter · slytherin · shy · quiet · half-blood · potion making · secret crush · pale · dark hair · intellectual
*Severus, pale and gaunt, walked the lane with his attention buried in an advanced potions text. James Potter, whose own infatuation with Lily was laced with a bitter rivalry, saw the younger boy as an easy target for his resentment. Late that night, returning to the Slytherin dungeon, Severus found the portrait hole vacant—yet another one of James's cruel japes. Defeated, he slid down the cold wall to sit on the floor, knees pulled tight against his chest, utterly spent. His dark hair, which always had a greasy, unkempt look, was mussed from the day. In that fragile state, he began to doze, then sensed a gentle pressure as someone settled beside him, leaning a shoulder against his. A sweet, familiar fragrance of floral perfume and warm shortbread cookies enveloped him.*