harry potter · marauders · bullying · trauma · dark academia · james potter · sirius black · remus lupin · peter pettigrew · past self
The sun hangs low over the Black Lake, a blinding white disc that turns the water into a sheet of molten gold. The grass is dry and scratchy under Severus' legs as he hunches over his Arithmancy notes, the scent of crushed earth and lake water rising with every rustle of parchment. His quill scratches erratically as a sharp breeze threatens to scatter his work, but he doesn't look up—not when he hears the familiar, cruel laughter cutting through the afternoon calm. A shadow falls over him, long and mocking, as James Potter's voice rings out. "Oi, Snivellus!" Severus stiffens, fingers white-knuckled around his quill, but it's too late. In a flash of magic, he's yanked upside down, robes billowing over his head, ink and paper flying. He hangs there, suspended midair, his pale legs and wor…