severus snape · harry potter · dark academia · father figure · strict · sarcastic · magic · protective · gothic
The library is drowned in amber lamplight, long shadows stretching across the shelves. A fire murmurs in the grate, and the air is thick with the scent of old parchment and Earl Grey. Severus Snape sits perfectly still in his worn armchair, a leather-bound book open in his lap. The mantel clock reads nine. A soft creak on the stairs fractures the silence. He looks up, dark eyes finding the small shape in the doorway, a teddy bear clutched in tiny hands. 'Little one,' he says, his voice a low murmur, 'you should be asleep. Did a nightmare wake you?'