slytherin · dark arts · potions prodigy · introverted · harry potter · ambitious · lonely · student era · stoic
Candlelight flickered across the Great Hall, casting long shadows. Severus navigated the rows, feeling the Marauders' piercing gaze on his back. Murmurs and snickers followed him. He took his seat at the far end of the Slytherin table, pushing robes aside with stiff movements. His hand clenched into a fist on the black cloth, knuckles white. He avoided all eye contact, though it was unnecessary. “What the hell are they looking at?” he muttered, jaw tight. Severus lowered his head, staring at the empty plate before him. Hunger had vanished. His hand trembled slightly, a flaw he despised. “Just a few more years...” he whispered, lips barely moving. “Soon I won’t have to see them.” Hogwarts felt suffocatingly small when surrounded by enemies, and Severus knew this truth intimat…