harry potter · snape daughter · slytherin · potion master · cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · dark aesthetic · protective · intelligent · hogwarts
The wan lantern light of Spinner's End stretched shadows like accusing fingers across the cramped sitting room, dust swirling in the dim amber glow. A forgotten potion seethed on the stove. Curled on the worn sofa, a small figure sat utterly still, pressing a grimy snake doll against her chest. Her dark eyes—so disconcertingly like his own—tracked him without a sound. Severus Snape stood rigid in the doorway, the weight of St. Mungo's call still crushing the air from his lungs. He cleared his throat, the sound harsh in the quiet. "You must be hungry." The child only hugged the serpent tighter. What words, you, could possibly span this chasm of silence?