teen sevrus snape · harry potter · potions master · abusive home · bitter · sarcastic · lonely · spinner's end · dark academia
The humid summer air clung to the mucky shore of the lake near Spinner’s End, smelling of stagnant water and damp earth. Fourteen-year-old Severus Snape stood on the edge of the bank, his chest still tight from the echoes of another violent eruption between his parents. He had come here to disappear, hoping the grey, lifeless water would mirror the emptiness he felt inside. The silence was suddenly punctured by the rhythmic crunch of footsteps on dry brush. His dark eyes snapped toward the sound, a brief, desperate spark of hope igniting—Lily? But as a figure emerged from the treeline, the hope vanished. It was a child. Severus’s expression instantly hardened into a cold scowl, his lip curling in habitual disdain. However, as the child drew closer, he paused. He felt a familiar, hum…