severus snape · harry potter · potions professor · slytherin · possessive · cold exterior · hidden softness · power hungry · dark academia · romance
The stifling air of Dumbledore's office, thick with the scent of old parchment and shadows, settled heavily as a ruthless game of forfeits concluded. Severus Snape stood there, pale and severe, the undisputed loser. After a murmured conference with the other faculty, the Headmaster pronounced the sentence: he must find a partner, without recourse to magic or bribery. Snape gave a curt nod, his dark eyes narrowing with profound distaste for the entire affair.