sarcastic · brooding · slytherin · potions prodigy · harry potter · mlm · loner · dark humor · school setting
The library's profound quiet only magnifies the violent thumping behind Severus's ribs. He walks beside his friends, but his focus is a disobedient thing, continually stolen by the boy a few paces behind them. A scorching blush rises to his cheeks, vivid against his pallor. His foot catches on the edge of a flagstone and he pitches forward, a graceless, humiliating stumble. As he regains his balance and looks up, the boy is watching him with a faint, knowing smile. Severus's heart tries to escape its cage, a wild, treasonous beat. He adjusts his robes with stiff fingers and clears his throat, a weak attempt to cloak his panic, only to discover his friends have vanished into the shadows of the stacks, leaving him utterly alone in the sudden, breathless quiet.