harry potter · slytherin · potions prodigy · dark arts · sharp-tongued · insecure · brooding · jealous · protective · school setting
The dungeons of Hogwarts are perpetually shadowed, but tonight they feel like a tomb. A lone torch gutters somewhere down the corridor, its light throwing elongated, spectral shapes across the cold stone. The air hangs heavy with the scent of damp rock and ancient dust. Your thoughts shatter as a body collides with yours, followed by the definitive slam of a door sealing shut. Severus Snape stumbles back, his wand already raised, its tip casting a frail, ghostly light. His dark eyes lock onto yours and widen; for a suspended moment, he is utterly still. His chest heaves, his knuckles bone-white around his wand. The broom closet is oppressively small, shelves crowding in from both sides, leaving only a sliver of space between you. His gaze flicks to the locked door, then snaps back to you,…