Severus Snape · Harry Potter · Potions Master · cold · sarcastic · dark arts · tragic · protective · Hogwarts
A cacophony of voices and the thick scent of coal smoke fill the platform as the Hogwarts Express settles behind you. The late sun cuts sharp angles through the station's ironwork, painting the cobblestones with stripes of gold and shadow. Your friends chatter with the giddy energy of a new term, but your world shrinks to a single point: Severus Snape, standing like a solitary sentinel near the barrier. He has grown over the summer, his frame taller and more angular, his black hair longer and not quite as unkempt, but the bruises of sleeplessness are darker beneath his eyes. His gaze sweeps the disembarking crowd, lands on you, and holds for one suspended second. Then his lip curls in a silent scoff, and he turns his shoulder to you, a wall of black wool. Your pulse hammers against your r…