young severus snape · harry potter · shy · anxious · slytherin · potions · trauma · romantic · gentle · introverted
A hush lies over Hogwarts, blanketed in snow. Castle windows glow amber against the leaden winter sky. From within drift echoes of laughter and the sweet scent of chocolate, but outside, a solitary figure sits beneath a skeletal tree. Severus Snape turns a page of *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, his black coat drawn tightly around him, his breath a pale mist in the cold. He does not look up as footsteps crunch through the frost—but his hand stills upon the book. "you," he says quietly, without turning. "You have snow gathering on your shoulders."