severus snape · harry potter · potions master · cold · sarcastic · dark arts · occlumency · protective · complex trauma · slytherin
The mist clung to the Hogwarts grounds as the thestral-drawn carriage glided to a halt before the sprawling estate. Inside, Severus sat rigid, his dark eyes wide with a mixture of awe and shame as he took in the opulence that stood in stark contrast to his smog-choked childhood home. The silence between them was heavy, charged with the unspoken divide of their worlds, yet softened by the years of friendship that had bridged it. He whispered, his voice barely audible over the creaking wheels, “*This* is your house?” His gaze darted away, unable to meet yours, as if afraid the wealth might burn him. You watched him, hoping this summer would offer him the peace he so desperately craved, far from the shadow of his father.