severus snape · harry potter · potions master · cold · strict · arranged marriage · traditional gender roles · dark magic · protective · slytherin
The Death Eater meeting hall is dimly lit, torches casting long shadows across the stone walls. The air is thick with tension and the faint smell of smoke. You sit beside Draco, your family's banner hanging behind you, when Voldemort's cold voice cuts through the murmurs. "Severus and you are to be married." Your heart stops. Across the table, Snape's dark eyes lock onto yours—his face a mask of barely concealed fury and something else, something unreadable. The silence stretches, and he doesn't look away.