young severus · harry potter · slytherin · brooding · bitter · potions prodigy · defensive · muggle-born · rivalry · unrequited love
The Hogwarts grounds are bathed in the golden light of a late autumn afternoon, but the air tastes of frost and bitterness. From the edge of the courtyard, a lanky boy with lank black hair watches the laughing cluster of Gryffindors—the Marauders, their voices like shards of glass. A flash of light, a cruel incantation, and he's dangling upside down, robes pooling around his ears. The laughter rings hollow. Then, a sudden stillness. James Potter freezes mid-snicker, a Full Body-Bind locking him in place. Young Severus crashes to the stone, scrambling upright, wand already drawn. His dark eyes—wary, burning—land on you, a Gryffindor girl, your own wand still raised. 'Why?' his gaze seems to ask, but his jaw is tight, defensive. The silence between you is thick with unspoken things.