HOME | DD

Description
Snape X MiddleAged!Reader

You walked off of the Hogwarts Express for the first day of school, pausing a moment to watch all the kids, the first years going on the boats across the lake and the others going into the horseless carriages. You smile softly as you watch, remembering long ago how you too were doing the same path, on the boats, and then later on the carriages.

It was really nice coming back to Hogwarts after all these years. You were so happy that a spot had opened up here, you might be working with your own teachers, and maybe even an old peer or two. And, there was nothing left for you to do, how could you not accept Headmaster Dumbledore's request when there were no other jobs for you?

Slowly, you headed you the castle as well, getting on a carriage to go towards the looming castle ahead of you. A small smile went on your lips, you were glad to be home. Hogwarts was always a home to come back to.

You dismounted the carriage walked through into the Great Hall, pausing a moment to take in the wonderful sights of the hall, the ghosts flying around, the candles above floating, the sky on the ceiling showing the glittering stars above, and the Professors table, far ahead on the other side of the room. You smile softly and walked between the long tables, letting your hands gently trail over a spare spot or two on the table, smiling down at the some of the older children that had already gotten there, giving a small wave or two.

When you got almost to the Professors table, you looked up to look over your fellow teachers, smiling brightly, seeing some from your old childhood days. Of course there was Dumbledore and Professor McGongall, and another one two. And some new faces, like a giant man white wild hair, sitting next to a very short man, who sitting next to the giant looked even smaller then he probably should. Your eyes kept wandering over the faces, smiling, before your [e/c] eyes landed on one particular black haired, black robed man, widening.

Severus Snape.

As his cold, dark eyes landed on you, you could see them widening slightly in recognition. But, they quickly looked away. You sighed softly, of course. Slowly, you went and sat down in the empty seat, smiling at some old woman that had big and thick glasses on her face and wild gray hair, smiling at her sweetly.

But, you couldnt get the man a few feet away from you out of your mind. You never thought he would be one of your co workers.

Back, in Hogwarts, you two were peers, classmates. But, he was always so caught up with Lily, and caught up with trying to fight off his bullies. Of course, behind his back, you did fight them and defend him. But, you were never brave enough to tell him. You had never even been brave enough to talk to him, and instead just admired him from afar.

What had happened to your long lost crush? Was he married? You knew he never got to marry Lily, and the proof of that was sitting down below at the Gryffindor table. The same table that his father was from, and the rest of Severus's old bullies. But, had he ever gotten over her? Did he remember you? Could it be possible that maybe, after all these years, you still had feelings for him? And, if so, could he possibly have feelings for you back?

Was it too much to hope for?

You sat through the sorting, and dinner, barely touching the Hogwarts Elves food, no matter how much it used to make your mouth water, right now your stomach was turning so bad you couldnt even think about eating. Maybe later that night you would sneak to the kitchens and have a midnight snack.

As the food disappeared you quickly got up, looking for Severus, but, he was gone already. You stood there, behind the professors table, as everyone dispersed around you, not knowing what to do. It wasnt long before you were alone, save for the Head Master. He looked at you.

“i would have thought you would have gone to check out your room by now” he said, breaking the silence. You turned to face him, a small smile on your face “i... just... wanted to make sure that the kids got in their Common Rooms alright” you lied softly.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow behind his half moon spectacles “wouldnt that require following them?” he questioned you lightly. You blushed “i uh... well yes” you stumbled around.

Dumbledore was silent a moment before speaking a moment “you have feelings for your old peer, Severus?” he questioned you. Your mouth opened lightly, how had he known that? He smiled a bit at you “i know a lot of things, [y/n]” he said, seeming to sense your shock. You sighed a bit and looked away from the elderly Head Master, unsure of what to say.

“i... did as kids. But... he never even knew I existed. And, I doubt that will change because we are working together now” you say softly. There was silence as Dumbledore processed what you said “things can change, do not give up hope” he said simply before turning and starting to walk out of the Great Hall “i suggest going to your bed chambers now Miss [y/l/n]” he called back to you without turning back to you.

Without another word, you headed to your chambers.

In morning, you strode into the Great Hall, robes flowing around you as you marched to the Professors table at the front of the room. You glanced at the table, Severus was sitting on the end, and a couple other professors were sitting in random spots around the table, but the spot you had your eyes on was empty. Perfect!

You sat down and smiled at him “Hello, im the new professor” you introduced yourself, and held a hand out to Severus. You watched as his black eyes glanced at your face before trailing down to your hand, without making any move to take it. “my name is [y/n]” you told him. He gave a short, quick nod.

“Professor Dumbledore introduced you last night” he said, a short and almost sounding irritated response. You huffed, he seemed annoyed by your very presence. Had he always been like this, or had your memories romanticized him? But... you had never talked to the handsome man next to you before, so you truly wouldnt know for sure.

Maybe a different approach would work?

“you know Professor, you look familiar, do I know you from any where? What did you say your name was?” you questioned fully knowing he said nothing about his name at all.

You heard an annoyed sigh as he took a sip of his morning tea. You glanced at it, he took it black with nothing at all in it. You glanced at your own tea, already filled with honey, milk, and a sprinkle of lemon juice. How could anyone drink tea without anything in it?

He set his mug down barely looking at you “i dont think so” he said, his voice flat with its usual nasal quality. You forgot how much you loved listening to him speak. It had been too long. You sighed a bit, he was being difficult.

Before you could say another word, he had finished his tea in one gulp and set down the empty mug with a bang and stood “i have class” he said and turned and looked almost like he was flying out of the room with how his robes moved as he did. You groaned and stuffed a bit of biscuit in your mouth.

The next morning, you sat down next to him as well, getting an annoyed eye roll n your direction. “So, as a new professor, I want to get to know my fellow professors” you said. “at least tell me your name” you said, not too far from begging him.

Without looking at you he took a bite of bacon “why not get to know the others? Like Professor Hagrid, or Professor McGonagall” he said and took another bite. You frowned angrily, you sat having a crush on him all these years and he refused to tell you his name even. Of course, you knew his name, but that was beside the point! He refused to talk to you.

You shot up out of your seat with a groan, glaring at Severus, before marching down the Great Hall through the tables, getting lots of looks by the students.

You left Severus sitting rather shocked by your sudden outburst, the emotion actually on his face for a few moments before disappearing again. He glanced at his fellow professors, all which gave him shameful glances.

You didnt stop walking until you got to your classroom, slamming the door closed behind you, making the books you had put on the shelves shake a bit and rattle. You leaned your back against the door a moment, closing your eyes trying to relax after your little outburst. You might have to apologize to your students if you got questioned about it.

Suddenly there was a light knock on the door making you open your eyes in confusion. Slowly, you moved away from the door. It was too early for class, who could it be? Slowly you opened the door and standing outside the door frame was Severus, his usual expressionless face looking at you with his dark eyes. You were silent, what was he ding here?

“a few of our co workers have... informed me I was... rude. And, I agree. Im sorry, I have.. no real reason to be angry with you.” he said, his voice a bit softer then it usually was. “Professor Snape” he introduced himself, not offering his first name but it was a start. You were still a little angry but, you nodded, at least accepting his apology.

“well, its nice t meet you Professor Snape” you told him. He nodded a bit, and turned, and headed away. You sighed a bit, and went to work on what you had planned for class.

Snape had a light frown on his face as he walked away, thinking about you. He truly didnt have a real reason to be so rude to you, not more then anyone else of course. He was always rather... rude. To an extent at least. But, he remembered you, remembered you were in his year at Hogwarts in the [y/h] House, he remembered seeing you of course, and from his perspective and memory, he didnt remember you ever doing anything. You were always just... a by stander.

He didnt know about you defending him after he had left. You never let him see or hear you defend him.

But, after his apology, you and Professor Snape, for his never let you call him Severus, were at least speaking. At breakfast, you would usually sit next to him, and talk about mindless little things, usually get short small answers from him. And, you talked about class usually, or maybe about students that were having trouble, or were a trouble, but it was never serious talk.

Not until one night, in the library at least.

It was cold, and dark, getting close to lights out as you walked through the shelves of the library, looking for a certain book, just checking the spines of the books, running the tip of your finger on each one, checking the name of each.

However, you paused hearing some voices of students. “you have detention with Snape?” one asked. There was a sigh that was heard “yeah I do, the worst teacher to have detention with” the second student could be heard saying. A frown slowly was appearing on your lips, unhappy with what you were hearing, how could they be so mean to Professor Snape?

“boy, your unlucky. He going to make you scrub bottles, and cauldrons?” the first one asked again. There was a light thud, maybe elbows hitting the table in the library. “i dont know, but ive heard that that would be lucky. He makes you sort supplies, wash down the tables, or even take inventory” the second one said.

“I know, he doesnt even teach or do work like other professors, he makes you do manual labor like some muggle” the first one said. You could almost imagine him rolling his eyes on the other side of the shelf before asking “when is it?”

“tomorrow night. Just the night ive finally got a date with Sue, after months of trying to get her to go out with me” the first student said again.

“Merlin, he truly is the worst teacher we have” the first said, and with that, you could no longer control your actions and words. Letting your arm drop from the shelf, and as quick as your legs could carry you you rounded the corner of the shelf and went immediately to the table that the two students were sitting at with anger on your face. You slammed your hand on the table.

“you should show more respect to your elders, especially a professor! And, Professor Snape is the best Professor in the entire castle, and you should be honored to be taught by such a master of potions, he is the best potion brewer that has ever been taught, and teached, in this castle in the entire history of it. And, to learn from his mastery you should feel lucky he lets you do things like learn how to properly clean cauldrons and bottles for detention instead of giving you useless work to do instead” you told the two kids sitting at the table.

Their eyes went wide, appearently not realizing that they had been heard, especially by another professor. One looked down “we are sorry, professor [y/l/n]” he mumbled softly. The other sat there silently.

Your frown deepened “i am taking one hundred house points off of both of your houses, you should be ashamed for speaking about your Professor in such a way, and if I dare ever hear you say such a thing about any other Professor, especially Professor Snape, you will have such horrible detention for so many nights you will wish you were in Professor Snape's detention. Is that understood?” you questioned them both, glaring down at the two students.

Both of them nodded “yes, Professor [y/l/n] they both said softly in unison.

You nodded and turned, satisfied by how they reacted, and seemed rather sorry for their words. You had a small smile on your lips, remembering how you used to defend him from bullies. Now, you could defend him from horrible students like those two.

Suddenly as you walked, a black mass was in front of you, and you paused. In front of you was Severus, in his black robes, and with how he stood, one of the candles was blocked which gave him a shadow around him, making his robes and hair seem darker and made him seem bigger then he was. Slowly, your mouth opened a little, and you could feel heat creeping onto your cheeks in a blush. You were only a few steps away from the table where you reprimanded those two students, had he... had he heard you?

“Professor [y/l/n], I would like to see you in my office. Right. Now” he said, with with that he turned and headed out of the library. You paled, oh no. Even though you werent a student, you couldnt help but feel dread at the idea. What was wrong?

Quickly, you headed off following closely behind him as he went through the halls and down to the dungeons where the potions classroom was, and Severus's office as well. You followed him as he walked into the classroom and through to his office. He left the door open and sat down at his desk in the office. You walked in a little awkwardly and leaned against the door frame, wondering what he had to say but trying not to seem so curious and... well scared.

He looked up at you with his dark eyes, as if waiting. You stayed silent, waiting for him to say something. He sighed a bit “why did you feel compelled to say something to those kids?” he questioned you, his voice soft. You bit your lip now, trying to find a reason that you would have said something, a reason other then the real one.

“i.. was just sticking up for a fellow Professor” you said softly, you knew you were lying but you couldnt tell him the truth. But he frowned, seemed displeased with your answer. “i know your lying. What is the real reason?” he asked. How did he know that? It seemed almost like he really honestly knew and wasnt just guessing that you were lying.

Snape tried not to use his Legilimens power, but he couldnt help himself in certain situations, usually when talking to a kid about something like cheating or something or other. It was too exhausting to use it more often, but something told him that he should use it now, more then ever.

You didnt know, how could you? Maybe, maybe you could get away with a half truth. After all these years, you really couldnt tell him how you felt. And, you figured it was pretty clear with how he treated you there was no way he felt the same back. He probably still loved Lily, the way you still loved him. But it was pointless. “they were being cruel, they should show more respect for their professors and not talk about them in that way, its not right” you said, which was true, but again not the reason. You couldnt tell him that you were just defending him the way you had years ago. Only this time he heard you.

Snape was silent, listening to you, and your thoughts. He kept his face the same emotionless look he always had, but his mind was racing. You had feelings for him? He would never think that was possible, and that you had had them since Hogwarts days. And you defended him, back then? It was all shock and news to him. You werent just a by stander. You stood up for him. He took a risk of you knowing what he was doing and went deeper into your mind, trying to find a memory, something of that.

And, lucky for him your mind was swirling with memories of defending him from those four so long ago, because you were reminded of those days with your recent actions. He almost couldnt believe it was true, but he was seeing it for himself.

He looked away from you “that... did not explain the flattery” he whispered. Did you really think he was the best potion brewer that ever walked through these halls? A quick check of your mind did confirm that.

You sighed a bit, the flattery. Well, to you it was fact not flattery. And, you remembered from potions class how skilled he was. “is it a crime to appreciate a co workers skills?” you questioned, you were running out of excuses, you didnt know what you would do if he questioned you again.

Well, hearing that from your mind, he just had to now didnt he? He almost smirked, but he kept himself from doing so. “you have never seen me work or brew a potion” he said, figuring that would get you to say something.

You bit your lip and looked down a bit. He had a point, since working at Hogwarts you hadnt ever even stepped foot in this classroom before. What else could you say? “we.... went to Hogwarts together, I remember the teacher we had always praising your work” you told him honestly. He stood from him his chair and walked closer to you “why would you, someone who I dont remember even talking to me during Hogwarts, remember something like that?” he questioned, now only a few inches away from you.

He was far too close, and all you could think of was closing the distance between them with a kiss, trying to focus on the question “i... I...” what could you say? Would he believe you that you have a great memory? He moved a little closer “why not do what your thinking of doing?” he questioned.

Without thinking, you did just that, and leaned forward to gently kiss him. He kissed you back just as gently before you pulled away and looked up at him lovingly “i remember because ive had an insane crush on you since... probably third year” you confessed.

He smiled a little, he had to admit that he hadnt had a crush on you that long, but he did have one growing since he apologized to you. “i have feelings for you too, [y/n]” he said, and leaned down to kiss you again gently.

Description
Snape X MiddleAged!Reader

You walked off of the Hogwarts Express for the first day of school, pausing a moment to watch all the kids, the first years going on the boats across the lake and the others going into the horseless carriages. You smile softly as you watch, remembering long ago how you too were doing the same path, on the boats, and then later on the carriages.

It was really nice coming back to Hogwarts after all these years. You were so happy that a spot had opened up here, you might be working with your own teachers, and maybe even an old peer or two. And, there was nothing left for you to do, how could you not accept Headmaster Dumbledore's request when there were no other jobs for you?

Slowly, you headed you the castle as well, getting on a carriage to go towards the looming castle ahead of you. A small smile went on your lips, you were glad to be home. Hogwarts was always a home to come back to.

You dismounted the carriage walked through into the Great Hall, pausing a moment to take in the wonderful sights of the hall, the ghosts flying around, the candles above floating, the sky on the ceiling showing the glittering stars above, and the Professors table, far ahead on the other side of the room. You smile softly and walked between the long tables, letting your hands gently trail over a spare spot or two on the table, smiling down at the some of the older children that had already gotten there, giving a small wave or two.

When you got almost to the Professors table, you looked up to look over your fellow teachers, smiling brightly, seeing some from your old childhood days. Of course there was Dumbledore and Professor McGongall, and another one two. And some new faces, like a giant man white wild hair, sitting next to a very short man, who sitting next to the giant looked even smaller then he probably should. Your eyes kept wandering over the faces, smiling, before your [e/c] eyes landed on one particular black haired, black robed man, widening.

Severus Snape.

As his cold, dark eyes landed on you, you could see them widening slightly in recognition. But, they quickly looked away. You sighed softly, of course. Slowly, you went and sat down in the empty seat, smiling at some old woman that had big and thick glasses on her face and wild gray hair, smiling at her sweetly.

But, you couldnt get the man a few feet away from you out of your mind. You never thought he would be one of your co workers.

Back, in Hogwarts, you two were peers, classmates. But, he was always so caught up with Lily, and caught up with trying to fight off his bullies. Of course, behind his back, you did fight them and defend him. But, you were never brave enough to tell him. You had never even been brave enough to talk to him, and instead just admired him from afar.

What had happened to your long lost crush? Was he married? You knew he never got to marry Lily, and the proof of that was sitting down below at the Gryffindor table. The same table that his father was from, and the rest of Severus's old bullies. But, had he ever gotten over her? Did he remember you? Could it be possible that maybe, after all these years, you still had feelings for him? And, if so, could he possibly have feelings for you back?

Was it too much to hope for?

You sat through the sorting, and dinner, barely touching the Hogwarts Elves food, no matter how much it used to make your mouth water, right now your stomach was turning so bad you couldnt even think about eating. Maybe later that night you would sneak to the kitchens and have a midnight snack.

As the food disappeared you quickly got up, looking for Severus, but, he was gone already. You stood there, behind the professors table, as everyone dispersed around you, not knowing what to do. It wasnt long before you were alone, save for the Head Master. He looked at you.

“i would have thought you would have gone to check out your room by now” he said, breaking the silence. You turned to face him, a small smile on your face “i... just... wanted to make sure that the kids got in their Common Rooms alright” you lied softly.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow behind his half moon spectacles “wouldnt that require following them?” he questioned you lightly. You blushed “i uh... well yes” you stumbled around.

Dumbledore was silent a moment before speaking a moment “you have feelings for your old peer, Severus?” he questioned you. Your mouth opened lightly, how had he known that? He smiled a bit at you “i know a lot of things, [y/n]” he said, seeming to sense your shock. You sighed a bit and looked away from the elderly Head Master, unsure of what to say.

“i... did as kids. But... he never even knew I existed. And, I doubt that will change because we are working together now” you say softly. There was silence as Dumbledore processed what you said “things can change, do not give up hope” he said simply before turning and starting to walk out of the Great Hall “i suggest going to your bed chambers now Miss [y/l/n]” he called back to you without turning back to you.

Without another word, you headed to your chambers.

In morning, you strode into the Great Hall, robes flowing around you as you marched to the Professors table at the front of the room. You glanced at the table, Severus was sitting on the end, and a couple other professors were sitting in random spots around the table, but the spot you had your eyes on was empty. Perfect!

You sat down and smiled at him “Hello, im the new professor” you introduced yourself, and held a hand out to Severus. You watched as his black eyes glanced at your face before trailing down to your hand, without making any move to take it. “my name is [y/n]” you told him. He gave a short, quick nod.

“Professor Dumbledore introduced you last night” he said, a short and almost sounding irritated response. You huffed, he seemed annoyed by your very presence. Had he always been like this, or had your memories romanticized him? But... you had never talked to the handsome man next to you before, so you truly wouldnt know for sure.

Maybe a different approach would work?

“you know Professor, you look familiar, do I know you from any where? What did you say your name was?” you questioned fully knowing he said nothing about his name at all.

You heard an annoyed sigh as he took a sip of his morning tea. You glanced at it, he took it black with nothing at all in it. You glanced at your own tea, already filled with honey, milk, and a sprinkle of lemon juice. How could anyone drink tea without anything in it?

He set his mug down barely looking at you “i dont think so” he said, his voice flat with its usual nasal quality. You forgot how much you loved listening to him speak. It had been too long. You sighed a bit, he was being difficult.

Before you could say another word, he had finished his tea in one gulp and set down the empty mug with a bang and stood “i have class” he said and turned and looked almost like he was flying out of the room with how his robes moved as he did. You groaned and stuffed a bit of biscuit in your mouth.

The next morning, you sat down next to him as well, getting an annoyed eye roll n your direction. “So, as a new professor, I want to get to know my fellow professors” you said. “at least tell me your name” you said, not too far from begging him.

Without looking at you he took a bite of bacon “why not get to know the others? Like Professor Hagrid, or Professor McGonagall” he said and took another bite. You frowned angrily, you sat having a crush on him all these years and he refused to tell you his name even. Of course, you knew his name, but that was beside the point! He refused to talk to you.

You shot up out of your seat with a groan, glaring at Severus, before marching down the Great Hall through the tables, getting lots of looks by the students.

You left Severus sitting rather shocked by your sudden outburst, the emotion actually on his face for a few moments before disappearing again. He glanced at his fellow professors, all which gave him shameful glances.

You didnt stop walking until you got to your classroom, slamming the door closed behind you, making the books you had put on the shelves shake a bit and rattle. You leaned your back against the door a moment, closing your eyes trying to relax after your little outburst. You might have to apologize to your students if you got questioned about it.

Suddenly there was a light knock on the door making you open your eyes in confusion. Slowly, you moved away from the door. It was too early for class, who could it be? Slowly you opened the door and standing outside the door frame was Severus, his usual expressionless face looking at you with his dark eyes. You were silent, what was he ding here?

“a few of our co workers have... informed me I was... rude. And, I agree. Im sorry, I have.. no real reason to be angry with you.” he said, his voice a bit softer then it usually was. “Professor Snape” he introduced himself, not offering his first name but it was a start. You were still a little angry but, you nodded, at least accepting his apology.

“well, its nice t meet you Professor Snape” you told him. He nodded a bit, and turned, and headed away. You sighed a bit, and went to work on what you had planned for class.

Snape had a light frown on his face as he walked away, thinking about you. He truly didnt have a real reason to be so rude to you, not more then anyone else of course. He was always rather... rude. To an extent at least. But, he remembered you, remembered you were in his year at Hogwarts in the [y/h] House, he remembered seeing you of course, and from his perspective and memory, he didnt remember you ever doing anything. You were always just... a by stander.

He didnt know about you defending him after he had left. You never let him see or hear you defend him.

But, after his apology, you and Professor Snape, for his never let you call him Severus, were at least speaking. At breakfast, you would usually sit next to him, and talk about mindless little things, usually get short small answers from him. And, you talked about class usually, or maybe about students that were having trouble, or were a trouble, but it was never serious talk.

Not until one night, in the library at least.

It was cold, and dark, getting close to lights out as you walked through the shelves of the library, looking for a certain book, just checking the spines of the books, running the tip of your finger on each one, checking the name of each.

However, you paused hearing some voices of students. “you have detention with Snape?” one asked. There was a sigh that was heard “yeah I do, the worst teacher to have detention with” the second student could be heard saying. A frown slowly was appearing on your lips, unhappy with what you were hearing, how could they be so mean to Professor Snape?

“boy, your unlucky. He going to make you scrub bottles, and cauldrons?” the first one asked again. There was a light thud, maybe elbows hitting the table in the library. “i dont know, but ive heard that that would be lucky. He makes you sort supplies, wash down the tables, or even take inventory” the second one said.

“I know, he doesnt even teach or do work like other professors, he makes you do manual labor like some muggle” the first one said. You could almost imagine him rolling his eyes on the other side of the shelf before asking “when is it?”

“tomorrow night. Just the night ive finally got a date with Sue, after months of trying to get her to go out with me” the first student said again.

“Merlin, he truly is the worst teacher we have” the first said, and with that, you could no longer control your actions and words. Letting your arm drop from the shelf, and as quick as your legs could carry you you rounded the corner of the shelf and went immediately to the table that the two students were sitting at with anger on your face. You slammed your hand on the table.

“you should show more respect to your elders, especially a professor! And, Professor Snape is the best Professor in the entire castle, and you should be honored to be taught by such a master of potions, he is the best potion brewer that has ever been taught, and teached, in this castle in the entire history of it. And, to learn from his mastery you should feel lucky he lets you do things like learn how to properly clean cauldrons and bottles for detention instead of giving you useless work to do instead” you told the two kids sitting at the table.

Their eyes went wide, appearently not realizing that they had been heard, especially by another professor. One looked down “we are sorry, professor [y/l/n]” he mumbled softly. The other sat there silently.

Your frown deepened “i am taking one hundred house points off of both of your houses, you should be ashamed for speaking about your Professor in such a way, and if I dare ever hear you say such a thing about any other Professor, especially Professor Snape, you will have such horrible detention for so many nights you will wish you were in Professor Snape's detention. Is that understood?” you questioned them both, glaring down at the two students.

Both of them nodded “yes, Professor [y/l/n] they both said softly in unison.

You nodded and turned, satisfied by how they reacted, and seemed rather sorry for their words. You had a small smile on your lips, remembering how you used to defend him from bullies. Now, you could defend him from horrible students like those two.

Suddenly as you walked, a black mass was in front of you, and you paused. In front of you was Severus, in his black robes, and with how he stood, one of the candles was blocked which gave him a shadow around him, making his robes and hair seem darker and made him seem bigger then he was. Slowly, your mouth opened a little, and you could feel heat creeping onto your cheeks in a blush. You were only a few steps away from the table where you reprimanded those two students, had he... had he heard you?

“Professor [y/l/n], I would like to see you in my office. Right. Now” he said, with with that he turned and headed out of the library. You paled, oh no. Even though you werent a student, you couldnt help but feel dread at the idea. What was wrong?

Quickly, you headed off following closely behind him as he went through the halls and down to the dungeons where the potions classroom was, and Severus's office as well. You followed him as he walked into the classroom and through to his office. He left the door open and sat down at his desk in the office. You walked in a little awkwardly and leaned against the door frame, wondering what he had to say but trying not to seem so curious and... well scared.

He looked up at you with his dark eyes, as if waiting. You stayed silent, waiting for him to say something. He sighed a bit “why did you feel compelled to say something to those kids?” he questioned you, his voice soft. You bit your lip now, trying to find a reason that you would have said something, a reason other then the real one.

“i.. was just sticking up for a fellow Professor” you said softly, you knew you were lying but you couldnt tell him the truth. But he frowned, seemed displeased with your answer. “i know your lying. What is the real reason?” he asked. How did he know that? It seemed almost like he really honestly knew and wasnt just guessing that you were lying.

Snape tried not to use his Legilimens power, but he couldnt help himself in certain situations, usually when talking to a kid about something like cheating or something or other. It was too exhausting to use it more often, but something told him that he should use it now, more then ever.

You didnt know, how could you? Maybe, maybe you could get away with a half truth. After all these years, you really couldnt tell him how you felt. And, you figured it was pretty clear with how he treated you there was no way he felt the same back. He probably still loved Lily, the way you still loved him. But it was pointless. “they were being cruel, they should show more respect for their professors and not talk about them in that way, its not right” you said, which was true, but again not the reason. You couldnt tell him that you were just defending him the way you had years ago. Only this time he heard you.

Snape was silent, listening to you, and your thoughts. He kept his face the same emotionless look he always had, but his mind was racing. You had feelings for him? He would never think that was possible, and that you had had them since Hogwarts days. And you defended him, back then? It was all shock and news to him. You werent just a by stander. You stood up for him. He took a risk of you knowing what he was doing and went deeper into your mind, trying to find a memory, something of that.

And, lucky for him your mind was swirling with memories of defending him from those four so long ago, because you were reminded of those days with your recent actions. He almost couldnt believe it was true, but he was seeing it for himself.

He looked away from you “that... did not explain the flattery” he whispered. Did you really think he was the best potion brewer that ever walked through these halls? A quick check of your mind did confirm that.

You sighed a bit, the flattery. Well, to you it was fact not flattery. And, you remembered from potions class how skilled he was. “is it a crime to appreciate a co workers skills?” you questioned, you were running out of excuses, you didnt know what you would do if he questioned you again.

Well, hearing that from your mind, he just had to now didnt he? He almost smirked, but he kept himself from doing so. “you have never seen me work or brew a potion” he said, figuring that would get you to say something.

You bit your lip and looked down a bit. He had a point, since working at Hogwarts you hadnt ever even stepped foot in this classroom before. What else could you say? “we.... went to Hogwarts together, I remember the teacher we had always praising your work” you told him honestly. He stood from him his chair and walked closer to you “why would you, someone who I dont remember even talking to me during Hogwarts, remember something like that?” he questioned, now only a few inches away from you.

He was far too close, and all you could think of was closing the distance between them with a kiss, trying to focus on the question “i... I...” what could you say? Would he believe you that you have a great memory? He moved a little closer “why not do what your thinking of doing?” he questioned.

Without thinking, you did just that, and leaned forward to gently kiss him. He kissed you back just as gently before you pulled away and looked up at him lovingly “i remember because ive had an insane crush on you since... probably third year” you confessed.

He smiled a little, he had to admit that he hadnt had a crush on you that long, but he did have one growing since he apologized to you. “i have feelings for you too, [y/n]” he said, and leaned down to kiss you again gently.