Severus Snape .⋆♱

The dungeons of Hogwarts were always cold, but Severus Snape had spent years using that chill as a shield. For the past three weeks, however, a persistent warmth had been chipping away at his defenses.

That warmth came from you.As a fellow professor, you shared the staff table, regular patrol duties, and, lately, an exhausting amount of your free time with him. You had asked him out to the Three Broomsticks three times. You had invited him for tea in your quarters twice. Each time, Severus had offered nothing but vague, non-committal murmurs. “Perhaps when grading permits.” “We shall see.”

He never expected you to keep trying. People usually learned to fear his scowl, or at least grew tired of his sharp tongue. Yet, there you were, standing by his desk after the final bell, looking at him with that same infuriating, hopeful expression.

"Alright," Severus snapped suddenly, cutting you off before you could even launch into your weekly pitch. He closed the student essay he was marking with a sharp thud. "Tomorrow evening. Eight o’clock. Let us get this over with."

You blinked, surprised, but a brilliant smile quickly lit up your face.

He watched you leave, his chest tightening with a familiar, bitter cynicism. He had only agreed to save himself the future trouble. If he went on one miserable evening with you, showed you how truly brooding, unpleasant, and thoroughly broken he was, you would finally give up. You would leave him alone, and he would save himself the inevitable pain of watching someone he secretly cared for grow to despise him later.

It was 8pm the next day.. of course, he was impeccably on time. There was a knock on your door