Hope For The Hopeless (Severus Snape x Reader)

The Mandrake Incident

The school weeks continued on much like they had started and busy days rolled into nights of marking and preparing for the next day.

Things with Severus had settled, to an extent, his suspicions had cooled down but you couldn't say he had warmed to your advances of friendship. Or whatever you were trying to achieve. You weren't actually sure of that yourself yet. Either way, Severus Snape was running hot and cold and the want to get him to boiling point was getting more and more appealing.

The push and pull of your flirtations, if you could call them that, began the Monday after your late-night talk.

You had been running the Mandrake class with the other half of the 2nd years, Draco Malfoy and his friend, Gregory Goyle, had looked mischievous the second they walked into Greenhouse 3. Whispering and sending glances your way so you made sure they saw the warning look you shot them.

The Mandrake you used to demonstrate the process was a feisty little bugger and fought you tooth and nail but you managed to get him out and re-potted. You did your checks to make sure no one could hear you and off they went. And then off he went, face-first into the work station and then collapsed into a heap on the floor. Gregory Goyle's earmuffs had come off his meaty head somehow; you suspected tomfoolery from Draco or Crabbe but you couldn't prove it and none of them would admit anything after it happened. You thought about looking into it further but getting into trouble with Dumbledore wasn't worth it.

After dragging him out of the classroom, which was no easy feat, you managed to organise getting him to the infirmary. Once you dismissed the class you headed straight to the potions classroom to explain to Severus why one of his boys had passed out in your class before he caught wind of it elsewhere.

"Come in!" He bellowed, his voice sounding irritated at the knock to his door.

You took a deep breath and entered, you were nervous, you didn't want him to blame you for this.

Slowly entering you closed the door, "Sorry to interrupt you, Professor."

His head snapped up. Tiredness marred his face; you wondered how much sleep he had managed over the weekend. Wondered if your conversation and the atmosphere that you seemed to always create together had been playing on his mind, as it had yours.

"Yes?" His voice was cold and quiet.

"One of your Slytherin boys, Goyle, is in the infirmary."

His jaw clenched. "Why?"

"Mandrakes. We're not sure what happened yet, whether he took off his earmuffs or they were knocked. Either way, he's out cold." You relayed the story to him with careful confidence.

"Stupid boy." He sighed, "I assume you had warned the class of the effects?"

He laced his fingers together and rested them in his lap, his thumbs lightly brushed over the other one. You watched as they danced together and began to explain.

"Yes. I ran the same class last week, with no issues. I double-checked the pupils couldn't hear. I…I don't know what happened." Upset laced your voice. Although the rest of the class had done well you couldn't call it a complete success because of this rather large mishap.

You imagined him to sound angrier or at least disappointed but he didn't, "I will check on him after dinner. He'll be out for a few hours. Any other pupil matters I need to be made aware of?" He leaned forward from his chair and raised his eyebrow to you.

"No, Professor." You started turning when you remembered something, "Oh, there was something. I demonstrated the drainage of the Bubotuber plant today," you pulled out a vial from your pocket and set it down on his desk, - "this is what I managed to extract. No point in it going to waste."

He looked at the vial and nodded his head.

"Miss l/n." He looked up at you, a dark visage in his eyes and the beginnings of a smirk playing at his mouth, - "You do know you're very dirty, don't you?"

His voice made you feel like you were being flirted with and chastised at the same time. You quite liked it but your mouth suddenly felt very dry and your heart stuttered.

"Excuse me?" The shock in your voice was so obvious it made you inwardly cringe and form butterflies in your stomach.

Snape stared and then pointed to his cheek.

"Your face…It's covered in soil," he replied, and as his smirk became more prominent he looked back down to the work on his desk.

You brushed at your cheek. Feeling heat radiating from your skin, you were blushing like a bloody teenager might.

That bloody Mandrake. That bloody man. 

You left, muttering a quick goodbye as you did.

And that's how things sat. Toying with each other, working together, or ignoring each other. It was getting tiring, never really knowing which you were going to get on any given day. Some mornings and evenings you walked to your meals together, others you didn't. You noticed that he wasn't so harsh with the pupils but then you'd hear a whispered moan about the professor in another class or in the Great Hall.

You sighed into your dinner plate and looked over to him. The Great Hall was a bustle of excitement and sugar-filled noise. It was Halloween and most of the school were enjoying the festivities that the holiday brought with it; your teeth felt sensitive just looking at the veritable sweet delights that lay along the long tables. Severus caught you looking and raised an eyebrow, you just smiled and continued to eat.

When pupils started to leave you thought you would too, you needed to reply to Stephanie's latest letter and you wanted to take a warm shower. Putting a few sweets in your pocket for later you started to ready yourself to leave. Severus had also stood but was distracted from his own effort to exit by Minerva, you noticed that she glanced in your direction as they spoke, but you weren't going to read anything into it. She had been particularly interested in your potions lessons since you spoke to her at the beginning of term but you clearly left her disappointed with the lack of gossip.

You were walking past the two of them when the commotion began and all three of you hurried out into the halls to see what was happening.

You heard the shouts before you saw anything, "You've murdered my cat!" You've killed her! I'll kill you!"

It was Filch and as you scanned the hallway, there was his cat, Poor Mrs. Norris, hanging from a torch bracket. On the wall, someone had written out a warning, -

"The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir beware"

Your hand raised to your mouth in shock and then with instinct you reached for your wand. Severus was eyeing the situation with caution, he stood close enough to you that his arm touched yours lightly which you found strangely comforting. Regarding your worried state, you noticed he actually looked sympathetic; you were grateful that he didn't deviate from your side.

The crowd parted and you watched how Lockhart ushered Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the direction of his office. Dumbledore followed, Mrs. Norris in his arms and Minerva had started in the same direction as well. Severus touched your upper arm and pulled your attention from the furor.

"We'd better follow them." His touch warmed you in the chilling atmosphere of the hallway. You nodded and he led the way to Lockhart's office.