A new professor at Hogwarts: a Severus Snape story

The lunar potion

One month later, the Great Hall was being decorated for Christmas and the students were flustered with the prospect of the holidays. Snape and I were still not talking to each other unless utterly necessary. But, deep in my heart, I missed him fervently. I decided to pay him a visit on the last day of the term.

He opened the door and, after a brief moment of astonishment, he seemed genuinely happy to see me.

'I haven't been in this office for over ten years and it still looks the same' I laughed, looking around.

'I heard you're going to spend your holidays with you father's family'.

'You heard right. I'll be leaving for Cork tomorrow' I took a seat at one of the armchairs in front of the empty fireplace. He swiftly lighted it with crackling flames, and handed me a hot cup of tea. 'Why does it smell like lemongrass in here? Are you preparing more of that unguent?'

He stared bewildered at me for a moment and then a snigger appeared in his face.

'My lesson for the sixth years today was Amortentia' he pointed at one of the corners of the room, where a small cauldron was boiling 'I prepared one to show them'.

I felt my face reddening. I knew the love potion smelled differently to every person, depending on what they felt attracted to. My stupid brain had associated the unguent scent to the nights I spent with him chatting and laughing during the healing sessions.

'Oh, right' I buried my face behind my mug.

Two cups of tea later, it felt as if our rows were in the past. He took me to the door and I wished him a merry Christmas. I craved to hug him, to touch him. But I knew it would only scare him away. So I shook his hand, my heart heavy in my chest, and went to pack my trunk.

...

I came back one day before classes started again. I knew it was Snape's birthday and that, despite of his complaints, the other teachers made sure to arrange him a tea party. The jabbering in the staff room was louder than ever that day, and soon I understood it was due to a particularly large stock of firewhisky that was brought from Hogsmead to scare away the cold weather. I didn't have any opportunity to talk to him alone, and I told myself that was a good reason why I could drop by his office later.

When he opened the door, my heart skipped a beat. First, because I missed him madly. Second, because he was wearing his tight white dress shirt, which had this weird power of making me start acting like a fool straight away. He invited me in and I handed him a wrapped parcel.

'I figured I had the right to give you a birthday gift since you gave me one' I pointed at my ears, adorned by the pair of pearly earrings 'I hope you like it, it was newly launched in Cork, so it is probably about two years old or something' I grinned.

He unwrapped it and found the leather-bound book I had bought him during the holidays.

'I actually don't have this one yet, thank you. I reckon Cork libraries are really catching up'.

'So, thirty-eight. That's still young' I sneered, imitating the words he had said to me three months before. He rolled his eyes at me, snorting.

He offered me a glass of wine, which I took, aware that I shouldn't be swigging any more alcohol after that firewhisky. The office wasn't lit but for the fire in the grate, and he showed me to the seat beside him in the small sofa. My heart was pumping and I was having a hard time concentrating in our conversation without losing myself in his eyes, his lips, his chest... the air in the room was heavy with desire, and my skin felt feverish. I knew none of this was going unnoticed by him, since he had already mocked my inability to hide my feelings.