The Art of Taking Chances || Severus Snape x Reader ||

Chapter 5: Friendly Beginnings

__

"What are you looking for?"

__

Over the next two weeks, things between you and Snape were beginning to improve...marginally. Things were better, but not exactly where you wanted it to be. Snape wasn't making snide comments towards you anymore, but now he didn't really interact with you at all. You hated going to your office when he was there, because he just sat silently at his desk completely unbothered by the awkward silence that ate away at you.

With all the silence, you had a lot of time to think and reflect. You actually took the time to sit down and ponder on why Snape was so cold towards you. It made a lot of sense actually. Not that you deserved all of his sourness, but in his mind it was right. You ran with the crowd that basically tortured him and made his life a living hell. There was no telling what kind of bad memories ran through his head when he looked at you.

So, you had a new found patience for him.

You were four weeks into the school year, and October had practically arrived, bringing colder weather and more activities. Quidditch was in full effect, the House teams practicing every other day and building up competition. Third years and up were taking trips to Hogsmeade, returning with armfuls of treats that they probably didn't need, but were well deserved.

Everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

Well, everyone except Snape.

His mood always seemed to teeter back and forth between majorly pissed off and moderately pissed off. You were sure that you hadn't seen him crack a smile the entire time you had been there. You couldn't imagine living your life like that, being so miserable that you can't see the joy in anything. You honestly felt bad for him. You knew that he hadn't been dealt the easiest life. He had a lot of damage that he didn't realize needed to be addressed.

Snape had been sitting at his desk, quietly writing a recommendation letter when the door opened to reveal an amusing sight. You had loads of stuff that you had bought from Hogsmeade, showing that you had gone on quite the shopping spree. You hauled everything in, setting it all down behind your desk as you hummed happily.

Snape's attention drifted from the letter as he watched your rifle through your items, apparently looking for something in particular. You never bothered to greet him anymore, considering you wouldn't get much of an answer out of him. You were making quite the racket going through your stuff, which is what caused you to catch Snape's glance.

"Sorry, Snape. Am I making too much noise?" You asked, a heat of embarrassment flushing over your face.

He shook his head.

"No, you're alright." He replied, continuing to watch as you went back to searching.

Truth be told, the whole silence thing was beginning to get to Snape too. He didn't know what it was, but he was tempted to actually talk to you. He knew deep down that you just wanted to be his friend (as well as a long conversation with McGonagall). He knew that a possible friendship had to begin with him after he had shut down your attempts.. He had to try to do and say the things that a friend would...whatever that might be.

"Did you have a nice time at Hogsmeade?" Snape asked as kindly as he could, which truthfully wasn't much different than his normal speaking voice.

You still caught the ever so slight pitch in his voice, which surprised you. Was he trying to be nice to you for once?

"I did. Did you go?" You questioned, treading lightly in case he had a snarky comment waiting to surface.

"No, I was here. Perhaps I'll get a chance to go next time," He announced; "I could buy you a Firewhisky sometime..."

Your loud rustling stopped, and you looked at him again. His eyes told a story you had never seen before. He actually looked...nervous.

"Sure. I'd like that," You accepted, a warm grin on your face; "I didn't know you were a drinker."

Snape shrugged, choosing not to tell you about the time that he got so drunk that he woke up half-naked on the roof of The Three Broomsticks with an asleep squirrel in his pocket.

"From time to time," He responded; "What are you looking for?"

He eyed your multiple bags, half of which were from Honeydukes. You giggled heartily, which sent a rush of warmth through Snape that made him blush.

"I bought some Cauldron Cakes. Those have always been my favorite," You announced; "I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Honeydukes."

You finally spotted one of your Cauldron Cakes, taking it into your hand and setting it on your desk for later.

"I supposed it's been a while since you've been, yes?" Snape asked.

You laughed again. Another blush from Snape.

"Oh, yeah. Like, 15 years," You remarked; "I haven't been since I left Hogwarts."

Snape was aware that you had done some traveling after graduation. You even spent a few years outside of the wizarding world. He would never, ever tell anyone this, but that had been something that always intrigued him.

"Is it strange being back?" He questioned, beginning to feel comfortable in conversing with you.

"A little. Hogwarts hasn't changed much, other than the castle looking a bit older," You responded; "I had honestly forgotten the beauty in being a witch. I didn't get to practice magic much when I was in London."

Snape set his quill down, suddenly not interested in finishing his work.

"Do you like London?" Severus wondered.

You weren't even taken aback by his curiosity anymore, you were just relieved that the silence was gone.

"Oh, I love London. It's the most beautiful city. So many things to do and see," You told him, his heart fluttering at the sparkle in your eyes as you spoke; "Such wonderful people and even better lifestyles. I was so happy when I lived there...minus the no magic part."

Snape had been to London only once before, and he didn't remember much about it. He had known plenty of wizards and witches that had moved to London after leaving Hogwarts. It had its own type of magic that was so captivating. Sometimes wizards would go to London for a while when they were feeling burnt out. It gave them fresh insight, a second chance, and a new love for magic.

Snape sometimes wished he had that.

You broke out of your dreamy daze, turning your attention back.

"What about you, Snape? Have you ever been to London?" You acquired.

It sort of just came out of him before he could stop it. It didn't come out in a mean way, but rather desperate.

"Severus." He corrected.

"Hm?" You hummed for clarification.

"Call me Severus. Please." He asked.

This entire time you had been calling him either 'Professor' or 'Snape'. You hadn't called him by his first name yet.

"I'm sorry...Severus." You smiled softly.

There was something so different about calling him Severus after all these years. It caused a bubbly feeling in both of your chests.

"I've been to London once. I'm afraid I don't remember much of it since I was young." He explained.

You nodded, and a different kind of quiet fell over you. Nothing really had to be said. It was like the two of you were sharing a new kind of mutual respect. It was a semi-clean slate, with enough room to create a potentially great friendship. Maybe Severus wasn't so bad after all, since he was giving you a chance at a friendly beginning. You glanced at the clock on the wall to see what time it was when you realized nothing else was going to be said.

"It's almost dinnertime," You said, standing from your chair; "Care to walk to The Great Hall with me?"

Severus felt his heart speed up a bit, but he was physically unchanged. Whatever that weird feeling in his gut that had been simmering, was coming to a boil. He didn't know what it was...but he kind of liked it. He gave you a sweet, gentle smile with a voice like silk.

"Of course."