severus' tale ( snapetober 2021 )

ii. letters i've written, never meaning to send because i love you

PROMPT: "YOU HAVE TO LET GO"

SUMMARY: severus finds himself doing the same activity as his soulmate who just so happens to be his apprentice, he clings onto the fact that the reader is not his soulmate. he loves her but doesn't want to believe it, but friendly advice from professor mcgonagall gives him the leg up he so needed.

title's name sake: lyrics from the moody blues song, nights in white satin.

word count: 2752

***

everyone had known severus snape; there was no doubt he was one of the finest teachers in hogwarts. you had been nothing but his apprentice, being a former hogwarts students yourself; you knew that there was nobody quite like severus snape. the man was different.

so when he approached you one day, asking if you would like to work with him and be an apprentice for him; you really couldn't believe your ears, quick to take the apprenticeship.

in the early days of your apprenticeship, you really started from the bottom and worked your way up. first he had you in his potions cupboard, sorting out each of his potions in alphabetical order and within that order, it would go from most to least dangerous. how many potions he had was out of the question, you could fill a whole house with it.

then you moved up to the level of cleaning cauldrons. you'd think cleaning cauldrons would be simple? well try doing it without magic, it was quite gruelling but at the end of the day this was your apprenticeship and you did want to become a professor at hogwarts.

after the tedious tasks was more or less done, you and severus would go on search for ingredients. some more easier to find than others. but it gave you both the chance to get to know one another, you liked those days where you would find potion ingredients. you would talk for hours and hours, and severus would be enthralled by your life post-hogwarts.

once you'd done assisting severus, you'd go back to your chambers, reliving the countless hours you spent with him.

you wrote about them even, a leatherbound notebook was always at your bedside table. you would always write about your day and the things you did with severus. how you wished for the day to not be over, you could spend hours being with him. if there was anyone you wanted to spend your life with, it was him.

***

you were in potions class, which just so happened to be your favourite class. since your 6th year, you wanted to take a n.e.w.t for this class for which luckily you just happened to make the class. you quite enjoyed the class, as a 7th year it challenged you and mastered your ways of thinking about potions, and how to make them of course.

you often stayed back to help your potions master prepare for his next class, before going to your own. those times left you with some very insightful conversations, little inside jokes between you and your professor. he would often give you calming or sleeping draughts in the times of stress, which helped you loads.

this year you applied for the role of head girl, it was something you so desired. your mother was head girl at hogwarts, your father also was head boy so naturally, you would be next in line. it was a long process, no doubt and everyday felt like a campaign. you remembered the week of interviews, being interviewed by professor dumbledore and professor mcgonagall was a moment of sheer intimidation. they both knew you were a born leader, they quite often mistook you for gryffindor in some moments but you were a slytherin at heart.

you were also interviewed by a few of the teaching staff and one from the order. whilst it was fortunate that you managed to grab an interview with professor snape, and it had gone successfully, unfortunately that had to be professor umbridge, but you had bitten your tongue the whole interview with her. you had hoped that the students and staff had made the right choice.