Where Your Loyalties Lie - {Severus Snape x Reader}

-28-

Later that same day, I'm walking in a hallway of the castle middle of the night. I have been doing the night shifts after the holidays now few times. Can't lie, they are pretty boring. Walking around the castle at night, nothing's happening. No one to talk to. Only me with my own thoughts. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's nice to just be on my own, but... Sometimes it gets dangerous to be alone with your own thoughts. You start think too much of things, you know? Luckily, my shift is about to come to an end in half an hour. My thoughts being in all of the things I need to do before I can press the head against the pillow. ...Then I'll change quickly into the pyjamas and head to bed. "Already told you; Leave it." a deep, monotonic voice echoes through the hallways right around the corner. Huh?

"Oh, come now! We are both men here, you can tell me." another voice says. I recognize both of the voices. Lockhart and Snape. Quickly, I put Lumos away and sneak closer to hear them better. Can't take a peek since they would see me right away, so I press my back up against the wall and just wait. Snape hasn't answered anything yet, so Lockhart continues:"Is she as good as I think she is?". Right after those words escaped from his mouth, Snape slams his back up against the nearest wall hard. It sounded like that actually hurt Lockhart's back. The Potions Master is holding onto Lockhart's collar and has very threatening look in his dark eyes:"I recommend to keep that abnormally large mouth shut, if I were you... Talking about those impure thoughts you keep having about her.". Even I'm not seeing what's happening, I'm getting stressed by how intense Snape sounds right now. Who are they talking about?

There is fear in Lockhart's eyes and he doesn't know what to do. Neither do I, if I'm being honest - if they decided to start actually fighting, that is. And it does sounds like Snape might snap in any given moment. Eventually, Snape's face twitches out of disgust, lets go of him and continues on walking:"Let this be the last time I hear about you in this matter.". Cold shivers goes down my spine when the Potions Master whooshes right past me without seeing me around the dark corner. Lockhart on the other hand, tries to fix his collars before continuing his way to the direction they originally came from. I'm too unsure to move, so I keep standing on that same spot for a moment longer. What was that all about?

The next day comes around. Umbridge hasn't done anything crazy yet, so we are all kinda waiting something to happen soon. While in between the classes, I'm standing right outside of the Great Hall, watching all of the rules that are hanging around the big doors. These are ridiculous. In so many ways. Then, I hear how our Caretaker, Argus Filch comes with ladders and starts putting something high up to the wall near by the door. "E-excuse me, Mister Filch? May I ask what are you doing this time?" I ask while watching him struggling to climb up the unsteady ladders. Him and I never really have talked much. Some little words here and there, but he usually likes to stay in his own chamber. More than Snape himself. Filch scoffs:"What does it look like? I'm installing all of these megaphones around the castle, like Ms. Umbridge has asked me to.". Megaphones?

Suddenly, I feel how something is rubbing and purring against my leg. It's Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's cat. "Why hello there." I smile down to her. Can't lie, I feel somewhat special how Mrs. Norris - who likes to hiss most of the people, actually likes me. While petting the cat, my ears caught up familiar laugh further away and I lift my head up to see if I was right. It's Lockhart, chatting with a girl from seventh year. Can't remember which House she's from, since she's wearing casual clothes instead of the school uniform. I remember how nice it was back then to be able to dress up freely in other clothes than the robes as you became in certain age. Lockhart leans against the wall with one arm smiling while talking to the student, almost as in flirty way. The girl is blushing and giggling, clearly one of his fans. Could it be? Is that the girl they were talking about last night?