Where Your Loyalties Lie - {Severus Snape x Reader}

-37-

We walk side by side in silence. Only the sound of our steps keeps echoing around the castle. The whole atmosphere feels so... Intense. Then, I stop walking while keeping my gaze down. Severus realizes this after taking three steps. He stops and turns to me:"What is it this time?". Sniffy turns his head to see how dark I look while sitting in my arms. "Why?" I let out without raising my eyes from the floor. No answer. Sniffy's little chest keeps going up and down fast as he keeps staring at me. Then, I lift my (e/c) eyes on the man in front of me:"Why you've been helping her? Thought using the Veritaserum is forbidden.". "It is." he answers bluntly. No emotion what so ever on his face to tell me if he's regretting it or not. It angers me.

"How can you be so careless?! Do you have any idea what that has caused? Students are suffering! They have been tortured because they tell the truth. And you..- You've helped her..." my voice goes small at the end. No answer. My emotions are all over the place. It's like there is this battle inside of me. The thought of how Vivian got those marks on her hand. How he carelessly left Harry and his friends in the office. I'm so confused. I thought he would... He supposed to be..- I mean, I... Tears raises on my eyes as we keep staring at each other in silence. "Don't you care at all?!" I finally let out. Those black eyes are narrowed right in me:"It is not mine to decide what Ms. Umbridge does when I give her the potion she has asked for.". "But you knew all along where she'd be using it." I snap back.

Severus turns around and keeps on walking:"Doesn't concern me.". I scoffed and shook my head:"Unbelievable.". Then, I place Sniffy down, turn around - ready to head back to the D.A.D.A. office, and take the wand back of my pants:"I won't let them suffer.". Faster than the wind, Severus grabs me by the hand I'm holding the wand in. Huh?! And before I can react, he pushes me up against the wall near by. "Don't be a fool!" he hisses while holding tightly both of my wrists. I try to fight out of his grip:"Let go of me..!". He's too strong for me to break out from his grasp. Shit..! He keeps frowning:"Do you have any idea where you are getting yourself into?! Talk about how close you already were if I haven't walked in..-", "And why do you care?!" I snap back with anger in my eyes.

No answer. He straightens his posture, bringing himself closer while glaring down on me with gritted teeth. Almost if he's having this battle with himself what to say. While waiting for his answer, my heart starts pounding faster inside my chest. Little bit afraid what is he about to say. All of sudden, Severus feels how someone is tugging his cloak. Hm? We both glance down to see what's happening. It's Sniffy. He's lugging end of the cloak, trying to help me get out of the Potions Master's grip. Severus lets out a sigh and lets go of me, but he won't move away. Sniffy lets go of the fabric and rushes between my shoes. The Potions Master keeps glaring down on me. "I only say this once; Stay out of it." the tone of his voice is soft, yet full of warning. Too stunned to speak, I just keep staring back at him. Like the words are stuck in my throat.

Then, without a word he leaves by my side and continues to walk where he was heading. I bring my gaze down to comprehend all of this. I don't understand. Who's side is he on? Sniffy tries to climb up to my leg into my arms, so I get down and pick him up. Before Potions Master walks behind the corner, I raise my voice enough for him to hear:"Where does your loyalty lie?". For a moment, my voice echoes all over the stone walls. Immediately, Severus stops walking, but he won't turn around to face me. Nervously, I wait for him to answer. Say something. Anything. After a small pause, which felt like eternity, he left. After that day, we never saw Umbridge again.

A few weeks after, the semester ended. Gryffindor won the House Cup, and all of the students left Hogwarts back to their own homes. Hagrid, Filtch and I are the only ones that stayed in the castle for the summer. On the very last week of the school year, Dumbledore offered me the position of to be the new History of Magic teacher. I gladly accepted it. You'd think I'd be cheering all wild by this. Don't get me wrong! I am really, really happy I get to continue studying and working in Hogwarts. I really do. It's just that... The way Severus and I left things before summer break, it haunts me. So I haven't felt so giddy I thought I would after hearing I get to continue working here. We barely talked after what happened when he told me to stay out of Umbridge's way and such. Almost like we went back to the polite nods whenever we happen to run into each other.