𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 - 𝑨 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔 𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

CHAPTER FOUR - Mulciber

This chapter isn't as cringe as it was before - I hope anyway

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"Idiots." Severus muttered to himself. Instead of working in his office today he decided to work in his living room where he read a report one of his students wrote, cutting out an entire paragraph by drawing a line over it in deep red ink.

His brows were slightly furrowed as he failed the first parchment and moved on to the other.

Meanwhile, Mia padded past him with a laundry basket.

"May I ask you something sir?" She asks softly as she sits down on the rug, setting the basket beside her. Picking out one of his robes, she begins to fold them.

Severus doesn't respond verbally as he glances at the young maid who he has slightly grown partial of, raising a brow.

"How come you work a job you don't enjoy?"

The Potions Master stares at her in silence, his chocolate eyes trailing down to her dainty hands that were skillfully folding his laundry.

"What prompts this inquiry Mia?" He places the parchment down along with his red quill, and brings his hand up, unbuttoning a few top buttons of his coat, along with his shirt, something he did often whenever he tried to relax, which Mia found particularly alluring.

She delicately places one of his trousers, neatly folded into the basket before looking back up at the older man, trying not to let her gaze fall on the undone buttons. "I'm simply curious."

There were a few seconds of silence between them as Severus brought his hand up to rub his stubble which he would have to shave later on.

"I am....mainly staying at Hogwarts to honor Dumbledore's legacy, and to help rebuild the wizarding world. I initially considered leaving right after the war, but the surroundings have grown somewhat familiar, and I feel a sense of responsibility towards my students due to my actions during the war...."

He glances down at his maid, wondering if she knew his exact role during the war. He knew that his name was often spoken of.

It was almost as if Mia read his mind, when she spoke her next words.

"I was a bit young back then to grasp the entire situation....but since Mr. Malfoy was heavily involved in a lot of it, our maids would often gossip about it." She says with a little shrug, looking up at him with a tiny smile. "That's when I first heard your story. I thought you were a hero, which is why I wanted to make a good first impression when I first came here."

A smirk graced Severus's otherwise expressionless face.

"I'm sure being ejected out of my fireplace was a good enough first impression." He chuckled as he goes back to grading his assignments.

Mia blushed at his teasing as she folds up the final article of clothing which was a dark green dress shirt, the smile on her face rather shy. "So....do you intend to keep working as a professor till retirement?"

"Absolutely not. I shall leave after a few years, perhaps start a potions trade."

Just then, the flames dancing inside the fireplace flashes green, and they flare up.

A scuffed pair of boots step out, and Mia sees a gruff looking man, almost as tall as Severus, with a messily trimmed stubble and tied up black hair, a few graying strands falling on his face.

Her main focus was on his dirty boots, that left vivid stains on the dark wooden floor. She made a mental note to clean it up right after he leaves.
Severus however, had his smoldering gaze set on the man, his jaw clenched as he inhaled sharply through his nose.