𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 - 𝑨 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔 𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Home

UNEDITED
_______

Men. What do they crave?

Many things of course, and one of their primal desires are women. A real man, would do anything for a woman. They kill for them, they die for them.

Severus is a man. The only woman he ever felt dying for was Lily Evans, and he almost did. That desire to fall on his knees and sacrifice himself to death for the sake of a woman was built up by years and years of love, a type of love that faded into respect, honor.

It has been years since Severus felt that spark. That tiny little spark that gradually grew into something he had considered a psychological cancer that he knew led to heartbreak.

It was far worse than he had expected. He was given a proper taste of it the day he received a letter from Lily, thinking she was finally open for communication, thinking she was finally ready to forgive him and talk everything out until he tore the envelope apart to find a wedding invitation inside.

The same day he agreed to join the Death Eaters with Lucius. He was hurt, angry, and turned to the only thing he knew, unaware of the many consequences and the deaths and despair that followed it.

He swore to never go down that path again.
He assumed that by starting over with a clean slate, he could just ignore his feelings for Mia. He could pretend she was just another person to him, pretend as if after all these years, she didn't make him feel that small curse of a spark.

The only light came from the fireplace in the living room where Severus sat after tucking Mia into bed. An unopened bottle of scotch sat in front of him, a glass gripped in his hands.

He planned on drinking away his feelings despite trying his best to stay away from alcohol considering his intakes with Lucius, but the longer he sat there, the more he realized how impossible it was.

He thought he was a tough enough man, but the moment he laid eyes on his pleading maid he was proven wrong. He was immune to flirtatious gestures from women, but not from Mia, and he was too late in realizing it. His feelings got in the way.

Instead of opening the bottle, Severus placed the glass down at the edge of the table with a sigh. He wanted to drink away his feelings, as always, shove them down and squash them. When put in such situations, he would always know what to do, but not anymore. He felt like he had suddenly forgotten how to walk when he needed to run. He needed guidance. As much as he detested the fact, he needed to act like the grown man he is, and face all he's been avoiding.

Upon reaching that conclusion, he was soon sitting on someone else's couch.

Her quarters, unlike his, was warm and had a very cozy atmosphere. It was decorated neatly with curtains and drapes of red and gold. The largest window of her quarters was made up of stained glass, the Gryffindor emblem proudly presented on it.

"Cup of tea? I've added some ginger." Minerva sat down across from him after offering tea, pulling the nightrobe over her aging frame as she sighs softly.

Severus knew she would attentively listen to him if he were to come to her with a problem, regardless of how embarrassed he felt to have to talk to her about this.

He stayed silent, his hands laying flat on his knees as he stared down at the dark wooden tea table illuminated by the calm fire.

"...Severus," The witch thought of how she could approach this delicate topic. If she were to take the wrong step, he could clamp shut like a clam.

"I understand that it's not easy to open your heart after everything you've been through," She speaks with her soft, weighty Scottish brogue. "But...perhaps... learning to love can be daunting, but it can be incredibly rewarding."