Unexpected Fate (Severus Snape x Reader)

𝟎𝟓 - 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓶𝓮𝓻 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓭𝓪𝔂

The summer holidays were approaching, and while most students were eagerly packing their trunks to return home, I found myself preparing for another summer at Hogwarts. Unlike many of my colleagues and students, I had no family to visit. Hogwarts had become my sanctuary, a place where I could lose myself in the magic and history that surrounded me.

As I stood by the window in my quarters, watching the sun set over the Forbidden Forest, memories from my past began to surface, drawing me back to a time filled with pain and sorrow.

I was fifteen, and the burden of my family's troubles weighed heavily on my shoulders. My mother had always been a source of light in my life, despite the darkness brought by my father. Diagnosed with lung cancer, her health deteriorated rapidly. She lay in a hospital bed, her breathing labored and weak.

I sat beside her, holding her frail hand in mine, trying to stay strong for her. Her once vibrant eyes were now dim, clouded with pain and sorrow.

"(Y/N)," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I am so sorry for everything you've had to endure because of me and your father."

"Mom, please don't say that," I replied, my throat tight with emotion. "You did everything you could. It wasn't your fault."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I should have protected you better. I should have left him sooner."

I shook my head, feeling my own tears threatening to spill. "You did your best. And he's not here anymore. He's in Azkaban, and he can't hurt us."

She squeezed my hand weakly. "Promise me, (Y/N), that you will never let anyone break your spirit. You are so strong, stronger than you know."

"I promise, Mom," I whispered, my heart breaking as I watched her struggle for each breath.

For the next few hours, we talked quietly, reminiscing about happier times and sharing our hopes for the future, even as we both knew the end was near. She expressed her regret and guilt, apologizing for the years of suffering we had endured. I tried to comfort her, telling her about the little joys I had found at Hogwarts and how her love had always been my guiding light.

Eventually, her breaths became shallower, her grip on my hand loosened. "I love you, (Y/N)," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"I love you too, Mom," I replied, my voice choked with tears.

With one last, soft sigh, she closed her eyes and was gone. I sat there for a long time, holding her hand and crying silently, feeling the profound emptiness of loss.

The days that followed were a blur. My father, imprisoned in Azkaban for his crimes, was informed of her death but was unable to attend the funeral. I was slightly relieved.

Returning to Hogwarts after her death was unbearable. The castle, once a place of refuge, now felt like a prison of memories. My schoolwork suffered, and I found it hard to concentrate. One day, as I wandered the grounds, I encountered Snape. At this time he was four years older, a seventh-year student, and already known for his sharp tongue and aloof demeanor.

I must have looked particularly miserable that day, because he stopped and looked at me with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity.

"Why the long face, (Y/N)?" he sneered. "Did someone hex your cat?"

I glared at him, my eyes still red from crying. "It's none of your business, Snape."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by my defiance. "Well, do try to look less pathetic. It's quite distracting."

His words cut deep, and any sympathy I might have felt for him vanished in that moment. From then on, my dislike for Severus Snape grew into a cold, unyielding wall. The pain of my past and his relentless cruelty solidified my resolve to never let him see me break.