What Lies Within the Shadows [SEVERUS SNAPE]

Will-32

"Have a good thanksgiving break, everyone!" Remus cheered to the final class of the evening, the Weasley twins quick to respond.

"Sleeping in with friends and bothering the professors for a whole week. Imagine all the pranks we can pull, George." Fred spoke triumphantly.

"Fred, I was thinking the exact same thing." George spoke, interlocking an arm over his brother's shoulders as the students left the classroom. I could hear Remus chuckle as I wrote in my journal quietly to myself.

As I wrote, my quill scratching softly against the parchment, I could hear the last remnants of laughter and chatter fade as the students vacated the classroom. Remus was still at his desk, tidying up his things, his easygoing smile lingering from his exchange with the Weasley twins.

I let out a quiet sigh, glad the day had finally ended. Thanksgiving break had come at the perfect time—an entire week where I wouldn't have to plaster on a smile for the students or pretend that I was perfectly fine. A week where I could focus on trying to figure out what was happening to me, without the added pressure of keeping up appearances.

I looked down at the page of my journal again, the ink still fresh.

𝓓𝓪𝔂 11

𝓝𝓸 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓿𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓸𝓻 𝓮𝔁𝓬𝓻𝓾𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓾𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓪 𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓴 𝓷𝓸𝔀. 𝓜𝔂 𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂 𝓲𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓯𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓭𝔂. 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓫𝓵𝓸𝓸𝓭𝔂 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓮𝓻 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹𝓮𝓭.

The thought alone made my stomach turn. The idea that I had been resorting to this—forcing myself to eat food I wouldn't have touched before—just to keep that voice at bay. I hadn't wanted to admit it before, but there was something deeply unsettling about it. And yet, it worked. The voice hated cooked food. The bloodier the meat, the quieter it became.

𝓘 𝔀𝓸𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓮𝓷 𝓲𝓯 𝓘 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓼 𝓸𝓻 𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓶.

I hesitated after writing that, the idea sending a shiver down my spine. How far was I willing to go to keep the voice quiet? I didn't want to think about it, but the thought had already taken root in my mind. Could restricting myself make the hunger unbearable? Would it make the voice louder? Or worse... would it force me to crave something more dangerous than just bloody meat?

"Hard week, Fangz?" Remus' voice was suddenly close, making me look up quickly. His voice had spoken such simple words lightly, though there was a hint of something deeper in his eyes, a concern that he was trying not to show too obviously. He had been watching me closely these past few days, ever since the Quidditch match and what I had assumed Harry's worrying request. I could tell he was worried too, and I hated that I was making him feel that way.

I watched as his eyes darted to my journal, a curious glint quickly forming in his eyes. Swiftly, I shut the book and kept it to my chest, the man looking at me with a sharp glance. I forced a small smile, hoping it would be enough to dissuade him from pressing further. "Yeah, I'm ready for the break."

"Any plans?" he asked, leaning against the edge of my desk, his tone casual.

"I'll probably just catch up on some reading, maybe sleep in a little," I replied, shrugging. "Nothing too exciting."