Yours truly | Severus Snape - Sequel to Sincerely yours

Knock him dead

A/N: Sorry, I forgot to put this chapter on auto-publish, so it didn't publish it last night! Anyway, here is the next part. Hope you enjoy!

-Lulu

It was a chilly Friday evening on the 8th of November. The skies above Hogwarts were covered in dark clouds, and the crisp air of autumn had fully settled in. In the Slytherin common room, Mary was sat on a plush green sofa, her legs tucked beneath her as she stared into the low-burning fire.

Her thoughts were miles away—or rather, just a few floors down, deep in the dungeons. Her secret was there, and tonight, it felt heavier than usual. She ran a hand through her dark brown hair, twisting it nervously between her fingers. It was half past seven in the evening, and she was supposed to meet Severus in his personal chambers at 8 pm.

A shiver, not from the cold, ran through her. Mary had been waiting for this moment, even for weeks now. But tonight, when it all was bound to happen, everything felt different. Severus had seemed stern, more solemn, something Mary wasn't entirely sure how to handle.

Her dark green eyes flicked up as Alison entered the common room, her black hair bouncing slightly as she walked in with her usual confident stride. Clary was right behind her, her blonde hair neatly pinned up, her blue-grey eyes filled with their usual glint of mischief.

"You look like you're going to be sick", Alison said, dropping into the armchair opposite Mary, her blue eyes scanning her friend.

Clary sat beside Mary; her gaze softer. "What's going on, Mary? You look like you've seen a ghost".

Mary took a deep breath, her fingers still tangled in her hair. "It's tonight. Severus wants me to meet him... in his chambers."

Clary raised an eyebrow, leaning back. "So? To my understanding you seem to be spending your evenings there anyway."

Mary blushed, realising that her attempts to be considerate towards Clary had been useless as the girl had been clever enough to notice that Mary was gone every time she came back from the Quidditch practise.

Just when Mary was about say something apologising, Alison cut in with a smirk. 

"Oh, so it's that kind of evening, is it?"

Mary's cheeks flushed even harder as she gave them both a desperate look. 

"I don't know what to expect. It just feels... different. He sounded serious. Not in his usual 'I'll scold you for misplacing a comma in your essay' way, but... serious".

Clary shifted uneasily in her chair, her expression growing thoughtful. "Do you want this? I mean, we've talked about it, but... you can say no, you know. It's Snape."

There was a time when Clary would have sneered at Severus' name, especially when she used to have feelings for Mary herself. It had taken time, but Clary had gotten over her crush, and though her distaste for Severus Snape was still present, her relationship with Alison had slowly softened the cold look in her grey eyes.

Mary nodded, her nerves still tightening in her stomach. "I do. But I don't know what he expects from me tonight. What if I mess it up?"

"First of all", Clary said, her tone firm, "you're Mary Fucking Montgomery. You don't mess things up. Especially when it comes to Potions. And that's basically half of what Snape cares about."

Mary cracked a small smile. Leave it to Clary and she makes everything sound like a Quidditch match.

"Well, I don't think we're going to be brewing potions in his beds", Mary pointed out, causing Alison grin at the thought.

"Who knows, maybe Snape has a thing for that kind of stuff", Alison suggested, a playful smirk lingering on her thin lips.

"And second," Clary added, brushing off her girlfriend's frisky comment, "he clearly cares about you. He has proven it more than once, right? He doesn't expect you to be some... Well, you know what I mean. Just be yourself".

"Unless 'yourself' means running away from the dungeons, like you used to do," Alison quipped, earning another eyeroll from Clary. 

Mary laughed softly, her nerves settling just a little. Her friends always knew how to make her feel better. "What would I do without you two?"

"Probably hide in the library and obsess over Severus being textbooks", Clary teased gently.

Alison smiled. "We've got your back, Mary. Always".

Mary took a deep breath, standing up and smoothing her shirt. It was time to face whatever awaited her in Severus's personal chambers. She glanced at her friends, feeling a rush of gratitude. Only they knew about her secret, and only they understood the complicated feelings tangled in her heart.

"Wish me luck", Mary said, her voice steadier now.

"Good luck", Clary said softly, giving her a reassuring nod.

"Knock him dead", Alison added with a wink.

With one last glance back, Mary left the common room and made her way down to the part of dungeons where Severus' room was located in. The air turned colder as she descended, and her heartbeat grew faster with each step.

When she finally reached Severus's door, she hesitated for a moment before lifting her fist and  knocking softly. The door creaked open, revealing the dimly lit room beyond. Severus stood in front of Mary, his dark figure casting long shadows across the walls.

"You came", he said, his voice low, a hint of warmth beneath his usual stern tone. For a moment, he eyed Mary, an observing look in his eyes. "And you seem to be fully sober."

Mary cracked a smile as she stepped inside, her nerves still dancing at the edges of her consciousness, but something about the way he looked at her—those intense, dark eyes—made her feel that, maybe, she had nothing to fear after all.