"Professor! Wait!" I called out, quickening my pace to catch him. His stride only lengthened.
"I just want to discuss the details of our engagement," I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice.
He stopped abruptly, his dark eyes flashing with anger as he turned to face me. Grabbing my arm, he pushed me against the cold stone wall of the corridor.
"Don't say that here! You foolish girl," he hissed, his voice low and menacing.
"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to do—I'm scared, Professor," I stammered, feeling the weight of his gaze bore into me.
His grip began to loosen slightly, but the tension between us crackled. "You will do nothing. When your father calls you, you will play along. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry," I whispered, my heart racing.
...The days dragged on as I approached Professor Snape's office, each knock echoing through the empty corridor. Hope mingled with despair as I stood there, waiting for a response that never came. He had chosen silence, leaving me feeling invisible
and each time I knocked, my heart sank a little more.
With each failed attempt to reach him, I found solace in the company of my friends. They were a welcome distraction, filling the void his absence had created. We spent evenings in the Gryffindor common room, laughter ringing out as we shared stories and joked about our classes. Hermione's keen insights kept us grounded, while Ron's antics never failed to elicit smiles. Yet, even amidst their warmth, a gnawing emptiness lingered.
In the days that followed, I noticed something shifting between Hermione and Draco. Their banter became flirtatious, glances exchanged with a new intensity. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy mixed with happiness for them. They had found something special in each other, a connection that blossomed amidst our chaotic lives at Hogwarts.
As I watched them together, sharing quiet moments and laughter, I felt increasingly alone. They often included me, but I was aware of the distance growing between us, a gap that widened with each unreturned knock on Snape's door.
After a week of silence, I finally gathered the courage to confront him again and this time he let me in again. When I entered his office, the air was thick with unspoken tension. I took my usual seat, heart racing.
"Focus," he commanded, his voice sharp and cold.
I steeled myself, knowing he would attempt to invade my mind. This time, I was ready. As he reached for my thoughts, I felt his frustration build; he could not breach my defenses. I could sense his anger growing as he pressed harder against my mental barrier, his magic swirling like a storm.
With every ounce of my strength, I held him back, but I could feel the pressure mounting. I realized that his desperation to enter my mind was only intensifying his anger until I couldn't bear in anymore, whimpering under the pain of his spell.
In a moment of instinctive self-defense, I reflected the spell, redirecting his force back at him.
Suddenly, memories flooded my mind—his memories—overwhelming in their intensity. I saw her: Lily, vibrant and laughing, her spirit illuminating his darkest moments. She was the sun in his shadowed world, her warmth radiating through every memory. I felt his longing, the weight of what he had lost—the sweet moments they shared, the promise of a future that had been stolen from him. I saw him, young and hopeful, envisioning a life with her, dreaming of their wedding day, their future filled with laughter and love
Then came the pain—the betrayal that had driven them apart, and in the depths of his sorrow I felt the crushing regret when he had whispered, "Always,". In that single word lay the entirety of his devotion. It encapsulated a lifelong commitment, a promise that lingered in the shadows of his heart, binding him to a love that could never be fulfilled.
Staggering back, breathless, I finally grasped the depths of his pain. "That's why you punish me. You hate yourself for marrying me instead of her."
His expression shifted, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through the stern mask he wore. "You have no idea," he murmured, his voice low and strained.
"What was her name? It was... Lily, right?" I pressed, feeling the name weigh heavily on my tongue.
"KEEP HER NAME OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" he roared, the force of his anger reverberating off the walls, drowning out the laughter I had shared with my friends.
In that moment, the air felt suffocating. I could see the turmoil within him—his desire for connection clashing violently with the shadows of his past. He was haunted by a love that had slipped through his fingers, and I realized I was a reminder of that loss, a reflection of the future he could never have.
"I can't do this engagement," I said, my voice trembling but resolute. "I don't want it."
With that, I turned and left his office, the weight of his unspoken pain hanging in the air. I walked away, the echoes of our confrontation following me, my heart aching for the man who carried his scars like armor, all while the laughter of Hermione and Draco faded into the distance—a bittersweet reminder of the happiness I felt so far from my own reach.
YOU ARE READING
Shadow of Legacy
Fanfiction"I'm sorry I couldn't be more for you," Snape whispered, his grip tightening on her hand. Alvira's tears fell freely. "You were everything... everything I needed." He gave a bitter smile, though his eyes held nothing but sorrow. "Not enough." His vo...
