autumn | severus snape

forty six

Ophelia met Teddy in the greenhouse a few days later, the silvery moonlight filtering through the glass panes. He stood near the workbench, inspecting a stack of potion ingredients, his brows furrowed in thought.

Ophelia stepped inside, in her arms was a small bundle wrapped in enchanted cloth. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, but there was a spark of triumph in her eyes as she approached him.

"Teddy," she called softly.

He turned to her, his expression brightening for a moment before his gaze fell to the bundle in her hands. "Is that...?"

Ophelia nodded, carefully unwrapping the cloth to reveal the Dragon's Flame Flower, its vibrant, fiery petals flickering like embers.

Teddy's jaw dropped. "How...?" He took a cautious step closer, his eyes wide with awe. "You didn't go into the forest alone, did you?"

"No." Ophelia hesitated, her excitement faltering under his questioning tone. "I... I got it from Professor Snape," she admitted quietly.

Teddy's expression darkened instantly, the awe replaced by irritation. "Snape?" He repeated, his voice sharp. "You told him?"

"I had to," Ophelia said quickly, setting the flower down on the workbench. "He already knew about the potion, Teddy. He's been trying to figure out a way to brew it himself. He had the same goal as us."

"And you just trusted him?" Teddy snapped, stepping back and crossing his arms. "After everything he's done? After all the times he's lied to you?"

Ophelia's brow furrowed, her hands resting on the edge of the workbench. "You trusted him, too, remember?" She said defensively. "When you sent him after me."

"That was different, and not the point, Ophelia," Teddy said, his tone laced with frustration. "The point is that you keep running back to him. He's proven over and over again that he can't be trusted, and yet you tell him what Professor Brown specifically asked us not to share with anyone."

Ophelia's chest tightened, her hands curling into fists. "Professor Brown is dead, Teddy," she shot back. "And we're running out of time."

"And you think that means her wishes don't matter anymore?" Teddy exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "You don't see it, do you?" He said quietly. "How he gets under your skin, how he manipulates you. He's got you so twisted up, you can't even see straight."

"That's not fair," Ophelia said, her voice trembling. "I watched her die, Teddy," she continued, her breath uneven. "I watched my father kill her like she was nothing, and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything." Her voice cracked at the end, the rawness of it cutting through the cold air between them.

Teddy's anger faltered, but Ophelia wasn't finished.

"You don't get to stand there and tell me I don't see what's happening," she said, taking a step closer. "I see all of it. I see the war coming, I see my sister getting weaker every day, I see my father tearing apart everything I love, and I see you looking at me like I'm some lost cause because I still believe Snape might be worth something."

Teddy's jaw tightened, his frustration warring with something else, something like regret. "That's not what I meant," he said, but his voice lacked the sharpness from before.

"Then what did you mean?" Ophelia pressed, eyes burning.

Teddy exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I just... I want you to think about what you're doing."

"What I'm doing?" Ophelia repeated, her voice rising slightly. She took a step closer, her arms dropping to her sides. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Teddy said, meeting her gaze steadily, "that I've watched you twist yourself into knots over Snape, even after everything he's done. I think he's made it very clear where his loyalties lie," Teddy said. "And it's not with you, Ophelia. Not really."