Shade (A Severus Snape Fanfiction)

|chapter seven|

A/N:
-I have decided to do a Severus chapter. I hadn't really planned on it, but I feel it will give my plans for this story a little more depth.
-Also, I have tried to keep Severus' character pretty canon, that was until the last chapter (which will be explained in this chapter). To all of you grumpy Severus lovers like me, he'll be back 😉
Thank you for reading this garbage I'm writing 😂 and enjoy!

Severus' POV

Severus' mind was reeling the entire walk back to the cottage. Kathryn walked next to him, her hand clasped in his with a small smile on her face. Her cheeks were red. He wasn't sure if she blushing or if it was the chilly air, but she looked lovely.

It was surreal to see her so relaxed and carefree when only a couple of hours ago she had seemed like she would shatter with just a simple tap. Severus hadn't intended on being so caring. He hadn't intended on letting his guard down and showing her that he enjoyed her company immensely. And most of all, he hadn't intended on wanting to kiss her.

But the state she was in when she opened the door that morning had changed everything. Her usually bright hazel eyes had seemed so dull. Her brown hair, usually neatly braided down one side had been tangled and sticking up in different directions. Though her skin was pale to begin with, she had no color whatsoever, aside from the dark, swollen circles around her eyes.

The sight of her had caused a tightness in his chest. She had put on a brave face through everything until that morning. Seeing Kathryn in such a state had made Severus see the gravity of her situation. It was very possible that soon, he would lose her.

They had never been close during their time of living in the castle together, but he had noticed her. She had always been beautiful, but it wasn't something Severus had really taken into account until a few years ago.

He had heard her laughing during a Halloween feast. There wasn't anything particularly special about it, but it was enough to have him turn in his chair and seek out the owner of it. She sat next to Poppy Pomfrey as she always did. Her  brown hair fell in loose waves down her back as she titled her head back in laughter, and Severus wondered how he hasn't noticed how beautiful she was before then.

As if she had sensed him watching her, she turned her head toward his direction and smiled directly at him. He simply looked away and made it a point to ignore her for the remainder of the feast. After that night, though, he noticed when she was in the same room as him, although they rarely ever spoke.

It wasn't until the past week that they shared more than a few words at a time, but Kathryn had wiggled her way under his skin like it was nothing. He hadn't thought he would ever feel something for another woman aside from Lilly, and though he certainly wouldn't call what he felt for Kathryn love, there was no denying she was special to him.

When the gravity of her condition really sank in that morning, Severus had decided he would make the most of the time he had with her. He had never really been carefree or friendly in his life, but he knew Kathryn needed it. The glowing state she was in at the moment was more than enough proof.

They entered cottage and Severus broke the silence between them. "If you'd like, I can put on some tea."

"That would be lovely," she replied, though it was obvious being back there was already dampening her mood, despite her effort to seem fine. Severus pulled her into an embrace, a little awkwardly, since he wasn't very experienced in making people feel better. He was usually the one that upset them in the first place.