"Chrysanthemum." Severus Snape x reader fanfiction.

Lemon eyes.

The common room was busy and buzzing with the mindless end of the day chatter of students scattered about, a few snuggled up on the black leather sofa near the large fireplace. The warm flames crackled and snapped with each flicker, a stark contrast to the blue, gloomy glow of the depths of the black lake outside the tall glass windows. The occasional grindylow or mermaid would scuttle by, and only once in your third year did you catch a glimpse of the giant squid's shadow. It seemed to be a rather shy creature that rarely reared its head unless the waters of its home were thoroughly disturbed. You didn't mind it, the darkness. It felt much more like home to you than the brightness of sunlight peaking throughout the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff common rooms.

You were never much of a bubbly personality, even as you were growing up. Sure, you had your moments of childish excitement. But it never seemed to reach far past that stage. Perhaps that's why it was harder for you to fit in or make meaningful connections with those around you, but even then you didn't really care to make any changes to yourself. You were who you were, who you are. And everyone else simply needed to accept that or move right along.

You tossed your dirty cloak onto the edge of your bed and gently rubbed your tired eyes, head already beginning to pound as you felt the lethargic aftermath of your disastrous potions class. What in the bloody hell had gotten into you back there? You made an absolute buffoon of yourself not only in front of Professor Snape, but the entirety of your classmates as well. Surely you wouldn't be living this one down for a few days at the least. What surprised you, though, was how quickly Snape's anger seemed to subside as you two came into close contact, his fingers wrapped around the bare skin of your wrist. His touch was cold and tight, palm slightly wet from the lingering substance of potion. Something in his eyes changed in that moment, tough resolve slowly melting away into what was reminiscent of ambivalence — neutrality.

The rest of the afternoon hours seemed to pass by rather quickly, more so than you had liked them to. The sun had set below the distant horizon and the moon was peeking her head up just above the tree line, casting a faint silver glow on the earth beneath it. Dressed still in your usual school uniform minus your stained cloak, you took in a deep breath of cool evening air as you made your way across the open and abandoned courtyard. Your footsteps echoed with each long stride, a lone owl sitting at the top of one of the nearby trees hooting softly as it flapped its wings and took off into the opposite direction from you.

It was a generously long walk down to Snape's office, which gave you ample time to think over your flashbacks from earlier. Your parents hadn't always been so sharp in tongue and rough in hand. You could remember a few instances from when you were toddler, but those...those were far off memories. Lost within the distant past you barely even recognized anymore. Your mother had always been the more quiet of the two, often standing in the wings as she watched your father raise his idea of parental discipline to a whole other level. The pure disappointment in his voice and in his gaze was so often and so rampant, you couldn't even remember what praise from him felt or looked like.

No matter how well you had done in school or extracurriculars, there was always a lingering 'you can do far better than that.' From this, you birthed your inherent craving for approval, desperate to reach beyond your measures by any means necessary. It often caused you to form a rigid little brick wall between you and your past friendships, left watching in unresolved sadness as those you used to care about turned their backs and walked away. You always told yourself you didn't care, that you were far better off without anyone else at your side to weigh you down. But lately, the loneliness seemed to bare a heavier weight on your shoulders than not having someone at all did.

Before you knew it, you were face to face with Snape's office. The door was extremely large and heavy on its hinges, sat at the end of the corridor that lead into his classroom. You raised your fist, knuckles lightly thumping against the old wood before taking a quick step back in expectation. No answer. Not even a single noise to indicate your professor had been made aware of your waiting presence. Hesitantly, you reached out and gripped the large handle and turned it, pushing the door open with a slow and gentle swing.