severus snape

She had a good teacher, of course, but she also liked to think she exceled as a student. She nodded her head in acknowledgement to his thanks and gave him a smile, her eyebrow struggling not to arch at him. He was concerned about her, too? That pleased her, somehow. Not that she’d caused him to worry, but that he did care about her safety. “I’m well, thank you for asking.” She felt an odd tingle settle over her for a moment, and figured that the charm he’d cast would give them the ability to speak freely. She was caught off guard, and her expression softened at his words. “Oh, it’s okay. I was okay. That’s…I appreciate you saying that though.” Please don’t blush again, Selena. Her wishes were granted; his lessons were paying off, after all. “I, uh, kind of had to hit some of our friends with a frying pan though. But I said I was sorry, and they know I’m undercover,” she rushed. 

@lycanthropicdancer​

Having made the mistake of sipping on his wine while waiting for her to answer, Severus almost choked and barely kept himself from spitting half of it all over himself when she described her version of a Death Eater battle. “A... what?” He was trying to go for an admonishing tone, but the smile at the ridiculous images coming to mind was too strong to fight off. “Excuse me, Petrosyan, are you saying that you used a kitchen utensil to pretendedly fight off Death Eaters while posing as a undercover civilian?” He let out a small laugh, his tone full of disbelief. “Couldn’t you have just cast a couple of flashy and harmless spell like anyone else? I don’t know, set fire to a curtain or sent a few sparkles against statue?” he asked, incapable of fighting the entertainment he was getting at the thought of it and definitely wishing he could have seen it with his own eyes. “Where did you even find a frying pan?” he asked again with a shake of his head. 

She couldn’t deny that she was relieved to see him walk through those doors. She’d kept her distance, tried not to show her own concern, but wondered why he’d come by. Sure, it was a popular drinking spot, but she’d never seen him here this early before. Maybe he had a mission for her? Or maybe, just maybe, he was concerned for her too. The thought put a subtle smile on her face that she hid by ducking her chin to her chest, doubling down on wiping the glass in her hands. When he spoke, she gave a single nod and flipped the clean glass over, filling it with red wine and sliding it across the counter. “This one is on me. How are you doing?” She spoke softly, betraying a little worry in her voice. She hadn’t seen him since that night, either, and while she’d known he was alive, she wasn’t sure the extent of any injuries he may have suffered. He was looking pretty good, though, she noted. 

@lycanthropicdancer​

He heard the slight worry in her voice but was glad to note it was down to a minimum. This meant her training in trying to show her emotions less obviously was going well, and she was learning. “Thank you,” he said, grabbing his glass and tipping it in her direction before taking a sip. “I’m well, thank you. I came by to ask you the same question.” Casually, he cast a silencing charm around them, making sure that no one could overhear what they were saying. “I apologize for not being by your side at the ball. I had to... slip away for a while and barely came back in time for the battle,” he said in a kinder voice, scanning her body once more, almost scientifically checking for any bandaged wounds or muscles moving with difficulty. “How did you fare?” 

Even years after joining their little group, Severus still thought of Lucius as his mentor and the man who’d introduced him to the potential of true power. He liked to catch up with him from time to time, aware that despite some of their differences, he still had a few things to learn from the older Slytherin. Between the aftermath of the battle and his newfound interest in training teaching new recruits, Severus felt a sense of comfort at the thought that time had come for another drink with his old mentor. Having gotten to the bar early in order to grab one of the most discreet tables, he was nursing a glass of red wine when the blond joined him. “Hello, mate,” he said, testing out a more palatable version of himself among the Death Eaters, having realized it would do no good to keep being the antisocial black sheep of the group if he truly wanted to rise through the ranks. “How have you been?” 

Once again, Severus caught himself frantically scanning the copy of the Daily Prophet he’d just purchased looking for any mentions of casualties other than Bones, which was talked about so much it didn’t even bring a smile to his face anymore, simply an eye roll. Having had no way to know about how Lily, Saoirse, Lupin, or even Potter had fared in the battle, he had resigned himself to stopping by the Ministry, hoping that if he roamed the corridors long enough he might stumble upon one of his new friends to ask for updates. But when he finally looked up, it was Lily herself whose eyes caught his, a possibility that he had refused to prepare for, trying to convince himself he’d be indifferent to it. She looked okay, although her face was stern. He stood still, and coughed a few times, suddenly having no idea what to say. “Good morning,” he settled on lamely. “I’m here on business for... Potions. You look well,” he finished, his tone as much a question as a statement. 

It was rare for Alecto be home alone. It was rare for her to be at home at all to be honest. She tried to spend as much time out of the house as she could. She hated it here. She hated being constantly reminded of what her father had done, and what she had lost. But, her parents and Amycus were out today, so she supposed it wasn’t too bad. At least she could mope around on her own for a while. Or that was what she had planned, and then the door had knocked. She was half tempted to just ignore it, but then her mind told her it could be Caius, and she knew she had to answer. Oh how she missed having house elves to answer the door for her.

She was surprised to see that it was Severus when she opened the door. She was a little disappointed that it wasn’t the one person she really wanted to see, but she supposed that it could be a lot worse. She hadn’t seen him in a while, but they had a pretty decent friendship. Severus had tutored Alecto a little at school, not that it had done much. She’d still gotten very few actual qualifications. “Oh… Hi Sev.” She murmured, moving aside so that he could come into the house. It was rude to make someone stand on the door step. “Came just to check on Amycus and not me? How rude” She teased, a little grin on her face. She was joking, mostly anyway. “Sorry to disappoint but he’s not here” Amycus was at work, a place that Alecto would be heading to a little later. She supposed at least working kept her busy. “Yeah I was there. Mostly. I spent a night in St. Mungos, but I wasn’t that badly hurt. Minus that it was quite an entertaining and chaotic night. Exactly what I adore”

@alectocxrrow​

Sending a conspiratorial grin her way, Severus was glad to see his plan work as intended. Under the pretense of wanting to check in on Amycus only, he had made his attention desirable to Alecto and she would be glad to speak with him. Perfectly executed, he congratulated himself as he passed through the door into the parlor. He kept his gaze blank; trying to put her at ease by refusing to ogle the obvious displays of poverty from a family that used to love showing their excessive wealth so much. He knew this would make her trust him more; and it didn’t take much effort for him, having grown up far from the ridiculous lives of the aristocracy and being the kind of man who still valued simplicity and practicality over shallow displays of grandeur. 

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Please do not take offense at my clumsiness – let’s just say I had no doubt of your resourcefulness in the face of danger, whereas... I did think it better to double check Amycus’,” he said in a laugh. “Do you have time for tea? It’s simply been too long since we caught up” he asked her with an honest look. 

After the ball’s more than successful outcome for the Death Eaters, Severus had spent a few days thinking about what it meant for their future plans, the optics of this war that seemed to loom closer and closer, and his own agenda. The victory had confirmed what he always believed: his side would win. It would be bloody and ugly, but they would win. It was like a wake-up call; and he realized, while his position was semi-secure due to his particular skills, he could do with being more proactive among the ranks of the Death Eaters. He didn’t want any of his peers to use the doubts on his allegiance when the dust settled to oust him from the positions of power he was aiming for. 

With this new wave of enthusiasm, he decided to spend his time thinking through the night’s events and making notes on a few names. Among them were a few women whose eyes he saw filled with doubts and envy upon hearing the Dark Lord’s voice. And there was no doubt in his mind that his Lord would be pleased with him if he brought in new recruits. It was with a self-satisfied smirk that he headed to the Carrow residence to begin his search. He was more than surprised when Alecto herself answered the door, but tried his best not to let it show on his face, since his whole angle was that the Dark Lord would never care about her family’s misfortunes, instead presenting Him as an opportunity to turn their fates around. “Good morning. I was hoping to check in on your brother after the silly mess at the ball. Is he around?” He hoped to Merlin she would say no; but if his research had been right, she would. While visiting Alecto directly might have seemed odd, he hoped that his plan of having been looking for his brother and using the opportunity for a quick talk with her would work. “Either way, I’m guessing you were there too? Did you make it out alright?”

By the time he had finally got rid of Christiano, cleaned up his place, and shaken loose his muscles’ fantom memories of being a bloody badger, Severus was finally able to sit down and think through the ball’s events. But before he could relish in the feeling of victory and pride (finally), his brain reminded him that he was worried about Selena, not remembering having seen her much after their dance. He wasn’t pleased at the realization that there was, for the first time in a long time, someone else whose safety even grazed his thoughts. Even though he knew she was alive for lack of having heard the contrary, he realized he wouldn’t be able to be at peace until he checked in on her. So he gathered one his countless black robes and headed to the White Wyvern, hoping she would be there. Thankfully, she was. “Good afternoon. Red wine, please,” he asked as he sat at the counter, his face a study in indifference as his eyes discreetly scanned her body for any signs of an injury. 

alexandra-rosier​:

Alexandra watched Regulus as he went over to the cabinet, before she lazily looked around the room. It was rather impressive that Severus had a study in a place like this. She supposed that keeping the prophecy here would be a decent choice. It seemed likely that nobody would stumble upon it here. Now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade away, she found it amusing that they had kept the prophecy in a pub with very little security. She supposed hiding something in plain sight was clever, but they should have done better to keep it safe. But no matter, the prophecy was theirs and she knew that the Dark Lord would be pleased with their work.

“I assume that transfiguring someone is different than performing a spell on a teacup or an animal,” she commented. She had watched a professor at Beauxbatons do so once after a duel gone wrong, but the individual in question had been turned into an object rather than an animal. She figured that undoing the two was different. “I think that I should be able to do it,” she told him, glancing at Severus who had jumped up onto the desk in the room, looking like he was waiting expectantly for something. 

She was glad when he finally found whatever it was that Severus had been indicating. She took the offered documents from Regulus and glanced down at them, scanning them quickly. It seemed like it would work. “I can do it,” she told him, feeling more confident than she had before. She glanced down at the documents again before she pulled her wand out of the pocket that she had stashed it in. She read over the documents a few more times, before she glanced at Severus again. “Ready to ne human again?” She questioned. Pointing her wand at Severus, she recited the spell that had been on the documents and moved her wand in the way that the parchment had indicated and a flash of light erupted from her wand and Severus in human form appeared in front of them. “How do you feel? Okay?” She asked, relief filled her when he indicated that he felt okay. “Great. Now where’s a safe place to put this? We’ve been gone long enough,” she said, taking the prophecy out of her pocket and placing it on the desk. @regulus7 - @half-a-prince​

.

Like Alexandra, Regulus too believed that performing transfiguration on a person would be different to an inanimate object or animal. There was a lot more that could go wrong and Regulus rather liked Severus. He wanted his friend to be safe and human once more. If the aurors had caused serious damage, he would make sure that they pay.  “Please.” He said softly as Alexandra deemed she’d be able to fix this, or at least give it a better go. He knew he would never forgive himself if something went wrong if he were to cast it.

Watching with baited breath, grey eyes betrayed Regulus’ nervousness as Alexandra cast the spell. It took but a second and the form of Severus was before them. He seemed to be OK, despite his recent time as a badger and Regulus released a sigh of relief, giving his friend a warm smile.  “Glad your back.” He said softly, although more could not be said because of the pressing time issue. 

“I’m sure this will just be temporary as the Dark Lord must have a place in mind,” Regulus mused, staring at the prophecy and wondering what it contained. “The Blacks aren’t exactly trusted by the aurors, although I suspect they’d check Bellatrix’s home before Grimmauld Place.” Regulus did not know how much they suspected him, considering he did his best to appear as an upstanding citizen. Even then, if they suspected Bellatrix took it. they might think she’d place it with him because they would not check him first. “Perhaps here will be the best place for the time being? They’ll probably expect one of the big families to want to keep it and it’s not like they even know which of us liberated the prophecy from their grasps.”

~ @half-a-prince​ ~ . ~ @alexandra-rosier​ ~

.

While he was thankful to be back to his human form, the level of annoyance that had flooded his mind and body over the past half-hour was hard to shake off, and all that Severus could do was mutter a half-hearted “thanks” in Rosier’s direction. He got up, trying to quickly assess that he had control of all of his limbs, before fixing his clothes and trying to stand with his head held high. “If anyone ever hears about this, I will turn you both into something much worse than badgers, are we clear?” He asked, more because he was trying to get rid of the feeling of vulnerability than out of a real risk that either of them would ever casually mention the nature of their evening. 

“Right. I have an idea.” While hiding the prophecy in his small apartment may have sounded silly, no one knew the amount of things already hidden in plain sight. In all the years he’d lived there, no one had ever realized that the paintings on the wall were a transfigured TV and rows of muggle books. No one had ever realized that all the magical pots and pans in the kitchen hid a muggle toaster, a microwave and a waffle maker. This unassuming little apartment of his, carefully decorated, was full of hidden treasures that would get him a death sentence from both the Order and the Death Eaters if anyone ever realized all the things he owned that needed to be kept hidden. 

Severus grabbed the prophecy and headed to the kitchen. He transfigured it into a simple looking glass and put it at the back of the glass cabinet. “I’m sure the Dark Lord will pick it up soon enough. In the meantime, no one will go looking into my glassware cabinet.” Turning around with a nod, he continued. “Right. Let’s get back. We’ve been away long enough.” As he vanished his dark robes and checked his appearance, the pastel suit and flowers in his hair made him feel silly in the face of the Aurors they’d just sent to the hospital. But he shook the thought away, since nothing good would come out of remembering how he’d recognized Alice Yen’s voice as she went down. “See you at the party,” he said, as all three of them Disapparating back to the ball as if nothing was amiss. 

Selena looked at him quizzically for a moment, brushing it off as she allowed him to take the lead. Due to ‘traditional’ standards in the dancing world, she was used to being led by the man, but the dances didn’t usually make her feel this nice. Sure, performing in itself made her feel incredible, but she wasn’t doing that right now, and that wasn’t this feeling. It was just a gentle calm as she grew acutely aware of the warmth of his arm around her waist. She looks down for a moment in thought, unreadable, silent, before smiling back up at him. Certainly, he was one of her favorite dancing partners of the evening. If not her favorite. 

She enjoyed the silence, as well, listening to the music as it filled the vast room. One hand covered her mouth as the spin caused her to laugh softly; it was an unexpected move, to be sure. When he brought her back closer, she almost stiffened anxiously, but found herself relaxing instantly into his grip as he began to speak into her ear. She turned to his, a painted coy smile on her lips that would look like a flirtation to any onlooker as she replied, “I’ve been fine, that boy didn’t shake me. I’m getting on good terms with who I need to be. And yours?” 

@lycanthropicdancer​

Severus let out the smallest nod, satisfied by her answer. He hadn’t doubted her, for sure, but he hadn’t been entirely sure that she was up to the task either. Not because he questioned her capacities as a witch and a spy, but because he was afraid of the emotional bond she might come to create with people that they ultimately planned on hurting and destroying. “Good. All is fine on my end, the package has already been delivered,” he said, referring to the moment he dropped the vial of Polyjuice potion to Rosier earlier in the evening. 

He allowed them to look like they were simply sharing a dance for a bit longer. It would be good for them to be seen dancing, rather than whispering in each other’s ear all dance long. But it wasn’t a chore either, the way keeping up appearances usually was for him. The feel of this woman, small but strong, between his hands, allowed him to pretend a little less for a few minutes, and he enjoyed the internal sigh of relief that he allowed himself. It felt like being a child again, just doing something because it felt good rather than because he knew there could always be eyes on him waiting for him to trip and fall. 

Finally, he let his mouth come back next to her ear. “Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be around. Thank you for the dance,” he murmured genuinely, before taking a step back again and giving her a real, if small, smile. 

      mind otherwise occupied with keeping her family from rita’s scandal sheets  &  making the match,   severus’ presence is a breath of fresh air.   a highly welcome one at that.   she’d scarcely seen anyone outside of her own parents and their house elf following bellatrix’s bout of truth regarding the dark lord and his followers,  much less any of her “friends”.   most of whom narcissa viewed as having betrayed her,   years spent together not having uttered a single word to her about the movement since it’s conception.   the revelation that severus was a death eater certainly hadn’t changed her perspective on him however,   it only served in proving what she’d already recognised in him.  it’s in such understanding,   as well as her desire to have a largely uneventful evening that she welcomes his presence sincerely,   accepting his kiss and compliment with a bright smile,   ❛   thank  you  kindly…   as  do  you,   i  must  say.   you’ve  very  quickly  become  someone  who’s  looks  i  highly  anticipate  at  events  such  as  this,   severus.   i  mean,   who  knew  you  looked  so  good  in  blue?   ❜   she confesses,   taking a moment to admire his powder blue suit,   careful to note his beautiful,   floral decorations too.   it was more effort than most men in attendance put in,   and narcissa could quite confidently say she was a great fan.   ❛   quite.   it’s  an  important  evening  for  my  family,   i  only  hope  it’s  as  perfect  as  they  imagined.   and  i  see  you’re  smiling  too,   anything  particularly  exciting  on  your  mind?   ❜   asks the blonde,  shooting her companion an expectant look. 

@blondsblack​

Severus was thankful that the amount of blush he’d stacked on his cheeks, paired with his dark complexion, would hopefully hide the flush of red at her compliment. He never talked about fashion with his friends; didn’t have anyone around him that he wanted to share this part of himself with. But in Narcissa he recognized someone whose opinion and knowledge he respected, and compliments coming from her, who looked like she understood was he was trying to do, meant a lot more than the countless accolades he’d been met with already. “I look good in every color, Narcissa,” he answered with a smile. This tone was very out of character for him; but he’d heard such replies from people like Lucius and Larkin countless times, and thought it would make him less suspicious than standing alone in a shadowy corner like he truly wanted to. If the Death Eater were doubting his allegiance, he had to make allies, and appear jovial and happy. 

“Well, it looks well on its way to matching expectations, indeed. I’m sure it’ll be a great success as always,” he said kindly. After many years spent together at school, he’d known that Narcissa probably would notice a difference in his demeanor. Unfortunately, he hadn’t yet prepared a reason as to why he was being seen talking to everyone and enjoying himself. Perhaps he was drunk? In love? He could always make up a hallway snog. He bit his lip for a second. “Well, perhaps it’s the summery air that’s befitting me. And the champagne, of course,” he added cheekily. “I do hope you’re taking the time to have fun, though. And looking for suitors, didn’t I hear it was the whole point of tonight? Unless, of course, your eyes are already set...” he continued with a smile, knowing very well what her thoughts on the matter were a few months ago but unsure of whether or not Narcissa had changed her mind on his mentor. 

Selena, of course, had no idea of the event’s traditions, and therefor did not know how awkward her simple comment may truly be. But with Severus’s laugh, all seemed well, so she only grinned back and tilted her head. His laugh wasn’t an unpleasant sound, she thought. It was too bad he didn’t do it more often. She was amused momentarily by the thought of a more jovial Snape, before returning her attention to the present as he spoke. 

Her eyes slowly scanned the room, and she chewed her lower lip. He was right, of course. As much as she enjoyed spending time with her mentor-and friend-they had eyes on them when they were doing so for some reason. She didn’t like that at all. “Well, thank you again for getting me out of that situation. It was really sweet of you.” This was her only response, it wouldn’t be smart to continue addressing the rest out loud for now. 

“Let’s hope not.” Her mouth couldn’t help but turn up in a little smile as he held out his hand and offered a dance, and she didn’t hesitate to accept. She hadn’t had a dance yet this evening, and if she was being honest, she’d hoped she would get a chance to dance with him tonight. Even if it was a bad idea. She placed her hand in his and stepped closer, one hand moving to rest on his shoulder as she begins to follow his lead. All the while stealing glances at those around her, making sure her steps match up with theirs. She needed to dance like the people around her, dress like them, talk like them. But she felt surprisingly comfortable right now, like the performance was a little less of a burden, at least for the night.

@lycanthropicdancer​

Severus barely controlled the grimace that was threatening to appear on his face. It must have been years, arguably perhaps even decades, since someone had called him sweet. He did not like it one bit. He shook off the unpleasant feeling as Selena started dancing. It had been a while since the last time he’d danced at a public ball, but he hadn’t forgotten how. Somehow ballroom dancing had always come naturally to him. A lot more than the muggle kind or even the popular kind in bars and clubs. Regulus had once said it was because Severus was always meant to be part of the aristocracy. Severus’ opinion was that he was like an awkward stick and ballroom dancing was made exactly for old and stuffy people who did not know how to move, but he hadn’t said anything. 

He made sure his grip on Selena’s wait and hand was strong, so that if she was unsure about the steps she could just let herself be carried by his momentum. They danced in silence for a few seconds, finding their rhythm. It was quite pleasant; he liked the solid feel of her in his arms. Her palm wasn’t sweaty and she wasn’t boring him to death with small talk. Perhaps one of the best possible people to be dancing with tonight, then. 

As he made her spin once, he brought her back slightly closer to his own body while still trying to respect her space, and started talking low in her ear. “How have you been since the meeting? He was trying to intimidate us, but you shouldn’t worry too much. How’s the mission going?” he asked as they kept moving in order to make it impossible to read his lips or listen in on their conversation. 

…

Severus Snape was almost making her task too easy – something that was wildly disappointing.  She had ventured into his shop a time or two, working on creating a familiar sort of presence before asking him any sort of questions, before really getting to work on what she had been tasked with figuring out.  It didn’t really bother her if he had chosen to become a Death Eater – it was only natural to choose sides in a war, she had done the same thing.  But if it were true, if he had chosen to become a Death Eater, the most unfortunate bit was that he chose wrong.  Those attempting to orchestrate blatant oppression typically lost in the end.  Human will was too strong.  People eventually fought back.

Allegedly choosing the death eaters, if it even turned out to be true, wasn’t her biggest problem with the younger one.  It was mostly the fact that he came across as quite the arse.  Not right now though, right now he seemed pleasant enough.  “I’ve never been one to follow the rules,” she shrugged, offering him a half smile.  “they said pastels and my mind immediately went for the dark, green pantsuit.”  She held out her hand.  “Do you want to dance?  If you had time to stare you clearly weren’t taking fully advantage of this not at all antiquated event.  Don’t worry, I’ve done it enough times, I won’t step on your feet or anything.”

@patriciarakepick​

Severus kept his smile small but polite enough. What a Gryffindor thing to say. He’d never really admired self-proclaimed ‘rule breakers,’ finding them arrogant and always disappointingly square. He didn’t have a single friend who didn’t spend their days doing illegal things, but the difference between them and Gryffindors, was that things got done in secret rather than for the sake of telling the world you were a rebel. Or, Merlin forbid, a dress code breaker.

He shrugged; obviously he did not want to dance. But he knew how to, and the crowd was thin enough that the Black family would hopefully notice him partaking in the snobby sort of purism they loved best, which might gain him some points back. “Certainly,” he said, his voice neutral, as he held his hand out to her and got them closer to the dance floor. “You call this antiquated. Are you more of a drink at the pub kind of person? Or dancing to the Wireless Top 40?” he asked, grasping at straws for small talk.