half blood prince

Paris smiled. He actually, genuinely smiled. If only the entire seventh-year class were there to see it, they’d probably drop dead. It wasn’t a wide, toothy smile - it was more of a subtle smirk, but it was there, clear as day. Although if anyone actually mentioned it there was no doubt he’d tear them apart for thinking he’d gone soft. “You’re an excellent duelist, Severus. It’s about time you had a wand to match your skill set.” He narrowed his eyes, rejecting the idea completely. “You will accept it, otherwise I’ll force it down your throat and I’d rather not, because I spent a lot of money on that wand.” Ah, there he was. Back to his usual self. 

Severus lifted the wand from it’s box, holding it delicately in his hand, as if if he held it too tight it would disappear. It was a long wand, maybe 13″ inches, and made out a dark wood, it fit perfectly in his hand. “Paris...” It was rare for Severus to refer to his friend as anything other than Avery. “I can’t thank you enough.” He said, clearing his throat a little. He was not one for public displays of emotion, or any emotion for that matter and Paris was the same, so he restrained his overwhelming gratitude. “No forcing down throats needed.” He said, extending his hand for a shake, which by Severus’s standards, was the equivalent to throwing his arms around Paris in an embrace.  

She slightly flinched at his scoffing,then a little bit more at the questions. Maybe she hadn’t thought of that, but she couldn’t understand it if that was the case. Why would you want to avoid everybody? Sure, some people might be mean, but… everyone? She just couldn’t comprehend it. “I… people avoid me too but that doesn’t mean I don’t want friends or deserve them,” she defended, though her voice was slightly quieter than before. “So I thought…” She couldn’t manage to finish her sentence.

He felt another pang of guilt when he saw the hurt in her eyes, and he flashed on the memory of Lily’s eyes when he called her that awful word. “Listen...” He said, his voice softening ever so slightly. “You seem nice enough alright? But I’m...” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked anywhere but at Pandora, struggling to find the words to express himself, as he often did. “I’m not like you, people avoid me because I am not...Pleasant. Trust me I’m not a good friend, I’m doing you a favor.”

“Not really, no. Nobody has this free period with me.” Fab shrugged, cracking a grin. So there was emotion there, albeit annoyance, but the shell was cracking nonetheless. He leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the textbook, finally recognizing the familiar pattern, “History of Magic! That your favorite class?”

"Of course you don't." He mumbled under his breath, feeling the frustration bubble under his skin. “Have you ever considered the benefits of solitude? Personally I find it very rewarding.” He said, hoping that Fabian would pick up on his lightly veiled hint. “It’s fine a suppose, not much of a challenge though. I’m sure you love it Prewett.”

“If only you were so lucky, Snape.” Paris shot the boy a look, although it didn’t have his usual sharp glare behind it. He went to make a joke about Evans, but refrained from making his day any worse. It wasn’t like Paris to restrain himself, but he was in a relatively good mood considering he was out of the castle walls and he was attempting to be… kind. Even the thought of it sent a shiver down his spine. “It’s no proposal, but I saw you eyeing this a while ago. Don’t make it a big deal, Snape.” He huffed slightly, his usual attitude threatening to come to the surface. 

Severus rolled his eyes at Avery, he could be so moody, even by Severus’s standards. “Alright fine, not a big deal.” He said even though it did feel like a big deal because he couldn’t remember the last time someone had bothered to get him a present. He cleared his throat awkwardly before lifting the lid of the box only to reveal a wand. Not just any wand, but his wand, the wand that had spoken to him but he couldn’t afford so he had to get one second hand. “Paris...” He said, his brows scrunching together in a deep frown. “This is too much, I couldn’t possibly accept this.”

There was nothing Adélaïde disliked more than an abundance of free time. She tried desperately to keep a full social schedule to prevent an abundance of idleness. Who wanted to cavort with an idle woman? Idleness led to gossip which led to complacency. No, Adélaïde preferred to always have something to do. Currently, she was perched on a bench by the lake, The Daily Prophet open in her lap. Her eyes scanned the newspaper with rapt interest, looking for an interesting story—she always liked to be the first one to know the news. 

Someone sat down next to her, which wouldn’t normally bother her, but the abrupt motion made the page flutter—causing her to lose her place on the page. “Excuse me!” She whirled around, eyes blazing. “Do you need something?”  

Severus had been staring at his History of Magic text book that his eyes were beginning to hurt so he decided that it was time for a break, just a short one, to stretch his limps. He decided that a stroll around the lake would do nicely, perhaps he would catch a glimpse of the giant squid, something that still filled him with boyish wonder even after all these years. A fact about himself that he would never admit to anyone, unless he wanted to die from embarrassment. 

But there was no giant squid to be seen, just a familiar blonde head reading the daily prophet. “Woah,” He said, his hands going up defensively. “Someones in a bad mood.”

She could feel her cheeks heat up when she had to confirm that yes, she did. She nodded shyly before she felt herself get even more nervous. She had to explain. She swallowed before taking a deep breath and looking up to meet his eyes. “I was…” she started, but she didn’t know how to phrase it, so she tried again. “I saw people avoiding you. People avoid me too. I thought… if other people don’t want to be friends with us, why not be friends with each other?”

"People don't avoid me." He scoffed, suddenly defensive but his words rung hallow. Of course people avoided him, it was obvious, even to someone like Pandora. “Maybe I avoid people? Ever thought of that?” This at least had a bit of truth to it, he did try and avoid most people. He wasn’t sure what came first anymore, people avoiding him or him avoiding people. “Why would you want to be friends with someone people avoid? Haven’t you thought that maybe theres a reason I don’t hang out with anyone?”

He should stop her, he should reach out and hold her back, he knew that he should, but she just kept getting closer, and it was Lily. His Lily, and he had wanted this for so long. He wanted to be better than he was, if he was better he would stop her, wait for the right time, not like this. “Lily you don’t–” He started to say she didn’t have to do this but he was too late, her lips were already pressed against his and he was gone, lost in what he had only imagined for years. 

“Kitty!” He shouted once he was able to pull his pants on to preserve the small amount of dignity he had left. “Kitty, wait!” He shouted again, chasing after her down the hall until he caught up with her, no surprise she was laughing, full of gleeful mirth. “Kitty you can’t tell anyone about that, please”

He approached her like he was approaching a wild animal. “Um hi,” He mumbled once he was standing in front of her, looking down at her cat like eyes. He could feel his pulse quicken and his mind started to spin, would he really have his first kiss with Adélaïde Beaufort for a dare? Everyone was watching them, everyone who’s approval he so desperately wanted. “Here it goes,” He said, pressing his lips against hers before pulling back so quickly that he barely had time to register what her lips felt like against his.

Severus swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat as he watched Pandora walk towards him after hearing the words dare, kiss, and Severus. His breath was shallow and his hands were clammy, and from the look in her eyes she was just as nervous as him. “Wait, stop.” He said, putting his hands out to stop her from getting closer. “I can’t...Not like this.”

send me ✗ for my muse to fall on yours and land on top of them

send me □ for your muse to fall on mine and land on top of them

send me ♕ for your muse to get dared to kiss me

send me ♢ for my muse to get dared to kiss yours

send me ♫ for your muse to catch mine singing in the shower

send me ♩ for my muse to catch yours singing in the shower

send me ♡ for your muse to drunkenly confess feelings to mine

send me ☽ for my muse to drunkenly confess feelings to yours

send me △ for my muse to get trapped in a small closet with yours

send me ❅ for my muse to cuddle up next to yours while asleep on the couch

Paris had been looking forward to getting out of the castle, but he did not want to go at it alone. Having to swim through the crowds of obnoxious students as they all tried to be the first to Honeydukes? It was unappealing. So, he’d dragged Severus with him to complain to. “So you can be miserable with me, obviously,” he joked, shooting his friend a look. Paris hated pretty much anyone he came into contact with, but Severus was an exception. To say he could tolerate him was actually a compliment by his standards. 

They’d headed towards Tomes and Scrolls, which was thankfully not as busy as some of the other shops in Hogsmeade. A few Ravenclaws could be spotted through the window, but by the way they cowered when seeing Paris and Sev, it was obvious they’d steer clear of the boys and not be a bother. “I wanted to show you something,” he spoke as they entered the small, dusty shop. He headed toward the counter, where the clerk had a brown paper package waiting for him. “For you, Severus.” 

Severus rolled his eyes at his friend. Since he destroyed anything between him and Lily, Paris was probably the closest thing that Sev had to a best friend. Not that he would ever let the blonde know that, it would be far too humiliating, and he didn’t want to scare him off. “Right, I forgot that you enjoyed causing people misery.” He said with a chuckle, flicking his dark hair out his eyes. He had to admit, it felt nice walking through Hogsmeade with someone who he almost felt like he belonged next to. When he was Lily he always felt like a fraud.

Severus’s brows knitted together as he stared at the brown package on the counter. He mind reeled with what it could be. A prank? No, if Paris wanted to torment Severus he would have done so long ago. A gift? What was the occasion? It wasn’t his birthday. “What’s this?” He asked, lifting the box with caution, as if if he moved to fast it would bite him. “I would ask if you were prosing Avery but the box is too big for a ring.”

“What?” she asked, confusion clear on her face. Then Potter was mentioned and she shook her head furiously. “No, not at all! I don’t think he’s ever even talked to me!” Of course she had seen how he and his friends treated Severus, and she never knew why. She just saw it happen until all of a sudden, his seemingly only friend Lily wasn’t by his side either. “I just… I’ve wanted to be your friend for a while…” she admitted sheepishly, though she forced herself to maintain eye contact. “And you saving me was the perfect opportunity?”

She didn't seem like she was lying, mostly because she had been a little too earnest this whole conversation. Severus was disarmed by her, and he felt a little uneasy on his feet. “You want to be friends with me?” No one wanted to be friends with him, especially not girls like her and he had years to prove it. “Why would you want to be friends with me, and for that matter why were you even paying attention to me?” 

He was busy scowling at a couple across the street, wrapped in each other’s arms. He felt a mixture of disgust and jealousy, it was like watching a horrible accident. He should look away but he couldn’t. He only pulled his attention away when he felt the old bench he was sitting on shift from someone else’s weight. Why was Tobias Travers joining him? 

“Can I help you?” He drawled, a brow arching. 

@dimpledstars​

Severus: Oh, sorry...

Severus: Wait, what did I do?

“What textbook, mate?” It was clear Snape had no interest in talking to him, but Fab had nothing to do at the moment and was suddenly very into the idea of cracking this moody shell. Whether that meant Snape enjoying his presence or just Snape getting annoyed with him, he didn’t really care.

Severus was not known for his patience, especially when it came to people like Fabian Prewett. In his mind they were all alike, Fabian, the Marauders, all the jocks that thought that they held the school in the palm of their hand. “Very funny.” He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Don’t you have anyone else you could bother?” 

“Oh, neat,” she said with a small smile, picking up her bag before he asked her that and she tilted her head. It was a strange question. She didn’t need anything, except maybe a snack, but even that could wait. “Not need, really, but we just started talking, so I thought we could keep talking.” Her eyes then went wide. “Shoot! Unless you have a test you have to study for, I don’t want to distract you from that!”

"Am I missing something?" He asked, shake his head, his dark hair flopping in front of his eyes. “Did someone put you up to this?” His voice developed a slight edge to it, as it always did when he began to feel defensive. He looked her up and down noting the red and gold of tie. “Did Potter tell you to mess with me or something? He’s sending some girl to do his dirty work now huh?”

“Remind me again why you wanted me to come so badly?” He asked, turning towards Paris.