Random Snape headcanon:
Snape has an occasional stutter that comes and goes, especially following times of stress (such as the end of an academic year). His stutter can be pretty severe, but only lasts from a few hours to a few weeks before vanishing again for years.
Once in early summer, when Snape was staying with the Malfoys, Narcissa suggested that he take a few days off from speaking entirely, to avoid the frustration of the stutter. With the Malfoys’ complete understanding, Snape did just that, and found that by slowly returning to vocal speech after a couple of days, he could prevent the stutter from returning.
The non vocal days were such a balm after a hectic and noisy school year. Ever since, Snape has taken days off from speaking aloud when he can—usually while alone at Spinner End (this is often easier than not) but sometimes while at the Malfoys, the only people who fully understand and don’t pressure him to speak.
During these times, he works on his own written research and uses exclusively nonverbal magic. He tries to keep his surroundings as quiet as possible, abstaining from listening to music, the hustle and bustle of town, or loud conversations.
When he’s alone in Spinners End, he’ll often end up lying in bed staring at the ceiling, but once that gets tiresome, he’ll go through old possessions, read, or experiment in the kitchen with whatever he can find in the pantry.
If he’s at Malfoy Manor, Lucius and Narcissa will often join him in reading silently (sometimes all piling onto the same oversized settee that Severus favors), or will talk very quietly among themselves. It turns into a time of reflection and slowing down for all of them.
Once he’s old enough to understand, even Draco refrains from asking Snape complex questions during these times, and speaks in a hushed voice, too (although he’s a chatterbox and isn’t ever properly silent for long, no one minds).
Snape often finds that after a few days of quiet, he begins to look forward to speaking aloud, and slowly starts to again.
