harry potter x fem! reader
warnings : daddy issues, crying, angst, loneliness, father/daughter arguments, fluff, let me know if i missed something
summary : the reader is snapes daughter, he was never fully present and never fully showed her love, and it didnât help that all of her peers refused to give her a chance because they all thought she was just like him, until harry potter realizes thereâs more to her
A/N : so sorry i havenât been active in so long, school has been kicking my butt. this was so fun to write though and i know it seems like iâm always writing characters that are related to pre existing characters but i swear i have different stuff coming. also if there are spelling mistakes iâm sorry i tried to get this out soon so i didnât do as many proof reads as usual
y/n snape was her fathers biggest disappointment and longest regret. she was everything he resented. a young gryffindor and, she wasnât lily potterâs. she was a constant reminder to him that he could never have who he wanted and instead he was stuck with a version of a one night stand he never cared about. he always thought if he were to have a daughter it would be with lily. but no. y/n showed up on his doorstep as a baby with a note from her mother saying she couldnât take care of her and he was the father. a muggle DNA test did confirm that she was telling the truth. all of these factors lead to snape being the kind of father who did not neglect a child financially or materialistically, but did neglect a child emotionally, developmentally, and mentally. he did not like her and it showed. he treated her as if she were a burden, one that he longed not to carry, but that he had to none the less.
despite being a disappointment to her father and never being allowed to forget it, y/n snape was kind. she was an enigma, not just to those at hogwarts, but to herself. she knew her personality did not match her upbringing and, and she knew it definitely did not come from the man whom she shared 23 chromosomes with. she knew that most people who were hated by the one person they wanted love from their whole lives didnât turn out to be lovely people. she knew that most people with daddy issues defined themselves by it and made it their personal permanent problem that their fathers didnât love them correctly. she however did not do that. from the time she was a child she could not care any less what her father thought of her. she knew she was more than what he said she was. and she wasnât going to let him get to her, which ultimately got to him more than anything. she was good hearted, intelligent, brave, and charismatic. however this didnât stop people from judging her based on her last name. the slytherins didnt like her because she wasnât one of them, the ravenclaws were intimidated by her from the moment she was confirmed to be the greasy haired potions teachers daughter, the hufflepuffs feared her like they feared severus simply because they didnât know better, and the gryffindors wouldnât claim her because she wasnât one of them either. all of this, simply because her last name was snape.
she sat in transfiguration listening intently and taking notes while mcgonagall taught. the only other person in the class of 5th years doing such was hermione. hermione was never openly rude to y/n nor was she scared of her, and y/n took this to heart. they werenât friends and had barely ever spoken, but y/n still appreciated the neutral attitude nonetheless. the bell rung and she gathered her things before mcgonagall approached her.
âMs. snape may i talk to you for a moment?â she hated that the teachers called students by their last names.
âof course, is everything alright?â the girl questioned
âeverything is fine dear, itâs just that one of your fellow peers is falling a little bit behind in the class and i think it would help if he had study sessions with you during the week if youâre up for itâ the professor answered
âof course i am, who is it?â
âMr. potter, iâm afraid he gets distracted easily and this subject isnât his strong suitâ she explained while talking with her hands. y/nâs face fell a little. if there was anyone who had prejudged her more than anyone else, it was harry potter. she didnât completely blame him, her father was horrible to him, but still.
âo-oh umm.. are you sure he would be okay with working with me? why not hermione?â she asked, hoping to find a way out of this
âi donât like to pair up friends with friends, they tend to get distracted, and i think he would be thrilled to get the chance to get his grade up. iâve told him i would find someone to help him so meet him in the library at 7:00 tonight after dinnerâ she said before smiling and clapping her hands. âgood day Ms. snapeâ she said before walking away and into her office attached to her classroom.
y/n sat through dinner at the edge of the gryffindor table a few feet away from some first years. out of the corner of her eye she saw the golden trio laughing with each other, while seamus finnigan kept tossing carrots at dean thomas and neville longbottom. sheâd seen the group of the other gryffindors have moments like this her whole life. she looked up to the staff table at her father who was speaking to umbridge, and she was filled with a sadness. sadness because she would never have what the other gryffindors would have. sadness because her last name had ruined her years at hogwarts. sadness because she would never have a relationship with her father who had never and would never give her a chance.
she walked into the library with her bag slung over her shoulder. she looked around for the boy with the messy hair and round glasses and spotted him at a table in a corner reading a book that was not about transfiguration.
âi donât think that will be of much help to our study sessionâ she said with a strained smile before sitting down across from him. his eyebrows furrowed and he looked slightly panicked.
âyouâre the partner mcgonagall set me up with?â he asked. she nodded her head. after a moment of silence and him looking anywhere but her, while slowly nodding his head she asked
âis that a problem?â only with a slight attitude
ân-no no not at all, just not what i was expectingâ he choked out
âright. well weâd better get startedâ she went through her bag to get her books out and he started at her.
âright right. umm you know, i know youâre busy so if you donât want to do this i can get help from hermione and just tell mcgonagall that it was youâ he said only slightly nervous. she stopped turning pages in her book and paused before looking at him.
âiâm notâ he looked at her quizzically so she continued âbusy. iâm not busy, iâve caught up on all of my other work and iâve gotten enough O.W.L. studying in, so iâm not busy.â she slammed the book closed and leaned after a pause. âwhy donât you want to work with me?â her words subtly laced with anger. he looked in her eyes then looked away.
âi- i donât know, itâs just well umâ he stuttered
âitâs my father isnât itâ she blinked at him âyou donât like me simply because of my father, right?â he stared at her trying to find words to make this any better.
âitâs not that i donât like you...â he trailed off
âyou donât trust me? you donât think iâm smart? you think iâm evil like him?â she asked with raise eyebrows.
âdid you just call your own father evil?â he sort of laughed out.
âwell yes, he hates me and always has, he a jerk. iâm surprised youâd think i like him, he treats me worse than any of youâ she said.
âi never thought about that, i just figured-â
âthat i was just like him?â she cut him off
âmaybe if you all would have taken the chance to get to know me instead of assuming who i am you would have realizedâ she said slowly. you could hear in her voice that she was agitated. he didnât know what to say. she looked at him and opened her book again. âletâs just get startedâ he nodded and opened his book. the rest of the study session was awkward and neither of them made eye contact. they went their separate ways and agreed to meet again in two days.
the next time they met it was civilized and professional. she made sure everything they talked about was about transfiguration. she didnât want to talk about anything because she thought it wouldnât be real. she thought he would just be talking to her out of guilt or pity and she wasnât interested, so she kept it strictly educational.
harry however wanted to talk to her about anything other than transfiguration. after that first time they met he realized she was right, there was more to her. he had no idea what it was but for some reason he really wanted to. he wanted to know what made her smile, what music made her heart dance, what colors she wanted to paint her eyes, what she wanted to do with her life, what she thought about death and youth and the construct of time. he wanted to know so many things, and none of them out of pity or guilt, he wanted to know out of pure curiosity and infatuation.
the next two weeks were full of studying and talking only about transfiguration, much to harryâs dismay. he didnât know how to change the subject no matter how much he wanted to. he had no idea how to talk to girls. especially ones he liked. although he didnât even know he liked her, in his mind he just wanted to know more. he decided it was time to go for it, he couldnât take any more talk about how dangerous transfiguring live animals could be. as they were about to go their separate ways leaving the library, he grabbed her wrist to turn her to face him before she walked away. she looked down at his hand
âlisten, i was wondering if maybe youâd want to sit with me at lunch tomorrow? or breakfast, or dinner, or all three reallyâ she looked at him, visibly confused
âi- umm yeah yeah sureâ she replied. he smiled and let go of her wrist when he realized heâd been holding it the whole time.
when she walked into the great hall the next day she saw harryâs head tilt up and smile at her. she walked to him and sat on his left with hermione, ron, fred, and george across from her, ginny and dean to her right, and seamus and neville on harryâs other side. as she was sitting a chorus of slightly awkward hellos greeted her.
âeveryone this is y/n, y/n this is..well everybodyâ harry said sweetly
ânice to formally meet you allâ she said with an appreciative smile
âharryâs told me all about your transfiguration lessons, we need to study together sometime, i hear youâre a geniusâ hermione exclaimed excitedly
âi wouldnât say genius, but i would love to study with youâ y/n replied. she smiled at everyone as the conversations continued, everyone keeping her involved. they were kind, and she wondered what harry had told them. they were so warm. a feeling she never felt at home.
âwhat have you been doing associating with potter?â her father asked her. she was in his classroom looking for a book sheâd left there. she rolled her eyes since her back was to him before she responded.
âiâve just been tutoring him and transfiguration, itâs not a big dealâ she explained as she turned to face him
âi saw you with his friends today, donât lie to meâ he sneered
âIâm not lying and whatâs it to you anyway? itâs not like you care, and why do you hate him so much? he and his friends have been nothing but pleasant which has been a good change of pace for me, or do you want me to miserable during my hogwarts years like you were?â she quipped back at him. this was how conversations went between the two of them usually. the funny thing was, she had no attitude. she simply said what she had to say, but she was almost sweet while saying it, which was an oxymoron.
âi care because potter will corrupt you, i donât like him because he thinks he can strut around here and get away with anything, and itâs not my fault youâre miserableâ he replied
âitâs most definitely your faultâ she muttered under her breath as she gathered her things, but before she could leave he raised his voice and blocked her path
âwhat did you say to me?â he asked angrily. he always got upset when she spoke under her breath at him
âi said itâs most definitely your fault. itâs your fault that iâm miserable. itâs your fault that no one likes me. itâs your fault i donât fit into my own house, and it is most definitely your fault that i have never know a fathers loveâ she was obviously upset now. she stormed out of the room shoving past her dad and he just sighed and watched her leave. he couldnât even be upset because she was right, he was annoyed because she finally voiced it.
in all their years of squabbling and fighting she never said something so true and painful. she only took quick jabs that were true but not as hurtful. it was more hurtful to her than to her father because once she said it, she had to accept the fact that it was true.
she went to the corroded hidden at the top of the school where she was sure no one would find her. people never came this way after dinner, and she knew because she spent quite a lot of time hiding out up there. she slid down the wall and cried. she laid her head down on her knees as she pulled them up to her chest. at the sound of footsteps her head shot up and her hands darted to dry her eyes, but she looked in the opposite direction of whoever was coming. she was surprised to hear his voice.
ây/n? a-are you okay?â harryâs voice was calm and cool, but if you listened hard enough you could hear the concern in her voice. he kneeled down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
âi-im fine, really, you can go back to what you were doingâ she said with a quarter hearted smile. she couldnât make it to half hearted. he shook his head and sat fully down right next to her.
âiâm not leaving unless you physically force me tooâ he turned his head and finally got a good look at her tear stained cheeks âdo you want to talk about it?â
âyou donât have to do thisâ she said, looking at the floor
âiâm not doing anything except checking up on my friendâ
âfriend?â she asked with smirk
âitâs just my dadâ she explained while still holding eye contact with the boy
she explained the whole fight to him and he listened intently. it was nice for her, having someone that listened. he enjoyed hearing her open up but his heart broke for her when she talked about how her life at school had been sad. he hurt when she talked about her pain and how lonely and unloved sheâd felt her whole life. thatâs when he realized he liked her. he wanted to make it better, he wanted to make her feel loved and heard and seen and beautiful and so much more.
the next few nights were spent in that empty corridor. he showed her the marauders map so they could watch while they talked to make sure they didnât get caught. she learned all about his life and it wasnât that easy being harry potter. he learned all about her life and the things that made her smile, the music made her heart dance, the colors she wanted to paint her eyes, what she wanted to do with her life, what she thought about death and youth and the construct of time. he loved every minute of it.
he wasnât the only one. she absolutely adored learning about him and his little quirks. she loved the way his eyes lit up when he talked about quidditch and her heart broke for him when he spoke of life at privet drive. needless to say she was head over heels for the boy.
they spent meals together and the trio warmly welcomed her into the group after a few months of being friends. y/n and hermione became very close and ron loved having her around because he thought she was hilarious. she hadnât talked to her father much, but when she did it was all about school or quidditch.
harry found her in the corridor on a thursday night reading.
âhello loveâ he said while sitting next to her. her heart leaped at the nick name.
âhey bubâ she replied without looking up
âcan talk to you something?â he said
âof courseâ she closed her book and turned to face him, crossing her legs
âthis is probably going to be a little blunt but i want to get straight to the point âshe nodded at him âand if this is weird or awkward then just tell me to shut up and weâll forget it and everything will go back to normalâ she kept nodding âand itâs totally fine if that what you want, but y/n i really like you and i really want to kiss you and take you on a date an-â she cut of his rambling with a kiss. he was startled at first but quickly leaned into it, deepening the kiss and putting his hans on her waist. they broke apart after a moment and stared at each other.
âthat um- th- that yeah thatâs where i was going with thatâ he stuttered out
âyouâre cute when you rambleâ he blushed.
they stayed up that whole night talking in the corridor before making their way to their dorms and giving one another a kiss goodnight. they went to bed that night separately but also as a couple. they walked into the great hall the next morning, hand in hand, as a couple. the whole school now knew that harry potter and y/n snape were, in fact, a couple. all of them were surprised but none as surprised as the black haired wizard at the staff table.
her father kept her after her potions class which he spent mocking and teasing harry, even more relentlessly than before.
âyouâre not to see him anymoreâ he said simply to the girl. she scoffed
âyou donât get to decide thatâ
âactually i do, iâm your fatherâ he sneered
âreally? i had absolutely no idea, you sure as hell donât act like itâ she replied. she was confident today
âYOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY!â he bellowed. she didnât even flinch. her face didnât show a reaction and he sighed in frustration.
âcan i leave now?â she asked monotonously
ânoâ he answered âyou will not be with that boy and be my daughter, i will not allow it. if you are to live under my roof outside of this school, you will not see him.â
âthen iâm doneâ she said. tears started to prick at her eyes
âwhat is that supposed to mean?â
âit means that i wonât live under your roof, i wonât be a financial burden anymore, i wonât be your daughterâ he blinked at her âwell itâs what you seem to want, youâve always wanted me out of your house, it would be a weight lifted off of your shouldersâ
ây/n stop this is nonsenseâ
âitâs not nonsense! itâs the truth! youâve said it for as long as i can remember, except you never said it. you showed itâ tears fell down her face âyou never wanted me, you never loved me. i was never right. i didnât have the right mother, i wasnât sorted into the right house, i didnât do anything right in your eyesâ she tried to breathe but it was getting hard âi never knew love, not from you, not from a mother, not from friends. i had no idea what it felt like, until now. and i refuse to let it go just because you forgot what love felt like. so if you want me to leave, if you donât want me to be your family anymore, then fine. i never was anywayâ she finished before storming out of his classroom.