My Father's Best Friend

First Snowfall

Oh, this was bad. This was really fucking bad.

I was standing next to Snape, wearing nothing but a skirt and clutching a bra to my chest, and my brother was standing in the doorway. There was absolutely no way to get out of this situation, it was painfully obvious what had been happening before Draco entered the room.

His mouth was agape and his eyes were unblinking, looking like they might pop out of their sockets, and after a couple seconds, he spoke.

"What the fuck are you doing with my sister?!?" Draco's voice was shaking, probably from shock and also possibly with rage.

My heart pounding, I frantically looked at Severus. "Do not use that kind of language with me, Mr. Malfoy," he drawled, almost sounding bored.

Why is he acting so calm? "It's not what it looks like!" I shouted, my voice echoing throughout the entire room. "Draco, please! Just listen to me."

Draco's eyes flickered to me, and his face contorted into an expression of repulsion. "And you! I really expected better from you, Lyra. You're a Malfoy, you have a reputation to maintain." He grimaced. "Just wait until our father hears about this." 

I stood there, feeling helpless and ashamed that my brother was seeing me like this, and angry that Severus seemed to not care at all. Didn't he realize this would cost him his job, if anyone else found out?

Almost so quickly I didn't see, Severus reached his hand into his cloak and whipped out his wand, pointing it at Draco, who shouted in protest. 

"What the hell are you d-"

"Obliviate!" shouted Severus, before Draco could even finish his sentence.  Draco's eyes glossed over for a moment, and Severus turned to me, grabbing my shoulders.

"Get out of here," he said.  "Now."

Still in shock, I nodded, and threw my shirt on as I sprinted for the door, running past Draco who seemed to be slowly returning to a normal state.  "What just happened?" I heard him ask, as the door closed behind me.

I walked hastily back to my room, holding back tears and avoiding everybody I saw, as I was clearly in a very disheveled state. When I got back to my room, I kicked my shoes off and got right into bed, without changing my clothes. Although I was exhausted, my mind was stuck in thought loops that kept me awake for hours. I was so scared that Severus would take today's events as a reason to not be with me anymore...what if he thought it was too risky for him to be with me? What if he ended things with me the next time he saw me?

I fell asleep right when the sun began to rise.

~~~~

Thursday had been the last day of school before winter break, so today, most of the students were bustling around, packing their things and getting excited for the holidays. The familiar energy that Hogwarts always had right before break reminded me of my years as a student - I always looked forward to going home for the holidays.

Now, things were different. I had an overwhelming feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach - I didn't want to leave Severus and go back home. Since I was officially off work, I didn't see him all day, and the fact that I hadn't talked to him since yesterday's events with Draco was making my anxiety skyrocket.

I saw Severus briefly at dinner, but as soon as he saw me, he slipped out of view, and he was gone. I saw him again in the hall, but when he looked at me, he seemed to look through me, as if I was no more important to him than an average student. It felt like a slap in the face.

Later that evening, I decided I had to confront him, because I was leaving to go back home tomorrow. So, I walked to his room, feeling a familiar swell of anxiety building inside of me. When I got to his door, I hesitated briefly before knocking, but closed my eyes tightly and rapped my knuckles against the wood before I could back out. "Severus? It's me."