Shadows || A Severus Snape Fanfiction

Chapter 41 - Holiday Hangovers Pt 2

Severus tapped the snake with his wand and murmured, "asphodel". He hadn't changed his password since his very first year teaching at Hogwarts. The outline of a door materialised, cutting silently through the bricks. With a gentle push, it swung inwards on invisible hinges. Severus held it open for Asha, motioning her inside with a stoic tilt of his head.

Once through the entranceway, Asha found herself standing in a spacious section of what she suddenly realised must be Severus' chambers. To the left was a modest kitchen, a dining table and several closed doors. To the right was a living area with a pair of couches and a deep armchair.

Closing the door behind them, Severus wasted no time collecting two glasses from the cupboard and setting them on the table. This was something he would've normally done by magic, but he took advantage of the distraction and the opportunity to keep his hands busy.

Then, crouching down in front of the liquor cabinet, he surveyed his options. They were both in the mood for something strong; Firewhisky it was.

Asha watched Severus closely, acutely aware of the tiny differences in his demeanour that gave away his distress. She contemplated what his 'dark past' could possibly be. Could he actually have been responsible for someone's death? Had it happened during The War?

Severus filled their glasses and went to hand one to Asha, finally catching her eye. He paused, arm mid-outstretched, and scowled. "Don't look at me like that," he growled.

Asha didn't bother responding. Closing the gap herself, she reached out and plucked the glass from him. As she did so, their fingers brushed and all the strange tension from the past week swelled within her again. She turned away and took a sip. Then drained the glass.

"Merlin," Severus muttered in response.

Asha unashamedly refilled her glass and began wandering around the room, taking in the details.

Severus hung his cloak and sunk into the armchair, levitating more logs onto the fire.

Asha's little stroll led her over to the bookcase. With a quick scan, she realised there were no tomes of Dark Magic here.

"Muggle books," she murmured with a soft, fond smile. The silence that followed was so long Asha assumed Severus had either completely ignored her or not heard her in the first place.

"Have you read any of them?" came his voice, not so velvety as usual, but velvety nonetheless.

Asha's neck tingled and she focussed on skimming the shelves.

"I was never much of a reader," she admitted. "I couldn't sit still for long enough. Plus, I dropped out of school at age ten, so reading anything substantial would've been..." she trailed off,  "...huh."

Turning to face Severus, she found his eyebrow was saying, 'what?' The sight of it brushed a tiny smile to her lips.

"I just remembered; when I first started at Hogwarts, I found reading the textbooks really difficult. But I suppose that was why - I hadn't read anything except street signs and billboards for five years."

"I never noticed you struggle with brewing instructions," Severus countered. If he was honest with himself, he barely remembered Asha at all from her earlier years. She had been so unremarkable. But that, in itself, was a testament to how truly remarkable she was.

She breathed a laugh that could've also been a scoff. "Don't you remember giving me extra homework because I kept looking over Padma Patil's shoulder? I had to fake my way through that first term by copying what everyone else was doing."

To anyone else, Severus' face might've appeared unreadable, but Asha fancied she could spot a look of incredulity pass over his features. She bit the inside of her lip and returned her attention to the bookshelf, leaving Severus to his whisky and thoughts.