Since Remus Lupin came to Hogwarts, Severus was wrecked. He felt like he was losing his only friend, his soulmate, his everything, and yet, you were too oblivious to see how devastated he was every time you smiled at Remus, tearing his heart out of his chest.
Remus was quite subtle in showing his feelings towards you that you could not help but think that he was just being friendly with you, and nothing more than that. But Snape could see right through his colleague, and anger rose in his chest every time he saw Remus' loving gaze on you.
It was getting worse for Severus because every time he tried to speak to you about Remus, you would be defending the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, instead of thinking about how offended he was about it. You looked up to Remus so much that sometimes Severus started to think if he would ever get a chance to be with you.
The last argument he had with you was about Remus, and to think that you and him were slowly getting back into the old routine of fighting and arguing about everything was clouding Severus' mind in guilt and horror of losing you again.
"Can you please stop talking about Remus?"
You snapped, pinching the bridge of your nose as you plopped down in a chair across his table. You went to his office to spend some time with him, and all he did was warning you to be cautious with Lupin, making you feel as if you were not capable in taking care of yourself.
"I'm looking out for you, Y/N."
Severus sighed, dropping his quill on the table as he could no longer focus on his work when you were glaring at him, as soon as he brought up Lupin into the conversation.
"I know, Severus. But I'm here to talk about you, not about him."
You were hoping that he would appreciate your presence there, instead of nagging you about how careless you were around Lupin. Severus never realised it, but you were getting tired of hearing his advices, when all you wanted was to have some decent conversation with your soulmate.
"I just want you to be careful around him, Y/N."
He reminded you, for the thousandth time, and it was enough for you to let your rage fog your mind. And before you could know it, your colleague's secret was spilling out of your mouth.
"But why, Severus? Is it because he is a werewolf?"
You fumed, and his eyes grew wide, realising that Lupin's huge secret was no longer a secret to you.
"I know about his condition, Severus."
You added, only for Severus to think of how meaningful you were in Lupin's life, until he was able to tell you about his condition, even if the professor just met you for a few months.
"He told you?"
He asked, more to a statement than a question, watching as you stood up from your chair, ready to leave his office before either of you could say something that you might regret later. You nodded, smiling weakly at your soulmate, the one who still held your heart in his hands.
"He did. He trusts me, Severus."
His heart clenched, seeing you walked out of his office, without looking back towards him.
Severus let out a wistful sigh, pushing the dreadful memories of his argument with you to the back of his mind, as his students walked out of the classroom. He wanted to take his things and leave the classroom immediately, as he knew you would not be coming to see him.
It had been a few days since the argument, and while you were still smiling and talking to him like usual, he could feel that you were getting away from him. Perhaps it was just him, but it was agonising to think that his soulmate was trying to avoid him.
But when he heard soft knocks on his door, in a rhythm which he recognised was yours, Severus stopped gathering his things and he stared at the door, daring to think it was you.
The door was cracked open and he saw none other than his soulmate who was smiling at him, and his heart melted, all of his worry and anger were vanishing into thin air when you almost ran into his arms.
"Severus, I missed you!"
You squealed, burying your face into his chest, hugging him just like how he loved it. Severus was stunned, and he cursed himself for overthinking everything and you were clearly missing him, and not being angry at him since the argument he had with you.
"Don't you miss me?"
Your voice was muffled into his chest, inhaling his scent which could take the burden off your shoulders. Severus chuckled softly and he wrapped his arms around you, ignoring the racing heartbeat in his chest.
"I missed you too."
He said, almost in a whisper, making you look up at him with a smile.
"You can say it, Severus. There's no one here other than me to hear you."
You said, sensing that he was tense, still afraid of showing his emotions around others but you. Severus nodded weakly, a small smile was painted on his face.
"I've been extremely busy this week."
You explained, getting out of his arms just to sit down on his couch. Severus felt guilty for thinking that you were avoiding him, when actually you had a lot of work to do. He sat next to you, his heart was aching as he saw how tired you looked like, and he was busy drowning himself in jealousy that he could not see it.
"Severus, can I talk to you about something?"
You hesitated, but Severus quickly nodded, wanting to be your listener. He loved it when you came to him just to tell him about everything that was going on in your life. It made him feel needed and appreciated.
"I'm sorry if it feels like I've been spending my time with Remus more than you. I have no intention to replace you with him."
You apologised, and something tugged on his heart. You looked at him with guilt in your eyes, and ironically, the guilt was mirrored by him, as he realised he was causing you to feel bad about yourself. He never meant for you to put the blame on yourself, when he was the one who was too vulnerable to say anything to you.
"You're my favourite person here, Severus. There's no way I'm going to replace you with anyone."
You continued, putting your hand on top of his, electrifying his soul as your touch sent warmth into his chest. Severus was adoring you as apologies came out of your mouth, whilst his mind was thinking about how perfect you were to him.
You were so perfect for him. He felt himself giving in into your affection, softening his heart under your touch, while you were building yourself up from Severus' solid ground. He just realised how perfect his connection with you was, and he would be eternally grateful to the universe for sending him such a perfect soulmate.
"You're special to me, Severus."
A timid smile was graced on your lips, causing Severus to squeeze your hand in his bigger one. He was not a person who was affectionate with his words, but since you came into his life, he knew it was necessary to communicate well with you, and Severus Snape would do anything to be on a good term with his soulmate.
"You're special to me too."
Severus' heartbeat quickened when your eyes lightened up at his words, and you had to bit your lip to contain your beaming smile. Once he looked you in the eyes, he felt home, the feelings he never knew existed, as he had never been able to feel them before.
It was so comforting to be with you, and Severus wondered how did he ever live before he met you. His mind went frantic for a moment, thinking what would happen to him if one day you decided to leave him. But all of his thoughts were flushed from his head when you started to tell him about your day.
Severus watched as your lips curled into a stupefying smile, and the sound of your sweet voice was becoming his muse. He became deaf to the world around him, as he could listen to you for eternity and not bothering about others anymore. The feeling was so strange and yet, it felt so right.
Was he in love with you?
"Severus, are you listening to me?"
He nodded when you waved your hand in front of his face, pulling him back from his trance. He had no idea what you were talking about, as he was realising that he was falling in love with you. It was so sudden, and he loved every second of it as it felt like something he had never felt before.
"You're staring at me."
You pointed out, a chuckle escaped your lips. Severus could no longer deny it. His heart longed for you, and as everything you did was mesmerising him, he knew he was in love with you. It was neither an infatuation nor a friendship, but it was deeper than that, and Severus was finally ready to embrace it.
It kept him awake that night, as he stood in front of a huge window in his office. It was one of your favourite spots in his office, as you loved to watch the flying birds in the evening. It felt so wonderful to be standing there, even when you were already back in your room, as he could feel close to you by your favourite thing.
His eyes were glued to moon, but the beauty of it was nothing compared to you, and the feeling was scaring him a bit. Love was overwhelming him. Severus never got a chance to experience it, and he could not believe he was feeling it. It was as if all of his wounds were healed, and his agony was gone.
He was falling in love, deep, without anything to hold on to, and yet he knew the landing would not hurt as you would be there for him.
"I love her."
Severus's smile had yet to leave his face, and it broke into a grin when he realised he finally found the key to his locked away heart.
No matter how many people tried to tell him that he was nothing more but a cold hearted professor, Severus knew you had proved that they were wrong. You melted his heart and managed to find your way into his life, and he was not letting you go again.
He loved you, and Severus could only wish for that your love for him was still there in your heart.
- - - -
On the other side of the castle, you found yourself waking up early, watching as the sun rises, wishing that you could have Severus by your side to enjoy such a beautiful moment like this.
It was a dream of yours to spend a moment like this with your beloved soulmate. But you were not sure if it was going to come true since you had decided to become his friend, and nothing more than that. You could see Severus was comfortable of being your friend, and you did not want to risk losing him.
Sometimes it felt like Severus thought of you as more than a friend, but you never dared to dream of anything as you were disappointed once, and if it happened again, you would be utterly heartbroken.
Smiling to yourself, you closed the curtains of the window, realising that it was time for you to get ready for the day. You spent quite some time of getting ready, and you did not want to be late to teach your classes.
Humming under your breath, your steps towards the bathroom came to a halt when you heard knocks on your door. You frowned when you realised the knocks were not stopping, as if the person on the other side of the room was in a hurry.
Your heart palpitated against your chest as you opened the door, a gasp fell from your lips when you saw him standing in front of your door. You had never seen him so weak and defeated before, that tears pricked in the corner of your eyes as he stumbled on your doorstep.
"Remus, what happened?"