NARRATOR's POV~
Harry lay in bed wide awake, eyes glaring at the ceiling. Of course he couldn't sleep, how foolish he was to think that he would be able to just this once.
I mean, of course he wouldn't be able to sleep just because he's so sleep deprived and exhausted that he might actually pass out, who do you think he is?
Harry groaned and sat up, silky sheets pooling at his hips. His smooth skin grew ticklish at the feeling of sheets rubbing against them, but Harry ignored it.
His nearly naked body moved across his dorm in stride, functioning in ways it shouldn't be able to at this level of sleep deprivation.
He needed coffee. But it was only 3:40 in the morning. Looks like he'll have to resort to that method.
It may be kind of weird to the average person, acting so casually after breaking into a supposedly secure corridor in a magic school to put a giant puppy to sleep, play chess, steal the sorcerers stone, and dance with a bunch of keys cosplaying birds.
But to Harry? This was even more normal than his average weekday. Especially the no sleep part.
Harry doesn't sleep, and when he does...he wishes he hadn't.
Harry showered thoroughly, scrubbing his skin a beet red until he was sure there was no germs or gunk left on him. Even though he had already done this two hours ago when he got back from his makeshift heist.
He threw on some lounge clothes and started his journey.
'We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship, flying through the sky, I hope you crash and die~ or something like that'
It felt like the snores resonated through Harry's head as he walked by the room of pre pubescent idiots. Damn them. Sleeping so fucking peacefully like the happy little shits they are.
Snape sat on his chair sideways, book in one hand and coffee in the other. He hadn't slept in two days. Coffee was the only thing keeping him going.
His hair was once again pulled up, reading glasses sitting comfortably on his face and dark comfortable clothes replacing his usual robes. This was a nightly routine for him.
Well, everything except a corpse looking kid knocking on his door with a bombastic side eye demanding coffee.
'What?'
Snape sighed, he could already feel a migraine starting.
"Mr Peverell, why are you awake at such an atrocious hour knocking on my door?"
Harry just stared through his soul.
"I don't know, why are you awake at such an atrocious hour reading while looking like a bloody librarian. Same reason as me. In-som-no-a. Now coffee. I know you have a machine in there, I can smell it."
Snape blanked. Usually he would have a snarky reply to something like that, but he had to admit...the kid was in the right. If Snape didn't have access to coffee for too long with this raging insomnia, he would pass out on the ground.
The kid coming to the only place where he could get the life giving liquid was no surprise. He would do the same.
Doesn't mean he liked it though.
Snape grunted and moved aside for the little shit to enter, in which the walking zombie did with no hesitation.
Harry's eyes landed on the love of his bloody life. A coffee machine. The smell of coffee beans in the air was already making his tensed, sore muscles loosen up a bit.
Snape quickly made the kid a coffee and went back to ignoring both of their existences.
Harry lounged on the chair opposite him in silence, contently sipping his coffee with happy sighs when the liquid started to work its own magic.
Athena narrowed her eyes at the boy from on his lap.
"Angel, careful not to drown yourself in coffee. Wouldn't want to scare your poor professor." The snake deadpanned when the boy mearly pet her head, not slowing down at all.
Letting out the snake version of a sigh, Athena gave up, curling around Harry's thigh for comfort she rested her head to got to sleep.
Harry was in ecstasy. A kind of feeling only a stripper knows when they get a thick wad of cash thrown at them. Or, well, I guess an insomniac that hasn't slept, nor had coffee in days.
Liquid life spread through his core, warming him from the inside out. Energy started to creep from the depths of hell back into Harry, his muscles relaxed to a level they haven't been able to since he got to Hogwarts.
Severus eyes the boy oddly. Sure, he loved coffee....but what the actual fuck was happening over there.
It looked as if the boy had been blessed by Persephone herself. He looked blissful.
It kind of creeped Snape out to see the boy this relaxed, which only then made him realize that the boy was always very subtly tense. He had a lazy gate about him yes, but he was always tense.
He didn't realize that he'd been staring until Harry snapped his eyes up to meet Snape's, in which the older immediately turned his gaze elsewhere which made him feel like a schoolboy avoiding his teachers gaze.
Harry tilted his head to the side like a lost puppy, letting out a small hum in contemplation.
Surprisingly, it was Snape who wanted to break the silence.
"You are quite adept at potions, did you study it before coming to Hogwarts?" He drawled out in genuine curiosity.
Harry looked at him a bit oddly. His face was unreadable, but you could feel the difference in his gaze.
"I guess you could say that, yes. I took an interest in it a few years back due to someone I knew at the time. He very much adored potion making. It was important to him." Harry answered and then took another sip of coffee.
"Was?" Snape didn't miss the past tense used when addressing the past acquaintance. That made his frown ever so slightly.
Harry looked at him in an even weirder way than before.
"He's dead" He answered blankly and monotonously. Taking another sip of his coffee he went back to smiling the same as before.
Snape's eyes narrowed a bit. He said that so nonchalantly.
"I see. I'm sorry For your loss." The man said awkwardly. He was too used to being blank that it sounded awkward when he tried anything else, but Harry didn't seem to notice, instead, the boy simply waved it off like it was nothing. The boy practically backhanded the face of the person who died.
"Instead of being sorry for his death, I prefer to honer the way he lived." Harry spoke confidently. Sure of himself. Resolve was a high factor of his tone of voice.
"I see."
They both sat in silence, drinking their coffees as if their life depended on it until it was time they got ready for their eventually very long day.
Never in Snape's wildest dreams did he think he would have a chat over coffee at 4 AM with the very Harry Potter of who he believed he would hate. But it seems fate twists things in funny ways.
Snape sighed one last time before changing into his robes. Time to deal with the kids who were actually annoying.
A/N: I didn't wanna leave you guys hanging for too long, so I decided to throw out something a bit more chill and shorter for you hungry hyenas. I hope it wasn't that bad.
Fun fact: I'm scared of someone who replied to the fun fact section on one of the other chapters.
Q/N: Do you have WEBTOON? If so, which one are you currently reading? I'm reading 'Omniscient Reader' which I'm really enjoying. I am also waiting for updates of 'teenage mercenary' 'UnOrdinary ' and 'Requiem'.
Your dear tired as all hell author
-storm
Edit: I'm now also writing a My Hero Academia fanfic if you want to check it out <3