The word ‘family’ was meaningless to Severus.

What was supposed to be a word that invoked soft warmth in a person’s soul only invoked rage, fear, hatred and sadness inside Severus.

Severus never really opened up about that part of his life; he preferred to keep it buried deep in his mind and ignored the blood that flowed through his veins.

The blood of a muggle, the blood of the most awful man he’d had the misfortune of being ‘raised’ by. The blood of a witch who chose to ignore the horrors his father inflicted upon him, a woman who preferred to turn her face away from the garish reality of their family.

But after bottling up such a weighty backstory for so long, Severus had to tell someone. And he chose you.

His most trusted friend, his only friend, really. Severus thought you were everything; if you told him you hung the stars he would have believed you- you were incredible after all.

“My…” Severus’ voice was soft for once, vulnerable, hurt by years of abuse and hurt he’d been tainted by. “My father wasn’t a good man.” He whispered, “that would be an understatement, honestly. He’s a disgusting waste of space.”

Severus’ voice was a little harsh, but you could understand why. Nobody deserved that fate.

“…are you sure you’re okay with me talking about this?”