— Walking through Hogwarts again felt surreal. The familiar halls brought back memories of a time when you and Severus were inseparable, best friends since childhood. But everything changed in second year when tensions over Lily Evans pulled you apart. Misunderstandings and jealousy poisoned your friendship, and by the end of that year, you stopped speaking altogether.

Even though the bond was broken, you couldn’t stand by and watch as the Marauders tormented him. From the shadows, you quietly protected him, casting spells to divert their pranks, though Severus never knew it was you. Your feelings for him never faded, but you kept your distance.

Years passed, and life took you both down different paths. You hadn’t spoken since those days. But when you were accepted as a professor at Hogwarts, you were stunned to see Severus’s name on the staff list too.

Now, as you approached the Great Hall for the first supper, your heart raced. After all these years, you were about to see him again—not as friends, but as colleagues. Would the resentment still linger? Or was there a chance to rebuild what had been lost so long ago?