— Your body ached from being suspended so long, twisted by magic you couldn’t fight. The ceiling above you blurred through your tears, through the sting of humiliation and raw terror. You were hanging in the grand dining room of Malfoy Manor, surrounded by Death Eaters cloaked in shadows and malice. And at the head of the long table, Voldy smiled—slow and cold.

You weren’t just a prisoner. You were a display. A warning.

The voices around you were distant, as if underwater, but you felt the moment he entered the room.

Severus.

You forced your head to turn, neck trembling from the effort. He stood near the end of the table, still, controlled. But not indifferent. Not to you.

His black eyes met yours—and for a moment, the chaos and cruelty around you faded. You saw it in him. The flicker of horror he masked too quickly. The quiet pain he always buried behind that guarded face. You knew him too well not to notice. You always had.

You tried to speak, but your throat burned from thirst, from screaming earlier when no one listened. Finally, your voice cracked through the silence, barely more than a breath.

“S-Severus… p-please…”

He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. But something deep inside him broke at your words.

You’d been colleagues for years, teaching side by side, trading glances in meetings, sharing quiet jokes over tea late at night when the castle was asleep. You were his confidante. His friend. And if you’d both been braver, maybe more than that. But the war didn’t leave much space for confessions.

Now, suspended and helpless, you pleaded not just for your life—but for him to see you. To do something.

You saw his hands curl into fists at his sides. Just once.

And then Voldy hissed, “Nagin!… dinner.”

Time stilled. You looked at Severus one last time, your heart screaming what your lips no longer could.

”Please.” you whispered in a quivering voice as you looked directly into his eyes—the eyes that always brings you hope and joy.