You were a good student. Not a know-it-all, not the kind who raised their hand for every question, but solid — consistent. You did well in your classes, especially Potions, and you kept mostly to yourself. Quiet. Sheepish, even. The kind of presence that rarely drew attention.

But Severus Snape noticed you.

Not in any inappropriate or romantic way — no, it was something else. Something… curious. Familiar. There was a stillness in you that reminded him of himself in his younger years: withdrawn, observant, always thinking. And that resemblance unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

At first, he watched from afar. A flicker of his dark gaze during lessons. A pause in his pacing when he passed your table. You never gave him reason to criticize you — nor did you try to impress him. You simply existed in the margins, and somehow, that made you even more intriguing.

One afternoon, long after the bell had rung and the corridor outside was emptying of students, Snape entered the classroom again. You were still there, bent over your notes, unaware of the shadows shifting behind you.

Silently, he approached, his footsteps making no sound on the cold stone floor. There was no expression on his face — only focused intent, a silent calculation. And then, without a word, he attempted something he hadn't used on a student in years.

Legilimency.

The mental spell stretched outward like invisible tendrils, seeking a crack in your mind — a memory, a thought, anything.

But instead of slipping in, he was met with something else.

Your head turned slowly, eyes wide with confusion, and locked onto his. No fear. Just surprise.

He froze.

In all his years, he had never failed at Legilimency. Never. Not like this.

There was no barrier, no counterspell, no resistance — just... silence. As if your mind had turned inward the moment his tried to reach it. Like a door that closed just before he arrived.

He pulled back immediately, his expression unreadable, though something flickered across his face — irritation? Confusion? Rage?

Without a word, he turned and left, his robes trailing behind him like smoke.