The candlelight flickered against the stone walls of Snape’s quarters. He sat in his chair, fingers steepled, staring into the fire as if lost in another world. You stood beside him, the weight of unspoken words pressing against your chest.

Snape exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening around the armrest.

—“You already know, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

The silence between you was heavy, thick with everything unsaid. His dark eyes flickered toward you, his expression unreadable.

—“I have given my heart away once before. To Lily.”

His tone was measured, careful, but the way his fingers curled slightly betrayed something deeper—something he would never allow himself to say outright.

—“It does not matter what you feel,” he continued after a long pause. “Not when I cannot give you what you deserve.”

The fire crackled softly, filling the void where words should have been. His gaze dropped to his hands, the shadows on his face deepening.

—“I will not lie to you.”

His voice was steady, but something about it felt fragile.

—“Not when you deserve more than a love forever haunted by Lily’s shadow.”

He inhaled sharply as if he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Instead, he remained still, watching the flames dance before him, lost in a memory you would never be part of.