Requested by @alenioxo from Instagram

— Hogwarts felt heavier since Sirius’ death. The Great Hall seemed dimmer, the corridors colder, and the silence pressed down on her until it turned into anger. Unlike Harry-her brother, who buried his grief, she could not contain hers. It slipped out in sharp words and bitter tones. She snapped at friends, slammed books closed, even pushed her brother away though he was the one who cared most.

Potions had always been her strength, the one place where order made sense. But not today. Her hands shook, her thoughts scattered. When a classmate whispered nearby, she assumed it was about her. Fury flared, and before she could stop herself, her retort rang across the classroom, harsh and too loud.

The room fell silent until Snape's voice cut through the stillness. “Detention.”

He did not raise his tone. He never needed to. His dark eyes locked on her with disdain, and she dropped her gaze quickly, cheeks burning. The cauldron before her blurred as she stirred aimlessly, her chest tight beneath the weight of every watching eye.

When the bell rang, she packed her things in silence. She told herself it did not matter, that Snape had always despised her, that she thought of him as Harry did—cruel and cold. But beneath the anger, beneath the grief too vast to hold, she knew the truth. This was not about him. It was about Sirius. About loss. And now it had earned her a night alone in the dungeons, under the eyes of the man she least wanted to see her unravel.