After the last class of the day finally leaves your classroom, you rest your forehead on your desk, completely wiped out. You're the Potions professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You've had a difficult day teaching, but your last class—third years—were the worst.

     You hear footsteps coming down the hall and lift your head, hoping that it's not a student coming by to ask for help. You're at your wits end for the day. But when Severus Snape, professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, comes stalking into the room, your spirits immediately lift. "Severus." You smile in greeting.

     "You look terrible." He says bluntly, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

     You put your chin in your hand. "Do you ever feel like when you're teaching students it's like trying to teach a rock to waltz?"

      Severus's face cracks with a smile. "Did you have a bad day?"

     You stand up and start pacing. "Sometimes I feel like I should just quit my job here and disappear into the night, never to be seen or heard from again." You heave a sigh.

      "Y/N, surely you don't mean that." He says, watching you.

     You look at him. "No, I don't." You admit with a sigh. You rub your head and stop pacing, turning to face Severus. "It's just been a rough day." You mutter.

     Severus takes a step towards you. "Y/N, sometimes we all have days like that. We often doubt if what we're doing is actually making a difference. We doubt our students. We doubt ourselves. But you mustn't let that get you down." He says softly. "I know you, Y/N. I know who you are and your passion for teaching. I know the incredible things you have done and that you will do. And I believe in you." He grabs your hand and your head snaps up in surprise. He's smiling very faintly at you and warmth spreads throughout your body.

     "Thank you...Severus." You breathe. He opens his mouth to say something when you hear footsteps coming towards your classroom. You quickly pull away from each other, Severus flushing, your heart pounding.

———

"Sirius!" You exclaim at one of your best friends as you're shopping in Diagon Alley that weekend.

      Sirius turns and immediately grins when he sees you. He goes to you and pulls you into his arms. "Y/N, what are you doing here?"

     "I've come to get some supplies for a class I'm teaching next week." You explain. "Oh, how's James and Lily?" You ask curiously.

     "Oh, they're wonderful. They've got their hands busy with little Harry." Sirius laughs.

     "I'm sure." You chuckle. James, Lily, Severus, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and you all went to school together. Lily and you were the bridge between the Marauders and Severus, and you even managed to make everyone friends with each other. You all imagined that's how it was going to be forever, until Peter betrayed information regarding James, Lily, and their child Harry. Peter ended up paying for his crimes in Azkaban, while James, Lily, and Harry had to go undercover until the danger had passed.

      Sirius puts his hands on your shoulders. "It's so, so good to see you, Y/N. I miss you."

      You smile up at him. "I miss you too. I miss all of you. Severus and I talk about that sometimes and reminisce on our past."

      "Are Severus and you...close?" He asks slowly. Everyone knows that Severus used to be madly in love with Lily. He was heartbroken when she married James. Since then, Severus became a little more cold and withdrawn, even from you. But recently...things have been changing with him.

     "We're getting close again, I think." You answer. Sirius smiles tightly, which makes your eyebrows furrow. "Is everything okay?" You ask, touching his arm.

     "What? Oh, yes, yes. Everything is fine." He replies, but you have a feeling he's lying. "I-I have to get going, but I will see you very soon, I'm sure."

      You hug him and he hugs you back, squeezing you. "Are you sure you're okay?" You ask worriedly.

      He pulls back and gives you a faux smile. "Yes, everything is good."

———

A couple of weeks later, you're walking the corridors with Severus in deep in conversation with him. The students are all in their beds, so it gives Severus and you a chance to talk freely without fear of students overhearing. Lately Severus and you have been growing closer to each other, more so than ever before. And you love it.

     "Y/N, I need to tell you something." Severus says seriously, looking at you. The tone is his voice makes you nervous.

     "Yes?" You ask slowly.

      He stops walking, which makes you stop. He takes a deep breath. "Y/N, I—" He starts and then something off to the side of the hall catches his eyes. His eyebrows furrow and in a flash, he shifts himself around you, his body covering yours protectively as he whips out his wand. "Who's there?" He shouts.

      You look where he's looking and see a pair of eyes shining through the shadows. Your eyebrows furrow and you squint. "Wait a minute. I know those eyes." You whisper. Severus looks at you in confusion. "So do you." You add, stepping out from behind him. You step forward. "Sirius?" You call.

      "Wh-what?!" Severus sputters as Sirius shifts from his Animagus form into his human one.

"What are you doing here?" You ask Sirius. He's glaring at Severus who glares right back at him.

      "I was looking for you." He answers, before turning his eyes, now softening, on you.

     "Is everything okay?" You ask.

     "Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"

      "It's only that you've never come to see me at Hogwarts before in all of my years teaching here." You answer. "Not that I'm not happy to see you though!" You rush to exclaim. Out of the corner of your eyes, you can see Severus rolling his eyes. He crosses his arms and looks disdainfully at Sirius. You can feel the tension rising between the two men.

     "Um, Severus, would you mind if Sirius and I talk alone? I'll talk to you later." You smile at him. He looks at you unsure and you nod you're okay. "Goodnight."

      "Goodnight, Y/N." He murmurs, before walking away. He looks over his shoulder a few times before turning down a side hall.

You grab Sirius's arm and lead him down the hall until you get to your empty classroom. You shut the door behind you. "Sirius, really, what's going on? What has happened?" You ask, turning to face him.

      "Nothing happened. I just-I just wanted to see you." He states. You squint at him. He grabs your shoulders. "Come on, is that really so hard to believe?"

     You stare at him. "I-I don't know...We just-we just don't see each other that often, so I feel like it's kind of...off that you'd come see me here after all of this time."

       "Things are going to change, Y/N. I want them to change."Your eyebrows furrow and he squeezes your shoulders. "I want things to change between us."

      Your eyebrows shoot up your forehead. "Wait, what?" You ask in surprise.

      "Y/N, I'm in love with you. I can't deny my feelings for you anymore. I can't deny the pull I feel towards you. I love you. I've loved you for so many year and I will love you unto the end of time." He blurts out. You blink at him, your head spinning.

      Suddenly your classroom door bursts open and Severus comes striding in, anger etched into his face. He stalks straight towards Sirius, grabs him by the collar of his shirt, and pins him against the wall. "What do you think you're doing? After all of this time—all of these years—you could've admitted your feelings to Y/N, but no. No. No, you decide to do it now just when I'm about to confess my feelings for her! Always have to outdo me, don't you?" He spits.

      Your eyes nearly fall out of your head and you hold onto a desk for support. "Wait, what?!" You exclaim.

Sirius and Severus ignore you as they both start shouting at one other. Sirius shoves Severus away from him. "You're the one to talk! You've spent all of these years teaching beside Y/N! You'd think you would've known of your feelings by now and said something to her! You're a fool, Severus. Are you still trying to get over the fact that Lily chose James over you?" Sirius sneers. A vein in Severus's neck looks ready to burst as he glares at Sirius, looking like he wants to kill him.

      You hold your hands out, your heart pounding, as you slowly walk towards them as if approaching a Hippogriff. "Easy, guys. Let's just talk about this as calm adults. Calm, mature adults."

     "That's going to be hard considering that Sirius is neither calm nor mature." Severus retorts. Sirius lunges for Severus but you step between them, a hand on each other their chests.

      "Stop! Stop! Just stop!" You shout, looking between them. "Look, you two are some of my closest friends. I don't want to see you fighting over something so petty."

      "You're not petty..." Sirius whispers softly.

      You sigh. "Okay, look. Sirius, I like you. I do. But only as a friend. I've only ever thought of you that way and nothing more. We live completely different lives. I barely see you as it is. It's hard trying to keep our friendship alive when we see each other a couple of times a year. I'm sorry." You admit with a shrug of your shoulder.

     The light in Sirius's eyes fade. His shoulders droop and he takes a step away from you. He lowers his head. "I understand." He whispers.

     You look at Severus who is staring at you with so much hope in his eyes it makes your heart pound a little faster. "Severus, I don't know what has been going on between us for the past few weeks. It's new. I feel like I'm seeing the real you. I don't know what it is, but I want to explore it further." You say quietly.

     "You do?" He asks, blinking at you in surprise.

      You offer him a smile and turn to face him completely. "I do. I feel a connection with you. A bond—an unspeakable bond." You whisper. Severus breaks out into one of the first real smiles you've ever seen and he pulls you into his arms. You laugh and hug him back tightly.
[THE END] I hope you liked it!