Severus had quickly left the room, disappearing from sight the moment your feet hit the hallway. You looked left and right but he managed to just evaporate it seemed. Well he knew the way around the school a lot better than you did so it would make a lot of sense that he would know faster routes or even secret passages. After all, your brother and his friends did.

You skipped going to dinner all together that night. You were too tired to sit there and pretend to eat so you decided to wander around a little more before you went to meet Snape. 

You started to see everyone leave the great hall as you sat by the tree waiting for Severus. You didn’t realize how pretty the castle was at night. All the windows lit up, the hallways aglow. There hadn’t been anyone walking out of the great hall for a couple minutes now. You were worried maybe Severus blew you off.

“I see you’re here early.” You heard a deep voice from behind you. “Didn’t you go eat?” He noticed how thin you were, he himself has had many instances where he didn’t eat. Whether he just didn’t want to or he was busy studying and forgot. He knew what being starved looked like.

“I wasn’t hungry.” You lied. He raised his eyebrow and you knew that he knew you were lying. You just weren’t sure how he knew. “Anyway let’s start working on this assignment before my brother starts to worry.”

“Ah yes. Potter.” He sneered. 

“You know he’s still my brother right?”

“Yes, and you realize that doesn’t mean I have to like him or you?” He was so confusing. First he was neutral, almost sweet then it was just like he shut everything off and started being a dick.

“You don’t have to be so rude to me, you know. I haven’t done anything to you, just because you and my brother don’t get along doesn’t mean you need to take it out on me.” You huffed. He looked at you for a moment as if he was trying to see through you. As if he was debating something.

“You’re right. But if I find out you're in on any of his pranks or if you start messing with me.” 

“Severus I won't, I promise. I have no ill will towards you. I’m your partner and maybe after we find out more about each other we can be friends. My brother may have told me to stay away from you but I don’t care. You seem nice and even though you’ve been a little rude, you haven’t hurt me in any way.” You clarified, wanting to get your intentions with him out in the open.

“Why are you so determined to get to know me?” He finally sat beside you under the tree.

“The short honest answer. My brother told me to stay away from you, he said you were trouble and I don’t believe him. I want to get to know you for myself… People care complex, I refuse to believe that people fall into only one of two categories. Good or bad, there’s a little of each in all of us. Sometimes it just takes the right person to show us how good we can be.”

“And what, you think you’re my person? The person to show me that there’s some good in me? That I can be more than just some evil slytherin. You’re as conceited as your brother.” He scoffed.

“I think you just need someone who believes in you more than you believe in yourself.” You both stared at each other a little longer than you should have. “Let’s get started on these questions.” 

“Alright first one. What is your partner's favorite thing about potions?” He read the question aloud. “Well?”

“Hm, I like being able to take simple ingredients and make something out of them.” You told him and he wrote it down. “What about you?”

“I like it because it’s something I’m actually good at.” He replied, still writing on his parchment. 

“I’m sure you’re good at lots of things.” You said under your breath, but still loud enough for him to hear. 

“Yeah sure. What do you think I’d be good at?” He scoffed. 

“I think you’d be a good artist. You strike me as that type.”

“Are you good at art?” He asked, finishing his writing.

“That’s not one of the questions on the paper.” You smirked. “But yeah, I really like to draw and paint, but I feel like I could see you sitting here during the day with a sketchbook.” You looked up from your paper as well and saw just a pinch of a smile on his face. “So do you? Draw?”

“A little, I’m not very good at it.” He confessed. 

“I don’t believe you.” You said plainly.

“Yeah, yeah. What do you wanna do after you graduate?” He went back to the questions on the parchment.

“I’m not sure. I always thought about being a teacher.” You shrugged.

“I could never, I can’t stand people.” He commented.

“Okay grumpy what about you?” You nudge his shoulder. “What does the grumpy Severus Snape want to be when he’s a big bad adult?”

“You realize I’m 2 years older than you.”

“I’m wise beyond my years.” You joked, holding your head high. You saw his shoulders make a couple movements that looked like he was laughing but you didn’t want to look in case he’d stop. “What do you wanna be though?”

“I don’t know. Maybe an aurora. Maybe I’ll flip burgers in the muggle world. I have no clue.” He shrugged. The lack of self esteem he had made your heart ache. It hurt mostly because you knew what that felt like.

“I’m gonna write down aurora because I give you more credit than being a fast food worker in the muggle world.” You shook your head.

“Do you play quidditch?” You asked. 

“That’s not one of the questions.” He smirked, using your prior words against you.

“But? Come on, I still answered yours.” You whined and this time he couldn’t hide his chuckle.

“I don’t. I prefer it that way.”

“I might try out this year. Tryouts will be this week, my brother said.”

“Hmm.” He nodded. 

“Do you have any other hobbies? I can’t imagine there’s much to do around here if you don’t play quidditch.”

“Is this 20 questions?” He sassed. 

“What’s that?” He rolled his eyes. 

“It’s a muggle game where you ask someone 20 questions and before you ask no we can’t play.” You crossed your arms and pouted.

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Severus POV

I tried to hide my chuckle but I just couldn't because her little pout was so cute. "How was she Potter's sister? She must be adopted or grown in a cabbage patch or something. There is no way the same parents raised them." He thought as he glanced at you. 

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Your POV

“Don’t pout, it’s unbecoming.” His lips tugged into the smallest smile. 

“Then answer my questions.” You pouted.

“We can’t play 20 questions.”

“Why? We only have 3 questions left that we can work on tomorrow. Please.” You exaggerated.

“You can ask me 5 questions then we gotta go back to our common rooms.” He negotiated. 

“Deal!” You thought for a moment. “What’s your favorite color?” He rolled his eyes.

“Black and dark green.” He replied plainly. “What’s yours?” 

“Red and black.” You replied.

“So we both like our house color and black.” 

“Yup. What’s something you like to do in the muggle world?” You asked.

“I like to go for walks. Get out of my house. What’s your favorite food?” He asked a different question this time.

“I like sushi. I heard it comes from the muggle world, I really wanna visit there.” You sighed thinking you’d never get to go. Your brother wouldn’t go with you and if he didn’t go his friends wouldn’t.

“Hm.”

“What’s yours?”

“I don’t have a favorite I guess.” He confessed. 

“You live in the muggle world right?”

“That counts as a question you have one more. But yes I live in the muggle world.” He answered.

“Maybe I’ll visit you and we can go get sushi. Or go to a festival, I really want to go to one of those.”

“You would want to visit me outside of school?” He asked in awe.

“That counts as one of your questions.” You giggled using his words against him. “But yeah I would. You're not as bad as you think you are, Severus. I think you’re a good person.”

“Alright.” He honestly didn’t know what to say. “One more question then bed.”

“What did you see in the mirror?” You asked seriously. His head turned and he saw a lantern. 

“It’s past curfew we need to go before Filch finds us out here.” He stood and gathered his things. “See you in class.” And again he avoided the question as he disappeared yet again. 

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