Unexpected Fate (Severus Snape x Reader)

The long tables had been shoved against the stone walls, leaving an open space in the center where witches and wizards stood, their expressions tense, their voices hushed but urgent. Maps were spread out across the high table, their edges curling under the flickering candlelight, and the weight of what was coming settled over the room like an oppressive fog.

And in the very center of it all, I stood alone, surrounded by people who had every reason to hate me.

Their stares were heavy, filled with suspicion, anger, disbelief. Some looked openly hostile, others were wary, their expressions guarded, unreadable. A few, like Remus, Tonks, and Percy, stood near the edge of the group, watching but not yet speaking, waiting to see how this would unfold.

I had known this wouldn't be easy.

Finally, Kingsley broke the silence. His deep, commanding voice carried through the hall, steady but laced with quiet skepticism.

"Let me get this straight," he said, his dark eyes locked onto mine. "After everything, after standing by his side, after watching while we were hunted, while people died, you expect us to believe that you've suddenly changed?"

A murmur of agreement spread through the room.

I forced myself to stand taller, to keep my hands steady at my sides. "Yes," I said simply. "That's exactly what I'm asking you to believe."

A scoff came from my left. Bill Weasley, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his expression hard, unreadable.

"And why exactly should we?" he asked, his voice sharp. "Because now that things are falling apart, you've decided you don't want to go down with the rest of them?"

I shook my head. "No. Because I've spent too long watching this war destroy everything and doing nothing to stop it. I let it happen. I stood in the shadows while this castle became a prison, while students—children—were tormented, while fear replaced everything that Hogwarts was meant to stand for." I swallowed hard, meeting his gaze. "And I can't do it anymore."

Molly Weasley's voice cut through the growing murmurs, trembling with fury. "You let it happen," she repeated, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "You let them take over this school. You let them torture children, our children. You let them rule through fear, and now you want to stand among us?"

She shook her head, her face pale with anger. "If you had told us—if you had come to the Order, if you had trusted us—maybe it never would have come to this! Maybe we could have stopped it before it got this far!"

Her words hit like a blow, sharp and undeniable.

"Don't think for a second that I didn't try to protect them." My voice, though quiet, carried through the space. "I did everything I could to shield them. I taught them how to defend themselves, how to endure. I taught them healing spells, protection charms—anything that could help them survive what was happening."

I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. "I took every risk I could without endangering them further. I stood between them and the Carrows whenever I could, I kept them safe in the ways that I could. And it was never enough, I know that. But I never stopped trying."

Molly's glare didn't soften, but something flickered in her eyes—hesitation, maybe.

"And just because I stood close to... to Severus, because I knew him, trust him—" I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. "That does not mean I am one of them. It does not mean I stood by and watched without care. You don't have to believe me. But I am here. And I will fight."

A bitter laugh broke through the tension. Fred or George, I wasn't sure which, but the disbelief in the sound was unmistakable.

"And we're just supposed to believe that?"