Unexpected Fate (Severus Snape x Reader)

I had spent the last hour helping to care for the wounded in the Great Hall—bandaging burns, muttering healing spells with trembling hands, doing anything to keep myself from thinking too much. From feeling too much. But now, I was here.

At his side.

Carefully, I pressed a damp cloth against the torn skin at his shoulder, my fingers working gently, methodically, even though my pulse hadn't slowed since I'd found him. His breathing was still ragged, but steadier. The worst had passed—barely.

"He'll be here soon."

I stiffened at the quiet warning in his tone. "Who?"

Severus didn't answer immediately. He simply held my gaze, his meaning clear.

Voldemort.

My heart beating a little faster.

"You're in no condition to fight," I said quickly, my voice sharper than I intended. "Severus, you barely survived—"

"I know." His tone was calm, too calm, considering what he was suggesting.

I took a step toward him, my frustration rising. "Then why are you even considering this?"

He shifted, sitting up straighter, though it clearly cost him. "Because I am the only one who has spent years by his side. I know how he thinks. I know what he will do next."

I shook my head. "That doesn't matter if you're dead before you even reach the battlefield!"

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't argue. He simply watched me, calculating, waiting for me to understand something I wasn't ready to accept.

"He won't spare me," Severus said quietly. "If he discovers I'm alive, I am already dead."

I hated that he was right. My hands clenched into fists. Of course, he was right. Voldemort wouldn't hesitate. The Death Eaters wouldn't hesitate. If they saw Severus Snape standing against them, they would tear him apart.

"You still want to fight?" I asked, disbelief laced in my voice.

He nodded once, his expression unwavering.

"I would be a fool not to."

I wanted to scream.

He was weak, wounded, barely standing, and yet here he was, still ready to throw himself into battle.

"You're insane," I whispered, shaking my head. "Absolutely insane."

He was one of the most powerful wizards I had ever known. He could make a difference. If he was strong enough, if he was careful enough, if we could keep him hidden until the right moment

But the risk.

The risk was too great.

I looked at him, at the fire still burning behind his dark eyes, at the sheer determination that hadn't faded, not even after everything he had been through.

And I knew, I wouldn't be able to stop him.

But I could make sure he wasn't alone.

I took a slow, careful step toward him, watching him, studying him, but he didn't move. He simply waited, his dark eyes locked onto mine, reading everything I wasn't saying, everything I couldn't put into words.

My hand lifted on its own, almost hesitantly, before cupping his cheek.

The moment my fingers touched his skin, his breath hitched.

His body tensed, just for a second, before he slowly, almost imperceptibly, leaned into my touch. His eyes fluttered shut, the weight of exhaustion, of everything he had endured, momentarily giving way to something else. Something softer.