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'F*CK! F*CK! F*CK!!' The absolute giant thought to themselves as they ran through the halls. They were late for the first dinner back at Hogwarts and just as they reached the doors to the great hall they stopped in their tracks.

'Wait a second.. If I go in now everyone will look at me and think I'm weird for being late!' Was their mental thought process as they leaned against one of the old stone pillars, right next to the door. 'Maybe if I skip and wake up extra early to eat breakfast it will be fine.. But then they would think I'm some sort of freak for waking up at four in the morning!'

As they had this mental breakdown, Y/n hadn't noticed a certain potions master walking up behind them. He stood right behind them and spoke up rather harshly, because it wasn't someone from his house.

"What are you doing out here?" He questioned them and Y/n basically fell onto the floor, how a possum would if a predator of sorts came up to it. Just that they couldn't fake their death and that Snape didn't want to kill them.. Just yet that is.

As he didn't get an answer from the student, who still layed on the floor seemingly paralyzed, he gently tapped them with his foot which made them jolt up and look at him awkwardly.

"What are you doing out here?" He repeated, much more gently, because he didn't want to scare them again. "It's dinner time and all of the other students are in the great hall."

They didn't respond anyways, trying to find some sort of way to tell the big bad professor, that they would much rather go back to their common room and starve for the night then enter. 'Big bad wolf, hehe..' They mentally chuckled at their own joke, before trying to come up with a way to tell him that they didn't want to go in.

That's why they pointed at the door before pointing back at themselves and then making a 'x'-motion with their arms. Snape was a little confused at that, before he asked them another question.

A stupid question, but a question nonetheless. "You're afraid of doors?" The older male asked and that only resulted in Y/n smacking their forehead and regretting life itself.

They then mustered up all the courage they could and muttered a word, that Snape could barely catch. "Afraid.." Was spoken in a quiet and almost hoarse voice, as if the owner of it hadn't spoken in a while, which was true after all.

"Afraid?? Oh are you afraid of going inside?" He questioned again and Y/n felt a little overwhelmed by how much this man was talking to them.

'Is that what old people do?? Wait.. That was mean, what if he is insecure about being old.' They thought, before interrupting the man who decided to speak again, because he didn't get an answer from them.

"If you want I could go inside with yo--" "You are not that old!!" At their words, Snape looked extremely confused on why they were suddenly telling him that he wasn't old.

"What?" His confusion was evident, but Y/n just looked as mortified as they did when their accidentally stole the spoon of the person sitting next to them during the first feast last year aka. their first year. "F-forget it! Do you want me to go inside with you?"

'Uff that was the wrong move, man.' Y/n thought to themselves, while pulling a grimace that they quit quickly after, because they realized that it would come off as rude. Too bad that Snape already saw it and that he felt his soul leave his body, as this student in front of him just insulted him in the most vile way possible, without even uttering a single word.

"Orr.." He drawled out feeling a little offended, that this student didn't want to accept his offer. "I could show you to the kitchen and you could get some food for yourself?" This was very out of character for Snape and he knew it, but this.. Fluffy looking person just tugged at his cold, shriveled up heartstrings.

"That is if you don't feel too.. disgusted with going with an old ugly man as myself." He added a little bitter, as he remembered a certain group of four telling him those exact words and how no one would ever like him for who he was.

"I didn't mean that.." They whispered out again and Snape concentrated on their quiet words once again. "I just didn't want to draw more attention then I would if I went in alone.. I would appreciate it, if you could show me to the kitchen though, professor Snape."

Snape smiled at that, but if anyone would accuse him of doing so he would curse them. Because the big, bad professor Severus Snape doesn't smile and that is a fact. His lips just made this weird 'U'-shape for a second, that doesn't have anything to do with smiling. Nothing at all.

"Alright come on," He ordered them, while already turning and going down to the dungeons. "from which house are you?"

"Hufflepuff." They answered and he had to really hold back a chuckle, because of course they were a Hufflepuff. No other house, that wasn't his would act like this.. At least he thinks so, he doesn't really pay attention to other houses.

"Yeah, I could tell.." He said nevertheless, because Snape loved being right and snarky and sassy and everything that people told him he couldn't be. "Are all Hufflepuffs so insecure?" After those words left his mouth, he immediately clamped it shut and already regretted ever coming back to this hellhole as a teacher, because that exact same thing was told to him by his potion professor when he was younger and he turned out like.. This.

But when he only heard a little wheeze from the student next to him his mouth once again did that weird 'absolutely-not-a-smile-smile'.

Those two then just made their way down to the kitchen, where Snape helped the second year, prepare sandwiches for himself and them.

"Do you like beans?" He questioned while stiring the left over pot of cooked beans and stifling his nose a little, because he never liked them himself. When he didn't get an answer from them he turned and watched them sneak a cookie from one of the containers.

Normally he would have taken house points from the student, that he would catch doing something like that, just simply because it brought him joy seeing them get disappointed and putting it back.. But their smile brought him even more joy, as they quickly stuffed the cookie in their mouth and looked like a hamster, while trying to eat it as quickly as possible.

When Y/n turned to him again, they were halfway through with chewing and looked at him with absolute panick in their eyes. 'OH NO!! NOW HE WILL HATE ME! What if he liked those cookies and is now gonna grade me badly for the rest of my school days and then I will never get a good job and then my mum will be disappointed and then I will die all alon--' Their ridiculous thought process, got interrupted by Snape flicking their forehead and putting a plate of cooked beans, some rice and the cheese and tomato sandwich in front of them.

"Eat up and after that you might get another dessert." He playfully told them or at least hoped it was playful, because he could basically hear their thoughts just a moment ago and would rather not put them through that again.

He received an eager nod, as he himself started eating his sandwich, glad that they didn't realize how he gave them all of the leftover beans, because he hated them himself.

As they were eating in silence, Snape suddenly realized that he didn't even know this student's name. "Hufflepuff.. What's your name?" He questioned and Y/n jolted up at the sudden question directed at them.

"Y/n L/n." Was the quick answer as they went back to eating and Snape was content with that, as he just enjoyed for once not having to eat with annoying chattering all around him. Maybe this school year could be better with this small child.

Well they weren't that short or small actually, because Y/n was probably taller than anyone else in their year or the one above that, but he still considered them small.

As they ruffled through their h/c hair, Snape just stared at the teen, who was too quiet for his taste. He knew insecure students and also students that simply wouldn't talk, but they could and would talk if necessary which was even stranger, because they didn't seem like a troublemaker.

'So why are you so afraid of talking.. or is it of simply existing?' He asked himself, while finishing the last of his sandwich, watching in amusement as the Hufflepuff finished their beans and moved on to their sandwich. 'Whatever it's none of my business and if they get bullied or something another teacher or prefect will deal with it..' He simply shrugged of his concerns, but something was nagging him in his gut and he knew that there was something.

Something he couldn't tell just yet, but something that made Y/n the way they were.

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Hope you liked this prologue!!! Honestly I'm so sorry if you guys are waiting for some new sleepyhead chapters, but I just got real interested in this era and wanted to try a non binary reader, so hope you enjoy them! Also father-child-relatship with Snape anyone??

- Love Neslihan