At first, he was certain it was nothing but madness.
It began one quiet evening as he stood at the edge of the Hogwarts Lake, watching the sun sink into the horizon. He had always found peace in watching the water, the way it swallowed the world around him, its depths dark and unknowable—much like himself.
But that evening was different. A great shadow moved beneath the surface, and for a fleeting moment, a single tentacle brushed the his leg. He felt something—an odd flicker, deep inside.
He shook his head. Nonsense.
Yet, each night after that, he found himself returning. The giant squid would always be there, surfacing slightly, one massive eye gleaming in the twilight, regarding him with what Severus could only describe as… curiosity and magic.
There was no logic to it, but there was comfort in their silent meetings. He began to whisper to the creature, words he'd never dared speak aloud. Secrets, regrets, fantasies. the weight of a lifetime spent in shadows.
And then one evening, as he sat on the damp grass by the shore, something unexpected happened. A single, gentle tentacle rose from the water and wrapped itself lightly around his thigh. It was warm, surprisingly so.
In that moment, Severus felt something shift in his heart—a connection, strange yet undeniable. Perhaps it was the way the creature understood his solitude without words, the way it never demanded more than he could give. He had never known love in any conventional sense, but this… this was something different. It was as though the giant squid saw him, truly saw him, in a way no one else ever could.
And so, night after night, they met by the Lake, and by each sunrise their lust and love grew.