1
a slytherin boy with medium length hair is sitting in Severus’s usual spot he looked gothic and was wearing eyeliner and was painting in a notebook
Severus stared at the boy in disbelief. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked him up and down, then narrowed his eyes. He stood up and looked at him sternly "This is MY spot, you're not supposed to be here."
the boy looked up and just stared at Severus awkwardly
Severus looked like he was waiting for an explanation. "Well?"
the boy keeps staring and then he gets his stuff and leaves in a rush not realising he left his notebook there in Severus’s usual spot Severus watched as the boy walks away. He turns to look at the notebook, raises his eyebrow and opens it.
it’s was full off portrait paintings with notes from classes on top it also had a few pages talking about this boy’s anxiety problems after having a read he saw the name off the boy Jay Richards this would come in handy to return the book to him Severus closed the notebook, frowning as he tried to figure out what to do. As he turned to walk away he spotted Jay in the distance. He marched over to where he was, and tapped him on the shoulder. He then thrust the notebook in front of him and said in a snarky voice “Is this yours?"
jay looks at Severus his eyes which has eyeliner on looked like they were going to bulge out off his head he was so awkward
“Um yes it’s mine sorry”
Severus rolled his eyes. "It was on my spot by the lake." Then without waiting for a response he turned to walk away. He was about to leave before it dawned on him that he hadn't found out what the boy's name was. "What is your name?"
“Erm it’s Jay”
Severus was surprised this boy was a slytherin from how timid he apparently was
This made Severus look back in surprise. He'd never seen such an anxious Slytherin in the 4+ years that he'd been at Hogwarts. He looked him over carefully, with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. "Right...Jay." he said, still wondering why a person like this was sorted into Slytherin.
“Can I follow you to the black lake erm sorry to be a bother I think I left my pens there too”
jay starts to nervously scratch his neck
Severus considered for a moment, weighing up whether or not to turn this boy down. This was after all his favourite place to hide from everyone else. But there's something about this boy that makes him curious to know more. He then looks at the boy and then nods.
"Ok fine."
He sighs loudly and begins walking towards the Black Lake.
jay moved his hair behind his ear to reveal many ear piercings
“So erm what’s your name I don’t think I’ve seen you in the lunch hall .. to be fair I rarely show up to the lunch hall but you get the point”
Severus looks at the boy as he walks. He sees his piercings and makes an internal judgement on him. He sighs before answering.
"Severus Snape. And don't worry I don't go down to the Great Hall much myself."
“What year are you in ? You look like a 6 year wait sorry your not ment to ask someone’s age that was probably rude”
jay is still scratching his neck nervously as they walked to the spot near the black lake
Severus looked at Jay. He was now wondering how a boy who couldn't even have a normal conversation with him was sorted into Slytherin. And now he knows Jay is in his year, it just seems weirder. He shrugs his shoulders at the question. "I'm 6th year." He says in a blunt tone.
"And I don't mind if you ask about my age. I'm almost 16."
“Right I’m a 5th year so a year younger and I was born on the first off January… I don’t know why I said that you really didn’t need to know that”
jay looks so nervous and his over-sharing was slightly funny to Severus but not in the usual judgmental way Severus tends to act like
Severus was surprised that Jay gave him that detail. He then noticed Jay was scratching his neck again, and his curiosity rose. His eyebrows creased into a frown. "Why do you keep..you know...scratching your neck?" he asks, pointing at Jay's neck.
“Oh am I doing it again”
jay stops
“I have an anxiety disorder and um my therapist tells me because I can’t handle it my body try’s to soothe itself by doing it but instead it just hurts me and I have cuts all over my neck from it it feels like I can’t stop ….. and I said to much again didn’t I”
jay laughs at himself a bit
"Er...you have cuts on your neck?"
His voice sounded unsure. He wasn't sure if Jay meant what he thought he meant.
"Um...how long have you been doing this...cutting yourself?"
He asked hesitantly. The thought that this boy was a Slytherin was strange. He looked too soft...to vulnerable.
“I’m not doing it intentionally it started at normal just rubbing my neck then as my anxiety got worse so did it I’m not some vulnerable child I just have um issues we all do and once again I’m not sure why I’m telling you a stranger this “
jay chuckles slightly
Severus stared at him intently. He had never heard of a Slytherin being this nervous or having anything close to anxiety. It made him wonder if Jay did something terrible to be sorted into that house. He decided to test Jay's reaction.
"So...why did you get sorted into Slytherin?"
he asked with a smirk "You don't look like the type for it."
“I got sorted almost immediately apartly it’s just my nature I’m not sure “
Severus narrowed his eyes a little
"I'm not so sure about that...you seem like a Hufflepuff to me. A Gryffindor at a stretch."
“Well it’s the sorting hats choice I suppose I know how to get my way so maybe that’s why”
jay laughs
“How about you how are you finding slytherin and why do you think you were sorted here “
Severus paused, unsure if he wanted to tell Jay the truth, or not. He sighed, and spoke
"Well...I asked the hat to put me into Slytherin because I think a lot of people in Gryffindor are pretentious fools."
He paused for a second and added
"You know what I mean. People like James Potter...and his friends."
“Yeah I know what your on about rich kids like that don’t know how to work a day off their life and they judge others looks , people who are just trying to live and can’t afford fancy things to be considered good looking in their eyes “
jay says in a calmed down tone
Severus looked over at him in surprise. He was surprised that Jay agreed with his opinion. Most people would assume that he liked James and his friends as most students did. "You agree?"
he asked curiously.
“Yeah they give me a weird feeling and they are very classist so I agree “
Severus smirked when he saw Jay say "classist" a term that didn't often get used at Hogwarts. He hadn't even told anyone that he thought they were "classist" so he was surprised to hear Jay call them that.
"I thought I was the only one." He said with a nod as they got to the Black Lake.
“I love your hair is it dyed ? “
jay twiddles with a strand off Severus’s hair which surprised him but he weirdly liked?
“Oh sorry I should off asked to touch your hair I can be bad at reading social interactions sometimes “
Severus froze when Jay started to twiddle with his hair. His face turned bright red, as he wasn't expecting it at all. He didn't know how to react to that.
"Ummm...yes...it is." He said awkwardly. "Don't worry. It's fine."
He couldn't help but smile a bit at Jay's words. He was just as bad at reading social interactions as he was.
“What’s your natural hair colour”
jay looks at Severus’ brown locks he sees darker brown roots but doesn’t want to assume
Severus hesitantly answered his question. He didn't feel like it was a great idea to tell someone he didn't know. But he was intrigued by Jay's curiosity.
"Dark brown." He said, his face turning even redder with embarrassment.
“So you dyed it lighter ? Cool I think you would suit having black hair you have sharp features and the black would look stunning with it .. oh sorry I probably crossed the line”
jay awkwardly smiles in a way that makes Severus’s heart flutter a bit
There was no way to deny that his heart was fluttering. It was beating very fast at the moment. He wasn't sure what to say to Jay's comment. He just nodded a bit and then suddenly asked a question.
"You like black hair?"
“Yeah some people it makes them look washed out but I think you would suit it , sorry I’m an art student I have to look at stuff like that when I do my work so saying stuff like that is normal to me but doesn’t work in everyday normal conversations”
Severus chuckled at that. He had never met anyone who could be that brutally honest, but in some strange way, he didn't mind it. He turned to look at Jay and said with a wry smile
"So you're an art student huh?"
“Yeah it’s classed under muggle studies so im aloud to take it as a lesson”
"Muggle studies?" Severus laughed a little. "You know I hate that subject." He then looked him up and down.
"But I think art suits you. I'm...sure you'll do well at it." He said, sounding surprised.
“I’m actually um sneaking off campus to buy some hair dye so you want to come with me ?”
jay clearly said this impulsively but ment it
Severus looked at Jay. Not only was he caught off guard by the question but he also was confused. Why did Jay want him to come with him to get hair dye? He didn't understand. But then he thought about it, and realised this was another opportunity to spend more time with him.
"Sure. Why not." He said with a shrug.
“We can dye your hair black if you want to make an impulsive decision with me I’m going to get colourful highlights in my hair I’m not sure what colour so you can help me choose”
Severus raised an eyebrow in surprise. He wasn't expecting Jay to ask him to dye his hair. But then again, he didn't expect this whole thing in general. He decided he should just go along with it.
"Why the hell not?" He said with a smile. He was looking forward to spending more time with Jay.
“Cool um would you say we are friends now”
jay smiled and say awkwardly and incredibly dorky and Severus found it so cute
Severus was surprised that Jay thought they were friends after only like ten minutes. But then again if Severus was being honest, he felt like he knew Jay better than some of his so called "friends".
"Yeah. I'd say we are." He said with the tiniest bit of awkwardness in his voice, which made it seem a little more genuine.
Severus started to realise how attractive he found jay his style was unique, he was slightly feminine looking but wasn’t at the same time he had a nose piercing and wore many silver and black pieces off jewellery his nails were also painted black , he was wearing the usual uniform but no robes he was wearing a jacket instead , his eyes are blue and he had eye makeup on which made his eyes pop he is pale but not sickly looking , Severus had never paid this much attention to someone’s looks he bearly knows Jay so he’s going to try and not be so weird like this around him
As they walked, Severus couldn't help but stare at Jay. He saw all of his features like his nose piercing, his jacket, his painted nails and his makeup, and a thought began to form in his head. He found himself becoming attracted to Jay, in an unusual sort of way. He had never felt this way before with anyone. He then realised he was staring and looked away, a faint blush forming on his cheeks.
“Um i have a singular dorm it’s number 1805 so come there at 10 we can sneak out and do that I’ll see you later Severus I need to head to lesson”
jay waves like a cute dork and runs off with his stuff leaving Severus to think
Severus stared at the spot where Jay had just left. He stood there confused for a moment. Was, was that an invitation to go round to Jay's dorm room? He felt his face heating up just thinking about it. He felt like he should decline the offer, because it was weird. But then he thought about the boy again, and suddenly he didn't want to turn him down.
Severus thought about the offer for a bit, then sighed in decision. Why the hell not, I'll go. Maybe it can be fun.
Severus stood outside Jay's door at ten o'clock. He was unsure what he should do. Should he go in without knocking? Or should he just knock and surprise Jay?
He sighed and knocked on the door loudly. It was a weird thing to do. But he had waited for a while, and maybe Jay would answer if he knocks. Or maybe he was still in class, and then Severus was going to look stupid. He was overthinking things. But he knocked anyway.
jay opens the door and steps out
“Hi we’re going to have to be quiet to sneak out I have money with me we’re going to hogsmade then once we’re there we’re going to going to go into the fire place and go to a muggle shop for the dye then go back to my dorm”
jay was wearing a long sleeved band shirt and black boots the long sleeved top was definitely to light off clothing for this weather that’s why Severus was wearing an old hoodie over his clothes it wasn’t a good Brad because Severus was poor but it was comfortable and more suited for the weather Severus was concerned jay is going to get sick
Severus was surprised to see Jay open the door. He stood there confused for a moment, but then nodded in understanding. He looked at Jay's outfit and thought to himself "It's far too light, you're going to catch a cold." After thinking for a second longer, he asked.
"Are you all right to go out like that?" He sounded concerned.
"Here." He took off his hoodie and gave it to Jay, who seemed surprised. Severus continued to say "It's much warmer than that shirt. You should put it on."
“Oh are you sure ?”
jay looked slightly flushed
"Positive." Severus said, smiling a little. He noticed Jay looked a little flustered, and was slightly glad that he had made him blush. "Don't make me regret this action." He added with a little smirk. He didn't expect Jay to look so cute when he wore his hoodie.
it was dark blue a muggle brand which Severus loved, it was already oversized on him but on jay it was cute but strange to see because jay didn’t tend to wear oversized clothes
Severus noticed that the hoodie looked different on Jay, but it fitted him well. He liked the look of it on him. The colour and the design made it look much better on Jay than it did on Severus. Then he noticed that he kept looking at Jay in his hoodie. He thought Jay was cute. He felt his face heat up.
Severus cleared his throat.
"Shall we do this...sneak, then?" He asked awkwardly.
“Yeah let’s go”
after sneaking past the people at the castle they make it to hogsmade and go through the fire and walk to a muggle shop
After sneaking out of the castle, and into Hogsmeade, Severus followed Jay. He was curious to see the boy in a Muggle shop, as he was very different to what Severus had imagined. He decided to follow him closely.
In the store, Severus noticed Jay's excitement when he saw the hair dyes. Seeing him act like a kid in a candy store made Severus have to stop himself from smiling.
“So we are picking up a black hair dye and I’m not sure what I want what colour streaks do you think I’ll suit there’s so many colours”
Severus looked over at Jay
"I mean....you have pale skin and blue eyes, so something colourful would suit that." He sounded like a pro, giving advice to someone who had no idea.
"Maybe you should try pink." He added. "To contrast all your black and silver." If he was being honest, he just wanted to see him dyed in pink hair - he thought it would be cute.
“Good idea they have three pinks a pastel pink , a bright pink and a redish pink what one do you think?”
Severus stared at the three different pinks in front of them.
"Bright." He said without hesitation, before nodding his head and adding "Bright pink is what I think you'd suit best. Also, don't forget the black hair dye."
“Ok I’ll pay for us both don’t worry about the price by the way as long as you talk to the cashier for me”
jay jokes
Severus couldn't help but chuckle at the joke. He then looked at Jay. Then a small smile crept onto his face. He then realised what he was doing and cleared his throat.
"Of course. I'd be happy to. Don't want to make you uncomfortable."
And with that, they walked up to the cashier to pay for their dyes.
they pay and head back to jays dorm
Severus followed Jay back to his dorm. He was excited to spend more time with him, even if they were only together to do his hair. He noticed that Jay was going slightly faster than usual, maybe because he knew what he was doing was wrong (sneaking out of the castle to a muggle hair shop). So in order to try and distract him, he began to talk.
"Do you like any muggle entertainment?" He said curiously.
“Yes my family are pure blood but my dad is a squib so we were disowned and we have lived around muggle cities”
Severus was surprised at Jay's answer.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Why were you disowned? Was it because you're father is a squib? "
Severus looked at Jay sympathetically. He thought that getting disowned by your family must have been painful.
“It’s ok um they are blood purists so I wouldn’t want to speak to them anyway”
jay scratches his neck
“Do you want me to dye your hair first? Or me”
Severus didn't know how to answer for a second. He was excited and a little nervous at his hair being dyed black. He shrugged and said quietly
"You can go first. I'll watch how it's done."
Once they were both in Jay's dorm room, he took a seat and waited for him to start the process.
jay starts to separate his hair into sections before adding the pink dye into his fringe and the other pieces off his hair and he waited for it to sit for 40 minutes as he waited he got Severus’s black hair dye out
“Are you ready for me to dye yours while urm we wait for mine to set in”
Severus was impressed by how organised Jay was. He was like some sort of wizard-hairstylist. Once Severus saw him adding the dye to his hair, it looked very cool as the colours mixed together.
"Sure. I'm ready."
He said as he stood up to come closer to Jay. "Just tell me what to do, I'll follow your instructions."
Severus's face turned a little pink as he said this.
“I can do it for you so it’s easier to get everything if you like”
Severus paused for a second. Something about Jay wanting to do his hair for him sounded romantic, but he also didn't want to read too far into it. He didn't even really understand how he felt about the boy yet. But he was curious at the idea of Jay dying his hair for him. He nodded in response.
"Please do." He said.
He looked curious to see how this turned out.
jay didn’t need to separate Severus’s hair as much because he was dyeing his whole head after he put the dye on he told Severus they can wash it out in 40 minutes for now they can talk for a bit while it sets
Severus looked at Jay as he started dying his hair. He felt as though it was quite a romantic situation. He stood very close to him. He was tempted to just wrap his arms around him since they were so close to each other. But he controlled the urge.
To distract his mind from wanting to just kiss Jay right there and then, Severus decided to talk to him. While dying his hair, he said
"So...where do you live in the muggle world? I have never met someone who lives like that. I'd expect it to be quite difficult."
“It’s ok I live in Liverpool, don’t you live in a muggle place too ? sorry to be nosey I noticed your clothes are a muggle brand”
Severus was surprised when Jay seemed to notice the logo on his hoodie. He was more impressed that he knew what that brand was. Jay was very observant, and he was starting to like that about him.
"Yeah, I live in London." He replied. "It's fine. You're not nosy at all. You're just observant." He smiled warmly at him. He didn't usually smile this much.
"Do you live with your mum and dad, or by yourself?"
“My mum ,my parents are split up I see my dad every month what about you ?”
Severus didn't know how to answer this question. He didn't want to lie to Jay. But he couldn't admit the harsh truth to him either. After thinking for a while, he decided to respond with an answer that wasn't entirely false.
"My dad isn't in the picture. It's just me and my mum." He said. That was all he gave away. He wanted to ask Jay more questions, though.
"What made your parents divorce?" He asked curiously.
“They weren’t married , my dad all though I love him he’s emotionally abusive and addicted to um a certain substance it made them get into money troubles which were worse because off us getting disowned”
jay shrugs
Severus looked at Jay with sympathy. He thought that was a sad situation for him to be in - but he couldn't imagine how difficult it must be for him. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what.
"I'm sorry. Is....Is everyone alright now? Like your mum is fine?" He asked, not wanting to seem intrusive.
“Yeah we are ok .. I’m sorry to ask what about your family ?”
Severus didn’t know how to start talking about it all off his life his dad dad been an abusive alcoholic muggle , he was still his dad and he loved him but talking about it was still upsetting even though he has moved out now
Severus looked down and didn't know where to start. He didn't even want to say the words. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to admit it. But he looked up again and nodded. Then he said.
"My dad is a muggle. He's...He's an alcoholic." It seemed like that was the easiest way to start the story without saying too much.
His face turned red again as he remembered some of the things he wanted to tell Jay.
"He's...been quite abusive." He added quietly.
“I’m sorry I asked but I won’t judge because obviously I’ve gone through urm similar things”
jay feels bad but is so awkward he doesn’t know how to express his feelings
Severus didn't like how awkward Jay felt. He didn't want him to be embarrassed. He decided to change the subject as he saw how uncomfortable Jay was right now.
"No, don't worry. You're not judging. I don't mind talking about it. I was just a bit hesitant. Can I hear more about you? I haven't asked much about you." He smiled widely at Jay, showing him that it was okay for them to drop the subject of their families.
“Yeah ok ask away”
jay smiled
Severus thought about a question he could ask Jay, while his hair was still dying. He didn't want to ask something serious, like he had done just now. He wanted to try and move the conversation away from that subject entirely. Instead, Severus decided to ask about things more relevant to Jay.
"What's your favourite colour?" He sounded curious.
“Well I’m going to have to say pink now”
jay laughed slightly pointing out his hair
Severus laughed at the joke. He couldn't help but notice how pink his hair really did look. It was almost comical. But he didn't want to criticise Jay. He thought it looked cute on him.
"Yeah. I think pink works on you." He said warmly. It surprised him that he told him this much without feeling uncomfortable.
He was slightly awkward as he looked at Jay.
"What's your favourite spell?" He asked curiously.
“The patronus spell although I’m not skilled enough to do it yet”
Severus was surprised at Jay's answer. This made him want to ask something even more.
"What animal would you want to have as your patronus?" He asked, sounding excited and curious at the same time. He hoped Jay wouldn't think he was weird.
“I’m not sure, maybe a fox or a rabbit or hmm I like birds maybe a dove or swan”
Severus was excited to hear about Jay's favourite animals. It surprised him that Jay's patronus could even be a bird.
"My patronus is a wolf." He added. He seemed proud of his patronus, as he hoped Jay would be of his. He thought they could share a connection through their patronus animals.
"Is your mum a witch?" He asked curiously, deciding to ask Jay some questions about his family again.
“Yea she is , sorry to go off topic but is it true that your patronus changes if your inlove , if you can make a patronus I was wondering if you know about that”
Severus looked at Jay, seeming interested in what he had asked. He nodded his head, confirming that he knew about it. He seemed excited to tell him about it though, so he spoke right up.
"Yes. That's true. Your patronus can change if you fall in love. Mine is a wolf, but I've heard that some people like the person they fall in love with's patronus too. I think it's really sweet."
“Yeah it is , anyway do you want to take a shower erm first or me because the hair dye can be washed out now”
Severus thought about it.
"I wouldn't mind taking a shower first, if you don't mind waiting?" He asked curiously, trying to hide his nervousness.
"If you do mind waiting, you can go first then."
He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Jay as he spoke.
"You can decide." He added.
“I can wait , when your done dry your hair and see the results i reckon it’s going to suit you but it’s up to you to decide if you don’t like it we can bleach it but that will cause some damage”
jay smiles and shows Severus his bathroom
Severus nodded at Jay, and went to the bathroom to have his shower. Once he was in there, he began to have second thoughts. Would it really suit him? But then he reminded himself that he was only dying his hair and it shouldn't be that big of a deal. He had to at least start trying new things.
After a few minutes in the shower, Severus finished cleaning himself. He got out and dried his hair with a towel. He then looked at himself in the mirror. His hair had turned black, as expected. But he didn't dislike it. He thought it looked alright on him
before jay could see Severus he got into the shower and Severus waited reading on jays bed to see him , after a few minutes jay was done and he dried his hair he came out the bathroom in Severus hoodie and pyjama pants
Severus looked at how cute Jay looked when he got out of the shower. He was wearing Severus's hoodie and pajamas, which suited him. It made him look even more adorable.
Severus then decided to speak.
"I like how it looks on you." He said softly, as he sat on the bed and was waiting for Jay to sit next to him.
“I knew black hair would suit you it looks so good you look stunning”
jay says like it was a fact
Severus blushed when he heard Jay call him stunning. It wasn't easy for him to accept such a compliment. He'd never really been called that before, so hearing it now was strange.
He decided to nod his head and say "Thank you, Jay." He looked at Jay while he spoke.
He thought about what Jay looked like now - he was a different persona.
"I like your pink hair. It really works on you." He smiled at Jay when he spoke.
After a while off talking they both fall asleep in jays bed the hair dye was still on the side and in one day they both look like different people and now they feel like it too