"No, I cannot help you with that."

Severus shook his head, hiding his amused smirk as you groaned in frustration at his words. He pretended to be arranging the books on his shelves when you came to stand beside him, and he felt your gaze on him.

"Please help me, Severus."

You pleaded, looking up at him with your best puppy eyes, and Severus felt his heart softened and he was slowly giving up to your request as much as he hated to admit it. Oh, the things you did to his poor heart.

"I despise parties, Y/N."

He said in disgust, thinking that parties were not meant for him, especially when it was held by a proud pureblood family. Severus had been there before, and he felt isolated, judged by those people, and he never wanted to experience it ever again. He would rather stay in the comfort of his office instead of pretending as if he was enjoying other people's company. Perhaps he enjoyed your company, but not the others.

"I hate parties too, but I have to attend this one because it's my family's party or my mother will have my head."

You explained, and Severus nodded at your words. He knew how much you hated to see your family, considering of your decision to reject their chosen future husband for you to marry, and since then, their relationship with you was not the best.

"Please, Severus?"

You tilted your head a bit, and you gave him a smile, hoping that it was cute enough to knock on the door of his heart so he would help you. The professor squinted his eyes at you, cursing at himself for always letting you on his good side. Even after a few years out of school, he still saw you as the sweet girl who offered him a beautiful smile during his first day at Hogwarts.

"I have to pretend as your boyfriend tonight at your family's party so your parents will think that you already have a future husband?"

He pondered, and you nodded vigorously, agreeing to every word that he said. If you came alone to the party, your parents would start to nag about how you should not decline the marriage proposal that you got when you were in your final year, and you were sure they would try to find another pureblood wizard for you to marry. No, you would never let that happen.

"Pretty please, Severus?"

Severus let out a sigh, nodding weakly at you.

"I will do it for you, Y/N."

You could not hold back a squeal as you hugged him tightly, and Severus stiffened a bit in your arms, it was as if he could hear his insane heartbeat thumping rapidly against his ribcage with how affectionate you were being with him.

"Thank you so much."

You thanked him, still feeling giddy from the excitement that you would be able to call him your boyfriend tonight. He had stolen your heart for a long time, but you were just too afraid to admit it, and having this chance, you were not going to mess it up.

"I think I should find something decent to wear to impress your parents."

He mumbled, already regretting his decision as he could feel nerves wrecked his body. He knew it was not real, that he was just pretending to be your fake boyfriend, but he just wanted it to be an enthralling experience for you.

"You're already planning to win my parents' heart? Interesting."

You teased him, wiggling your eyebrows at the professor who was glaring at you.

"Don't make me change my mind, L/N."

You shook your head and quickly apologised, making him rolled his eyes at your antics. You took his hand in yours casually, sparking a kaleidoscope of feelings in both of his and your heart.

"Let's go find something for you to wear, my love."

You laughed, but deep inside, you wished you could call him with the nickname more often, realising how flustered he was. Severus cleared his throat and nodded, ignoring the heat that was rising from his stomach to his chest. He was intoxicated, you were calling him with such a sweet name that he could faint from overload of happiness.

He had no idea what would be unfolded that night when he agreed to pretend to be dating you.

Severus could hear voices and laughter coming out of the huge mansion, and he could easily recognise some of those happy noises were not even genuine. It felt like it was staged, that the guests had to pretend to be over the moon for being who they were, and it made him felt sick to the stomach as he was about to be one of them once he stepped inside.

The closer he was to the big door, the harder he felt to breathe, and he reminded himself that he was doing it for you. You would be there by his side, and nothing could go wrong as long as he had you. His mind was eased when he glanced at you who were on his arm. Your touch was comforting, and to know that you were so close to him was soothing his heart.

"Are you ready, Severus?"

He nodded, even if his heart felt like it could explode when he saw your enchanting smile as both of you stepped into your family mansion which was crowded with guests. Severus did not hate the fact that he had such a gorgeous young lady on his arm, he loved to have you by his side, but the fact that it was fake was bugging him a bit.

He sucked in a deep breath when he could feel almost all eyes on him, well particularly on you, as you walked in with him. You could feel the nerves radiating off him, and instinctively, you squeezed his arm assuringly, looking him in the eyes.

"I'm here with you."

His heart melted at your soft gaze and he smiled, something that he did not do often in front of other people, but you were glad he did. He asked if you wanted to find your parents first, and before you could answer him, a friend approached you and Severus with a smirk on his face.

"Severus and Y/N. What a lovely surprise to see you here."

Lucius Malfoy's posh voice made you roll your eyes and Severus' smile dropped. Lucius were close with both of you, and it was safe to say that he also knew about Snape's hidden love for you. For him to see you on Severus' arm that night was so amusing, and he could not help but gave a knowing look at Severus.

"This is my family's party, Lucius. Of course, I'm here."

You said, arching your eyebrow as you saw Severus and Lucius was exchanging looks that you could not fathom. But you decided to shrug it off, thinking that the best friends must had something to hide from you and you were not intended to find it out that night.

"I've heard from your parents that you will bring your future husband. I'm quite offended that you didn't tell me about your relationship, Y/N."

Lucius added, and your eyes grew wide. Your parents just had to tell it to every guest about your future husband and you were enraged at them now. You looked at Lucius who had a smirk on his face.

"Lucius, please do not tell my parents that Severus is not my real boyfriend."

You said, almost in a whisper as you did not want anyone else to discover your secret. Malfoy was holding back a laugh to see how worried you were that he was going to tell your parents, but he decided to tease you a little bit as it was something that he enjoyed to do.

"You and Severus look perfect together. I think you should make it real."

He suggested, walking away from both of you but not before he gave one last look to Severus that encouraged the professor to tell you about his true feelings. You smiled at Malfoy's words, feeling your blood rushed towards your face as your love for the Potions Master could not be denied any longer.

"Severus, I need to tell you something."

You started, hoping that you were bold enough to finally confess to him after years of loving him in silence. Severus waited for your next words, and it would be a lie if he say that it did not scare him to hear what you were going to say. He would be delighted if you wanted to tell him that you were in love with him, but he knew he would be devastated if you wanted to let him know that you were tired of being his friend.

"I want you to know that I'm in love—"

"Our dear daughter finally decides to show up tonight."

You clenched your jaw when you heard your mother's voice, disturbing your moment with Severus. Just when you had the courage to confess, she had to come and destroy everything for you as you could see her judgemental eyes landed on Severus.

"Hello, mother."

You greeted her coldly, forcing a smile on your face. You could still remember how she yelled at you for being an ungrateful child when you rejected a marriage proposal that she sought out for you. The only reason you were still accepted in the family was because of your father who never wanted to be apart from you.

"I've missed my darling daughter so much."

Your father came towards you just a few seconds after you thought about leaving, making a genuine smile found its way on your face. You did not wait any second to hug your father, as it had been quite some time since you last saw him and truth to be told, you missed him. He was not as calculated as your mother, but he surely loved you dearly, and if it were not for him, you would never want to be here.

It warmed Severus' heart to see how happy you were. You had told him a few times that you were not used of being away from your father, but after what happened, you were forced to leave and it scarred you a bit.

"And I guess this is your future husband?"

Your father asked, and suddenly a wave of nerves washed over Severus, and he was not sure what to do or what to say. His students would snicker at him if they ever see him that way, but he was really a nervous wreck when he felt your parents' eyes on him.

"Yes, father. His name is Severus Snape."

You took Severus' hand in yours, assuring him that everything would be under control and he just had to play along. His heart was still beating rapidly during your moment of confession, which was disturbed, and now he felt like his heart could stop beating anytime soon.

"It's nice to see you, sir."

Severus managed to get the words out, shaking your father's extended hand as his heart was calmed down a bit when your father smiled at him instead of scowling like your mother was doing.

"So like I promised before, tonight I brought the love of my life with me."

You said, a mocking smile was on your face as you looked at your mother. Surely, she was hoping that you came alone, hence she could introduce you to her favoured friends, wanting you to marry one of their sons.

Severus' breath hitched as your words surprised him. He was the love of your life? It was too good to be true, and he realised you were just pretending.

"The love of your life? Y/N, your little sister is engaged and soon to be wed while you're here fooling around with some—"

You shot her a glare, waiting for her to finish her caustic sentence when suddenly her eyes widen, realising something familiar about Severus. You glanced at him and squeezed his hand, sending him a comforting smile.

"You're a professor in Hogwarts, aren't you?"

She asked, a smirk was plastered on her face and you knew she had something vile to say towards the man that you loved. It was her intention to chase him away so that she could have you following her words.

"Yes, he is. A great one at that."

You replied, and Severus smiled, knowing that you were truly proud of him. It was something that fluttered his heart, that you were always proud of him, no matter what others were thinking about him.

"Are you sure about that, Y/N? I know that he fails to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm sorry for saying this, but news spread fast nowadays."

You could feel Severus stiffened next to you, and his grip on your hand loosened as your mother's words were getting under his skin. He would usually be so calm and collected, and he did not really mind what people think of him, but she was your mother, thus he could not help but cared about her impression on him.

"Actually, Severus succeeds to teach Potions, mother. He never fails to do anything."

You argued, and your mother was not too happy about it. You were once her obedient child, who listened to her every word, but since you got out of the house, she realised you were no longer the same.

"You deserve someone better, Y/N. If only you would listen to me like your little sister did, you won't be stuck with him. Such a poor excuse of a lover, he is."

Her words struck Severus' heart, but he knew it affected you even more when your eyes grew wide in anger.

"I'm not letting you insult Severus like that. He is the perfect lover for me."

You were trying your hardest to hold back your rage, but your mother did not know how livid you were when she began to talk more about Severus.

"Perfect? His blood is not as pure as ours, he doesn't come from a prestigious family, and his money is not enough to even support himself, let alone to spoil you with wealth. How are you supposed to have a perfect life with him, Y/N?"

Severus dropped his gaze on the ground for the first time that night, ashamed upon hearing how lowly your mother was thinking about him. It broke your heart when you realised your mother was hurting his feelings, and suddenly you were getting protective and defensive of Severus.

"To have a perfect life, I do not need to find a perfect person. I just have to find a person who makes me feel complete and he is the person for me."

You were furious, and Severus quickly wrapped an arm around your waist when you were going to walk closer towards your mother. He did not want it to become any worse than it already was. Severus shook his head, wishing that you did not fight with your mother for him.

"Severus can spoil me with things that money cannot buy and I love him."

You said, and it silenced your mother who could see how in love you were with him. Severus could not take his gaze away from you, as you were being so protective over him, and he hoped that you meant every single thing you said.

"You're really in love with Severus. I can see that."

Your father interrupted, wanting the argument to be over as he did not want to attract the guests. You nodded, smiling timidly as you could feel Severus' eyes on you.

"Do you really love my daughter, Severus?"

Your father's question made him smile, and he could say it now that he was in love with you. There was no other person he wanted to be in love with but you.

"I love Y/N with all of my heart."

You did not know if he was pretending for your sake, but his words seemed genuine and honest, that your smile widen when you looked at him.

"I'm happy for both of you. Now, I think we have to tend to our guests."

Your father said, forcing your mother to leave you and Severus alone. Your mother insisted that she had many things to say, obviously she still wanted to change your mind, but your father dragged her to other guests and she had to put on her graceful look, forgetting about the argument she had with you.

"That was tiring."

You mumbled, a chuckle escaped your lips. Severus nodded, and for a moment, both of you locked eyes with each other, and you just remembered that you wanted to confess your love to him.

"Severus, I meant everything I said about you."

It was surreal to know that you thought so highly of him, and Severus never knew that this day would come, the day when he could finally call you his.

"I love you."

Both of you said in unison, and you broke into a fit of laughter. Severus wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer against his chest. Heat rose upon your cheeks when he gazed at you lovingly.

"I can't believe this is happening."

You mumbled, and Severus nodded. He had to thank your parents for holding this party or else you would not ask him to be your fake lover, and you would not be in his arms right now.

"Are you officially dating now?"

Both of you broke apart from each other when Malfoy came with a big smile on his face. Severus could not help but roll his eyes when his friend patted his shoulder softly. You took Severus' hand in yours and walked with him to the garden, leaving Lucius who was hoping to hear more about your relationship. Frustrated, Malfoy went to take another drink while letting you and Severus had your own lovely moment in the garden.

He would find time to tease you and Severus about it later.

-
lucius loves to hear some tea ☕️

23rd February 2021