No, this isn't based on Melanie Martinez's song (I have to let you know lmao)
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Severus walked around the class to see his students' progress in making potion that day. He just grumbled in disappointment when he saw they were struggling, and he had to correct them before they could blow up the whole class.

His eyes landed on you who was brewing your potion quietly, not unperturbed by the crescendo that your classmates were creating. He observed your potion and a small smile was painted on his face.

"Good job, Miss L/N."

He said, giving you a nod before walking away from you to scold another student who was making imprudent mistakes. You smiled proudly when you managed to brew the potion perfectly.

You eyed Professor Snape who was scowling at one of your classmates. When he notice your gaze on him, he just shook his head and you knew he was trying to tell you that he was getting tired of your classmate's mistake.

"Will you lend your friend a hand, Miss L/N?"

"Of course."

You nodded and went to help your classmate, smiling softly at your professor. Severus sighed in relief and was happy that he had a student like you in his class. You did not talk much. You were not exactly shy, but you were just quiet. You never boasted yourself and never tried to outsmart your teachers.

Whenever Professor Snape asked questions in his class, he would look at you to see if you wanted to answer his question. He would not care that Hermione Granger was holding her hand up, willingly to answer. He could read your mind and realised that you wanted to answer him but you did not want the attention on you.

"Yes, Miss L/N. Can you answer my question?"

As soon as you heard his words, a bright smile was plastered on your face and you nodded vigorously. You knew the answer, but you never wanted your classmates to think that you were boasting yourself. But whenever your professor called out your name, you were not embarrassed to talk in the class.

Severus knew well about your demeanours now. He made sure you were not uncomfortable in class and he also watched over you in the Great Hall. His eyes would find your figure to make sure that no one was disturbing you, as he once noticed there were some students who made fun of you before. Those students had never dared to even look at you now after Severus encountered them.

The Potions Master hated it when students came to find him after his office hours. However, when heard soft knocks on his door, waiting patiently for him to open the door— He knew it was you.

"What can I help you with, Y/N?"

You smiled when he called you by your first name, noticing that he would only do that whenever you were alone with him.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I need help with this topic. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

You came in with your book, guilt was in your eyes as you were afraid that your teacher did not like your presence at this hour. You let out a breath of relief when he shook his head.

"It's alright. Let me help you."

You were an excellent student, thus it would be vital for him to make sure that you understood everything he taught in class. He could see that you worked hard to maintain your brilliant grades, and he also knew that you were scared of disappointing him.

He would never say it, but you would never disappoint him. He believed in you and he needed you to believe in yourself too.

On the other hand, you believed him. If there was a person in Hogwarts that you trusted to tell your problems, it would be Severus Snape. So you found yourself waiting in the class as your classmates walked out, leaving you with him.

"May I talk to you, Professor?"

You asked, looking down at your shoes. Severus noticed you were staying, and he nodded for you to continue.

"I need your help, but not with the lessons."

Severus frowned, you rarely stayed after class to talk to him thus it must be a serious matter. The professor would help you, of course, he would.

"I will help you. Tell me what's wrong."

"There is a boy."

Severus raised his eyebrows at your words. It must be boys problem, he thought. You seemed to realised that he was getting the wrong idea so you shook your head.

"He has been flirting with me for a few days. I tried to tell him that I'm not interested but he keeps stalking me. He followed me to the bathroom but luckily, my friend was there to stop him. He even tried to find me at my room."

You told him and then you realised how imprudent it must sound to him. Why would he deal with your small problems?

"I— I'm sorry, professor. I know it sounds stupid. I'm just scared and I thought you could help."

Severus could see how uncomfortable you were with the boy and it angered him that the boy was stalking you.

"Did he hurt you?"

"He gripped my wrist yesterday to stop me from walking away."

You showed him your wrist and Severus' breath hitched when he saw a bruise that was formed on your skin. Worry wrapped around his heart as he examined your wrist.

"Tell me his name. I'll talk to him."

He said, as he healed your bruised wrist. You hesitated at first, but you were afraid if you did not stop that boy, he would do so much worse to you. Thus, you told his name. And you knew, Severus did more than just talking to the boy. He did not tell you exactly what he did, but the boy did not even dare to lay his eyes on you ever again.

Severus just smirked when you thanked him and told him that the boy was not disturbing you anymore. However, you knew there would be some people who envied how Professor Snape was treating you. Hence, the whispers started and your classmates began to distance themselves from you.

You knew you had to stop them from thinking that Professor Snape had treated you differently, more special until they hated you. Thus, you avoided his gaze on you in the Great Hall. And you could still see your classmates despised you.

The Potions Master knew you were quiet but he could also see if your attitude was different. That day, he saw a frown on your face and he wondered what were you thinking about. When he praised your work, you just thanked him and forced a smile, which Severus immediately recognised was not genuine.

"Miss L/N, see me after class."

You sighed and nodded weakly. He must had known of your troubles. He always knew everything.

"What's troubling you?"

You shook your head, never wanted him to know that your classmates were avoiding you. And he was the reason behind it.

"Tell me or I'll find out myself, Miss L/N."

Your eyes grew wide at his words and you shook your head, knowing that he would try to read your mind. Severus waited patiently for you to tell him your problems.

"My classmates hate me. They talk behind my back and I don't like this, Professor. I hate it when people hate me."

You told him the truth, sighing in devastation. You had friends from your house, but they were not placed in the same class as you. Therefore, it was quite hard for you to survive your classes with your classmates who were talking badly about you.

"Why would they hate you?"

His eyebrows knitted in confusion. You never fought with other students. You were never the one to start a rumour or anything. He could not fathom why the students were having problems with you.

"They said I'm a teacher's pet. I never had problems with them, and now they only glare at me and won't even talk to me. They even messed with my stuff, hiding my books."

You lived up to people's expectations for your whole life, afraid of disappointing and hurting others. When this happened, you convinced yourself that the blame was on you that your classmates were avoiding you because they hated you.

"Who's the teacher?"

You were tempted to roll your eyes at him but you were never the one to act rude in front of your teachers. So you just pointed your finger at him.

"Professor Snape."

You said, and he seemed shock. He never realised he was being obvious that you were his favourite student. But a teacher's pet? No, you were not a student who excelled in his class just for his attention. You worked really hard and if he ever praised you, you deserved it. He never gave you extra marks or house points just because you were a teacher's pet.

"You do know that you deserve the treatment that I give to you."

"But my classmates do not care about that. They just see me as a fake person who tries to win your attention."

Your chest tighten and there was a lump in your throat. You never wanted them to think of you as a person who was not genuine. Severus gave you a small smile, putting his hand on your shoulder.

"Are you?"

"What?"

He scoffed at your confusion.

"Are you being fake just to impress me?"

"No, I'm not."

You responded, hurt that he would even ask you the question. Severus nodded, walking back to his table and leaned against it.

"Then it's fine, Y/N. You know who you are. You don't need other people's validation."

He said, crossing his arms against his chest. You swallowed his words and shook your head.

"You don't understand."

"Perhaps I don't."

He replied, walking towards you. You were used to people liking you, of course, it would hurt when some people started to show their hatred towards you.

"But I want you to know your worth."

His words sunk in your mind and a wave of realisation washed over you. You gave him a smile and nodded.

"I guess you're right. I still have my other friends. Even if my classmates hate me, if I work hard, I would still get better grades than them."

Your confidence brought a smile upon the professor's face. He needed you to believe in his words, and believed in yourself. He did not want you to live to satisfy other people. You were a potential student, it would be a waste if you could not see your own worth and rely on others' point of views.

"I'm never wrong, Miss L/N."

He said smugly, and you chuckled at his words. Severus cocked his eyebrow. He had never seen you chuckle or laugh in front of him before. Clearly, his words really convinced you.

"Thank you, Professor. I should go to my next class now."

"You should. I don't want to be keeping you here. Otherwise, they would say that you're my pet and we wouldn't want that."

He teased, a smirk was dancing on his lips. You grinned at him and grabbed your stuff, walking out of his classroom with your head held high. He was right. You did not need to care for others' opinions about you. You were the one who really knew who you were.

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Well, I tried to my write a platonic relationship here. Is it working?

I just keep getting the same vibes from platonic relationship and romantic relationship these days urgh

30th December 2020