"Severus!"

You called out for the Potions Master who was walking to his office. He stopped dead on his track at your voice, but he did not turn around to look at you.

You were internally grateful that he stopped walking. You were practically running after him as his steps were larger than yours and it was hard to match his pace. You went towards him and flashed him a smile.

"What can I do to help you, Professor L/N?"

He asked, and you knew he was fighting an urge to roll his eyes. You knew him way too well to realise that he was annoyed.

"Have you heard of the Yule Ball?"

Both of you started to walk side by side, and you loved it. You always tried to talk to him in every chance you got but he seemed to be unperturbed by your effort to be closer to him. You were attracted to the professor for quite some time now, and it was not an exaggeration to say that you were falling in love.

"Yes. It is not a big deal."

He responded, and you were kind of disappointed. You were very excited to be there, and you wanted him as your date.

"Are you going to the Yule Ball?"

"Of course. Last time I checked, we're teachers here and the Yule Ball is held here too."

He retorted, raising his eyebrows and you would be a fool if you did not hear the irritation in his voice.

"Who are you asking to the Yule Ball?"

Despite the bitterness of his voice, you pushed yourself to give him a smile. He gave you a look of disbelief and you knew he was going to say something to tick you off.

"I don't need a date, Professor L/N. Those stupid things are for the immature students. But if you want to join in, please spare me the embarrassment."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. You were a tad bit hurt at his words, to say the least. You nodded weakly and forced a smile, which Severus immediately recognised that it was not a genuine one.

"Alright, then. I completely understand."

Your voice was small, almost as if you were ashamed to be standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry for taking your time."

You apologised, and for once, Severus did not see a smile on your face. A frown has taken over your features and he watched with questions in his head as you left.

You walked away with a heavy heart. How imprudent you could be to think that you could go to the Yule Ball with Severus Snape?

It did not make sense at all as he thought that the whole idea of the ball was absurd, let alone taking a date to the ball. You shouldn't have put such high expectations, hoping that he would ask you to go with him.

You cursed yourself as now you were sure that you looked like a fool in his eyes. A fool who was falling for him, and yet, he never noticed. Of course, he did not. Why would he ever noticed you? He would not even spare you a second glance.

"Y/N!"

You were shook from your train of thoughts when somebody called you. You cracked a smile when you saw Remus walked over to you.

"Yes, Remus?"

"Are you heading to the Great Hall?"

He asked, and you nodded. He let you know that he was heading the same way, thus both of you walked together to the Great Hall. For a moment, you had forgotten that you just got rejected by Severus Snape.

"I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

Remus beamed at you, and you swore that man could make anybody who looked at him smile too. He just radiated positivity that you did not even know you needed.

"Would you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

He asked, and you were surprised. You thought that you were the only teacher who made a big deal of the event. Apparently, you were not alone.

A smile made its way on your face and you nodded vigorously.

"Of course. I would love to."

It turned out that you did not have to go to the Yule Ball alone after all.

...

Severus wanted the ball to be over as soon as it started. He even hated it more when he did not see you at all. His heart ache at the thought of perhaps you decided not to attend the ball because of his harsh words.

If that was the case, Severus promised to himself that he would see you on the next day and apologise. He never realised he was being too hostile to you.

His eyes were searching for you but all he saw was the students looking like lovesick puppies with their dates. It made him sick in the stomach. The other teachers looked like they were having fun too.

The other teachers... Then Severus noticed it. He noticed that Remus Lupin was nowhere to be seen as well.

As he was just about to make assumptions, he heard gasps and chuckles from the students and also the other teachers. Severus' eyes widen when he saw you walking into the Great Hall with Remus, holding his arm whilst smiling broadly.

You looked gorgeous, there was no denying that but his mind was focused on the fact that you came with Remus.

"Aww, they look great together."

Severus curled his hands in fists as he could hear those words from Minerva and Albus agreed with her. Jealousy crawled over his chest and he breathed sharply as you danced happily with Remus.

He tried his best not to watch, but he could not. You were smiling and laughing as you danced with his colleague. It offended him that you were happy because of Remus, not because of him.

Well, he could be the one who made you laugh, but also he was the one who screwed up his chance.

Thus, when the second song started and the students flooded the dance floor, he decided to walk over to you and Remus. Both of you decided that a dance was enough. Your heart was hammering against your chest when you realised Severus walked over to you.

"May I have this dance, Y/N?"

Your eyes widen when Severus finally called you by your name instead of professor. You hesitated, curious why would Severus wanted to dance with you out of all sudden. But then, Remus gave you a nod, assuring you. You took the Potions Master's hand as he lead you to the dance floor.

A steady blush spread across your face when you realised how close you were with him. You could feel the students' eyes on you and Severus. They gave more attention to this dance rather than the one that you had with Remus.

"The students are watching. That's weird."

You started, trying to talk to your dance partner. You had to admit that it was kind of awkward. You were dancing with the man that you were falling in love with, while he always shrugged you off.

"I don't blame them. You're beautiful. I'm sure there would be 7th year students who are dying to dance with you tonight."

He responded, looking you in the eyes. Your face flushed as you swallowed his words. You were young, but it did not mean that you would encourage the students for having a crush on you.

"That's absurd."

You chuckled half-heartedly, and Severus pulled you closer towards him. You were living your dream but still, you were still angry and sad with the way he treated you.

"It's not absurd. You're gorgeous."

"Why are you doing this, Severus?"

You asked, as both of you still danced, unaware that the teachers were also watching with interests. It was as clear as the sky that you liked Severus, so they wanted to see how it happened that night.

"Do what?"

You chewed on your bottom lip and decided to tell him the truth.

"You know I'm falling for you. But you make me feel like I'm not important."

You tore your gaze away from him, looking down as you wanted to let go. But Severus pulled you back, keeping you in the dance floor to make sure that you stay in his arms.

"You are important to me."

He admitted, a small smile was on his lips. Your heart fluttered at his words, wanting to hear that for so long now. But then, you did not know if he really meant it.

"Stop playing with my feelings, Severus."

"I am not. I'm falling for you and I'm sorry for not making it obvious because I'm bad at showing it."

Did Severus just apologise to you? You blinked a few times, trying to make sure that it was a reality. You were dancing with him, and he said he fell for you.

"How are you going to show that you're not lying to me?"

You asked, and you were hoping for a sassy remark from him but that did not happen. He leaned in closer, and his lips were nearly touching yours.

"May I?"

You nodded, and Severus pulled you in for a short but passionate kiss. You were surprised that he would kiss you in front of everyone including the students, but your heart swelled in happiness.

As you pulled away, you could hear cheers from the teachers and you saw the shock written on the students' faces. Not to mention, the students who had a crush on you were devastated.

"You're making me love you more. I hate you."

You said, laughing as you hid your face in his chest. Severus chuckled and at that moment, he did not mind if the students saw his soft side. All he cared was about making you happy with him.

"I love you too."

He responded, and you almost squealed in joy but you quickly collected yourself together.

Little did you know that the teachers had their bet on you and Severus.

"I win. I've told you that they'll be together tonight."

Remus announced proudly, smirking as the other teachers groaned at their loss. He had the great plan to make Severus jealous and finally made the move.

Not that you and Severus mind about that though. You were too busy enjoying each other's company that everything else did not matter. Neither the students' stare, nor Lupin's bet was important.

It was just you and him, falling for each other even deeper every time.

-
I love Remus too, okay? It's just a matter of time until I make a book for Remus Lupin imagines lmao

Thank you for reading!

23rd December 2020