Shadows || A Severus Snape Fanfiction

Chapter 39 - Gin and Silk

A/N: shouts out to all you potential new readers who just skipped ahead to this chapter to see what's up. yeah that's right. i see you 😉

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"Asha..." Severus began.

"Don't," she cut him off sharply. "They're just facts. It's just what happened. And now you know and you don't have to wonder anymore."

Severus immediately understood what Asha wanted. He backed off, offering no pity or compassion. He knew that sometimes the interfering touch of compassion could be the thing that breaks a person.

Instead, he conjured a new tumbler, walked around her to where the half-empty bottle of gin sat balanced on the railing, and filled the glass a third of the way.

He placed it in her hand

"Thanks," she murmured.

She combed her hair out of her face and took a generous sip.

They stood in silence for several moments.

"You owe me some good stories after that," Asha joked mildly, trying to put some distance between herself and her horrific confession. "You know pretty much everything there is to know about me. And for how much we talk, I know next to nothing about you."

Severus scoffed. In some ways, Asha still felt like a total enigma to him. And, as per usual, he wasn't keen to divulge anything personal about himself. But after what she had just shared, he supposed he owed her something.

"Fine," he accepted. He took a moment to pull together some innocuous information about himself. "I grew up in Cokeworth, on a street called Spinner's End. I still own the house there." He was speaking as if he were reciting a to-do list. "My mother was a witch - Eileen, my father a muggle." He paused. "And I never liked Christmas."

Asha waited for more, but he gave her a look that quite clearly said 'I'm done.'

She sighed. "I guess that will do for now," and with a small smile, "Cokeworth, huh?"

Severus sipped his drink in lieu of replying.

Despite Asha's efforts to lighten the mood, the events of that horrendous night in the warehouse were still fresh in her mind. Gut-wrenching images of fire and destruction kept flashing before her eyes, as if materialising out of the darkness.

In the silence, she cast her eyes around, searching for anything to pull her away from those stomach-churning memories. Her gaze landed on a silver button on the cuff of Severus' doublet. It glinted as he raised his hand to take yet another sip of liquor. The sight drew her back into the present.

From the silver button, her eyes wandered over Severus' outfit. Even in the dim starlight, his shoes had a glossy shine to them. Asha felt her emotions, her mental state, mercifully shifting into a different space.

It was difficult to make out any kind of detail in the dark, but she liked seeing Severus without his cloak on. Unlike his usual jacket, the shorter cut of his doublet meant his straight-leg trousers were visible up to his leather belt.

"Is my Ball attire acceptable?" came Severus' voice, warm with amusement. Asha's insides lurched with embarrassment, though visibly she remained unfazed.

"According to my standards, a potato sack would've been acceptable," she retorted.

Mouth closed, Severus breathed a laugh. "Well, even after the last minute coaxing, you still managed to front up dressed in something slightly nicer than a potato sack."