Chapter Text
Y/n walked silently through the halls, making his way back up to the Gryffindor tower. He felt as though everyone was staring at him, their eyes holding the faintest flicker of fear. He ignored it, continuing on. He stopped in front of the Fat Lady, muttering the password. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then swung the portrait open, letting him inside.
A few first years seated by the fire stopped laughing, fiddling with their chess pieces nervously. The young man bit down on his tongue, making his way up to his room. His roommates turned to look at him as he entered. Their smiles remained, but they seemed a little strained.
"Y/n, finally out of the hospital room, huh? How are you feeling?"
His roommate, Eli, asked. Y/n rubbed his arm.
"Okay, I've been better."
He said. Eli gave a curt nod, glancing at the boy beside him, Darel. He raised his eyebrows towards the werewolf.
"Oh! We're glad you're out, we were worried about you."
Darel added, offering him a thumbs up.
"You were terrified of me."
They all stood in awkward silence for a moment, then Eli cleared his throat.
"Right.. We should head off, we've got that Transfiguration essay to write."
They grabbed their book bags and left, leaving Y/n alone in the room. The young man heard the click of the door shutting, then turned to look out the window. He slowly made his way over, pushing it open. He gripped the edge of the ledge, peering out. The Forbidden Forest's trees seemed unnaturally still, its branches not swaying despite the wind. Y/n tilted his head, seeing a figure in the distance. Was it one of the professors'?
He watched as it slowly turned to face him. The shadows of the tree hid it, but there was no shadow that could hide its glowing eyes. Y/n gasped, blinking, then it was gone. The silent room seemed to amplify his heartbeat. Was he going crazy? He swallowed, shutting the window and turning his back to it. He had to get down to the dungeons. Potions wasn't long away.
The walk down to the dungeon luckily felt less overwhelming, given that the young man had gone a good ten minutes early to avoid the traffic. When Y/n had arrived at class, Snape had stopped him, pointing to an empty, singular table by his desk.
"You will sit there today, and for the rest of the term."
Severus announced. Y/n's nails dug into his palms.
"Scared I'll attack someone else, Sir?"
Y/n asked bitterly. Snape merely kept his hand raised.
"Watch your cheek, L/n."
The young man knew arguing would be useless. He huffed, making his way over to the table. Snape watched him go, his own hand's balled into fists under his sleeves. Foolish Gryfindor, couldn't he see this was for his own good? The Potions Master turned back once Y/n arrived at the table, watching the rest of the students file in. Severus swept to the front of the class, writing in spiky letters on the chalk board.
"You will brew a Felix Felicis potion today, all instructions are on this board."
He finished off the last ingredient, then turned back to face the class.
"Begin."
Y/n walked away from his table, heading to the back to collect the ingredients he needed. The young man got what he needed, turned, but as he did someone bumped into him, causing him to drop most of his things. He went to mutter a curse, but what came out instead was a low growl. He clamped his hand over his mouth, staring at the girl that had bumped into him. The girl froze for a heartbeat, then backed away, her eyes fixed on him. Around him, whisper's erupted again. He didn't speak further, he simply bent down and collected his things and rushed off to his table.
He had growled at someone. He hadn't thought about it, it had just come naturally.. He shook his head, as if trying to physically shake away the idea, grabbing one of his ingredients and starting to dice it. Severus came around during the lesson, checking on his process. But when the young man would look up, he wouldn't be staring at his potion, he would be staring at him. He would look away after a moment, going off to check another student's work. It was clear the potion wasn't what he was worried would explode.
Finally, after what felt like hours, the bell for the next class rang. Students began packing up, putting everything away, Y/n included. He made his way to the door, but a voice stopped him.
"Mister L/n."
Y/n turned, seeing Snape standing by his desk. The young man exhaled, making his way over.
"Yes, sir?"
He asked, looking away. Snape didn't respond right away, he made sure everyone left before speaking.
"Have your symptoms become worse?"
Y/n had almost forgotten he had to report everything to the Potions Master. He clung to his stubbornness, his anger, staying silent.
"Do not make me repeat myself, L/n."
His tone sounded a bit sharper, frustrated with the young man's silence.
"No, everything's fine."
The seventh year responded curtly. Severus exhaled, turning away towards his desk.
"I am attempting a new Wolfsbane potion, you will come tomorrow to test it."
Y/n wanted to argue, the last one he had been given had ended up being the root of his worsening symptoms after all. But Severus cut him off before saying anything, as if reading his thoughts.
"This one is improved.. Dumbledore insisted on a new formula."
He turned back around, holding a small vial with dark, murky liquid.
"I-... Fine."
The young man sighed. He wanted to argue, but he found that he had no good response. He turned to leave, but he paused, staring down at his shoes.
"I growled, involuntarily, as if it was out of instinct."
Y/n didn't glance back, he simply walked away, closing the door with a soft click. He didn't mention what he had seen in the trees. Severus set the vial down on the desk, rubbing his temples. He used to hate werewolves, but Y/n... He shook his head, stuffing the thought down. He was just doing this to prevent Y/n from mauling half the students. That was all.