It wasn't that he hated the Weasleys, but he didn't exactly love them, either. The feeling seemed to be mutual, but then again, there wasn't a soul out there that enjoyed Severus' company, and so he could hardly find it within his heart to care about what they thought of him. It had, perhaps, all started with those twins, so very prone to making mischief and basking in the instantaneous consequences, their sleeves full of backup plans and their minds full of wit. The two had caused more trouble for Hogwarts and its inhabitants than nearly anyone he'd ever seen, and he was always left woefully unable to punish them, leaving that duty to Minerva, who'd always carried a soft spot for the boys that inevitably managed to save them from expulsion whenever their tricks turned to chaos.
As if the stress brought on by putting up with those two wasn't enough, there was Ron, who, by himself, caused no trouble at all. It was just a wonder how he hadn't harmed himself already, what with his faulty wand and lacking abilities, but he was a good student nonetheless. But when he hung around the Granger girl and Potter, that was when Ron became one Weasley too many.
It seemed like the trio's mission was to find every rule enforced for a reason and break it, as if their life goal was to make his job infinitely more difficult, as if they couldn't wait to prove to all of the administration that he was the evil mastermind plotting behind every awful thing that occurred at the school. Usually, he could handle them, but not without earning their hatred, and that sentiment never really bothered him. The emotions of teenage troublemakers were none of Snape's concern.
Then, there was another addition to their motley team, and she happened to be a Weasley, no less. Honestly, it seemed that the family was akin to rabbits, with how fast they managed to multiply, but the girl wasn't so much of a problem as he'd expected. She was unlike her friends, if only because she didn't always find a way to beckon mayhem, but in other aspects, like her blind determination, she was exactly like her fellow Gryffindor classmates.
It was all very irritating to the professor, really, how frequently he had to watch out for them, how constantly he had to trace their every movement and make sure they didn't get themselves killed, and that task alone became harder and harder to complete as they all neared their later years. It wasn't like he had to be a double agent or anything, he'd think to himself, bitterly and with as much sarcasm as he could muster. It wasn't like he had to protect them despite the increasingly recurrent urge to just let them deal with Voldemort themselves.
But really, when he sat down and thought about it, Severus didn't really dislike the Weasleys at all. He didn't pity them for their financially downtrodden situation, but didn't wish to purge the world of them because of it, like so many others he knew. He didn't envy the love they obviously held for each other, if only because he didn't entirely understand it. He didn't really feel anything toward them, truly, but instead toward what they possessed.
Belonging to them, perhaps innately so, was an odd instinct of friendship, and sly kindness, and even a slight sense of humor. They were especially adept at taking people in under their wing, and easily made friends. And when Snape thought of those friends and the unbreakable bond he could see forming between them all, that was when he began to feel that familiar pang of jealousy wake something deep within him, something long-dormant and agitated.
The twins were just as joking and carefree as James and his companions had been so many years ago, and Ron and his two friends carried the exact same air about them, that same urge to protect those they loved that seemingly entitled them to a rule-free life that catered to their needs. Then there was Ginny, a girl with trivial problems and a gullible heart that beat with such a fierce desire to dedicate her life to the greater good, much like another girl he'd known years and years ago.
And her hair, so red and lovely in the sunlight, just like Lily's had been, gentle curls dancing in the breeze as they'd rested against her back in long, thick strands that had felt silken against his fingertips.
Maybe that was why he disliked them. Maybe he saw within Ron that same naivety he'd seen shining in her eyes as a child, or maybe he spotted within Hermione that same unflinching courage, or maybe within the twins he saw that Gryffindor charm that had been so bright and natural in her smile, and maybe he caught the glimmer of undying loyalty in Ginny's gaze.
But within Harry, Severus saw everything, and he saw achingly familiar green eyes staring out from James' face, burning with hatred just as they'd burned with rage the last time he'd truly gazed into them, in that fateful moment trapped within his darkest memories.
The Weasleys and all of their friends, he decided, were too much like her for him to bear, so he woke every day and prepared to protect them all for some unforeseeable end to all of the years he'd been suffering, and he walked down the halls hoping they wouldn't pass him, hoping that he wouldn't have to see a flash of red hair or green eyes, hoping that he wouldn't catch the warmth of companionship etched into their voices.
He walked and kept his gaze aimed straight ahead, trying to tune them all out like he always did, trying so very hard to ignore the memory surfacing, the image of her still so young and caring, her robes twirling around her small legs as she turned to him a bit further down the hall, smiling in that way of hers that made his heart flutter like the tattered wings of some captured insect.
"Come on, Sev! We'll be late!"
Her laughter followed her as she darted away, a melodious, tinkling echo wafting through the hall, rising far above the student gossip and banter. He blinked away the image and hoped that the six students he least wanted to see would be absent from class that day.
Did I get the character right? (Because I really want to know if I did)
Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)
All rights go to their respective owners.