I don't own HP, rather obviously.
This was just a random little idea I had, so I wrote it. I hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!
Charity Burbage took pride in her ability to get along with pretty much anyone. Hence, upon meeting Hogwarts' infamous potions master, she challenged herself to take on a task very few witches or wizards had ever attempted: befriending Severus Snape.
It was difficult work, requiring much patience and perseverance. Their colleagues cast strange, disbelieving looks in her direction when she would attempt to converse with Snape at dinner. She would venture into the dungeons to his office every few evenings and interrupt his grading to engage him in small talk (He, of course, merely found this to be annoying). She greeted him warmly whenever she saw him, and supplemented these salutations with frequent invitations to go flying around the Quidditch pitch (which he, without exception, rejected). Above all, she maintained a kind smile on her countenance whenever she was near him.
Never would he smile in return.
"Severus," she began one day as they stepped out of the Great Hall following dinner.
He scowled at her and strode more quickly toward the entrance to his dungeons.
"When's the last time you've smiled? I mean, truly smiled? I'm not counting sneers or evil grins."
He stopped just short of the entrance to the stairs, glancing back at Charity with raised eyebrows.
"And why, might I ask, are you asking such a mindless question?" he sneered dryly.
"Because I care about you! You're my friend!" she herself smiled earnestly.
Snape only snorted disbelievingly.
"Come on, Severus," she entreated, "give me a smile, won't you?" She grinned. "A smile for Charity?"
"Oh, very witty," he replied sardonically without acquiescing; her pun failed to amuse him.
She studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowed calculatingly.
Without warning, she pulled out her wand in an instant and shouted, "Rictusempra!"
Snape parried the curse, but not quite in time: Charity had succeeded in tickling him for the briefest moment. He immediately ducked into the stairwell, but as he did so he let out a yelp of pain.
"Severus?" Charity asked, peering around the doorway at him. "Are you all right?"
Snape's hands were covering the lower half of his face, muffling his grumbled reply.
"I'm sorry, Severus, I can't hear you."
He removed his hands from his face and crossed his arms instead, grimacing. He met her eyes: half-sheepish, half-accusing.
Reaching up with one hand to massage his sore cheeks, he repeated himself, spitting it out as if he had caught himself being ridiculously foolish.
"I smiled."
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