It was hard, having to be hated by people he'd considered friends - even though he'd never admit it to them or himself - but that was the way his cards had been dealt. They'd been pretty crappy from life and that only carried on from birth, to childhood, to school, to after school and to adulthood.
Abuse, bullying, loneliness, murdering, raping, torturing, lying, deceiving, spying and back to murdering again.
Would he ever be at peace?
Severus sighed as he sat at the Headmaster's desk - a position he'd never wanted - and looked at Albus' portrait (which was conveniently asleep).
He'd never asked for this. All he'd wanted was parents who loved him and friends that didn't want to use him for his smarts or bully him into joining a madman on a pillage to kill muggles and muggleborns and anyone who got in his way. He'd wanted a job that he'd actually enjoy instead of being kept close to one of the men that was using him. He'd want a wife who loved him and didn't think of him as greasy or a grumpy dungeon bat and he'd never wanted to be a part of war.
A knock at the door and Alecto Carrow's shrill laugh dashed all his imaginations and he sighed. It didn't matter what he wanted because he never had a choice. He was just a pawn in someone's chess game.
"Come in," he called wearily and tried not to grimace when a laughing and strangely happy Alecto walked in, dragging a sixth year Gryffindor behind her.
"Severus," she cooed. "This one refused to help demonstrate the Cruciatus curse in lesson today. It's his third offence and we all know that means you get to deal with the scum."
Severus tried not to sigh.
Chocolate Frog Card: Severus Snape (gold) - Write about Severus Snape
Gringotts Prompt Bank: Headmaster's Tower (HP locations)