The next time we meet, it's right before the ball. I spot him at the entrance to the Great Hall, looking tense. I sigh - the most dangerous man at Hogwarts is afraid of me… What a disappointment.

When he sees me approaching, he takes a deep breath and his facial expression becomes impenetrable. I walk up to him, looking him over.

"You're tired. And you have your usual robes on. I thought you'd put on something more… Fancy."

"I am not a fan of fancy clothes."

"Hm, nevermind. You still look beautiful."

I feel him getting tense again, as my demon gazes at him with those red eyes.

"Beautiful? H-how…"

He takes a deep breath and tries to control his facial expression and calm himself down. He fails miserably. I squint my eyes at him.

"Don't be scared of me," I say casually. "Come. Let's spend the evening together."

"I am not… Scared of you."

"I can sense you're feeling uncomfortable in my presence, being so close to me. There's no point in lying, I can sense everything."

"I… I am just… Not very comfortable in this situation. I have never done anything like this before. I am not a very social person."

He forces a cold expression on his face to hide his true emotions.

"Not even with Lily?"

I have said that so suddenly, so casually. Severus freezes. He feels himself losing control over his facial expression, wondering how I know about the only person he ever cared about.

"Y-you know?"

I roll my eyes.

"I thought I have explained it to you already."

He stares at me, his heart pumping in his chest. He finally realizes I know everything. I know everything he ever felt, everything that happened in his past, every mistake, everything he's guilty of.

"Y-you… You are the only one who… Who knows."

As he speaks, he forces his face to go back to being an impenetrable mask. I put my arm on his shoulder. The robes are hiding it well, but… As soon as I touch him, I feel how emaciated he is.

"I know," I say softly. "And it will stay this way as long as you allow me to be near you. Once again I'm going to say it… And I'm going to say it again whenever you need to hear it: I will not hurt you. I would never do that to you. You've been through so much already."

I am now holding him by his shoulders as he stares at the floor and tries to conceal his face, which is now filled with pain, from the world. He closes his eyes. The feel of my touch is too… Too overwhelming. He feels so vulnerable, so exposed. I'm the only person who knows the darkest parts of him. And there I am, with my kind words… A tear is running down his cheek. I try to wipe it with my hand, but he jerks away.

"You know," I say suddenly after a long moment of silence. "Your pain came gradually… You've had years to adjust to it. But if I decided to absorb your pain, all of it, right now… Do you know what it would do to the demon?"

"W-what… What would it do?" He tries to calm himself.

"It would die. Within minutes. See… We have never met anyone in pain as bad as yours… Never. The abuse, the loneliness, the bullying, anger, anguish, hatred, cruelty, Lily's death, depression, anhedonia… It would be too much, even for a demon, to handle."

He is absolutely speechless, his hand covering his face. He doesn't know what to say. He's never felt such a mix of fear, pity, disgust and… Could it be? Some sympathy for my demon…?

"You feel sympathy… For my demon?" I chuckle.

"Maybe, I don't know." He lets out a shaky breath. "But it is… It lives with all my pain, doesn't it… Can it… Feel it the way I feel it?"

I nod, caressing his arm.

"Yes, but… It also feeds off the pain. It enjoys it. Pain and pleasure… For my demon, they're the same thing."

Severus feels a little dizzy. His throat closes up. As I look at him with my red eyes, he struggles to swallow the lump in his throat.

I take him by his hand.

"Come, Severus. Don't ask any more questions. I want you to experience joy tonight."

"J-joy?" He looks at my hand. "J-joy?" His voice is overflowing with bitterness now. "But that's not…" He swallows. "I… I haven't felt joy for so long… I don't think… I can…" His eyes fill with tears again.

"Wrong," I say simply. "Come dance to this slow song with me."

He squeezes my hand and follows me. As I lead him to the dance floor, I can feel his body shaking as he keeps thinking about all the things I said. The Yule Ball is crowded and many students have accompanied their dates. As the music plays, Severus doesn't know how to behave, how to dance. He sees some students looking at him, surprised to see their Professor Snape in this situation. All of this is too much for him. He feels like he doesn't belong here, like he is too different from these happy teenagers. I see him struggling to remain on the spot. He's thinking of running away somehow. He looks at me with those furtive, unsure eyes… And I am melting for him. I smile at him as I sense his thoughts about my appearance - he finds me very attractive. Alright then… The fun begins. I take him by his shoulders and release my magic into him, making him glued to the spot, confined in my arms. Soon enough, Severus's body trembles more than ever as he struggles to control his facial expression. He closes his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He has no idea how to react to my touch. As we dance to the music, memories of Lily flood his mind. Images of his childhood, the bullying, me, his pain… All of these fill up his heart, causing a mighty whirlwind of emotions deep inside him.

I let out a shuddering breath. His pain is like a drug to me. I caress him lightly and I instantly feel a wave of pleasure run from the depths of my heart down to the bottom of my uterus. I need… I need this man. I will never let him go.

As he continues dancing with me, his eyes remain closed in an attempt to filter out the people and the noise around us. I release my second wave of magic into him and his body starts to give in to my touch. He feels good with me. I make him feel… Safe. He likes my hands, my smell, my warmth. He has never felt anything like this, not really, not as physically. And as he lets his guard down, bit by bit, he feels my body against his. And when he finally dares to open his eyes and look into my eyes, he sees my hunger for him.

"I need you," I whisper. He nods, feeling like he absolutely needs me, too.

We get closer. He feels the heat of my body and my breath on his neck. His head is spinning. His eyes shut again and he feels himself pressing against my body. He holds on tight to me. We are breathing in sync now as our hips and chests are touching. I look lovingly at his black eyes, his long hair and I touch his chest. His heart is beating wildly under my palm. My whole body shivers when I pull him close. He seems terrified - his emaciated body is certainly ugly to other people… But to me… He is everything I ever desired. I now move my hand across his chest, feeling his ribs even under the layers of cloth under my palm. I let out a quiet moan… It's becoming harder to control my demon.

Severus closes his eyes and breaths in the warm air, my breath, the smell of my hair with my magic imbued in it. He feels a wave of joy pouring into him. The hunger and the desperation in my touch makes him feel more alive than ever. We both moan. Severus's heart is beating faster and faster, wanting me. Needing me. Wanting… Something he's never had before.

"S-Severus…"

The students around us look at us with confused smiles.

"Of course the only person who'd go with Snape to a ball would be a demon," they laugh. And when they see how much power I have over him now… My power to melt him, to tame him, to hold him in my arms without him trying to hex me or argue with me… They stare at me and I sense their fear. Because I am the one, the very first one, who has tamed Severus Goddamn Snape, their most loathed, most dangerous teacher. A Death Eater. A murderer. A bully. Their fear is well justified. I smile into Severus's chest. The waves of joy and pleasure drown the students' voices for Severus. They cannot understand the emotions he feels. They don't know his suffering, his loneliness, his guilt. They cannot understand how much he needs me right now.

"Severus… Would you like to… Come with me?"

His eyes shoot open to meet my gaze. To be with me, right now, is the only thing he wants. He nods his head automatically.

"Alright then. Follow me."

Walking through the Great Hall with me feels like a fever dream to Severus. He can see the confused look on some of the students' faces. He doesn't care anymore. My magic is so strong that he cannot think of anything other than that beautiful demon who made him feel all these things he never felt before.

I take him to my chambers. He watches me close the door…