Water Lily
Written for the Pairing A Day challenge
Pairing - Severus/Giant Squid
He didn't expect them to understand his love for her. How could they? Or better yet, why would they even bother? Severus knew that there were very few students in Hogwarts that wanted anything to do with him. And even then they always had someone with them, someone to who loved them and enjoyed spending time with them.
Lucius had Narcissa. Scabior was the sex symbol of Hogwarts and had by now slept with almost every girl in the castle. And Severus...he had Lily, for a while. But after slipping up and accidentally calling her the M word, Lily had ended it with him, and now he didn't have a snowball's chance in a dragon's den at getting back together with her. Though if she hadn't broken up with him, he might not have met her, his Water Lily.
They met one evening shortly after Lily had broken up with him, when Severus was still upset and the ache in his chest felt like it was ripping him in two. She had torn out his heart and stomped on it, crushing it into dust and throwing it into the wind. Alone, and with no one else to turn to, Severus retreated to the lake to wallow in his grief while the pain at what she'd done still ate at his insides.
He could have gone to Lucius or Scabior so he didn't have to feel so alone. But he couldn't stand seeing them with someone when he had nothing. That was too much to bear. He'd rather be alone then sit there watching Lucius snog Narcissa, or watch Scabior feeling up some girl in the corner before disappearing with her into the Room of Requirement.
And then he heard it, a gentle splash followed by a few drops of water landing in his hair. He looked up to see a tentacle waving at him from the water, and a few moments later a dark form broke through the surface of the water.
Severus soon found himself face to face with the giant squid. And although she wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, the look in her eyes was something he could relate to. It was a feeling of emptiness and longing, for he knew the poor squid was all alone. No one ever came down here to talk to her, or to spend time with her. She probably didn't have a single friend in the world. Not unless you count the kappa hiding under the rock by the shore, and we all know how sociable he was.
Severus started visiting the giant squid every evening around sunset. That was when she was most active, swimming close to the shore and keeping him company by the water's edge. They spent many long hours together in the evening, sometimes watching the sun set on the distant horizon.
He named her Water Lily. And although he sometimes received odd glances from his fellow students as they watched him on his way to visit the giant squid, Severus couldn't have cared less what they thought about his relationship with her. She was good company, she always listened to him when he needed someone to talk to, and best of all she never judged him or called him names. She wasn't mean to him like the other students were, telling him to wash his greasy hair or making rude jokes about the size of his nose. She was there for him and he was there for her. And that's all Severus wanted was to be loved and accepted by someone.