Unrequited Love
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He woke with a groan – the air was filled with unspoken anticipation, and he dreaded the day to come. More than any other day of the year, this was by far the one he most despised. Every female student in the castle would be sent into a fit of giggles at any given moment. Severus shuddered. If there was one sound he abhorred, it was giggling. Sadly, there was no way to avoid it, lest he hole himself in his dorm room for the duration. With a beleaguered sigh, he swung his legs over the bed and pulled on his robes. At least the day wouldn’t be totally wasted – they were due to start deadly poisons today in Potions.

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The day was going as he’d expected; groups of girls were huddled together in the corridors, whispering in between giggles, and he’d even managed to hit Sirius Black with a rather good stinging hex as he was ogling a fifth year. Then it happened. As he sat down at his desk in Potions, eagerly awaiting the lesson to come, he saw the card. Garishly pink and white, the front was adorned with hideous purple hearts. Noticing the other students had begun to file in, he hastily shoved the offending paper into his bag.

Tucked away as it was, the card nevertheless ate at Severus’ mind during the class. He was so preoccupied with what it might contain that he nearly let his cauldron overflow, causing a raised eyebrow from Professor Melison. Correcting his mistake, he set his mind back to the draught, trying not to think of the card which lay at the bottom of his bag.

It was no use. As soon as class was dismissed, Severus was out the door, ignoring the startled looks of his classmates. He went immediately to the far side of the lake, where he knew nobody would follow. Seating himself amidst the shelter of a grove of pine trees, he withdrew the card from his bag.

The sight of the colorful hearts turned his stomach, but his curiosity far outweighed his disgust. He opened it tentatively, frowning when he saw what was written inside.

Your lips speak soft sweetness
Your touch a cool caress
I am lost in your magic
My heart beats within your chest

I think of you each morning
And dream of you each night
I think of your arms being around me
And cannot express my delight

Never have I fallen
But I am quickly on my way
You hold a heart in your hands
That has never before been given away

~ S.A.~

How clever, he thought with a smirk. I suppose S. A. stands for Secret Admirer. Even as he scorned the thought, his mind went over possible culprits. Who would have sent this? It was obviously some sort of practical joke. His eyes narrowed angrily. Potter and Black. This had to be their doing, no other student would dare try to mock him in this fashion. He wondered for a brief moment why they hadn’t thought to attach a stinging hex or some other infantile curse to strike him when he opened the card. Then it occurred to him that they intended for him to take it seriously. Severus smirked. How should he respond? There was always the possibility of playing along, of course. But how to make it blow up into the Gryffindors’ faces? The problem plagued him as he walked back to the castle. Dozens of ideas flitted through his head, none quite good enough for this particular incident.

As he sat down for dinner, he realized what he was doing and shook his head. Act as if the card was never found – that was the only way to deal with it. He wasn’t going to act as though he were interested in the blasted thing at all. Smirking triumphantly, he helped himself to a generous portion of mashed potatoes.

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That evening, Severus went to the library to study the new poisons Professor Melison had mentioned during class. As he took a stack of books to his usual table – the one farthest from the door and other students – he found another envelope. Just as gaudy as the first, it stood out against the dark table upon which it sat. Glancing around, he spotted Potter and Black, just as he’d suspected, sitting a few tables away. They were studiously ignoring him, confirming his suspicions. Not wanting to take the chance that this second envelope would contain the hex the first had lacked, he muttered a word and incinerated the parchment. Blowing the ashes from his table, he opened the first of the books and acted as though nothing had happened. Now he ignored the other boys, concentrating instead on the sense of victory which surged through him. They had not gotten the best of him!

From the row of books directly behind where Severus sat, a tall Hufflepuff girl wore a stricken look. As she watched him destroy the valentine in which she’d poured out her heart to him, she sank to the floor and cried.

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The poem in the first valentine was written by Rex A. Williams. I found it on a website, who’s name escapes me at the moment…

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