[Brain Storage. Both the male and female leads are ill. These are physiological conditions. The female lead cannot handle contact with others. Being touched causes her nausea, revulsion, and severe vomiting. Severus Snape suffers from severe Skin Hunger. Note: Snape does not like Lily Evans. Their relationship is purely a friendship. There are no secret crushes. All characters exist to serve the romance between the leads. Characters may be out of character. This story focuses on young Snape and his adult self. No House bashing, but the story is unfriendly toward the Marauders, especially during their school years. Bullying is unforgivable. The female lead is beautiful, a total heartthrob, and cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She gives all her passion to Snape. There will be a lot of intentional touching because of their conditions. Enter at your own risk.]
September 1974, Hogwarts.
The morning of the second day of the fourth year was filled with a restless, noisy energy that echoed through the castle.
To Ileana Thorne, this noise was an invisible plague.
She curled up in the deepest corner of the library. Towering bookshelves shielded her from most of the outside world.
She hated any form of touch.
It wasn't a psychological quirk or simple arrogance. It was a physiological curse branded into her very blood.
Any touch, even a kind pat on the shoulder, triggered a storm inside her.
Nausea, retching, and a burning sting at the point of contact would crush her instantly.
Over time, she had learned to turn herself into an isolated island.
She wore perfectly fitted robes and dragon-hide gloves that never left her hands. Her amber eyes were cold enough to freeze any enthusiasm. These were her armor against the world.
But there were always those who didn't know their place. Those who tried to break down her walls.
"Hey, Ileana! I knew you'd be hiding here!"
A flippant voice shattered her sanctuary.
Ileana's grip on her quill tightened. She didn't even look up.
She didn't need to. That burst of Gryffindor energy and self-importance could only belong to one person... Sirius Black.
The eldest son of the House of Black had been pursuing her for years. It started after a family gathering years ago and had become an endless, irritating chase.
Sirius pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down. He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.
His gray eyes sparkled like a hound spotting its prey. "You look... even more elegant today..."
"Black," Ileana said, finally looking up. Her amber eyes held no warmth. "I would be very grateful if you could vanish from my sight. Your presence is polluting the air."
To Sirius, her sharp words were clearly just a game.
He grinned, showing off his white teeth. "Don't be like that, Ileana. Call me Sirius. Come on, try it... S-i-r-i-u-s."
As he spoke, he reached out. He tried to touch her hand resting on the table.
Ileana reacted like lightning.
She jerked her hand back. Her gaze turned icy.
She had rushed out this morning to avoid a Hufflepuff freshman and forgot her dragon-hide gloves in the dormitory.
Her bare skin was now her most vulnerable defense.
A wave of physiological disgust rose from her stomach. Just the intent of his touch made her feel sick.
"Don't touch me," she warned. Her voice was low but sharp.
"Fine, fine," Sirius shrugged, raising his hands in surrender. "There's a party in the Great Hall tonight. Can I invite you..."
"No," Ileana interrupted. She looked back down at her book.
Sirius didn't know how to give up. He started rambling about his summer and how they had teased the Slytherin Snivellus since the term started.
The nickname Snivellus made Ileana pause.
She knew who he meant.
Severus Snape.
The loner Slytherin boy who wore oversized Wizard Robes and had greasy hair.
She had no interest in school bullying. She simply hated Sirius Black's baseless sense of superiority.
Enough.
Ileana slammed her heavy book shut. The loud thud drew annoyed glares from the students nearby.
She ignored them. She swept her parchment, quill, and ink bottle into her dragonhide satchel.
"Oh? Where are you going?" Sirius's eyes lit up. "Are you accepting my invitation?"
"I no longer wish to share a room with a creature whose brain capacity is smaller than knotgrass," Ileana stood up. Her voice was cold and emotionless.
She adjusted her satchel strap and turned to walk around the desk.
As she hurried around the corner, another figure stepped out from the shadows of the bookshelves.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed.
Ileana's shoulder hit a "wall." The impact made her stumble back.
The pile of books the other person was carrying lost balance. They cascaded to the floor like an avalanche.
"Oh, Merlin's beard!" Sirius shouted from behind her.
Ileana steadied herself. She frowned at the mess. She instinctively wanted to apologize, but the words died in her throat when she saw who it was.
It was Severus Snape.
He was kneeling on the floor, looking disheveled. His black hair was a mess.
He pressed his thin lips together. His face was even paler than usual.
Ileana didn't like conflict, and she was clearly in the wrong here.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her annoyance toward Black. She knelt down to help him pick up the scattered books.
Just as her fingertips were about to touch a book spine, another hand reached out.
It was a hand with distinct joints and long fingers. His skin was a cool, pale white.
Ileana didn't think twice. She just wanted to finish this quickly.
But as her fingers touched the cold book cover, they also brushed against something warm.
Her fingers, without any barrier, covered the back of Snape's hand.
Time seemed to stop.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Ileana froze in her kneeling position.
...There was no reaction.
There was no dizziness.
There was no churning nausea in her stomach.
There was no stinging pain or red rash on her skin.
Nothing.
All she felt was warmth.
It wasn't a burning heat. It was a steady flow of warmth passing through his cool skin into her fingertips.
The texture of his skin was incredibly delicate.
Warm, dry, and smooth.
'What is... this feeling?'
Ileana's mind went blank.
Her ability to think vanished. Only the patch of skin touching him remained, sending a signal she had never felt before.
It was a strange sense of comfort.