Severus and insomnia
Insomnia, my sweet friend who has always kept me company.
A common trait I share with our Severus, at least in mine and most Headcanons, how do you think he spends his sleepless nights?
I think he sometimes goes about his work or the preparation of some potion. I imagine him in the dim candlelight, focused on the cauldron, his hair tied back in a low ponytail, his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his complexion pale and veins clearly visible in his arms as he mixes or adds ingredients with his long, elegant hands.
Other times he simply reads a novel lying on his bed, interspersing his reading between a drag of a cigarette and a glass of red wine.
Still other times he simply remains wrapped in the darkness of his bedroom staring in absolute silence at an indefinite point while his worst memories, fears, regrets and fears resurface in his head.
On other nights, when stress is increasingly looming, he relaxes by giving himself pleasure, without gentleness, but with pure rage and primal rawness, ashamed of himself and those urges.
He falls asleep dirty from his pleasure without bothering to clean himself.
As the October 31 date approached, his nights would be even more terrible, if possible.
He would feed himself by getting drunk in the solitude of the mental damnation, not wanting to see anyone.
Do you all have anything else to add?
I believe as well that he suffers from insomnia and it may be more than a headcanon too and I think it is very suspicious how quickly he got to Harry during that GoF scene with the egg.
He is wearing a nightshirt but how could he have been sound asleep and managed to jump out of bed fully alert within seconds and run towards the alarming sound? Am I the only person who needs a few minutes to even fully wake up? I know that as a spy he must have trained himself to be alert at all times but I still think that his quick arrival implies that he may have gotten ready for bed but definitely hadn't fallen asleep.
I think his insomnia may also be because of nightmares resulting from his crushing feelings of guilt and regret. There's a good chance that Lily and Voldemort haunt him in his dreams. The latter may even occupy Snape's mind during that particular year way more often than Lily due to his imminent return.
I also headcanon, that he would brew potions late into the night and read in an attempt to fall asleep.
Insomnia may also explain why he is always so pleasant in the classroom. 😂
I meant to respond to this a few hours ago, but forgot..... I agree with @darkangel that Snape having insomnia has roots in canon. He was also up late in PS, when Harry snuck into the Restricted Section.
So I'd add to the things he does when he can't sleep – I can see him just walking the corridors aimlessly. In part because there is the slightest chance that he might tire enough to fall asleep, in part because he enjoys sneaking up to students and eavesdropping on their conversations. The scene where he joins Harry and Ron's conversation when they arrive at Hogwarts in CoS never fails to amuse me, and I imagine him doing the same late at night and scaring the hell out of some unsuspecting culprits.
