chap 1
"shit! shit. shit. shit. shit. shit…" he had his broad gloveless hands pressed up against his eyes. hoping that what was lying at his feet would suddenly vanish when he uncovered them again. but it didn't. "shiiiiiiit. shit.shit.shit.shit.shit." he resumed more quickly.
"would you shut up?" came a serious hushed voice from about waist-level. the owner of the voice usually had a kind demeanor. but this situation gave him justifiable cause to be angry.
Remus Lupin was kneeling over the twisted body of Severus Snape. Sirius Black was up on his feet beside them. pinkknuckled hands half over his face. muttering the same word over and over again. under his cloudy breath now.
the snow lit around them quite blusterously. despite having to have weaved around the Forbidden Forest's latched twiggy canopy. flakes the size of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans landing on the deep black robes of Snape. they melted down the sides of his long crooked nose. falling into the bloodencrusted hollows that had one time been his eyes. his shoulderlength stringy black hair was splashed all about the top of his head messily. and Lupin worked carefully to pick it from the scabbing.
"is he dead?" Black asked. finally lowering his hands from his face. dark stubble shadowed just the underside of his jaw. lingering down his throat. the rest of his face cleanshaven. large locks of handsomely unkempt hair fell about his dark frantic eyes. his cheeks and nosetip were tinged pink from the cold. he was rubbing at his braceleted hands to try and give them back some lost warmth. his wand still clutched in his fingers. an olivegreen hoodie stuck out from the back collar of his black peacoat. tight faded jeans with large rips in the knees clutched tightly around his legs. expressing his knowing how handsome he was and complete willingness to show it off. even despite it risking hypothermia.
Lupin pulled his red knitglove off one hand and reached up to press his fingers beneath Snape's jawline. feeling for a pulse. and found a faint one. "no." he said. sitting back. his eyes never leaving the unconscious man.
Lupin wore a red and yellow striped knithat which stuck up at the sides. making it look as though he was hiding a pair of long ears beneath it. old shirts and vests were tucked warmly under his olivergreen downfilled coat that had a whitefur lining around its hood. an orange scarf was wound about his neck and chin to keep warm.
"what are we gonna do him?" Black asked. looking about the empty forest.
"we'll have to take him back to the shack." Lupin said easily.
"what?" Black asked. alarm in his voice.
"well we can't leave him out here." Lupin threw an arm out to indicate the ominous forest whose ground was quickly stacking up with a blanket of snow. "he'll die."
"wouldn't be a bad thing thou-OW!" Black had received an elbow to the shin before he'd been able to finish his remark. and he scowled at the back of Lupin's head.
ignoring the cursing uttering from Black's mouth. Lupin moved around Snape. straightening his body out and getting him ready for carrying. when he was finished. he dug his hands beneath Snape's shoulders and looked up. "c'mon." he said to the stillscowling Black. "grab a hold of his legs."
"hang on." Black said. shoving his wand into his back pantspocket. he bent down and began rifling through Snape's cloak.
"oy." said Lupin reproachfully. "don't pick his pockets."
"i'm not pickin' his pockets." Black replied irritably. "keep yer tail on." and he brought a long black stick from the recesses of the dark cloak. holding it up in the air to prove it wasn't a galleon. "don't want stinky Snivellus to wakeup and zap us a new asshole." he said as he shoved the long stick haphazardly behind his ear and took up Snape's feet as ordered. but he let them fall backdown with a start. "fuck." he murmured.
"what?" Lupin asked surprisedly.
"his bloody legs are broken." Black admitted. his face screwed up in slight disgust. "felt weird." Lupin gave him a look just short of a scowl. and he answered it back by throwing up his eyebrows. "wha-" he began.
"don't drop him!" Lupin barked. his breath coming out in silvery clouds.
"look i'm sorry." but he did not take up Snape's feet again. instead Lupin gave an irritable sigh and set Snape's shoulders gently back down. coming over to where Black stood. "get him up and put him on my back."
when Black didn't move at first. Lupin shoved him. "c'mon. it's bloody freezing." and begrudgingly Black did that. lifting the surprisingly light deadweight Snape off the ground and hanging him over Lupin's strong shoulders. his black head clunked against the side of Remus' blonde one as he was shifted into a more comfortable position for carrying. and Lupin set off towards the neck of the forest with a call over his shoulder. "grab his bag."
Sirius looked down to see Snape's darkgreen messengerbag turning black as it soaked up the snow. the top had come unclasped and a couple of Snape's books and papers were already looking completely saturated. diffidently. Black kicked the books back inside the bag. hearing the tinkling of broken glass. and swept the toe of his boot through its shoulderloop. kicking it up into his hands.
he let it drag on the ground behind him as he followed Lupin's path through the snow. leaving some of Snape's holiday homework behind to wrinkle in the snow.
