A one off! I don't do this pairing anymore, so consider yourselves lucky :P
Why was it so quiet? It was never quiet.. Never. Perhaps nobody was there? Merlin, how he hoped nobody was around. He didn't need help, he didn't need pity he just needed rest. Rest, yes, that was it. To just lie down, close his eyes and let the darkness envelope him for a few precious hours. He barely ever got any peace and quiet anymore, life was far too hectic. It wasn't like he spent much time asleep, but now it was all he craved.
Severus Snape leant most of his weight on the wall to his left as he surveyed the corridor before him. Number 12 Grimmauld Place had a very narrow entrance; it was a nuisance to all who tried to get through it. Sort of like a traffic jam if people were to try and pass each other. And that damned stand didn't help. But the small width made the passage look that much longer. It was daunting, the metres just stretched out before him and for a fleeting moment he felt like he wouldn't make it another step, let alone to the kitchen and the much needed firewhiskey. Firewhiskey would fix everything.
But no, he had to be quick because he didn't want anybody to find him. He just needed to grab some supplies and hide away in one of the many rooms, the other Order members wouldn't even know he was there. The last thing he needed was Sirius finding him; an argument with that insufferable oaf would not do much to improve his mood, nor his current condition.
After so many years he was used to pain, but The Dark Lord had been particularly cruel to his followers tonight. Snape had always been under suspicion of being disloyal by many of his fellow Death Eaters; and as a consequence took most of the more brutal beatings. The first place he had thought of was Hogwarts, his own quarters, but he couldn't apparate in and he knew that he wouldn't be able to climb the grounds by himself. And he hated taking help from others. Now he was afraid he may need it. Number twelve had been a last resort of a kind, the only place he could reach quickly. He had to take the risk that someone might find him.
Taking in a deep, painful breath he pushed himself upright and started towards the kitchen. He must have only made it four steps before sounds on the landing above caused him to pause. He had no idea who it was, how many people were there, all he knew was that there was at least one person on their way down. He stared at the bottom of the staircase, glaring at that bottom step as if he could make it turn into a bottomless bit for the owner of the increasingly louder footfall to fall into. No such luck. He resigned himself to his fate as feet came into view, slumping against the wall he allowed his eyes to close.
Please not Black, please not Black...