Disclaimer: I don't own these characters JKR does. They're just under my spell to do my bidding (Veracityrules laughs maniacally).
A/N: A/R after OoTP. HBP & DH hasn't occurred and Sirius didn't die. The war is over and the Order of the Phoenix has defeated Voldemort and the Death Eaters. This is a slash fic with a SS/SB pairing. If you don't like then don't read. Please don't forget to review this story. Thank you and enjoy.
Adorable
Chapter 1: Introductions
The celebrations hadn't long since finished; the wizarding war was won. Now it was time to wind down the Order of the Phoenix. Of course, a minimal contingent would continue to operate just in case Voldemort managed to find some obscure and unfathomable way to return from the dead.
With 'You know who' and most of his loyal followers either dead, imprisoned in Azkaban or in St Mungo's permanently confunded; the vast majority of the surviving Aurors now simply wished to return to a normal humdrum existence. And Sirius Black was no exception. It was time for a new generation to take over the mantle of protecting the wizarding world and Harry Potter and the other members of DA had proven themselves more than capable.
Dumbeldore would remain at the head of the Order and new HQs had been chosen. This meant of course that Sirius would get his house back.
"I may even give the old girl a lick of paint." He thought to himself. "She could damn well use it."
He heard the familiar bang of someone apparating outside the front door and the heavy oak creaking open. He felt his stomach turn in preparation for battle and then as quickly as it came, it disappeared as he remembered. Old habits died hard.
He heard the swish of heavy robes in the hallway and smelled the recognisable scent of cinnamon and patchouli waft through.
Dumbledore.
"Come on through Albus." He called out.
"Ah Sirius, I apologise. Having the freedom of the old place for so many years, I forget that I should knock before entering your home." He replied, entering the front room.
"Nonsense, my home is your home."
Sirius sensed an unseen presence in the hallway. Dumbledore, sensing Sirius' reaction, called to his companion.
"I've brought Severus with me. I thought that we could pick anything remaining items from the Order. Come through Severus. "He clucked. "I'm sure Sirius won't bite you." He said with a twinkle in his eye, referring to Black's dog-like animagus ability.
"Don't tempt me Albus." He replied coldly.
He hated Severus Snape with a passion. Snivellus had got under his skin for more than twenty years and to be honest he didn't know why. Bizarrely, his hatred had become increasingly worse during his fourth year at Hogwarts. There was just something about him that made his gut twist in disgust whenever he saw him, thought about him, even smelt him.
He really didn't know why.
Yes, he was thoroughly detestable; the butt of most of his peers jokes for his greasy hair and sallow looks, his strange behaviour and his natural intelligence that elevated him up two academics years ahead of his year group. He was grossly disliked even by the members of his own house. Bluntly put, nobody liked slimy Snivillus Snape.
But strangely enough though, since the war had ended it was revealed that Snape had been loyal to Dumbledore from the very beginning, having been recruited to spy for Dumbeldore long before the Mauraders had entered the Order. He had been handpicked to infiltrate the pure-blood families of Slytherin house, whose sons and daughters were destined to become the next generation of Death Eaters, gaining their trust and feeding back any information directly to the head of the Order.
And he had done it so well. He had to admit if there was a wizarding equivalent to the muggle spy character James Bond, then Snape was it.
He snickered to himself, Snape and James Bond were not exactly two comparable characters that one generally thought of together in the same sentence. He stifled the rumblings of a real belly laugh at the idea.
"If you don't mind Sirius I'll just go through the house and collect what I need." Dumbledore swept out of the room.
"Well don't just stand out there Snape. You can come through." Sirius snapped impatiently.
He filtered through from the dark dingy hallway into the room.
"Black." Severus acknowledged quietly without his trademark sneer.
Sirius didn't quite know what had hit him! He felt as if he had been hit with a confundus spell. Severus Snape stood before him. Only it wasn't the Severus Snape that he had known and loathed for the past twenty six years that stood before him.
Well, it was but it wasn't.
He felt his insides somersault back and forth. The man who stood before him looked like Snape, spoke like Snape and smelt like Snape but it wasn't Snape.
Something was different.
Hell, everything was different!
Sirius continued to stand and stare silently, his mouth opening and closing like a newly landed fish.
Dumbledore returned moments later and observed the interplay between the two men.
"Ah Sirius, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce you. Sirius Black, this is Severus Snape."
Still no coherent words passed Black's lips. His eyes darted between his mentor and his nemesis.
"Sirius, Severus is an Adorable." He offered in explanation.