When he awoke, his head was pounding, his mouth was dry, and what light could make it through the underwater windows irritated his eyes. He presumed the feeling was similar to how one would feel on a hangover after a particularly entertaining evening, though last night had been anything but fun. Feeling a bit dizzy, Severus sat up slowly and rubbed his head. Considering all him symptoms, he decided he must simply be dehydrated, so, finding his footing surprisingly well, he meandered through the dormitories and into the gentlemen's loo.
He didn't see any other students about, which suited him well enough, but probably meant that they were already at breakfast. He stood before one of the many bathroom sinks and splashed water over his face before cupping his hands under the steady stream of water and drinking. Handful after handful passed his throat, but his thirst could not be quenched. He wiped a hand over his mouth and closed his eyes. His head still hurt, and now his belly did too. It was not shaping up to be a good day.
In a vague sort of daze, Severus slowly made his way back to his bed and changed before slowly treading up the stairs and down the cold stone hallways. The chill of the floor against his feet, which he only then realized were still bare, was a comfort to his aching body, but the comfort didn't last long. When he arrived at the great hall, he found it mostly empty save for a few straggling students and a smattering of spirits floating aimlessly about. He had slept longer than he thought, but despite his studious nature, he wasn't feeling up to going to any classes before he'd gotten something to eat.
Bite after bite he ate, sampling pumpkin pasties, treacle tarts, bacon, eggs, but they were all rubbish and made his aching stomach only feel worse. He was so hungry, and no matter what food he tried the famished feeling that was gnawing away at him would not be satisfied. With disgust he pushed the remainder of his food away and stood, looking around the room at the remnant of the breakfast feast, hoping that perhaps something from one of the other tables might satiate his hunger.
The last of the remaining students hurriedly finishing up their breakfasts watched him curiously as he abandoned his house table in further search for food, but he took no notice of them. He grabbed an empty flask and filled it with some orange juice thinking he might still be thirsty, but though it satisfied better than anything else so far it still wasn't what he wanted. He picked up a cold sausage from a nearby platter and sank his teeth into its soft skin, his gums tingling in response to the rich juices emanating from the wound. The texture of the meat was like rubber in his mouth, but the liquids that sprang forth from it were satisfying. One after another until the plate was empty, he leached onto the greasy bangers and sucked them dry.
"Bloody hell, Snivilous." The voice came from behind him and immediately summoned up a murderous rage from deep within. "Here you are, late for breakfast, half dressed and sucking on pilfered sausages." Sirius Black's mocking tone made him reach for his wand. "You just make this too easy."
He carefully turned around, meat in one hand, wand in the other, to look at Sirius, and to his surprise, Lupin, who stood reluctantly beside his friend looking at anything but the object of Sirius' ridicule. "You should be in class by now, Black. Why the late start? You two stay up shagging too long last night? Really Lupin, I thought you had better taste than that."
Sirius' cocky smirk instantly disappeared and he struck out at the smaller boy. Too angry to even think about drawing his wand, his fist hit Snape square on the nose resulting in a loud snapping sound and a fair amount of fresh blood.
Snape would have crumpled to the floor, he should have at least considered it, but instead as the wash of warm blood trailed down his face and the back of his throat all he could think was that this, this, was exactly what he had been craving. Logic and good taste aside, he dropped his wand and the banger and cupped his hands to his face, catching the dripping blood and lapping it up. Lost in his own world of crimson deliciousness, Snape completely forgot about the other boy still poised to fight him.
Sirius didn't even notice what Snape was doing, only that he was cupping his broken nose. He grasped Snape by the arm to pull him up, ready to strike him again, but the threat of his food being taken away from him caused Severus to react a bit more violently than usual.
In the blink of an eye, Snape was on top of Black, biting down hard on the soft skin of Sirius' neck with Sirius too stunned to react properly. Fortunately for Black, Lupin, though drained from the previous night's transformation, was still sharp as a tack and levicorpised Snape off of him and into the air, a trail of green magic leading from Snape's ankle back to Lupin's wand, before the boy's flat teeth could pierce Black's skin.
Sirius clutched at his already bruising neck and could do little else than stare blankly at Severus and he dangled and dripped. Though it was too late, a teacher hurried over and tried to sort out what had happened. In the end, Snape was sent to the hospital wing and Sirius was ushered along with Remus to their first class of the day.
"I don't know why you boys can't stop your fighting. You just can't be happy unless someone loses an eye." Madam Pomfrey held up her wand to Snape's bleeding face, "Episkey," and with a painful snap the cartilage in his nose was as good as new again. She handed him a warm, damp bit of cloth to wipe the red off his face with and sent him on his way without even noticing how he mouthed at the moist rag now soaked in his own blood.