"It's Remus isn't it?" Black turned his eyes to meet his former nemesis.
Severus could only nod. If Black already knew, there was no point in hiding or trying to break it to him gently.
"So I'm the last one. The last one left," Sirius muttered.
He did not seem upset; indeed he did not seem to be the Sirius that Severus had known since childhood. Rather he seemed a shadow of his former self, a wraith of a man unable to conquer the hand that life had dealt him.
"Dumbledore did ask me to inform you. However it seems you already know," Severus tried to keep the petulance from his voice; he should be relieved. He had been relieved of his onerous task, and Sirius wasn't sobbing on his desk or screaming at him. That was a plus.
"Yes, I felt it, I felt his death. His pain," Sirius gazed at him blankly. "I'm going to leave now,"
Severus simply nodded. What more could he do? The man in front of him was neither friend nor ally, and truthfully, he did not care for him. He did-should not care that Black was a dead man walking. He should not let his haunted gaze disturb him. Most importantly, he should not want to be the one to chase those ghosts away.
The man huddled deep in his armchair, a nearly empty Fire whiskey bottle in one hand. In his other hand however, a small silver dagger was glinting in the firelight. If Sirius noticed his hand was covered in blood, outwardly he did not show it. His face was slack, staring at the wildly dancing flames getting lost in the steps of the dance. He was completely lost.
Severus glared at the door, face showing pure hatred and indecision. He turned his gaze to the calming draught in his pale hands, asking himself why he cared enough to be doing this. No one had asked him. No one had forced him, and yet here he was, standing outside Black's door. He knew he was inside, because of the light dancing under the door. He sighed and knocked, waiting impatiently. He knocked again and tried the handle. To his surprise he turned it easily- Sirius had not locked his door evidently.
"Black," Severus growled.
Now he was here he was finding it hard to keep up a friendly front. Sirius was sitting with his back to the door, the hand with the whiskey bottle the only one visible from where Severus was standing. He still wasn't answering. Severus felt a sudden fear that he could not explain.
"Black!" he was at his side in seconds, fearing the worse and trying to shake him awake. He groaned when he saw the knife imbedded deep in the man's thigh, and the bloodied hand and wrist. Sirius however, blearily opened one eye and quickly closed it again.
Severus gritted his teeth and pulled the knife out. Sirius made a noise that wasn't exactly unhappy.
'Oh great. The suicidal mutt actually likes it,' Severus thought despairingly.
Quickly he stopped the bleeding, leaving scabs covering both leg and wrist. It was the best he could do; he was pretty useless at healing spells having always relied on potions for such things himself. He wasn't sure Black would have lived if he ducked off to get a few healing potions.
"Don't feel well" moaned Sirius, leaning forward.
"Well no wonder. You've only been trying to kill yourself with alcohol and stabbing yourself. How did you expect to feel?" Severus retorted, stepping back to avoid getting vomit on his shoes.
"M'not," replied Sirius, face in hands.
"You just stabbed yourself in the leg, and now you're telling me you're NOT suicidal," drawled Severus, one eyebrow raised.
"Makes me feel better,"
There was a moment of complete understanding between the two men, broken only by Sirius vomiting again violently and passing out.
"Great," said Severus. "Just great,"
He soon had him stripped and lying on his side in bed.
'Why does this keep happening to me?' Severus thought desperately. Now he was going to have to spend his night babysitting the mutt, all because he had melted the ice around his heart a little and tried to surprise Black with a calming draught he had obviously needed hours before. Sighing, Severus settled in a chair beside the bed and was soon nodding off. He cast a simple spell that would alert him if Sirius either left the bed or if he was in any physical distress. Soon he was as dead to the world as Sirius.
Cocooned in a nest of warmth and blankets, Sirius refused to move. He knew if he did, the slight ache in his head would become a raging storm of pain if he did. Still, he knew he would have to, because he would have to cover his wounds…which were already bound. He rolled over and found himself looking at none other than Severus Snape.
"Uhh what happened?" Sirius mumbled to himself, staring down at his wrists.
He slowly got out of bed so as to not disturb Severus, who had leant forward in the armchair and was resting his head on the bed. It did not work however, as Severus stirred as soon as a foot touched the floor. Severus looked up, hair tousled and a thin line of drool on his cheek. Under any other circumstances and with any other person, Sirius may have found it cute, but one look at Severus' face was enough to scare the devil himself. Severus seemed to be boiling from the inside out, and Sirius knew he was going to cop it any second. He winced and swung his legs over the bed. Now he was not looking at the irate man, it was easier to breathe. He imagined Severus would be puffing up like a peacock behind him, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
"So you're just going to ignore me now Black?" asked a voice rigid with control.
"I…no…I just…" Sirius licked dry lips. "I don't want to see anyone at all,"
"Why?" the simplicity of the question completely threw Sirius.
"I don't know," he confessed quietly.
A sudden warmth touched his hand, fingers gently tracing his own. Sirius turned as Severus pulled back, red tinging his normally pale face.
"I should go," Severus said standing, dignity forgotten.
"Please," Sirius said loudly, but as Severus left, he whispered. "Don't go,"
When he had left, Sirius stood and groaned; his head was a mass of pain still, and his breath was deadly. He ached all the way to a boiling hot shower, and ached all the way back. Still in a towel, there came a knock at the door. When Sirius opened it he saw a goblet with a note attached.
"Thought you could use this- headache potion- SS"
Sirius smiled broadly, his first real smile in a long time.
