Four
Severus was in a hurry, late for Transfiguration. He rarely had problems getting to class, but he'd been questioning Slughorn about the active ingredients in a blood replenishing potion and gotten caught up in arguing with the ridiculous man. He was not a member of the Slug Club, so the Potions professor had little time for him. It was all so petty. Severus didn't have influential parents or good looks, and he wasn't well liked, so Slughorn would pay him no mind, even though he was by far the best Potions student the man had ever seen.
Just as he was passing a tapestry of some goblin war or another, a pale hand darted out from the corridor concealed behind and pulled him into the darkness. The lips that found his were warm and familiar, but he pulled away.
"I have to go to Transfiguration." He protested. "Actually…" he frowned slightly, "so do you."
"Ditching once and awhile is healthy, Sev." Sirius murmured, his grey eyes meeting Severus' onyx ones.
"And what do you suggest we do for two hours? We can't stand here snogging in the corridor. We'll get caught."
"I can think of plenty of things to do." Sirius grinned at him, and Severus knew he'd agree to anything the other boy suggested.
"Like?"
"Follow me." Sirius grabbed Severus' hand and tugged him down the corridor. He peered out into the neighbouring hallway and finding it clear, sprinted across to the statue of Boris the Bewildered. Muttering the password, he beckoned Severus to follow.
Severus did so reluctantly.
"Fancy a swim?" Sirius smirked, already spinning the taps on the swimming pool-sized tub.
"Is this the prefect's bathroom?"
"Yes it is. Lock the door behind you."
"How do you know the password to the prefect's bathroom?" Severus stalled. He already knew the answer to this question.
"Remus, of course."
"Of course. Does Dumbledore know his prized prefect is sharing his privileges with the undeserving?"
"Probably." Sirius shrugged. "I'm assuming it's rather low on his priority list, though." He flicked his hair out of his eyes. "What's up with you?"
"Nothing. What do you mean? I'm fine." The words tumbling quickly out of his mouth gave him away.
"You're definitely not fine. Is the good student panicking about missing a class?"
"No. It's not that." Severus wondered at that moment why he didn't lie. It would have been an easy out. Instead, Sirius would keep asking questions until he got to the root of the problem: Severus' extreme insecurity. It was not the way he wanted to appear to his boyfriend of only three weeks.
"Listen, Sev, we both know I'm not a mind reader like yourself."
"Leglimens." Severus corrected automatically.
"Same thing. You're going to have to help me out here."
"You're not an idiot." Severus sighed, "I'm sure you can figure it out."
"What? You have a shampoo phobia?"
Severus scowled, "Great. Good guess. Why don't you call me Snivellus again to make it especially spectacular?"
"Sorry. That was rude of me." Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Are you worried about being naked?"
Severus silence was confirmation enough.
"We don't have to be."
Severus laughed once, humourlessly.
Sirius frowned. "I'm not going to understand unless you explain it to me."
Severus stared at his feet. "I have a scar."
"So?"
"It's the dominant feature on my body."
"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."
"I'm sure it is. It's repulsive."
"I doubt that."
"Well, you haven't seen it, have you?"
"Scars are cool."
"Not this one."
"If appearances were all I cared about, we wouldn't be here right now."
"Wow. Another stellar compliment, Black." Severus spat.
"I'm sorry. That came out wrong."
"No it didn't. I think we can both agree you're the better looking of the two of us."
"You're smarter."
"Yes, and it's the ugly boys with brains that win in life." Severus rolled his eyes. Already he'd told Sirius too much, and it had only been three weeks. Soon, he wouldn't have any secrets, which was entirely too dangerous.
"Well, I'm going swimming. You're free to do whatever you like."
Severus watched as Sirius peeled off his layers of clothing. His skin was perfect and smooth, not a scar or even a birthmark in sight. He jumped into the deep tub, splashing a considerable amount of water at Severus. His intention, probably.
Severus ground his teeth together. Not even his housemates, whom he'd lived with for six years now, had seen him shirtless. He'd gone to great lengths to hide his scar. It was not, as Sirius joked, a cool one. It was the sort of scar that demanded attention, and inspired probing questions.
"Sev," Sirius' voice was soft. "I'm going to see you naked sooner or later."
"Good to know you're so sure of yourself." Severus sneered. "Don't I have any say in the matter?"
Sirius sighed, "Today, I seem to be suffering from foot-in-mouth syndrome."
"That's an understatement." Severus muttered. Sirius pretended not to hear. His eyes were glued to Severus, taking in the clenching and unclenching of his fists and the muscle jumping in his jaw. Sirius worried he had gone too far, but then Severus' hand moved ever so slowly to his top button.
It was a painstakingly slow process, what with Severus pausing to hyperventilate every second button, but eventually Severus' school shirt was hanging open over his pale chest.
The scar was not actually the first thing Sirius noticed. He had always thought of Severus as scrawny and slight, but he realised the other boy was entirely lean muscle.
It was then that Sirius' eyes focused on the raised, angry red flesh of the scar. It traversed from his left shoulder, diagonally across his torso to his right hip, about two inches wide.
He both wanted and didn't want to ask how Severus had come by such a scar. Of course, Sirius' curiosity won that particular battle. "What happened?" He breathed, his eyes as round as saucers.
"Let's just say I got on the wrong side of the carving knife when my father was drunk."
Sirius gaped at him a moment before lifting himself out of the water and crossing the short distance between them. He wrapped his arms around Severus tightly, feeling him stiffen reluctantly for a moment before relaxing into Sirius' embrace.
Sirius had thought his father was bad with his barbed comments and his Pureblood supremacy bullshit, but clearly he couldn't even begin to fathom bad parenting.
"I don't understand." Sirius said after a few minutes.
"Understand what?" Severus jerked away, "My father is a mean drunk. If I don't provoke him, he'll go after my mother."
"No, it's not that. If it was healed magically, there wouldn't be a scar."
"Why do you think my father drinks, Sirius?" Severus scowled, "Poor Tobias can't stand the thought that his wife and son are freaks. My mother can't use magic in that house, especially when he's drunk. She took me to a Muggle hospital."
Severus clenched his teeth then, determined not to tell Sirius anything more. He wasn't sure what it was about the other boy that had him spilling his deepest, darkest secrets.
Sirius frowned, "Don't the Muggles have a way to get rid of scars?"
"My family can't afford that kind of treatment. The two hundred stitches it took to close me up was the best they could do."
Sirius touched the angry red slash gently. Severus jumped away in surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"It is a cool scar." Sirius grinned, one corner of his mouth tugging up higher than the other.
"Don't lie to try and make me feel better. I don't need your pity."
Sirius' lips touched the very top of the scar on Severus' shoulder. The dark-haired Slytherin shuddered before shoving Sirius away. Sirius staggered backwards, slipping a little on the wet floor.
"What's wrong?" He scowled.
"I have to go." Severus was already buttoning his shirt. He moved fast, Sirius would give him that.
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter. I'll see you in detention later." He bolted from the bathroom, leaving a very confused Sirius dripping on the tile.
Remus sat opposite Lily in the Gryffindor common room. They were working on Ancient Runes work together, a subject Sirius and James had heard was too difficult and decided not to take.
The popular, charismatic half of the Marauders were currently playing Exploding Snap a few tables away from Remus and Lily. Remus pretended not to notice Lily's eyes sliding away from the runes and toward James every half minute.
Remus had always liked Lily, but so had James. And Lily deserved better than a werewolf. It was becoming very clear to Remus that he was being used to get James' attention, to make his own best friend jealous.
"Lily, I don't think we should do this anymore." He said softly, running a hand through his thin, sandy hair.
Her emerald eyes met his for the first time in ages, "What are you talking about, Remus?"
"You already know James is crazy about you. You don't need to torture him, and you definitely don't need to use me to do it."
"I'm not using you."
"Yes you are. You have been from the beginning."
"You and I are friends. Did James put you up to this, because this conversation sounds a lot like him and nothing like you."
"No, he didn't."
"Will you believe that I just want to be your friend? This isn't for James."
Remus chewed on the inside of his cheek. "You're after Sirius, then?" He asked, half joking.
He knew from the flush that reached the roots of her hair. Of course she wanted Sirius. He was equal parts charming and arrogant, drawing people because he was interesting and confident and keeping them interested with charm.
"You're wasting your time." Remus said, as harshly as he could manage, trying to keep the hurt off his face. "Sirius won't betray James. I have to go."
"No, you don't, Remus."
"Yes, I do. Find another way to get closer to him if you're so determined to."
A/N: Ditching and fighting and crushing, oh my.
Love it or hate it, please review it.
