"Wh-What the hell is this?" Sirius snarled. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right now. He had only come up to the Astronomy tower to fetch Remus for Dark Arts but was instead greeted by a very disturbing sight.
Remus Lupin.
His Remus Lupin was not alone in his cushion nest. In fact, he looked so comfortable with that other person that they were entwined in each other's arms. At first, Sirius assumed Remus was with a girl because of the person's slight figure. But once he saw the mass of greasy, black hair he knew exactly who it was.
"You slimy little…" Sirius snarled. He grasped Severus shoulder and pulled the boy to his feet, waking the pair instantly. "I'll fucking kill you!"
"W-W-Wait! I didn't…" Severus whimpered, tears already gathering in his eyes. Sirius noticed for the first time, just how battered Severus was. The skin under his eye was a dark purple and swollen around the gash on his cheek. Remus was at Sirius' side in an instant, forcibly trying to pull him off the terrified Slytherin.
"Sirius! Stop!" Remus cried, separating the pair easily with his inhuman strength. "You're frightening him!"
"Why the hell are you sharing a bed with him!?" Sirius shouted. "What the fuck is going on here!?"
"We didn't sleep together if that's what you're worried about," Remus said deadpanned.
"Then why the hell were you cuddling!?" Sirius growled, his finger pointed at Severus who was now cowering under the blankets.
"Sirius, keep your voice down. You're scaring him!" Remus commanded in a hushed tone. Remus hurried to Severus' side and wrapped his arms around the quivering boy in a protective manner. Severus buried his face in Remus' chest while he gently stroked his black hair. Sirius' eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"What's going on, Moony?" Sirius whispered. Even in this kind of situation, Sirius could not deny Remus' requests. He still wanted to indulge his every whim.
"I'll tell you later," Remus whispered over Severus' head. The Slytherin boy was holding him so tightly that Remus could barely breathe. "Just… keep it down please."
"Fucking hell!" Sirius spluttered. Remus gave him a stern look and Sirius sighed with exasperation, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess you want me to be nice to him now?"
"Yes, please,"
"Goddamn, Moony! Fine," Sirius groaned. "But it'll cost you a kiss!"
"No." Remus said simply. Severus snorted with amusement against Remus' chest, causing the werewolf boy to chuckle. Very gently, Remus extracted himself from Severus and held the boy at arm's length. "Severus, would you like to come to Dark Arts with us?"
Severus nodded swiftly, his hands already clutching Remus' shirt. Remus smiled at Severus tenderly and stroked his hair gently.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I didn't agree to this!" Sirius cried. Remus, however was not fazed by Sirius shouted and he busied himself with a few washing up charms on himself and Accio'd Severus' robes from his common room.
"Whoa…" Severus whispered, impressed by Remus' display of magic.
"That cleaning charm will only last until tonight so you'll have to take shower then." Remus said while stowing his wand away in the robes he materialized onto himself. Severus nodded and waved his wand over the robes, making the clothing dance onto his body.
"Very nice," Remus praised Severus handiwork. "But your tie is crooked, here let me."
Remus didn't know why he was being so tender to Severus Snape, but there was something so broken about him that made Remus want to protect him from everything, even his idiot friends. He did always want a little brother, but after Remus became a werewolf his parents thought it would be wise to not have any more children. He understood of course, but understanding didn't take away the loneliness.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me? I don't want to go to class with him!" Sirius shouted, tugging at the ends of his hair with exasperation.
"Then go alone," Remus said softly, plucking a few books from the floor. He turned to Severus and dropped half of the books into his waiting arms. "We can share my books today since we have the same classes. Then we'll go to your dorm tonight to pick up your books."
"Pick up?" Severus asked softly, quirking an eyebrow.
"You don't want to sleep in the Slytherin dungeons tonight, do you?" Remus asked. Severus shook his head quickly. "Then you'll sleep in the tower with me until you're confident enough to go back."
"Hell no!" Sirius shouted. "I forbid you from sharing a bed with him! Remus!"
"Let's go, Severus." Remus said, ignoring Sirius completely and leading Severus to the stairs. Severus shifted his handful of books into the crook of his left elbow and clutched onto Remus' Robe's with his right hand. Remus didn't seem put out by it at all, instead he merely smiled at the innocent gesture. They walked like that all the way to class, both ignoring Sirius' complaints. James and Peter were already outside the classroom; James was talking loudly about something to do with Quidditch while Peter listened attentively. He went silent however when Remus and Severus came into view.
"Moony? What's going on?" James asked with his eyes glued on the Slytherin tucked behind Remus' robes.
"Severus is going to be hanging out with us for a while." Remus said, gently stroking Severus' black hair. James was surprised at how angry the innocent gesture made him. Severus looked up at Remus from beneath his bangs and smiled. James was suddenly aware of the bruise underneath Severus' eye.
"Bloody hell! What happened to you?" James cried, cupping Severus face in his hands and unintentionally shoving Remus out of the way. "Sirius hit you, didn't he!?"
"I did not!" Sirius cried with a pout. Severus shook his head, dazed by the look of deep concern in James' eyes.
"Then what happened?" James' murmured, gently brushing his thumb against Severus' bruise in a tender motion. Severus shivered at his touch, feeling ashamed that he was blushing so profusely. He was suddenly hit with the memory James' lips and he shoved James back firmly.
"I don't believe it's really any of your concern, Potter." Severus spat, fixing his ruffled robes. James looked wounded but decided not to ask any more questions. Remus gave James a look which he knew meant that he would explain everything later.
"Come on Severus, let's find a seat." Remus said, gently taking the boys hand and leading him into classroom. Sirius and James shared jealous looks before following after the pair, leaving Peter alone in the halls.
"Good morning Peter! Lovely day we're having, isn't it?" Peter muttered to himself as he also followed the group, upset that he had been so blatantly ignored. Severus was stuck to Remus' side, his eyes flickering around the room in search of a blonde head of hair. He saw Lucius hunched in the corner, staring at the door desperately. When he noticed Severus enter, he rushed over without hesitation. Severus shrunk back and clutched Remus' robes tightly.
"Remus!" Severus cried desperately. Remus stepped between the two Slytherins and pushed the smallest behind himself defensively.
"What do you think you're doing, Lupin? Move aside!" Lucius cried but Remus stood his ground.
"I don't think Severus would like to speak with you, Lucius." Remus said sternly. "I think it would be best if you leave him alone."
"How dare you? You have no right to order me around!" Lucius spat. "Severus… Come here my love…"
Severus just stared, frozen with fear. Lucius clenched his teeth, anger boiling up within him.
"Severus. Come here." Lucius ground out through his teeth. Severus was nearly in tears, he could see the anger he saw last night. He was so afraid of this man. The man he was supposed to love. Lucius shoved Remus roughly and clutched Severus' arms. Severus could only whimper.
"It is okay, Severus…" Lucius whispered, noticing the way he shook in fear. He also noticed the dark bruise on Severus cheek that made his stomach churn. He had done that. "Oh, Severus..."
Lucius leaned down to kiss Severus' cheek but Sirius' fist made contact with his cheek before he could. Severus slipped out of Lucius' grip and ran into Remus' waiting arms. All eyes were now on the small group. Lily Evan's had also witnessed the scene and ran to Severus' side, assisting Remus in calming him down.
"Don't you ever touch Remus like that again!" Sirius said with a snarl. Sirius was extremely tall for his age so his head was just below Lucius' nose and they glared at each other. "Now piss off before I hit you again, Malfoy!"
"Severus doesn't want to talk to you. I think it would be best if you just leave him alone." James added, stepping beside his best friend. Lucius rubbed his tender cheek and without a word, he spit blood at their feet and turned back to his former spot in the corner.
"Ew," James squeaked, jumping away from the bloody saliva. "That can't be sanitary."
Sirius merely shrugged, linked his arms with James and rested his cheek on top of the boy's wild hair. James in turn, nestled his head onto the crook of Sirius' neck. Physical contact seemed to be a necessity when it came to the pair of mischievous Gryffindors. Each boy seemed to need to touch of their best friend as though they were each other's oxygen. That was one thing that Severus was jealous of - the true friendship that the two shared.
"So apparently, we have to be nice to Snape." Sirius murmured, his cheek still pressed against James' head. "Otherwise Moony is going to beat us."
"Is that so?" James let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well, if we must."
"Shall we go make nice with him, Mr Prongs?"
"Sounds delightful, Mr Padfoot."
The pair broke apart and skipped happily towards Severus who was sandwiched between Lily and Remus - both were whispering to him sweetly. The two best friends made matching sounds of despair.
"No fair!" James pouted.
"We want to be in the Lupin-Evans sandwich too!" Sirius cried. Both boys attempted to cram themselves between Lily's and Remus' arms. "I'll be the tomato and James will be the cheese. Snape, you're the meat."
"I hate cheese!" James cried. Severus was giggling at the boy's attempts but Lily and Remus looked less than impressed.
"Cut it out, you idiots." Remus said, released them when they finally squeezed in. Lily also released them, looking equalling miffed.
"Oh look, now we're the bread!" James shouted with his arms wrapped around a blushing Severus.
"I like being the bread." Sirius finalized, hugging Severus tightly. Severus squeaked loudly and shoved the boys hard. The pair of Gryffindors stumbled back theatrically.
"G-Get off me!" Severus cried with a deep blush. James and Sirius both chuckled and gently patted Severus on the head. It was amazing how nice they could be when Remus forced them to be. Sirius was probably pretending, but Severus couldn't help but wonder if James' sandwiched hug was genuine or not. It felt pretty real.
"Gentlemen, take your seats please." Professor Dampbrook drawled as he entered the room. Severus was suddenly pulled into a seat between Remus and Lily. Remus linked hands with Severus below the table and squeezed it gently whenever Lucius' gaze was turned in their direction. It calmed the small Slytherin somewhat, but not entirely.
Lucius was not fairing very well either. He was hurting. When Severus didn't return last night he spent the rest of the night and morning searching for him. It hurt to think that he may have been hiding in with the Marauders. He glanced up at Severus once more but the boy's face was hidden under his thick bangs. He knew it was his fault but he wished that Severus would at least let him explain himself. When the professor finally drew class to a close, Lucius made a move towards the smaller Slytherin boy, but Severus had all but run from the room with Remus and the rest of the Marauders close behind. Lily Evans was the only one who stayed behind. She stood in the doorway for quite some time and just stared. Lucius stared back, his eyes pleading with her. Lily, however, was not one to be won over by puppy-dog eyes (apart from Severus') and she scowled at him.
"I'm not going to talk to him for you, Malfoy," She said in a stiff voice. "If you want to make up with Severus then you'll have to give him time and space to heal. Don't try to force him to love you again."
"Sp-Space?" Lucius spluttered, causing Lily to sigh.
"Give him time to breathe. You're always hanging onto him like a monkey," Lily said with her nose in the air.
"Time to breathe, you say?" Lucius whispered, gently rubbing the back of his neck with his large hands. "I guess you're right."
"Of course I am," Lily huffed, leaning up against the door frame. "But don't think I'm telling you this because I want to help you. My first priority is Severus and his happiness."
"I understand. Severus was always quite fond of you." Lucius said, glancing at the girl who's scowled seemed to shallow at the mention of Severus' fondness. After a moment, she turned on her heals to follow after her group - but not before pausing briefly to glance at Lucius over her shoulder.
"Oh, Malfoy?"
"Yes?"
"If you ever, and I do mean ever; hurt Severus again. I will make you wish you were dead." – and with that, she was gone.
00000
"Ah! I'm starving," Sirius cried as he plopped down next to another first year girl. Sirius leaned towards the girl and smiled his signature "pantie-dropping" way. "Excuse me, beautiful, but do you mind if my friend sits there?"
"O-Of course not," the girl squeaked, climbing out of the seat in a daze. Sirius turned to Remus and patted the newly empty seat. Remus scowled but accepted the seat, tugging a flustered Severus behind him.
"I-I really should sit with the other Slytherins," Severus whispered, looking around at the Gryffindor table nervously. "I don't think your house would like it if I sat he-"
"Oi – everyone shut up!" James suddenly shouted over the Gryffindor noise. They turned expectantly towards James who slung his arm across Severus' shoulders. "Severus is gonna eat lunch with us for a little while, cool?"
"That's cool,"
"Yeah, we don't mind,"
"Hi there, Severus,"
"We've never had a Slytherin sit here, should be fun,"
Severus was overwhelmed at the warmth shown by the Gryffindors. It seemed as though centuries of Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry had never existed, all because of James Potter. It took him a while to realize he was grinning like an idiot. The Gryffindor table was very different from the Slytherin table. Slytherins were not ones for small chit-chat or niceties; it was usually very quiet during meals that Severus found that silence suffocating. However, the Gryffindor table was an entire different story. It was loud and filled with laughter and happiness. Table manners seemed non-existent because all the marauders, save Remus, ate hastily with their hands in an animalistic way. Severus had to stifle a giggle behind his hand when James had tried to gargle his pumpkin juice louder than Sirius which led to both of them getting soaked in the liquid.
"Seriously, you two are disgusting." Lily said, waving her wand to clean them both off. Sirius and James hugged the red headed girl tightly, pressing their cheeks up against hers. Severus was so distracted by the Gryffindor commotion that he was oblivious to the event unfolding at the Slytherin table. It wasn't until he heard a loud crash did he finally turn towards a terrifying scene. The first person Severus saw was Rabastan Lestrange, crumpled on the stone floors with his hand pressed against his bleeding nose. His brother Rodolphus was knelt next to him with his hands on his shoulders as though he were trying to help him sit up. The last person Severus saw was Lucius. He looked extremely tall as he stood over the two brothers. Severus saw blood on the knuckles of Lucius' right hand which was still raised at his side and his body was trembling with anger. Severus could barely stifle a whimper when he gazed at Lucius' crumpled face. Severus had never seen him so angry before and he found that he was beyond frightened.
Lucius seemed to have sensed Severus' eyes on him because his head snapped up quickly and his eyes immediately found Severus'. When Lucius saw the boy stiffen his heart dropped into his stomach. He had done it again. He had shown Severus that ugly, nasty side of himself. Without a word, he ran from the great hall, leaving behind the two smirking Lestranges and a quivering Snape.
00000
"Are you sure you'll be alright here until I get back?" Remus asked for what seemed like the millionth time. "I can do my homework here if you want me to stay."
"Remus," Severus said with an exasperated sigh from his comfortable spot in the cushion nest. "You can't finish your transfiguration homework here; you need that Special Edition text book from the library."
"Yes, but first years aren't allowed to borrow that book. If I want to use it I'll have to read it there, that will take me hours." Remus said, looking worried. "I don't want you to feel alone."
"I'll be fine, Remus, really…" Severus said with a smile. Remus smiled back tenderly swept the Slytherin boy into his arms.
"If someone comes or even if you're feeling a little scared I want you to run to me, okay? Run straight to the library and find me," Remus murmured.
"Yes, mum," Severus giggled, hugging the boy back. Severus found that he really did love Remus like he did his mother. Remus chuckled and kissed Severus' temple.
"Sleep tight, I'll be back soon." Remus said, patting Severus' head before descending down the stone stairs. Severus sunk back into the cushions and listened to Remus' footsteps until they disappeared, leaving only silence. Severus was starting to regret his decision already. He touched the sensitive flesh under his eye and whimpered brokenly. He panted loudly, trying to force back the hot tears that were building behind his eyes but he was far too tired and far too broken to be strong. He sobbed without reservation. He sobbed so hard that his body jerked and quivered violently. He sobbed until his vision was blurred and his ears were pounding. He thought he would never stop… That was until a wet snout pressed against his cheek.
"Ah!" Severus cried, getting tangled in his blankets when he tried to sit up. After a few moments he finally extracted himself from the mess and was suddenly face to face with a shaggy, black dog. The dog was gazing at Severus with a slightly saddened look.
"Have you come to comfort me?" Severus chuckled, wiping his tears with his sleeve. The dog rolled its eyes and laid its large head on Severus' lap. Severus smiled and scratched the dog behind its ear. "I'm glad."
That was the last word he spoke. Severus lay down in the cushions again and covered himself and the black dog in a large blanket and fell asleep under its warmth. Severus slept peacefully through the entire night. When Remus returned, the dog padded over to his side and gently rubbed his triangle head against Remus' leg.
"You stayed with him?" Remus asked, looking both shocked and pleased. The dog nodded and continued to rub his head against Remus' leg. Remus smiled and knelt beside the dog. "Thank you."
Remus was very glad that Severus was fast asleep, because it would be fair to say that he would be more than a little surprised to see the dog he had been cuddling with transform into a naked, Sirius Black. It would suffice to say that it would also surprise him more to see Remus kiss that dog who had transformed into Sirius Black. But Severus was far away, deep in his dreams and completely oblivious to the sound of quiet moans and pants.
A/N:
Well... That was a weird chapter. Are the Lestrange brothers starting to piss you off? They're little demons, they are. I wanted to highlight more of Remus' growing relationship with Severus. Just to let you guys know, those two are not and will never be romantic. They have a bond that I think will develop to be just as strong as the friendship between Sirius and James. Also, did I tell you guys that this is only part 1 of an entire saga of stories? I want to follow the marauders and Severus through their 7 years at Hogwarts and also write a few connected stories for when they grow up. Anyway. Forgive me for the long wait, but University and life gets in the way. Anyway… I hope you enjoyed it and tell me what you thought.
-Riah