Chapter 13: The Familiar

Summary: Sirius tries to make things right.

Severus had his breakfast at the hospital; oatmeal and fruits with a tall glass of pumpkin juice. Remus came to see him when he was almost done, only to let him know he was headed to detention with the other boys.

That's why Severus found himself wandering the corridors all alone. The weird thing though was that it wasn't just his roommates that were missing; the entire school seemed deserted. He did see a few students here and there but none of the ones he was friends with. Puzzled and a little worried, Severus decided to ask Professor McGonagall. He checked the staffroom but that was empty, too, so he made his way to the transfiguration teacher's office.

He sighed in relief when he found her behind her desk, going through a stack of parchment.

"Mr. Prince." greeted the Professor, looking up "Was there something you needed?"

"Where is everybody?" asked Severus.

"Your roommates are serving detention with Mr. Filch this Saturday and every other until the end of term." she replied.

"I know, Remus told me, but ... everyone else is gone, too. I couldn't find any of my friends. Are all of them at detention?" he said, frowning. "But the Professors are gone, too." he paused, thinking hard. "Professors don't get detentions, do they?"

McGonagall didn't say anything at first but then she let out a chuckle which turned into a laugh. Severus blinked at her as she kept laughing. The professor was acting very strange. He had seen her smile before but it was the first time he had seen her laugh like this. Perhaps someone had given her a potion, but that didn't explain the others' absence.

"Mr. Prince, your roommates are the only ones serving detention today as far as I'm aware." said McGonagall, once she had regained her composure. "A Hogsmeade visit was scheduled for today. Almost all of the students, third year and up are at the village right now and the Professors are chaperoning. It was announced a week ago and also yesterday at breakfast." she explained.

"Oh." was all Severus could say. He had forgotten all about that and hadn't paid much attention to the announcements the day before. He looked back at the door, at a loss for what to do.

"Was there anything else?"

"I don't know what to do." confessed Severus.

"I'm sure you have plenty of homework to get to."

Severus nodded but didn't move. He didn't have a problem doing homework by himself, but he didn't like being alone. "Can you give me detention, too?" he blurted out.

The Professor's face hardened. "Have you done something to deserve it?" she asked.

Severus' eyes widened. He shook his head hard. He didn't want to get into trouble.

McGonagall chuckled again. "How about you stay here and work on your transfiguration until your friends are back?" she suggested.

Severus sigh in defeat and sat down, taking out his wand.

"I've noticed that you don't focus on your task in class. You need to be patient and put time into your practice in order to master the spells." said McGonagall.

"But everyone else can do it after a few tries!"

"That doesn't matter. You need to focus on your own progress and stop comparing yourself to your classmates." said the Professor. "There's only the two of us here right now. Do your best and that'll be enough." she continued as she stood up and placed a matchstick in front of him. "You can do it Mr. Prince. I am certain of it."

"Ok, I'll try." agreed Severus with another sigh. He took a deep breath and did his best to focus, then casted the spell. He frowned in disappointment when nothing happened.

"Don't give up so soon. Keep practicing." said McGonagall as she got back to her work.

Severus focused harder and kept chanting. He casted the spell again and again. After what felt like his hundredth try, the matchstick suddenly changed colors.

"I did something!" he announced, grinning.

The Professor came over to take a closer look. "The shape hadn't changed but you've managed to change the material. Good job." she praised. "I'm pretty sure your friends are back by now. Why don't you go check?"

"Can I take this to show Remus?" he asked, holding the metal matchstick."

"Yes, that would be all right."

"Thank you Professor!" said Severus. He gave his wand a pat and put it back in his pocket before running for the Gryffindor dormitory.

"Remus look! I did it. I did a spell." he said as soon as he entered the dorm room and rushed over to show him.

"That's great, Severus." said Remus, grinning as he turned the piece of metal in his hands.

"Wow, that's ... not a needle." commented James, leaning closer to get a better look.

"It's close enough." defended Remus.

An awkward silence filled the room as Severus turned to look at the other three boys. He had forgotten that they were going to be there is his excitement.

"Severus, come sit here. I want to talk to you." said Sirius, breaking the silence. "I won't bite." he added when Severus hesitated.

Severus sat on the bed next to the taller boy, a little apprehensive.

"What happened with Bob, it really was an accident." started Sirius. "I know how much it meant to you and I would never hurt him on purpose."

"You hurt other people." Severus interrupted.

Sirius frowned. "We didn't really hurt anyone. It was a prank." he said defensively.

Severus scowled and made to stand up but Sirius grabbed his hand. "I got you something." the boy said and revealed a box he was hiding behind his back.

"What is it?"

"Why don't you look inside and find out."

Severus stared at the box warily, he could see something was moving inside. In the end, his curiosity won over his skepticism and he opened the lead. Bright yellow eyes stared up at him from a fluffy ball of gray hair.

"Meow."

"It's a kitten!" exclaimed Severus, all his reservations forgotten, and picked up the tiny animal. "What's his name?" he asked.

"It's a girl, actually." said Sirius, grinning. "You've got to name her yourself."

Severus' eyes widened. "It's ... It's mine?" he whispered, looking down at the cat curled up in his arms.

"My cousin Andromeda got it. Had to bribe Narcissa to pick it up at Hogsmeade. She only agreed because it was for you." explained Sirius. "Do you like it?"

"She's so soft." breathed Severus, stroking the cat's coat. It made her purr.

"What are you going to call her?" asked Remus.

"I don't know. She's so pretty." whispered Severus.

"Listen, Severus." said Sirius. "I'm your friend. I don't want you to be scared of me, anymore."

Severus looked up, staring the boy. There was something in Sirius' eyes that told him he could be trusted, yet he was still the same person who had bullied those kids. "Will you stop hurting other people?" he asked.

Sirius looked like he was going to protest for a moment. He looked away and didn't say anything for a while. "Alright. If that's what it takes to get things back to normal." he said finally.

"It's not like we can do anything anyways. McGonagall said she'll have us expelled. My mom will kill me if I get expelled." said Peter.

Sirius ignored the other boy. "So, are we good?" he asked Severus.

Severus smiled and nodded his head, turning his attention back to the kitten. He couldn't believe he had a real familiar. "Thank you for the cat. It's the best thing I've ever gotten."

"No problem, kiddo." said Sirius and ruffled his hair, smirking.

Severus couldn't bring himself to get annoyed. He kept smiling as he hugged the cat closer.