Chapter 25

Severus winced in pain as Sirius Black forcibly pulled him to the road. His grip was firm wrapped around Severus' wrist but strangely, Severus felt no urge to pull his hand away. His eyes stung with tears. Severus bit his lip hard trying not to cry in front of Sirius, but he couldn't stop a sob escaping.

Suddenly, Sirius stopped. He turned and watched Severus in his worst state. Severus lowered his head quickly to hide his face, but it was too late.

Severus heard him sighing then the boy loosened his grip. The strong, calloused hand gently slide down from wrist to take Severus hand. Then, the Gryffindor boy turned and started to walk again. Severus swallowed down his tears and clasped his hand around Sirius', following him quietly.

He felt awful.

It was quite enjoyable with Sirius today and now it was ruined by him. Severus knew he shouldn't be upset about Lily now that he has much bigger responsibility to concentrate on. Lingering on his 'old' feelings would do no good. He knew that in his head, but his heart seemed to find it damn difficult to let it go.

She was… Lily Evans was everything to him.

His life was grey and dark and painful, but her presence would light up his sad life and show kindness and warmth to him. His mother, Eileen Prince was not a mother figure you could hope for. She was too blinded by her own pain that she neglected Severus. His father was a brute, a true monster who would ruthlessly tear him apart. In that pitiful life, Lily was a light full of vibrant color he never experienced. So, he clanged on to that light in order to survive the hell he call home.

Lily Evans was his friend and a sister and a salvation.

When he lost her, he felt like being thrown in a dark abyss until he found himself with a child.

A child of his own and his enemy's. A child who changed that said enemy into his only companion. Severus must cut his feelings for the girl. He cannot have her. He must focus on what he has.

Severus looked up to see Sirius. The taller boy was silent as he walked through the heavily snowed road. His pale skin flushed with cold, Sirius decisively staring in the front, giving away nothing.

Severus tightened his grip and closed his distance with Sirius even closer.

For a while, they kept on walking in silence until Sirius abruptly stopped again. Severus furrowed his brows in curiosity. He wondered if he mistook Severus' sniffling out of cold as sobbing. But when Sirius turned towards him, the Gryffindor boy did not look concerned as before.

With an unfathomable look on his face, Sirius asked, "Severus, you know the way back, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. Why?" Severus tilted his head.

"I think I left something in the pub, I have gone back to retrieve it."

Severus frowned. He was sure they didn't leave anything behind. The determined look on Sirius' face told Severus that it was only an excuse. But the Slytherin boy didn't voice his doubts.

"Can you return to the castle on your own? Remus would be waiting in the Great Hall", said Sirius.

Severus gave a short nod.

A small smile replaced the rigid line on Sirius' lips. Sirius softly stroke Severus' hand with his thumb.

"I'll catch up with you soon enough."

"Alright", Severus returned.

With that Sirius turned and went the opposite way they were heading. Severus stayed, watching the figure getting smaller and smaller and finally out of his sight. Even after he was gone, Severus stood on the road, still as a tree. Finally, when the cold started to bite his feet and hands, Severus turned and headed to the castle ground.

A way back to Hogwarts from Hogsmeade is not a terribly long one but his physical state had slowed him down. Severus leaned against a tree to give a rest to his swollen feet. The Slytherin boy had never been in shape but the pregnancy made things a lot worse. He couldn't even walk a yard without getting tired.

He went inside the wood trying to search for a place to rest for a while. It was dangerous to go into a wood, but the castle was close enough to get help if needed. So, Severus went deeper and finally found a large rock covered in snow. He pulled out his wand and melted that snow away. When the rock dried as a leave, he sat down and stretched out his legs.

Severus sighed, looking up in the direction Sirius left. He did not know what the ill-tempered boy was up to, but he had a bad feeling about it. Severus wasn't one to talk, but Sirius is quick to be provoked and when he is, he becomes quite unpredictable.

And he seemed provoked.

Maybe he should've followed Sirius or discouraged him. But the thought of having someone getting angry for him moved him. Severus thought Lily was the only person getting mad on behalf of him and the last.

A loud shriek snapped Severus out of his reverie. He snapped his eyes up to see where the scream came from and caught the vibrant red color amidst the dense woods. He jolted right up, hurriedly heading towards the redhead without thinking.

He pulled out his wand, preparing for any assaults, as he ran as fast as his body allowed. Severus gasped when he witnessed the redhead sprawled helplessly on the ground. The Slytherin boy looked around the place frantically, a puff of his breath misted around the air as he panted hard. He saw nothing but thick trees and snow-covered bush.

Severus frowned in anxiety, glancing down at the unconscious girl. He could see that she was breathing. Severus quickly swept his eyes down her body to search for injuries but found no conspicuous one. The boy bit his lip in concern. This could mean that it might have been a wizard's attack.

Who would attack a schoolgirl returning from her trip to Hogsmeade?

The most fearful yet plausible assumption was Death Eaters.

She's a Muggle-born after all.

Severus prayed it wasn't a Death Eater. His other hand protectively covered around his belly without conscious thought. I must call for help, he thought. Severus jabbed his wand into the air, attempting to send a signal. But he dropped it down quickly and swung his wand in front of him to create a shield when something long thrust itself toward him.

With a loud crack it collided with Severus' shield and thudded on the ground. Severus' dark orbs widened in shock. A large snake with three vicious looking heads and a body extending at least six feet long was hissing venomously from the ground. Severus recognized its black and orange pattern of the creature.

It was Runespoor, a serpentine dark creature that associates only with the darkest wizard.

Severus gulped in terror as he confronted its three pairs of yellow eyes glaring at him.

But Runespoor lives in Africa, not England. How the fuck it crossed a continent-

Before Severus could finish his question, the creature started to thrust itself, all three heads darting toward him. Severus could feel the sweat running down his spine as he saw the red tongues each snake heads darting out from their gaping mouth. The Slytherin boy put up a shield once again, but the snake ripped the invisible shield with their fangs and swooped on Severus. Severus collapsed to the ground from the impact, dropping his wand. He let out a cry in pain.

Then, the snake held up its three heads high and gaped each mouth wide. The Slytherin boy felt his impending death when it's horrible hissing sound pierced through his ears. Severus hastily reached for his wand which was out of his reach. But the moment he stretched his arm out, Severus' fingers brushed the lying body next to him. Severus could see the slender piece of wood poking out from it. He grabbed it and shouted,

"Expecto Petronum!"

A bright light formed from the tip of the wand pointed at the three heads. It grew into a beautiful silver doe, repelling the serpent away from him.

For the moment, Severus thought it was working, however, he saw the creature trying to bite his Patronus off, writhing ferociously.

Severus bit his lip and conjured up another one in the direction where Sirius was, hoping to alert the boy. Then, he shot a red light to the sky so that the professors could see while his Patronus distracted the dark creature.

Severus lifted Lily's unconscious body in the air so that he can hide her in the bush. He summoned up his wand and breathed through his nose. Severus braced himself when the serpent finally free itself from the silver doe and ready itself to attack.

"Sectumesempra!"

The Slytherin boy cried wielding his wand like a sword when Runespoor struck again. The curse cut through one of its head, like a hot knife through butter. Severus quickly shielded himself from venomous blood gushing out from severed neck spraying red all over the white road.

The serpent hissed and writhed in agony.

Severus tightened his grip on his wand, clenched his teeth. It works, his curse works. He just needed to hold on until someone comes. He will not die here. He will not die here, failing to protect his child.

…...…...…...…..

Sirius was furious. He felt a lot more than just furious. Anger and disappointment, frustration and hatred were all mingled up inside his belly. The concoction of mixed feelings sent up a fire in his heart which froze his brain leaving nothing but an impulse to strike the couple down.

He knew it was not his place to intervene. That's why he lied to Severus, leaving him all alone on the road. Severus wouldn't appreciate the level of interference he was about to commit, but he just couldn't let it go.

How could she do that?

Storming through the snow-covered road, Sirius was fuming.

He even didn't know what exactly that makes him so angry that she was dating with James on that spot. Perhaps it was her laugh that tipped him off. Of course, seeing Severus so distressed made his day as the worst. But seeing the red headed girl being happy with his friend gave another jolt of anger.

He knew Lily Evans ruined Severus miserably, though he knew not much about what really happened between him and the girl. And she treated Severus like a piece of vermin, completely disregarding the way he looks at her. Then she hooked herself with James Potter, showing off that she has him every chance she got. James Potter, the one who held responsible for the misery Severus had to endure in his school life as much as Sirius did.

For the love of all that is good and holy, Sirius never thought himself accusing his own friend as a cold brute. Never had he imagined he would be livid at his mate for the sake of Severus Snape. But my God, he did.

It was overwhelming, consuming every nerve he has.

Sirius hated James at that moment.

He hated that James was dating Evans, of all people. He hated that James never even apologized for the misery he caused in Severus life. He hated that he was hating James, the man he loved as his brother. And above all, he hated that he couldn't stop Lily Evans from hurting Severus after all this time.

It was when Sirius arrived the entrance of the town that he found James Potter standing like a statue in the middle of the road. His anger evaporated slightly when he noticed the stiff features in his expression. James was impassive but when seen up close, there was a turmoil of anger and frustration boiling up.

Sirius frowned in confusion. He took a tentative step, concern replacing anger. James snapped his eyes up to see Sirius, surprise visible in his hazel eyes.

"Sirius?"

Sirius compressed his lips, not knowing what to do. He didn't exactly set a plan when he decided to come back. Sirius merely acted upon his temper. He wanted to shout at his friend, but Sirius couldn't make out what to say.

James dropped his gaze again, his fists clenching tightly. He let out a sound mingled with sob and snicker, covering his face with one hand. When he looked up to meet Sirius' grey eyes, those warm hazel eyes were glazed with tears.

"Lily's leaving me", said James.

"What?" Sirius asked, his eyes widened in surprise.

If James breaks up with that wretched girl, Sirius was more than happy but it was too unexpected that Sirius almost couldn't believe his ears.

"She just told me to break up", James repeated in a shaky voice, "that she and I are never belonged to each other. And just walked away."

The pain was so palpable in his voice that its re-ignited Sirius' anger against the redhead. He clenched his fists to tame down his wild emotion, trying to listen to James.

"It is all because of Snape", James gritted out venomously.

Sirius frowned in confusion.

James took a step to close the distance, his eyes darkened with madness.

"This-, all of this, you and Moony and now Lily. All this happened because of Severus Snape." James ranted on despite the reproving look appearing on Sirius' face.

"What do you mean by that?" Sirius tried to put reason on that, but James was so out of himself.

"-You! You're spending your entire seventh year, the last year in Hogwarts, with that fucking slimy git! And Remus as well! Because that fucking cunt bewitched you with something!"

"Watch your tongue", Sirius snapped immediately.

However, James was unperturbed.

"See what I mean? Why the fuck should I? I'm telling the truth! You fucking loathed that guy and now you are practically enslaved yourself to that shit! How am I supposed to know whether that fucktard spiked your goblet!" James screamed out every word, trying to make Sirius see reason.

But all he gained was the bewildered look, incredulity obvious in the icy grey eyes.

James snickered, truly glad that he was seeing the evidence of his friend being manipulated by some wicked magic. Because, unless he was spiked with some sort of potion, Sirius would never look at him the way he was looking at him now.

"And now that bastard has taken my Lily, with the same method he's using it on you, I suppose." James murmured.

Sirius gawked at his friend. It was like watching someone going mad in front of him.

Did he just accuse Severus of bewitching Sirius and Lily Evans? To what end?

When Sirius lost his word for different reason, a slight breeze brushed him gently. Sirius turned halfway to see what it was and saw a beautiful doe, radiating in silver light.

The first thought was Lily Evans, as he remembered seeing Evans producing a Patronus in shape of a doe.

But she walked straight towards Sirius, not James. James and Sirius both gaped in surprise. The doe gracefully yet quickly reached for Sirius and rubbed its cheek against his thigh. When Sirius looked down at it, meeting its glow, someone came to his mind like a blow.

Severus.

Sirius, without a word, turned his back and raced to where he left Severus. He could hear James shouting his name from a distance, but he did not care. Sirius swiftly changed into his Animagus form when he couldn't run as fast as he would like and dashed.

He ran and ran until he smelt the familiar smell of Severus in the air and sprinted towards the Slytherin. A gigantic snake with two heads and a severed neck was about to attack his Slytherin. Without thought, Sirius launched forward and clasped his mouth on the snake-like creature where the two heads meet its body. Sirius tightly clenched his canine and with one forcible pull, he ripped the fucking thing apart.

"Sirius!" Severus cried.

Sirius spat its heads and returned to his own state. Severus ran up to him with wide eyes and even paler face.

"You alright? Are you hurt?" Sirius hastily grabbed hold of Severus searching for any sign of injuries.

Severus gaped, bewildered, and shocked.

Sirius thought he was still frightened but when he tried to speak something caught in his throat, making him cough. Coughs gotten violent and violent before the Gryffindor boy doubled over, covering his mouth, hardly able to breathe. His body shook furiously in convulsion until Sirius vomited a bout of blood.

"Sirius!"

The desperate screaming of his name was the last thing he heard before colliding against the cold ground.

…...…...…...…...…...…...…...…..…

Severus chewed on his lower lip until it bled, his dark eyes wild with worries. He felt his stomach churning as he thought of possibilities that frightened him to dead. Sirius and Lily's in Saint' Mungo's, as Madame Pomfrey was unable to treat such significant poisoning.

Runespoor, the legendary dark creature, was one of the rarest creatures. There are only a handful of records the serpent being seen in England, therefore, treatments for its venom are scarce. That's why they had to be transported to the wizarding hospital.

He hadn't heard from Sirius ever since.

Severus curled in his bed, tossing, and turning as he thought of the incident. He shook in fear, not for his own, but for Sirius'.

What if he dies?

Severus squeezed his eyes shut, trying to repel such thoughts. He let out a shaky breath as he got himself up from his bed. He couldn't sleep. He hadn't been sleeping for many days now, a constant fear waking him up.

The image of Sirius Black collapsing to the ground after vomiting blood repeated itself over and over. Severus hardly remembered what happened next. Only pieces of memory like a ruined film with lots of blanks were the remained recollection. He screamed out his name, falling to his knees. Severus vaguely recalled James Potter shoving him off of Sirius and professors with shocked faces running from the castle.

And now he was here in the nursery all alone, while Sirius fights for his life.

Severus sighed shakily, rubbing his belly where his baby was kicking him. It seemed the baby was cranky at being so disturbed. But he just couldn't rest.

He wanted to see him. Severus needed to see Sirius.

Tears welled up in his dark eyes.

He could not shake his mind off of Sirius ever since.

A drop of tears ran down his cheek as a realization dawned. Severus gave a chuckle. It was positively hilarious that he didn't see it before. He giggled like a lunatic until the laugh mixed with a sob.

How could he not notice? Severus cared for the boy.

He cared for Sirius Black.

And now, just as when he realized the shape of his own feeling for the boy, he was about to lose the boy. Severus shook conversely, a sob rocking through his body. A fear he had never experienced started to consume him.

He needed to see Sirius.

He couldn't survive another lost.

"Master! Master Snape!"

A shrilling voice of the house-elf screamed his name. Severus looked around to find Mimny hurriedly climbing up the bed. Before he could ask what is going on, Mimny took Severus' hand and Disappeared.

When Severus materialized, he realized he was inside a room full of beds covered in crisp white sheets and curtains. He was in the hospital wing. Severus gasped when he found one figure lying on the bed behind him. The Slytherin boy turned to reach for the curtain, slowly lifting it to peek inside. His heart was pounding like mad.

Severus couldn't help himself breathing out a loud sigh of relief when he saw Sirius Black inside the curtain. He drew it slightly to get inside. Severus shakily reached for the boy but withdrew his hand hesitatingly, afraid if this was a cruel dream. But the warmth felt under his fingers was real. Biting his lip, Severus took a brave leap and covered the boy's face in his hand. It was real. He was real.

Sirius is alive.