Snape grit his teeth so hard it almost brought tears to his eyes. He stared at the man before him with complete loathing. The dark, sunken face suddenly grinned.

"Pleased to see you too, Severus," Sirius Black said, staring at Snape with ebony eyes, which had an equal amount of absolute repugnance. He walked across, "oh, and what are you, Snape? Scared of Lucius Malfoy and your old pals? I'm sure they'll welcome you back. Warmly."

"Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly. Black looked at Dumbledore and instantly shut up, "Severus. What do you say?"

Snape ignored Dumbledore's question and didn't take his eyes off Black, "you filthy swine. Lucius - Malfoy, Bellatrix - they'll welcome me back with banners and laughter."

"I didn't say they wouldn't. I was thinking of someone else, Snape," Black said before walking across the room and sinking into a soft squashy green chair by Dumbledore's desk.

McGonagall pressed her lips together, forming a fine line. Dumbledore merely stood up, headed over to his other room, leaving the door open. Snape was momentarily thrown. Where was Dumbledore going?

Dumbledore's tall figure stood still for a minute, then he turned around and walked back. For a moment the three others in the room sat perplexed, until they noticed a stone basin levitating behind him that placed itself on his desk upon arrival. Black stood transfixed by the runes and symbols engraved into it, having always been a fan of old manuscripts. Snape smirked slightly, pointed his wand at Black's back and muttered a Shock- Spell. It had no harmful effect whatsoever, but it would give him slight satisfaction.

Black shot up straight and jumped about two feet in the air, before rounding on Snape and raising his wand. Snape waited to defect whatever Black sent towards him. Suddenly he started doing a little jig, dancing and kicking his heels. Dumbledore waited a second before removing the spell and casting an invisible wall between the two, hence making it impossible for one to catch the other in a spell.

"Now," the pair stopped glaring at each other to look at Dumbledore, "Sirius, you had something to tell me. Have you found a place for Headquarters?"

"Headquarters? Dumbledore, what, pray do you tell, is going on?"

"Order of the Phoenix, Severus," Black said with satisfaction.

"We are trying to find suitable Headquarters undetectable by both the Ministry and Voldemort," Dumbledore linked his fingers together and touched the tip of his nose with his forefingers.

"Why not use my manor? The Snape manor?"

"The infamous Snape manor. We are trying to be imperceptible, Severus," Black said from his chair.

Snape glowered at him and Black grinned and turned towards the Headmaster, "yes, Dumbledore. I have found a place suitable."

"Where?" Dumbledore said, gazing at Black intently.

"My family house," he said with great distaste.

"Now look who's talking," Snape muttered.

"There are a few differences - big ones. So shut up, Snivellus, and try not to let your long nose interrupt."

"Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly and calmly as McGonagall's lips disappeared completely.

"My father, as you know isn't a big fan of people knocking on our door for a cuppa -"

"None of us Blacks are, save you," Phineas Nigellus's voice sounded as he slipped into his portrait, "house's filthy, my dear great-great-grandson."

"Thank you, my honourable great-great-grandfather," Black said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He turned to Dumbledore, "that can be dealt with. But my father put every security measure he possibly could on the house. It's unplottable and has only got one secret passageway leading into the house from the cellar. But even for that, you have to be told where it is by the Black in charge. Used to be my father - now that would be me." Snape snorted and glared at Black.

Dumbledore stood back up, pacing the office, talking randomly and to himself, "Unplottable - stretched wizard security measures - could have a Secret Keeper, that would be helpful - no, Mundungus mustn't know till all measures have been taken - yes, that would be - no - yes - maybe me would be best - yes, yes - maybe - nothing for it." He stopped pacing and stared as if mesmerized by the red and golden flames. He held his arm out and Fawkes flew onto it, and he turned away from one red and gold to another. "Fawkes, you must alert them all. A single warning for each individual." He then sat back at his desk without further comment. Silence regained.

"I take it the former Black House is now Order of the Phoenix Headquarters?" Black asked. Dumbledore inclined his head slightly, "then I need to prepare a few things. Can I visit Harry on my way out?"

"No," Dumbledore said sharply. Black did a double take.

"Dumbledore?"

"No," he said less agitatedly, "no. Not yet - Harry - Harry - you will see Harry soon." Black knitted his eyebrows together.

"Don't worry, Sirius, you'll live to see him at least one more time," Snape smirked.

"Severus! Really! You two are acting like childish immature students not fully grown adults. Now forget the past and focus on what we have in front of us - what we have to deal with. Sirius has already offered what he was here for. What's your answer, Snape? Will you join the old gang as a spy for our side?" McGonagall said harshly.

Snape paled. He didn't want to do. He couldn't. But admit in front of Black? He'd rather die a thousand deaths at Voldemort's hands.

"Yes," he concurred, his voice decidedly less composed than usual, "of course," he said more easily and coolly, staring at Black with vengeance. Of course echoed in his mind.

There was no way out now.

"Sirius. Severus." The turned towards Dumbledore, "watch," and from his Pensive he pulled out a string of should-be silvery-white material that was strangely a greyish-white now. And held it high above the Pensive as he drew a square in the air with his wand, letting the cord of gauzy neither liquid-nor-gas material fall into it. Suddenly, the box was turned into very much like a Muggle television, except they were living what was in the screen before them.

Both Sirius Black and Severus Snape, sworn enemies, could not be tough before the sight the greeted them.

~*~

Ruins. Muggle cars with Medicals could be heard, though far away, everywhere was frenzy and chaos. People running in all directions, the sound of the hurt, the agony, the pain and most of all - fear. The smell the burnt rubber hung heavy in the air and smoke choked both children and adults. Two people dead, one narrowly escarping merely with a scar, his elders' murderer not found. An enormous man walked towards one house slowly, despite his big strides. He comforted a man there, picked up the baby boy placed next to the man, and left, roaring away on a flying motorbike.

Pain. Death. Yet survival.

~*~

The man that had sobbed so in the memory took two steps back, then weakening and falling back into a chair. The man that had been standing close by didn't move, just kept staring at the scene on which the man he loathed most was killed, along with the lady he thought was the kindest in the world. And he suddenly found himself swearing internally that he would be civil to Potter - at least a little less tough.

His mother was, after all, Lily Evans.

A Mudblood. A bit stupid for marrying Potter. But still the only person in Hogwarts in his day that had shown him kindness.

So true, he was doing this to save the world - mainly wizard kind. But he was also doing this for revenge. Revenge for Lily Evans.