Again I turn Around to You

Part Ten: A Far Away Mountain

Sitting in detention with Peter and James had become boring. McGonagall had yet to come through with Dumbledore's advice and the boy's had taken to doing their homework rather than flip through the provided tomes.

Remus had apologized for getting upset, though finding out that Sirius and James had fallen asleep amid stacks of books had nearly set the boy off in another way entirely.

"Did you two even think about what I said?" The lighter boy had snapped while giving Sirius's bed a disapproving glance. "Or were you too busy with your other activities?"

Sirius and James had mumbled apologies, but Sirius knew they would need to make it up to Remus later.

"Why do we still have to do this?" Peter grumbled.

Sirius, startled out of his thoughts, looked over at the smallest Gryffindor. "Because we never completed our assigned task."

"It's futile!" Peter sneered. "There is nothing that is going to fix that glass."

"Not quite Mr. Pettigrew." The door to McGonagall's classroom had opened during Peter's speech. "I do have a spell that should work."

The three boys all closed their respective books and looked toward the Headmaster expectantly.

Dumbledore smiled at them. "Now that I have your attention, I must warn you that this is a tricky spell."

"In what way Sir?" James asked politely.

"It is a dark magic spell, and it requires blood to work." Dumbledore waved his hand and the three boys each received copies of the spell.

"Most of these ingredients are actually easy to come by." James noted. "In fact we have quite a few in here already."

"Ew." Peter was reading ahead. "Sirius, we're going to need your blood."

"Not mine." Sirius said softly.

"Now would be a good time to tell us whose." James hinted.

"If Mr. Black does not choose to reveal his secrets that is his prerogative Mr. Potter." McGonagall had followed the Headmaster into her room.

"We are going to need time to gather these ingredients." Sirius looked up at the Professors.

"Indeed you are Mr. Black." McGonagall acknowledged. "And because of this you are dismissed for tonight. However, I do expect to see you three again tomorrow with all that you need for this spell."

The three boys grabbed their books and headed back to the tower with no further encouragement.


About halfway to the dorms Sirius ground to a halt. "I forgot something." He stated when the other two turned to look at him.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" James yawned.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I need to do this now." He handed his textbooks to the other boy.

"Will you at least tell us where you are going?" Peter said with thinly disguised curiosity.

"I have to write a letter." Sirius said as he sprinted away.

"Such a Slytherin." Peter grumbled to James.

"A Slytherin," James said mildly. "Would have come up with a better excuse."


Sirius approached the library with a feeling of dread. Once inside he glanced around but failed to see Severus's head.

"Black." Severus said coming in behind him. "The Potions books are over in this way."

Sirius barely inclined his head in acknowledgment of the other boy before preceding him to the back of the room.

"Now what in the world could have induced you to send me an owl this morning?" Severus asked harshly. "I can only be thankful that you didn't sign your name."

"I need your blood." Sirius said badly.

"Have you turned into a vampire?" Severus demanded. "I knew Gryffindor was bad for your health."

"Do you know anything about repairing dark objects?" Sirius gave the other boy a withering look.

"Not really." Severus admitted.

"Well, Peter, James, and I have been trying to repair a dark object for the last three months. At the end of our rope Dumbledore and gives us a spell which requires," Sirius gave his friend a pointed look. "Your blood."

"The spell asks for the blood of Severus Snape?" Severus sounded shocked. "But I am the first child name so in my family."

Sirius sighed. "The spell requires the blood of the family who originally created the object. In this case yours."

Severus thought this over before sitting down in between the stacks. "This object, it was empty?"

"Yes." Sirius replied.

"Good." Severus stood up again. "How much blood do you need?"

Sirius sighed in relief, "only a drop."

Severus took a small knife out of his bag. "Did you really think I would deny you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind a few times." Sirius admitted.

"I'm angry with your dorm mates," Severus made a cut on his finger. "Not you."

Sirius caught the blood beading on the finger with a handkerchief enchanted for catching and keeping blood. "While nice to know I could wish this all unnecessary." Sirius put the handkerchief away.

Severus shrugged. "Christmas this year promises to be a crush."

"Oh?" Sirius leaned back against a shelf. "Do you know who is hosting then?"

"The Crabbes." Severus said with distaste. "Apparently Jonathan got a girl pregnant and they are marrying them both off to prevent scandal."

"I am guessing this pregnancy wasn't a consensual thing?" Sirius raised his eyebrow.

"The girl is a Mudblood." Severus said by way of answering. "A memory charm to make her think it was someone else and she gets to be married to a cadet branch of the Crabbe family tree."

"So Jon is marrying whom?" Sirius inquired.

"A Parkinson." Severus rolled his eyes.

Sirius grinned. "Just be thankful this is the last daughter."

"True." Severus smiled.

A noise from the next aisle made both boys grab books off the shelves.

"Sirius," Andromeda nodded to her cousin as she squeezed past him. "Severus," She said to the other boy.

The two boys looked at each other after she passed. "See you at Christmas." Severus murmered before leaving Sirius alone with 'Home Potions 101: Plumbing Potions for Everyday Use.'


"Blood." James sighed as they came to the final part of the spell.

Sirius handed over the still wet handkerchief.

"I don't even want to know why your parents thought giving you an everwet cloth was a good idea." James said as he squeezed a drop of the blood onto the shards.

"According to Mother I might never know when I needed one." Sirius replied. "And look, I did."

"I don't think I want to ever meet your mother." Peter muttered from the other side of the desk.

'I know mother won't want to meet you.' Sirius thought.

"Come on both of you!" James admonished. He was holding his wand pointing at the pile of glass, herbs and blood.

"Sorry." Peter said drawing out his wand.

Sirius merely shrugged and brought his wand out as well. They had all agreed earlier that James would be the one doing the actual spell casting while the other two boys lent power.

Sirius concentrated as James's voice washed over him. The shards of glass glowed white and the blood seemed to melt into the glass. There was a burst of red light and a slender green bottle stood on the desk before them.

"Is that the Snape crest?" Peter said with distaste as Sirius picked the bottle up.

"The Blacks and Snapes have been friends for generations." Sirius smiled slightly as he ran his finger over the engraved S.

"Am I right in thinking that a potion once graced that bottle?" James was stiffer then he had ever been in Sirius's presence.

"It is a Potions bottle." Sirius shrugged.

"What kind of Potion." James demanded.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "That is between Severus and me."

"I don't think so." James snarled. "Snape has been nothing but insulting to everyone in Gryffindor including you since the beginning of the year. And yet you still defend him."

"What is really the matter Potter?" Sirius drawled back. "The fact that I'm actually keeping a secret from you?"

"Guys?" Peter squeaked.

"Stay out of this." James told the smaller boy. "Isn't this what you've been wanting?"

"Not really." Peter said diving under a desk. "You're beginning to scare me."

"I just want to know if you're going to protect your Slytherin friend from something that might throw you both into Azkaban." James ground out, Peter forgotten.

"And I," Sirius said with his hand on the door. "Fail to see how it is any business of yours."


End Notes:

- Well, now we know that is a Potions bottle given to Sirius by Severus.

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