O, wonderful! More readers……wow, I never thought anyone would like my story. This is really a pretty big shock for me. I've drawn more pics to go with this. I'm worried that no one has said anything about them, as I'm immensely proud of the stupid things. If yall are having trouble finding the pics, just get on aim and I'll send them to you directly.
AmericanWitch: yay! I rock ^_^ I'm glad you like the grease explanation. Sorry, no vampire stuff. I don't really like the so-called Sev/vampire connections. I think he's just pale guy with black hair ¬_¬.
Rikku: now, just hold your horses. All in good time ;)
Mydracomalfoy: woo! I'm a favorite.
Neurotic Squirrel: as you wish.
Daintress: Thankyou ^_^ close but no cigar I'm afraid.
Once again, a very special thanks to my great sister Toni, who has beta-ed every bit of this story. It would suck without her. Seriously.
And now for a tiny bit of bad news. Yall may have noticed that this chapter took a bit longer to publish than the last ones. It's longer, but that's not the only reason. For those of you in college, you know that right now is finals. I am STRUGGLING with not one but two self paced classes. So, chapter 5 may be a bit delayed. I want nothing more than to sit at home and write all day, but I've got to make A's and B's this semester or I'll be screwed. Thanks ^_^.
•
Chapter 4
The next morning, Lily Evans woke up automatically at the daylight shining onto her face. She threw her robes on purposefully, and quietly walked down to the common room while everyone else was asleep. She had gotten into the habit of waking early for the simple reason of avoiding traffic in the halls.
Upon reaching the common room, she was confused to see that someone had taken up house on one of the couches. I'll bet Sirius was so tired after detention last night that he just fell asleep right here, she grinned. Maybe he needs a rude awakening. Picking up a pillow from a nearby chair, she quietly crept over behind the sofa, careful not to let the occupant see her. She swung the pillow high above her head and brought it down on the person on the couch with a wump.
The figure gave a loud shriek and bolted upright. Lily screeched herself and fell onto her backside, looking up to see that the person she had pelted wasn't Sirius at all.
"Severus!" she yelped, scurrying back along the floor.
The boy stared at her wide-eyed, panting with fright. Lily quickly jumped to her feet and dashed to his side.
"Oh my gosh, Severus! What are you doing here? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you, I thought it was him! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she said hysterically.
Severus sat panting for a moment more, and then fell back onto the cushions. Lily guardedly leaned over the back of the couch to see that he was staring at the ceiling, slowly calming.
"I'm so sorry, Severus, I didn't know it was you..." she apologized again, taking his hand in hers. She watched the boy lying there, and then scrunched her eyebrows.
"Hey, what are you doing here anyway? How did you get in?" she questioned.
Severus glanced confusedly at the hand that was holding his, and shrugged.
"Black forced me. You see, my belongings were–" he began, but found that his throat was very dry. He gestured to the trunk at the end of the couch. Looking down at the trunk, Lily stood and went to open it. Upon seeing the contents, she slammed the lid shut and sighed, looking at her hands.
"Oh, Severus, I'm sorry. I guess we should have taken your things when we found you yesterday." She paused. "Did you say that Sirius brought you here?"
Severus scowled. "Yes, but I didn't come voluntarily. He took my trunk."
Lily felt a wave of affection for Sirius wash over her. How perfectly wonderful of him, she thought.
"Well, you best be getting up now," she said, releasing his hand. "Wouldn't want James and them to see you down here. Why don't you come have breakfast with me?"
•
Thirty minutes later, they were sitting together at the Gryffindor table. The bright morning sun blazed through the many windows, and the few students that were already at breakfast were chatting animatedly. A handful of Lily's stray friends had returned, once they saw that Severus was likely to become a permanent fixture. Lily's friend Molly turned to Severus with an appraising look from across the table.
"So…you're back then," she said coolly. Severus looked back at her just as coolly.
"Apparently."
"Well…" Molly smiled slyly and passed him a plate of eggs. "Any friend of Lily's is a friend of mine," she said with a wink. "Ouch!" she gasped suddenly. "Who kicked me?"
Surprised, Severus glanced back to see that Lily was gripping the edge of the table and glaring at the other girl intensely. He shook his head dismissively and started on the plate of eggs.
•
A few hours later, Severus was busily working in the dark dungeons on his latest potions project. The dungeons had been turned into a sort of makeshift study room, as all the other areas of the school were packed with studying students. The sleepy potions professor sat nodding at her desk, her glasses hanging off of her face. All around him, other students were fumbling with their own assignments.
Severus had always been good at potions. Maybe it was his innate methodical nature, but understanding chemicals and measurements had been almost a game for him since childhood. As he was adding various ingredients to his cauldron, his eyes wandered idly down to the floor. The previous evening came creeping back to him.
It really wasn't all that unpleasant, he mused. At least Black was civil…he didn't mention rescuing me; not once. His thoughts drifted to Lily, and he mentally kicked himself.
She was only trying to help me, and I snapped at her. Again. Maybe I just need to work on not needing so much help. Though she was acting queerly at breakfast. He remembered catching her giving him a strange look over the waffles. She had seemed almost…like she hadn't had enough sleep.
"Are you tired, Lily?" he had asked her. Lily seemed to snap back to reality.
"Of course not, Severus! I'm fine," she had said, clearly flustered.
As Severus worked and thought about recent events, he became increasingly aware of a quiet sniggering from behind his desk. He felt a rough thump on his shoulder, and turned to stare into the visage of young Lucius Malfoy. The boy's long, platinum blond hair, longer than Severus's, shimmered as shook his head with a sneer.
"Hullo there, Snape," he said silkily. Instantly, Severus's thoughts were jerked back to the night before last…the numb blows, the cruel voice in the darkness.
That voice.
His face twisted into an enraged glare. Malfoy simply smirked at him, and glanced back to his friends.
"It's lovely to see you up and about," he said with a plastic smile. "Though it's a shame that it wasn't a result of your own efforts. How…disgraceful," he said as if the word tasted delicious. Two of the rather large boys at his side jiggled with suppressed laughter.
Severus turned back to his cauldron, trying to control his building anger. He knew that McGonagall would definitely contact her father if there were any more slip-ups.
3 grams of witchhazel…stir for 5 minutes…bring to a simmer…
Malfoy leaned forward over Snape's shoulder.
"You're lucky that your little pet Mudblood was there to save you. Maybe next time you won't be so lucky," he whispered. Severus gritted his teeth at the disgusting feeling of Malfoy's breath on his neck. How did they know?!
He could hear a smirk on Lucius's voice. "Not as much fun as you were before, Snape." That was the last that Severus heard from the other boy, as the gong that sounded the end of class rang out. He packed his things into his bag and left hurriedly, with no clear destination in mind.
•
Sirius was strolling along the corridor whistling. It was lunchtime, but he wasn't going to the Great Hall today. He had a sandwich in his pack and was headed towards the Gryffindor common room to study. He had been studying all morning in the Great Hall, but found that the noise distracted him. A blushing girl must have come up to talk to him about every five minutes. He figured that it had to be a bit calmer in the common room. He was turning the corner to the hall where the portrait hole was when he heard swiftly falling footsteps down the hall ahead of him. He squinted to see Snape stomp past some seventh-year boys and accidentally knock against one of them.
"Hey! Watch it!" snapped the seventh-year, but Snape didn't seem to hear and kept walking till he was out of sight. Sirius laughed to himself and walked on to the common room.
"Anybody know the magical properties of Devil's Snare?"
"Oy, Molly! Come 'ere and show me how to do that wrist flick thing."
"Watch out there, Finnigan! That stuff's flammable!"
Sirius groaned with disappointment. The room was crawling with students. They were piled all around the study table, and some sat on the floor, trying to glimpse the notes of others. All were scribbling madly on pieces of parchment. Some were holding scales, while others were frantically waving their wands over teapots and matchboxes. A boy that Sirius recognized as Robert Finnigan was tapping his wand on a vial of something that glowed a violent shade of magenta.
With a swell of fear, Sirius saw that a few boys were attempting to budge the large silver trunk at the end of the couch. If they see what's in that trunk, they'll know Snape stayed here! He quickly made his way towards them, trying not to trip over his many classmates on the floor. Suddenly, Peter was standing in front of him looking hopeful.
"Sirius!" he squeaked. "I hoped I'd see you. I can't find James or Remus. Can you help me with my dueling stance?" The small blond boy clasped his hands together expectantly.
Sirius leaned around Peter, and was horrified to see that the two boys had given up on trying to move the trunk and were reaching around to open it.
"No!" he shouted, reaching for the trunk. "I mean, yes, Peter. I'll help you later!" he yelped as he jumped the distance to the end of the couch. One of the boys had started lifting the lid, and Sirius dashed next to him and slammed it shut.
"That's mine!" he snapped, a little more edge in his voice than he had intended.
The boys pulled back in surprise. "Gee, Sirius. There's no need to get cross," said the redheaded boy. Sirius suddenly looked embarrassed.
"Sorry, Artie. I didn't mean to yell. Here, I'll move the trunk."
With a wave of his wand, the trunk immediately rose off the carpet and followed Sirius as he walked back towards the boy's dorm. Maybe I can find a little bit of privacy up there.
He climbed up the stairs and let the trunk fall with a thud to the floor next to his wardrobe. Settling on top of the covers, he pulled out his Potions notes and began to read.
After a few minutes of study, he glanced up at the silver trunk a few feet away from him. I wonder what Snape's got in there that's so important. He could have just bought new robes. He'll probably have to, what with the shape his old ones are in. Gods, he thought, kicking himself. I've got to study! Sirius pulled his notes back up in front of his face and tried to concentrate. He sighed into the paper and peaked over the top to see the trunk sitting there ominously.
Maybe I'll just take one little peek, he though, setting the papers aside. Snape won't come back in here with everyone in the common room anyways. He crept over to the trunk, and glancing around the room to make sure it was deserted, slowly opened the lid. Lying on top of the mess inside were the two halves of the record that Snape was holding last night. Sirius picked the pieces up and fit them together, squinting at the purple label.
"Opera Classics," he read with a laugh. "How predictable, Snape."
Looking around the dorm once more, he pulled out his wand. I just want to see what it sounds like, he reasoned with himself. He tapped his wand to the broken record.
"Reparo," he whispered. The disc instantly melded itself back together. Setting down the newly mended record, he turned and reached into the trunk again to pull out the mangled green turntable. This is a little too far gone for Reparo, he realized. Reaching around to his nightstand, he fished around until he pulled out a book. The cover read "Butch Fixit's Guide to Handyman Hexes." It had been a present from James's parents on his thirteenth birthday, and he hadn't even looked at it for almost two years. He flipped through the pages for a moment, and then found the spell he could use.
Waving his wand, he whispered, "Rectifus Recordum!"
The dents slowly bent back out as if someone was pushing them from the inside. Sirius picked up the turntable and inspected it. Satisfied with his repairs, he placed the record on top of the little record player and waited. Nothing happened. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
I hope that Snape put some kind of charm on this to make it work without electricity. I don't have a book for that. He turned to player around, trying to find out how to make it work. On the front were three knobs. It's probably the one that says "ON" you moron, he said to himself. He switched the knob on, and the instrument spun to life.
A woman's sweet voice began to sing a melancholy tune. It climbed higher, and strings joined in, building up to a mournful peak. The record crackled as the voice sank back down to an almost sobbing tone. It made Sirius imagine dawn…like an execution at dawn. He listened to the track all the way through, and then the next, and then found that he had listened to every song on that side of the record. He seemed to remember himself when the needle scratched its way towards the center of the disc.
He leaned over to reach into the trunk and began systematically pulling out pieces of record and mending them until he had a stack of records sitting by his side. I just want to see what they are, he lied to himself.
Once he had finished fixing all of the records, he put the song of the mournful lady back on and sat back to listen to it. At the angle he was at, he noticed something that he hadn't before. Curiously, he leaned towards the trunk to find that there was a pocket sewn into the lid that obviously contained a rectangular object. He reached to pull it out, but stopped himself.
It was enough to look at the records…I had already seen them, really. Snape'll probably be furious when he finds out about those. Maybe I ought to stop while I'm ahead… But the temptation was too much. Taking a deep breath, he reached into the pocket and pulled out what looked like a small black journal. Just one look…
He flipped through the pages to find that they were blank. Then he saw that only the first page had writing on it. It was Snape's writing, but very scrawly.
Sept. 30, 1970
Got to school all right. It looks interesting…at least better than home. Met some guys on the train. They were nice. I liked one of them especially. I hope we'll be in the same house.
Then, at the bottom of the page there was another entry, though it was shorter and blurred with what looked like drops of water. He was crying, Sirius realized as he read the sentence. A wave of guilt washed over him.
Oct. 7, '70No such luck.
Sirius quickly put the journal back in its place in the lid of the sliver trunk and then carefully laid the stack of records inside it as well. Closing the lid, he pulled out his watch and saw that he only had minutes to get to his Potions exam. He threw his bag over his shoulder and tore down the stairs, through the now empty common room, and out into the hall. As he ran, he remembered the first weeks of his first year at Hogwarts.
It was he who Snape had met on the train, right after he had met his three future best friends. They had been nice to Snape on the trip, but the moment they stepped off the train, it seemed like everything suddenly changed. They were popular, and Snape simply wasn't. A few weeks later, Snape happened to be the accidental victim of one of Sirius's own first pranks. The scrawny little boy had run away sobbing.
That was the first time I ever saw him cry, Sirius thought, but then corrected himself.
Also the last.
•
Lily was going crazy. She had only really known him for a few days. Why couldn't she get his face out of her head? It's his eyes, she concluded. Those black eyes. They seem like they go on forever. All through her potions exam, she had sat and stared blankly at the questions.
# 32. How much water should go into a Delectus Draught?
Severus…# 58. What is the direction most potions should be stirred?
Severus…Before she could stop herself, she had doodled odd little hook-nosed smiley faces all over her parchment. He was sitting just a few seats away from her, and every few minutes he would seem to force himself out of the hunched position he kept moving into. She was so sure he felt the same way. Hadn't he looked at her in that way during breakfast? And he let her hold his hand on several occasions. Didn't that mean something?
I'll tell him, she decided. Soon.
•
Sirius had volumes to think about when he arrived at Filch's office for detention that evening. He wanted to talk to Snape about what he had found, but he couldn't let the boy know that he had been sifting through the trunk.
He pushed his way through the heavy door to Filch's office to find that Severus was already standing in front of the low desk. Filch was crouched over a piece of parchment on the desk in front of him, scratching away with a tattered quill. He looked livid. Sirius approached and stood with his hands in his pockets next to Snape. Filch continued to assault the parchment he was holding with no apparent regard to anything around him.
The boys looked at each other, Sirius making a subtle nod towards Filch, and Severus replying with a bewildered shrug. So they waited. Filch wrote for what seemed an eternity. Every few lines, he seemed to become furious with the material and begin jabbing and scribbling at whatever word he had just written.
At last, the crusty man stood and, muttering what sounded very much like cursing, stalked out of the room. Sirius turned to follow, taking care to stay back at least ten feet. Behind him, he could hear the efficient steps of Snape. After just a few minutes of quick walking, they arrived at what Sirius recognized as his own Transfiguration classroom. Filch pulled out a ring of at least fifty keys, and picking through them, selected one and jammed it roughly into the lock.
The light door swung open and Filch staggered through, pulling a candlestick from a desk right inside the doorframe. Lighting it with a match, he shoved it into Sirius's hands, along with a ball of crumpled up parchment. Filch turned on his heel and stalked back out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The boys heard a click, and Sirius realized that it was the lock.
"Well, how do you like that," he said indignantly, putting his hands on his hips. "He locked us in!"
Frowning, Sirius walked over to the closest desk. The room was unlit, save the single candle, and its orange light cast eerie shadows over the many displays on the walls. Severus walked over to McGonagall's desk to pick up an old-fashioned hurricane lantern and brought it back to the table that Sirius was at.
Sirius saw the lantern and a faint smile crossed his face. "That's brilliant, Snape. Here, use that paper over there to light it." He suddenly remembered the sweaty wad of parchment that he still held. Slowly he flattened it out on the table, careful not to tear it. It was the piece of parchment that Filch had been so angry at before. The scrawly, scratchy hand was written across the paper at an angle.
Write the following sentence as many times as possible during the allotted time:
I am a ruddy brat and I will learn to control myself.
Sirius smirked to himself. Sounds McGonagall inspired, he thought. There were two enormous blackboards at the front of the classroom, though McGonagall seldom used them. Sirius picked up the single candlestick and walked over to the desk, followed by Severus with the now-lit hurricane lantern.
"We've got to write this over and over for the whole time," he frowned, handing the note to Snape. Upon reading the note, Snape was scowling as well.
So much for him being in a talkative mood, thought Sirius. Sighing, he picked up a piece of chalk and, holding the candle up for light, he began to write the sentence at the top of one of the blackboards. I…am…a…ruddy… Snape followed suit, and soon they had covered half the boards.
How can I get him to talk about it? How should I begin? Sirius mused as the chalk squeaked across the board. It turned out, after an unbearably long time, that he wouldn't have to start the conversation. Snape didn't even turn away from his own board as he coldly stated a question.
"Why were you watching me last night?"
Sirius felt his stomach drop. Oh crap. Think quick. "Uh…" Snape turned to look at him with an expressionless face. This gesture seemed to give Sirius the inspiration to put on an angry voice.
"What are you talking about? I'd rather eat dung than watch you sleep!"
Snape surveyed him for a moment. Sirius felt his ears burning and was suddenly thankful for the bad lighting in the room. He turned back to the board with a slightly shaking hand and tried to act like that was the end of it. After a minute, he heard Snape start writing again as well.
"It must have been a nightmare," Snape said, with what Sirius could have sworn was a hint of amusement. Snape turned from the board and walked over to the lantern. He twisted the little knob on its side and the lantern brightened.
"Although, I never said anything about you watching me sleep."
Sirius's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. There went that plan. He frantically thought over ways to escape. The windows. If I got a running start, maybe I could leap over the windowsill. Then he remembered they were on the sixth floor. I could pick the lock! But that would take too long…
He became increasingly aware of a strange sound coming from the other board. It sounded like a fly buzzing. Turning, he saw that Snape's face was twisted into what seemed to be a barely controlled smile. The buzzing sound was actually high-pitched sniggering. He's laughing at me.
The idea of being laughed at by Snape made Sirius bristle with anger. But it was more than that. He felt…hurt. As if every snicker felt like Snape was ramming a stake right into his gut. He clutched his chalk and scraped it along the board with renewed conviction, but the sniggering didn't stop. Sirius whirled around and glared at Snape.
"You think that's funny, do you?" he fumed. "Well, how'd you get those scars on your neck?"
Snape stopped laughing. In fact, he suddenly looked very much like he had been punched in the stomach.
"W…what?" he stuttered, his hand drifting up to his neck involuntarily.
"Yeah," shouted Sirius before he could stop himself, his fury fueled by Snape's panic. "What happened? You try to kill yourself or something? Wrong side of your greasy neck for that, mate!"
Snape's eyes widened with shock and he staggered backwards, barely catching himself from falling. His mouth gaped open and he seemed unable to form words.
Sirius watched this reaction with a swell of dread and guilt. "Snape…Snape, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that…" He took a step towards the frantic boy. Looking around himself, he spotted McGonagall's chair and rolled it away from the desk.
"Here, sit down-" he began, turning back towards the other teen just in time to see a pale blur in front of his face. Then there was black nothing.
•
Severus had staggered with enraged disbelief after hearing Black shout out his darkest secret. The boy had immediately looked regretful, but it was too late for that. Much too late. Black had pulled out McGonagall's chair, and in that fleeting instant that he wasn't paying attention, Severus lost his last shred of control. He drew back his fist and released it with all his might. It connected solidly with Black's jaw and sent him flying backwards to tumble into a sprawled heap a few feet away. Snape stood panting with his fists clenched, ready to fight. The fallen boy didn't move.
Oh no…
He dropped down next to Black and pressed two fingers to his throat to find that there was indeed still a pulse beating there. Severus sat back on his heels for a moment, surveying the image in front of him with the utmost astonishment.
I knocked out Sirius Black. Oh my god. Knocked out cold. Right there in front of me.
He was suddenly overtaken with panic. Filch would probably be coming back soon. He reached down and fished around in Sirius's pocket and pulled out the pocket watch. Only thirty minutes left!
He whirled around frantically, searching for any ideas on how to wake the boy. If he had been in the dungeons, he would have known exactly where to find some smelling salts. He wasn't any good at medical charms either. His eyes fell to a cup of pens on McGonagall's desk and he suddenly had an idea. Grabbing the cup, he screwed up his eyes, trying to remember the incantation. He tapped his wand to the cup.
"Verto Agua!" he yelled, and the cup slowly melded into a bucket of water, which he promptly dumped onto Black's head.
Black gasped and bolted up immediately, and sat there, dripping and panting. He glared up at Severus, bringing a hand to his aching jaw.
"I guess I deserved that. Can't believe I blacked out…"
"Neither can I," Severus said a bit breathlessly, relieved that the water had worked. "You must get up! If Filch comes back here and finds that we haven't finished, McGonagall'll write our parents."
Sirius looked up at him with an annoyed expression. "It doesn't make any difference to me. My parents already think that I'm a no-good cretin. One more owl to them won't really matter."
Severus felt his stomach hit the floor. "Black…please. My parents cannot be contacted."
Black gaped at Severus, obviously shocked at the spectacle of a begging Snape. He turned to look at his lap for a moment, thinking. He gazed back up to Severus with what looked like a foreboding expression.
"I'll help you on one condition Snape," he said very seriously.
Oh no…here it comes, thought Severus.
Suddenly, Black's face broke into a wincing smile. "You've got to forgive me for what I said. That was way over the line."
Severus stared back at him in disbelief. Black merely grinned. Severus sighed and shook his head, hesitantly offering Black an outstretched hand.
"Thanks," said Black amiably, struggling to his feet. He rubbed his jaw and shifted it from side to side. "Gods, you really socked me there."
"You had it coming to you," Severus said and paused. "You had been watching me."
"I had just come down to see if you were still there!" Black explained, picking up his chalk and quickly scrawling on the board.
They didn't talk for the rest for the rest of the thirty minutes, they just wrote largely to fill the chalkboards with text. When Filch arrived, he glanced at the boards and grunted something the boys took as permission to leave. They collected their satchels and left as quickly as possible.
They strode down the hall side by side and arrived at the Gryffindor common room in no time. Sirius went in first, putting his finger to his lips to tell Snape to be quiet. They walked into the room and Sirius looked around and didn't see anyone.
"Where's my trunk?" Snape said suddenly.
Sirius's mind was a blank for a moment before he remembered the afternoon's events. "Oh, it's up in the dorm." Snape looked at him wide-eyed.
"There were a slew of kids in here earlier," Sirius quickly explained. "I didn't want them to open it, so I put it up next to my bed. Stay here…I'll go get it." Sirius turned to walk towards the boy's staircase, but stopped dead cold.
"Hello Sirius," said Remus from the bottom stair. He looked as if he had just woken up, wearing plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt. Sirius glanced quickly back at Snape who was also staring at the staircase, and then spun back around to face his friend.
"Remus…I-"
"This is a shock, Sirius," Remus looked sternly at him as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Have you been letting him sleep on the sofa?"
Sirius was at a loss for words. He'd blown it. Remus often ignored his prefect status when it came to his best friends, but Sirius had a feeling that this was the last straw. Now Snape was going to have to go back to his own dorm and possibly get beaten to a bloody pulp. Again.
Remus took a few steps toward his best friend, his brown wavy hair looking very disheveled. Sirius prepared himself for the worst. Remus gazed at him for a moment, and then his face split into a grin. "Why didn't you offer him a bed?"
Sirius nearly collapsed with relief. "Gods, Remus you scared me there for a second. I thought you were gonna tell McGonagall." He paused. "I dunno why; I didn't think there was anywhere to put him. I mean, nobody can find out. The rest of the house wouldn't like it."
"Oh, I don't think it would be a problem," Remus said thoughtfully. "Come on Severus." He turned and walked back up the stairs.
Sirius turned to Snape, who looked like he was seriously considering bolting for the door. Sirius gestured towards him reassuringly.
"It's alright. Come on."
Snape looked genuinely frightened, but hesitantly followed. They crept up the spiral stairs together passing doorway after doorway, behind which slept Gryffindors who would be furious if they saw Snape in their dormitory. They climbed to the top of Gryffindor Tower, stopping at a door that Sirius had never noticed before. Remus silenced the hinges before opening it.
" Only the prefects and professors know about the tower attics," whispered Remus. "We keep all of the extra furniture up here."
Remus gave them a grin and motioned for them to go in before him. They stepped carefully along the hardwood floor. Sirius worried that the floor might creak, and cast a troubled look at Remus, who smiled and mouthed the words "Silencing Charm."
They made their way through the darkened room past old desks and chairs, finally coming upon an empty bed.
"Lumos," said Remus, holding his now glowing wand, glancing at the dirty bed. He pointed his wand toward the four-poster, whispered, "Scourgify," and as he did, the dust vanished into air, leaving the bed much cleaner than before. Remus motioned for the boys to climb into the bed. Snape did so, sitting stiffly at the end of the mattress, crossing his arms over his chest. Sirius scrambled in awkwardly, making sure to take the opposite end while Remus followed, closing the curtains behind him.
"You can talk in here. I've put a Silencing Charm on the curtains. Just close them after I go"
"Well, this is grand, Moony," Sirius smiled. "Did you pick those charms up while studying for tomorrow's exam?"
Remus rolled his eyes. "Unlike you, I tend to retain what I learn in class."
Sirius glanced around the interior of the four-poster, and suddenly remembered that there was a Slytherin sitting there with them.
"Uh, Remus…how's he gonna come and go?"
Remus looked uneasy. "Well, I haven't exactly gotten to that bit yet. Don't worry though. I'll think of something. Severus?"
Snape snapped his head around, apparently very surprised at being addressed this way.
"You're in the habit of getting up early aren't you?" Remus asked gently.
Snape nodded. "How did you know?"
Remus gave a good-natured shrug. "I've seen you sneaking over to the baths in the wee hours of the morning." He pulled his legs out from underneath him and reached for the curtains. "Well, as long as you wake up with me, this shouldn't be any problem. You can use the prefect's baths. Prefects always sleep in…except for me," he said with a wink and slipped back out into the darkness.
Sirius sat uncomfortably for a moment, aware of Snape's eyes on him.
"Well…" he began, searching for something to say. "Uh…you'll be ok here?"
Snape gave a slight nod. Sirius sighed with exhaustion. "All right. Good night." He leaned toward the curtains to leave, but stopped.
"I am sorry for what I said," he whispered into the hangings. He heard Snape draw in a short breath.
"Thank you," said the scrawny boy with a pause. "Goodnight, Black."
Sirius smiled to himself. "Goodnight, Snape," he said, and climbed past the curtains, drawing them closed behind him.
Severus relaxed as he saw Black leave. The bed was now completely dark so he pulled out his wand.
"Lumos," he whispered, even though he knew no one could hear him. His wand glowed dimly as he noticed that there was a set of pajamas lying on the pillow.
Damn them, he thought, tugging his vest off his shoulders. He undid the first few buttons of his cream colored shirt and pulled it up over his head, his glossy hair falling through the collar and settling down his bare back. A moment later, he had on the pajamas that smelled vaguely of dog and crawled under the bright gold comforter.
He tentatively reached a hand up to finger the scars dotting his nape but pulled away again. "Wrong side of your greasy neck…" he remembered Black shouting at him. He wrapped the comforter around his shoulders tightly and closed his eyes, not really knowing how or what to feel anymore.