I am writing within the Potter-verse that was created by Madam Rowling.
Chapter Seventeen:
Twilight was fast approaching and, as he cautiously made his way to the prearranged meeting place, he sniffed the air for hidden dangers.
'Well at least the storm passed,' Sirius consoled himself as he navigated the dripping foliage and underbrush of the forest. 'All I need to do now is find the well and then I'm safe.' The thought of seeing Harry again gave speed to his already swift feet.
In his dog form the dim light was not a problem, dogs see better in low light, but then they're colorblind and he had to deal with that, he gave a mental shrug and continued on.
Pausing just outside of the clearing he scanned the area. To his 'dog's eyes' the small glade was empty, but his nose told him differently, 'Citrus? It smells like someone's eating an orange. But if they're eating an orange why don't I smell them too?'
The scent of the fruit was vibrant and hung heavily in the clean air, but he could not find the scent of the person. Cautious after so much time on the run he decided to circle the area and find the point at which he she or they had entered it. After completing his circuit and finding not a trace Sirius decided that the orange must have been left behind by someone passing by before it had started to rain. Sliding easily from canine to human he entered the clearing and approached the well.
The well itself had been abandoned for so long that the forest had begun to reclaim the ground men had forgotten that they had once cleared. The four low stone walls that made up the visible portion of the shaft were covered with clinging ivy, moss, and the rotting peaked roof the had shaded them for years.
-SNAP-
A twig broke in the forest off to his left and Black instantly resumed the appearance of a large entirely black Rottweiler. Muscles tensed, ready for flight, he sniffed the air again. The orange was overpoweringly strong and he realized his mistake a moment too late.
'I went all the way around the clearing without checking the clearing itself.'
He nearly leapt from his skin when a voice whispered to him from the other side of the well; "It's a Succubus. You attracted its attention when you popped into human existence."
The silken voice that floated on an orange scented breath caused a shiver to run down Sirius' spine. It was so cold and detached, that it could belong to no one but, 'Snape? What is he doing eating an orange? I thought he only drank blood or acid or, something like that.'
Slowly he walked around to the opposite side of the well and saw a rather disturbing sight. Snape sat on a large rock that had fallen from the side of the well. He had a pealed orange in one hand and was pulling off sections and eating them with his eyes closed. His black robe and large cape were pooled around him like a giant ink spill. It was disturbing Sirius decided, because Snape looked so casual without shedding a bit of the darkness that clung to him.
Snape addressed him almost lazily. "I think the only way you could make more noise walking through the woods would be if some one tied a-" there was a rustle in the forest behind them.
"It's the Succubus." Snape didn't seem to care and continued to eat his fruit.
'Is he really suicidal?' Black looked from the orange eating Potion Master, to the soft footsteps that approached from the forest on the other side of the clearing. 'I'm safe, they only prey on people that they can attract, and it can't recognize me as human, while I'm a dog. But- Wait a minute!'
A rather thrilling idea made its presence known in his head, 'If that is a Succubus, and I am immune to its trick, it will have to take the shape of the person that Snape cares about most!' A rather delighted though evil chuckle echoed through his mind at the thought, 'Yah, James would have loved to be here for this one,' before his ears could droop he cheered slightly. 'At least I can tell Lupin, and Harry.'
Having finished about half of his orange Snape stood and began to slowly walk toward the creature that was emerging from the bushes.
'Dear god! He's in love with a Succubus!' Sirius' jaw dropped.
Snape approached the monster and, stopping midway between it and Black, ate another section of orange.
He nodded at the undisguised terror, "Absolute proof," he spit a seed to the side, "that I'm a heartless bastard." There was a wistful almost regretful edge to his voice.
A look of confusion crossed the almost-human face of the monster before it turned and went back into the forest.
"Come on," Snape abruptly walked to a thin point in the bushy circle and began to head north. "I have to get back before six-o'clock."
~
"I thought they only came out at night," Sirius broached the subject that had been filling his mind for the past few kilometers.
"They usually do, but because of the dark sky and recent rarity of human flesh," he emphasized the word with a glance back at Sirius. "Some of the inhabitants of this wood have decided to come out early."
They had traveled a long enough distance from the clearing that Sirius had felt safe returning to human form. In the moment it took for him to change shape though, Snape had gained quiet a bit of ground and Sirius had been forced to scramble to catch up.
"Is there some particular reason why we have to go at a break neck pace, or did you find running through those thorn bushes especially pleasant?"
No response.
"Come on Sna—"
He whirled around so fast that he was in Black's face before the startled man could finish.
"Not another word," he rasped. "You make better time as a dog, and unless you're interested in finding your way out alone I suggest that you go back to your Animagus form. Now." Spinning sharply he faced the way they had been going and continued on.
It was obviously not just a threat. Even when they had been in school everyone had known that the skinny dark-haired boy never made threats. Every once in a while though, some one who had pushed him too far would turn up in the medical wing.
'Yah but they never stayed long,' Black remembered, 'They were transferred to Mungo's as soon as the Medi-wizards could get there.'
Dropping to all fours he found it was much easier to push through the brush and keep even with his guide, until they reached a large round iron grate set into the side of a hill. When Snape stopped and stared at the chain that held the grate closed, Black shifted form again.
"Just be quiet," was all Snape said while continuing to stare at the chain.
Stepping to the side to get a better look, Black saw what was holding them up, "It's a padlock," he offered, "Muggles use them to-"
"I know what it is. Now shut up. I need to concentrate."
Sirius wisely chose to step back and let Snape think. Obviously now was not the time to share odd bits of Muggle culture that he had picked up over the years.
After a few minutes of silence Snape raised his left hand toward the lock.
'Just do it and we can get back to the castle. Back to safety.'
*Yah, like there's anywhere that's safe now*
With a slight sense of resignation he focused his will on the rusted lock that barred their way.
-Click- the lock sprang open.
In one smooth motion Snape removed the lock and chain from the grate and flung them into the forest.
The grate was opened and the tunnel beyond was large enough that Sirius could walk down it in a crouch. He chose to slip into 'dog mode' though, to save himself a backache.
Keeping one hand on the tunnel wall to steady himself Snape led the way into the hill.
Chapter Eighteen:
The tunnel was long. The tunnel was dark. And the tunnel apparently led nowhere.
After twists and turns, side passages and secret passages, and all of the nasty little spiders and rats and things that like cool dark places, Sirius was panting. Even in canine form he had been forced to nearly run in order to keep up with Snape.
Unable to see Snape in the utter blackness or even hear his footsteps (his claws raked against the tunnel floor drowning out any sound that might have been made by the figure before him) Sirius found himself following the slight citrus fragrance that still clung to his guide.
Gradually the oblivion they had been traversing began to fall away. There was a faint light ahead and when they finally reached its source Black was again thunder-struck. Snape had stopped at the end of the tunnel and just beyond it was-
'Nothing?!' Sirius could not see very much around Snape's cape but what he could see did not look good.
Swiftly removing two lengths of narrow rope from a pocket Snape whispered, "You're going to need to shift back to climb." Without waiting for Black to comply he tossed one of the pieces of rope back at him and began to unfasten the front of his robe.
The dim light that seemed to be coming from above was not enough to enable him to clearly see what Snape was doing. Sirius got the impression though, that Snape was using the rope as a belt and had tied it to keep his robe open.
"Follow my lead. Don't say anything, and start with your right foot." Snape advised before grasping something outside the tunnel with his right hand and swinging out of the tunnel taking a sharp right.
When Sirius had tied his robe back and stepped forward to the end of the tunnel he saw that it was intersected vertically by a nearly identical shaft that had a pale light at the top, and seemingly no bottom. Leaning out to the right where Snape had disappeared, he saw a ladder that had been imbedded into the wall. Several of the rungs had fallen away and it looked as though starting on a particular foot might be the only way to make it to the top.
Gingerly he grasped the far side of the ladder with his left hand. With his back to the abyss he slowly placed his left foot on the rung at just about knee height above the floor of the tunnel.
'No, he said to start with the right.' He had remembered in time to catch himself as the rung crumbled away under his weight.
A tiny splash echoed back after a long moment.
Very carefully, and rather awkwardly, he crossed his right leg in front of his left and managed to find a small post that only his right foot could have settled on. After that the climb went smoothly. Snape could be seen far above and silhouetted in the circle of light that shone down.
Snape waited impatiently for Black to reach the top. When he finally emerged his expression drew a nearly-a-smile from the annoyed professor.
"This is not the same well we left hours ago, please tell me it's not," he gasped.
"That one was square, this one is round. It is nearly five-forty-five and we still need to break into the school grounds."
He could not force the customary chill in his voice that should have been there. Hastily he untied his 'belt' refastened his robe and set off again before Black could comment on it.
~
They walked the deserted halls of Hogwarts (it was dinner time) and silent as shadows crept into the dungeon. Still leading the way Snape stopped in the middle of a hall and indicated the wall on his left, "That's Lupin's door," taking a few steps further he turned and flicked his wrist at the wall on his right, "Yours is here. The password is… " He cringed slightly but forced himself to continue, "Honey-twist." Glaring sharply at Black's poorly disguised mirth, "The Headmaster chose it. I suggest that you familiarize yourself with your rooms some other time. I need you to watch Lupin while I'm gone."
With nothing to leave in his 'new digs' and no clean robe to change into Sirius gave a nod of understanding and waited for Snape to lead him to Remus. 'It is probably still not a good idea to talk, but once he's gone, where ever he's going to, I'll be able to ask Remus if he thinks Snape's finally lost his mind. It's a very real possibility considering the way he's been acting.'
"You should leave your wand here."
"What on Earth for?" 'I knew it! He's nutters.'
With a frustrated sigh Snape explained, "My private lab is where I have been working with Lupin. I keep it as magic-free as possible so that the equipment that I have managed to, er, acquire is not damaged. Now put your wand in there," he jerked a thumb at the hidden door, "alone, or keep it company I don't care which, but it is not coming within two-hundred paces of my lab."
He swished past Black and swiftly made his way to what seemed to be just a small alcove down the hall from his classroom. With the hour biting at his heels he did not wait to see if Black would follow or not, again raising his left hand he focused for a moment and… slowly a door came into being at the back of the nook and swung outward.
Sirius quickly spat the password and placed his wand on a small end table that was conveniently near the door. Not taking the time to notice that his living room had been fully furnished for him, or that a cheerful fire was burning in the fireplace, he raced after Snape.
Just making it through the closing door in the alcove, Sirius found himself, once again, in a pitch-black passage. This one however was not a nice smooth tunnel, it was a narrow steeply angled, spiral staircase that had nothing but a long fall on the inside curve and a rather slick curved stone wall on the outer edge. That was all he glimpsed before the door shut and disappeared. That and the edge of Snape's cloak as it flared behind him.