Disclaimer: They belong to Ms. Rowling, not me.
Warnings: Yep. Nobody responded on his or her opinion of if this should be slashy. So I took it on myself to make it so.
Chapter 4: Bother
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The boy cowered beneath the ancient wooden table, his eyes shut, his tiny hands held to his ears, attempting to keep the screams out of his head. He rocked back and forth on the floor, whispering to himself.
"Dammit, Sahriya!" A male voice shouted, following by the sharp sound of flesh against flesh. Severus jumped as he heard his mother fall to the ground.
"Silas, please!" Severus's mother cried, attempting to climb to her feet. She was struck down again, this time remaining on the floor. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"If you were really sorry," The man grunted. "You never would've done it."
"N-no. Please." Another loud sound of flesh on flesh, followed by another high-pitched scream. Severus darted out from beneath the table, crawling over to the semi-conscious form of his mother. "Mommy, wake up. Please, mommy…"
"Get the hell out of the way, boy…" Silas growled, yanking the five year old to his feet, holding his arm in a bruising grip.
"No." Severus said, his voice low, fearful. He pulled away from his father, standing between his parents, his tiny hands on his hips. His shaggy black hair fell into his face, his dark eyes searching his father's face.
"That's it." Silas bellowed, his hands lashing out at towards his only son. He wrapped one massive hand around Severus's neck, cursing.
Severus cried in pain, attempting to fight off the man. He struck out at his father, but his five-year-old legs weren't long enough to connect, and his fists weren't strong enough to harm him.
Sahriya stood up shakily, running a hand through her silver streaked black hair before screaming at the sight in front of her.
"Silas, no! Please, leave him alone! Let him go!" Sahriya rushed at her husband and son, attempting to pull the elder Snape from the no longer fighting boy. Silas laughed her off, sending her back to the floor with his free hand.
"Stay out of this, woman. This is between me and my son." Silas shook Severus roughly before sending him to the floor in a heap. Severus didn't move.
"Severus? Baby… Severus… Come on, boy. Come on, baby…" Sahriya whispered, pulling her son into her arms. Tears fell from her eyes as she shook him, attempting to rouse him. "Damn you, Silas, what have you done?"
"Nothing more than the insolent brat deserved." Silas huffed, walking towards the door. He turned back towards his wife before leaving the room. "Get this mess cleaned up. And I expect dinner to be served in forty five minutes."
Sahriya nodded silently as he left, holding Severus to her tightly. She sniffled softly. "Damn you, Silas…"
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Severus and I sit in his chambers. Our conversation has dwindled down slowly into nothingness. He stands up suddenly, walking over to liquor cabinet, taking up the bottle of vodka. He starts to pour a generous amount into his glass, but changes his mind, taking a swig out of the bottle.
"Have you been sleeping properly, Severus?" I ask suddenly, draining the bit of my drink.
"What business are my nocturnal habits to you?" He asks sharply, spinning about on his heel.
I sigh. "You don't need to snap. I'm merely concerned."
"Why would you be concerned about me?" He asks, his voice full of annoyance. He pinches the bridge of his nose as if he's getting a headache.
"You look as if you haven't slept in… Like you've not slept since Sirius died." I admit, running a hand through my hair. I stand up, walking over to Severus. I place a hand on his shoulders, and am surprised to see that he flinches. Snape. Flinching. This man has faced Death Eaters, Voldemort, and countless Neville Longbotom's, and he flinches when I touch him. But then again, I did almost kill the man. Not on purpose of course.
"You're one to talk. You don't eat or sleep. You're always roaming about the school at odd hours, a guilty look on your face." Snape sighs, setting down the bottle, but not before taking another chug of its contents. The breath catches in my throat as he says this, and I have a sudden urge to hit him.
"At least I show the fact that I'm grieving. You do nothing but hide down here in the dungeons or at your manor. You spend all of your time working on your blasted potions! You act as if you don't care, but it's obvious.
"You look like death walking, Severus…" I sigh deeply, my voice weakening with every word that I say. I feel the sting of tears coming to my eyes.
Snape surprises me by running his thumb across my cheek, wiping away a tear before it can fall far. In the two decades, lord, almost three decades, that I've known him, he's never done this. He's never shown this much emotion, or opened himself up as much as this.
Without thinking, I lean over, kissing him softly. He seems shocked at first, but doesn't pull away.
Finally, after what seems like hours, we pull away, gasping for breath. He looks at me, his face flushed. I find my newly restored breath catching in my throat, and I'm filled with a sudden panic. I shouldn't have done that.
"I… Severus, I'm sorry…"
"Get out, Lupin." He whispers, his black eyes staring into my hazel ones. He looks almost helpless.
"Severus…"
"Get out."
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A/N: Yes, it's short. But I'm trying to get these little bits of the story up before my muse leaves me. She decided that she didn't like "Victims of Comfort" and hasn't come back in a while. I'm taking advantage of her being here while I can. (And I've even got the flashback of chapter five done… Those are so much easier than writing the rest of the story.)