Thank you for reviewing CitrusPeach! Since you did I'm going to post this next part now. I guess we eat meat cause we're brought up to think it's normal. I think it's a psychological thing with the meat substitutes. I remember my sister was enjoying a lasagna made from Quorn but once she found out it wasn't meat said it was awful! School meat? What's that? Sounds bad. I'm so glad I'm not in school anymore! You have to pass gym? If that's the same as PE (I'm guessing it is) the last 3 years I was in school I didn't even have it. It's not really a real subject in Ireland (as in it doesn't count for anything when you want to go to college). Who are RENT? A band? The weather here's insane. It's ok today but a couple of days ago it was switching between really heavy hail and bright and sunny about every half an hour! People can't decide if it's the greenhouse effect or if it's always been like this!

Anyway, here's the fic. This is the last part of this part. Sorry it's short and not very good.

Snape had told himself that he would not visit Sirius tonight. He obviously wasn't wanted and had no business doing so. However he had slept less than three hours in the last seven days. That meant more potion would be necessary if he were to prevent the nightmares that inevitably came with closing his eyes.

He swallowed two mouthfuls of the intensely blue liquid. It tasted somewhat like lemon juice, only more chemical. The excess energy came into effect soon afterwards. And he found himself once more walking quickly but without direction through the corridors of the school. He swore when he found himself by the hospital wing again. 'Turn around. Stop in the library and pick up a book you haven't read a hundred times already. Better yet; go for a walk in the forest. Maybe something will pop out and eat you.' Yet he pushed open the door and looked inside.

Sirius was asleep, peacefully it seemed. His breathing was slow. His thin body was relaxed. For some completely irrational reason that made Severus angry.

He was about to leave when he noticed the broken bottle of dreamless sleep on the floor.

'Fuck!'

He rushed over to the bed. Quickly he checked the other man's pulse. It was faint, and far too slow.

He threw open the doors of the medicine cabinet and searched for half a dozen seconds that felt like hours before finding the antidote. He forced half the bottle down Sirius' throat. Then he remembered to breathe.

Brown eyes flickered open. He was probably feeling sick but at least now was no longer drifting from sleep into death.

"Why did you do that?"

Black didn't answer.

"Why did you do that?"

"Why did you stop me?"

"If I can't end my life why should you be able to end yours?"

"You haven't been through what I have. Why should you want to die?"

"You don't know anything about my life."

"I know you weren't there, chained up in my room, or in those dungeons. You didn't have hands running unwelcome up and down your skin. Someone forcing their way inside you, taking what isn't theirs..."

"Yes I did!" 'Shit! Why did I tell him that? He wasn't supposed to know. No one was supposed to know!'

Sirius was stunned. "Who?"

'Fuck, I wish I hadn't said anything!'
"My father."
'Don't tell him about the meetings. He doesn't need to know about that too.'

"When?"

"Since before I can remember till I left when I was eighteen." He said it quickly, looking at the floor. "I'm going to get Madam Pomphrey for you now."

"Wait. Don't get her."

"I have to. What if you try to do something like this again?"

"I won't. You can stay here if you like, to make sure."

Severus didn't actually say anything indicating agreement with this. He did however pull over one of the nearby beds and sit down on it. This position was uncomfortable and after few minutes he lay down on his back instead. He flinched when he felt a hand close around his own. But looking to his side he saw that it was only Sirius. He wanted to pull away but the other man seemed to be asleep.

'What do I care if I wake him?'

Yet he didn't move.

The darkened room, the stillness and sheer exhaustion were starting to act against the potion Severus had already consumed. He didn't notice his eyes closing. The warmth on his hand didn't feel so bad. It was sort of nice. Then he was asleep.

And for the first time in a very long time neither Sirius Black nor Severus Snape had any nightmares.