Title: Making Tomorrow Yesterday: Chapter Six

Summary: Salene Snape transfers to Hogwarts after she runs away from her parents. Immediately, she catches the eye of Sirius Black. However, she refuses to like him because of his immaturity and...she doesn't want to just be another one of his one week flings. When Professor Carter, the DADA professor, finds out Durmstrang didn't teach defense, she assigns Black to tutor her, because he is the best student. And that is when it all begins. It would be easier, of course, if her cousin Severus wasn't breathing down her neck all the time.

Pairings: SB/OC RL/SS JP/LE

Feedback: ALL feedback is appreciated, as long as it is not needless flames. Those you can keep to yourself.

Rating/Warnings: This is M (R) for language, romance, and torture. The romance in this story, however, does not pass a light PG-13, if that. Mainly you have to watch out for language and torture/abuse.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: Nothing to say about this chapter, it pretty much speaks for itself.


When Salene opened her eyes, she had to blink several times to clear them from fuzziness. Her head pounded and her hand felt oddly heavy. Wait, no, someone was holding it. She twisted her head to the left with a minimal amount of pain and saw Sirius clutching her hand, head tipped back as he slept, lips parted and a soft snore coming from him. She smiled faintly and looked to the right and saw Severus reclining in the bed next to her, head to one side and his chest rising with every inhale. He was paler than usual, but she felt positive she was too. Across from her, Zabini was sitting, flicking dispiritedly through a magazine, his eyes barely glancing at the page before he turned another. He, unlike Severus and herself, had a healthy look and seemed to be in perfect condition, other than his apparently depressed state.

"I'm not mad at you," he said, speaking suddenly and starling her. "Maybe a little hurt that you used me as a pawn, but not angry." He turned another page and sent her a sly smile. "But of course, now you owe me. A lot." She couldn't help but snort and he looked up, puzzled.

"I don't owe you anything. I forfeited five years of my life to save you, and that is worth more than anything I could ever do." She caught his interest with this statement and she went on to explain, albeit without much detail. "Severus and I performed a blood exchange with the blood you left on the floor. Combined, we gave you ten years worth of life, which enabled you to heal. Without the exchange, you likely would have died." She flashed him a smirk. "I don't owe you anything." He frowned but remained silent, relaxing in his pillows and seeming to think for a while.

"You could at least give me a kiss." He flashed her a supposedly dazzling smile and she shrugged before gently releasing her hand from Sirius's grip and testing out her legs. They were a bit shaky, but otherwise worked fine as she crossed the room, grabbed Zabini's wand, and Conjured a pound worth of chocolate wrapped in foil, presenting it to Zabini.

"A chocolate kiss, much larger than normal." Zabini accepted it with a grin, shaking his head, peeling back the foil and breaking off a bite size chunk as she returned to her bed and took Sirius's hand once more. There were several minutes of silence, except for the rustle of foil and magazine pages, and Salene was just drifting off to sleep when Professor Dumbledore strode in. His heavy steps, along with Salene flinching away, stirred Sirius from his nap.

"'Sappen?" he muttered drowsily.

"Good to see you are awake, Mr. Black," Professor Dumbledore responded pleasantly. She looked up at the subtle disappointment in his voice. Sirius was studying her without expression, and Zabini was watching Dumbledore with a faint frown. "I think it would be better if Severus was awake...Ennervate." Severus suddenly jolted to a sitting position eyes wide, and blinked twice.

"Salene...what's going on?"

"Professor Dumbledore was just about to explain," she said, sitting up perfectly straight. "Sirius, you might want to leave."

"If you're going to be expelled, I don't want to spend the last few minutes you have here away from you," he said in an undertone, reaching out to squeeze her hand. She flushed, because even though his voice was low her cousin and headmaster had obviously heard.

"Not to worry," Professor Dumbledore said, though his face was grave. "No one's being expelled today. You would have been, as well as your cousin and Miss Fontane, but Mr. Zabini was very adamant that you three stay."

"They should be getting awards for getting rid of Bellatrix," Sirius muttered. Dumbledore admonished Sirius lightly for his comment and Salene frowned.

"'Getting rid of'?" she quoted. "What do you mean?" Professor Dumbledore answered.

"That is the second thing I came to discuss with you. Due to her method of attacking Mr. Zabini and the inflicted damage to his physical well-being, Miss Black will be serving six months for the assault...in Azkaban. She will be serving an additional five years for confirmed Death Eater activity." It was obvious that despite his disappointment and anger, for lack of better words, in/at Bellatrix, he thought the punishment was much too harsh for a seventeen-year-old. Salene wholeheartedly disagreed.

"Is that all, sir?" Severus' voice drew her from her thoughts and she returned to the present.

"Of course, we are still punishing you. You have a month worth of detention and you are forbidden to go on any of the Hogsmeade trips the rest of the school year. And I expect you two to apologize to Mr. Zabini. Miss Fontane has already done so, and has decided to withdraw from Hogwarts permanently to reside in St. Mungo's while her mind heals from trauma.." Salene looked down, feeling fresh waves of guilt, as Zabini spoke up.

"Sir...when will I be able to leave the hospital?" Despite his casual tone, his eyes belied his desperation to leave.

"Ah yes, of course, you can leave now," Dumbledore replied, beaming. Zabini stood and was out before Dumbledore could say another word. "Good day, Mr. and Miss Snape, Mr. Black." He whirled around, robes swirling and left the infirmary, the door banging slightly behind him.

"Don't worry, you can go to Hogsmeade any time you can like," Sirius said, resting his chin on Salene's stomach and grinning up at her. His breath tickled her - but not in the laughing sort of way - and his hands were resting lightly on her hips.

"Really?" she managed, looking up and away, licking her mysteriously dry lips.

"Yep. I'll show you when you get out of here." He grinned once more before leaning up and kissing her gently. "I've got to go. Homework and all that. I'll be back later, okay?" She nodded and the moment he left she rolled over, stuck her face into her pillow, and let out an entirely undignified squeal.

"That was definitely not a G rated show of affection," Severus said icily. Salene stood and pounced on him, grinning at his horrified expression.

"Severus...say you're in love with Lupin," she teased, leaning her face closer, eyes challenging his. She felt the same way she had when she's accidentally inhaled a bit of yolk from a dragon egg - she probably felt the way she did because of the drugs Madam Pomfrey had given her.

"Salene, I'm-"

"Say it!"

"You're-"

"Say it!"

"I love Remus!" he shouted, just as none other than Remus Lupin opened the infirmary door.

"Um...I'm hoping you're not forcing yourself on him and he's using me to put you off," he said dryly.

"Remus!" Severus said, going red. Salene smiled to herself and went back to her own bed, looking in the other direction but listening intently.

"You never said that to me," came Lupin's soft voice, apparently sitting as the bed creaked.

"Well, I do...love you."

"I lo...Severus, what's that?" Salene rolled over, surprised by the sudden panic in Lupin's voice. Severus's forearm was clearly revealed, his sleeve having fallen down to his elbow. The imprinted mark stood out clearly against his pale skin. "Is that...the Dark Mark? Are you a Death Eater?" Lupin stood, eyes flashing. His face was drained of all color and his posture stiff.

"Remus, listen, please. I am a Death Eater, but I-" Lupin cut him off by storming over to the door and wrenching it open, then pausing.

"We're over, Snivellus," he said coldly and left.

"But I'm a spy now," Severus protested to the air. Salene's heart wrenched and she walked over to his bed once more. He looked into her eyes, his own suddenly hollow. "I am." Something inside her crumbled and she slid her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly.

"It'll be okay," she whispered in his ear, as though he was crying. And she knew on the inside he was. "It'll be okay."


A week later, Salene entered the room she had her Defense tutoring in, only to find all three of the Marauders in the room. She swallowed, carefully avoiding looking at anyone but Sirius. But that was worse. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked tired and stressed. His normally sleek hair was as bad, if not worse, than Potter's. She a took a seat silently across from them, studying the grain of the table. Fascinating, really.

"Salene...are you a Death Eater too?" She looked up, her surprise quickly turning to anger.

"Oh yes, of course, that's why I ran away from home because they were forcing me to be initiated. In reality, I just preferred to lose my family, my friends, and my Head Girl status to be a Death Eater in a completely foreign civilization," she answered sarcastically.

"Can...can I see..."

"If you don't trust me, Black, just end this. End us. Because I don't have to prove myself to you. I said I'm not a Death Eater, and if you can't take my word for it, I don't want to be with you." She looked down once more, surprised by the tears springing to her eyes. There was silence and she got to her feet, slinging her back over her shoulder. "And Severus is a spy for the light side, Lupin. And you'd know that if you'd stayed for five seconds. I don't care if you were scared, or surprised, or anything. You were the first person he's ever opened up to. He said he loved you. And you broke up with him. Now that's what I call class." Then she turned her back on them and strode out into the corridors.


The sky was violet and star strewn as Salene stripped off her clothes and jumped into the lake. Of course, skinny dipping was against school rules but considering the fact she was out two hours past curfew and swimming in the lake was strictly forbidden, skinny dipping was not the worst of what she was doing, believe it or not. She knew breaking so many rules after narrowly missing expulsion so recently was not very smart but she needed a release; to do something spontaneous and rebellious. The first thing that had come to her mind was a one night stand, but she didn't want her virginity taken that way...and allowing Black to have so much control over her life wouldn't be smart either. Then, she had actually considered becoming a Death Eater but rejected it as soon as it had entered her mind. For many obvious, and some not so obvious, reasons. She was glad there weren't any available baldes, or else they might have helped her calm down...

She sighed, breaking from her thoughts, and dove into the water, eyes open and a spell allowing her to see. Misshapen fish swam everywhere, jerking away from each other if they got too near. Strangely colored plants swayed harmlessly, occasionally picking their roots out of the bottom and moving for a few inches to the left. The hazy form of the giant squid was slowly become larger, and she swam up to the surface, floating on her back, arms outstretched. The full moon seemed to glower down at her and she thought of Lupin. Lupin, who had betrayed Severus so badly, who pretended to be innocent with the pranks his friends pulled. She barked out laughter at the thought of Lupin. He really had the whole world fooled...

A howl pierced the silence and a chill went down her spine. That was a werewolf's call. Salene was many things, but stupid was not one of them, and waiting around for a werewolf to maul her to death - or, perhaps even worse, turn her into a werewolf - was definitely stupid. She got out of the water and cast a drying spell on herself before dressing. She had not fully buttoned up her robes when another howl reached her. She abandoned her attempts and, clutching her wand tightly, began walking towards the castle. Every nerve in her body was telling her to run but she knew if there was a werewolf she would only attract him more by running.

Then, there was a snarl to her left and she half turned, only to be attacked from behind, slammed into the ground and a sear of pain jolting through her leg, causing her to cry out. She could see the werewolf in front of her, eyes glowing as it growled, but something with four legs was clearly holding her down...protecting her. She felt comforted, despite the fact that the something was a snarling, snapping something. The werewolf lurched forward, teeth bared, and the something launched itself at him and they rolled away, slashing with claws, biting at each other's throats.

Salene felt the ground around her blindly, searching for her wand, and it was several breathless moments before her fingers closed around it. She tried to stand but her apparently broken leg simply wouldn't support her weight. There was a howl of pain and she saw it was coming from the Grim-like mutt that had been protecting her. She hesitated, knowing if her spell missed she wouldn't have time to cast another spell before the werewolf was on her, but finally her conscience (or what little remaiend of it) won out and she aimed a stunning spell at the werewolf. She sucked in her breath when he began to move but then saw the dog was simply untangling himself. She sighed in relief and turned her mind back on the task at hand. She could cast a levitating charm on herself and-

Her thoughts broke off as she realized there was no longer a black dog sprawled before her, but instead a very hurt, unconscious wizard. The wizard Sirius Black to be precise. She turned her gaze to the werewolf, guessing it was Lupin, and frowned as she thought. There was no way for her to somehow carry Sirius, magically or not, and still make it back to the castle before the spell wore off. Well, maybe she could levitate Sirius and crawl back to the castle...

Then, almost as suddenly as she had been tackled, a male deer galloped out of the forest, gently picked up werewolf with his antlers and made his way to the Whomping Willow. He took a fallen branch in his mouth, prodded something, and a hole appeared in the base of the trunk as the branches froze. Lupin was unceremoniously dumped in the hole and the stag came back. Then, silently, James Potter was standing in his place.

"You can't tell anyone," he said, begging. "Please?" She nodded, not trusting her voice at all. Either Potter and Si...Black were shape shifters (highly unlikely) or they were Animagus (even more unlikely). "We'll explain," Potter added.

"My leg is broke," she whispered and then cleared her throat, displeased at the husky quality it had taken on. "I don't know healing spells for it." Potter nodded and pointed his wand at her. He muttered something and a glowing orb about the size of her thumb rose from her robes and settled on a point just above her knee. He frowned and knelt beside her.

"Sirius did a job on you," he said with a sigh, placing a hand right over the orb, though it simply floated through his hand and hovered there. He began chanting in a language she didn't recognize, which wasn't all that surprising considering she only knew English and Bulgarian. The blue orb contracted until it was the size of the pea and then exploded in light so bright she had to cover her eyes. When she removed her hands, Potter was standing, a hand offered to her, the pain in her leg gone. She took his hand, testing out her leg gingerly. It felt perfectly fine and when she took a few steps forward she didn't collapse or suddenly become pained. She turned to him and licked her lips, nervous.

"That was pretty advanced magic...thank you." He just shrugged and jammed his hands.

"Sirius loves you, how could I not help?" She turned her head, feeling a blush coming on. "You did the same to him Remus did to Snape. You know that, don't you?" Before she could help herself, she was nose to nose with Potter, who was the same height as her.

"Don't you dare compare what I did to what Lupin did," she snarled, spitting Lupin out the way she had Voldemort. "For one thing, I haven't been going out with S-Black for two years." As she finished the sentence, she gave Potter a little shove. "For another thing, I gave Black over two minutes to say something, and Lupin charged out in the middle of Severus' sentence. So don't you dare...don't you dare..." And then, with no reason or warning, she burst out crying. Salene stood there, her head in her hands, sobbing with Potter before her; shedding the tears she never had over Black's betrayal. Oh, to hell with it, Sirius' betrayal. And she was crying for the injustice on Severus' part, that he had built up such a cold image and couldn't afford to do anything about his pain.

Then, suddenly, she was enveloped in a tight hug and she stiffened. She thought it was Potter and was about to push him away when a familiar voice spoke in her ear, hot breath blowing down her neck. "Salene...I'm sorry." She looked up into Sirius' face, which was all eagerness and honesty.

"You're bleeding," she whispered, reaching up and touching her fingertips on her cheek. When her fingers drew away, he looked slightly startled to see the blood there.

"It's probably not my blood," he said with an anxious glance towards the Whomping Willow. "The only damage I took was all here." And with that, he lifted up his shirt to reveal a tangle of cuts, varying in depth, and bruised flesh.

"Merlin," Salene breathed as Potter let loose a string of curses. "You need to get to the hospital wing." He shook his head, glancing at Potter.

"We're illegal Animagus, Salene, and my marks are clearly from a werewolf. There's no way I could explain these without getting chucked into Azkaban for a few months. That's why James and I spent the last three summers mastering healing magic," he explained, taking her by the chin and looking deep into her eyes. Her breath caught and her awareness of him changed as she realized exactly how close to Sirius she was. Her body was pressed tightly against his, an arm wrapped around her waist, fingers resting on her cheek. Something inside her snapped at the physical contact and she shoved him away, suddenly scowling, all her hurt flooding her once more.

"I don't forgive you, Black," she spat, turning on her heel and fleeing.

End Author's Notes: The next chapter will be up today (most likely in ten-fifteen minutes) because it's an extremely short chapter and I, most likely, will not be able to update until 2006. So, Happy Holidays!

Thank you to CerealKiller - you can have Sirius :)