Ch 19 End of the Year


Sirius POV

When Sirius arrived in Snape's quarters he found that Hermione was already there. And that the kitchen table was moved to the living room and covered in loose parchment and books. It looked quite disorderly for the pair of them.

She and Snape were standing quite close to one another and were leaning down to talk. Well, nape was leaning down and Hermione was leaning toward him. In his mind there was no need; they were the only ones present and did not need to whisper. Clearly, they were stealing a moment to be pressed up as close as they can to each other. He didn't have a clear view from where he was standing to see what they were looking at. But from his angel, he could see a bit of space in between their bodies which showed him the edge of the table. Their hands were side by side through their fingers would occasionally touch. He could feel the electricity from here. He could definitely see the smirk on Snape's face and how Hermione's eyes fluttered to meet his.

In his head, he was shouting at them to just kiss already but instead he remained silent. Leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest with a shit-eating grin on his face.

He was a bit worried. Hermione seemed to be acting weird as of late. She stopped mentioning Snape's name in her correspondences. He figured that perhaps the two had a row but contrary to that belief, here the two of them are acting all cozy together.

He honestly didn't get why they were even trying to pretend they didn't like one another. It was plainly obvious. And Hermione had to be aware of it. Especially after their conversation. She would no doubt see the way their relationship has changed and developed.

Things do seem to be progressing. And he was glad he didn't have to wait years to even get to this point where they were being flirty with one another. But even then this progress for them would seem like normal friendship if anyone else was in this position.

And though he would have loved to sit around and contemplate the idea of locking them in a closet or dousing them in Veritiserum to get them to admit their feelings, he was here for a reason and the three of them do have a time restraining.

The two of them practically sprang apart when he cleared his throat. Making his presence known. Well, Hermione jumped and moved away from him. But Snape simply turned to look at him with an arched brow. Though he did quickly move his hand away until it was folded behind his back.

"What took you so long?" Hermione immediately asked after composing herself.

"I have been here for five minutes. But you two seemed a little too busy to notice." Hermione's eyes seemed to go wide for a moment at his innuendo. Her eyes shifted to Snape in panic for a brief second before focusing back on him.

"Well, you were free to join in at any time," Snape snarked. A bit defensive in Sirius's eyes.

"I was good watching the show." And it was a nice relief.

Seeing even just a glimpse of happiness in these dark times gave Sirius a bit of hope.

Plus it was nice keeping the conversation light and airy. For him to be teasing the pair and acting all joyful before they dived into the more darker aspects of their working relationship.

Horcruxes.

The word itself left Sirius in a state of frazzled nerves and anxiety.

It was what hunted his dreams and shadowed his every waking thought. And he knew the same must have been happening for both of them.

Once this was over he hoped to never hear that word ever again. And personally hoped to make it his mission to hunt down every book even mentioning that word and setting them all on fire. He knew that under normal circumstances Hermione would greatly protest. But in these circumstances, Sirius had a feeling she wouldn't need too much persuading.

But until then, they had to continue planning. Because despite how much research and theories they had. They were still not in possession of an actual Horcrux. And that would need to be remedied. And the incoming summer was the perfect opportunity. "So what exactly are we going to do this summer?" Hermione asked.

"Hunt down the Horcrux," Snape said with a drawl.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I know that but I mean the specifics."

There were a lot of details to sort out and determine. Their contact with one another has been shortened over the last couple of weeks as the students and staff prepared for the end-of-the-year exams. He wasn't sure how much prep Snape had to do. But Hermione was practically burying herself with her notes and book as well as coffee. He was a little concerned over her enthusiasm. But he won't make the mistake of saying anything about it to her again. Last time she nearly bit his head off. But thankfully the school year is almost done and a lot of them will have infinitely more free time during the summer. "Well, it will be easier since you will be living with us. That's still happening right?"

"Yes," Snape stated simply, with no emotion.

Hermione seemed surprised at that. "You are staying at Grimmauld Place?"

Oops. He may have forgotten to mention it to her. Only slightly on purpose. Just to see if Snape would inform her. Which he clearly didn't.

"At least for the first month before Potter returns." Yes, that might throw a wrench in some of their plans. Especially if they decide to keep Harry still in the dark. Or even if they decide to let him into the loop. Sirius may have set aside his grudge against Snape. But Harry hasn't. And Sirius hasn't told him about his newfound acceptance of the Professor. "Is that going to be a problem?" He asked with a raised brow. Almost as if in a challenge.

Something seemed to transpire between them when he asked her that. But Hermione simply tilted her head up and said coolly, "No, not at all."

"Wonderful!" Sirius said joyfully, though he was secretly wondering what was going on between the two of them. Because something was definitely up. "The three of us will be roommates."

"How exciting," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"I am already regretting my decision," Snape drawled.

"You won't for long." It was funny how things change. Last year Sirius couldn't wait to get Snape out of his house fast enough. And here he was welcomed back with open arms. Oh, how the world has gone mad.

Hermione turned to look at Snape and whispered conspiracy under her breath, "I am warning you to be careful of what you eat. Some of the things Sirius cooks can be considered borderline poison."

"Hey, my cooking is just fine." Hermione gave him a pointed look. And he couldn't help but concede. "Okay, it has gotten better."

"Ya I can actually swallow it." And for a moment Sirius opened his mouth to comment before choosing otherwise. He had learned his lesson with Hermione, when not to push things too far.

"Wait, what are you going to do next year? Now that you are no longer employed?" Hermione asked Snape. And Sirius definitely found himself out of the loop. From his knowledge, Snape was still going to be teaching next year. Unless something has happened recently to change that. What did Hermione know that he didn't? And why was he always the last to know?

"Probably remain unemployed until the Dark Lord is defeated." Snape didn't seem to be upset by that. And Sirius couldn't help but feel like despite his passive exterior, inside he was ecstatic.

"And then what. Are you going to ever come back and teach?" If Sirius didn't know any better she almost sounded hopeful.

"Merlin no," Snape said with zero hesitation. It was clear he gave some more thought to their previous conversation. "If I end up surviving I will do some contract potions and fund my own experiments."

"You seem excited," Hermione said with a smile though it didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"You have no idea how much of my life has been on hold." He seemed to hold her eye for a lot longer than necessary. And he didn't even glance his way. Though a smirk did overcome him. "Until then I will be munching on Black's money.

"See at least he appreciates my money." He wasn't upset by spending money on him. He had more money than he could possibly spend on himself. After the war, he might even fund some of his work if the mood took him.

"It's your family's money," Hermione corrected.

"Exactly and you should be thrilled that I am spending my pureblood money on you." That would definitely cause his parents to roll in their graves.

Hermione rolled her eyes but didn't look at him. She and Snape were still staring at one another. Something was transpiring between then and for a moment Sirius very much considered the possibility that the two of them were using Legilimency to communicate silently. Though he also wouldn't be surprised if they were just simply lost in each other's eyes. Which also seemed quite likely. Sirius found himself constantly looking back and forth between the pair, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

Slowly a softness seemed to creep into the edges of his eyes that matched his voice. "I have long since overstayed my welcome. And I highly doubt I will be missed."

"It's going to be weird not having you as my teacher," Hermione admitted, almost let down by the knowledge. Sirius figured she would be thrilled by one less obstacle in their way. But he realized that if he wasn't her teacher then neither of them would have a reason to see each other so frequently. And at a set location. No wonder the both of them looked so upset by the realization. It almost seemed like they were already saying goodbye. And Sirius hated goodbyes. "It's probably for the best."

"Probably," Snape said while nodding along. As if trying to convince himself.

"You will be hard to be replaced."

"Well until then you are still stuck with me," Snape said with a smirk and a light in his eyes.

"I think I will be able to manage." The corners of Hermione's mouth lifted upwards as she teased the tall man in front of her.

Sirius didn't quite know what was happening. And he wasn't sure if he liked it. He hated being out of the loop and once this summer began he was definitely going to sit Hermione down and have her spill everything. But until then they did actually have work to do. And it was sad that he had to be the one to remind them. "You do realize that I am still here?"

"Feel free to contribute at any time," Snape snarked, finally tearing his eyes away from Hermione to look at him with a raised brow.

"I think you two may have this handled."


Sirius found himself running down the stairs. His anxiety was sitting in his throat as he bound down each step. He was lucky he didn't trip in his haste. Worry and fear were creeping in.

Snape's head was sticking out of the fireplace. The site may seem odd but Sirius couldn't care less. The only thing he had on his mind was how Snape yelled out his name in a hurry and demanding tone.

He could immediately tell by his tone the urgency and fear and that there was no room for debate. This wasn't just a simple act of Snape demanding his time as if he owned it. Like the overly cocky bastard, he normally was.

No, this was something else. This was fear and panic.

"What is it? What's happening?"

"You need to get to Hogwarts immediately!" Snape exclaimed without his usual snark. The Children

"Why what's going on?:

"We are being attacked."

Sirius's fear skyrocketed even higher than it already was. His worst fears were being realized. "Shit. shit. Shit." Death Eaters have infiltrated Hogwarts. That was the only thought going through Sirius's mind as he grabbed his wand and put on some boats. He never once stopped to think or ask questions. He just immediately reacted. He didn't even register the green glow of the floo or the stark contrast of his kitchen and the man's office. That almost a month ago could have shared the resemblance of sisters.

"Fuck." Was the only word being used revertum and echoing throughout his mind.

"Snape!" He called when he exited the fireplace to find Snape already on his way to leaving. "Where's Harry and Hermione?"

"It doesn't matter." He begged a differ but he cut him off before he could protest. "Get to the Great Hall. That's where most of the fighting is happening."

"But…"

"They can take care of themselves. Go." Sirius knew logically that where the fighting was, was most likely where he would find Harry and not far behind him would be Hermione but he couldn't stop but wonder.

"What about you?" He didn't even think about how he expressed his concern for the other man. Nor did Snape have time to remark on it.

"I'll improvise."

Running feet hitting the ground. And soon Sirius took off in the opposite direction.

Letting the adrenal fuel him as he got battle ready. Letting his mind sharpen with only one goal.

There were several Order members and Aurors running around. Some were fighting off the Death Eaters while others were trying to escort the students back to bed. Nobody even batted an eye or questioned why he was there or how he found out about this. It wasn't like he got an Order wide Patronus telling him to come here. And he didn't exactly have time to come up with a cover-up. Though he doubted anyone would think to remember once everything was over.

It was late enough that most of the students would already be in the common room but it was the more senior students who were still out and about. And that was why Sirius was so worried. He highly doubted that with all of this commotion occurring at Hogwarts that Harry and Hermione would just be good obedient children and stay in their rooms until the chaos was all over.

Especially not with the school-wide broadcast announcing, "All students remain in your common room. All students remain in your common room."

Sirius was sweating. He could feel the sweat building on the back of his neck and be grateful he had the foresight to pull his hair up so that it didn't end up sticking to his face. He was starting to breathe quite heavily now. And part of that had to do with running up the stairs and not the action fighting part. But he was pleased to note that he wasn't nearly as tired as he was during the fight at the Ministry last year. He hadn't had much practice with duelling over the last year but he did practice more spell work in his free time. That along with his healthier diet gave him much more strength than he realized.

Bloody hell. Where did these guys even come from? Sirius asked himself. Though there was no time to answer as he gave chase after a Death Eater.

He didn't even realize he was being led to the Great Hall until he entered the main doors.

It was chaos.

There is no other way to describe it.

The four tables were pushed back and even some of the legs were broken as people stood on them to fight. The glasses holding the house points were cracked and shattered with coloured beads on the floor. The windows were completely smashed out and the cool air was prickling his skin. Flashes of colours of blue, green and purple lit up the area as people fought one another. It wasn't as if the Death Eaters were on one side and the good guys were on the other. No, everyone was intermixed throughout the room as if you were in the middle of a chess match. Sirius could hear yells over the rushing sound in his ears. But thankfully no screams of pain.

But one thing definitely stood out. Well, technically it was someone. Sirius has never been so grateful to see such messy hair sticking up all over the place.

"Harry. Don't you hear the announcement? You were to stay put and not get involved," Sirius said as he moved and got closer to fight alongside his godson.

"Ya and who's going to tell them that?" Harry seemed to be in good condition and his fighting form looked good from where Sirius was standing. He was currently in the process of fighting two death eaters, though it has now dwindled down to one and a half since the one guy who Sirius thought was one of the Lestrange brothers kept alternating between Harry and himself. "I was actually heading to the common room when I was attacked," He breathed out through gritted teeth. He was pushing hard and seemed to be advancing on his adversary as he cast spell after spell nonverbally. "I am an innocent victim." Sirius was able to knock out one guy while Harry paralyzed the other. And together they both sent a stunning charm which blasted the third guy against the wall.

Together they were able to eliminate the threat and under better circumstances, this would be a great bonding and trust exercise. But right now Sirius was getting too old and Harry was becoming too familiar with this. Taking deep breaths, Sirius hated how calm and collected Harry was at this moment. He should be proud of his bravery but right now he dislikes how naturally he was in his element.

Harry snapped him out of his worries when he said, "Besides I would be a bad leader of the D.A if I didn't fight alongside the members."

It was then that Sirius noticed just who else was in the room. Moony, Tonks and Kinglsey were here. Along with a couple of Aurors, he couldn't name. But as well as a few students. He saw Ginny Weasley fighting viciously and advancing on a woman who should be scared from the spells she was about to be hit with. Sirius never saw the similarities between her and her mother until now. It was scary. Any reasonable person would be scared. A few other teenagers that he couldn't recognize were holding their own pretty well, especially Frank and Alice's kid. There were several Death Eaters knocked unconscious and a few students who were either injured or too tired to keep fighting propped up against the wall. Trying to keep out of the way.

None of these kids should be here. Especially the one next to him. "I will save yelling at you till a better time." Though they both know he wouldn't yell at him. He was too relieved to see he wasn't injured to do that. Though he may end up crushing some of his bones from hugging him too tightly.

"If it makes you feel better. I think McGonagall will have that covered." She wasn't present in the Hall but was no doubt holding her own against whoever she fought against. A shiver went down Sirius' spine at even the thought. He didn't want to stick around for that conversation. He had no doubt that would glare at him with her pursed lips and inevitably blame him for Harry's behaviour.

But she did always know how to make someone feel guilty for their actions. "Ya let's just leave that to Minnie."

Well now that he knew that one of his ducks was mostly in a row. He now needed to know where the other one was. "Where's Hermione?"

Harry shrugged and didn't seem concerned. "No idea. Lost her 10 minutes ago on the 4th corridor."

Sirius bit down his concern. He knew that she could take care of herself and that there were others around her to help if she needed it. This was different from Hogsmeade. Though Sirius very much worried that this was too similar to their fight at the ministry. In both cases, she was badly injured. And he really didn't want another repeat.

It was almost ironic.

Dumbledore always said that help would be given at Hogwarts to anyone who needed it. And right now Hogwarts was threatened and the students had taken up arms to protect their home. Not just current students but past ones as well.

Hogwarts was supposed to be safe this year. With the looming threat, there were new strategies and policies implemented. The gates were magically sealed shut. Curfew was more strictly monitored than in the past. Hogsmede visits weren't occurring once a month like they used to. And Aurors were patrolling the area nonstop.

So how the hell did this even happen? It wasn't like they could just walk through the front door.

"Shit how did these guys even get in?" Sirius asked, not really expecting an answer.

But of course, Harry had one. He shouldn't have been surprised. Especially when he said, "Malfoy".

Sirius swore under his breath "Bloody. It's always the Malfoys."

Harry really was a magnet for these guys. Two more had entered the Great Hall and once they spotted him they attacked. And it seemed like their little respite was over and it was back to business for the both of them.

Sirius ended up in the halls after following a runaway death eater.

Why do these guys always try to run, he thought as he ran on tired legs. There were only two times in his life when he realized just how tiring it was to navigate how big Hogwarts was. This first was when he was running late to Transfiguration and couldn't afford another detention. And this was the second.

Sirius knew that this guy was just trying to lead him away and into a trap. He was smart enough to recognize the tactic but he didn't account for the possibility that he wouldn't be able to catch up with him.

He ended up bent over and breathing quite heavily after losing the guy. He wasn't going to blame himself. The guy was fast and probably younger than him. And despite the fact that he wasn't captured. Sirius wasn't too worried about him running off to go kill the students. He didn't know why the Death Eaters chose to attack Hogwarts. It might be a statement. But from his understanding, there was no intention of killing the children. Just scare them into submission. Except for the students that fought back against them. Such as the D.A and any other brave students.

The people in the most danger here and now were the Order members. And that meant him.

Sirius was pulled from his thoughts when suddenly he heard a thump behind him.

He stood up immediately with his want pointed only to find Snape standing tall with a raised brow and a black mass crumpled on the floor between them. He never even heard either man approach. Merlin. He should really practice duelling more once this is over. He didn't like the idea of training with Snape like Hermione was but perhaps his cousin or Moony could give him a helping hand. He might need it. Especially if he forgot one of the basic rules in duelling which is to always be aware of your surroundings.

"Taking a breather? Can't keep up like you used to?" Sirius wasn't too upset by the jab. The man wasn't wrong.

"Snape," he wheezed out. "Didn't think you would be able to join the fight." Hell, he was honestly surprised that he wasn't hiding out in his office. Not because he thought he was too much of a coward to fight, but his opinion of the man wasn't that low anymore. But because of the importance of his role as a spy. And the castle being swarmed with Death Eaters did put him in a difficult situation. Protect the students or protect his cover.

"Unlike you, I can be discreet." It was strange making conversation and taking breaks in the middle of a battle. But that was just a testament to how unnormal this fight is. He didn't know if there was any motive or reason behind this attack. But Snape seemed a little too calm for his liking. Though he was no doubt always calm and composed in the face of danger and uncertain death. "I see you have found Potter."

How did he… Nevermind. It was best not to ask how Snape knew such things. It was that same how he no longer questioned why Hermione knew the things she knew. And speaking of. "Yes, but no Hermione."

Snape got quiet for a minute before speaking lowly, "It's possible she made her way to the infirmary to help out. Or she is making sure the students who are actually in the common room are safe."

"Okay." That was slightly reassuring. Though if he wasn't too busy trying to steady his breathing he would have noticed the brief look of concern on Snape's face.

After a moment Sirius stood up straight and stretched out his back, letting his lungs take their fill of air. "I got this. You should go back to hiding in the shadows. You don't want to be seen." Sirius really did appreciate the help but he also knew that he would be in a lot more danger and trouble, the both of them if Snape was caught helping him.

Things passed in a blur after his last encounter with Snape. Whom he saw disappear into the shadow. If Sirius wasn't trying to get his head back into the fighting mindset he would have been impressed.

All Sirius focused on was duelling one Death eater until another took their place. It could have been minutes or hours but eventually, they retreated or were pushed back Sirius couldn't tell the difference. But he was relieved. He didn't know how much longer he could do this. All he wanted was to lie down and curl up to sleep. But there were things that still needed to be done. And of course, that did not involve sleep at this moment.

After helping secure the castle he made his way to the infirmary with everyone else. It seemed to be the place where everyone was regrouping. He trailed along with a grizzle Mad-eye who was barking orders at everyone he came across.

The infirmary was in the exact state that he imagined it to be.

Madam Pomphrey was bustling about and fitting in between beds as she accessed each and every person that came her way.

Several students were huddled together in various states of shock and fear. And were patiently waiting their turn for a calming draught. Most people who were injured were just standing around since their injuries didn't seem too serious. While there were a few laid out on the beds. Bill Weasley had several nasty cuts along his face, that Sirius recognized as the work of a werewolf. No doubt Greyback's handy work. Tonks was protesting that she could walk while Lupin was shoving a skeleton grow down her throat, while her leg was propped up. A couple of students seemed to be knocked unconscious. And there were blood stains on various areas of the normally white and pristine floor.

It was rather quiet though. Despite the commotion.

He noticed that Harry had made his way to stand with the Weasleys. And though he wanted to go over there. He knew he was alright and didn't want to intrude on what seemed like a family moment. Besides, he spotted someone else he needed to check on.

He didn't see her at first. She was crouching on the floor while she wrapped up Luna's ankle. It didn't look broken but mostly like it was sprained based on the nasty purple colour it was turning.

His eyes followed Hermione as she made her way to a table set up and filled with various potions, beakers, clothes and bowls of water.

"Kitten? Are you alright? You're bleeding?" He asked as he made his way over to her, trying to stay out of the way.

She didn't stop to look at him. "Just a nick on the shoulder. I will be fine." She continued to measure out a potion into several beakers at equal heights before turning to him. "How bout you are okay?" She gave him a small smile while her eyes were laced with concern. It was clear that while she wasn't worried about her own state she was definitely worried about the others and not just those laying out in the beds.

"Oh, I am great. I love fighting Death Eaters on a Thursday night." She couldn't help but smile at that.

The infirmary doors burst open. And several people came hurrying. Shouts and orders were being thrown around. But the only thing everyone was focused on was the stretcher held between two men. And the person who laid on it.

"Woah what the hell?" Sirius asked as everyone moved out of the way.

"Make room. Everyone make room."

"Is that?" Hermione asked as recognition set in her voice.

Sirius could feel his eyes widen as he took stock. "Ya." There was no mistaking the purple robes and the white long beard. Even with closed eyes and laid vertically.

"What do you think happened?" People started whispering and conspiring as they tried to make sense of the chaos.

"Do you think he got hit?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe or maybe he isn't as good as he was with his hand." He was trying to keep his head on right even though it was hard.

"Do you think it's serious?"

It was a reasonable concern that everyone was thinking about. "There isn't much Madam Pomphrey can't heal. I would only consider it serious if … Fuck"

He was interrupted by Madam Pomphrey coming out of the back room where Dumbledore was taken. Snape came bursting in with a dramatic entrance. But before anyone else could notice Madam Pomphrey had already spotted him. "Severus, I need you in the back." And he immediately went into the room.

It took about an hour of waiting

Hermione kept herself busy while helping others. It seemed her healing lessons came in handy. While Pomphrey was needed in the back she was able to take charge and start creating order and a much-needed calmness. He knew a part of it was just a much-needed distraction while Dumbledore was being evaluated and healed and Snape was with him. The unprepared battle gave both Tonks and Moony the instigation to move forward with their relationship. And they took what they could get behind the privacy of Tonk's healing bed curtains. And though later on, he would be taking the mickey out of both of them. Right now he could bother except to let them have whatever privacy they can get. Moody and Kingsley and the other nameless Auror members were conspiring in the corner. Thankfully Moody and even Kingsley had the foresight or paranoia to keep pushing forward and preparing for the worse. It seemed that most of the staff was off consoling their houses and doing whatever they couldn't fix the damage caused to the school.

He on the other hand was just thinking of worst-case scenarios and keeping Harry safely tucked underneath his arm. He knew that though this battle was just a skirmish.

When Snape came out without Pomphrey he was immediately swarmed with people and questions.

"Snape?"

"How is he?"

"Is he okay?"

"What happened?"

Though the panic was evident with the others. Snape on the other hand revealed nothing and was his usual cool and composed self. "He will live but in what condition I am not sure." The others breathed out a sigh of relief but Hermione seemed to catch her breath. Sirius also was also able to read between the lines and could recognize that they weren't out of the woodwork yet. "He is currently in a magically induced coma."

The entire room drowned in deathly silence.

"What do we do now?" Bill Weasley asked.

Snape looks directly toward Sirius and Hermione. "We reevaluate our plan."