Boy-Snape

Sirius woke up the next morning to a tray of food being placed on the little table next to his infirmary bed. Blinking slowly, he focused on the comforting array of porridge, toast spread with marmalade, a glass of pumpkin juice, and what looked to be the nutrient potion Madam Pomfrey had promised. Smiling slightly, Sirius pressed down on the bed with one hand and smoothly brought himself into a sitting position. The matron did not startle at his sudden wakefulness, only looked dully at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You remember what I like for breakfast," Sirius remarked as he reached over to pick up the tray to put in his lap.

Madam Pomfrey's mouth twitched with a smile. "You have visited me more than your share over the years due to your antics."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah," he agreed. "I've spent more time here than I probably should have."

The matron just brushed a hand over his wrist before going back to her little trolley at the end of his bed to deliver the three other meals placed on it to the infirmary's occupants. Of course, the next to receive their breakfast was Severus. The kid was sleeping on his stomach, face curled toward his arms and he did not so much as twitch as Madam Pomfrey put down a tray holding plain toast, a cut-up apple, and a cup of milk and nutrient potion. Between bites of his porridge, Sirius remarked, "He's not much of a breakfast person, is he?"

Madam Pomfrey's lips thinned. "He's not much of a food person at all," she muttered. "I don't know if he'll eat even half of this."

Sirius shifted uncomfortably at the new information but didn't let it bother him for too long. Instead, he smiled up at the matron and told her, "I'll persuade him."

She looked over at him then, a speculative light to her gaze. "He did seem rather fond of you last night." Quietly, as if she meant it only to be for her ears, she whispered, "Hopefully, that will help."

Sirius was going to ask what she meant by that when his eye was drawn across the hall by the sight of Remus sitting up in his own bed kitty-corner to his own. He went from exhausted and squinty-eyed to gaping almost instantaneously. "Sirius?" he said.

He waved at his friend. "Hey, mate."

"Sirius!" he said again, half-laughing, half-crying. Remus threw back his covers and got out of his bed in between the blink of an eye. However, when he tried to run to Sirius, he stumbled and went to his hands and knees. Putting down his spoon, Sirius called, "Wait, wait, I'll come to you." Putting aside his breakfast, he went over to his friend and gratefully accepted the embrace that came his way when he tried to offer him a hand to stand. "Sirius," he whimpered into his shoulder.

Rubbing a hand up and down his mate's back, Sirius whispered, "I'm fine, okay? I… We… Just got a bit lost is all, okay?"

Remus cried a little more but nodded his head and after a moment, pulled away. Eyes searching him over, he asked, "When did you— When did they—?"

"We came back just last night. Right before nightfall, actually," he answered, understanding easily what his friend was trying to ask him.

He wiped at his eyes. "After you weren't found that first night…" he shook his head and chuckled a little. "We were all so worried about you."

Sirius couldn't help himself. He reached over and hugged Remus again, basking in the knowledge he'd been missed. He'd always hoped that they loved him as he did them and now he knew. They did love him. Even with all his vices and the fuckups he'd caused, they still felt he was worthy of their hearts. When Sirius pulled away from Remus a second time, he was the one having to dry his eyes.

"Love you too, mate," he murmured.

Remus barked a laugh and gave him a playful push. "Come on, you're not supposed to be the mushy one of us."

"Yeah, yeah," he returned.

Remus's hand abruptly grabbed his, grip vice-like. "I'm glad you're safe, Sirius," he told him, eyes fierce in their truth.

He swallowed.

"Is he the werewolf mate you were telling me about?" a voice, Joan's voice, piped up from above.

Both of their heads snapped upward to see the girl peering down at them from the edge of Remus's bed, a piece of half-eaten ham between her fingers. Sirius could see that she was fascinated at the sight of not just Remus, but them together. While he may have been cross in another situation she'd interrupted such a close moment between him and his mate, right now, he was just proud. This werewolf, this person, was his mate.

"Yeah, this is Remus," he told her. Pointing at her then, he introduced her to Remus. "This is Joan," he said. "She helped me and Severus out of a tight spot and back to Hogwarts." Unable to help himself, he leaned in and whispered, "She's a werewolf."

Remus's mouth fell open in surprise, but he quickly recovered from it and a thoughtfulness overcame his features instead. "Oh?"

The girl smiled and offered her hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said as Remus took her fingers in his hand. "I've never met another werewolf who was bitten as a child that went to Hogwarts."

"I've been fortunate," he replied. His eyes turned sad as he caught a glimpse of Joan's mangled ear as her hair shifted around her shoulders. "Perhaps you will soon be as well?"

Joan took back her hand and sighed. "That's the dream," she admitted.

Remus glanced at Sirius, but he shrugged. It didn't feel like something he should be trying to explain. It was Joan's hopes, not his. Instead, he decided to get off the floor and return to his bedside to get his breakfast. He'd eat over at Remus's bed. However, when he went to pick up his tray, he saw boy-Snape start to stir.

A moment later, one of the kid's fist flailed out from beneath the covers. Sirius saw in his fist he was holding the chocolate frog card he'd given him the day before. He wondered if he wasn't using it in place of some teddy from home. He decided that was probably something he shouldn't tease him for; all it would take was for him to talk to Regulus to find out he'd slept with a stuffed crup until he left for Hogwarts.

The kid's black eyes blinked open. He grinned when Severus looked his way. "Hey, kid," he whispered.

Severus brought the fist holding the chocolate frog card to scrub his eyes. When done, he asked, "It's morning?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, kid." Sirius then pointed at the table next to boy-Snape's bed. "Madam Pomfrey even just brought out some breakfast for us all."

Severus didn't so much as glance where he was pointing at the food, instead, he hurried to sit up as he asked, "Joan's back?"

"Yes," the girl answered on her own behalf.

Severus froze, however, the moment he was upright. His eyes were stuck on Remus, whose own gaze was wide and just as focused on Severus. Sirius slowly moved over to Severus's side and took a seat on the edge of the kid's bed. Putting a hand on the boy's shoulder (which he only jolted a little at), he leaned in and explained, "Remember how I was telling Joan about my mate? On our way to the village?"

He saw the corner of the kid's lips shift downward out of the corner of his eye. "The werewolf," he replied tone infuriatingly inscrutable for a child so young.

"Right," Sirius answered. "He's good, like Joan." Severus glanced up at him, doubt in his eyes. Sirius told himself not to be too upset about that. It's not like they'd had the easiest time together the last couple of days. Even if he had saved him from werewolves just like he'd told him he would. "Ask Joan if you don't believe me," he urged.

Severus turned his attention to the girl but did not ask aloud for confirmation. Instead, he waited for Joan to smile and nod and say, "I think he is and I just met him!"

The kid dipped his chin then, agreeing to accept their judgment. He then turned his face up at Sirius and said, "There's breakfast?"

"Yeah," he answered, reaching for Severus's tray and bringing it onto the bed for the kid to see.

Boy-Snape wrinkled his nose. "I have to eat it all?" he asked.

Sirius's eyebrows shot up on his forehead. "Are you trying to tell me you're not hungry?" he questioned. "After only eating a squirrel and part of a rabbit the last two days?"

Severus's shoulders hunched in on him. "No," he grumbled. "I just don't like breakfast."

Sirius felt like rolling his eyes, but, instead, he just pushed a piece of apple at the kid and told him, "The nutrient potion isn't negotiable, but if you eat at least half of everything else, I suppose that's alright."

Severus picked up the apple and bit into it. Satisfied, Sirius got up and went to his own breakfast. This time, though, he hesitated to go over to Remus's bed. Instead, he went to sit on the foot of his own so he would be closer to his friend and Joan, but not far from Severus either. After taking a bite of his own marmalade covered toast and chewing that over, he turned back to Remus and explained, "He's eight. Like eight-eight ."

Remus gave a small bob of his head. "Okay," he replied.

He smiled over at the kid. "Madam Pomfrey said she should have him fixed up in a day or two, so don't worry about him. He's fine."

His friend's mouth pursed as he looked once between him and Severus. Finally, he said, "I'm sure he is fine. Who I worry for is you."

Sirius stared back at his mate, puzzled. What did Remus mean by that? Sirius was always okay, just lost. A cold feeling washed over him. Had someone told Remus about their run-in with Greyback? What Sirius had to do to get them away from the madman and his pack? He sent a furtive glance in Madam Pomfrey's direction. She was absently fluffing a nearby bed's pillow. It was clear she was staying near in case they needed anything, but giving them what privacy she could as well. There was no way she'd have said something to Remus, right? Right. The matron would never spread around such personal information.

So then why was Remus worried about Sirius when all he knew was that Sirius and Severus were back safe and sound at Hogwarts?

What did you think of this chapter? We've gotten to see Remus and his reaction to kid-Severus!

Thanks a million for reading :)