Boy-Snape

When Sirius returned to the infirmary from walking his friends back to Gryffindor Tower for the night, he was surprised to see Madam Pomfrey sitting with a whimpering and wheezing Joan. Worried, he looked for Severus, only to find the boy sitting on his own bed with a smug expression. Confused and more than a little curious, he approached the kid and leaned down to whisper, "What's happened?"

Madam Pomfrey glanced at him as she continued to pat and rub Joan's back as she cried into her hands. Severus, for his part, didn't look away from the pair as he informed Sirius, "Her brother replied to Madam Pomfrey's letter and said he'd be here with his family tomorrow first thing in the morning." He then smiled up at Sirius. "Joan's happy ."

More like overwhelmed, Sirius wanted to say as he sat down next to Severus, but didn't. Sirius was glad for the girl, she hadn't hidden she thought her family was lost to her forever after Dumbledore didn't visit her in the morning and to find out that she was wrong and that they'd be coming for her… Joan had to be happy, but far more than that as well; relieved, scared, guilty and who knew what other emotions. Sirius had never experienced such a reunion himself

The more he watched Joan slowly get the hang of herself under Madam Pomfrey's gentle ministrations and kind words, the more Severus's smug smirk started to bother him. Why had he looked like that when Sirius came in? He turned to the kid to ask what that was all about then, but the question died on his lips when he saw boy-Snape smother a yawn into the crook of his arm. Sirius realized then Severus should have probably been made to go to sleep over a quarter of an hour ago. It was just past ten now and an eight-year-old kid was for sure supposed to go to bed well before ten. Standing up, he offered a hand to Severus and said, "Let's get you tucked into sleep while Madam Pomfrey takes care of Joan, yeah?"

Severus frowned a little and grumbled, "I'm not that tired, but let Sirius pull him away from the bed all the same and turn back the covers of his infirmary bed. When Sirius finished with that Severus crawled in and looked expectantly up at Sirius. For a moment, he didn't know what Severus wanted, but then it clicked. Unlike Sirius, who'd been tucking himself in to sleep since he was probably five or six, Severus was used to having someone still put him to bed. Last night, Madam Pomfrey had done it. Now, Sirius had taken on the task and he had to finish it. Grabbing the edge of Severus's blankets, he pulled them up to the kid's chin and asked, "Er, that good?"

Severus nodded as he curled beneath the blanket. "Yes."

Sirius ruffled the kid's hair. "See ya in the morning, Severus."

"Maybe," he mumbled, "Madam Pomfrey's going to send you back to classes and I'll be old again around lunchtime."

He pulled away his hand and tilted his head, shocked. "How do you know that?"

The kid didn't say anything, just closed his eyes and tucked his face beneath his covers. Sirius sighed and scratched his head. He guessed Madam Pomfrey told him that before she told Joan her news. Except, when he turned around, the nurse was wearing a faintly amused smile. "Someone must have been eavesdropping," she remarked.

Sirius frowned as Joan finally pulled her hands away from her face. "What?" the girl croaked as she worked on drying her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.

"Earlier," Madam Pomfrey began, "he asked if the headmaster had written just your parents about you or if he wrote them and your siblings since they are all adults now." Her eyes filled with silent laughter, she said, "This all came right after Professor Dumbledore came to update me on you two in my office. I'd wondered what had brought on his questions about writing your siblings and now I know." Her voice was fond as she finished, "That little sneak listened in on my conversation with the headmaster."

"Wait," Joan said, "does that mean you wrote my brother after Severus asked and that's why you now have news for me?"

The nurse's eye crinkled. "Yes," she replied. "Initially, the headmaster only wrote your parents, assuming they would tell your siblings…"

"But they didn't," Joan whispered, lip wobbling once more. "They didn't and they didn't ever reply to the headmaster, did they?"

Madam Pomfrey gave a small, minute shake of her head, blue eyes deep in their sadness.

Fists balling in the loose fabric of her skirt, Joan whispered, "You said my family was coming tomorrow, but, really, you just mean my brother, don't you?"

"No!" the nurse denied. "Your brother was clear your sister was coming too and he had every intention of talking your mother and father into coming as well."

Joan looked just about ready to start yelling, so Sirius decided to step in and say, "Hey, it's okay Joan." He winced. "No, that's a lie. It's not. Your parents got a bloody letter from Dumbledore about you, didn't tell your brother or sister, and never replied. The acted like right arseholes who thought they could pretend they never got the letter. But then Madam Pomfrey sent one to your brother and, well, immediately he replied that he and your sister were going to come for you tomorrow. With or without your parents, I reckon. Maybe you won't get your mum and dad back, but your siblings want you ." He chanced a smile at the girl. "You missed them the most and guess what? They missed you the most too."

The crossness from Joan's features faded a little. "This might not be my worst nightmare, but it's still close," she told him, new, miserable tears building in her eyes.

Sirius nodded and sat next to the girl, taking her hand. "Yeah," he agreed. "It sucks when your family disowns you. I didn't even like mine and yet…" Sirius trailed off, thoughts darkening as he recalled the howler from his mother and father where he was told about his face being burned off the family tree. He hated them, hated what they stood for, yet the rejection had still smarted. They'd still been his parents, even if he hadn't really loved them in years.

"Your family disowned you?" Joan whispered, surprised.

He nodded. "Yeah. They believe in all the blood supremacy shite," he explained. "As for me? I don't and had no trouble telling others I didn't. I became a real embarrassment to them and worse when I refused to 'grow up' and do what they said." He squared his shoulders. "But it's fine, really. I've got James and the rest of my mates and they're a better family than my mother and father ever were."

Joan squeezed his hand. "I'm still sorry they did that to you."

He shrugged. "It's not all bad. I don't have to listen to them nag me anymore," he said, trying to lighten the heaviness around them.

She cracked a smile. "Sounds nice." Jokingly, she said, "If Jack's like I remember, I don't expect I'll be so lucky. He could get very particular about things being done the way he thinks they should."

Sirius laughed. "Yeah, I guess I'm not entirely free of it either. Remus can get kind of pissy when James and I leave our quidditch gear out around our dorm room and will harass us to put it all away if he thinks we've left it out too long."

The girl giggled. "I guess it's just a part of being family, huh?"

"Yeah, it really is," Sirius replied, smiling.

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