Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter.
Writer Notes: Thanks to my beta HGranger89.
It appeared that Potter's little group had had a bit of a falling out after the Black incident. Ronald Weasley refused to speak to Hermione Granger; apparently, her cat attacked Weasley's pet rat. The cooling off was apparent in the Great Hall, Weasley had moved to his Twin brothers, and Potter was alternating between sitting with the Weasleys and the rest of Granger's study group during meals.
Severus delivered Lupin his monthly Wolfsbane before returning to his office to complete that week's grading. Brewing the potion was a long and tedious task; challenging to brew, and the ingredients were expensive, but for the potions master it had now become routine. While he was hunched over a particularly pathetic stack of fourth-year potions essays, his office door flew open, interrupting his thoughts. Looking up, Snape found his godson holding his bloody nose, his two chimps following behind. "What do you want Draco?" Severus snarled.
"The Mudblood Granger punched me!" Draco cried, Crabbe and Goyle nodding in agreement.
"So you got your arse kicked by a girl, and you run and cry to me?" Severus asked, looked down at Draco blankly, knowing full well that Draco had offended the girl.
Personally, Severus didn't feel an ounce of pity for his spoiled godson. The boy was always running his mouth, and it was high time he learned that his actions had consequences. If his parents wouldn't teach him at least maybe, the Granger chit could smack some sense into him. He smirked thinking back at the time Lily broke Black's nose for tripping him on the grand staircase.
"N... no, sir, I don't think so, but..." Draco felt suddenly embarrassed, his cheeks turning a mottled pink.
He turned to Goyle and Crabbe, "don't you two say anything to anyone."
Turning back to his godfather he sulked and talked out of the office muttering, "just forget it."
As the boys left Severus decided to give up marking and opted to go hunting for potions ingredients in the Forbidden Forest. The full moon was that night and with Lupin safely locked in his office with his potion, there would be no risk in venturing out. Many common ingredients were at their most potent if picked during the full moon. Striding out of the Entrance Hall onto the grounds, he headed towards the forest clearing when he heard screams. It was past curfew, and none of the children should be out.
As a girl screamed again, Severus felt his heart beating wildly as he began to run towards the sound. While most of the time he couldn't stand the blighters, he did take his duty of care seriously. As the Whomping Willow came into view Severus saw the source of the screaming: Ronald Weasley attacked by a massive black dog, dragging the screaming boy down the tunnel that he knew led to the Shrieking Shack. Granger and Potter following as fast as their short legs could take them, as Granger screamed for help.
Severus picked up his speed as he tried to intercept the children from the dog. He heard a sickening crack and a howl of pain as the boy was drug into the tunnel. His leg was tangled in the roots and had broken as the dog pulled on him.
As Weasley disappeared down the tunnel, Granger and Potter were struck by the Willow and sent flying to the ground. They both ducked from the wildy swinging branches and rolled into the tunnel to follow after their friend.
As the children disappeared, Lupin appeared. Severus felt his blood run cold as his eyes met the wolf's yellow ones. Lupin stayed in the Shack he had been forced into as an adolescent. Lupin immobilised the Willow, freezing the thrashing branches. As Lupin crawled into the tunnel, much too large for now grown men, Severus followed quickly after him. Even with the potion, he would not dare leave the three students along with a werewolf. He needed to get them out and fast.
Crawling through the tunnel, Severus cursed at the undignified position he had been forced into as he struggled against memories of being tricked into following Lupin to the shack by Black. The Wolfsbane potion had not been invented in the mid-1970s and Lupin had been a violent beast. If James Potter had not pulled him out, Severus would either be dead or joining Lupin on his monthly sojourns; and didn't that just sour the memory even more. He had owed a life debt to James-arrogant arsehole-Potter for fifteen years.
Finally, he saw dim light ahead of him, and Severus managed to scramble into the ramshackle house. He raised his wand and whispered "Lumos"; the dim light of his wand illuminating the space. It was dusty and in disarray: broken furniture, peeling wallpapers and boarded-up windows, it was empty.
Severus heard something upstairs, a floorboard creaked, and people were moving. He was sure he heard someone whimper and ran to find the stairs. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, disturbed by something that at been dragged along the floor. Following the path upstairs, Snape extinguished the light of his wand with a whispered "Nox" and approached the doorway where the trail stopped and crept inside.
Weasley lay on the dusty old four-poster bed with Granger's cat laying on his chest and Potter and Granger standing guard over him. These Gryffindors always had the survival instincts of a lemming he mused. Granger's ginger-haired beast was spitting and hissing, looking around the room Snape found the object of its ire was Lupin and … Sirus Black. Sirius-Fucking-Black. Sirius-the-fucking-murderous-traitor-Black.
Severus felt his blood boil and pulse quicken; he wanted nothing more than to kill Black with his bare hands. Black looked like a corpse; gone was the handsome and popular Gryffindor he'd once been, with shiny black hair and expensive clothes. Now, his hair was matted and reached his elbows, he was thin, and his previously white teeth were more yellow than Severus', bared in a vicious grin. The deranged Azkaban escapee held a wand, and pointed it at the children, trying to disarm them; ranting about some nonsense about Pettigrew and murder.
"Expelliarmus," Severus commanded with a flick of his wand, catching Black and Lupin off guard as their wands flew from their hands and landed neatly in Severus' palm.
He followed with an instant "Incarcerous", and ropes bound the convict and his traitor wolf neatly, toppling them on the floor where they lay helpless. After years of humiliation, his revenge was sweet. Black had never been as talented, fast or strong as Severus and had always relied on the element of surprise as well as the strength of four against one; binding him so easily brought shivers of pleasure.
Severus could feel the lure of darkness in his blood, how easy it would be to use the Cruciatus Curse on him, before calling for the Dementors to suck out his soul. Severus had never actually cast the killing curse, although he'd never been so tempted in his entire life. Sectumsempra would kill him slowly and painfully, and he could merely obliviate the children after, he mused.
"Ah, vengeance is sweet. How I hoped I'd be the one to catch you... but why deny the Dementors? They're so longing to see you. Do I detect a flicker of fear? Ah, yes. The Dementor's Kiss. One can only imagine what that must be like to endure. It's said to be nearly unbearable to witness, but I'll do my best." he whispered, pointing his wand at Black then at Lupin, "I knew you were helping Black and now I have the proof."
"Go and play with your little chemistry set." Black snarled, struggling in vain.
"Sirius quiet," Lupin pleaded, "Severus you have to listen."
"Listen to me, you Git!" Harry roared.
Severus sneered in reply; obviously, the boy had been bewitched.
"Silence," Severus replied, aiming his wand at Black, trying to contain his rage. "Just give me a reason." He groaned twisting his head to the exit motioning for the children to leave. Potter reluctantly moved to the door as Severus kept his eyes on the criminal and his accomplice laying on the floor. As he grabbed Lupin and Black to hoist them up and drag them back to the castle, Severus felt something hit his back. He collapsed as everything faded to black.
Severus struggled to open his eyes, finding himself under a pile of rubble and he struggled to push it off his person. Laying flat on his back in the shack, his body twitched stiff with pain. He placed his hand on his forehead smearing off the blood from a deep gash. Realising the children were off with Black and Lupin, he picked himself up and rushed down the stairs, his mind racing as he imagined what horror Black and Lupin would do to Potter and his friends. He made his way through the tunnel, heart pounding and spotted the children at once. Furious, he picked them up in his arms, ready to head back to the school and put them in detention until they graduated when a low growl sounded.
Severus slowly turned around, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as he saw the shadows of the beast approaching them, blocking their path back to the castle. Severus froze instantly; the creature stared back at him, almost like he remembered the boy Severus Snape once was as if he wanted to finish the work he had nearly started eighteen years ago. It was evident that Lupin had neglected to take the delivered potion. Remus Lupin was gone, his body overtaken by a monster.
Severus used his body to protect the children from the werewolf. 'Fucking Lupin!' he screamed internally, 'You had one fucking job! Drink a damn potion that I spent HOURS brewing.' Wrapping his arms behind him to contain the children, the Potions Master maintained eye contact, obsidian locked on yellow, as he slowly stepped backwards, trying not to make any sudden moves. Behind him, he heard one of the children step on a stick. The noise caused the wolf to twitch before howling loudly, raising its massive paw, taking a swing at them and knocking them to the ground.
Then, suddenly, the werewolf lunged at the group; Severus sent a stinging hex at the beast's eyes, but it didn't slow it down as it rushed towards them.
"Avada Ked..." Before Severus could finish the spell, the large black dog that had attacked Weasley jumped on top of the beast, biting and clawing its back. The werewolf picked up the large black dog a threw it away it the forest and ran after it.
Severus let out of sigh of relief when suddenly the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Pain-In-The-Arse jumped up and chased the dog and werewolf into the forest. Once again Severus felt as though he was Sisyphus cursed to push a boulder up a cliff only to watch it fall back down and force his way back up again time and time again.
"Get back here!" Severus tried to go after Potter, but the boy easily escaped his grasp. Turning to Miss Granger, he bellowed, "Run to the castle and get the Headmaster girl!"
As she stood stock still, he yelled again "Leave now!"
"But!" Hermione protest.
"Miss Granger if you don't want this to be your last night here, I suggest you fetch the Headmaster now." She looked like she was going to continue to protest not sure whether to believe Professor Snape's threat, but she wasn't going to risk it.
The chit seemed to give up her protesting. Severus conjured a stretcher and levitated the Weasley boy onto it, charming it to follow Granger as she ran to the castle steps.
As Granger and Weasley ran to get Dumbledore, Severus ran after Potter. If Black laid a hand on the boy, he would kill him before the Dementors got a chance. As he delved deeper into the forest, his adrenaline started to fail him, and his body became exhausted. As he approached the black lake on the edge of the forest, he could Potter trying to defend himself against a herd of Dementors while Black laid unconscious beside him. The air around them had frozen; Harry's breath caught and solidified in his chest. Shapes moved out in the darkness, swirling figures of thick blackness moving in a great wave towards the castle; their faces hooded and their breath rattling. Snape felt the unnatural cold shaking his bones as what little light was in the night sky was sucked into the all-encompassing pitch.
The cold was biting Harry's flesh as the Dementors glided noiselessly, only visible because they were darker than the night sky with their black cloaks and scabbed rotting hands. Harry was confident they could sense his fear, as their pace towards him and his godfather quickened; their rattling breaths were tasting the despair in the air as they closed in. Harry tried in vain to call his patronus shield, but he could not conjure any happiness to protect them. Just as he started to fade from consciousness, a bright white stag emerged from the across the lack, scattering the Dementors as Harry succumbed to the darkness.
Severus stared across the lake, feeling as if he'd just seen a ghost instead of the Patronus of a dead man. Oh Yes, Severus Snape knew that James Potter's patronus had been a stag, just as his wife's had been its mate, a doe. A fact that continued to taunt him as his own patronus was a doe, symbolising his unrequited love for Lily Potter while James Potter had been her true partner in life. Once the Dementors were dispelled, and the Patronus dissipated, Severus, transfigured nearby rocks into stretchers and ran down the bank to the water's edge, levitating Black and Potter. He gently laid the boy down on the stretcher while dropping Black like a sack of potatoes. He glanced across the lake trying to see however summoned the patronus, he believed he saw something aheading into the forest. He dismissed it as he didn't have time and began the long trek back to the Entrance Hall.
Greeting him in the Entrance was Filius Flitwick. The tiny wizard nearly toppled over at the sight of Black.
"Se...Sev...Severus? Is that?"
"Yes, It is. Please take Mr. Potter to the hospital wing for Poppy to tend to and inform the Headmaster that I am locking Sirius Black in the North Tower Filius."
"Certainly Severus," Filius looked down at Potter and back at Black, a sad, wistful look on his face at the squandered potential of Sirius Black. Taking over the levitation of Potter's stretcher, Professor Flitwick headed towards the hospital wing as fast as his little feet could carry him.
Severus continued the long walk to the North Tower and tossed Black inside. He was surprised that seeing Black in this state didn't give him as much satisfaction as he'd always imagined. He woke Black up by drenching him with water from the tip of his wand.
Black woke up startled and jumped to his feet before glaring at Snape. "That's no way to wake someone up from his nap. I had a nice dream about a girl I used to know, so if you don't mind, I would like to get back to it," Black leered, "but I see I'm having a nightmare."
Severus wanted to lunge at his childhood rival but hid behind his occlumency shields. If he could spy on the Dark Lord and teach ungrateful brats for thirteen years, he could put up with Sirius Black.
"Listen here SNIVELLUS! I'm innocent! Peter Pettigrew is alive, and if you hadn't been huffing potions all day long, you'd see the truth!"
"Unlike Lupin and Potter, your sad little sob story won't work on me, so do us both a favour and save it for Fudge and the Dementors."
"You're so childish that you'll refuse to listen to me. Stop being so pathetic Snivellus and hear me! I did not kill Lily and James. I don't want to harm Harry; Peter Pettigrew has been living with the Weasleys for twelve years!
Severus refused to respond, as he turned his back to leave the man to rot in his cell, Black called out, "This seriously can't be about your obsession with Lily? Merlin, you're still haunted by her shadow? She never loved you, Snape!"
"Keep talking Black, and the whole of Wizarding Britain will know your pet wolf's secret; he is a dangerous beast and should not be allowed to be in civilised society, let alone teach schoolchildren." That seemed to stop Black's taunting.
"If you so much as harm one hair on Harry I will kill you."
"Potter is doing a good enough job of that on his own."
"He looks just like him," Black smiled sadly.
"He's a complete terror just like his father, strutting around the castle like he's Merlin's gift to the world."
"Can't get over the fact he's not yours?" Black smirked, "You followed Lily around like her lapdog."
"I can say the same for you with Potter,"
"Let me out of here Snape! I'd die before I betray my friends. Who are you to judge me anyway? You couldn't wait to join You-Know-Who's ranks. You knew more dark spells than anyone else in our year. You may have fooled Dumbledore, but you're just biding your time until your Master returns."
"The difference between us Black is that I can admit my mistakes and change."
"I didn't do it, you fucking idiot! I loved James like a brother, Merlin sakes Snivellus I didn't do it you greasy snake." Black was shaking the bars of his cells, steaming with rage. Severus having enough finally turned aware as Black shouted and cursed at his back. "Snivellus, don't you dare walk away from me! Get back here." Black screamed as he slowly sank against the cold cell wall.
After everything Black had done, all the tricks he'd pulled, the bullying, the attempted murder, Severus had no reason to ever believe a word out of his filthy mouth; Gods he barely trusted anyone except Dumbledore and Minerva, but the man's insistence gnawed at him. He had never seen Black at gatherings of the Dark Lord, no one in the inner circle ever mentioned Black's involvement in the Potter's death. Could the man be telling the truth? Slowly, Severus turned and made his way back to Black's cell. As the man sat shivering in the corner of the cell, Severus pointed his wand to the man's temple and enchanted, "Legilimens."
Snape caught a glimpse of Black and the rest of the Mauraders by the Black Lake/
"Finally we're finished with those bloody OWL exams," Pettigrew said sounding exhausted.
"I'm pretty sure I failed Potions," Black groaned.
James patted Black's back and pulled out a small parchment.
"I know what will cheer you up," James smiled as pointed at the parchment and Black perked up. The two took off running, Pettigrew chasing after them. Severus watched the memory play out from Black's perspective: his younger self sitting against his favourite tree, reviewing his DADA notes when the Marauders appeared out of nowhere. Next thing Severus knew, his younger self was strung up in the air, his trousers around his ankles.
He pulled out of Black's mind roughly as the bastard chuckled at him, "Just a little fun there Snivelly. Have another go for real this time."
Against his better judgment, Severus entered his nemesis' mind again just to be made a fool of once again at the memory of Black tampering with Snape's cauldron in second-year potions, causing him to be covered in boils for two weeks.
Wrenching out of the madman's mind once poor, Severus stormed out of the North Tower while Black wailed for another chance.