A Little Comfort
Chapter Five

It was many hours before Sirius allowed himself out of the room he had run into. He refused to confront the child with any anger still residing in him. But finally, when he heard the grandfather clock chiming, Sirius crept down the stairs and back into the sitting room. Still on the chair he'd been placed on ages ago was the de-aged Severus, asleep again.

Merlin, is that all he does?

Deciding to investigate the rest of the house, Sirius followed the narrow hallway across the sitting room. This took him directly to the kitchen. He looked around at the very empty and very very dusty room with a grimace. Emmeline could be bothered to change the furniture out but not restock the kitchen? Curious he thought to himself.

Just then his stomach gave a low grumble.

"Shush," he mumbled, flinging open cupboards in search of anything edible. But alas, all he could find were cobwebs and decomposing rodents. Neither of which seemed very pleasant to eat.

"I could really go for some of Lily's chicken soup right about now-"

Before his stomach could even grunt in response, a crackling noise surrounded him. As if the very air was popping with electricity. The hairs on his arms were just beginning to rise when a loud clunk from behind him echoed through the room.

Turning around very slowly, and wishing he hadn't left his wand on the table with Severus, he nearly fell sideways when he saw a large bowl of steaming hot soup on the kitchen counter. Stepping closer cautiously, he analyzed the bowl. Not really sure how it got there or what was going on, Sirius tried something.

"And a coke to go with it." The sound of the clinking of glass against marble countertops was heard first before a tall glass of Coca-Cola filled with ice appeared beside the bowl of soup.

Eyes wide, Sirius broke into a smile, "Absolutely amazing!" And his stomach readily agreed.

Fifteen minutes later, with a full tummy and a spring in his step, Sirius exited the kitchen and walked back into the sitting room. Severus was awake, and leaning against the armrest of the chair, tears in his eyes. At least he wasn't crying. An unsettling feeling filled Sirius as he gazed into those eyes. He hadn't seen a look like that since they were very small children; it was a look that he and his brothers all knew very well. Unhappiness.

Clearing his throat and hardening his gaze, he went over to his brother. A foul odor could be detected within ten feet of the baby, and Sirius backed away scowling at the makeshift nappy- Emmeline. "If you think I'm changing you, you've got another thing coming. And if you think being helpless will make me more willing to help you, then I guess you've lost the game. Stop acting like a baby." Sirius wasn't sure what he expected after his small speech. Did he expect the adult inside the boy to give up and turn back into an adult? If so, he was sadly mistaken.

Instead the fifteen month olds face turned a bright shade of red before the mouth opened and cries poured out.

Moving forwards with his arms held out in surrender, Sirius quickly jumped backwards at the smell. "Quiet!" But the cries only grew louder. Racing towards the kitchen, Sirius pleaded with the magic in the room, "I really need a nappy. And some wipes, too." When nothing happened, he clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and hurriedly asked again. "Please?" He added.

The crackling filled the air once more, and he opened his eyes just in time to see a pack of wizarding nappies drop at his feet, along with a small box of wipes. "Thank you!" He said, before rushing back to his brother. Grabbing his wand off the table in front of the sofa, he levitated the cloth and some wipes over towards the arm of the chair. Then, with his wand, allowed the baby to slip down the chair to lay flat on his back.

Ten minutes later, minutes filled with waving around his wand and removing the used nappy from the Roux Estate, Sirius dropped his arm in exhaustion. The infant continued to cry though, only slightly less severe than before. Grumbling under his breath, Sirius went back to the kitchen, this time asking for a bottle with milk. Although he truly didn't care what was in the bottle, maybe the magical kitchen could read his thoughts and put poison inside?

Finally able to be near the infant without wanting to vomit, he positioned Severus upright against the armchair with his wand and stuck the nipple of the bottle into his mouth. Quickly catching on, Severus' small fingers grasped tightly at the sides of the bottle, holding it up all on his own.

Sirius left the infant to his meal and wandered the large home, in search of a bathroom for a badly needed shower. Each room was large and grand, filled with anything from musical instruments to artwork. One extremely long room, but no less grand than the others, had a dining table that could easily seat fifty people; it put the Hogwarts head table to shame.

He had just begun to explore the second floor when he heard familiar crying from down below. Reigning in his anger, or at least trying to, Sirius stomped back down the hardwood stairs. The now empty bottle was a few feet away from the chair Severus currently sat crying in.

"Is thatall you do? Sleep and cry?" He hissed, picking up the bottle. Sirius transfigured the table into a small mattress and levitated the infant onto it. Before he left, he built barriers up around the mattress to keep Severus inside and safe. "Go to sleep," he snapped, before putting all the candles out in the room. As he was closing the door behind him, he heard a soft whimper.

Sirius shut his eyes for a moment, leaning back against the strong wooden door. He would not give in, that was still Snivellus in there. The whimpering and tears were all for show, he was sure.

But doubt had begun to creep its way into his heart.

He stomped back up the stairs to the first room he had been looking in and decided to turn in for an early night. Pulling back the thick covers on the bed, he changed into a long nightgown, the least feminine he could find, that had been in the oak dresser. He wrapped himself in the covers and then blew out the candle on the stand beside his bed. His thoughts turned to the infant downstairs, alone in a large, dark room, without any covers.

Sirius growled at the very thought of Snivellus. Who cared if the creature froze through the night? If it weren't for him Sirius wouldn't be in this mess, family members wouldn't be dead, and Emmeline would be here…

There was that terrible burning sensation at the bridge of his nose again, but he blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. He would not cry, he was not Snivellus. He would get a good night's rest, wake up to the sun shining through the window, and think about all that had happened then.

Unfortunately, he did not get a good night's rest, unless you consider tossing and turning for hours a good night. And it was not the sun shining through his window that awoke him but a flash of lightning and rain slamming against the glass.

Sirius groaned as he peered out from underneath the covers and glared at the stormy weather. Stretching beneath the thick blankets, he was prepared to doze for another hour or so when cries from downstairs drifted up into his temporary room. Sirius let out an angry huff and tossed the sheets off of him.

"Just wait until I see that little brat," he mumbled to himself, "he will regret messing with me!" The elder Black slipped on a robe and stormed down the stairs.

Bursting through the sitting room doors, Sirius was ready to raise hell when he was met with the face of the pitiful child. By the damp shirt, it was obvious the boy had been crying for quite some time. His face was scrunched up and the soft, dark hair was soaked with sweat. Behind Severus was a lit fireplace. Sirius cocked his head in confusion. That fireplace had not been lit last night.

Levitating the shrill baby away from the blaze and onto the sofa, Sirius stepped closer to the fireplace before snuffing the flames. The heat in the room immediately simpered down to a chill.

Very odd house, Sirius thought as he transformed the mattress back into a coffee table.

"Now, you will shut up!" He snapped, but that only raised the octave of the cries. Sirius crammed his fingers into his ears and went to the kitchen.

"A bottle! I need another bottle of milk!"

It took much longer than it had the previous day, but finally a thud on the countertop revealed a new bottle filled with milk. Sirius marched right back to Severus and handed the baby the bottle. The cries quieted down slightly. Severus slowly brought the bottle to his mouth and took a few sips before dropping it to the floor and renewing his ungodly shrieks.

"I don't know what you want! I have no idea what you eat!" Sirius picked the bottle up and shoved it back towards his brother. "This is all you're getting from me." He said. And with that he left the room to take shelter in the kitchen, away from the noise.

And he began to devise a plan. A pretty pathetic plan. But Sirius refused to believe that he would be stuck in yet another home for months on end when there had to be a way to get out of this. Maybe he could dump Severus on one of those Voldy-lover cousins of his and then run to Dumbledore and the Order for safety?

"May I have some toast and tea, please?" Sirius asked, glancing around the room.

Nothing happened.

"Oh, c'mon! I want some bloody toast and tea!" He spat out, fisting his hair. "Look, this has already been an awful morning; can you not make it any worse?"

Again, nothing.

Sirius huffed exasperatedly, "Fine. Thank you. I'll just sit here and starve."

Seconds and then minutes crept by, the occasional cry from the end of the hallway being the only noise in the house. Sirius busied himself with dusting and sweeping the kitchen, as well as removing the bodies of small creatures that had hoped to find food in this empty room. The clock struck noon and Sirius finally gave up on food appearing for him.

He hesitantly moved closer to Severus, who was still red-faced with tears streaming down his cheeks. No disgusting smell filled his nostrils though, for that he thanked Merlin. "I've tried feeding you and you don't need a change- what is wrong with you?" He asked in an irritated tone. It didn't help matters that his stomach was also griping.

"Do you… would a dummy shut you up?" Sirius wondered. He vaguely remembered the house-elves giving them to his younger brother's when they were small.

Looking around the room, he was about to open his mouth to ask the room for one when there was a soft crackle behind him. He turned around in time to see a blue dummy plop onto the table. "Huh." Sirius picked it up and dropped it into his brother's lap. Severus' face resumed its pale coloration as he scrutinized the strange object in his hands. "Good, there we go then, time for some shut-eye for you." Sirius said, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face, when his brother placed it between his lips. Not wishing to chance another transfiguration of the table (one too many would spell trouble), he levitated the baby out of the room and up the stairs into the room he had slept in the night before.

Severus was just nodding off, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, when Sirius motioned downwards with his wand to lay him down on the comfy mattress. His eyes flickered open once more, watching Sirius. There was something strange in those eyes, something Sirius had never seen from the youngest twin before. Something he didn't want to see. Sirius' brow furrowed and his lips twisted in a grimace as he looked down at the now sleeping babe.

Trust had been in those eyes.

Shaking his head to clear it of such thoughts, the elder brother settled on the window seat and grabbed a book at random from the small bookshelf beside him. He let out a, "Hmm," when he saw that it was on spells and enchantments. Maybe he could figure out how to make the house give him food.

The sun had just broken through the dark clouds when Sirius heard a whimper come from his brother. He looked up from his reading to find the baby twisting around above the covers, dummy lying forgotten beside his ear. Sirius did not give him the chance to open that big mouth of his, and accio'd the bag of nappies. He made quick work of the change with his wand, and then levitated the baby down into the kitchen.

Sirius transformed a chair into a high chair and placed a wide-eyed Severus into it with his wand. "All right, house, he's been taken care of. Now I want some food!" Sirius demanded. The baby flinched away at the raised voice.

And, just like before, nothing happened.

"I just don't get it. I feed you, I change you, I let you have a nap, but I get nothing in return?" Bitterness began to make a home in Sirius' heart. "You did this on purpose, you slimy snake! It's you! You're making all this happen in this house, I know it. Why don't you stop hiding behind a baby and show yourself!"

Severus looked up at the tall man looming over him, his bottom lip shaking. And before Sirius could rectify the situation cries filled the room.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Sirius replied quickly, "You're not doing anything, I didn't mean it, this house is just crazy. But can't you stop crying? That's all I've heard and you know what? I probably have a far better reason to cry than you do!"

Taking the blue dummy out of his robe pocket, he pushed it into Severus' hand. "Go on, stuff it in your mouth." But Severus was having none of that and threw it at his brother's head. For a baby, he had shockingly good aim.

"That's it!" Sirius barked. "You will stop crying now!" and he slammed his fist into the back of the high chair, startling Severus. This, shockingly, did not shut the boy up, but only increased the volume of his cries and turned them into screams. Sirius winced at the earsplitting noise echoing off the walls.

He would have thought by now that his younger brother would have lost his voice but it was still as strong as ever. Wanting to start crying himself, Sirius bit the inside of his mouth trying to decide on what he should do. He didn't want to do it and he was sure that this was Severus' plan all along- force his older brother to act as caregiver. The perfect revenge.

Before he could change his mind and instead just toss the howling creature into the flaming fireplace, Sirius reached down and snatched the baby up out of the chair. Severus' hands immediately fisted into the thick fabric of his brother's robe, but he still would not stop crying. Sirius brought his hand up and began to rub small circles into the tense back. "You're driving me insane. If you don't stop that sniveling you're going to wind up with brain damage. All these tears can't be healthy," he said, reaching for the dummy off the counter and sticking it in his brother's mouth.

It was working; Sirius was surprised to find out. The baby might not be completely quiet, but the screams had died down to very quiet sniffles. And he could feel the small body growing heavier in his arms.

Severus moved around once more in his brother's hold, searching for a more comfortable spot, and ended up with his head resting against Sirius' neck. Soft black curls tickling just under his chin.

As he was about to exit the room, static surrounded him and two loud thuds came from behind him. Spinning around, Sirius felt tears break to the surface as he saw a steaming cup of tea and a plate of toast now on the counter. "Ah, so you're working with him," he said, glancing down at his brother who was watching his own fingers clench and twist the collar of the cashmere robe, while contentedly sucking on the artificial nipple. "I see how it is."

Not daring to put the baby down, for fear of enduring those horrible cries once more, Sirius sipped his tea, letting out a pleasurable sigh. And then he inhaled the three pieces of toast before the house could come up with a reason to make them disappear. He carried Severus into the sitting room, after thanking the house for the wonderful belated breakfast, and sat down on the sofa, tightening his hold on the small body.

So far, so good. Severus had done nothing but relax against him and continue to suck on the dummy. And Sirius continued to sip his tea and occasionally knead the tiny back.

Tea finished and baby fast asleep again, Sirius changed his wet nappy, this time by hand. He could have sworn, for a split second, that Severus was smiling in his sleep. Then went back to holding him closely and sank into the soft cushions, clutching the robe tighter around him to fend off the chill in the air. The gentle breathing of the tiny body against him must have lulled him straight to sleep, because hours later, to the toll of the clock, Sirius awoke groggily. Mysteriously enough, the fireplace was blazing once more. Sirius stared at the strange sight, and thought back to the spells and enchantments book he had been reading earlier. It's as if the house is alive, Sirius pondered.

And the light weight of his brother seemed significantly heavier now. He looked down and gasped in surprise when instead of the baby he had fallen asleep with he saw an older child of about four.


Author's Note: Hello! I know, I was awful for making you wait two months for this, but hopefully my three thousand words have made up for that (longest chapter I think I've ever written)! Think of it as my Christmas present to you. Oh, and the nappy part where Sirius is first tormented by a nasty present from Sev, and he mentions "-Emmeline" yeah, that's because I completely forgot to give the poor baby a diaper! So I had to pretend that in my last, very short, chapter, Emme must have clothed him with one at some point. Writer's mistake :P Merry Christmas, all!