Three wands were aimed directly at the frozen body on the floor. However, Remus stood perfectly still; the expression on his pale, marred face quite clearly said, How much had he heard? Snape's eyes danced between the four young men, the only part of him that he could move, they burned with fury. Sirius felt a hatred inside him that crawled its way into his ribcage and threatened to consume his pounding heart.
"What the fuck do you think you're playing at, Snape?" he spat. "Spying on us like that?"
Peter sniggered, very obviously enjoying the power he and his friends had over the Slytherin they despised.
"You're pathetic," James scoffed. "Always slithering around us like the disgusting snake you are."
Wherever Sirius and his friends would go, it was never long before they found Snape lurking somewhere nearby. The obsession he had with the four of them could not possibly have been normal. What was he hoping to find out, Sirius wondered. Had he been curious about Remus' secret?
Like a lightning bolt to the brain, it struck him. He almost laughed out loud from the excitement it brought him. Remus' secret… It gave Sirius the most brilliant idea.
Was it dangerous? Not for him. Reckless? Reckless was Sirius' middle name. Was it stupid of him? Possibly. But it would have been the most clever way to get Snape off of their backs. Hopefully, what he had begun to plan, would've scared Snape enough to keep him away for good. Besides, if things started to get too out of hand, he and James would handle it. What could possibly go wrong, he thought.
"Leave him," Sirius said suddenly.
James rounded on him with an incredulous look in his eyes.
"But, mate. We really should teach the greasy git a lesson. Don't you reckon?"
"Yeah, Sirius. Let's show Snivelly here what happens when people spy on us," added Peter.
Remus, who had finally seemed to pull himself together, exhaled loudly.
"No. Listen to Sirius. He's not worth it," Remus said with a pointed look towards Snape. "We should get to class."
Reluctantly, James and Peter agreed, lowered their wands then, with one last contemptuous look towards Snape, James spat, "Lucky for you we're feeling generous today, Snivellus."
Later that afternoon, Sirius, James, Peter and Remus were enjoying the near emptiness of the Gryffindor common room. Most of the students in their year were off in the library, revising for their OWL exams, while the younger students, who were sat in the opposite side of the room, usually tended to keep a distance from the boys. It seemed they worried that they may fall victim to another one of the boys' infamous pranks.
Sirius sat on the couch in front of the fireplace with his arms behind his head. He wracked his brains trying to work out an excuse to leave, so he could get Snape alone to deliver the message he was so dying to give him. He knew that if he said he just fancied a walk, that the others would offer to come with him. That wouldn't do. Although he thought his plan to be quite genius, he knew that the others may not have agreed with him at the moment. He had to go alone.
Glancing towards Remus, he noticed his friend's eyes were trained on the fire, glazed over with a cloud of apprehension in them. Sirius knew that even though Remus was not alone anymore during his transformations, that hadn't meant that he enjoyed the actual pain of becoming a werewolf. Remus tried to explain the feeling to them a few times, but always said that mere words could not do it justice. They hadn't needed Remus to explain; they heard the way he screamed when it happened. Sirius suppressed a shudder.
"It'll be alright, Remus," Sirius said softly. "You know we'll be there."
Remus didn't take his eyes away from the flames, but Sirius saw the corner of his mouth turn up just a hair. "Thanks, mate," he whispered.
"I'm bored," James whined loudly, apparently oblivious to the brief exchange between Sirius and Remus. "Can we go do something? I'm going mad here."
James was always unbearable when he was bored, and Sirius knew he would keep complaining until they all gave in and left the common room. But Sirius had to go alone. How could he get out of occupying James? Then it clicked; Sirius thought of how to get away.
"Can't, Prongs. Got to go meet up with Emmeline for a bit," he said with a wink.
James' mouth puckered in frustration. "Uuugh," he groaned.
Peter huffed. "Can't it wait? I'm bored, too."
Sirius shook his head and stood up. "Are you lot really all that dull that you need me to have a good time? I mean, I know I'm the life of the party, but..."
He heard Remus snort at his comment while James threw a pillow at him - which Sirius just barely dodged.
"Oh yeah, Pads. You're a right laugh, you are. How could we ever manage without you?" James said with overly thick sarcasm saturating each word.
"It'll be difficult, I know. But somehow you must all soldier on while I'm gone," Sirius joked.
James pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "We'll try, mate. We'll certainly try. Give my best to Em, yeah?"
Sirius smirked. "If we have any time for conversation, I will." The three boys groaned while Sirius laughed his way out of the common room and through the portrait hole.
Now all he had to do was find Snape. Now if I were a slimy fuck, where would I be? he wondered.
Knowing Snape, he was probably wherever Evans was, since he was always so far up her arse, it was difficult to tell where he began and she ended. And Lily Evans, being the overachiever she was, most likely would have been in the library with the other students who were revising their brains out.
When Sirius arrived at the library, Madam Pince shot him a look that would have frightened most other students, but caused Sirius to chuckle under his breath. He knew why she was giving him the death glare. Mostly every time he had entered her library, it was for the sole purpose of setting off dung bombs in the back, causing everyone to run out with Bubble Head Charms placed upon themselves.
"If you're in here to cause any more funny business, I won't think twice before skinning you alive, Black," she threatened.
Sirius flashed the most innocent smile he could muster. "Not today, Pincey. I'm just here for revisions like everyone else," he lied.
Madam Pince snorted her disbelief and continued on with the book she was reading when Sirius first walked in.
Quickly Sirius scanned all of the front most tables, but Snape was nowhere in site. Most likely, if they were there, he assumed they would have been together at one of the tables in the back. Snape always seemed to enjoy isolating Evans from everyone else. The disgusting git that he was.
Taking care to remain was quiet as possible, Sirius tiptoed through the aisles of books, peering between the empty spaces for any sign of his long, greasy hair.
When he arrived to the section for Magical Plants and Fungi, his heart leapt with malicious excitement. He found Snape.
Just as he expected, Snape and Evans were sat together with a pile of books and parchment scattered across the table between them. Evans had her head down, scribbling as if her life depended on it, while Snape watched her intently, like she was something to eat. It made Sirius's stomach turn.
Quickly Sirius turned around and took a bit of parchment out from his robes. He summoned a quill and ink from one of the students nearby, who was so wrapped up in his work, he hadn't even noticed the two objects that flew from his table.
Once he had everything, he took a book from the shelf, sat on the floor and began to write out his note.
Dearest Snivellus,
Fancy knowing what we get up to, do you?
Well wonder no more. Meet me at the
Whomping Willow at nightfall.
If you're brave enough. Git.
S.B.
Sirius laughed quietly to himself as he folded up the parchment and sent the quill and ink back to its owner. He peered through the books again, raised his wand and sent the note soaring and into Snape's bag.
Evans looked up, "What was - did you hear something?" She asked Snape.
Sirius ducked.
"Thought so," he heard Snape reply.
Sirius chanced looking back through the books and saw Snape reach into his bag and pull out the note.
Evans' brow furrowed. "What's that?"
"No idea," Snape shrugged as he carefully unfolded the parchment.
Sirius watched Evans look on with an eager and curious expression on her face. Snape, however, crumpled up the parchment angrily and began looking around, presumably for Sirius.
"Everything alright, Sev?"
Snape hesitated for a moment before shoving the balled up note back in his bag.
"Fine, Lils. Everything is fine."
A wide smile and a sense of satisfaction came over Sirius before he turned and made his way out of the library. There would be no way Snivellus would turn him down.
