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Sirius was fuming silently as he helped Remus place Snape on the couch. Reflexively, out of years of experience, Remus turned the head so that if Snape vomited he wouldn't choke. Molly threw a blanket over the comatose form as Sirius sank down in a chair.
"He was drunk, Sirius." Harry offered, clearly unwilling to believe anything negative above Dumbledore.
"Small children and drunk people are the only ones who are completely honest." Sirius countered.
"Sirius, mate, I know you are angry but you cannot confront Albus tonight." Remus insisted. "Wait until morning, when you have a good night of sleep behind you."
"You think I'll be able to sleep after his?" Sirius demanded. Thirteen years in prison...for a crime he would never have committed.
"Sirius please, wait until morning." Remus was always the one to attempt to calm everyone.
"That way Snape will be sober and you can ask him about what he said tonight." Harry offered, clearly wanting to get Sirius's anger down to a more manageable level.
"Fine. It's not like he's going anywhere anytime soon." He agreed, seeing as he still had Snape's wand. Yes, he, Remus and Snape had much to talk about. Though he knew he'd be lucky if Snape managed to rouse himself awake by lunchtime.
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Once everyone had gone to bed, not long after the Snape debacle as it was already late, Sirius looked over at Remus who was clearly awaiting the discussion Sirius knew they both wanted to have.
"I'm an arse." Sirius said bluntly, staring into the fireplace. "I only told him I'd truce with him so I could get him back here and dump him on you." He admitted, knowing Remus was going to let him rant. "You know he was abused?" Sirius shook his head. "I sure as hell didn't. The one place he could be away from his parents and I attacked him."
"Sirius, you didn't know." Remus offered, looking guilty himself. "You can't do anything about the past...but you still have the future."
Sirius scoffed. "Like things can actually work out..." He muttered, casting a glance at the barely moving man on the couch. "He's been so..."
"Manipulated?" Remus suggested the word, his eyes darkening. "No wonder he can't trust anyone."
"He apologized...said he was sorry that James died." Sirius said, his throat thickening up.
"He actually...he actually said he was sorry for that?" Remus seemed to have trouble with his own throat.
Sirius nodded. "All these years...I kept thinking he didn't really have feelings like you and me...that somehow he was different." He could almost taste the guilt building in his stomach. "But he had feelings...he just kept them buried. I'm part of the reason he's the way he is."
"And maybe we can be part of the reason he changes?" Remus offered, giving a small smile when Sirius gave him an incredulous look. "I'm not saying we'll get him to be all sunshine and lollipops, but maybe we can lessen his...dourness."
"And what makes you think he'll even remember this, much less admit to anything he's said?" Sirius asked, waiting for the smart answer Remus always gave.
"There is no doubt at all he won't remember this." He grinned widely. "But we can always offer the truce up anyways...see if he takes it."
"Worth a shot." Sirius agreed, before grinning. "I really hope he doesn't piss himself all over my couch."
"When's the last time he peed?" Remus asked.
"Right before we left." Sirius answered. "Had to help him get his pants down."
"I never thought I'd ever hear Sirius Black say he took down Severus Snape's pants in a bar's bathroom." Remus laughed as Sirius turned red.
"When you say it like that it sounds perverted." He turned darker. "And Snape owes me big time..."
Remus laughed harder. "You saw it didn't you?"
Sirius nodded stiffly, unable to look at the sleeping man.
"How was it?" Remus asked, and Sirius didn't blame him. It was simply a matter all men discussed, much like girls were prone to discussing and comparing breasts.
"Huge..." Sirius blushed darker at the term, along with Remus.
"Well...damn." Remus muttered, seemingly impressed. "Good for him."
"We did not just have this conversation." Sirius insisted.
"No." Remus agreed, seemingly content to never discuss this again.
"But speaking of equipment...how are you and Tonks?" Sirius asked.
Remus grinned widely. "Just great actually."
"She's not turned off by your age?" Sirius teased.
"If anything I think she would have been turned off by the poverty thing...but she's surprisingly taken that in stride."
"I'm sure she's taking a lot of things in certain strides." Sirius chuckled as Remus turned red.
"Speaking of such, when are you going to get back into the dating scene?" Remus asked, amused as the smirk turned into a frown.
"Eventually, but maybe I should wait until after the war..." He trailed off, thinking of the bartender. "I don't know...maybe I'd even like a muggle. It is always fun to rile up Mother."
"Sirius...your past isn't just going to go away. Even if you do chose a muggle, you'll have to explain to her eventually about your past." Remus's tone wasn't condescending, it was the voice of reason as always.
"I always thought I'd have time to just fool around, and that I'd just marry later on...but it is later on now...Azkaban took every chance I had to just have fun." He swallowed hard. "I don't even know if I can still have kids..." He smiled weakly. "Maybe mother is right...maybe I will be the reason the Black line dies out."
"You Black's are stallions." Remus waved away his concerns easily. "You could be eighty and still produce."
"Well, I'm not going to argue." Sirius grinned, stretching.
"Hey mate, it's two in the morning. I'm heading to bed." Remus yawned.
"I suppose I'd best go as well." He agreed.
"Are we just leaving him there?" Remus asked, gesturing at Snape.
"Believe me, he's not waking up anytime soon." Sirius assured. "He'll be fine there. And I really don't think he'd like anyone to be fussing over him."
Remus nodded. "You're right." He agreed, walking with Sirius toward their rooms. "Good night, mate."
"Good night."
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Severus groaned and sat up, wondering whose couch he was on and how he had ended up sleeping on it. As his stomach lurched he collapsed back on the cushions, dread filling him as he realized he had drank last night. Things never ended up well when he drank, which was precisely the reason he chose not to. It was just that last night had been hard on him...not that that excused his drinking.
"How's that hangover?"
Severus's heart stopped for a minute. Was that Black's voice? Was he in Black's house? What had he done? What did he have to apologize for? He cursed himself and his brain for not ever being able to remember what he had done in his drunkenness. "Where am I?" He moaned, not bothering to open his eyes. If Black was going to kill him he would have done it by now.
"On my couch." Black said simply, not sounding as angry as he usually did when he spoke to Snape.
"Why?" Asked Snape, keeping his tone level as Black had.
"You passed out on the floor." Black said simply, sounding amused.
"You're blood alcohol level was .24." Lupin's voice came from somewhere in the room and it was then that Severus recalled the Weasley's had been staying with Black, along with Granger and Potter.
"Who all...was here?" He managed, despite the fact that his head was pounding.
"Everyone saw you." Black didn't sugarcoat anything, a fact that Severus secretly appreciated.
"Whatever did, I'm sorry. Really. I'll replace anything I broke." Severus promised, fully intending to make things right. "I should have never drank."
"I beg to differ." Black's voice sounded clipped, and Severus went on guard.
"Oh?" He said, easily keeping the trepidation from his voice.
"Cut the act." Black snapped. "I have questions."
Severus slowly sat up and leaned heavily against the back cushions of the couch, before he dared to open his eyes. He grimaced as he did so, the light burned something fierce. It had been such a long time since he had had a hangover, usually he was able to wake up without a hitch. A trait passed on to him by his father. Clearly the trait wasn't in effect now, as the pounding in Severus's head threatened to drive him mad. "What questions?" He sighed, wondering just how badly he had mucked up. "I'll answer th-" He broke off his sentence quickly, feeling vomit rushing up his throat. He stood up jerkily, wondering where the hell the bathrooms in this place were, when he realized he'd not be able to make it anyways. He aimed, and made it thankfully, into a plastic pail that had apparently been left at his side last night.
As he heaved what little he had actually managed to stomach this last week, which was already very little, the realization that had to pee came to the center of his mind. It was all he could do to keep from peeing himself as he uncontrollably heaved.
"Are you still drunk?" Lupin asked, his voice a mixture of pride and concern.
Severus gave a small shake of his head, not daring to do more as he didn't want to shoot vomit unto Black's rug. "I'm...good." He managed, before starting to dry-heave. He really didn't have anything in his stomach that he could afford to bring up, but up it had come. He cursed himself for drinking, for ending up in this predicament. He continued to dry-heave, occasionally bringing up nothing but foam which he spit out into the bowl. He had already disgraced himself by blowing chunks, it didn't really matter if he spat now, did it?
Finally the nausea abated and he sat back on his knees. He was reaching for his wand to vanish the bowl when he realized that it was not on his person. His eyes widened. What kind of shit had he gotten himself into now? "Where is my wand?" He asked, his voice scratchy.
"What do you need it for?" Black demanded.
Severus was about to spit out that it was none of his damn business when he thought better of it. It wouldn't do to piss someone off when they were armed and he wasn't. Plus, he had just crashed there...a little civility was called for. Especially when Black seemed to be going out of his way to be more than civil. "So I can vanish this." He explained, trying to muster up the energy to stand.
Lupin flicked his wand, ridding the room of the horrid smelling bowl. Severus sighed in relief, as the sight and scent of it was threatening to send him dry-heaving again. Oh, how he hated dry-heaving. He'd much rather throw up food for hours that suffer through a minute of dry-heaves. He raised a brow as Lupin offered him a hand. Severus eyed the man's face for any sign of trickery, but only found a genuine willingness to assist him. As proud as Severus was, he decided to take advantage of the offer. He simply was not in any condition to refuse assistance, even if it was from a marauder. At least it was the least offensive one, Severus thought, closing his eyes as Lupin pulled him up none too gently.
"Sorry...I thought you weighed a bit more." Lupin apologized, sounding sincere as he grabbed ahold of his arm. Once the man realized he was steady, he released him.
"Look," Severus began, already working on damage control, "I was drunk. Anything I said is likely-"
"True." Black cut him off, an edge in his eyes that had Severus on guard. "Drunk people and small children are the only people who are completely honest."
"I'm sure anything I said or did last night was complete nonsense." Severus offered quickly.
"Oh really?" Black scoffed.