Behold, chapter 8. Thank you all so much for all your reviews, they do put a happy little smile on my face and encourage me to write much faster. Happy reading...

Disclaimer: I, unfortunatly, do not own Harry Potter nor anything associated with the Harry Potter series or Warner Bros. productions and can only take credit for what my own mind has come up with.

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There was a new determination flashing in those same ice blue eyes that had spent the night crying out every emotion, until their keeper was left feeling raw and exhausted.

Candle's burned around him, the flickering flames sharing their light with the room, illuminating the calm figure sat peacefully in an over stuffed arm chair lightly tapping his finger tips in a rhythmless beat, carefully watched by a slighter, less calm figure on the couch.

Sirius smiled at his Godson. They had spent most of the day discussing the memories Harry had seen in the pensieve and Sirius had tried to help Harry understand those little scraps of information. Though this had effectively placed an emblem of calmness and clearity in Harry's mind, it nagged at him that the one topic they had avoided all together was the worst part of what Harry had seen in the last memory.

"Something you have to understand Harry" Sirius said, his rough voice playing delicately with the words escaping his tongue, "Is that Severus and I hated each other, we loathed each other, from the very moment we first met. Perhaps it is true, that had your father and I not bullied him as much as possible, things could have turned out much differently. But one thing that always angered both of us, the one thing that led to us becoming tangeled up in that viscious, violent relationship, was that no matter how much we hate and despise each other, we love each other just the same. And nothing we ever did to try and change that worked, and our foolishness in believeing we could somehow change our emotions is what caused us to do the things we regret most in the world."

Harry nodded solemly, remembring Snape's confession that the scar he left on Sirius' side was the thing he regretted doing the most, and the green eyes lingered for a moment where he knew the hidden injury to be, before removing them to look back into Sirius' eyes.

"Do you still feel like that?" Harry asked, new found confidence in his own questions, "You love each other just as much as you hate each other?"

The teenager watched as Sirius scrunched up his face in thought for a few seconds before his gaze returned back to Harry, "I believe so, well...at least I know that I do...though Severus is a much more complicated man then I, and presuming to completely understand him is like presuming that stepping into a fire will not burn you alive." Harry outwardley winced at the mental image which led Sirius to chuckle lightly. "I know you don't think much of him Harry, he never really allows many people to see past his initial cruel mask...I just hope you can believe that I know him better then most, I've known him for a very long time, and though I have the scars to prove that assuming I know him completely is a very big mistake, I know in my very soul that I love him, and that he loves me back."

Harry gave a small smile and a nod to his Godfather, finding himself feeling proud that he had come to this understanding, and feeling happy that the man so broken from his 12 year stint in Azkaban was still able to love someone with as much fierceness that was shown in his gaze.

And through Harry's own thoughs, the one thought of Sirius' that echoed louder then any other was, 'at least, I hope he does'.

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For the first time in three days Grimmauld Place was aloud with the sound of life. December 29th brought with it the next Order meeting, and both Sirius and Harry were happy to welcome the distraction and company of other people. While Harry, Ron and the twins dissappeared into the drawing room, the order took up place around the dining room table.

The meeting was just about to begin when the sound of the front door opening and closing interrupted and into the dining room strode Albus Dumbledore, his famous twinkle lost in a sombre, almost sad expression, and he was closely followed by none other then the man Sirius had been hoping to see, Severus Snape.

Sirius had to force down a smile at the first sight of him, mentally reminding himself of keeping appearences in front of everyone else, though after some close studying of the other man the hidden smile was completely lost.

"You look like shit Snape." The animagus said before he could stop himself. In fact Snape did look just that, his lank hair hung limply around his face, hiding fading bruises as well as new ones that adorned his shallow, pale face. He looked deathly sickly and his skin had taken on a slight blue tint, his eyes sunken and surrounded by black bags, along with his long limbs seeming even thinner underneath his usually perfectly fitted robes gave the man the impression of a walking corpse.

Sirius couldn't help but frown at the exhausted, over worked man who sat opposite him, but Snape just sneered in his direction, "What an ingenious observation Black. I'm afraid not all of us have the luxioury of being a burden, some of us actually have work to do."

Everyone around them frowned, waiting for Sirius' retort and they were quite surprised when none came, though were quickly distracted as Dumbledore began speaking.

Sirius, however, was mulling over those words in his head. Noting how each word quivered with what appeared to be mocking, but Sirius knew as defensive bating. There had been no venom in Snape's eye's when he spoken, only exhaustion and a kind of hopelessness that made the other wizard shiver as if doused in ice water.

While Sirius tried to disguise his glances at Snape by looking swiftly around the rest of the table before staring once more at his target, he noticed that Snape's eyes were drooping slightly and his body swayed somewhat melodically, as if the man was about to fall asleep where he sat while his attention remained focused on the Headmaster, trying with all his strength to focus on the meeting.

A slight pang of worry hit Sirius in the stomach for the other man. He knew how troubled Snape became in his sleep, often leaving him for a few days without any at all, and coupled with the dangerous and weary job of being a double agent and spy for the Order meant the man looked as if he'd not recieved a good nights sleep since last year, and it made the animagus sick knowing that that was possibly true.

Just as Kingsley began debating with Minerva about a new strategy, something to do with Hogsmead and the surrounding area, Snape's unfocused eyes rose to meet with Sirius', and the black pools were bloodshot and looked almost maddening. Though Sirius knew how to read those eyes and the passive mask of Severus Snape slipped for a few seconds, showing the other man his pain, fear and exhaustion, before it was forced back onto his face quicker then it'd slipped. But Sirius caught it and gave the other man a compassionate smile, pleased that Snape's head only nodded slightly instead of the pattented sneer Sirius was accoustmend to. Though neither man realised that someone else was watching them with curious interest. Sirius wasn't the only one who saw the mask slip.

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A/N: Ok, so keeping with my promise that this chapter be posted quicker, I have decided to end it here instead of extending and have changed my idea's for chapter 9 which is now going to be Snape centred...because I love him so much I have decided I want to focus on his emotions and the outcomes the past had for him...and I still have the plan for that other character to pop in and stir things up (good or bad I haven't decided) wonder if any of you can guess who it is? Here's a hint: this character has yet to be mentioned at all in the story.

Please Review, they do make me happy...