I'm sooooooo very sorry it took this long guys! Let's just say college has been more then a nightmare for the last couple of months and I've only just finished this chapter. Thank you for all your reviews, and again I'm very sorry I made you wait so long, so without further ado here is chapter 9.
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The cooking scent of dinner floated like a warm tasty ghost along the stone cold corridors of Hogwarts dungeon, twisting and bending with every give and take of each gray wall, seeping into every crack and unnoiticable hidden passage until it slipped under the door and lingered in the air of the private quarters of Slytherin head of house, Severus Snape.
Severus inhaled the scent, but instead of making his empty stomach grumble to be fed, it did a flip flop and the wizard had to force himself not to be sick.
He'd being feeling like hell (and looking like it as Sirius had so subtly made note of), ever since his last meeting with the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters. Though he'd never allow himself to show the cracks in his finely groomed demeanor of evil, angry potions master in public view, here in the privacy of his rooms he was able to relax his mind and break his crafted mask to allow some kind of resting peace.
He sunk onto the sofa, resting one hand over his tight, small stomach while he used the index and thumb of his other hand to slowly rub the tieredness from his black circled eyes. Exhaustion would not do when classes began again in two days, he simply had to carry on as if all is normal, as if he's not cracking ever so slightly under the enormity of it all.
Severus stared for a sort while into the crackling flames of the fire, the only source of warmth in his cold, dark room, and almost feel from the sofa in shock when the orange embers suddenly flashed green and he heared the unmistakable voice uttering the password which would allow him instant access through Severus' floo and within seconds there was a happily grinning Sirius Black, standing in front of him, obviously very pleased with himself.
But it only took once quick glance at Snape's rigid position before Sirius was beside him on the couch, scanning the bits of the other man he could see. "Oh Merlin Severus, you still look awful" Sirius said, his eyes bouncing from the scar on Snape's sullen cheek, to the bony hand rested atop the slim stomach.
Severus shuffled as far away from the other man as he could get without removing himself from the couch and sat up straight, though his hand remain pressed to his stomach which now had a feeling of fluttering neausea. Sirius frowned at this action and move to rest his hand on Snape's arm who flinched for a second before forcing himself to remain in place.
Sirius dropped his head and sighed, rubbing his chin for a moment, "I wasn't going too..." but the words died on his tongue when Severus tentavily moved his free hand so that his finger tips were touching those of Sirius' hand that rested on the couch between them, making the older of the two smile happily. It was always a good sign when Severus made the first move.
Sirius steeled himself and moved so that he could take the hand into his own, gently stroking the back with the pad of his thumb. "How are you feeling?" the animagus questioned.
An answering sigh escaped Severus' lips before he pursed them in thought, his eyes never lifting frm staring at the carpet beneath his feet as he pondered his answer, chosing each word carefully before deciding to speak. "My injuries are healing, there is no chance of infection if I continue to take my potions" the younger man stated.
Sirius sighed in slight agitation. He should've known Snape would phrase his answer so that it relayed only facts with none of the feeling. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
Severus remained stunned for a moment before raising a qeustioning look to the other.
Sirius clarified in a frustrated tone, "Answering with facts. I asked how you were feeling, not how your injuries are, because I can plainly see that they are still paining you" he nodded to the covered stomach and Severus quickly removed both his hands from their current positions and placed them on his knees.
Sirius groaned and put his head in his hands, shaking his long mane of hair from his ice blue eyes as he looked up to stare intently at the other wizard, "I'm not angry at you Sev!" he sighed, before his voice rose in his frustration, "I just wish you'd give me a straight answer for once!"
Sirius jumped up from the couch and strode over to the fire, gripping it tightly and breathing deeply to calm himself before he spoke again. He promised Harry he wouldn't do anything to harm Snape, and he knew shouting at the man wasn't going to get him anywhere. This is going to be harder then I thought!
When he turned back around Snape was sitting rigidly on the couch, shoulders slumped in defeat, head bowed so that his chin touched his chest and his hair vieled his scarred face, hands tightly gripping his knees which were firmly held together and his whole form remained unmoving other then the slightly jolt of shaky breaths.
Sirius became angry at himself, Great, He thought, Now I've scared him! Well done Sirius! you can't even apologise right.
The animagus shook his head and replaced himself on the couch, making sure there was a omfortable distance between them. "I'm sorry Sev. I didn't mean to get frustrated like that. I promise you, I'm not angry...I don't know what I am really...I just want to help."
Sirius waited patiently for the raven to relax and smiled in small triumph when the smaller mans body untensed and he relaxed again into the couch, once again resting a hand on his stomach.
Sirius couldn't help but question, "What's wrong with your stomach?"
Severus tensed again, but relaxed much more quickly, subconsciously rubbing small circles into his belly in a feeble attempt to ease the ache. "I feel sick" the potions master admitted.
Sirius frowned at the other and pulled the man close to him, ignoring the tensing and wrapping his arms around the others skrawny framed, gently removing Snape's bony (and he now noted cold) hand from his stomach and replaced in with his larger, warmer one and began rubbing soothing circles into the mans belly. Severus' dull black eyes just watched the movement of the other mans hand on his belly, willing himself to relax but the memory of the last time he and Sirius were alone together just before Christmas was still fresh in his mind and forced his shoulder to shake with the unwanted suspicion that another game was being played on him and he couldn't let his gaurd down.
Severus hated thinking like this, but he knew his mind no longer had a choice but to present him with all of the worst case scenario's of something as simple as a hug. Though even hugs weren't simple in Severus' experience, embraces like that were almost always coupled with something bad and those memories flashed before his eyes as he struggled with holding himself in place, his mind screaming GET AWAY! RUN YOU IDIOT! But he just couldn't.
This is Sirius, he reminded that niggering voice inside his head.
Exactly! The voice answered
He's not going to hurt me...
What, like he didn't last time? Or the time before that? Or all the times before that? The voice interrupted, bring back it's own memory flashes.
He said he wasn't going to hurt me.
Oh right, like he's never said that before! The voice turned viscious as it snarled inside his mind, Have you forgotten what else happened that night in the Astronomy Tower?
Severus was shocked out of his reviere by Sirius placing a light kiss to his cheek and the younger wizard immediately saw red and threw himself away from the other man, shaking and frantically searching for his wand which he failed to remember he'd left on the kitchenette counter.
"Severus...?" Sirius questioned but the raven haired man shook his head and pointed to the floo. "I need you to leave please" he said, forcing his voice not to tremble.
Sirius made a move to come closer but Severus threw himself back, panicking when his back hit the wall as he realised Sirius now had him cornered from this angle with no way to defend himself and his mind was no longer on his side. But Sirius did as requested, with a devastated look on his face as he spared one last glance to the trembling potions professor before he whispered "Bye Sev" and stepped into the green flames.
And with the last dying flame collapsing in the grate, Severus Snape's frail, shaken body imitated the movement and crashed, unconscious, to the floop beneath.
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A/N: Well I hope that made up for me taking so long, even if the chapter itself is still quite short. This story takes more batterings in my head that my own little voice telling me to stop eating so much chocolate (NEVER!). But, on a brighter note I'm going to give a hint to the mystery character...none of you have guessed it! So keep guessing! Updates will come as quickly as possible, and keep those reviews coming campers.
Nekoroar2396- Question: What is a beta? (excuse my lack of knowledge, I live under a rock you see)