a/n: So, since it has been some time between updates and I didn't want to cleave this chapter in half, you have an extra-large update! 21 pages according to MS Word. I will say, this chapter, and the next, are my FAVORITES so far. Lots of stuff happening all at once.
Many thanks to the numerous reviews asking for updates! And a special thanks to the sorta anonymous 'me' for making me feel extra giddy. Repeatedly read it? Really? :D
Any-who, enjoy!
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It's cold and dank, a familiar smell of mildew and stale water.
"Hurry up!" A hissed whisper in his ear. Sirius blinks and hurries forward, he doesn't know where he's going, but his feet seem to know well enough for him. There's a firm grip on his arm and a harsh blasting breath in his ear.
"Where are we going?" He whispers back, feeling an urgency in the darkness.
There's a silent scoff that blows his hair across his neck and the hand on his arm tightens. "Don't be an idiot, Black. And hurry, we're running out of time."
Sirius stumbles in the dark. Snape. Snape was clinging to him in the dark. The man steadies him and Sirius expects the nasty remarks to come, he's oddly surprised and worried when none do, and a troubled tone whispers into his ear. "Easy, Sirius, the ground's horribly uneven. We can't afford you to twist an ankle."
There's whispering ahead in the cavern, it echoes back in an oddly eerie way.
Snape's gasping in his ear and he's dragging heavily on Sirius' robes. It slowly dawns on Sirius that there's something very wrong.
"What's happing?" Sirius tries to stop but Snape is pushing his lower back and grumbles. "Snape?"
"We have to get to Remus, stop lurking, who knows what that vile bastard is doing to him!"
Sirius' heart leaps to his throat and he spins to a stop, grabbing hold of Snape as the man stumbles against him. They're closer to the cavern, a dull light that flickers—a torch or pit fire. There's blood on Severus' face, his hooked nose further crooked.
"What happened to you?" Sirius gapes, noticing how carefully Snape is cradling his arm to his chest.
Severus scowls darkly at him, snarling and Sirius is oddly put at ease by the familiarity. "Be a dollard later! We're nearly there. Do you remember what you need to do?"
Before Sirius could shake the man and scream no, Severus dodged to the right and darted into the cavern. Sirius ran after him and stumbled to a stop. Fenrir Greyback was holding Snape by the neck and shaking him like a rag doll.
Snape's black eyes glittered in the firelight and he choked out in gasps, "Black! Get Remus… Help him!"
…oOo…
Sirius jerked awake, soaked in sweat and sticking to the sheets.
"Sirius?"
The animagus nearly fell to the floor and instead pushed back into the corner of the headboard and clutched at his pounding heart. Remus was standing near looking worried and confused.
"You were tossing around… feeling alright?"
Sirius swallowed twice and nodded. He laughed nearly manically as he pushed his hair repeatedly from his face. Remus smiled gently and helped by brushing it back with his fingers. Sirius felt a maddening bubble of emotion burst in his stomach. He took hold of Remus' waist and drew the thin wizard to him, burying his face into the Lupin's stomach.
"Pads?" Remus stroked his hair and held him for a while.
"M'okay," Sirius mumbled, leaning back a bit but not letting Remus go.
"I'll fix some breakfast." Remus gathered his courage and laid a brief kiss on Sirius head before retreating into the kitchen.
Sirius ran a hand down his face and made his way to the bathroom. His eye sockets were a little too dark and his face a little too pale. The dream had left him unsettled. He hadn't felt that vulnerable about a nightmare since he was a child.
He had no doubt his lovely peek into Snape's head had helped create it. There were glimpses of normal moments. Silent evenings at Spinner's End, bent low over a pitiful dinner in the dark. Books, potions, lack of respect every time he turned around. Orders from Dumbledore, scoldings from Pomfrey, stupidity from students… it had been fast and furious, a collage of fragmented moments in Severus' life. Not to mention the rather violent and confusing conclusion to last night's wrestling match.
Sirius rinsed his mouth and stared at himself a moment longer. What he needed today was time to do and not think. Perhaps, if Remus wouldn't mind…
"Breakfast is on, Pads!"
Remus sat down at the table, nibbling at his toast when Padfoot entered, clicking toenails on the floor and wide, violet eyes over a wet nose. Remus looked surprised down at the dog and saw it wag its tail very slowly.
"Come on then," He told the dog, sliding the plate from the table top to the floor. He wasn't going to begrudge Sirius some time as a canine. In fact, he had an inkling that he might see Padfoot during the day. Since they had been children at Hogwart's and Sirius had first been able to transform, the handsome youth would revert to his dog form when something was bothering him.
Padfoot let out a soft chuff and the wagging tail became far happier. He pranced into the kitchen and ate as messily as he could while Remus watched and laughed.
"I was thinking of traveling back to the third floor again today. Maybe we could actually get some cleaning done up there instead of just making a bigger mess." Remus sipped his juice and smiled as Padfoot licked his chops and yipped in agreement.
Pads walked forward, resting his large head on Remus' lap. Lupin idly scratched at his ears.
"Come on then," Remus told him, retrieving the plate from the floor and leaving their dishes in the sink.
Padfoot followed Lupin up the stairs, nose to the floor cracks. It had been quite some time since he'd been a dog in this house. He certainly hadn't dared when anyone else was home. It was vaguely nostalgic and depressing picking up the scents of what seemed his ancient past.
A familiar smell captured his attention and with nose low and ears back he followed it enthusiastically while Remus shook his head and continued on his way without him.
The smell grew stronger as he neared the end of the third floor corridor, sneezing as the dust caught in his sinuses. Motes swirled high from his sneeze and he took a playful moment to nip at a larger one and whirled on his feet.
The trail grew strong and ended almost abruptly at a closed door he vaguely remembered being his mother's 'private' closet. He clawed half-heartedly at the doorjamb, prepared to forget it when something moved heavily inside.
Pads curled his lip over his teeth, snarling and began to ram his square head into the jamb, clawing with his might at the floorboards. Whatever was there heard him and panicked as more things tumbled and the sound of something shattered from within.
Remus emerged from a room near the stairwell with a frown. He looked curiously at Sirius and startled as the dog barked and continued to dig.
"What are you doing?!" Remus sounded exasperated. He came up short and drew his wand when another hard thump came from the closet. He carefully laid his hand on the knob and looked down at the dog. "Ready?"
Padfoot chuffed and sidled out of the way, crouched low on his haunches so he could launch himself.
The door swung open with a squeal of hinges followed by the high-pitched shrieking of a particularly panicked house elf. Remus kept his wand trained on the pathetic thing just in case.
Sirius snarled and growled, taking great clacking bites in Kreacher's general direction. The waif of a house elf shrieked in panic and tried valiantly to climb a mountain of memorabilia that jammed the space nearly full.
"Stop! Stop, Pads!" Remus reached down for a handful of Sirius' pelt but recoiled as a stinging slap brought beads of blood to his cheek.
Kreacher sat petrified, staring at his own small hand in shock and hissed through his teeth as Padfoot tried again to bite him.
Remus touched the scratches and stared in obvious shock at the house elf. He took his fingers away and laughed sarcastically at the blood that dribbled on his fingertips.
Sirius scented the sharp copper tang and his violet eyes lost color as his pupils dilated until they shone. Kreacher let out a squeal of high alarm as the large dog leapt up the mound of garbage and snagged him roughly by the ankle.
"Let him go," Remus demanded attempting to pry Padfoot's jaws apart.
The dog let out a grunt of satisfaction as the house elf wailed, he shook him just out of spite.
"Filthy creature! Not master, not master!" Kreacher shrieked and curled about himself, reaching out and digging his thin pointed fingers into Padfoot's eyes.
The dog bellowed and bit harder before shaking the house elf loose. Remus shot a curse at Kreacher as he stumbled a few feet away, but missed as the elf vanished with a crack.
"Are you alright?" Remus gasped, grasping hold of the dogs head and attempting to assess the damage.
Padfoot jerked his head away and rubbed at his eyes aimlessly with a soft whimper. He blinked narrowed, pained eyes at Remus and chuffed, nosing his way past and sauntered dejectedly into the room Remus had been in only a minute before.
Remus rolled his eyes and touched his cheek again with a hiss. Damned that little blighter, now that they'd found him, they would have to find something to do with him… preferably involving an unforgivable or a horrific accident involving an avalanche of fine crystal ware.
Lupin cast an eye into the closet and snorted. He wasn't about to touch anything in there today. Perhaps in a day or two… after that planned accident.
He was worried about Padfoot, but it eased when he found the dog with his head stuck under a bed and tail wagging lazily at whatever he was sniffing. Remus scratched the dog's rear-end on the way past and began to paw about things himself.
…oOo…
A slow, lulling afternoon of searching half-heartedly through the third floor left both canine's dusty and hazy. Remus clomped down the stairs with a tired gait, Padfoot practically skimming along them on his belly.
He grinned down at the dog as he poured a large bowl full of water to set on the floor. Padfoot gave him a doggy-grin with tongue lolling out the side of his mouth before driving his nose into the water and slobbering away.
Remus helped himself to a tall glass of water himself and sat down at the table with a creak in his spine and a sigh on his lips.
Once Padfoot had sated himself and was dribbling small puddles of water and saliva onto the floor, Remus patted his thigh and motioned the dog over. "Let me take a look at that Pads."
The dog groaned and sat heavily on Remus' foot in his own way of defiance, obediently lifting his head up to rest his chin on the table's edge. Remus tsked softly and accio'ed a clean washcloth from a drawer by the sink. He dipped it into his water and wiped the dirt and clinging webs from the dog's face.
The scratches weren't too bad considering. Blood had matted the short fur together where it was deepest, but most of it looked superficial. Remus thanked Merlin that Kreacher hadn't put out one of Sirius' eyes.
"I ought to have a better look at this…" He gave Sirius a meaningful look and the dog huffed slowly through his nose. "Just to look, then you're welcome return to the mite ridden beast you are." Lupin smiled lightly. Padfoot let out a long sigh the changed tone as he slipped from dog to man.
Remus had Sirius' face in his hands and he frowned deeply. The scratches looked much worse on hairless flesh. The cuts were long and scarlet, puffy at the edges and a very light bruising had started in the softest tissue of Sirius' left eye-lid.
"How is it?" Sirius asked softly, gripping the side of Remus chair as his balance shifted.
"Nasty," Remus admitted, "but I don't think you'll have any problems. Healing or scarring and such." The lycan carefully dragged the cloth back down the side of the animagus' face and winced in apology as Sirius hissed through his teeth.
"Perhaps we should contact Albus or Madame Pomfrey. I don't think we have anything for it, it would be good to clean it up properly at least." Remus mumbled, more to himself than Sirius.
The animagus nodded dumbly, his eyes ached and he wanted to return to his dog form and curl up on the musty sofa. He dropped his head heavily into Remus hand and the man smirked at him.
"Alright, then," Remus sighed. He ran his fingers lightly through Sirius hair as the man changed back to dog. Padfoot pushed his nose into Remus palm and chuffed happily as Lupin scratched at his ears.
"Go take your nap then, I'll firecall Poppy."
Padfoot's tail wagged and he trotted into the den and flopped his bulk onto the sofa. It let out a groan of protest but settled. Sirius watched with hooded, sleep laden eyes as Remus knelt by the fireplace and tossed a pinch of floo powder into the lightly glowing coals.
He was asleep before Remus even stuck his head into the grating.
…oOo…
Severus Snape was not having a good day. It seemed his body was severely upset with the late night tousle—followed by very little sleep. And if he thought his abused body was vocal last evening, it was absolute torture come dawn. It took him five minutes to rise from his bed, rocking painfully onto his back and hauling his aching carcass upright.
It took him far longer than that to clean and dress. He'd managed to lose precious time for his potions and by the time he made it into his private labs two simmering potions were ruined and one was barely passable. He growled menacingly at the inanimate objects around him and threw the remaining cauldron into the wall with a resounding clang.
He'd even managed to hurt himself doing that. His wrist twinged and he held it tightly with his other hand and scowled. Just perfect.
By mid-morning he had managed to burn his toast, slosh a scalding hot mug of tea onto his lap and tear a hole in his favorite work robe. Therefore, when Albus found him after lunch, Snape was burrowed into a large chair before a cold fireplace.
The Headmaster noted the nearly empty crystal decanter on the flagstones at Severus' feet and the empty glass that dangled from the man's thin fingers.
"Have you had a terrible morning, Severus?"
The man flinched and peeked over his shoulder across the back of the chair giving Albus a baleful glare. "Must you sound so bloody cheerful?"
Dumbledore looked pleasantly startled and smiled brightly, "Why, yes, I suppose I do!"
Severus grumbled and burrowed lower, scowling as Albus lit the hearth and sat down without invitation. "Is there a reason you've brought the sunshine and rainbows down to the lower sanctum of Hell?"
"Do I need a reason?" Albus blinked behind his glasses, looking genuinely curious and stroked his beard. He ruminated for a moment while Severus squeezed the bridge of his nose and wished he had drank either more or less—either to knock himself completely unconscious, or to remain sober enough to deal with the Headmaster's inane ramblings.
Minutes later Albus hummed pleasantly and smiled, eyes twinkling brightly. "I suppose I don't particularly need a reason, but it so happens that I do this afternoon."
Severus moaned and laid his forehead in his hands. "What can I do for you this time, Headmaster?" Snape mumbled toward his lap.
Albus smirked internally and watched with neutral eyes as he said jovially, "I was hoping you might run an errand for me, you see I am terribly busy later this afternoon and I haven't the time to pop into Grimmauld Place."
Severus' head snapped up and his nearly bloodshot eyes were a little wider than normal. "And what would you have been bringing?"
"Oh, well, Poppy told me it was a mild healing poultice made specifically for ocular ailments." Albus' twinkle went full blast as Severus jerked upright in his chair, but frowned softly as Snape hissed and held his side.
"Please tell me that they've finally gotten into a fight for dominance and Lupin's eaten Black…" Severus mumbled. He straightened up and took several long seconds to stand. He ignored the worried glance from the Headmaster and put on his traveling cloak.
"Where is it?"
Albus unwrapped a lemon sherbet and dropped the wrapper into the fire. "It is currently in Poppy's office." He stood and wrapped an arm loosely about Severus' shoulders. "Thank you so much for your help, my boy!"
"My pleasure," Severus deadpanned.
Albus walked the man out and they shared a silent company until they reached the first floor. "Do tell the boys I send my regards," Albus chirruped happily as he turned off toward his office.
The potions master sneered and swept off to the infirmary, students scattering in his wake.
…oOo…
The streets outside of Grimmauld Place were dirty and windswept. Old, yellowed paper and dented garbage bins rolled freely through the alleyways. Severus braced himself against the wind and hauled himself up the stairs to the front door.
Mrs. Black's portrait let out a shriek that raised the hairs along his neck. He snarled at it and passed blessedly through the thin barrier that silenced the hall from the howls of the entryway.
Someone was singing in the kitchen, a soft lilting tune that sounded vaguely Celtic. A small bundle set in the crook of Snape's arm, he shifted it, wincing as his wrist let out a pang of protest—still sore from the morning's stupidity—and stalked into the warm room.
Hermione Granger of all people was sitting at the table talking in low tones to Molly Weasley, who hummed the soft tune he had heard earlier.
"..Professor!"
Severus allowed a weak snarl as Ms. Granger's bushy head turned his way. Molly paused in her tune and looked over her shoulder with a smile.
"Good afternoon Severus! If I knew you were coming I would have brought along another pie."
Snape waved his hand dismissively, "I'm not here for pleasantries," he snarled. "Where is Lupin?"
"Upstairs with the boys," Molly turned back to the sink and continued washing carrots.
"Am I trusted to believe he and the mutt are also being visited," he sighed. Another lovely addition to his day—a visit with Potter and the youngest Weasley son.
"Oh, yes. Harry was quite pleased to come along," Molly practically sang, picking up on her tune again as Severus swept to the stairs.
He paused on the second floor, grimacing at the laughter that filtered down from the third, and continued on his way up.
"This is brilliant!" Crowed a teenaged voice. Severus rolled his eyes heavenward, knowing instinctively that it was Weasley.
It wasn't hard to trace the lot of them to a room with all of the noise they were making. He paused in the entry, scowling at the boisterous noise. Potter was on the floor nearly buried beneath a pile of oddities. Ron Weasley had an old chaser's jersey pulled over his head and looked far too awed at the piece a moth bitten material. Lupin had his head jammed into a closet… Sirius was nowhere to be seen.
"Snape?!" Ron gaped, paling so quickly Severus thought he might pass out.
Remus jerked upright and knocked his head against the bar in the closet. He backed out rubbing at it and looked highly embarrassed as he grinned weakly. "Severus, back so soon?"
Normally a blurb like that would have made Snape's blood boil. But the way Lupin's cheeks flushed and he practically floated past the children made Severus glean over it.
He stalked forward and met Lupin half way. The wolf's eyes widened and he glanced, paranoid toward the boys who were watching in panicked interest. Snape resisted the urge to snap at them and chastise Lupin for thinking he would ever show any display of public affection… much less any affection.
There were three thin scratches down Lupin's cheek but they weren't deep, nor were they near his eye. Severus shifted the box and scowled. "Albus sent me with medication for your eye… but there appears to be nothing wrong with it."
Remus looked confused for a moment before a light dawned. He smiled and shook his head. "He missed mine easy enough. It's Sirius that needs help."
"Black," Severus growled.
"What? Oh, Snape," Sirius drawled, appearing from the hall behind. He held a couple of books in his hands that he passed to Harry. Severus could see the Hogwart's crest embossed on the cover.
The animagus squatted next to his godson and flipped through several pages, pointing out several photos in rapid succession in his excitement. Ron skirted the two adults in the middle of the room and dropped to the floor next to Potter.
Remus watched the small group with a fond smile and leaned into Snape subconsciously.
Severus sidestepped carefully, feeling unease well in his stomach. The casualty of Lupin's affection was too much for him most days. It awed and—though he would never admit it aloud—scared him at how comfortably Lupin was with touches. Which was saying something considering the man was a werewolf and mostly embarrassed by innocent touches himself.
Lupin looked a bit offput but shrugged it off well enough.
"Pads, Snape is here for you," Remus interrupted. Sirius gave him a skeptical look over his shoulder and remained where he was.
To Snape's mild surprise it was Potter who nudged Black. "Go on," he said quietly. He eyed something on Sirius face and the animagus patted Potter's shoulder before he stood.
The boys spared him a glance before returning to the past.
Snape frowned as Black turned into the sunlight. There were some rather nasty looking gouges down his forehead, across his left eye and down both cheeks.
One sable eyebrow rose as Snape passed the box to Lupin. Remus drew the strings away and slid the paper free. Several small linen pouches sat within, each stuffed with carefully selected herbs.
"Come downstairs, we need to soak these in water," Remus steered Sirius by the shoulder and led him down the steps, nodding in polite chagrin at Sirius' protests.
Severus began to stalk after them but paused and squinted down his nose at the two students. Potter kept eye-contact, Weasley kept looking between the two of them. "You may bring those to the table," Severus said slowly, voice condescending. He turned and stalked to the stairs and spoke in a low tone, "this may take some time."
Back in the warmth of the kitchen found Molly fussing over Sirius and Lupin warming a teapot. Severus towered over Molly until the woman shot him an irritated look and returned to her pots with a huff.
Severus took Black by the chin and turned his head up into the light. The animagus growled at him and Snape squeezed just for spite. The delicate tissue of his eyelids were nearly black with bruises and swollen very nearly shut. "How would you manage to gouge your eye out?"
"I didn't," Sirius snarled through his clenched jaw.
"It was Kreacher," Remus interrupted with a too loud voice. He broke apart the two and situated himself between them. "We found him in an upstairs closet."
Severus sneered. "You should have killed him and mounted him years ago."
Granger let out a huff and scowled, but wisely kept her mouth shut.
The kettle bubbled and Lupin removed it before the water got too hot. Three of the pouches went into a bowl where Remus dumped half of the water. The sachets bubbled a bit as they steeped and Lupin sat down next to Sirius.
"Get me a towel," Severus grumbled to whoever would listen. One was passed to him quickly though he didn't know by whom. He snapped it open and laid it around Sirius' neck, tipping the man's head back. "Move your blasted hair," he hissed.
Sirius bared his teeth but did as he was told.
"Where is Kreacher now?" Molly asked as she set her pie into the oven.
"I don't know," Remus sighed. "After our run-in he disappeared with a crack and I haven't seen him since."
Severus frowned. An attacking elf was not a sign of a safe house. He plucked a bag from the water and wrung much of the excess water from it. A pungent smell, similar to a smoky tea, permeated the air. Snape curled his nose and took hold of Sirius' chin again.
He stretched the bag between his fingers a bit and laid it along the deepest scratch. Sirius hissed, Severus smirked, and Remus laid his head in his hands and sighed.
"Is it supposed to sting this much?" Sirius griped as his fingers curled into his thighs until his knuckles went white.
"I don't know," Severus told him with a smirk. Sirius glared with one eye and Snape found it all the more comical.
"What the hell do you mean you don't know?!"
"I'm a potions master, Black, not a medi-wizard."
Remus hid a smile behind his hand and watched the two bicker.
A few minutes passed with Sirius' head craned at an awful angle and Severus stooped over him like a vulture. Harry and Ron had come down the stairs during that time, but the tense air in the kitchen left them retreating into the den with Hermione in tow.
Severus lifted the now icy pouch and dropped it onto the table with a wet smack. He frowned as Sirius attempted to stand. "I have not finished," he snapped, shoving the man back with a palm in his chest.
Sirius gnashed his teeth and scowled.
Snape let out a low hum of curiosity and leaned far into Sirius' personal space. His heavy robes brushed Sirius face and the animagus got a lungful of warm spice before his chair was jerked around.
Snape's cold fingers touched the swollen, tender skin around his eye and Sirius sat very still, wary of losing an eye at Snape's whim.
Another low, tonal hum left the man's chest and Sirius squirmed, torn between anger and worry. "What is it?"
"This eye looks nearly violet in the light," Snape muttered, tone low and light.
"So?" Sirius snapped. He knew quite well that his eye color varied just so from the deepest blue to a hue very close to violet when he got angry or excited. What he wanted to know was what was so damned interesting.
"Well the other is blue," Severus groused, as though he were stating the obvious to a complete incompetent—which may have been true in his own mind.
Remus stood, curiosity piqued and looked down at Sirius' face upside-down. He smiled and nodded affirmation. "It's true. Apparently pain suits you," the lycan needled.
"Among everything else," Severus hissed softly, then clamped his lips tight and scowled at the two of them as though tempting them to loose his wrath by commenting on it.
Sirius choked and fought a flush as the enormity of last night's events fell on his shoulders again. He found he couldn't look at either Snape or Remus.
"There is no drainage," Severus continued in a gruff tone. "I would say you will live, unfortunately, and your scratches will heal in a day or so."
"A day?" Sirius groused, sitting upright and rubbing at his neck. The towel fell to his lap, slightly damp from the trails of tainted water.
"Madame Pomfrey assured me it was a mild healer to help prevent any infection in your eye. Unfortunately eye tissue is very sensitive and anything you might put to your scratches might do more harm to the lens than any help."
"Great," Sirius muttered.
"Afraid of a few scars, Black?"
"Of course not," Sirius snapped.
Snape scowled and unceremoniously slapped a sopping bag onto Sirius' face. "Hold that," Severus muttered, stalking out of the kitchen.
"Where the hell is he going?" the animagus huffed, settling the bag against the scratches and blowing water from his lips.
Remus leaned out of the kitchen door to see Snape disappear up the stairs. "Looks like he's forgotten something in his room."
Sirius rolled his visible eye and snorted. "His room."
Remus laughed and winked at Sirius, "I'll go see if he needs any help."
Sirius scoffed and watched Remus leave from the corner of his eye.
"They're good for each other," Molly said gently, taking the bag from him and dabbing at water trails with the towel.
Sirius gave her a semi gape and sputtered.
"Oh, don't look like that Sirius Black, a woman can tell these things," Molly smiled. She continued to fuss and wait. The longer she looked down at Sirius the more that smile slipped.
Molly sat down so suddenly that Sirius nearly broke his neck sitting up in a hurry to catch her. The woman was staring at him, plain faced with a dripping poultice in one hand and her heart covered with the other.
"Molly?" Sirius sat forward, afraid the woman was having a heart attack.
"Oh, you poor thing," she whispered very softly.
"What? Molly I—" Sirius started.
"You love him too." The Weasley matriarch smiled sadly and patted his knee. "Oh, dear…"
Sirius let out a dry laugh that he choked on, swallowing something that was suspiciously similar to a hard sob.
"Does Severus know?" She asked, squeezing his knee before standing to return to her motherly duty.
Sirius shifted down until his head rested on the table, sighing in content as his neck eased of its cramp. "Know what?" He asked her resignedly, hoping that none of the children, or anyone else for that matter would come eavesdropping.
"Know what…" she repeated with exasperation. "Does he know that you love him?"
Sirius sputtered again and jerked up completely out of his seat, neck protesting and water dribbling down his face, poultice landing in a squash on his chest before it fell to the floor.
"Of course not," he yelped before shaking his head roughly, "I mean, of course I don't! Love him, I mean!" He cringed and lowered his voice and shot Molly a dirty look, "What the hell are you talking about woman?!"
"Sirius Black, don't you get sassy with me!" Molly harrumphed, dropping fists to her hips.
Remus and Snape chose that moment to return, Lupin pausing to assess, Severus barging in and caring less; a forgotten tomb tucked neatly beneath his arm.
"Did I miss something?" Remus asked carefully.
"No," both growled at the same time. Sirius fumed silently, taken aback and horrified.
"Black," Severus barked, "sit." He pointed at the chair and Sirius sank into it in a fog as his mind tripped over itself trying to think of how Molly could ever think such a thing.
"I ask you to do one thing, one," Severus grumbled as he roughly dried the animagus' face.
"Ow! Christ Snape, I am injured here!"
"Only for your own stupidity," Snape hissed back. He took up the last pouch and practically slapped it onto Sirius' face still sopping wet.
Sirius growled, Snape sneered, and Remus sat down with a long sigh.
Molly set a small tray on the side board and soon had it piled with snacks of varying taste and set off to the den to feed the children.
Sirius was still lost in his head, chasing over the last couple of minutes trying to understand what it was that Molly had seen but kept coming back empty handed.
Gentle fingers pushed his hair to one side, edging around a long scratch and ghosting at its edges as it disappeared into his hairline very near his temple.
"Moony I—" Sirius started until his eyes focused and he saw Snape's concentrating face looming over his. He stopped and bit his tongue to keep from saying something nasty on reflex. Snape either hadn't heard him or chose to ignore it as he kept carefully checking each scratch near his right eye. The soft touch was deliberate and very cautious. Sirius felt gooseflesh rise on his arms.
It was soothing, except for the mild sparks of pain now and then at a particularly sensitive spot. Sirius frowned as he unconsciously relaxed back into the chair. His neck gave a particularly nasty twinge and he winced.
"Sorry," Severus muttered, withdrawing his hand a fraction of an inch. His eyes hardened as he realized he had apologized and he continued with a much more deliberate tracing and less stroking touches.
"'S just my neck," Sirius muttered back, trying to find anything else to focus on but Snape.
"Nearly done," Remus said pleasantly as he wrung out a dish-rag and wiped the dribbled mess from the tabletop.
Sirius flicked his gaze to Snape. The dark wizard nodded his agreement and moved to check Sirius' left eye. The tracing fingers and bites of pain were too much. Sirius jerked his head from Snape's grasp and stood, looking sheepish and uncomfortable.
"Excuse me," he mumbled uneasily and darted away, leaving Snape scowling and Remus blinking after him.
"He's been like that," Remus sighed softly, wiping down the table and bringing the bowl to the sink.
"Irritating? Infuriating?" Severus supplied with grunt.
"No," Remus smiled a little, "twitchy… Has been since last night."
Severus stiffened and stared vacantly toward the window.
Remus paused, giving Snape a once over and sat down beside the standing man. "Something about that scuffle isn't it? Something's happened between you."
Snape startled and denied it.
"Come on, Severus," Lupin sighed. "Don't pretend something didn't. He's been jumpy and you're the same. Did he say something awful?" Remus paused and considered, "Did you?"
"Nothing of the sort," Severus muttered.
Lupin sat back, searching, and slowly his eyebrow rose. "An understanding then… a painful understanding?" Snape did not answer and Remus took it as a small affirmation.
Remus stood and walked calmly from the kitchen, his heart was beating hard in his chest. A squirm of unaltered joy warmed his stomach. If Severus and Sirius could learn to understand each other they might just stop screaming at each other long enough to let him love them both. It was a stretch, his head and heart both knew it, but it was something.
He found Sirius in the abandoned bedroom on the third floor. He was scooping random things into a pile and muttering to himself.
Remus cleared his throat and Sirius smiled as he held aloft a battered journal of all the pranks the Marauders had pulled, "Do you suppose Harry might like this?"
"I'm sure he would," Remus agreed, taking it reverently from Sirius' hands.
"I thought so too," Sirius agreed. He pawed through the pile and began to chatter away absently.
"Pads," Remus interrupted, "do you think you could do something for me?"
"Sure, Moony," Sirius paused and straightened. Remus didn't look forlorn and serious so he offered a smile and waited to be asked.
"I…" Remus smiled briefly, "just a second."
Sirius scratched his head as the wolf practically skipped to the stairs and called for Snape.
Immediately, Sirius felt himself grow panicked. He couldn't handle Snape today, not after last night. The tenuous grasp of their truce was stretched to breaking point and one snapped insult could shatter it.
Remus returned, looking immensely pleased with himself and Sirius couldn't bring himself to ask what it was that his friend wanted.
Snape appeared as a silent shadow in the doorway shortly thereafter, looking irritated and expectant.
"What do you want?"
Remus' face flooded with color and he cleared his throat. "I hoped…" he paused and laughed nervously as he twiddled his shirt hem. Lupin took a large breath and beamed between the two of them. "I rather hoped for another kiss."
Sirius' face split wide and he laughed in relief. "There is a room full of visitors downstairs, you remember?" Sirius sidled up to Remus, pleasantly surprised at the boldness of his little wolf. It must have taken quite the stretch for him to gather it.
"I know, but they're suitably preoccupied… and it shouldn't take terribly long…" Remus blushed harder and stared at his feet.
Snape stood entirely still in the doorway, a mad flutter in his stomach at the request left him feeling light headed and suspicious.
"Just one," Remus muttered, glancing between them. "Please," he added breathlessly as an afterthought.
The longer the time stretched the more panicked the look on Remus' face grew. Sirius didn't care what Snape had decided, but he wasn't about to let Moony look so forlorn for such a simple, and pleasing, request.
He hugged Remus tight first, laughing breathless as Remus' honey eyes sparkled before he kissed him softly. Remus let out a heavy sigh through his nose and a low hum of satisfaction when Sirius stepped away.
Lupin turned slowly to Severus, eyes hooded.
Snape stood rooted, warring emotions bubbling in his stomach. He was surprised to find that one of them was jealousy. Remus took shuffling, tentative steps toward him and he found himself looking down at the grey streaked head before long.
His heart lodged somewhere in his throat at the enormity of this waif of a wolf before him. How Remus could ever have deigned to want him was still beyond his capacity to understand… and that the man could want Sirius just as strongly made him pause and consider. Again he was left with the uncertainty of what he believed Remus wanted. Surely Lupin didn't know for certain if he still turned toward them both.
Glowing honey eyes glanced at him, flicking across his face and trying to read him.
Snape knew he wouldn't, he was far too practiced at hiding his emotion. But the ache-filled breath Remus was drawing left him no doubt that Lupin was waiting tightly wound.
Long, spidery fingers ghosted Remus' face and he felt a piece of him melt at the tentative caress. Severus bent carefully, pausing an inch away and breathing softly across his face: unsure, expectant, disbelieving. Remus swayed, licked his lips briefly and closed the gap himself.
It was slow and warm, Remus could still feel the ghost touches of Snape's fingers across his cheek, his hair, his neck.
Snape retreated faster than Sirius, but Remus was sure he felt far more emotion in it. He gazed numbly at the potions master for a moment and smiled shyly. "Thank you," he mumbled, too self-conscious and uncaring to wipe the extra damp from his lips.
Severus appeared stiff and closed off, unwilling to look at either occupant and instead glared at the hearth stones in the corner of the room.
After a long moment of silence, Remus carefully cleared his throat and spoke gently, "Now you."
Sirius gaped, Snape recoiled, Remus smiled expectantly at them.
"Excuse me?" Severus deadpanned.
"Have you gone mental?" Sirius fumed, eyes ablaze.
"Go on," Remus told them as though neither had spoken. He bit his lip and turned to face each in turn. "I promise you won't explode."
"No way, Remus," Sirius shook his head in vehement denial. Severus had paled so drastically it was a wonder the man was still on his feet from the blood evacuating his head. He looked far too enraged to speak.
"Please?" Remus tried, though his voice was small and frail. Both men looked mutinous and Remus rubbed his eyes. "Just once, that's all. I'll never ask again, we can pretend it never happened… just… please?"
Sirius shook his head, unable to stop muttering under his breath.
Snape's color was slowly filling his face again and as more of it rose, the more he looked about ready to explode—or vomit.
"I…" Remus paused, thinking quickly. "I promise to change… by myself… tonight!"
To his amazement, the shaking, colorful rage of Snape's face seemed to pause and his cunning eyes appeared to be thinking over his options in rapt succession. Remus turned to Sirius and pleaded with wide eyes and a wounded face.
"Come on Pads, I just need some encouragement yea? And I'll never be able to do it by myself without something to think about."
"And my snogging Snape is going to bring about a calm and blissful transformation?" Sirius exploded.
"You never know," Remus said defiantly. "I find that thinking of pleasant things makes the transformation faster…"
"Our kissing is going to give you a pleasant memory?!"
"Yes," Remus grinned, unable to contain the small laugh that escaped him. He spared a glance at Severus and to his extreme delight saw defeat on the man's face. Trust the academics, and promise of those things that Snape had wanted him to do for himself, to win the man's analytical mind over. No matter how much the man tried to think himself out of it, anything that pushed Remus to help himself could not be all bad.
Sirius scowled, grimaced and stalked forward. He grasped Snape by his robe-front and gave him the barest of kisses before letting him go and backing away quickly. "There!"
"Come on, Sirius!" Remus balked. "That isn't a kiss for Merlin's sake!"
Sirius rounded, throwing his hands about his head and began to rave like a madman. "You can't deny it was a kiss, Remus. You didn't make any stipulations, so it counts!"
At this point, a strong hand descended like a vice on Sirius' shoulder and he was spun about. He flailed, clutching at the first thing his hands struck and didn't quite have time to process the fact that Snape's fist was in his hair again and the man was diving down at him.
The impact nearly split his lip, but Snape mentally grimaced and forced Black's head still. If it was a kiss Lupin wanted, then a kiss Lupin would get.
Stubble burned across his skin and Severus unconsciously bit on instinct of pain and Sirius growled. The fists balled in his robe stopped shoving and yanked, instead. Snape snarled and matted both hands into Sirius' hair, jerking back his head and practically crowed when the animagus grunted and stilled.
They broke apart with a growl and a hiss and scrubbed viciously at their lips.
Remus stood blinking, eyes vacant and a wistful smile on his face. He blinked slowly and gazed between them, his face flushed with color. "Brilliant," he wheezed and quietly excused himself.
Sirius and Snape watched him retreat, both confused and irritated.
Sirius tramped after the wayward wolf, following his dusty footprints and rapped smartly on the closed door.
"Just a minute," Remus growled through the door.
A bit of worry mixed into the irritation. Sirius glanced back to the bedroom to see Snape's shadow falling into the hall, he hadn't yet moved. Was it possible that Remus had overstepped himself and gotten jealous? Darkly jealous, like the last time?
"Moony?" Sirius called, knuckling the door.
"For the love of Merlin, Sirius, go away!" Remus' voice echoed from the inside.
"Are you alright?" Sirius barked. How dare Remus get nasty with him after what he had made Sirius do?! "I'm coming in!"
Sirius pushed the door open violently and stormed in, stopping just short after the threshold and sputtered, turned bright red and backed out immediately. "Sorry!" He called hoarsely through the wood and retreated back to the room.
"Well?" Snape asked, tone clipped.
"Huh?" Sirius blinked. Snape pointed down the hall and raised an eyebrow, not quite able to bring himself to speak to Sirius again.
"Oh!" Sirius colored again and cleared his throat. "He's fine… better than fine." Sirius shook his head and laughed hard, nearly manic and wiped his eyes.
Snape did not look impressed and Sirius repressed the urge to take him down the hall to show him what he had seen—a flushed and panting wolf with his right hand buried to the wrist in his trousers.
"Let's just say that it will certainly do for a pleasant memory." Sirius choked a bit and absently rubbed at his lips again.
In the silence, they heard a muffled 'Oh, God!' and Sirius broke into the same panicked giggles again. Snape paled and looked away, now fully understanding what it was that was happening just down the hall.
Remus returned to them, unsteady, tousled and face aflame. He could barely look at either man but still managed to step past Severus and lean into the man's personal space, taking in a long, deep breath through his nose. Remus grunted, then did the same to Sirius.
"Thank you," He growled out, voice low and hoarse. That voice did wondrous things in the pit of Sirius' stomach; from the pinched, flushed face of Snape, it was doing well enough for him as well. Remus cleared his throat, though it didn't appear to have helped the gravel in his voice, "You still have company, Padfoot."
"Right," Sirius nodded, leaving the room in a fog and trying his damndest to remember exactly what had happened—minus the snogging Snape bit.
Snape watched Black's retreat and found himself suddenly uncomfortable to be left alone with the lycan. Remus smiled hesitantly at his toes.
Gathering his thoughts like fluttering millers, Severus tried to get his mind back on track. "You will attempt reversion again this evening?"
"Yes," Remus nodded stiffly, seemingly eased by the change of topic.
"Try another limb, or a few different sets of boney structure. I would not advise that you try a full transformation." Severus crossed his arms over his chest, clamping his hands down with his elbows so that his fingers did not twitch and give away his discomfort.
Apparently he failed, or Remus had known better, because the wolf sighed dejectedly and wound his arms around Snape's midriff.
"Thank you, again," he mumbled into Snape's robes. "I know it couldn't have been easy…" Remus laughed and turned his face into Severus' neck. "But it was wonderfully spicy."
Spicy? Severus snorted and barely resisted the temptation of resting his chin on Remus' head.
"As mentally scarring as this all was, I do have to return to the school. I have orders from Poppy to fill."
Remus laughed gently, his breath puffing across Snape's neck and made gooseflesh rise on his skin. Lupin released him though and managed to look him in the eye as he smiled. "I'll see you soon…"
Severus smirked. Even though Remus had spoken a level sentence, he still managed to make the statement a question."Unfortunately, I will have to return this evening to be sure you haven't crippled yourself permanently."
"Of course," Lupin's smile widened and he ran his fingers lightly across the buttons along Snape's chest before turning to the stairs.
Snape watched him go and pinched the bridge of his nose. The over-thin man would drive him mad yet.