a/n: Shorter than average chapter, and for that I apologize, but there wasn't another proper point to clip the chapter. I did a bit of a skip ahead for a future chapter, and I'm having a harder time than I thought writing them into a cohesive piece. But I'm not scraping either, just pushing through it.

And in case anyone had wondered, I drew the tarot cards for this chapter exactly as they laid out. I found it rather exciting to see them match in. But, being an amateur, I wouldn't mind anyone elses take.

ENJOY!

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After an hour of easing silence, Remus and Sirius sat at the newly cleared table shuffling a deck of tarot cards and ignoring the pensieve that had been moved to an unobtrusive corner.

Severus sat hunched over the far desk, several candles bobbing about the man's head as he scribbled on a stack of parchment. Red ink smudged across the blotter and more than once irritated mumbling came from the bent potions master.

"You shouldn't be playing with those, Merlin knows what hexes have been placed on that deck," Severus growled, glaring over his shoulder before shuffling the essays around and continuing on to the next class's work.

"I checked them," Sirius grumbled, looking down at the worn deck in his hand. "How many was that Moony?"

"Six," Remus yawned, gently easing his arm to his lap.

Severus rolled his eyes and returned to his work as Sirius shuffled the cards once again.

"Ready?" He grinned at Remus, holding the deck out for the lycan to cut. He began to lay out the cards, a rough cross taking shape as he hummed pleasantly.

Death, Chariot, Seven of Wands… Remus stopped looking then and stared instead at an intricate tapestry ignoring how truthful the cards were as they came unbidden to the pattern.

Sirius made an interested hum in the back of his throat as he finished setting the final four cards and sat back with a bemused look. "I think this is the first time I've ever held any belief in divination."

A hard scoff came from the corner and Remus smiled at the back of Severus' head.

"Would you say you've hit rock bottom, Moony? Having a rough go of it." Sirius trailed off, staring at the pile of cards left in his hand and again at the placement. "Sybil would have a ball with this…"

"I don't want to know," Remus sighed, scooting back in his chair though not rising from the table.

"It's trash anyway, diviniation." Sirius scoffed and stood, dropping the deck of cards into the middle of the spread. "I'm going to see what we've got for treats in the cupboard."

"I think I'll join you," Remus mumbled, standing stiffly. "It's time for my last dose anyway."

As they passed by Severus the man glanced up at them with a sneer, "I told you tarot is naught but rot."

"Yea, yea," Sirius stuck out his tongue and headed for the stairs with Remus in tow.

When the two had disappeared past the landing, Severus set the essays aside and walked with stealthy quiet to the table. Delicately, he moved the pile of cards from the middle of the spread and stared unblinkingly down at the cards.

Adversity, struggle, challenge… the werewolf's reading was full of hardship. But there, in the future, the Magician showing strong hope against the misfortune in the form of a man with the will to have two faces. A charlatan or a zealot. Severus caught his reflection in a nearby window and sneered at himself. A two-faced man indeed.

Remus' hopes as a blazing Star, and his future as the Sun. Severus allowed himself a slight smile. Remus' greatest hope… was pure hope. That the lycan had in abundance, if not in just himself than between Sirius and Snape there was enough to force their outcome.

And that led to the man's card for his future. The Sun… the amount of relief that cooled Snape's blood at the sight of the card was beyond the sanity of a normal man. New beginnings.

Satisfied, Severus returned to the desk and had only just started marking a fourth year Ravenclaw essay when the two returned with crackers and jam.

"Would you like some help with those, Severus?" Remus paused behind him, a saucer of black current jam spread on several wheat crackers balanced carefully on his good arm.

"No, thank you," Severus replied mildly accepting a cracker that he sat neatly out of the way. "You need to eat and then rest."

"You'll have no complaints from me," Remus grinned. He paused a moment for reflection then gently tucked Snape's hair behind his ear before joining Sirius at the table.

Time stretched, the Gryffindors enjoying their snack and laughing quietly together while Severus suffered the stupidity of his students. Eventually, Remus had sipped the last of his tea and rolled soundlessly onto the covers, curling elegantly around a pillow and slipping into sleep.

Sirius sat watching him for some time, enjoying the lull and listening to Severus' idly scratching at parchment. He gazed around the room, still oddly unsettled since it had been his parents', but the nagging voice in his head kept pointing out this or that item that had not been there before.

A battered violin case sitting on the mantle place finally looked familiar and Sirius stood, popping the latches and staring down at the recognizable instrument. Suddenly intrigued with his insight, he turned on his heel. The tapestry beyond the table sparked a recent memory and Sirius winced as he turned back to Snape.

The man was oblivious to the scrutiny. Sirius dragged a chair across the carpet, sitting cock-eyed to the table and ate the cracker Severus had abandoned on the corner of his desk.

"You've got some fairly interesting stuff…" Sirius muttered, casting an eye around again and spotting the battered chest that had been in his old bedroom in one corner; and on a hook by the hearth was Remus's best cloak.

"I had wondered how long it would take before someone noticed," Severus grumbled scribbling a vibrant red 'T' across the top of an essay before shuffling the whole stack together and tapping it with his wand. The scrolls rolled together neatly and disappeared.

He folded his hands neatly on his lap and turned his chair around so that he faced Sirius directly, scrutinizing his curiosity.

"Does anything in here still belong to my parents?" Sirius asked, looking ill at ease.

"The carpet," Severus smirked, "and the draperies."

"Then where did the rest of this stuff come from?" The animagus took a harder look at the furniture.

"Much of it is recycled from other rooms of the house. Some are items of your possession, some of Lupin's, some of mine."

Sirius appeared thoughtful. "So you've made a sanctuary in the Master Bedroom. Why is all of our stuff here, then?"

"I had thought that much was obvious." Severus sneered.

Silence as the two watched Remus sleep. Sirius spoke again in a light, low tone. "Why didn't you tell us you'd gone to a meeting last night?"

Snape soured, "I was not aware that my extra curriculums were of any matter to you."

"Of course they are idiot," Sirius hissed as quietly as he could manage. He took a large breath and calmed himself. "You're one of us now, and in case you've forgotten, we tend to look after our own."

Severus scoffed, "And you thought you'd go in my stead perhaps? Explain to the Dark Lord that I had other pressing engagements and would he kindly accept my sincerest apologies?!"

"Don't be daft," Sirius growled. "We would have looked after you. Between the lot of us there's going to be a whole lot more bumps and bruises. Others are more than willing to look after you… you should know that at least. Moony practically lived in your room after you'd been—you know."

"After he mauled me? Oh, yes, Black. Being looked after as a response to obligation is so very fulfilling."

Sirius launched to the edge of his chair and gripped fistfuls of Snape's robes, shaking him just a little. "Don't play pitiful, Snape. You know exactly how Moony feels for you, and you know god damned well he'd have done the same even if you had the sniffles."

Snape extracted himself from Black's grip with a snarl but didn't refute him.

Remus muttered in his sleep, grimacing against his pillow. Sirius fetched him a blanket and by the time he returned to his seat Severus had unclasped his robe and slung it across the back of his chair. He looked far more exhausted then he had moments ago.

"Where were you this morning?" Sirius crossed the room, retrieving the whiskey decanter and glasses, even though he knew they had both consumed plenty already.

The scathing look Severus cast him made him think the potions master wouldn't answer, but the creases smoothed over as soon as the glass of alcohol entered Snape's palm. "I returned the book to Kasabian and we had a bit of a chat."

"And that's why all of this?" Sirius motioned absently with one hand around the room.

"Yes." Severus smiled a little before catching himself. "I'll tell Lupin about it later, but for now he doesn't need to be actively participating. In fact, the less he is informed, the better."

"I don't like the sound of that," the animagus scowled. "Why shouldn't he know?"

"We'll be doing most of the work." To Sirius' surprise, he saw a faint blush stain Snape's cheeks but passed it off as a flush of alcohol. Severus cleared his throat and undid the button at his neck. "Lupin's greatest hurtle is his belief that he cannot be properly loved because he is a werewolf. We will disabuse him of that notion."

Sirius chewed on the thought while Severus drank. "You should have no problem," Snape continued. "You have shown little regard to his wolf status your entire lives. So, though you will be a help in his recovery, it will be my interactions that will affect him the most."

Sirius nodded his head and sipped his whiskey. Severus stopped talking and was staring intently at him, waiting for some sort of response to the revelation. He sat blinking stupidly at the man until he realized Snape was indeed waiting.

"So care for him, show him some affection, that kind of thing?"

"Yes," Snape answered immediately, still staring. When it was apparent that the animagus was not going to speak further, he growled irritably and ran a hand down his face. "I will be requiring your assistance."

"I got that," Sirius answered.

"No, you idiotic mutt, I mean… I don't do affection…"

"Oh. Oh!" Sirius grinned and waggled his eyebrows, "So I get to teach you the fine art of flirtation? Excellent."

"Black—"

"Oh, don't worry Snape, I won't tell Remus."

Severus growled, sneering over his glass at Sirius even as he drank.

"If you're about done with the orders, I have a question."

"Very well," the potions master settled, partly eased by the change of topic.

Sirius scooted to the edge of his seat, knees pressing around Snape's and elbows resting on the other's thighs. Severus sat back immediately away from the close proximity and scowled. "Are you still hurt?"

"What?!"

"From the meeting," Sirius asked, eyes carefully roaming for signs of damage or weakness.

Snape sighed heavily, "The proper actions have been taken regarding my health." He relaxed back in his seat, confident he could draw his wand before Sirius lunged at him.

"You're not lying to me are you?" Sirius smirked.

"That would be highly unproductive to our cause," Snape grumbled. He looked away to the far tapestry and ran a thumb back and forth across his lower lip in thought. "It was a far easier punishment than it could have been." He glanced back to Sirius and away again, unwilling to look at the compassion on the man's face. Healthy feelings between them were still too foreign to accept as genuine.

Eventually Sirius sat back in his own chair, closing the decanter of whiskey and checking on Remus.

"Get some sleep, Black," Severus muttered, standing and swinging his robe around his shoulders.

Sirius grasped his nearest wrist, stilling his motions. "Do you have anything pressing that needs your attention at Hogwart's?"

"I do have classes in the morning," Severus muttered, tugging against the animagus' hold. Sirius released him.

"You could stay, even for a short time," He saw Snape's reluctance and nodded toward Remus. "It'll help him knowing you've stayed a while. He'll still smell you on the blankets in the morning."

Sirius turned away, toeing off his shoes and tugging his shirt from his jeans. He pulled it off of his head and paused on the far side of the bed, looking toward a startled Snape. "I won't press you."

Severus watched the animagus lay gingerly next to Remus and smooth the blanket before rolling onto his stomach and tucking his arms beneath the nearest pillow. Severus shushed the firelight to dull flickers and stood considering.

Sirius was nearly asleep when he felt the bed shift on the far side. He grinned into his pillow and whispered, "Good night, Severus."

The shifting paused after a moment and he heard a slight sigh. "Good night, Black."

…oOo…

The week passed slowly without Severus returning to Grimmauld place once in that time. Remus was a bit disappointed but left the matter alone thanks to Sirius' persistent chatter.

They hadn't returned to the room on the third floor, returning instead to their own—though Remus had visited twice. One time he returned to touch the bedding they had shared and to remind himself of the hellish memories and promises of healing they'd spoken of. The other time he and Sirius had both gone to gawk at the amalgamation of their things.

There was nothing in the room that they would ever use regularly, but there was enough of everyone's items to fill the room and make it homey. Not to mention the warm fuzzy feeling Remus got to see how well their things all fit together.

Remus' arm was faring much better. It ached only when he overused it, the muscle still revolting the damage he had done. The outer tissue had healed leaving a thick garish scar that all but screamed of claw marks.

The evening brought a heavy cover of rain clouds. The skies were dark long before the sun would have set. It made for a muted, sluggish atmosphere—not that Remus was caring too much.

They were sitting in the den, Remus with a book on the arm of the couch and Sirius' head in his lap. He read idly, turning the pages with a lick of his thumb and threading his fingers through Sirius' hair.

"This article is a bit out of my league," Sirius muttered, turning the page of the magazine and nuzzling into Remus' thigh.

Remus paused in his book and looked curiously down at Sirius. "What are you reading?"

"Pathos and Potent Potions," Sirius muttered, turning to reach for his mug on the floor.

"It sounds like a serious read, why something with so much depth on a day like this?" Remus muttered, finding his place again.

"I never used to be inept with potions, just curious if I know my stuff anymore," Sirius muttered.

The door opened and shut softly and Sirius looked toward the doorway. A dark lurking figure moved by the door and the animagus had a mild panic, shoving the magazine deep into the cushions.

"What are you doing?" Remus laughed as Sirius sat up, looking flushed and embarrassed.

"Here you are," Severus' voice rolled across the den. Remus perked. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Remus smiled, tucking the book away.

Severus hmphed, shaking out his robes before flipping them off of his shoulders. Several chunks of charred wood and various pieces of burnt vegetation tumbled from the folds to the carpet. "There was an incident involving mugwort and toloatzin… specifically Longbottom with mugwort and toloatzin."

"Was anyone hurt?" Remus stood from the couch, worried for the students.

"No," Severus growled, sounding as though he regretted that fact. Soot rang the collar of his grey shirt, streaked his face in fingerprint dust, and fell in pills from his hair.

Sirius stretched and grinned. "You look a fright. Is Neville scrubbing the dungeons down with his toothbrush?"

Severus snorted and shook his head as he undid his cufflinks. "The damage was minimal but extraordinary enough that Albus had to see to any 'structural integrity'. In his diagnosing he cleaned most of the mess magically. Longbottom will be serving detention twice a week for the next month with Filch." Severus sneered, "Albus tells me I am too close to the destruction to be fair."

He stood fuming silently in the doorway. Remus was trying his best not to laugh. The situation wasn't dire, though likely frustrating for Severus.

Sirius waved his fingers at Snape, trying to idly catch his attention.

While Snape had been away playing professor, Sirius had thought about what the man had asked of him. It had taken proper thought; like when Remus was sleeping and wouldn't ask him why he was so quiet. Snape couldn't do Sirius Black patented flirting. Really, only Sirius was good at that. So, he tried to think of how Snape would flirt. And he got several headaches, drank a little and laughed like a madman twice. In the end, however, he thought he'd had an epiphany…

Severus blinked over at Sirius, watching the mutt wink, wiggle and all but bark to get his attention.

Remus was busy flipping through the book he had been reading, a bookmark in his teeth.

Severus cocked his head, a flicker of curious irritation crossing his face.

Sirius glanced at Remus, noticing that he was still searching for his lost place, before running his fingers around the collar of his shirt, tugging discreetly.

Severus frowned, one eyebrow slowly rising. Sirius repeated the action, nodding toward Remus, face creasing in concentration as though he were yelling as Snape with his mind.

Disconcerted and growing steadily self-conscious, Severus ran one finger around his collar, thumb catching on the button at the center of this throat. Sirius nodded aggressively, startling and shaking his head to the side as though shaking water from his ear when Remus looked over at him oddly.

"Felt like a doxie flew in my ear," he grinned stupidly, lifting a chunk of his tangled locks. "See anything?"

Severus rolled his eyes and looked down at himself—caked in soot—and thumbed open the first button. He could see a smear of sweaty dirt trailing down his chest. Sirius was grinning like a buffoon, fingers running down his sternum in mock steps.

"I don't see anything," Remus muttered. "Perhaps your brain finally rolled out."

"Moony, I'm hurt!" Sirius clutched his chest, stifling a hard laugh.

Severus smirked for two reasons. The first to praise Lupin for the sharp jab; the second to still his suddenly hammering heart as he thumbed open the next button on his shirt.

He needed a shower, that was a certainty. And now that he'd undone the first two buttons, he knew what Sirius was attempting for him. A small part of his brain was surprised the mutt had actually listened.

Remus' attention turned from Sirius' silliness to Severus as the potions master idly undid the buttons of his shirt. Snape's hands fluttered aimlessly from one button to the next as he spoke in a low tone. An expanse of grimy chest—too lean, perhaps, but pleasantly toned—peeked between the curtains of Severus' grey linen shirt. The man let out a deep, guttural sigh and Remus felt his abdomen tighten.

"Have you listened to a word I've said?" Severus muttered, stunned at how quickly Remus had glazed over. Sirius was sitting with a lecherous grin and covertly gave him a thumbs-up.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry," Remus muttered, suddenly looking at everything but Severus. A flush ran up his neck.

"Forgive me if my life is too mundane to hold your attention," Severus grumbled. He yanked the back of his shirt out of his pants and spun through the entry. The shirt snapped out, revealing a flash of the mélange of scars that made up Snape's back.

Remus glanced over as Sirius, "I should feel guilty that I wasn't paying attention, right?"

The animagus shook his hair back, stretching and rubbing his palm against his groin. "Feel guilty about, what now?"

"Pads," Remus laughed, swatting him. His voice lowered conspiratorially, "D'you suppose he did that on purpose?"

"What?" Sirius asked, laughing sarcastically, "Snape? Do something like that on purpose? You must be daft…"

"Lupin," Severus' voice echoed down the hallway. Remus stood to see what he needed, but the man darkened the doorway a second later.

He was shirtless; the button on the man's trousers were undone, leaving them slung low on his hips with just the edge of his boxers peeking across the top.

"I… Yes, Severus?" Remus blinked owlishly and forced himself to look at Snape in the face, not at the tantalizing line of fuzz that disappeared beneath those trousers.

"Have you eaten? Either of you?" Snape had his head cocked to the side, an innocently questioning face looking between the two of them.

"We, uh, had a late lunch," Sirius answered for them, motioning down at himself.

Snape blinked, glanced down and then back at them with wide eyes. "Excuse me," he muttered, fleeing back down the hall.

Remus rushed across the room, catching a glimpse of the man as he slammed the bathroom door shut. "Are you hungry?" He called.

Remus looked back in as Sirius and pointed down the hall. "I think you were right… he doesn't know what he's doing."

Sirius nodded dumbly. "I have to wonder…" Sirius shook his head lightly. Either Snape didn't really know what he was doing, or he knew exactly what he was doing.