You know what's weird? After spending all this time with this story (what's it been, a million years?), I feel like the marauders are mine... which they are not. So, I guess that settles that.

Beware, a possibly offending term approaches!

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Morning came and went for Sirius, same as it usually did. Except that this time he wasn't sleeping, he was wide awake. The night before, Severus had arrived on the doorstep in his mothers arms, an injured man. It had driven sleep away from Sirius, not knowing who hurt him.

Yet, something kept him from going downstairs and shaking it out of the young man he once thought of as a 'greasy git.'

Severus looked up at Sirius, "you like me?"

Sirius shivered, Severus' voice when he'd said those words... it was soft, something that could be missed if you weren't listening.

"Hey, Padfoot," James said. Sirius looked up at him, he standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Lily told me to tell you to walk Sourgrapes home."

Sirius deadpanned. "What, why?" He asked, suddenly nervous.

James just shrugged, "Lily and I are going out." He turned and left Sirius alone.

After splashing his face a few times with cold tap water and brushing his teeth, Sirius deemed himself awake and alive enough to venture downstairs. Olive and Severus were having lunch at the kitchen table, Mr. Evans having gone to work, and Lily and James off on a picnic with some sandwiches of their own.

Sirius smiled, Severus looked much better than he had the night before, and by the rigid way he was sitting directly across the table from Lily's mum, Sirius supposed he was probably back in his right of mind.

"Afternoon," he said brightly, pulling up a chair beside Severus, who pushed his own chair further away in response. Their eyes met, Severus looked away quickly but glanced back a moment later before turning to Olive.

"Good afternoon, Sirius," the older woman said. "Would you care for a sandwich?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"There's some in the fridge. Ham and cheese or peanut butter and jam."

Sirius thanked her before going to raid the fridge, joining them with a ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of lukewarm coffee. No one spoke for a long while, it wasn't tension but something else that filled the room. The sounds of sipping drinks and chewing and the twitter of birds outside. For some odd reason, Sirius found it comforting.

When they finished, Olive collected their plates and deposited them into the sink, thanking the boys for the company.

"Anytime," Sirius said with a smile. Severus nodded solemnly.

Soon after the two headed out. Severus walking ahead with the ghost of a limp in his left leg.

"That salve stuff you used worked wonders," Sirius observed.

"I could have done better." The Slytherin muttered, "I could have done better if they hadn't broken my wand."

"Who? Who broke your wand?"

Severus paused. He looked back at Sirius with a tired grace, like he knew what Sirius was trying to get at. He sighed like he had given up.

"Your cousin, Bellatrix."

"Bella did this to you? I swear-"

"There were others too, " Severus said, starting towards his house again.

Sirius quickened his pace to catch up, "what do you mean?" He asked, sorry to sound so oblivious, but there was so much about this man that he didn't know; wanted to know.

"You know how the Dark Lord isn't fond of mud- muggleborns and blood traitors?"

Sirius nodded, having family firmly routed in blood purity kept him on something of an inside loop, or it used to anyway.

Severus laughed dryly, "as it turns out, he doesn't look too kindly on fags either."

The Gryffindor stopped dead, "oh." He said, "Oh!" His eyes went wide with realization. His heart leapt in his chest, whether from fear for Snape's life or joy, he wasn't sure. "That means..."

"I'm an example, a scapegoat for all to see." Severus said severely. With an uncharacteristic flourish he added, "I wouldn't be surprised if my head was found on a spike in front of the Ministry."

"That's a bit far fetched, isn't it? I mean, it's old fashioned. They wouldn't do that, right?" Sirius sputtered, tangling his fingers with Severus' out of what could only be instinct. Severus didn't shake him off.

"I wouldn't put it past them, The Dark Lord is powerful."

They walked the rest of the block in silence like that, holding hands. Fear slowly took hold of Sirius, like a poison. He'd grown pretty attached to the greasy git, he didn't feel any urge to see him injured, or dead.

He stared at the cracks in the old road, careful to avoid them. He stared up at the cloudy sky, looking for a sign of some sort. He looked at Severus' face, devoid of feeling. Hooked nose, lips, chin, eyes, stubble across a jawline he wanted to kiss, kiss. Forget about all he had learned in the short minutes previous and allow himself to fall.

Above all else, he felt emptiness, right to the pit of his stomach. Severus could die. It was his fault.

At the front door of the Snape house, the two paused. Severus untangled his hand from Sirius', brushed one of may stray curls behind Sirius' ear. They shared a sad smile.

"See you tomorrow?" Severus asked.

"Tomorrow," Sirius agreed.

Severus leaned in and their lips brushed, soft, hardly even a kiss. Sirius pulled him back in, desperate for some sign that all was not lost, that Severus hadn't given up.

"I'm going to help you," Sirius whispered when they finally parted.

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Did I say I was hoping to finish this before summer? What a laugh! Sorry, but I hope you guys are willing to stick it out to the end, I don't think it's far off now!