Is it so soon that we are here again? I think I will be able to do this, I really do.
xxx-xxx
It was a quick and painful process getting his parents to allow him to go to Yorkshire for the two weeks before school started. It was quite another to try to convince Tobias to join his mother in visiting her family. After learning that Mr. and Mrs. Evans would be visiting Petunia and Vernon in Surrey, Severus only gave the others a brief synopsis of what happened. His parents weren't going anywhere.
He inwardly cringed every time he saw the purplish bruise on his mother's arm. He didn't want to leave his mum alone with that man any more, who cared if most of the time everything was fine? All it took was a moment for something inside to snap and release the monster.
Severus groaned. His suitcase was packed, not only with what he needed for the next two weeks, but also all of his school things. He had to shrink down his textbooks to make it all fit. Sadly, that did not have any impact on the bag's weight, it was ridiculously heavy. Severus could barely lift it off his bed. Thankfully if magic was good for anything, it was lifting heavy objects.
He found his mother in her unusual place, making Tobias breakfast in the kitchen. She tried her best to hide behind her hair, which was pulled back into a messy bun. She'd been crying again.
"Mum, I'm leaving soon." Severus said quietly. "You should come with us. Please?"
She smiled at him, but shook her head. "You go have a good time with your friends, dear. Your father and I have to work some thing out."
"Please, Mum."
"Severus, I'll hear no more about it. Shoo, Sirius and the other will be waiting."
"At least call me if something happens? The Lupins have a phone. Here, I'll write the number down for you," Severus took a piece of scrap paper and scribbled down the number Lupin told him and Lily and passed it to his mother.
"If it will make you feel better."
xxx-xxx
Yorkshire was a much-needed break, Sirius found.
Severus had hit it off with Mr. Lupin, who was a professor of some kind, and wrote some books that Severus had read, and as a result, they spent much of the first couple of days holed up in Lupin's study. Lily and James spent a lot of time outdoors, Sirius went along a few times but always ended up on his own, wandering the nearby moors. Peter hung around Remus and acted like he was the best thing since sliced cheese. It was kind of obnoxious, and the werewolf looked for any opportunity to escape.
Sirius spent most days hanging out with Remus, and most evenings staring at the ceiling of Mr. Lupin's study while he and Severus debated one thing or another. Sirius just liked to focus on the richness that was his boyfriend's voice.
They still made time for each other, as Sirius walked Severus to his room every night. Severus was still resisted going further than intense snogging, and Sirius thought it was probably for the best that he respect Severus' wishes. They sat beside each other during meals and held hands under the table. They made eyes at one another when Mr. Lupin went on a lengthy lecture. It was sweet, but sometimes Sirius craved more.
If there was one person in the world Sirius paid a great deal of attention to, it was Severus Snape. It was a recent change, yes, but nonetheless, the Gryffindor took his role as boyfriend very seriously. He noticed that Severus looked vaguely worried when he told Lily and the marauders that it hadn't worked to try to get his parents out of town. Sirius asked him about it, he was brushed off, but he didn't push it.
He noticed that ever since then, Severus looked more and more tired. His skin was more sallow than usual, the bags under his eyes were steadily growing.
On Monday evening, Sirius walked Severus to his room like always. They stopped outside the door, and Severus leaned in for a kiss.
"Wait," Sirius said.
Severus paused, "what?"
"Can I spend the night?"
Severus shifted his weight to his other foot.
"Please? I swear I won't do anything."
He glanced past Sirius' shoulder and down the hallway.
"We'll just sleep."
Severus sighed, not like he was giving in, but like he was grateful for the offer. He opened the door and said, "only if you shift into your animagus form."
Sirius wanted to jump on Severus and shower him in kisses. He suppressed that urge and instead calmly followed Severus into the bedroom.
It was painted in neutral tones, like the rest of the house. The bed was a ominous presence, centred against the opposite wall, night tables on either side. The bed was made, and Severus' case lay open against the wall off to one side.
"Homey," Sirius offered.
"I'm going to go change, make yourself at home." With that, Severus left Sirius alone in the room.
Sirius sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the suitcase that held the essence of Severus Snape. Textbooks, clothes and potions ingredients. No photographs of family or friends. He didn't know how Severus lived like that, closed off from the world. It didn't make him sad though. Sirius didn't pity his boyfriend. He adored the parts that were standoffish to others, yet increasingly warm to him. He liked that to Severus, he was special.
Sirius lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He wondered if it was crazy that he could see himself really falling in love with Severus Snape, spending the rest of his life with a man he had hated for so much of his life already. He laughed, imagining that if someone had told him he would be feeling this way five years ago, or even a year ago... A younger version of himself might have hexed their arse into the next millenium, or at the very least threatened to.
"Enjoying yourself, are we?"
Sirius turned his head toward the door. Severus had his arms crossed against his chest, but he was smiling. "Far too much," Sirius said. He patted the bed beside him, and the Slytherin hopped up onto the bed.
"Anything interesting up there?" Severus asked, laying down next to Sirius.
"Not really." Sirius reached over and laced his fingers into Severus'.
xxx-xxx
Severus woke up in the middle of the night breathing hard and bathed in sweat. The vivid nightmare that had woken him up was gone, replaced by a soft whine beside him.
Right, Sirius was a big black dog. Sirius was in his bed. Sirius was probably worried.
"It's fine, I'm fine," he offered. He slumped back in bed and rubbed the area between Sirius' ears. The dog lifted his head and rested it on Severus' chest, looking into his eyes and matching their breathing. Slowly, ever so slowly, the big black dog became a man again.
Sirius wrapped his arms around Severus' torso, pulled his head up to the pillow and hugged the Slytherin to him. Soft kisses pressed against his head and cheeks. Then Severus couldn't hold in the things he had been feeling anymore, and he was crying.
"Shh," Sirius whispered. "It'll be okay."
Severus pulled Sirius closer than humanly possible and quietly sobbed into the Gryffindor's bare chest.
The next time Severus woke up, there was light coming in through the small window above his bed. His left arm was asleep, and Sirius' limbs were tangled together with his in a perfection of chaos. For the first time in almost a week, Severus felt refreshed. He slept deep and sound, and save for the morning breath tickling his nostrils, everything in the world seemed exactly as it should be.
After that night, their routine changed. Sirius' bags found their way into Severus' room. Every night, Sirius walked Severus to the door, and Severus invited him inside.
xxx-xxx
There were four days left before they would be standing on Platform 9 3/4 headed to their last year at Hogwarts.
It was the full moon that night, and Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail were ready for their moonlight romp. They were positioned in a triangle around Remus just as the moon shone through the clouds.
Remus' howl of pain ripped across the quiet moor. Sirius couldn't imagine how horrible it must feel. The cracking bones and stretching skin. He saw the downstairs basement where Remus endured the previous full moons over the past summers and all the years before he started attending Hogwarts. It was awful. He was glad that he and the other marauders could help Moony.
It was a night of races and howling animal laughter. Had any muggle seen them, they would be extraordinarily confused. Moony seemed a new man, er, wolf. Throwing back his head and howling at his mistress moon. Sirius soon joined him, creating a song of sorts. Prongs and Wormtail danced in circles around them long into the night.
They returned to the cabin shortly after dawn. Mrs. Lupin was waiting for them with homemade hot chocolate. They thanked her, and she smiled like each of them were her sons.
"Make sure you get lots of rest, especially you Remus." She urged as they gulped down the last of the warm drink.
"Will do, Mrs. L," James yawned.
Remus smiled. Sirius thought that he must have inherited it from his mother. "Thank you, Mum."
Sirius dropped his mug in the sink and shuffled off after the others in the direction of their rooms, nodding his head to Mrs. Lupin.
He must have been half asleep going down that hall, because when he woke up, fingers were absently stoking his hair.
"Good afternoon, sleepyhead."
Sirius looked up at Severus and yawned. The Slytherin was reading a book, which was no surprise. "Hey," he said lazily. Having no desire to move from his place on Severus' lap, Sirius let his eyes drift shut again. "What time is it?"
"About one. None of you came down for breakfast, so I came looking."
"Aww," Sirius said, "come 'ere." He reached up to pull Severus' face down to his level.
"I'm afraid I must decline. Your breath smells terrible."
Sirius let his arms fall. "Party pooper." He pulled himself up into a sitting position, leaning in to give Severus a peck on the cheek before he could be stopped and hauled himself out of bed.
"And where are you going?" Severus asked.
"To brush my teeth. I'll be back to get that kiss."
xxx-xxx
So, see you soon. Reviews are greatly appreciated and all that stuff.