Christmas at Grimmauld Place and St. Mungo's was amazing. It was the first Christmas the Marauders had spent together in fifteen years, and all three of them seemed perfectly happy about it. However, now that Christmas was over, Lily noticed Sirius' mood plummet. Harry didn't seem nearly as happy to be going back to Hogwarts as he usually was, either. After their first trip to St. Mungo's, he had retreated from everyone, staying well away from them. Lily and James had been ready to stage an intervention when Hermione had turned up and staged her own private one. Whatever his friends had said to him had snapped Harry out of his funk, but he still did not seem eager to return to the castle.
Then, on the very last day of the holidays, something happened that didn't improve anyone's mood.
"Severus," Lily said, letting him in. "What brings you here?"
"I must speak with Potter," said Severus.
Lily's mouth twitched, suppressing a smile, "Do you mean James or Harry?"
"Your son," he replied, "The Headmaster wishes me to teach him occlumency."
Lily nodded, serious.
"I'll get him," said Molly, already on her way up the stairs.
Lily led her friend to the kitchen, where, unfortunately, Sirius sat. "What is he doing here?" he asked Lily.
"He needs to talk to Harry about occlumency lessons," Lily explained, calmly, as she and Severus sat down.
Sirius opened his mouth, likely to protest. "Dumbledore anticipated your childish reaction," Severus sneered, pulling a letter out of his pocket and tossing it at Sirius. Sirius yanked it open and read. Lily could already feel a headache coming on.
Thankfully, Harry entered the room before anything else could be said.
"Sit down, Potter," said Severus.
"You know," said Sirius, leaning back on his chair looking at the ceiling, "I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. It's my house, you see."
Severus flushed. Lily rolled her eyes. Harry, wisely, sat down.
"I was supposed to see you alone, Potter," Severus sneered. "But Black..."
"I'm his Godfather!" said Sirius.
"I am here on Dumbledore's orders," said Severus, "But by all means stay, Black, I know how you like to feel... involved."
"I'm here to referee," said Lily, loudly. "Let's stay on business, please."
"The Headmaster has sent me to tell you, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study occlumency this term," said Severus.
"Study what?" Harry asked.
"Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one."
"Why do I have to study occlu... thing?" Harry blurted out.
"Because the Headmaster thinks it a good idea," said Severus, "You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?"
"Yes," said Harry, "Who's going to be teaching me?"
"I am," said Severus, raising an eyebrow.
Harry looked rather horrified, looking from Lily to Sirius for support. Lily shrugged with a grimace to demonstrate her helplessness. Sirius was not so reserved.
"Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" he asked. "Why you?"
"I suppose because it is a headmaster's privilege to delegate less enjoyable tasks," said Severus. Lily sent him a sharp look, and he raised an eyebrow at her. It was no secret her son and her old friend didn't get along, so occlumency lessons would probably not be fun for either of them. She had a bad feeling about them, but Dumbledore insisted that teaching Harry himself would be very unsafe, so they didn't have any other options.
Severus got to his feet. "I will expect you at six o'clock on Monday evening, Potter. My office. If anybody asks, you are taking Remedial Potions. Nobody who has seen you in my classes could deny you need them." He turned to leave.
"Wait a moment," said Sirius.
Lily stifled a groan. "Sirius," she warned. He got to his feet, ignoring her.
Severus turned back around with a sneer. "I am in rather a hurry, Black. Unlike you I do not have unlimited leisure time."
"I'll get to the point then," said Sirius. "If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to!"
"How touching," Severus mocked, "But surely you've noticed that Potter is very like you and his father when you graced the halls of Hogwarts?"
"Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly, while Lily suppressed the urge to bang her head on the table.
"Then you'll know that criticism simply bounces off of him."
"Severus," Lily said, warningly.
Sirius shoved his chair aside and pulled out his wand while striding toward his old rival. Severus whipped out his own. Lily leapt to her feet. "Sirius," said Harry.
"I've warned you, Snivellus," said Sirius, making Lily flinch at the sound of the horrible old nickname and all it represented. "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed. I know better."
"Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" whispered Severus, "Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?"
Determined to head off the confrontation before spells flew, Lily raised her own wand. "Expelliarmes," she cried. Both wands flew out of their hands, and she caught them. All three of the rooms occupants looked at her with varying expressions of shock. "That is enough," she said, quietly but firmly. "Honestly, both of you are acting like children."
Severus strode over to her and held out his hand. She placed his wand in it, and he put it away and headed toward the door. At the door he turned back. "Six o'clock on Monday evening, Potter." And then he was gone.
Lily offered his wand back to Sirius who took it, breathing hard.
Before anyone could say anything, the kitchen door opened and the entire Weasley family and Hermione came in. "Cured!" Arthur announced, "Completely cured!"
Perhaps someone can answer a question for me. How did Sirius even get a wand? He uses Ron's and Snape's in the Shrieking Shack, I don't think he uses one in book 4, and now when he's hiding out, he suddenly has one? Did Dumbledore call in a favor with Olivander? Was Sirius' old wand just lying about the house for some reason?