"Fuck, that mandrake was strong," James whined, rubbing his very reddish cheeks in frustration. Sirius, Remus and Peter were all snickering behind him as they were leaving the herbology class together.
Professor Slughorn had requested a large number of mandrakes for his seventh year classes and since the fifth-year students were headed back to review their old lessons in preparation for the O.W.Ls, Professor Sprout thought it would be a great opportunity to get the students to help her prepare the ingredients while also refreshing their memories on the topic. It came as no surprise that most students had difficulty responding to the questions posed by Professor Sprout; it had been quite a few years since they'd last studied about mandrakes, which was during their second year.
And of course, as per usual, the Marauders couldn't adhere to the most basic instruction without stirring up chaos. James and Sirius were more interested in chasing one another with a mandrake than finishing their task, ignoring everyone else's pleas for haste - including the Professor's. The mischievous duo delayed their task by 15 minutes, making sure everyone had plenty of time to hear the mandrake's shrill scream before it was ready. By the end of this escapade, everyone's ears were numbed.
Professor Pomfrey assured the students that only temporary discomfort was to be expected, but advised them to seek medical attention at the Hospital Wing in case of persistent pain. The Marauders seemed to have been unaffected, yet some of their peers were seen rubbing their ears viciously as they trudged towards the infirmary.
"Man that was fun," said Sirius.
Remus shot a worried glance at two Hufflepuff classmates who were slowly making their way side by side towards the Hospital Wing. They were both holding their ears in agony. "I hope they're okay," he muttered.
Sirius cast a glance at the two students and shrugged, "They seem alright," he remarked before latching one arm around Remus' and the other around James', walking in tandem with them. Peter followed behind them, stray from the others. The quartet marched to the Great Hall to get their lunch.
They were running a bit late, so by the time they arrived, the Gryffindor's table was already quite crowded. Sirius withdrew his arms from James and Remus's shoulders and strode over to a group of second-years. He thrust his hands into his pockets and fixed them with a bored stare, tapping his foot on the ground as if waiting for something. The second-year students exchanged uncomfortable glances with each other. Within moments, all four boys stood up and went off to find separate seats for themselves.
"Nice one, Padfoot," James said as he sat on one of the seats.
They all took their seats and began helping themselves with the food. Sirius scanned the Slytherin's table, searching for a particular figure. When he found Severus seated beside Avery, he smirked. He couldn't resist glancing over at the Slytherin table every five minutes to make sure he didn't lose sight of him. Severus was tucking into his pasta with his nose almost touching the plate. His posture was so poor that if he leaned in an inch closer, his greasy nose would be covered in tomato sauce.
Sirius snickered as his mind conjured up the image. James, Remus and Peter all twisted around to face him, inquisitive expressions on their faces. "What's so funny?" asked Peter curiously.
"Nothing," he shrugged and returned to his dinner, but kept Severus in his gaze. It was remarkable how he managed to be so inconspicuous, like he wasn't even there at all.
Sirius' concentration was broken when James placed a mystery green potion on the table. "What's this?" Peter queried, perplexed.
"Enlargement potion. Stole it from Slughorn's storage."
Remus held the bottle up and looked at it curiously. "Enlargement potion? What do we need it for?" he questioned, gently shaking the container to observe the liquid inside stirring.
"I thought we can have some fun with it this Sunday. What do you guys think?" said James, wiggling his eyebrows. Peter responded with an 'oooh' of interest and clapped his hands together in agreement, while Remus simply gave a nod.
Sirius cocked his head slightly to the side. "What are we doing this Sunday?" he asked.
Remus arched an eyebrow and remarked, "It's a little unlike you to not keep up with the calendar, Sirius. You're usually the one who's most excited for the full moon to arrive." He looked at Sirius with a questioning expression.
"Oh, right!" Sirius exclaimed. It had been a while since they had done this, so it felt a bit strange for him. He recalled how much he used to enjoy the scuffles he, James, and Remus had in their Animagus forms during every full moon. It was rather difficult for him to control Remus in his werewolf form by himself without James after he escaped Azkaban. "Of course I remember it. So, what is this for?" he asked, pointing to the potion that Remus was still holding.
James explained, "I thought it would be fun if we used an enlargement potion while in our Animagus form."
Sirius grinned at the idea. He couldn't recall doing something like this in the past, so there must have been some changes that occurred in the future, but it didn't matter much at this stage. He took a sip of his drink and hummed in approval.
"Including Moony?" asked Peter.
"No, are you kidding, Wormtail? Imagine having to chase a giant werewolf around, just the three of us. Besides, you might be able to help us control Moony this time," replied James. Since Peter's Animagus form was a rat, he couldn't assist Sirius and James much in controlling Remus during the full moon. With this enlargement potion, he might be able to turn as big as Moony.
Remus set the potion on the table and nudged it towards James. "As long as you guys promise to keep it under control and make sure we won't be seen by others," he said, before snatching a doughnut onto his plate.
"Easy enough," James said smugly. His gaze roamed around the table before settling on a fiery red-haired girl who was seated a few seats away from them. She was conversing with two other Gryffindor girls in their year. "Do you guys have any plans for Valentine's Day this year?" he asked, turning back to his friends.
Remus paused his eating and raised his head from his plate, meeting James' gaze. "Are we not going to spend it like we always do?" he asked, his tone laced with innocence as he teasingly poked fun at him. It was no secret that James had been attempting to win over Lily Evans since their third year and had failed each time. Lily had turned down his Valentine's gifts and date offers for two years straight, which was why the Marauders had been spending Valentines day with each other every year. Sirius and Remus had never been particularly interested in romance, while Peter and James were preoccupied pursuing girls who weren't interested in them.
James clicked his tongue and playfully elbowed Remus for teasing him. "You never know, Moony. She might accept my date offer this year," he said with confidence.
"Well I'm also... trying again this year," Peter said timidly.
"I heard rumors that Amelia Bones is currently... interested... in Davey Gudgeon," said Remus, pointing towards the Hufflepuff table where Amelia and Davey were seen laughing together. Anyone with functioning eyes could see the chemistry and flirtation in their shoulder bumps. As far as Sirius could recall, Amelia Bones and Davey Gudgeon did end up dating in their fifth year and later broke up in their seventh year.
Peter slumped his shoulders dejectedly, his heartbroken expression visible to his friends. He turned back around and played with the food on his plate. "I guess you're right... I'll prepare the drinks this year," he said, his voice low and defeated.
For the past three years, their' Valentine's Day had consisted of visiting Hogsmeade during the day and playing a classic game of truth or dare at night, with a bit of alcohol and Veritaserum thrown in. It was comical to see a group of popular boys spending Valentine's Day with each other rather than getting laid.
"Merlin, you gave up so quickly. At this rate, you'll never find a partner," said James as he slapped Peter's back with his palm.
"But... it's obvious that she's interested in him," Peter squirmed uncomfortably as he glanced towards the Hufflepuff's table again.
"Who cares. Girls don't know what they want most of the time. You gotta keep trying until she accepts you."
Remus narrowed his eyes. "That sounds like harassment," he said, disapproving of James' advice to Peter.
James burst out laughing at Remus' comment. "No, its not. It's called trying your luck," he explained, making a circular motion with his hand in front of Remus' face.
"At this point, it's not just 'trying your luck' anymore; you're essentially brute-forcing the password," Sirius chuckled, followed by James. Remus simply shook his head in defeat.
Sirius was about to take another bite of his meal when his eyes caught Severus rose from the table and left, leaving his Slytherin friends behind. Instinctively, Sirius followed suit, quickly packing up his things and swallowing the last of his drink. His friends watched him curiously as he hastily packed his things and took a final sip of his drink before walking away.
"Padfoot! Where are you going?" asked Remus.
He curtly responded with "Toilet," and left, his eyes keeping track of the back of the Slytherin's head. As he walked out of the Great Hall, James could be heard from a distance, trying to get Lily's attention, only to be met with an uninterested "sod off."
He took out the invisibility cloak from his pocket and unfolded it before slipping underneath. Slowly and carefully, he followed Severus, taking care to avoid making any noise with his footsteps. Despite his caution, he noticed that Severus looked back a few times, as if sensing that someone was following him. Sirius had to admit that Severus was quite sharp at noticing things. He even kept his wand at the ready in case anyone tried to attack him.
He tracked Snape's movement for a while until it became clear that they were making their way to the long-abandoned corridor in Hogwarts. 'What could Snape be doing here?' he wondered. This passageway was rarely visited due to its disorderly state filled with old school furniture.
Severus made a quick turn to the left and proceeded down the narrow and dim hallway. Sirius looked around, taking in the heaps of furniture and boxes strewn about. He halted when Severus suddenly flattened himself against the wall, setting his satchel on the ground beside him. He took out a book, quill and ink from his bag before sitting down on the floor and putting pen to paper, nose just inches away from the page as he wrote vigorously.
So this is where he always spent his time? In a small hallway tucked away from the other students?
Sirius waited for a few moments, hoping to catch Severus doing something other than writing in his book. But when nothing happened, his curiosity was piqued. He moved closer to sneak a peek at the book, but accidentally stubbed his toe on a broken stool, causing him to hiss in pain. The sudden noise startled Severus, who immediately stood up, clutching the book to his chest with one hand and pulling out his wand with the other. He pointed it around, trying to locate the source of the noise.
"Who's there?" Severus asked in a cautious tone. Sirius remained silent, watching him carefully. With a flick of his wand, he cast expelliarmus, causing Severus' wand to fly across the hall. "Fuck!" Severus quickly turned to retrieve his wand, but Sirius was quicker and summoned it with accio. This caught Severus off guard, and he looked around frantically, completely defenseless. Not only had he lost his wand, but he was also alone in the abandoned part of Hogwarts, with nobody around to witness if Sirius were to attack him right now.
Sirius grinned as he watched the panicked expression on Severus' face. This has always been his main reason for bullying Severus. Unlike James, who attacked Severus due to sexual frustration and jealousy, Sirius simply enjoyed seeing the terrified look on Severus' face - it made him feel alive. Every time Sirius saw that familiar hatred in Severus' eyes, a thrill shot through his veins. He felt empowered whenever he managed to make Severus shake in fear, and he could not understand why it gave him such delight.
Sirius smirked as he recalled the first time he ever saw the grimace look on Severus' face. Severus and James managed to offend each other on their first day causing Severus to storm out of the train compartment with Lily in tow. Sirius felt a sense of amusement at Severus' expense, which only grew with time.
However, after that day, Severus never talked to them again. He wouldn't even steal glances in their direction. Every time Sirius turned to look at him, he was always with Lily, smiling brightly and revealing his slightly yellowish, crooked teeth. It pissed Sirius off so much. He hated seeing that smile on Severus' face. He wanted to wipe it off, to make those ugly teeth disappear from his sight.
So he hexed him. Every single time he had a chance.
James was more than happy to join him in this pursuit. Seeing Severus writhing in pain gave them both a sense of satisfaction. As long as Severus wasn't smiling, everything would be fine. As long as he wasn't smiling...
Putting Severus' wand in his pocket, he revealed himself from under the invisibility cloak and smirked mischievously. "So this is where you've been hiding?"
"Black," Severus hissed. "I'm not hiding."
Sirius scoffed at Severus' denial and retorted sarcastically, "Of course you're not." He then looked around the room and his eyes landed on the book that Severus was holding tightly. "What's that? A dark magic book? Or perhaps your little diary?" He grinned mockingly.
Severus tightened his grip on the book, his expression darkening. "It's none of your business, Black," he spat.
Sirius just chuckled, taking a step closer. "Oh, come on. You can tell me. I won't judge you for having a little secret diary," he teased, reaching out to grab the book from Severus' hands. But Severus pulled it away quickly, glaring at him.
"It's not a diary," he growled. "It's just a book."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "A book, huh? Let me see." He reached for it again, but Severus held it even tighter.
"Get lost, Black," he snarled. "I'm not in the mood for your games."
"I don't think you realised the position you're currently in, Snivellus," he said, arching his eyebrow challengingly.
Severus held Sirius' gaze, causing shivers to run down his spine. He clutched the book even tighter to his chest. "If you're so desperate for a book, I suggest you visit the library instead of stealing other students' possessions. Not that you and your foolish friends know how to read anyway," he retorted, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Snivellus, hand me the book if you don't want things to get physical," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. He eyed Severus up and down, wincing as he took in his greasy hair, big hooked nose, crooked teeth, and shabby, faded uniform. He could go on all day making fun of his appearance. "Merlin, you're so ugly. If only you knew how to shut the fuck up and stop being such an insufferable oddball, things would be so much easier."
"At least I'm not the product of inbreeding," Severus shot back. "No wonder you're incapable of understanding the meaning of the word 'no'. There must be some kind of dysfunction that prevents your brain from developing."
"What did you just say?" Sirius flared his nostrils in anger as he moved closer to Severus, trying to assert dominance. He looked down to meet Severus' gaze, scoffing at the height difference between them. Severus had always been smaller than the average boys in terms of height and build, but slightly taller than the average girls in their year.
Severus replicated Sirius' actions, advancing closer until they were just inches apart. He held Sirius' stare without flinching and reiterated, "I said, the inbreeding in your family has clearly been main the cause of your retardness." He prodded Sirius' chest with his index finger repeatedly, taunting him.
Unable to bear the taunts any longer, Sirius grabbed Severus by the throat and slammed him against the wall. His fingers closed around Severus' neck, choking off his airway. He tightened his grip and stared directly into his deep black eyes. "Repeat that, I dare you," he growled.
Severus gasped for air, struggling to catch his breath as he desperately tried to pry Sirius' hand from his throat with both of his own. "Release me, you bastard," he wheezed. His chest felt like it would explode any moment and his vision had begun to fade out. In a last ditch effort, he kicked Sirius hard in the stomach, causing him to release his grip. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Severus grabbed his bag and fled as Sirius doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach.
"Oh, you won't get away that easily," Sirius said through gritted teeth, still wincing in pain. He quickly retrieved his wand and pointed it at Severus' fleeing figure. "Alarte Ascendare!" he shouted, and the spell lifted Severus off the ground, sending him soaring into the air before crashing back down to the ground with a sickening crack.
Severus let out a scream as pain seized his left shoulder and his whole body went limp. He shouted, "You— fuck—!" before reaching for the shoulder of his cloak with his right hand and clutching it tightly, trying to focus on picking himself up from the ground.
"I what, Snivellus?" Sirius let out a weak laugh before casting the same spell over and over again, causing Severus' body to be thrown onto the ground repeatedly. The sound of Severus' groans of pain brought a sick satisfaction to Sirius. "Locomotor Wibbly" he casted the jelly legs jinx when Severus tried to get up and fight back, causing him to collapse once again.
Severus laid helpless on the ground, struggling to move his heavy legs. He felt nauseous from the searing, electric-like pain that shot through his chest. "You... bastard..." He watched as Sirius walked over to where his book had landed after being knocked away by the attack and panicked. With a nonverbal spell, Severus summoned the book back to him, shouting "Accio!"
Sirius was pissed. His face twisted in fury as he saw the book being summoned towards Severus. Whatever was in that book must have been incredibly valuable to him for him to react so strongly. What started as mere curiosity had turned into an intense desire to uncover all of this man's secrets. "So that's how it's going to be... Incarcerous!" he shouted, conjuring a thick rope that tightly bound Severus' wrists together.
Severus let out a yelp of pain as the rope constricted around his wrists, causing sharp stinging sensations to shoot up his arms. His wrists felt as though they were about to swell shut.
Satisfied with his capture of Severus, Sirius walked towards him and picked up the book that lay in front of him. As he read the title, "Advance Potion Making," confusion crossed his face. "This is what you're hiding? A secondhand textbook?" he asked, annoyance evident in his voice. Flipping through the first page, he wheezed as he read Severus's writing. "This is the property of the Half-Blood Prince? Merlin, I didn't know you were this edgy, calling yourself a Prince and all."
Sirius was just about to turn the page when a spell hit him in the chest, sending him sprawling. He clutched his chest in pain, looking up to see a girl in Ravenclaw robes holding her wand and pointing it straight at him. Lily Evans was standing next to her, watching in amazement. "Evans," the Ravenclaw girl said, "take away the points."
"What?"
"I can't take away points from Gryffindor, can I? And don't forget to let Professor McGonagall know and make him serve detention," she declared before walking over to Severus and Sirius who were both lying in agony on the ground.
"Oh right! Ten points from Gryffindor!" Lily said, following her closely from behind.
Sirius scrambled to his feet, wincing in pain. He recognized the Ravenclaw girl as Everly Chamber, a prefect from the same year. He recalled her being a nuisance, always interfering and ruining their pranks. "What the hell, Chamber?" he shouted, anger in his voice. "And Evans, what are you doing here?"
Lily strode forward, her expression stern. "I came to check on Severus after he failed to show up in the library," she explained. "As for Chamber, I happened to run into her and we discussed a little regarding our prefects duties."
Everly knelt in front of Severus, releasing the tight rope around his wrists and casting the counter-curse for the jelly-legs jinx. "You're injured, I should take you to the hospital wing," she said, attempting to support Severus' arms, but he slapped her hand away and quickly stood up. He immediately bolted away, accidently pushing her shoulder in the process, causing her to fall to the ground. "That boy is so stubborn. Hey wait a second! You need medical attention!" she yelled as she chased after him, leaving Lily and Sirius behind.
Sirius picked up his belongings from the ground, clicking his tongue in annoyance. "You're an asshole, you know?" Lily said softly, fixing a sharp gaze on him. He let out a short laugh in response. "Why is it so difficult for you to leave Severus alone?" she asked.
"I don't know... because it's fun, I guess?" Sirius walked past Lily, not bothering to engage in a conversation with her. He had always found her mildly irritating in school. It wasn't until she started dating James during their seventh year that they began to grow closer and eventually became friends. Having to deal with fifth-year Lily Evans again was a nightmare, as she loved to complain about everything. If James hadn't been so interested in her, Sirius wouldn't have given her a second glance. "And let's just say we have different tastes in fun," he added nonchalantly.
"You know I'll have to tell Professor McGonagall about this, right?" she said, trying to gain Sirius' attention who was dismissive and showed no concern for her threat.
"Go ahead," he responded with a dismissive wave of his hand and walked away, carrying Severus' book and wand with him. He had no intention of keeping the wand so he must find a random Slytherin to pass it back to Severus. He scanned the main hall for any Slytherin students, but found none. He continued on to the dungeon area, where he finally saw a familiar individual in a green robe. "Regulus!" he called out.
Regulus turned around to see his brother waving at him, and his face twisted in displeasure as Sirius approached him. "What do you want?" he asked in a cold tone.
"I thought we're on good terms?" Sirius asked, approaching Regulus with a smile.
"Not until you attend the gathering," Regulus replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That's in three months. Can't we at least be civil until then?" Sirius asked.
"No," Regulus gave a long, low sigh and looked at his brother from head to toe, and pursing his lips at his appearance. Sirius' uniform was disheveled, with a shoe print on his stomach from his fight with Severus earlier. "You look like shit."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Thanks. Will Uncle Alphard be there?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. That uncle of ours always disappears whenever he can," Regulus sighed. Alphard Black was the only Black family member Sirius had ever been close to. Despite not sharing the same beliefs as his uncle, who believed in blood supremacy, they loved each other very much. Compared to other Black members, Alphard was considered to be very open-minded. He believed in a strong family bond and had left Sirius with a bunch of gold when he ran away from home in his past life. Although he had ended up getting disowned for helping him, it was likely that leaving the Black family had pained him greatly, given how much he loved them and shared their views.
"I'll try sending a letter to him. It's been a while since we met him after all," said Sirius. Sirius had a specific reason for wanting to meet with Alphard. If he recalled correctly, he had mentioned his plans of running away from home during his fourth year to his uncle. It would be best to inform his uncle about his change of plans.
Regulus nodded and informed Sirius, "Rodolphus Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy will be joining the gathering as well. I thought you might want to know that early on." Sirius wasn't overly fond of these two men who had wed his cousins; their disdain for Muggleborns was quite public knowledge, making any conversations with them extremely uncomfortable. Still, he never backed down from an opportunity to give them a piece of his mind along with sarcastic remarks which always led to heated arguments.
"Of course they would be there. Every time I see them, they have nothing to say other than spouting off about Muggleborns and blood supremacy," Sirius said, completely unaware of the dirty look his brother was throwing his way. "Anyway, I'm actually here to ask for your help," he continued, handing Regulus Severus' wand. Regulus looked at him with a confused expression. "It's Sni— I mean Snape's wand," Sirius explained, correcting himself quickly.
"Did you and your dim-witted friends attacked Snape again?" he snatched the wand from his hand in annoyance.
"What's with that tone?" Sirius frowned, unhappy with his brother's tone and the way he was talking about his friends. He had only been able to hold a peaceful conversation with him for less than five minutes before he reverted back to his usual condescending attitude. "Why do you care, anyway?" Sirius asked him pointedly. "And no, this time it was just me."
"You should stop attacking Snape for no reason."
Sirius raised an eyebrow in response, finding it strange that his brother would even care about Snape. They hardly knew each other or had any significant interactions, at least from what Sirius had observed in public. "And why is that?" he asked.
"You know why," Regulus rolled his eyes and walked away from him.
Sirius's gaze followed his brother until he disappeared into the Slytherin common room. He clenched his fists, veins standing out along his arms. Regulus wouldn't have told him to stop attacking Snape without a reason. It could only mean one thing: Snape was planning to join the Death Eaters. Regulus must've assumed that Sirius had agreed to join them too by attending the gathering and wanted to warn him that Snape was one of them.
With Severus' Advance Potion Making book in his hand, Sirius walked away from the dungeon in hurry. If his assumption was right, he might be able to uncover information in the book that could confirm Severus' intention to join the Death Eaters.
How do you think Sirius will react upon reading the book's contents? Do you think he will accidently use Sectumsempra without knowing the outcome like Harry?
As I mentioned earlier, I will be posting chapter 4 in a few days. Please stay tuned and subscribe for notifications. Thank you so for reading, have a nice day!