Chapter 3 - Snivellus Again

It had been just over a year since Sirius' official exoneration and the start of his life as a free man and he'd relished every minute.

It had taken a few months to look or feel like his old self again, but something, and he was sure it was Harry and Remus, had brought him back to full health like nothing else could have.

It was quite amazing the effect the pair had on him. Sometimes it was almost as if he'd never been in Azkaban at all.

Of course he was still having the occasional nightmare and flashback to his time in prison and, worse, to the night Lily and James had died. He never told anyone this though. His priority was Harry, who was having nightmares of his own, and quite understandably.

Sirius was furious Dumbledore had allowed Harry to face Voldemort yet another time in June.

Once he'd got over the shock of his old friend turning out to be a death eater, he'd made sure his old headmaster knew just how he felt about his protection of his students.

"Don't know why you wouldn't test the cup before letting it be put in the middle of the maze…" he said crossly. "I mean, it's quite an important thing to get right."

"You trusted him too, Sirius." Dumbledore reminded him.

Sirius of course had no arguments for that. He'd made the man their bloody secret keeper, hadn't he?

He wondered if it had been Moody, or rather Barty Crouch Junior disguised as Moody, who had broken into their house over Easter. Fortunately none of them had been there, but the near miss, and how close he could have been to capturing Harry, still gave him chills to think about.

"You trust too easily." He said instead. "How can you be sure Sniv-Snape has really come round to our side?"

Dumbledore fixed him with the same look he always did when Sirius brought up his grudge with Snape. "I am running out of patience with this, Sirius." He told him. "If you trust me, you trust Severus. That's all there is to the matter."

"Well it's bollocks." Sirius said bluntly. "I don't trust him and I never will."

Dumbledore sighed but, appearing to sense a losing battle being fought, said no more.

…

"Black."

"Snape."

The men greeted one another as the 'death eater' came to number twelve for an Order meeting.

Sirius hated that the greasy pillock was in his house.

"I'd like some tea please, Black." The man said from his place at the table as Sirius went around serving everyone except for him.

Grinding his teeth, Sirius went back and sploshed some into his mug, fighting a strong desire to pour the hot liquid over his head instead.

"Cheers." Snape said, raising his glass and smirking slightly.

Sirius was filled with a sudden desire to ram his head into the wooden table.

He took a seat as far away from the man as possible and glowered at him every time he gave his 'evidence'.

It turned out that Snape had not seen Voldemort directly either (or at least that's what he said). He had however been in touch with Macnair, Crabbe, Avery and Malfoy.

"They don't want to draw attention to themselves." He told he gathered Order members. "The dark lord's return to power did not go as planned. No one was supposed to know he had returned. They want to discredit Potter before they start putting their schemes into action." His lip curled as he said this and Sirius was seized with another desire to throttle him.

"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore said. "Unfortunately that is what has been happening. I'm sure you've all read the papers of late."

Sirius couldn't help but notice Snape was smirking even more at Dumbledore's words.

Of course the vicious git would be delighted Harry was being made a laughing stock of. It seemed the man was immature and petty enough to have transfer his grudge against James directly onto his son.

Sirius had been shocked to hear some of the stories of Snape's abuse of power as potions teacher. He was so cruel and cutting that he was even Neville Longbottom's 'worst fear' for Merlin's sake.

"Unfortunately Fudge is still refusing to admit Voldemort has returned." Dumbledore told them all gravely now. "He does not accept any of our evidence and as Barty Crouch Junior is no longer able to give any of his own, unfortunately the inaction of the death eaters is for once putting us at a disadvantage."

"If only we could catch one of the bastards and bring them in for questioning." Sirius said, thinking of Avery again. "They were in the graveyard when Voldemort returned. The ministry must surely accept their evidence if they give it under veritaserum."

"You can't force someone to take veritaserum." Snape said as if explaining something very simple to someone very obtuse. "You of all people ought to know that, Black."

Sirius assumed Snape was referring to Pettigrew's trial the year before. Of course Peter had refused veritaserum then, which the court had said had been his right. Fortunately he had been found guilty by the court regardless.

"I don't hear you coming up with any suggestions to catch the death eaters, Snape." Sirius replied. "Or would that go against your best interests?"

"My interests are the same as yours, Black." Snape replied coldly.

Sirius gave him a look of deep disgust. "I bloody well hope not."

"Thank you, gentlemen." Dumbledore interjected before Snape could reply. "Now let us turn our attention to the ministry…"

Sirius listened vaguely as they discussed ways to keep what Voldemort was after in the department of mysteries safe.

Dumbledore seemed to think there was a prophecy Voldemort wanted to hear in there. It didn't interest Sirius particularly. Information couldn't hurt, could it? He knew Harry was as safe as it was possible for him to be with the magical protection he had gained from Sirius' attempted sacrifice.

Besides, Voldemort or his death eaters couldn't exactly turn up at the ministry when being recognised as having returned by the ministry was the very thing they were seeking so ardently to avoid.

Guard duty was desperately dull. Nothing ever happened. He missed taking action. If they couldn't force the death eaters to drink veritaserum maybe they could just lock them up until they talked instead. He was quite sure Malfoy wouldn't last a day in Azkaban. They'd get all the information they needed soon enough from him.

"Why don't we…"

But he was cut off by Snape.

"I believe the plans we have in place are more than adequate." He said in his dull monotone. "It places us at an advantage for the death eaters to think we are unprepared."

"How does that make any sense?" Sirius snapped. "Besides, what about all the work Dumbledore and I have put into spreading the news that Voldemort's back?"

It hadn't been easy trying to convince people of the truth, particularly when there was very little evidence. Dumbledore had already been discredited by the ministry in being removed as chief warlock of the Wizengamot, and of course half the wizarding world already thought Sirius was a nutter.

"Of course he wants us to believe you know who's back." He overheard a couple of witches say to one another as he stood in the ministry atrium trying to stop passers by and explain why they should believe him. "That way we'll all be forced into hiding and he and his old boss can finish what they started fourteen years ago."

Sirius fought strongly the urge to retort that if he had wanted to 'finish what he started' with Voldemort he could have easily done so already as Harry's official guardian.

"Mr Black, will you kindly take your… demonstration outside the walls of the ministry?" Fudge asked him, walking past and frowning at Sirius and the makeshift stand he had set up in the foyer.

Though Sirius had wanted to draw a caricature of a nose-less Voldemort with the words 'Moldy Voldy's back in the Fold-y', he had been overruled. Instead, Dumbledore had given him a simple black sign with the words 'The Truth' in white capitals.

It hadn't attracted much interest.

"I'm staging a peaceful protest." Sirius told him. "I'm sorry you don't like it, Minister, but I've looked it up and it's definitely allowed."

Fudge gave him a shrewd sort of look. "For now…" he said, before walking off, making Sirius wonder how long it would be before a law was passed banning anyone from 'fear-mongering' within the walls of the ministry.

It had always infuriated Sirius how few people wanted to know the truth about Voldemort. It had been the same in the First Wizarding War too. It seemed no one wanted to believe he was back because it would mean facing the reality that they weren't safe. But were any of them ever really safe? Anything could happen at any minute! Wasn't the best way to protect yourself to know as much of the truth as possible?

"People are frightened." Remus told him. "You have to ease them into the news gently."

"People are cowards." Sirius said angrily. Though he hadn't been surprised that the ministry workers in other departments hadn't wanted to listen to what he had to say, he had to admit to being disappointed in the response from the auror office. Only Kingsley and Tonks seemed to want to accept that Voldemort was back amongst them. What was wrong with people?

"We all know how much you like playing the hero, Black." Snape said presently from his position at the kitchen table. "But not everything needs to be tackled in life by force."

"What are you doing for the Order then?" Sirius retorted angrily. "Sneaking around and spying on the death eaters are you? Sure it's not really the other way around?"

"Sirius..." Dumbledore said warningly from the head of the table.

Sirius turned to look at him. Everyone told him he needed to trust Dumbledore. That if they couldn't trust him, who could they trust? But how could he really trust a man who thought Snape was a decent bloke?

He turned back to his arch enemy. Snape was smirking at him now.

"I suppose we'll just have to make our own minds up, won't we." Sirius said, biting back the million other things he'd have liked to have said to the man instead.

To his deep dissatisfaction, Snape stayed for dinner. Molly asked him if he wanted to join them and, presumably just to irritate Sirius, he had agreed.

"Nice place you've got here, Black." He said, looking around the kitchen and chewing his steak and kidney pie in a self-satisfied sort of way. "Your parents' house, was it?"

"You know it was, Snape." Sirius said, sure the man was doing this just to goad him. It hadn't exactly been a secret that he'd loathed his family at school.

"Nice being back?"

"How could I not enjoy it with company like yours?"

He wondered where Snape himself was living these days. He knew he and Lily had grown up in the same neighbourhood. Had he moved back there perhaps?

"So very kind of you to offer it as headquarters." Snape said, though his tone suggested it was anything but, making Sirius wonder vaguely how the oily sod was trying to rile him up now.

"Thank you."

"Of course we must all be useful where we can."

Sirius waited.

"And those of us with more gold than brains…"

Sirius threw his knife at him, which Snape turned into a paper airplane with a lazy flick of his wand.

"Cool!" Fred and George laughed.

"It is not cool." Mrs Weasley said crossly, frowning at Sirius. "Will you gentlemen please be kind enough to keep your schoolyard squabbling away from the dinner table?!"

"Certainly, Molly." Sirius said, going back to his meal. But he was sure it wouldn't be too long before he and Snivellus were at loggerheads again.

Fortunately, he was able to avoid Snape for the remainder of the summer. He missed the next two Order meetings as he was on 'duty'. Sirius hadn't believed it for a second. He clearly just had nothing to report and wanted to save face.

Snape to him was like a wasp to a bull. Every time he tried to get his head down and focus on the tasks ahead of them he was reminded of the man.

He was sure Snape was still a death eater. He knew that once someone went over to the dark side there was no bringing them back.

For the thousandth time he wondered what Snape had possibly said to Dumbledore to convince him he was trustworthy. But whatever it was, Dumbledore wasn't telling him.

And so he got on as best as he could with business for the Order. He tried to console himself with the knowledge that eventually Snivellus would slip up. Being a double agent must be tiring. And Snape had always been an idiot.