The Last Resort DVD Commentary, part two
Jun. 21st, 2004 11:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
donnaimmaculataPart one is here.
IV.
Snape's mouth was twisted in a grim, joyless smile when he approached the dingy little pub in Theyden Bois. It was a perverted irony of fate that he should wish to go back to this damn place of that bastard, a place which, on top of everything, was currently serving as a shelter for the werewolf, the whole Weasley clan, and, since very recently, that annoying Granger girl. And yet, on this humid August night, when breathing was almost impossible in the sticky, oppressive air, he found himself thinking longingly of the dim coolness of Black's basement kitchen. He wasn't thinking longingly of Black, of course. He was glad to see him only sporadically, during the meetings of the Order, and never alone. Thank Merlin, since their fateful, shattering, disgusting encounter five weeks ago, the opportunity for a tête-à-tête has never occurred again.
Here goes the action/adventure part again. Plus, it is established how much time passed since the kitchen incident.
He had put on a considerable fight when Albus had asked - had commanded - him to try and find out about Peter Pettigrew's whereabouts, assuming that getting a hold of Pettigrew could be a way to finally approach the Dark Lord, as well. An additional advantage - from Albus's rather questionable point of view - was the fact that Pettigrew was the witness required to clear Black from all charges.
Sirius and his mad rage aside, but I never understood how Remus could be so ready to kill Peter in the Shack. Peter's testimony would be vital to clear Sirius. But maybe wizard law works in a different way, and the presentation of Peter's dead body would have been sufficient. Or - more likely - it's a plot hole conveniently overlooked for the sake of drama.
In the course of long weeks, he had patiently combed his network of informants: former Voldemort sympathisers, revenge-seeking family members of ex-Death Eaters who had fallen out of the Dark Lord's favour and have been dealt with - people who had reason to hate the Dark Lord even more fervently than the righteous lot around Black, Potter, and the werewolf, whose triumphant virtue was more sickening than the cruel manipulations of a Lucius Malfoy - until he finally received a hint.
An illustration of the manner in which I think Severus' spying activities are carried out.
He had been pointed in the direction of this particular pub by the widow of a man who died a gruesome death from the hands of Rosier, and she was ready to swear that Pettigrew had been spotted there every now and then, in his capacity as errand boy on the lookout for potential cannon fodder for the Dark Lord's camp. Snape wasn't surprised that, when he had reported about his several futile visits to the place, Black had snorted sarcastically and said that Pettigrew was very unlikely to be prancing around in public. The werewolf, however, whose capability of common sense Snape had grudgingly come to admire, had said that a man who had been declared dead fifteen years ago and who had changed beyond recognition in the course of these years could safely enter a pub where the majority of patrons had something to hide - preferably their identity and past.
Right. I always use names and personal pronouns when I refer to the characters and never say "the werewolf said" or "the Animagus grinned" or "the slightly taller man snarled," but since this is Severus' PoV, I use "werewolf" instead of "Remus" because I think it is quite in character for him.
Snape entered the pub feeling rather morose and hopeless. Apart from a drink or two, there was nothing he would gain from this visit. The woman's information had been less than reliable, and it was only due to Albus's cheerful optimism that he was forced to pop in twice a week, on the nights when there was no meeting of the Order and when he was not meeting up with his contacts among the Death Eaters.
Poor Albus. In my eyes, he is merely a plot device, a vox ex machina used by Rowling to provide background information and explain away irrational plot holes. I use him as a mere plot device, too. Poor Albus.
However, the moment he sat down at the bar, the hood of his cloak pulled deeply into his face, he felt a strange prickling sensation in his forearm that told him some other person with a very active Dark Mark was sitting in close proximity.
So this is an idea I began to entertain early on. Severus says in GoF that the Dark Mark served as a means for Death Eaters of distinguishing each other. As wizard fashion doesn't seem to know short sleeves (and it would be the stupidest thing in the world to run around with a Dark Mark clearly visible for everyone in any case), I assume that the Mark triggers a reaction of the other Marks in close vicinity. The Death Eaters thus don't have to see each others' Marks and the whole moment of recognition passes unnoticed by possible witnesses. It's the most logical explanation I could come up with. Besides, there seems to be only a very limited number of Death Eaters (cf. GoF), so it stands to reason that they would know each other anyway. The Mark might be necessary to distinguish each other when masked (i.e. any Death Eater-specific activities) and to initiate newbies.
Snape did not startle. He coldly took the drink of cheap whisky from the bartenders hand, breathed in deeply to steady himself and turned around casually to scan his surroundings for a possible Death Eater in an unsuspicious way. He was sure, the other man must feel it, too, but none of the patrons appeared unusually agitated or wary. Of course, whoever the other bearer of the Dark Mark might be, he had the great advantage over Snape that he had seen him coming in and knew that it was him who elicited the reaction.
His long fingers wrapped around the glass, he twirled the amber liquid around lazily, while his gaze wandered apparently aimlessly through the room. A sudden movement in the left-hand corner, just behind the bar, caught his attention. Snape turned his head sharply and spotted, just in time, the cowered figure of a man who tried to sneak out unseen.
The glass shattered to the floor as Snape let go of it abruptly. He slid from the stool and was gone with a swish of his robes.
The backdoor swung shut gently, and Snape glided, ghost-like, into the shadows under the tall trees. His senses heightened, he could feel rather than see a movement behind the blackberry bush, as though something were scurrying away hurriedly. Reacting within a heartbeat, he pointed his wand in this direction and whispered "Stupefy!"
It's Action!Snape! Quick, clever and deadly. Wrroar!
Nothing happened. A few moments later, Snape moved cautiously out of the shadows and crossed the distance to the bush in three long strides. He came to a halt in a half-crouch and cast a narrow beam of light to scan the ground.
The blow came unexpectedly.
Snape was knocked off his feet and his breath was knocked out of him by the force of the impact from nowhere. His right knee collided with the ground in a painful angle and his face got slammed into the mud, but he did not lose his grip on his wand and, pointing it over his shoulder, cried 'Stupefy'. The body behind him went limp and slid off him and onto the ground.
Surely, something like this is bound to happen from time to time, isn't it? They can't see where they Apparate to, after all. Didn't Charlie Weasley Apparate on top of "an old dear" and had to retake his exams? And, oh, Sirius and Remus are back in action.
It took Snape several seconds to wipe off the mud obscuring his view and to raise himself up, and when he did so, he was presented the unconscious form of Sirius Black, lying sprawled on the ground. Snape gaped.
For one moment, his inner Slytherin urged him to abandon all appearances of civility and simply kick the defenceless Black in the kidneys. Hard. His better instincts won the short internal struggle, and also, there was the issue of what-the-hell was Black doing there? Only Black could give the answer to that, and Snape muttered a not-quite-convinced 'Finite Incantatem' under his breath.
I realised that I quite often have Sirius lie on the ground (or wherever) and Severus loom above him, wanting to kick. Something about this image is rather appealing. Oh, and I find this little scene quite humorous, BTW.
"What the hell are you doing here, Black?"
Snape spat the question venomously at the still-dizzy Black, who was sitting up looking very confused. Black looked up and his expression darkened.
"Oh. It's you."
"Yes, Black, it's me. Unlike you, I'm supposed to be here. Albus explained it all to you. Remember?"
Canon!Snape would react differently. But Canon!Snape didn't have his cock sucked by Sirius. Presumably.
Black stared slightly bemused at Snape, who was shaking with rage. "I must have Apparated on top of you." He gave his short, bark-like laugh. "Hah! It seems I do always end up on top, doesn't it?"
Canon!Sirius would react differently, too. But Canon!Sirius has never felt the urge to suck Snape's cock.
Snape stared. The tirade of insults that had been forming froze on his lips, and he mouthed wordlessly. Black grinned evilly. "I wish you could see the expression on your face now." He stood up smoothly and advanced on Snape using the advantage of his height to loom very effectively over the other man, who looked ready to kill.
More physical threats. Yeah, yeah, you want it, boys.
A rustle in the blackberry bush startled both men, and they turned in the direction of the sound. Remus Lupin emerged from the shadow, a good-sized rat dangling by its tail from his hand. He frowned slightly at the sight of the apparent argument, but his voice sounded as quiet and polite as ever.
"Good evening, Severus. Sirius, it looks as though Peter's back in our midst. I found him back there, just lying in the undergrowth."
SelfControl!Remus annoys the hell out of Snape.
"I stunned him", Snape said through clenched teeth. His face was livid.
"You did? Well, thank you, Severus. I think we can go back to Grimmauld Place, then."
"I found him. I stunned him." Snape was positively spluttering. "You have no business here."
Lupin did not reply, but Black prodded the dangling rat with his finger and said, a trace of unveiled amusement in his voice: "That was very good of you, Snape. I'm sure this will be a feather in your cap, as soon as we hand Wormtail in."
I don't think Canon!Sirius would take the whole capturing Peter thing so lightly, but I quite liked the image of Sirius' prodding the dangling Wormtail.
Snape took a deep, shaky breath. A muscle in his jaw was twitching, but he regained control, and when he spoke, it was in a fairly civilised tone. "You know, Black, there's a reason why Albus has asked me to go and look for the rat. Apart from his ridiculous wish to keep you safe, he knows well enough that you can't be expected to act reasonably and that you'd be most likely to finish Pettigrew off before he can be of any use for the Order."
"I don't think it is any of your concern, Snape," Black said in a low voice, "what I'm going to do with the rat! If I wanted to kill him -"
This is more Canon!Sirius speaking.
"- you would certainly do so. We know you have no scruples whatsoever", interrupted Snape acidly. "You might want to try and use your friend as a murder weapon again, like you've -"
This is a very low blow. Although Sirius might not actively regret having tried to kill Snape by using Remus, he doesn't want Snape to point this out. Sirius is very protective of his friends, and he can't allow Snape to hurt Remus' feelings like this. In his perception, it is OK for Sirius to hurt Remus' feelings, but not for Snape.
The rest of his sentence was lost in a groan as the air was knocked out from him by Black once again, who had spun around and slammed Snape against the nearest tree.
"You scum," Black growled in the same low voice. "You sick bastard! You enjoy this, don't you? Do you get off by the idea of causing others pain? You leave Remus alone, understand?"
Black's right hand was pinning down Snape's wand-arm to the wall. His left arm was pressed across the other man's throat, his hand clutching the hem of Snape's robe in a tight grip. They stared in each other's eyes, panting heavily. Both suddenly struck by the resemblance to their last bodily encounter in Black's kitchen.
This fight was actually written for a different fic, which I abandoned when OotP came out.
Snape's free arm was curled up in front of his chest, and with surprising strength from a man who spent most of his life at a desk, he suddenly pushed Black's arm away, landing a heavy blow on Black's chin and causing his head to fall back, neck on the brink of snapping.
Before the opponents could go for another attack, the gap between their bodies was filled by Remus Lupin, who, moving with cat-like grace himself, had leapt between them, pressing his hands on their respective chests and pushing both men apart.
Introducing werewolf strength. Not canonical, I'd like to stress. In PoA, Remus is out of breath when he arrives at the Shrieking Shack, no traces of werewolf stamina visible. But this is a fanon element which I am more than happy to explore.
Being pushed apart with little effort, Snape and Black were both confronted with the often forgotten fact that Lupin was, indeed, not human. His physical strength, usually tucked away and buried under the layers of a lithe body, loose robes, and good manners, appeared in full effect when he separated them in one smooth, almost casual, motion. He was trembling with fury, however.
I tend to idealise Remus. So sue me.
"I will hurt you both," he whispered. "You know I will."
Remus knows what he is capable of. For all I know (for I haven't made up my mind about it yet), he might have killed before.
The vibrant tension visibly vanished from the lines in Black's body. He looked down on his friend's hand pressed flatly against his chest. Lupin's fingers were ever so slightly curled, his nails applying painful pressure on Black's chest. Black bit his lower lip. Took a hesitating step back.
Sirius is not afraid of Remus, but he respects his authority.
Something like triumph lit up Snape's features. The corner of his mouth twitched suspiciously, but in that moment, Lupin directed his burning gaze at him, and Snape froze, straightened up to his full height, and brought up his hand to wrap his fingers around Lupin's wrist. With the tree at his back, he could not retreat like Black had done. Instead, he motioned Lupin's hand down slowly, carefully, like a man dealing with a wild beast.
Quite unlike Severus, for whom Remus is a wild beast. But he doesn't let is show.
They had not broken their eye contact until Lupin's hand had left Snape's personal space for good. Snape's black eyes flashed briefly, his mouth twitched. He did not say anything, though.
"Don't you dare make me an issue in your displays of atrocity." Lupin's hoarse voice carried audibly through the darkness.
That is one of the reasons why Remus is so annoyed. Sirius and Severus are permanenty fighting, and even though Remus doesn't like Severus, he also thinks that there are more important things to do than cultivating old grudges.
V.
They Apparated in the Shrieking Shack. Snape had raised objections against Black's coming along, but Black had insisted. When the argument had threatened to get out of hand, Lupin had solved the matter by simply Dissaparating, and they were forced to follow suit. As result of a silent agreement, Lupin was carrying Pettigrew, on whom he had cast a spell that prevented him efficiently from assuming his human form, and who was, in addition, bound by magical cords. After their experience two years previously, neither of them wanted to take any unnecessary risks.
Because, let's face is, there are means to successfully prevent a person from escaping. Honestly!
The passage leading to the Whomping Willow was still open, as Lupin was surprised to hear. He had expected that after Black had used the tunnel to break into Hogwarts, the Headmaster might have wanted to prevent any such occurrences in future.
Well, seeing as the Headmaster had not had the tunnel closed after Remus left school or - at the very latest - when Sirius was on the loose and going in and out of the castle as he pleased, it is hardly surprising he didn't have it done at a later point, either.
Snape, however, descended the stairs confidently, followed by the mildly astounded Lupin, and Padfoot was forming the rear, his low, threatening growl reverberating between the narrow walls and low ceiling. When they had reached the Headmaster's office, each man was so tired of the presence of the respective others, that Dumbledore's offer of tea and a lemon drop was for once accepted with little impatience and much relief.
I'm not sure about the relationship between Severus and Albus. Severus could be either truly attached to Albus or hate him for being in his debt. Both possibilities are valid, and it's not of so much interest (given my general opinion of Dumbledore) for me to try and figure it out. But I am sure that his habit of offering lemon drops in times of distress often leads to, well, more distress.
"So, there he is", Dumbledore said quietly, as the limp rat body was placed on his desk. "Your way to freedom, Sirius." He raised his eyes and smiled, rather sadly. The brim of his ridiculous hat had ridden down his forehead as he bent his head to inspect Pettigrew closer. The whiteness of his hair and the lines of his face seemed more pronounced than ever and his wrinkly hand examining Peter gently was trembling slightly. Black drew in a sharp breath and Lupin and Snape exchanged a hasty nervous glance, before they averted their eyes, embarrassed.
My feeble attempt to make Dumbledore appear more human.
"Well, I'd better inform Cornelius, hadn't I", Dumbledore said in the same quiet, flat voice. "Severus, Remus, will you come with me? Sirius must go back to the headquarters, of course. There is the significant risk we might run into an over-enthusiastic Auror at the Ministry."
A rational suggestion, hurray!
He had not uttered one word about Black's acting against his wish by leaving the safety of his house, nor had he questioned them about the occurrences that had lead to their cooperation.
Because I really don't know why he should and how he would phrase it. The thing with Dumbledore is, we always hear about him doing smart things somewhere in the background, but we never see him do them. Nagging Sirius now about how he had disobeyed an order would appear somewhat nitpicky. Anyway, what should he say to Sirius? "Sirius, you naughty man, you left your mother's house, that'll be no pudding for you and no playing with Severus for the next five days"?
Black, who had braced himself all the way to the castle for the necessity of offering justifications and excuses, felt oddly put-off when he realised they were not required.
Snape did not let go without a fight. "Headmaster, surely you remember that it was my task and my responsibility to catch Pettigrew and that Lupin's and Black's sudden appearance could have ruined the entire undertaking," he said in a low tone, barely moving his teeth apart, as though he did not want Lupin and Black to hear. "I had stunned him successfully when they both Apparated and Black knocked me down. Who, as I might remind you, isn't supposed to leave his mother's house."
Poor Severus. He always has to compete against the nasty Gryffindors.
"Severus, you three are no longer at school, and Sirius wasn't out of bounds. I can't give him detention just because he endangered his life -"
"He endangered my life", Snape spat. "Is this still worth nothing?"
One of my favourite lines. *is proud*
"Severus", Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Severus. Your life is worth everything to me. So is Sirius's. And so", he raised his finger pointedly, "is even Peter's."
A standard pseudo-wise Dumbledore sentence.
Dumbledore used the fallen silence to pull out two items out of a desk drawer, which he held presented to them. "This, Sirius, is the Portkey that will bring you back to Grimmauld Place", he handed Black an old, ragged kitchen towel that looked like part of a house-elf's garment. "And this is for us. We will Portkey to the Ministry and talk to Cornelius Fudge."
See? Dumbledore is one huge plot device when the author (in this case, I; but often enough Rowling) can't be bothered to deal with annoying details, in this case transportation.
"And if he doesn't want to listen?" asked Lupin softly.
Ah, smart Remus!
"He has to", Black said fiercely.
"He has to", echoed Dumbledore.
After the others had left, Sirius remained standing in the centre of the room, staring at the patterns on the carpet and kicking it rhythmically with the tip of his heavy boot.
Sirius kicks things a lot when he's upset. I think it's quite in character.
"There's no need to smear mud on Albus's carpet, really", sounded Phineas Nigellus's cultivated drawl. Sirius turned around to face his great-great-grandfather who was leaning against his frame gracefully, fanning himself with his silken gloves. "It's not his fault everything goes wrong. He's trying hard, poor fellow."
Gratuitous Phineas appearance.
"Not everything", Sirius said pointedly.
"Excuse me?"
"Not everything is going wrong. We captured Wormtail tonight, as I'm sure you've overheard, and I'll be free soon."
Nigellus raised one elegantly arched eyebrow, but remained silent.
Sirius reached for his Portkey. "Well. I see you at home, I suppose", he said in a biting tone and gripped the kitchen towel.
VI.
Sirius decided against drinking and put the bottle of Firewhisky back on the shelf. For one hour and twelve minutes he had been pacing the floor of Buckbeak's room impatiently, waiting, waiting for anything. Any sign that they had arrived safely and that Dumbledore was now negotiating the terms of his trial. Peter's trial.
Sirius is definitely the type to have all possible vices and to enthusiastically embrace excess in every respect. But I think it's not important what sort of excess it is. He doesn't get drunk because he needs the alcohol but because he needs something to blow his brains out. He could just as well replace it by sex or violence. The prospect of Peter's trial takes his mind off drinking because it is intoxicating in itself.
Pacing restlessly, he only stopped every now and then to viciously kick the wardrobe, the table leg, or the wall, until he annoyed Buckbeak so much that the Hippogriff started ruffling his feathers and tossing his head.
"Sorry, Buckbeak", Sirius came over and sat next to the Hippogriff, placing a calming hand on the animal's glossy neck. "I know I'm irritating you. But I promise, as soon as I'll have my freedom back, I'll make sure you are freed from this room, as well. If only to sneak into the garden from time to time."
Surely, that house must have a garden? Surely Sirius and Buckbeak could have spent at least a few hours a day there?
The Hippogriff clacked his mighty beak in response.
Sirius sighed and leaned his forehead against Buckbeak's neck. "I know it's hard to be trapped here. But there's nothing we can do. Nothing I can do, at least, and no-one else cares."
No-one certainly seems to care. I suppose there are more important things on everybody's mind than the comfort of one Hippogriff, but they could exert themselves a bit more. I'm sure Buckbeak could be safely taken back to the rest of the Hippogriffs at Hogwarts (which are, presumably, still under Hagrid's care). After one year, no-one would remember Buckbeak and the fact that he was sentenced to death. Anyway, some Sirius/Beaky interaction for my personal pleasure.
Buckbeak made a soft sound in the back of his throat and stretched his neck, closing his eyes lazily under Sirius's gently stroking hand.
The short moment of peace and quiet was rudely interrupted by the loud outburst of abuses downstairs, and Sirius jerked up. "They're back", he whispered. His fingers flexed involuntarily around a handful of Buckbeak's feathers, and the Hippogriff protested. "Sorry." Sirius jumped to his feet. "Sorry, Buckbeak, I've got to go!"
Approaching the kitchen, he saw from the corner of his eye Molly Weasley usher the children away, looking nervous and flustered. He stopped in front of the door, wiped his hair from his face, and, taking a deep breath, pushed the door open.
I don't know how much of what has passed is known to Molly, but it must be a weird situation for her, knowing (as she is likely to) that Peter lived as her sons' pet for so many years. That is creepy.
Sirius would have laughed at the tableau before his eyes, had the situation not been so grave. They all seemed to be frozen in mid-step. Lupin stood so close before him Sirius had almost bumped into him the moment he entered the kitchen. Over Remus's shoulder, he could see the small, pale face of Tonks who looked apprehensive. Shacklebolt and Moody were there, too, both balancing in awkward positions, seemingly fixed on the spot from the moment of Sirius's entrance. Unsurprisingly, Snape was looking unruffled and cold, as he was standing next to the fireplace on the spot where... Where it had happened. Sirius's eyes locked with Snape's, and neither looked away.
The turning point of their relationship. Severus acknowledges that they indeed had sex. I am not sure of his motives at all (and have therefore remained vague on this point until the end). He is one secretive bastard.
"I was just about to come and get you, Sirius", Remus said, moving aside and making way for Sirius. As though on clue, the whole scene unfroze. Mad-Eye passed a cup of tea he was holding to Shacklebolt, who passed it on to Tonks, who passed it on to Snape, who put it down on the mantelpiece. His gaze never wavered.
Severus knows exactly how hard the blow will hit Sirius. I have no idea how he feels about it.
"Mother", Sirius explained curtly. "She's more reliable than every doorbell."
Everyone forced a small, fleeting smile on their faces, but the silence that fell after Sirius's word weighted more heavily then ever before.
"Just tell me already!" Sirius growled impatiently.
"Sirius, Cornelius was very unreasonable", Lupin began, and stopped as Sirius's shoulders sagged.
Remus wants to soften the blow.
"He didn't believe one word, Black. We forced Pettigrew to transform, and even then, Fudge insisted that we were making up vicious lies, trying to ridicule the jurisdiction system and with it the entire Ministry, and that we were a bunch of - what was his expression - ah, raving lunatics, and Dumbledore was the maddest of the lot."
Severus doesn't. I don't know whether it's because he knows that it's easier for Sirius if he's told directly or because he really wants to hurt Sirius in this moment. I think Severus himself isn't sure how he feels about it and reacts purely on instinct.
"What happened then?" Sirius asked in a clipped, dry voice.
"We had to obliviate Fudge." Sirius startled, surprised, as Shacklebolt's deep voice sounded next to him. He had not noticed the tall man moving towards him. Shacklebolt put a cup of tea in his hand and indicated a chair.
"We were lucky Kingsley was there. He reacted quickly enough, before Fudge could call other Ministry officials and force us to erase more memories or undertake more drastic measures", explained Lupin, who had seated himself beside Tonks. "He was the one to cast the Memory Charm on Fudge."
The one confirmed canon fact about Kingsley. He obviously is good at Memory Charms and quick-thinking and reckless enough to cast one on Fudge.
"Yes, I'm quite good at those", Shacklebolt's voice held a trace of darkly humour.
"Dumbledore had to stay there to make sure the memory modification had worked out all right", added Lupin. "The Minister for Magic is well protected by extra-security spells applied by Mediwizards every few months to make sure he is safe from possible assaults by Dark wizards."
I thought this makes sense, seeing as otherwise the Minister could be easily put under Imperius by Evil!Wizards.
"But what now?" Sirius asked rather helplessly. "They're bound to leave Wormtail free if you left him there."
"Left him there? Sirius, what do you think we are? Amateurs? Of course we didn't leave him there, he's right here, placed under a strong sedation spell. We only have to decide where to store him until we need him." Lupin indicated a small box with air holes punched in the lid.
A weak smile appeared on Sirius's face, spreading wider and wider, until he was positively spluttering with laughter, bent double over the table.
"He's gone mad", Tonks whispered to Lupin. He shook his head.
I'm not sure why Tonks is in this scene. She doesn't contribute anything. Maybe I was trying to imply Remus/Tonks vibes? Damn if I knew.
"Sirius? Are you all right?"
"Where to store him?" Sirius managed, his shoulders shaking. "Why, I think this suits him just well."
Sirius has obviously calmed down since his encounter with Peter in the Shrieking Shack. He knows that it's a Bad Idea to kill him before he can testify. This scene thus features Rational!Sirius. Yes.
"It's not safe, though. We'd have to place an unbreakable charm on it, and it has to be replaced every time after the box has been opened. Someone would have to take the responsibility for him and to make sure he doesn't escape", Shacklebolt objected.
"Ron could", Lupin said with a small twisted smile and a sideways glance at Sirius. Sirius sniggered in response.
"Tell you what, guys", growled Mad-Eye from his position by the sink. "I've got this trunk, as I'm sure you know. We could keep him there, nice and safe, and when we need him, we will just pull him out and have him ready at hand."
Every head turned to him in amazement, and Moody shrugged. "It's a good idea, even though it's plagiarised", he said gruffly.
"Where do you want to keep him, then? Are you taking him back home?" Tonks asked.
Now, this entire plot around Peter comes from the aforementioned fic I wrote and abandoned last year. Before OotP came out, I started writing this story where Severus is sent to catch Peter and Sirius and Remus get in his way and lots of aggressions and wizard bonding ensue. The concept came in handy after the suspiciously Peter-free OotP, and so I put the rat into Moody's trunk.
"I need the trunk, it holds many valuable items", Moody looked around at them. "And I don't trust you youngsters to keep an eye of him. This is not funny!" he added glaring at the still sniggering Sirius.
VII.
Black's mirth did not last long. During the next meeting of the Order, he sat apathetically in his chair and was not showing any reaction to neither good reports from McGonagall, who had managed to find allies in an ancient Druid Congregation from the Scottish Highlands, nor to Snape's caustic remarks about people who were risking their lives so others could live in safety.
After the meeting, Black disappeared back in Buckbeak's room, which caused McGonagall, who was worrying about a favourite ex-pupil, to confer with Dumbledore. Molly Weasley joined them, lamenting the exhausting situation in general and Sirius's strenuous mood swings in particular, until Minerva snapped and told her to go and spend twelve years in Azkaban and then come back and maintain a level character before she dared complain about Sirius. "And don't forget you're staying in his house", she added pointedly.
Minerva has always been my favourite female character. Consequently, she serves the purpose of voicing my opinions (and being nice to Sirius, Remus and Severus.) Lucky woman.
It had been by pure chance that Snape had witnessed this conversation. After the meeting, he wanted to talk to Dumbledore in private, and waited impatiently for Minerva and Molly to finish their wailing about Black. He had not intended to eavesdrop, but their voices were rather loud and it was not his fault that his hearing was excellent. So Black was highly depressive? No less was to be expected, and he had suspected that much himself, but it was somehow heartening to hear it from others. His spirits rose and even the corners of his mouth twitched in a faint imitation of a smile.
Again, I am not sure about Severus' motivations. Starting with the previous scene, his entire characterisation has been a fluke and I have slurred my way through it to the very end. I really don't know what made him go to Sirius. As he also is unsure as to his feelings, this is not entirely a bad thing, but I think that he gives the wrong impression of knowing what he does. If he does, he certainly didn't share the knowledge with me.
He left a short note for Albus and made his way up the stairs.
The Weasley brats were loitering in the upstairs corridor and cowered at his sight as though he was about to deduct House points. In passing, he heard the distinct muttering of "What is he doing here?", and "Greasy git!", and - the most annoying of all - "Oh, honestly, Ron! He works for the Order and Dumbledore trusts him!" He gave them a glare which held the promise of long and painful detentions.
Severus finds Hermione really, really annoying, and I don't blame him. Because so do I. She might be clever and everything, but she is exactly the sort of person who, in RL, annoy the hell out of me. Snape is channelling the author here.
At the door to the Hippogriff's room, he hesitated for the fraction of a second, before he knocked and entered. As expected, the Hippogriff was spread on the bed, and the shaggy mongrel was lying next to it. He raised his head slightly on Snape's entrance but did not acknowledge the man's presence in any other way.
Behold Sirius' mood swings. He has fallen into the deepest pit of apathy. But because this is Snape/Black slash, Severus is the only one who says the right things (though not necessarily intentionally) to pull Sirius back.
Snape sneered down at the black dog for a few moments, and as that did not elicit any reaction, he took in a few more steps further into the room. He looked around haughtily, walked over to the glass cabinet and started examining the objects on the shelves. Some of them looked familiar. Snape was sure he had seen such a serpentine filigree fork like that one on the top shelf in Lucius Malfoy's hand before; if someone else than its rightful owner would try to eat with it, it would spring to life and wriggle all the way down into the unfortunate victim's stomach. Usually not further down, because they would have died on severe stomach bleeding by then.
Completely pointless description of a random Dark artefact. I have mentioned the fork in other fics, too, and at some point I might manage to have someone actually use it.
"You know, Black", he began at last, "as displeased as I am that you've managed to escape from Azkaban, I'm starting to see the benefits of the new situation." He turned around to face Padfoot's still form on the bed. "At least in Azkaban, you were a true captive, a convict whose position in life was clear. They say you maintained your sanity in there." Snape's lip curled up in a sneer. "I, of course, have my own opinion as to this. And your anger - and undoubtedly your hope - helped you remain focused on a goal." He broke up and stared at the dog as though trying to read its mind.
It's ChannellingDumbledore!Snape! Clarifying the status quo for the sake of the two readers who didn't catch up.
"I wonder", his voice had gone very soft and silky, "how long you will maintain what little remainder of sanity there is here, at this place. You trusted them, didn't you? Trusted Dumbledore to help you out, trusted Lupin to take you back as a best friend without any reproaches, trusted Fudge to show justice where justice is due, trusted the whole Order to become your new family, your pack. Even trusted me to be the means of proving your innocence", he snorted. "And what happened? They threw you back in prison, and this time, there is no escape. This is what the safe haven was supposed to be, after all. The goal you've fought so hard to reach. Here you are, then, living as a dog again, sleeping by a beast in a decaying room that belonged to the woman you've hated all your life. I must say, I could not have established a better arrangement myself."
These are pretty nasty things that Severus throws into Sirius' face. I am inclined to think that he does so because he instinctively feels that it will elicit some reaction from Sirius. In a way, he also voices my view on Sirius' history. I, however, think that whatever he might have done in the past, Sirius didn't deserve such treatment, and would therefore have phrased it more compassionately.
He turned his head and startled slightly on seeing Black lying on his back beside the Hippogriff. "I've never trusted you", Black said in a bleak, empty voice.
They stared at each other for a few long minutes until Black finally spoke in the same deadened voice: "Get out of here, Snape. I have no wish to talk to you."
"This doesn't matter, because I have the wish to talk to you", Snape said smoothly. "I want to tell you a lot of things, things you miss out, because your life is confined within this rotten house."
Very awkward contribution to the conversation on Snape's part. I had to make him stay with Sirius (in order to experience life-changing sex) and I didn't care if he sounded like an idiot.
For the first time this evening, a spark of the old fire returned to Black's eyes. "I don't think someone who spends all their life between a dungeon and Death Eater parties could tell me what's going on in the real world."
Snape smiled unpleasantly. "Nice try, Black, but it takes more to convince me that you don't crave for leaving this place, even if it were only for a trip to the Hogwarts dungeons."
"The Hogwarts dungeons", Black said more loudly, sitting up, "are about the last place on earth I would want to visit."
His right hand had automatically made for his wand lying on the bedside table. Snape's eyes followed the motion, but he did not move a muscle.
"Very well, Black. Maybe I'm mistaken." Black looked up in alarm. "Maybe you really don't want to get out of here. Maybe you enjoy the company of your... animal more than you would enjoy the company of a human."
Here goes the necessary insult match again. Not a very smooth one, but my head was so full of the sex to come at that point that I didn't care how they got there.
The insult was too clear to ignore. Black jolted up from the bed and gripped a handful of Snape's robes, pulling the other man closer.
"What is it you want here, Snape?" he growled.
"My intention was to have a civilised conversation with you, Black, but apparently, you have long forgotten what these words mean." Snape was struggling against Black's grip, his fingers curled firmly around the other's wrist, but he did not make any attempt to make use of his wand.
"Oh really?" Black let his own wand fall to the floor and wrapped his now free hand around Snape's, forcing his fingers open and causing him to drop his wand, as well. Snape did not fight it. "What is it you really want, Snape?"
The black eyes widened, and Snape's tongue darted out briefly, moistening his lips. "I told you already, I'm here because there are some things you should hear. And since no-one among your friends is prepared to confront you with the truth, I thought -"
"I understand. Your pestering me with your presence is merely a Samaritan attempt to enlighten me in my dimness and put me out of my misery with your words, is that it?" Black tightened his grip and pulled Snape even closer. "So why do I think that this mouth of yours would be better occupied with something entirely different than talking?"
Snape's eyes flashed. "This only serves to prove my point, Black. You are losing what little humanity is left in you. You aren't even capable of solving a conflict without resorting to physical violence."
Abruptly, Black let go of Snape's robes causing the other man to lose his equilibrium. Snape tumbled a few steps back, regained control, and tossed his head to shake off a few strands of hair that were clinging to his face. When he looked up, Black was standing quite still, watching him from narrowed eyes. In his outstretched hand, he held Snape's wand. Snape took it hesitantly.
"What is this all about?"
"I don't want you to say that I attacked an unarmed man."
"Going to attack me, are you?" Snape straightened up to his full height as Black was eyeing him with a feral expression on his face.
"That's what you expect me to do, isn't it? For once, I attempt to rise to your expectations."
Snape did not retreat nor did his gaze flicker when Black invaded his personal space, advancing slowly yet purposefully. He stopped within a few inches from Snape, his burning gaze never leaving the other man's face.
This whole passage, the insults and the gradual progression towards a physical attack was a bugger to write. I spent ages writing and deleting and being alternately afraid that I had not written enough and that I had written too much.
"What is it you want, Black?"
"You on your knees."
Snape snorted disbelievingly. Black leaned in closer, and Snape reacted on instinct. He charged. His hand wrapped itself around Black's arm and he pushed the other man away using the full weight of his body. Black stumbled backwards, and the impact sent them both falling onto the bed in a tangle of long limbs. Snape's breath tickled Black's neck.
"On my knees, huh?" Snape purred huskily into Black's ear. Black shivered.
I have no idea what happened there. I was looking for a smooth transition from fight to sex and this is what came out.
"Please."
Snape glided down the length of Sirius's body bonelessly. His hands slid along Sirius's chest and stomach opening his dishevelled robe, and finally busied themselves with Sirius's belt. Severus ripped open the fly and plunged his hand inside. His hand met hot dampness and he half-sighed, half-snorted. Sirius spread his legs further, pushing himself up the bed slightly. "Move away, Buckbeak", he growled. And then: "Aah!"
Buckbeak again. Seeing as they are in the Hippogriff's room, it makes sense he would hang around. And I loved the image of Sirius and Severus sharing the bed with Beaky, who would calmly chew on his rat bones and calmly watch them shag.
"Ouch!" Severus's tongue had just snaked out and licked firmly across the patch of pale skin right above the waistband of Sirius's pants, when in the next moment, he jerked his head away holding his nose. "You nearly broke my nose, you idiot! Hold still! These hipbones are hard."
Imperfect sex alert! I like clumsy sex scenes.
"Shut up. Go on."
"Manners, Black -"
Sirius's fingers entangled themselves in Severus's hair and he pressed the dark head down onto his groin. "Now!"
Severus's face collided with the hard cock precisely accentuated under the thin cotton. He inhaled sharply and circled his hands around Sirius's hips, pulling on the material. "Black. You've got to help me here."
Ah, this is the version where I switched from Snape/Black to Severus/Sirius to cunningly indicate the quantum leap from hatred to truce within their relationship. I have changed it since then and in the later version I stick to Snape/Black throughout the fic.
Obediently, Sirius closed his legs and lifted his pelvis from the bed. Severus did not linger over removing Sirius's trousers and pants completely; he merely pulled them down low enough to make space for himself and pushed Sirius's legs apart. The thick, heavy erection was bobbing right in front of his face, and Severus cupped Sirius's hipbone with one hand, his thumb pressing into the sensitive hollow underneath. Sirius gave a thin keening sound. Severus bent his head over the dripping cock and spit on it.
Beware! TMI: Personally, I find wanking off is much more pleasant if the bloke's cock is not completely dry. Saliva is always at hand, so to speak. Apparently there are those who find that when a guy is uncut you don't need additional lubrication, because it works quite smoothly anyway. I find you can never go wrong with additional lubrication.
"Heh! What -" Sirius's attempt to jerk away was prevented by Severus's hand holding him firmly in place.
"Shh. Hold still!"
In the next moment, Severus's thin white hand was fisting Sirius's now-slick cock forcefully, the saliva serving as a more than sufficient lubricant. Sirius groaned from deep within his chest, forcing his torso into a perfect arch as he almost came off the bed.
"If you don't stop twitching there like mad, I will have to use both hands to keep you still!"
"Nnngh."
Severus smirked and parted his lips as he pushed his hand all the way down to the base of Sirius's erection, where he stilled it, and took the silky head in his mouth. He repositioned himself over Sirius's cock, turned his head to the left, and sucked in deeply until his lips met his own hand. There, he bit down.
Obviously, they would have harsh sex. Biting is good, but biting a penis can go horribly wrong. Severus knows what he is doing and, as I will elaborate later, he does not want to substantially hurt Sirius.
"Ohsweetmerlinholyfuckshit!" Sirius's outcry was accompanied by a sharp tug on Severus's hair, as he lifted off the bed again. "Nng", he added, lowering down slowly.
Severus had pulled away and was watching Sirius questioningly. "I swear, Black, you are impossible. How am I supposed to do a good job, if you keep up your attempts of breaking my nose?"
He loves being in control after he had lost it so pathetically in the course of their last encounter.
Sirius looked down at him, his eyes glazed over with lust. "Just. Do it", he panted. His head fell back on the bed. Buckbeak croaked indignantly and shifted slightly away.
Severus's mouth was back on Sirius's cock in the next instant. He sucked in the whole prick while one hand slid down to cup Sirius's balls. The other hand snaked up to push Sirius's shirt up and bare his stomach, and returned to its former place where it remained wrapped firmly around the bony hip, for safety reasons. Sirius's hollow stomach and thin chest were heaving with rapid, flat breaths, but he managed to keep his pelvis down. Severus gave Sirius's balls a firm squeeze and brought his hand back up to grab his cock. Sirius was gasping frantically, open-mouthed, and Severus pulled his head away as the thick seed spurted all over his hand, Sirius's stomach and chest.
Severus didn't intend to swallow, either, hence the preparatory pushing-up of Sirius' shirt. I think he simply doesn't like the taste. He's got a very sensitive palate, Severus.
"Oh Merlin", Sirius panted a few moments later. Severus had not risen from his knees, but merely shifted his head, which now rested on Sirius's side. His hand was drawing lazy circles in the semen covering the soft belly. Sirius gave a strangled half-laugh and looked down.
"That was. This was -"
"Your first intimate contact since you were sent to Azkaban?" Severus supplied, his hand sliding down Sirius's abdomen.
Why I like sex with Sirius (in fics!): It's got all the quality of first-time sex, because he has forgotten all about the sensation in Azkaban. At the same time, he is not inexperienced and he knows the technique and stuff. I love the combination. (Plus, it's perfect for h/c stories.)
"That too. But that's not what I wanted to say. Mind-blowing, I think, was the expression."
"Not much to blow, then", muttered Severus.
"What was tha- Ah! God!" Sirius's question broke up abruptly, as Severus's spunk-slick finger drove all the way up his arse.
Sirius's spine straighten and his stomach tightened visibly. He let out his breath in a long hiss. Severus raised his head and looked Sirius in the eyes.
"Yes? No?" The dark eyes held a strangely serious expression.
More imperfect sex. Sirius has massive trust issues. Plus, this is the first time on ages he has sex. It is reasonable to assume that he wouldn't launch into fully-fledged anal sex straightaway.
Sirius lower lip was trapped between his teeth. He was holding his breath. He held Severus's unflinching gaze for a moment, and then his shoulders, stomach and hands relaxed visibly. He nodded and lay back again. Severus wiggled his finger experimentally.
"You've got to relax all your muscles, you know." Without the customary edge of sarcasm in it, Severus' silky purr had an oddly calming effect.
Liking, as I do, Snape/Black slash I need to stray away from canon in many respects. While I am convinced that in the novels they truly hate each other, I assume, for the sake of porn, that their hatred can be overcome at some point and that their desire to hurt each other is not absolute. My!Severus is prepared to hex the soul out of Sirius, but he wouldn't hurt him when and where Sirius is most vulnerable. This interpretation works insofar as in the novels, Severus rescues Harry's life several times, even though he clearly hates the boy, which shows that at least his honour and pride prevent him from overstepping the line. As to Sirius, he was obviously willing to seriously endanger Severus' life, but this was a) many years ago and b) done indirectly. Sirius made use of a remotely controlled weapon in his attempt to kill Severus. I assume for the sake of the ship that he wouldn't be able to kill Severus face to face. Plus, Sirius is very protective of those close to him, and by letting Severus into his bed, he marks him as his, if only on a sexual level. Having thus explained away all difficulties of this ship, I can happily pretend that they wouldn't hurt each other substantially, i.e. through humiliation on a sexual level or through rape.
Sirius nodded mutely and let out a deep breath. The finger inside him shifted its position slightly and Severus pulled back a bit. He held still for a moment and pushed back inside. Sirius's muscle clenched around him and Sirius whimpered.
Severus withdrew his finger entirely, wiping it discreetly on the sheet. He crawled up the bed and came to rest beside Sirius, whose shirt he started to unbutton. Sirius was not meeting his gaze but merely gripped him around the wrist. "What are you doing?"
Sirius is utterly exposed here.
"As you had me on my knees, I believe it would be reasonable to expect the favour to be reciprocated, don't you think?"
But Severus handles it well by not being compassionate and soppy.
"I can suck you off with my shirt on."
"Oh, but I don't want you to suck me off."
Vulgar language as means of self-protection.
Sirius became very still. "What do you want, then?" he asked in a tight voice.
"I want you on your knees. Or is this too much to ask for?"
The challenge was unmistakable. Sirius's face closed and he sat up. "Do you want to fuck me?"
Here too. 'Fuck' is an impersonal expression. By using phrases such as 'have sex' or even 'make love' (which he so wouldn't), he would acknowledge emotional closeness. But you can 'fuck' strangers or even enemies without losing your face.
Severus' eyes narrowed. "We will see about that." And as Sirius did not abandon his hostile demeanour, he added. "Black. I know you have a low opinion of me. But has anything I've done to you on this bed so far indicated that I would take you by force?"
Of course he wouldn't. Because the author says so.
"All right", Sirius said cautiously after a long pause. He pulled off his shirt and looked at Severus as though challenging him to make a remark. Severus, however, remained silent. His expression did not flicker as he took in the awkward angles of Sirius's once chiselled, now emaciated torso. The collarbone appeared to have been badly broken once and never properly mended; it stuck out in an ugly angle. When Sirius bent forward to undo his shoelaces and pull off his trousers, every single vertebra jutted out visibly. Severus lifted his hand and reached out to touch Sirius's back. He stopped in mid-motion, thought better of it, and withdrew his hand just in time before Sirius turned around.
This is of course more intimate than the blow job was and they know it.
"Shall we take this off, then?" Sirius tugged at Severus's robe. Severus shrugged.
Sirius started to gradually peel Severus from the many layers of his garments. His hands moved more business than lover-like along the other man's body until Severus lay before him pale and naked, and not much to look at, really. Unlike Sirius, whom nature had designed to be a broad-chested, strongly built man, Severus was thin and narrow from the outset and, with his long limbs and almost hairless skin, looked rather like a lanky schoolboy than a grown up man. His very prominent erection was the most imposing thing about him, and Sirius leaned over it lapping off the leaking pre-come. Severus watched him, eyes murky with desire.
The obligatory they-are-not-pretty-under-those-robes part. I like a well-defined torso as much as the next girl, but fics featuring Athlete!Severus and StillASexGod!Sirius are rather off-putting.
"No, wait." A hand on his shoulder stopped Sirius. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "On your knees, remember?"
Sirius complied reluctantly and Severus crawled over to kneel beside him. He put his hand between Sirius's shoulder blades and gently pushed him down from his kneeling position until Sirius ended up on his hands and knees. Severus grunted irritably. "Does this beast have to share the bed with us? It's rather confined on here, don't you think?"
I haven't forgotten Buckbeak. He is still there, because it's, technically, his bed.
"Move over, Buckbeak", Sirius pushed against the Hippogriff's flank, and Buckbeak obediently shifted away.
"You know, Black, you're really good with animals", Severus said conversationally, while his hand stroked all the way down Sirius's spine in a comforting gesture. Then, without further ado, he thrust his tongue in the cleft of Sirius' arse. Sirius gasped in shock, but Severus had anticipated the violent jerk forward and had clutched the other's hips firmly. "Stay here", he murmured against the soft flesh, and the vibration sent a trail of shivers down Sirius's spine.
The reason why Severus is so generous is, he feels very much in control of the situation, and he loves it. He knows that Sirius felt very uncomfortable and that he was embarrassed about his inability of letting go and enjoying hot monkey sex, and this makes him feel stronger and more in charge. Perhaps even protective.
Soon, Sirius was spread out on his front, legs wide apart, and was humping the mattress in time with the thrusts of Severus's tongue. Through his delirious haze, he hardly noticed that Severus's stroking fingers had moved down from his back and over his arse, and only startled as one finger was probing his slickened entrance. His muscles tensed.
"You're not helping matters here, Black." Severus had in vain tried to insert his finger. The tight ring of muscles only let him in to the first digit, before he felt Sirius squirm away uncomfortably.
But still, Severus is only a man and making Sirius comfortable was supposed to serve his purposes.
"You do it better", Sirius said in an annoyed voice into the pillow.
He's annoyed with himself because he wants to be a good lay, basically.
"Very well", Severus sighed irritably. "But push this brute from the bed, he really puts me off."
Severus complies out of pride. He didn't really plan to let Sirius fuck him, but in this situation, getting fucked is a sign of self-confidence and control. While Sirius can't control his anxiety, Severus demonstrates that it's really not a big deal.
"Why, Snape, the slimy pickled things in your office are not much more pleasant to the eye."
It has been pointed out by some reviewers that Sirius has never been in Severus' office. But Remus might have been (I don't assume that Severus has always brought him the Wolfsbane), and he would have mentioned the disgusting things Severus keeps there.
"I'm not in the habit of indulging in such activities in my office. And they don't glare at me accusingly, either."
Because Severus doesn't shag students during office hours!
Severus positioned himself on the now Buckbeak-free bed with a pillow under his pelvis that made his arse jut out in the air. Sirius flattened his palm over Severus's neck, smoothing down his shoulders, along the spine, and stopped at the small of his back. If one did not have to look in his face, Severus was not quite as unattractive, really. He had rather fetching shoulder blades. Sirius sucked on the fingers of his free hand, wetting them profusely, and spread Severus open.
He was indeed relaxed. Sirius slid one finger inside, and the muscle readily gave way to the pressure. Inside, Severus was tight and hot, and... good. So good. Sirius groaned.
Sirius hasn't had sex for a long, long time...
Severus was groaning too, into the pillow. He lifted up from the bed and impaled himself on Sirius's finger more deeply. Sirius withdrew and Severus followed and, as Sirius thrust two fingers back in, he hit the gland that made Severus gasp loudly and grab a fistful of blanket. Sirius leaned forward.
"I've got to fuck you now", he panted.
"Ah. Yes."
"Tell me when it hurts."
Sirius sat back on his heels between the other man's open legs and coaxed Severus' pelvis higher. He spit in his hand and spread the moisture all around Severus' entrance. Slowly, he inched himself inside, until he was fully sheathed and gleaming with sweat from the effort of holding back. He leaned over and covered Severus' body with his own. "All right?" He whispered into the ear visible in the tangle of black hair.
Saliva as lubricant. It can be sufficient. Especially the super-special wizard variety... Considering that he knows what it'd cost him to be in that position, Sirius is very mindful of not hurting Severus.
Severus' arm reached around and his hand gripped Sirius's elbow. "Wait." He took a few steadying breaths. "All right."
The first thrust felt a bit awkward, like pulling off soaked dragon-hide gloves, but Sirius soon found a good angle and a nice, not-too fast rhythm. Severus' long fingers were clenching and unclenching and he was pushing back rhythmically. The long, pale back looked rather tempting, and Sirius leaned forward and curled around Severus.
I like the comparison with the soaked dragon-hide gloves. Sirius wants more than sex, he wants closeness.
"What're you doing", Severus' voice was muffled.
"You feel good", Sirius muttered hazily. He was rubbing his chest against the smooth skin. Somehow, his face had ended up burrowed in Severus' neck.
"Get off. Can't breathe."
Too much closeness and the loss of control due to Sirius' weight cause claustrophobia.
"For Merlin's sake, stop whining! Enjoy."
"Get. Off." Severus made an attempt to push Sirius off, the muscles in his thin arms flexing.
But luckily, they can fall back into the old bickering pattern.
"All right. You - on top." Sirius wrapped his arm around Severus' chest and flipped them both over so that he was lying underneath Severus. Severus gave a surprised gasp, but his body reacted automatically, and he slid down a bit to take the whole length of Sirius's cock up his arse.
A position which I can't remember having read elsewhere. (I hope it's clear: Sirius is lying on his back, Severus on his back on Sirius' chest.) I think it's very convenient, as it allows the bottom to be on top while at the same time permitting full body contact but no eye contact. Kissing is possible, but it requires some effort, and their relationship is not so far developed as to make them want to kiss.
A few thrusts later, they had established how to arrange their legs optimally, and whose hand was to fist Severus' cock. Sirius closed his eyes lazily feeling a mind-boggling orgasm building up. His arm had remained lying loosely across Severus' chest, but he was increasing the pressure gradually. Severus curled his fingers around Sirius's forearm and squeezed. "Hm? No?" Sirius whispered.
TEH Fluff
"Hmm... Yeah", Severus murmured, and the sound of this deep voice, dark with lust, and the fact that Severus' fingers had just entwined with his, pushed Sirius over the edge. He emptied himself in Severus' body in a huge, rushed gush, and the clenching muscle around his cock milked him from the very last drop. Severus gave a throaty 'Ooh', arched his back, and his semen spluttered all across his belly and chest, and also over their entangled arms.
They fell asleep almost immediately.
They have no desire for post-coital talk, after all. Quite the contrary.
"Snape."
"Hm."
"Get off. You're heavier than you think."
"Can't. We're stuck."
"Get off!"
Severus turned his head and his mouth brushed against Sirius's jaw. "Your Hippogriff is looking at me again."
I don't know whether Severus really dislikes Buckbeak, but it's a good enough pretext to introduce a new subject and ignore the position they're in.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake", Sirius gasped exasperated. "Shut up!" A slight incline of his head brought his lips flush against Severus' and he pushed his tongue inside the slick heat before the other had time to react. Severus did not pull back. He leaned in, his shoulder blades shifting smoothly over Sirius's sweaty chest, and slid his tongue over Sirius lips and into his mouth. A deep moan escaped both men simultaneously.
I wouldn't let them get away without a kiss, now, would I?
Minutes later, Severus broke the kiss, breathless. Fathomless eyes locked with Sirius's gaze. "I still don't like you, Black."
Redundant information. But Severus doesn't want Sirius to think that this has changed anything. (Even though it has and they will be live together happily forever and ever!!!11)
"Ditto. Can't stand you." Sirius yawned.
"And I hate this Hippogriff!" Snape cast a nasty glance at Buckbeak, who was ferreting on the floor for dead rats.
"I think the feeling's mutual." Sirius propped himself up on one elbow and was watching Snape Summoning his dishevelled garments from bed and floor. Snape had already cast a cleaning charm on himself, and his body showed no traces of sweat and spunk.
"Well", Snape said, standing in the centre of the room, his robes and sneer back in place.
"Well."
"I'll see you next week, then."
"I suppose."
Snape nodded curtly. "Goodbye, Black."
"See you."
The door swung shut, and Sirius fell back on the pillow. He stretched languidly, yawned widely, and decided he was too tired to gather his clothes. He was just about to change into the familiar, comfortable form of Padfoot, when his gaze fell on his own hand resting on the pillow beside his head. The hand that minutes ago had wanked off Severus Snape as though his life depended on it. Sirius flexed his fingers, turned his hand palm-downwards, and lifted it to his nose to sniff on it. Oh, but that was good.
Five minutes later, Sirius Black was standing, fully clothed and human-shaped, in his own room. Padfoot was the escape of the last resort, after all, and could wait until there was no hope left.
I am hopeless with endings, too. I like them happy, but not too happy, and this is a good compromise. So what happens next? As I said at some point, I am mainly interested in first-time stories and leave the dealing with the ramifications of grudge fucks to others. Had I continued with this fic, however, they would ignore each other pointedly for a few days, glare at each other at Order meetings, have a heated encounter in the Blacks' kitchen, have hot monkey sex in Sirius' room, be found out by Remus who would raise an eyebrow and say nothing (this was the reason why Remus suggested he would talk to Snape instead of Sirius regarding Harry's Occlumency lessons; he knew how a 'talk' between Sirius and Severus would end), have some more sex and more heated rows, cease talking (and fucking) because of their argument about Harry, and then Sirius would fall through the veil and Severus would mourn his loss. And bring him back because as a former Death Eater he knows how.
IV.
Snape's mouth was twisted in a grim, joyless smile when he approached the dingy little pub in Theyden Bois. It was a perverted irony of fate that he should wish to go back to this damn place of that bastard, a place which, on top of everything, was currently serving as a shelter for the werewolf, the whole Weasley clan, and, since very recently, that annoying Granger girl. And yet, on this humid August night, when breathing was almost impossible in the sticky, oppressive air, he found himself thinking longingly of the dim coolness of Black's basement kitchen. He wasn't thinking longingly of Black, of course. He was glad to see him only sporadically, during the meetings of the Order, and never alone. Thank Merlin, since their fateful, shattering, disgusting encounter five weeks ago, the opportunity for a tête-à-tête has never occurred again.
Here goes the action/adventure part again. Plus, it is established how much time passed since the kitchen incident.
He had put on a considerable fight when Albus had asked - had commanded - him to try and find out about Peter Pettigrew's whereabouts, assuming that getting a hold of Pettigrew could be a way to finally approach the Dark Lord, as well. An additional advantage - from Albus's rather questionable point of view - was the fact that Pettigrew was the witness required to clear Black from all charges.
Sirius and his mad rage aside, but I never understood how Remus could be so ready to kill Peter in the Shack. Peter's testimony would be vital to clear Sirius. But maybe wizard law works in a different way, and the presentation of Peter's dead body would have been sufficient. Or - more likely - it's a plot hole conveniently overlooked for the sake of drama.
In the course of long weeks, he had patiently combed his network of informants: former Voldemort sympathisers, revenge-seeking family members of ex-Death Eaters who had fallen out of the Dark Lord's favour and have been dealt with - people who had reason to hate the Dark Lord even more fervently than the righteous lot around Black, Potter, and the werewolf, whose triumphant virtue was more sickening than the cruel manipulations of a Lucius Malfoy - until he finally received a hint.
An illustration of the manner in which I think Severus' spying activities are carried out.
He had been pointed in the direction of this particular pub by the widow of a man who died a gruesome death from the hands of Rosier, and she was ready to swear that Pettigrew had been spotted there every now and then, in his capacity as errand boy on the lookout for potential cannon fodder for the Dark Lord's camp. Snape wasn't surprised that, when he had reported about his several futile visits to the place, Black had snorted sarcastically and said that Pettigrew was very unlikely to be prancing around in public. The werewolf, however, whose capability of common sense Snape had grudgingly come to admire, had said that a man who had been declared dead fifteen years ago and who had changed beyond recognition in the course of these years could safely enter a pub where the majority of patrons had something to hide - preferably their identity and past.
Right. I always use names and personal pronouns when I refer to the characters and never say "the werewolf said" or "the Animagus grinned" or "the slightly taller man snarled," but since this is Severus' PoV, I use "werewolf" instead of "Remus" because I think it is quite in character for him.
Snape entered the pub feeling rather morose and hopeless. Apart from a drink or two, there was nothing he would gain from this visit. The woman's information had been less than reliable, and it was only due to Albus's cheerful optimism that he was forced to pop in twice a week, on the nights when there was no meeting of the Order and when he was not meeting up with his contacts among the Death Eaters.
Poor Albus. In my eyes, he is merely a plot device, a vox ex machina used by Rowling to provide background information and explain away irrational plot holes. I use him as a mere plot device, too. Poor Albus.
However, the moment he sat down at the bar, the hood of his cloak pulled deeply into his face, he felt a strange prickling sensation in his forearm that told him some other person with a very active Dark Mark was sitting in close proximity.
So this is an idea I began to entertain early on. Severus says in GoF that the Dark Mark served as a means for Death Eaters of distinguishing each other. As wizard fashion doesn't seem to know short sleeves (and it would be the stupidest thing in the world to run around with a Dark Mark clearly visible for everyone in any case), I assume that the Mark triggers a reaction of the other Marks in close vicinity. The Death Eaters thus don't have to see each others' Marks and the whole moment of recognition passes unnoticed by possible witnesses. It's the most logical explanation I could come up with. Besides, there seems to be only a very limited number of Death Eaters (cf. GoF), so it stands to reason that they would know each other anyway. The Mark might be necessary to distinguish each other when masked (i.e. any Death Eater-specific activities) and to initiate newbies.
Snape did not startle. He coldly took the drink of cheap whisky from the bartenders hand, breathed in deeply to steady himself and turned around casually to scan his surroundings for a possible Death Eater in an unsuspicious way. He was sure, the other man must feel it, too, but none of the patrons appeared unusually agitated or wary. Of course, whoever the other bearer of the Dark Mark might be, he had the great advantage over Snape that he had seen him coming in and knew that it was him who elicited the reaction.
His long fingers wrapped around the glass, he twirled the amber liquid around lazily, while his gaze wandered apparently aimlessly through the room. A sudden movement in the left-hand corner, just behind the bar, caught his attention. Snape turned his head sharply and spotted, just in time, the cowered figure of a man who tried to sneak out unseen.
The glass shattered to the floor as Snape let go of it abruptly. He slid from the stool and was gone with a swish of his robes.
The backdoor swung shut gently, and Snape glided, ghost-like, into the shadows under the tall trees. His senses heightened, he could feel rather than see a movement behind the blackberry bush, as though something were scurrying away hurriedly. Reacting within a heartbeat, he pointed his wand in this direction and whispered "Stupefy!"
It's Action!Snape! Quick, clever and deadly. Wrroar!
Nothing happened. A few moments later, Snape moved cautiously out of the shadows and crossed the distance to the bush in three long strides. He came to a halt in a half-crouch and cast a narrow beam of light to scan the ground.
The blow came unexpectedly.
Snape was knocked off his feet and his breath was knocked out of him by the force of the impact from nowhere. His right knee collided with the ground in a painful angle and his face got slammed into the mud, but he did not lose his grip on his wand and, pointing it over his shoulder, cried 'Stupefy'. The body behind him went limp and slid off him and onto the ground.
Surely, something like this is bound to happen from time to time, isn't it? They can't see where they Apparate to, after all. Didn't Charlie Weasley Apparate on top of "an old dear" and had to retake his exams? And, oh, Sirius and Remus are back in action.
It took Snape several seconds to wipe off the mud obscuring his view and to raise himself up, and when he did so, he was presented the unconscious form of Sirius Black, lying sprawled on the ground. Snape gaped.
For one moment, his inner Slytherin urged him to abandon all appearances of civility and simply kick the defenceless Black in the kidneys. Hard. His better instincts won the short internal struggle, and also, there was the issue of what-the-hell was Black doing there? Only Black could give the answer to that, and Snape muttered a not-quite-convinced 'Finite Incantatem' under his breath.
I realised that I quite often have Sirius lie on the ground (or wherever) and Severus loom above him, wanting to kick. Something about this image is rather appealing. Oh, and I find this little scene quite humorous, BTW.
"What the hell are you doing here, Black?"
Snape spat the question venomously at the still-dizzy Black, who was sitting up looking very confused. Black looked up and his expression darkened.
"Oh. It's you."
"Yes, Black, it's me. Unlike you, I'm supposed to be here. Albus explained it all to you. Remember?"
Canon!Snape would react differently. But Canon!Snape didn't have his cock sucked by Sirius. Presumably.
Black stared slightly bemused at Snape, who was shaking with rage. "I must have Apparated on top of you." He gave his short, bark-like laugh. "Hah! It seems I do always end up on top, doesn't it?"
Canon!Sirius would react differently, too. But Canon!Sirius has never felt the urge to suck Snape's cock.
Snape stared. The tirade of insults that had been forming froze on his lips, and he mouthed wordlessly. Black grinned evilly. "I wish you could see the expression on your face now." He stood up smoothly and advanced on Snape using the advantage of his height to loom very effectively over the other man, who looked ready to kill.
More physical threats. Yeah, yeah, you want it, boys.
A rustle in the blackberry bush startled both men, and they turned in the direction of the sound. Remus Lupin emerged from the shadow, a good-sized rat dangling by its tail from his hand. He frowned slightly at the sight of the apparent argument, but his voice sounded as quiet and polite as ever.
"Good evening, Severus. Sirius, it looks as though Peter's back in our midst. I found him back there, just lying in the undergrowth."
SelfControl!Remus annoys the hell out of Snape.
"I stunned him", Snape said through clenched teeth. His face was livid.
"You did? Well, thank you, Severus. I think we can go back to Grimmauld Place, then."
"I found him. I stunned him." Snape was positively spluttering. "You have no business here."
Lupin did not reply, but Black prodded the dangling rat with his finger and said, a trace of unveiled amusement in his voice: "That was very good of you, Snape. I'm sure this will be a feather in your cap, as soon as we hand Wormtail in."
I don't think Canon!Sirius would take the whole capturing Peter thing so lightly, but I quite liked the image of Sirius' prodding the dangling Wormtail.
Snape took a deep, shaky breath. A muscle in his jaw was twitching, but he regained control, and when he spoke, it was in a fairly civilised tone. "You know, Black, there's a reason why Albus has asked me to go and look for the rat. Apart from his ridiculous wish to keep you safe, he knows well enough that you can't be expected to act reasonably and that you'd be most likely to finish Pettigrew off before he can be of any use for the Order."
"I don't think it is any of your concern, Snape," Black said in a low voice, "what I'm going to do with the rat! If I wanted to kill him -"
This is more Canon!Sirius speaking.
"- you would certainly do so. We know you have no scruples whatsoever", interrupted Snape acidly. "You might want to try and use your friend as a murder weapon again, like you've -"
This is a very low blow. Although Sirius might not actively regret having tried to kill Snape by using Remus, he doesn't want Snape to point this out. Sirius is very protective of his friends, and he can't allow Snape to hurt Remus' feelings like this. In his perception, it is OK for Sirius to hurt Remus' feelings, but not for Snape.
The rest of his sentence was lost in a groan as the air was knocked out from him by Black once again, who had spun around and slammed Snape against the nearest tree.
"You scum," Black growled in the same low voice. "You sick bastard! You enjoy this, don't you? Do you get off by the idea of causing others pain? You leave Remus alone, understand?"
Black's right hand was pinning down Snape's wand-arm to the wall. His left arm was pressed across the other man's throat, his hand clutching the hem of Snape's robe in a tight grip. They stared in each other's eyes, panting heavily. Both suddenly struck by the resemblance to their last bodily encounter in Black's kitchen.
This fight was actually written for a different fic, which I abandoned when OotP came out.
Snape's free arm was curled up in front of his chest, and with surprising strength from a man who spent most of his life at a desk, he suddenly pushed Black's arm away, landing a heavy blow on Black's chin and causing his head to fall back, neck on the brink of snapping.
Before the opponents could go for another attack, the gap between their bodies was filled by Remus Lupin, who, moving with cat-like grace himself, had leapt between them, pressing his hands on their respective chests and pushing both men apart.
Introducing werewolf strength. Not canonical, I'd like to stress. In PoA, Remus is out of breath when he arrives at the Shrieking Shack, no traces of werewolf stamina visible. But this is a fanon element which I am more than happy to explore.
Being pushed apart with little effort, Snape and Black were both confronted with the often forgotten fact that Lupin was, indeed, not human. His physical strength, usually tucked away and buried under the layers of a lithe body, loose robes, and good manners, appeared in full effect when he separated them in one smooth, almost casual, motion. He was trembling with fury, however.
I tend to idealise Remus. So sue me.
"I will hurt you both," he whispered. "You know I will."
Remus knows what he is capable of. For all I know (for I haven't made up my mind about it yet), he might have killed before.
The vibrant tension visibly vanished from the lines in Black's body. He looked down on his friend's hand pressed flatly against his chest. Lupin's fingers were ever so slightly curled, his nails applying painful pressure on Black's chest. Black bit his lower lip. Took a hesitating step back.
Sirius is not afraid of Remus, but he respects his authority.
Something like triumph lit up Snape's features. The corner of his mouth twitched suspiciously, but in that moment, Lupin directed his burning gaze at him, and Snape froze, straightened up to his full height, and brought up his hand to wrap his fingers around Lupin's wrist. With the tree at his back, he could not retreat like Black had done. Instead, he motioned Lupin's hand down slowly, carefully, like a man dealing with a wild beast.
Quite unlike Severus, for whom Remus is a wild beast. But he doesn't let is show.
They had not broken their eye contact until Lupin's hand had left Snape's personal space for good. Snape's black eyes flashed briefly, his mouth twitched. He did not say anything, though.
"Don't you dare make me an issue in your displays of atrocity." Lupin's hoarse voice carried audibly through the darkness.
That is one of the reasons why Remus is so annoyed. Sirius and Severus are permanenty fighting, and even though Remus doesn't like Severus, he also thinks that there are more important things to do than cultivating old grudges.
V.
They Apparated in the Shrieking Shack. Snape had raised objections against Black's coming along, but Black had insisted. When the argument had threatened to get out of hand, Lupin had solved the matter by simply Dissaparating, and they were forced to follow suit. As result of a silent agreement, Lupin was carrying Pettigrew, on whom he had cast a spell that prevented him efficiently from assuming his human form, and who was, in addition, bound by magical cords. After their experience two years previously, neither of them wanted to take any unnecessary risks.
Because, let's face is, there are means to successfully prevent a person from escaping. Honestly!
The passage leading to the Whomping Willow was still open, as Lupin was surprised to hear. He had expected that after Black had used the tunnel to break into Hogwarts, the Headmaster might have wanted to prevent any such occurrences in future.
Well, seeing as the Headmaster had not had the tunnel closed after Remus left school or - at the very latest - when Sirius was on the loose and going in and out of the castle as he pleased, it is hardly surprising he didn't have it done at a later point, either.
Snape, however, descended the stairs confidently, followed by the mildly astounded Lupin, and Padfoot was forming the rear, his low, threatening growl reverberating between the narrow walls and low ceiling. When they had reached the Headmaster's office, each man was so tired of the presence of the respective others, that Dumbledore's offer of tea and a lemon drop was for once accepted with little impatience and much relief.
I'm not sure about the relationship between Severus and Albus. Severus could be either truly attached to Albus or hate him for being in his debt. Both possibilities are valid, and it's not of so much interest (given my general opinion of Dumbledore) for me to try and figure it out. But I am sure that his habit of offering lemon drops in times of distress often leads to, well, more distress.
"So, there he is", Dumbledore said quietly, as the limp rat body was placed on his desk. "Your way to freedom, Sirius." He raised his eyes and smiled, rather sadly. The brim of his ridiculous hat had ridden down his forehead as he bent his head to inspect Pettigrew closer. The whiteness of his hair and the lines of his face seemed more pronounced than ever and his wrinkly hand examining Peter gently was trembling slightly. Black drew in a sharp breath and Lupin and Snape exchanged a hasty nervous glance, before they averted their eyes, embarrassed.
My feeble attempt to make Dumbledore appear more human.
"Well, I'd better inform Cornelius, hadn't I", Dumbledore said in the same quiet, flat voice. "Severus, Remus, will you come with me? Sirius must go back to the headquarters, of course. There is the significant risk we might run into an over-enthusiastic Auror at the Ministry."
A rational suggestion, hurray!
He had not uttered one word about Black's acting against his wish by leaving the safety of his house, nor had he questioned them about the occurrences that had lead to their cooperation.
Because I really don't know why he should and how he would phrase it. The thing with Dumbledore is, we always hear about him doing smart things somewhere in the background, but we never see him do them. Nagging Sirius now about how he had disobeyed an order would appear somewhat nitpicky. Anyway, what should he say to Sirius? "Sirius, you naughty man, you left your mother's house, that'll be no pudding for you and no playing with Severus for the next five days"?
Black, who had braced himself all the way to the castle for the necessity of offering justifications and excuses, felt oddly put-off when he realised they were not required.
Snape did not let go without a fight. "Headmaster, surely you remember that it was my task and my responsibility to catch Pettigrew and that Lupin's and Black's sudden appearance could have ruined the entire undertaking," he said in a low tone, barely moving his teeth apart, as though he did not want Lupin and Black to hear. "I had stunned him successfully when they both Apparated and Black knocked me down. Who, as I might remind you, isn't supposed to leave his mother's house."
Poor Severus. He always has to compete against the nasty Gryffindors.
"Severus, you three are no longer at school, and Sirius wasn't out of bounds. I can't give him detention just because he endangered his life -"
"He endangered my life", Snape spat. "Is this still worth nothing?"
One of my favourite lines. *is proud*
"Severus", Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Severus. Your life is worth everything to me. So is Sirius's. And so", he raised his finger pointedly, "is even Peter's."
A standard pseudo-wise Dumbledore sentence.
Dumbledore used the fallen silence to pull out two items out of a desk drawer, which he held presented to them. "This, Sirius, is the Portkey that will bring you back to Grimmauld Place", he handed Black an old, ragged kitchen towel that looked like part of a house-elf's garment. "And this is for us. We will Portkey to the Ministry and talk to Cornelius Fudge."
See? Dumbledore is one huge plot device when the author (in this case, I; but often enough Rowling) can't be bothered to deal with annoying details, in this case transportation.
"And if he doesn't want to listen?" asked Lupin softly.
Ah, smart Remus!
"He has to", Black said fiercely.
"He has to", echoed Dumbledore.
After the others had left, Sirius remained standing in the centre of the room, staring at the patterns on the carpet and kicking it rhythmically with the tip of his heavy boot.
Sirius kicks things a lot when he's upset. I think it's quite in character.
"There's no need to smear mud on Albus's carpet, really", sounded Phineas Nigellus's cultivated drawl. Sirius turned around to face his great-great-grandfather who was leaning against his frame gracefully, fanning himself with his silken gloves. "It's not his fault everything goes wrong. He's trying hard, poor fellow."
Gratuitous Phineas appearance.
"Not everything", Sirius said pointedly.
"Excuse me?"
"Not everything is going wrong. We captured Wormtail tonight, as I'm sure you've overheard, and I'll be free soon."
Nigellus raised one elegantly arched eyebrow, but remained silent.
Sirius reached for his Portkey. "Well. I see you at home, I suppose", he said in a biting tone and gripped the kitchen towel.
VI.
Sirius decided against drinking and put the bottle of Firewhisky back on the shelf. For one hour and twelve minutes he had been pacing the floor of Buckbeak's room impatiently, waiting, waiting for anything. Any sign that they had arrived safely and that Dumbledore was now negotiating the terms of his trial. Peter's trial.
Sirius is definitely the type to have all possible vices and to enthusiastically embrace excess in every respect. But I think it's not important what sort of excess it is. He doesn't get drunk because he needs the alcohol but because he needs something to blow his brains out. He could just as well replace it by sex or violence. The prospect of Peter's trial takes his mind off drinking because it is intoxicating in itself.
Pacing restlessly, he only stopped every now and then to viciously kick the wardrobe, the table leg, or the wall, until he annoyed Buckbeak so much that the Hippogriff started ruffling his feathers and tossing his head.
"Sorry, Buckbeak", Sirius came over and sat next to the Hippogriff, placing a calming hand on the animal's glossy neck. "I know I'm irritating you. But I promise, as soon as I'll have my freedom back, I'll make sure you are freed from this room, as well. If only to sneak into the garden from time to time."
Surely, that house must have a garden? Surely Sirius and Buckbeak could have spent at least a few hours a day there?
The Hippogriff clacked his mighty beak in response.
Sirius sighed and leaned his forehead against Buckbeak's neck. "I know it's hard to be trapped here. But there's nothing we can do. Nothing I can do, at least, and no-one else cares."
No-one certainly seems to care. I suppose there are more important things on everybody's mind than the comfort of one Hippogriff, but they could exert themselves a bit more. I'm sure Buckbeak could be safely taken back to the rest of the Hippogriffs at Hogwarts (which are, presumably, still under Hagrid's care). After one year, no-one would remember Buckbeak and the fact that he was sentenced to death. Anyway, some Sirius/Beaky interaction for my personal pleasure.
Buckbeak made a soft sound in the back of his throat and stretched his neck, closing his eyes lazily under Sirius's gently stroking hand.
The short moment of peace and quiet was rudely interrupted by the loud outburst of abuses downstairs, and Sirius jerked up. "They're back", he whispered. His fingers flexed involuntarily around a handful of Buckbeak's feathers, and the Hippogriff protested. "Sorry." Sirius jumped to his feet. "Sorry, Buckbeak, I've got to go!"
Approaching the kitchen, he saw from the corner of his eye Molly Weasley usher the children away, looking nervous and flustered. He stopped in front of the door, wiped his hair from his face, and, taking a deep breath, pushed the door open.
I don't know how much of what has passed is known to Molly, but it must be a weird situation for her, knowing (as she is likely to) that Peter lived as her sons' pet for so many years. That is creepy.
Sirius would have laughed at the tableau before his eyes, had the situation not been so grave. They all seemed to be frozen in mid-step. Lupin stood so close before him Sirius had almost bumped into him the moment he entered the kitchen. Over Remus's shoulder, he could see the small, pale face of Tonks who looked apprehensive. Shacklebolt and Moody were there, too, both balancing in awkward positions, seemingly fixed on the spot from the moment of Sirius's entrance. Unsurprisingly, Snape was looking unruffled and cold, as he was standing next to the fireplace on the spot where... Where it had happened. Sirius's eyes locked with Snape's, and neither looked away.
The turning point of their relationship. Severus acknowledges that they indeed had sex. I am not sure of his motives at all (and have therefore remained vague on this point until the end). He is one secretive bastard.
"I was just about to come and get you, Sirius", Remus said, moving aside and making way for Sirius. As though on clue, the whole scene unfroze. Mad-Eye passed a cup of tea he was holding to Shacklebolt, who passed it on to Tonks, who passed it on to Snape, who put it down on the mantelpiece. His gaze never wavered.
Severus knows exactly how hard the blow will hit Sirius. I have no idea how he feels about it.
"Mother", Sirius explained curtly. "She's more reliable than every doorbell."
Everyone forced a small, fleeting smile on their faces, but the silence that fell after Sirius's word weighted more heavily then ever before.
"Just tell me already!" Sirius growled impatiently.
"Sirius, Cornelius was very unreasonable", Lupin began, and stopped as Sirius's shoulders sagged.
Remus wants to soften the blow.
"He didn't believe one word, Black. We forced Pettigrew to transform, and even then, Fudge insisted that we were making up vicious lies, trying to ridicule the jurisdiction system and with it the entire Ministry, and that we were a bunch of - what was his expression - ah, raving lunatics, and Dumbledore was the maddest of the lot."
Severus doesn't. I don't know whether it's because he knows that it's easier for Sirius if he's told directly or because he really wants to hurt Sirius in this moment. I think Severus himself isn't sure how he feels about it and reacts purely on instinct.
"What happened then?" Sirius asked in a clipped, dry voice.
"We had to obliviate Fudge." Sirius startled, surprised, as Shacklebolt's deep voice sounded next to him. He had not noticed the tall man moving towards him. Shacklebolt put a cup of tea in his hand and indicated a chair.
"We were lucky Kingsley was there. He reacted quickly enough, before Fudge could call other Ministry officials and force us to erase more memories or undertake more drastic measures", explained Lupin, who had seated himself beside Tonks. "He was the one to cast the Memory Charm on Fudge."
The one confirmed canon fact about Kingsley. He obviously is good at Memory Charms and quick-thinking and reckless enough to cast one on Fudge.
"Yes, I'm quite good at those", Shacklebolt's voice held a trace of darkly humour.
"Dumbledore had to stay there to make sure the memory modification had worked out all right", added Lupin. "The Minister for Magic is well protected by extra-security spells applied by Mediwizards every few months to make sure he is safe from possible assaults by Dark wizards."
I thought this makes sense, seeing as otherwise the Minister could be easily put under Imperius by Evil!Wizards.
"But what now?" Sirius asked rather helplessly. "They're bound to leave Wormtail free if you left him there."
"Left him there? Sirius, what do you think we are? Amateurs? Of course we didn't leave him there, he's right here, placed under a strong sedation spell. We only have to decide where to store him until we need him." Lupin indicated a small box with air holes punched in the lid.
A weak smile appeared on Sirius's face, spreading wider and wider, until he was positively spluttering with laughter, bent double over the table.
"He's gone mad", Tonks whispered to Lupin. He shook his head.
I'm not sure why Tonks is in this scene. She doesn't contribute anything. Maybe I was trying to imply Remus/Tonks vibes? Damn if I knew.
"Sirius? Are you all right?"
"Where to store him?" Sirius managed, his shoulders shaking. "Why, I think this suits him just well."
Sirius has obviously calmed down since his encounter with Peter in the Shrieking Shack. He knows that it's a Bad Idea to kill him before he can testify. This scene thus features Rational!Sirius. Yes.
"It's not safe, though. We'd have to place an unbreakable charm on it, and it has to be replaced every time after the box has been opened. Someone would have to take the responsibility for him and to make sure he doesn't escape", Shacklebolt objected.
"Ron could", Lupin said with a small twisted smile and a sideways glance at Sirius. Sirius sniggered in response.
"Tell you what, guys", growled Mad-Eye from his position by the sink. "I've got this trunk, as I'm sure you know. We could keep him there, nice and safe, and when we need him, we will just pull him out and have him ready at hand."
Every head turned to him in amazement, and Moody shrugged. "It's a good idea, even though it's plagiarised", he said gruffly.
"Where do you want to keep him, then? Are you taking him back home?" Tonks asked.
Now, this entire plot around Peter comes from the aforementioned fic I wrote and abandoned last year. Before OotP came out, I started writing this story where Severus is sent to catch Peter and Sirius and Remus get in his way and lots of aggressions and wizard bonding ensue. The concept came in handy after the suspiciously Peter-free OotP, and so I put the rat into Moody's trunk.
"I need the trunk, it holds many valuable items", Moody looked around at them. "And I don't trust you youngsters to keep an eye of him. This is not funny!" he added glaring at the still sniggering Sirius.
VII.
Black's mirth did not last long. During the next meeting of the Order, he sat apathetically in his chair and was not showing any reaction to neither good reports from McGonagall, who had managed to find allies in an ancient Druid Congregation from the Scottish Highlands, nor to Snape's caustic remarks about people who were risking their lives so others could live in safety.
After the meeting, Black disappeared back in Buckbeak's room, which caused McGonagall, who was worrying about a favourite ex-pupil, to confer with Dumbledore. Molly Weasley joined them, lamenting the exhausting situation in general and Sirius's strenuous mood swings in particular, until Minerva snapped and told her to go and spend twelve years in Azkaban and then come back and maintain a level character before she dared complain about Sirius. "And don't forget you're staying in his house", she added pointedly.
Minerva has always been my favourite female character. Consequently, she serves the purpose of voicing my opinions (and being nice to Sirius, Remus and Severus.) Lucky woman.
It had been by pure chance that Snape had witnessed this conversation. After the meeting, he wanted to talk to Dumbledore in private, and waited impatiently for Minerva and Molly to finish their wailing about Black. He had not intended to eavesdrop, but their voices were rather loud and it was not his fault that his hearing was excellent. So Black was highly depressive? No less was to be expected, and he had suspected that much himself, but it was somehow heartening to hear it from others. His spirits rose and even the corners of his mouth twitched in a faint imitation of a smile.
Again, I am not sure about Severus' motivations. Starting with the previous scene, his entire characterisation has been a fluke and I have slurred my way through it to the very end. I really don't know what made him go to Sirius. As he also is unsure as to his feelings, this is not entirely a bad thing, but I think that he gives the wrong impression of knowing what he does. If he does, he certainly didn't share the knowledge with me.
He left a short note for Albus and made his way up the stairs.
The Weasley brats were loitering in the upstairs corridor and cowered at his sight as though he was about to deduct House points. In passing, he heard the distinct muttering of "What is he doing here?", and "Greasy git!", and - the most annoying of all - "Oh, honestly, Ron! He works for the Order and Dumbledore trusts him!" He gave them a glare which held the promise of long and painful detentions.
Severus finds Hermione really, really annoying, and I don't blame him. Because so do I. She might be clever and everything, but she is exactly the sort of person who, in RL, annoy the hell out of me. Snape is channelling the author here.
At the door to the Hippogriff's room, he hesitated for the fraction of a second, before he knocked and entered. As expected, the Hippogriff was spread on the bed, and the shaggy mongrel was lying next to it. He raised his head slightly on Snape's entrance but did not acknowledge the man's presence in any other way.
Behold Sirius' mood swings. He has fallen into the deepest pit of apathy. But because this is Snape/Black slash, Severus is the only one who says the right things (though not necessarily intentionally) to pull Sirius back.
Snape sneered down at the black dog for a few moments, and as that did not elicit any reaction, he took in a few more steps further into the room. He looked around haughtily, walked over to the glass cabinet and started examining the objects on the shelves. Some of them looked familiar. Snape was sure he had seen such a serpentine filigree fork like that one on the top shelf in Lucius Malfoy's hand before; if someone else than its rightful owner would try to eat with it, it would spring to life and wriggle all the way down into the unfortunate victim's stomach. Usually not further down, because they would have died on severe stomach bleeding by then.
Completely pointless description of a random Dark artefact. I have mentioned the fork in other fics, too, and at some point I might manage to have someone actually use it.
"You know, Black", he began at last, "as displeased as I am that you've managed to escape from Azkaban, I'm starting to see the benefits of the new situation." He turned around to face Padfoot's still form on the bed. "At least in Azkaban, you were a true captive, a convict whose position in life was clear. They say you maintained your sanity in there." Snape's lip curled up in a sneer. "I, of course, have my own opinion as to this. And your anger - and undoubtedly your hope - helped you remain focused on a goal." He broke up and stared at the dog as though trying to read its mind.
It's ChannellingDumbledore!Snape! Clarifying the status quo for the sake of the two readers who didn't catch up.
"I wonder", his voice had gone very soft and silky, "how long you will maintain what little remainder of sanity there is here, at this place. You trusted them, didn't you? Trusted Dumbledore to help you out, trusted Lupin to take you back as a best friend without any reproaches, trusted Fudge to show justice where justice is due, trusted the whole Order to become your new family, your pack. Even trusted me to be the means of proving your innocence", he snorted. "And what happened? They threw you back in prison, and this time, there is no escape. This is what the safe haven was supposed to be, after all. The goal you've fought so hard to reach. Here you are, then, living as a dog again, sleeping by a beast in a decaying room that belonged to the woman you've hated all your life. I must say, I could not have established a better arrangement myself."
These are pretty nasty things that Severus throws into Sirius' face. I am inclined to think that he does so because he instinctively feels that it will elicit some reaction from Sirius. In a way, he also voices my view on Sirius' history. I, however, think that whatever he might have done in the past, Sirius didn't deserve such treatment, and would therefore have phrased it more compassionately.
He turned his head and startled slightly on seeing Black lying on his back beside the Hippogriff. "I've never trusted you", Black said in a bleak, empty voice.
They stared at each other for a few long minutes until Black finally spoke in the same deadened voice: "Get out of here, Snape. I have no wish to talk to you."
"This doesn't matter, because I have the wish to talk to you", Snape said smoothly. "I want to tell you a lot of things, things you miss out, because your life is confined within this rotten house."
Very awkward contribution to the conversation on Snape's part. I had to make him stay with Sirius (in order to experience life-changing sex) and I didn't care if he sounded like an idiot.
For the first time this evening, a spark of the old fire returned to Black's eyes. "I don't think someone who spends all their life between a dungeon and Death Eater parties could tell me what's going on in the real world."
Snape smiled unpleasantly. "Nice try, Black, but it takes more to convince me that you don't crave for leaving this place, even if it were only for a trip to the Hogwarts dungeons."
"The Hogwarts dungeons", Black said more loudly, sitting up, "are about the last place on earth I would want to visit."
His right hand had automatically made for his wand lying on the bedside table. Snape's eyes followed the motion, but he did not move a muscle.
"Very well, Black. Maybe I'm mistaken." Black looked up in alarm. "Maybe you really don't want to get out of here. Maybe you enjoy the company of your... animal more than you would enjoy the company of a human."
Here goes the necessary insult match again. Not a very smooth one, but my head was so full of the sex to come at that point that I didn't care how they got there.
The insult was too clear to ignore. Black jolted up from the bed and gripped a handful of Snape's robes, pulling the other man closer.
"What is it you want here, Snape?" he growled.
"My intention was to have a civilised conversation with you, Black, but apparently, you have long forgotten what these words mean." Snape was struggling against Black's grip, his fingers curled firmly around the other's wrist, but he did not make any attempt to make use of his wand.
"Oh really?" Black let his own wand fall to the floor and wrapped his now free hand around Snape's, forcing his fingers open and causing him to drop his wand, as well. Snape did not fight it. "What is it you really want, Snape?"
The black eyes widened, and Snape's tongue darted out briefly, moistening his lips. "I told you already, I'm here because there are some things you should hear. And since no-one among your friends is prepared to confront you with the truth, I thought -"
"I understand. Your pestering me with your presence is merely a Samaritan attempt to enlighten me in my dimness and put me out of my misery with your words, is that it?" Black tightened his grip and pulled Snape even closer. "So why do I think that this mouth of yours would be better occupied with something entirely different than talking?"
Snape's eyes flashed. "This only serves to prove my point, Black. You are losing what little humanity is left in you. You aren't even capable of solving a conflict without resorting to physical violence."
Abruptly, Black let go of Snape's robes causing the other man to lose his equilibrium. Snape tumbled a few steps back, regained control, and tossed his head to shake off a few strands of hair that were clinging to his face. When he looked up, Black was standing quite still, watching him from narrowed eyes. In his outstretched hand, he held Snape's wand. Snape took it hesitantly.
"What is this all about?"
"I don't want you to say that I attacked an unarmed man."
"Going to attack me, are you?" Snape straightened up to his full height as Black was eyeing him with a feral expression on his face.
"That's what you expect me to do, isn't it? For once, I attempt to rise to your expectations."
Snape did not retreat nor did his gaze flicker when Black invaded his personal space, advancing slowly yet purposefully. He stopped within a few inches from Snape, his burning gaze never leaving the other man's face.
This whole passage, the insults and the gradual progression towards a physical attack was a bugger to write. I spent ages writing and deleting and being alternately afraid that I had not written enough and that I had written too much.
"What is it you want, Black?"
"You on your knees."
Snape snorted disbelievingly. Black leaned in closer, and Snape reacted on instinct. He charged. His hand wrapped itself around Black's arm and he pushed the other man away using the full weight of his body. Black stumbled backwards, and the impact sent them both falling onto the bed in a tangle of long limbs. Snape's breath tickled Black's neck.
"On my knees, huh?" Snape purred huskily into Black's ear. Black shivered.
I have no idea what happened there. I was looking for a smooth transition from fight to sex and this is what came out.
"Please."
Snape glided down the length of Sirius's body bonelessly. His hands slid along Sirius's chest and stomach opening his dishevelled robe, and finally busied themselves with Sirius's belt. Severus ripped open the fly and plunged his hand inside. His hand met hot dampness and he half-sighed, half-snorted. Sirius spread his legs further, pushing himself up the bed slightly. "Move away, Buckbeak", he growled. And then: "Aah!"
Buckbeak again. Seeing as they are in the Hippogriff's room, it makes sense he would hang around. And I loved the image of Sirius and Severus sharing the bed with Beaky, who would calmly chew on his rat bones and calmly watch them shag.
"Ouch!" Severus's tongue had just snaked out and licked firmly across the patch of pale skin right above the waistband of Sirius's pants, when in the next moment, he jerked his head away holding his nose. "You nearly broke my nose, you idiot! Hold still! These hipbones are hard."
Imperfect sex alert! I like clumsy sex scenes.
"Shut up. Go on."
"Manners, Black -"
Sirius's fingers entangled themselves in Severus's hair and he pressed the dark head down onto his groin. "Now!"
Severus's face collided with the hard cock precisely accentuated under the thin cotton. He inhaled sharply and circled his hands around Sirius's hips, pulling on the material. "Black. You've got to help me here."
Ah, this is the version where I switched from Snape/Black to Severus/Sirius to cunningly indicate the quantum leap from hatred to truce within their relationship. I have changed it since then and in the later version I stick to Snape/Black throughout the fic.
Obediently, Sirius closed his legs and lifted his pelvis from the bed. Severus did not linger over removing Sirius's trousers and pants completely; he merely pulled them down low enough to make space for himself and pushed Sirius's legs apart. The thick, heavy erection was bobbing right in front of his face, and Severus cupped Sirius's hipbone with one hand, his thumb pressing into the sensitive hollow underneath. Sirius gave a thin keening sound. Severus bent his head over the dripping cock and spit on it.
Beware! TMI: Personally, I find wanking off is much more pleasant if the bloke's cock is not completely dry. Saliva is always at hand, so to speak. Apparently there are those who find that when a guy is uncut you don't need additional lubrication, because it works quite smoothly anyway. I find you can never go wrong with additional lubrication.
"Heh! What -" Sirius's attempt to jerk away was prevented by Severus's hand holding him firmly in place.
"Shh. Hold still!"
In the next moment, Severus's thin white hand was fisting Sirius's now-slick cock forcefully, the saliva serving as a more than sufficient lubricant. Sirius groaned from deep within his chest, forcing his torso into a perfect arch as he almost came off the bed.
"If you don't stop twitching there like mad, I will have to use both hands to keep you still!"
"Nnngh."
Severus smirked and parted his lips as he pushed his hand all the way down to the base of Sirius's erection, where he stilled it, and took the silky head in his mouth. He repositioned himself over Sirius's cock, turned his head to the left, and sucked in deeply until his lips met his own hand. There, he bit down.
Obviously, they would have harsh sex. Biting is good, but biting a penis can go horribly wrong. Severus knows what he is doing and, as I will elaborate later, he does not want to substantially hurt Sirius.
"Ohsweetmerlinholyfuckshit!" Sirius's outcry was accompanied by a sharp tug on Severus's hair, as he lifted off the bed again. "Nng", he added, lowering down slowly.
Severus had pulled away and was watching Sirius questioningly. "I swear, Black, you are impossible. How am I supposed to do a good job, if you keep up your attempts of breaking my nose?"
He loves being in control after he had lost it so pathetically in the course of their last encounter.
Sirius looked down at him, his eyes glazed over with lust. "Just. Do it", he panted. His head fell back on the bed. Buckbeak croaked indignantly and shifted slightly away.
Severus's mouth was back on Sirius's cock in the next instant. He sucked in the whole prick while one hand slid down to cup Sirius's balls. The other hand snaked up to push Sirius's shirt up and bare his stomach, and returned to its former place where it remained wrapped firmly around the bony hip, for safety reasons. Sirius's hollow stomach and thin chest were heaving with rapid, flat breaths, but he managed to keep his pelvis down. Severus gave Sirius's balls a firm squeeze and brought his hand back up to grab his cock. Sirius was gasping frantically, open-mouthed, and Severus pulled his head away as the thick seed spurted all over his hand, Sirius's stomach and chest.
Severus didn't intend to swallow, either, hence the preparatory pushing-up of Sirius' shirt. I think he simply doesn't like the taste. He's got a very sensitive palate, Severus.
"Oh Merlin", Sirius panted a few moments later. Severus had not risen from his knees, but merely shifted his head, which now rested on Sirius's side. His hand was drawing lazy circles in the semen covering the soft belly. Sirius gave a strangled half-laugh and looked down.
"That was. This was -"
"Your first intimate contact since you were sent to Azkaban?" Severus supplied, his hand sliding down Sirius's abdomen.
Why I like sex with Sirius (in fics!): It's got all the quality of first-time sex, because he has forgotten all about the sensation in Azkaban. At the same time, he is not inexperienced and he knows the technique and stuff. I love the combination. (Plus, it's perfect for h/c stories.)
"That too. But that's not what I wanted to say. Mind-blowing, I think, was the expression."
"Not much to blow, then", muttered Severus.
"What was tha- Ah! God!" Sirius's question broke up abruptly, as Severus's spunk-slick finger drove all the way up his arse.
Sirius's spine straighten and his stomach tightened visibly. He let out his breath in a long hiss. Severus raised his head and looked Sirius in the eyes.
"Yes? No?" The dark eyes held a strangely serious expression.
More imperfect sex. Sirius has massive trust issues. Plus, this is the first time on ages he has sex. It is reasonable to assume that he wouldn't launch into fully-fledged anal sex straightaway.
Sirius lower lip was trapped between his teeth. He was holding his breath. He held Severus's unflinching gaze for a moment, and then his shoulders, stomach and hands relaxed visibly. He nodded and lay back again. Severus wiggled his finger experimentally.
"You've got to relax all your muscles, you know." Without the customary edge of sarcasm in it, Severus' silky purr had an oddly calming effect.
Liking, as I do, Snape/Black slash I need to stray away from canon in many respects. While I am convinced that in the novels they truly hate each other, I assume, for the sake of porn, that their hatred can be overcome at some point and that their desire to hurt each other is not absolute. My!Severus is prepared to hex the soul out of Sirius, but he wouldn't hurt him when and where Sirius is most vulnerable. This interpretation works insofar as in the novels, Severus rescues Harry's life several times, even though he clearly hates the boy, which shows that at least his honour and pride prevent him from overstepping the line. As to Sirius, he was obviously willing to seriously endanger Severus' life, but this was a) many years ago and b) done indirectly. Sirius made use of a remotely controlled weapon in his attempt to kill Severus. I assume for the sake of the ship that he wouldn't be able to kill Severus face to face. Plus, Sirius is very protective of those close to him, and by letting Severus into his bed, he marks him as his, if only on a sexual level. Having thus explained away all difficulties of this ship, I can happily pretend that they wouldn't hurt each other substantially, i.e. through humiliation on a sexual level or through rape.
Sirius nodded mutely and let out a deep breath. The finger inside him shifted its position slightly and Severus pulled back a bit. He held still for a moment and pushed back inside. Sirius's muscle clenched around him and Sirius whimpered.
Severus withdrew his finger entirely, wiping it discreetly on the sheet. He crawled up the bed and came to rest beside Sirius, whose shirt he started to unbutton. Sirius was not meeting his gaze but merely gripped him around the wrist. "What are you doing?"
Sirius is utterly exposed here.
"As you had me on my knees, I believe it would be reasonable to expect the favour to be reciprocated, don't you think?"
But Severus handles it well by not being compassionate and soppy.
"I can suck you off with my shirt on."
"Oh, but I don't want you to suck me off."
Vulgar language as means of self-protection.
Sirius became very still. "What do you want, then?" he asked in a tight voice.
"I want you on your knees. Or is this too much to ask for?"
The challenge was unmistakable. Sirius's face closed and he sat up. "Do you want to fuck me?"
Here too. 'Fuck' is an impersonal expression. By using phrases such as 'have sex' or even 'make love' (which he so wouldn't), he would acknowledge emotional closeness. But you can 'fuck' strangers or even enemies without losing your face.
Severus' eyes narrowed. "We will see about that." And as Sirius did not abandon his hostile demeanour, he added. "Black. I know you have a low opinion of me. But has anything I've done to you on this bed so far indicated that I would take you by force?"
Of course he wouldn't. Because the author says so.
"All right", Sirius said cautiously after a long pause. He pulled off his shirt and looked at Severus as though challenging him to make a remark. Severus, however, remained silent. His expression did not flicker as he took in the awkward angles of Sirius's once chiselled, now emaciated torso. The collarbone appeared to have been badly broken once and never properly mended; it stuck out in an ugly angle. When Sirius bent forward to undo his shoelaces and pull off his trousers, every single vertebra jutted out visibly. Severus lifted his hand and reached out to touch Sirius's back. He stopped in mid-motion, thought better of it, and withdrew his hand just in time before Sirius turned around.
This is of course more intimate than the blow job was and they know it.
"Shall we take this off, then?" Sirius tugged at Severus's robe. Severus shrugged.
Sirius started to gradually peel Severus from the many layers of his garments. His hands moved more business than lover-like along the other man's body until Severus lay before him pale and naked, and not much to look at, really. Unlike Sirius, whom nature had designed to be a broad-chested, strongly built man, Severus was thin and narrow from the outset and, with his long limbs and almost hairless skin, looked rather like a lanky schoolboy than a grown up man. His very prominent erection was the most imposing thing about him, and Sirius leaned over it lapping off the leaking pre-come. Severus watched him, eyes murky with desire.
The obligatory they-are-not-pretty-under-those-robes part. I like a well-defined torso as much as the next girl, but fics featuring Athlete!Severus and StillASexGod!Sirius are rather off-putting.
"No, wait." A hand on his shoulder stopped Sirius. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "On your knees, remember?"
Sirius complied reluctantly and Severus crawled over to kneel beside him. He put his hand between Sirius's shoulder blades and gently pushed him down from his kneeling position until Sirius ended up on his hands and knees. Severus grunted irritably. "Does this beast have to share the bed with us? It's rather confined on here, don't you think?"
I haven't forgotten Buckbeak. He is still there, because it's, technically, his bed.
"Move over, Buckbeak", Sirius pushed against the Hippogriff's flank, and Buckbeak obediently shifted away.
"You know, Black, you're really good with animals", Severus said conversationally, while his hand stroked all the way down Sirius's spine in a comforting gesture. Then, without further ado, he thrust his tongue in the cleft of Sirius' arse. Sirius gasped in shock, but Severus had anticipated the violent jerk forward and had clutched the other's hips firmly. "Stay here", he murmured against the soft flesh, and the vibration sent a trail of shivers down Sirius's spine.
The reason why Severus is so generous is, he feels very much in control of the situation, and he loves it. He knows that Sirius felt very uncomfortable and that he was embarrassed about his inability of letting go and enjoying hot monkey sex, and this makes him feel stronger and more in charge. Perhaps even protective.
Soon, Sirius was spread out on his front, legs wide apart, and was humping the mattress in time with the thrusts of Severus's tongue. Through his delirious haze, he hardly noticed that Severus's stroking fingers had moved down from his back and over his arse, and only startled as one finger was probing his slickened entrance. His muscles tensed.
"You're not helping matters here, Black." Severus had in vain tried to insert his finger. The tight ring of muscles only let him in to the first digit, before he felt Sirius squirm away uncomfortably.
But still, Severus is only a man and making Sirius comfortable was supposed to serve his purposes.
"You do it better", Sirius said in an annoyed voice into the pillow.
He's annoyed with himself because he wants to be a good lay, basically.
"Very well", Severus sighed irritably. "But push this brute from the bed, he really puts me off."
Severus complies out of pride. He didn't really plan to let Sirius fuck him, but in this situation, getting fucked is a sign of self-confidence and control. While Sirius can't control his anxiety, Severus demonstrates that it's really not a big deal.
"Why, Snape, the slimy pickled things in your office are not much more pleasant to the eye."
It has been pointed out by some reviewers that Sirius has never been in Severus' office. But Remus might have been (I don't assume that Severus has always brought him the Wolfsbane), and he would have mentioned the disgusting things Severus keeps there.
"I'm not in the habit of indulging in such activities in my office. And they don't glare at me accusingly, either."
Because Severus doesn't shag students during office hours!
Severus positioned himself on the now Buckbeak-free bed with a pillow under his pelvis that made his arse jut out in the air. Sirius flattened his palm over Severus's neck, smoothing down his shoulders, along the spine, and stopped at the small of his back. If one did not have to look in his face, Severus was not quite as unattractive, really. He had rather fetching shoulder blades. Sirius sucked on the fingers of his free hand, wetting them profusely, and spread Severus open.
He was indeed relaxed. Sirius slid one finger inside, and the muscle readily gave way to the pressure. Inside, Severus was tight and hot, and... good. So good. Sirius groaned.
Sirius hasn't had sex for a long, long time...
Severus was groaning too, into the pillow. He lifted up from the bed and impaled himself on Sirius's finger more deeply. Sirius withdrew and Severus followed and, as Sirius thrust two fingers back in, he hit the gland that made Severus gasp loudly and grab a fistful of blanket. Sirius leaned forward.
"I've got to fuck you now", he panted.
"Ah. Yes."
"Tell me when it hurts."
Sirius sat back on his heels between the other man's open legs and coaxed Severus' pelvis higher. He spit in his hand and spread the moisture all around Severus' entrance. Slowly, he inched himself inside, until he was fully sheathed and gleaming with sweat from the effort of holding back. He leaned over and covered Severus' body with his own. "All right?" He whispered into the ear visible in the tangle of black hair.
Saliva as lubricant. It can be sufficient. Especially the super-special wizard variety... Considering that he knows what it'd cost him to be in that position, Sirius is very mindful of not hurting Severus.
Severus' arm reached around and his hand gripped Sirius's elbow. "Wait." He took a few steadying breaths. "All right."
The first thrust felt a bit awkward, like pulling off soaked dragon-hide gloves, but Sirius soon found a good angle and a nice, not-too fast rhythm. Severus' long fingers were clenching and unclenching and he was pushing back rhythmically. The long, pale back looked rather tempting, and Sirius leaned forward and curled around Severus.
I like the comparison with the soaked dragon-hide gloves. Sirius wants more than sex, he wants closeness.
"What're you doing", Severus' voice was muffled.
"You feel good", Sirius muttered hazily. He was rubbing his chest against the smooth skin. Somehow, his face had ended up burrowed in Severus' neck.
"Get off. Can't breathe."
Too much closeness and the loss of control due to Sirius' weight cause claustrophobia.
"For Merlin's sake, stop whining! Enjoy."
"Get. Off." Severus made an attempt to push Sirius off, the muscles in his thin arms flexing.
But luckily, they can fall back into the old bickering pattern.
"All right. You - on top." Sirius wrapped his arm around Severus' chest and flipped them both over so that he was lying underneath Severus. Severus gave a surprised gasp, but his body reacted automatically, and he slid down a bit to take the whole length of Sirius's cock up his arse.
A position which I can't remember having read elsewhere. (I hope it's clear: Sirius is lying on his back, Severus on his back on Sirius' chest.) I think it's very convenient, as it allows the bottom to be on top while at the same time permitting full body contact but no eye contact. Kissing is possible, but it requires some effort, and their relationship is not so far developed as to make them want to kiss.
A few thrusts later, they had established how to arrange their legs optimally, and whose hand was to fist Severus' cock. Sirius closed his eyes lazily feeling a mind-boggling orgasm building up. His arm had remained lying loosely across Severus' chest, but he was increasing the pressure gradually. Severus curled his fingers around Sirius's forearm and squeezed. "Hm? No?" Sirius whispered.
TEH Fluff
"Hmm... Yeah", Severus murmured, and the sound of this deep voice, dark with lust, and the fact that Severus' fingers had just entwined with his, pushed Sirius over the edge. He emptied himself in Severus' body in a huge, rushed gush, and the clenching muscle around his cock milked him from the very last drop. Severus gave a throaty 'Ooh', arched his back, and his semen spluttered all across his belly and chest, and also over their entangled arms.
They fell asleep almost immediately.
They have no desire for post-coital talk, after all. Quite the contrary.
"Snape."
"Hm."
"Get off. You're heavier than you think."
"Can't. We're stuck."
"Get off!"
Severus turned his head and his mouth brushed against Sirius's jaw. "Your Hippogriff is looking at me again."
I don't know whether Severus really dislikes Buckbeak, but it's a good enough pretext to introduce a new subject and ignore the position they're in.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake", Sirius gasped exasperated. "Shut up!" A slight incline of his head brought his lips flush against Severus' and he pushed his tongue inside the slick heat before the other had time to react. Severus did not pull back. He leaned in, his shoulder blades shifting smoothly over Sirius's sweaty chest, and slid his tongue over Sirius lips and into his mouth. A deep moan escaped both men simultaneously.
I wouldn't let them get away without a kiss, now, would I?
Minutes later, Severus broke the kiss, breathless. Fathomless eyes locked with Sirius's gaze. "I still don't like you, Black."
Redundant information. But Severus doesn't want Sirius to think that this has changed anything. (Even though it has and they will be live together happily forever and ever!!!11)
"Ditto. Can't stand you." Sirius yawned.
"And I hate this Hippogriff!" Snape cast a nasty glance at Buckbeak, who was ferreting on the floor for dead rats.
"I think the feeling's mutual." Sirius propped himself up on one elbow and was watching Snape Summoning his dishevelled garments from bed and floor. Snape had already cast a cleaning charm on himself, and his body showed no traces of sweat and spunk.
"Well", Snape said, standing in the centre of the room, his robes and sneer back in place.
"Well."
"I'll see you next week, then."
"I suppose."
Snape nodded curtly. "Goodbye, Black."
"See you."
The door swung shut, and Sirius fell back on the pillow. He stretched languidly, yawned widely, and decided he was too tired to gather his clothes. He was just about to change into the familiar, comfortable form of Padfoot, when his gaze fell on his own hand resting on the pillow beside his head. The hand that minutes ago had wanked off Severus Snape as though his life depended on it. Sirius flexed his fingers, turned his hand palm-downwards, and lifted it to his nose to sniff on it. Oh, but that was good.
Five minutes later, Sirius Black was standing, fully clothed and human-shaped, in his own room. Padfoot was the escape of the last resort, after all, and could wait until there was no hope left.
I am hopeless with endings, too. I like them happy, but not too happy, and this is a good compromise. So what happens next? As I said at some point, I am mainly interested in first-time stories and leave the dealing with the ramifications of grudge fucks to others. Had I continued with this fic, however, they would ignore each other pointedly for a few days, glare at each other at Order meetings, have a heated encounter in the Blacks' kitchen, have hot monkey sex in Sirius' room, be found out by Remus who would raise an eyebrow and say nothing (this was the reason why Remus suggested he would talk to Snape instead of Sirius regarding Harry's Occlumency lessons; he knew how a 'talk' between Sirius and Severus would end), have some more sex and more heated rows, cease talking (and fucking) because of their argument about Harry, and then Sirius would fall through the veil and Severus would mourn his loss. And bring him back because as a former Death Eater he knows how.
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Date: 2004-06-21 04:14 pm (UTC)I always use names and personal pronouns when I refer to the characters...
Thank God for that! Few things annoy me more and smack more of an inexperienced, ham-fisted writer than this studied avoidance of names.
My all-time favourite in that department is of course the blonde, when referring to Draco! *shudder*
I´ve always felt that having Buckbeak in the final sex scene was a stroke of genius.
Your Hippogriff is looking at me again. must be one of the funniest lines in fic ever! :-)
The fact that their fingers entwining at a critical moment sends Sirius over the edge goes to show beautifully that closeness, as you said before, is what he is really after and what gets him off.
But Teh Fluff for me is the moment when they fall asleep together immediately afterwards. True, sleeping is easier than talking, but it also signifies absolute trust for me. It´s a sign that deep down they are completely at ease with each other. And what could be fluffier? :-)
What I´ve always loved about this fic is how sensual your Snape and Black are, how intensely sexual and responsive. So much so, that their encounters are less and less about fighting for dominance and more about sex and lust than they would care to admit themselves, I suppose.
True, due to circumstances they fumble around for a while, but that doesn´t mean that they are not a success together in bed. Don´t you just love it when that happens to sworn enemies? *g*
And Sirius sniffing his hand and relishing the lingering scent of his lover is the sexiest thing ever!
Thanks again and good night!