Chapter Text
The gloomy fog hung over Hogwarts, the grey sky oppressing every soul around. Dementors circled in a slow pace, floating around the once beautiful castle in a macabre dance. On one of the dark arches of the Astronomy tower loomed a grim figure, observing everything underneath.
Snape leaned against the cold stone, his face undaunted as he observed the students walking through the courtyard, marching like an army into the building.
On the spiral staircase, the dog rushed up, barely concealing the sound of its paws. When it reached the upper floor, it stood there, looking at the figure with his angry feral eyes. It bared its fangs, a deep growling scaping its throat, its body prepared to attack.
Snape turned slowly, his eyes on the creature. A resigned sigh went through his lips, but his hand did not reach for his wand.
“Are you the grim? Are you finally coming for me?” he spoke slowly.
The dog barked threateningly and for a moment it looked like it would throw itself at Snape’s throat. Still growling, he transformed. Where the dog stood a moment before, a tall man appeared. Long black hair, broad shoulders and piercing grey eyes. Sirius lifted his wand, fury painting his features.
Snape retreated slowly, his back touching the stone of the window. His eyes, dark and wide with surprise, looked again and again at the person standing in front of him. He trembled, grabbing the balustrade until his knuckles turned white. The figure in front of him was an apparition, it could not be otherwise.
“You…” he started.
Sirius interrupted with a cruel chuckle.
“Surprised to see me?” he pointed his wand more firmly, his eyes welling with anger and hurt.
“You can’t be…,” Snape stuttered. “I thought you were…”
“Dead? Sorry to disappoint you. But don’t worry, you won’t be seeing me soon enough when I kill you, you miserable snake, you…”
Snape’s voice came out as a tired whisper.
“Sirius…” he started, but then clenched his jaw and pressed his lips together.
“Don’t. I know what you did. I know what this was all along. You always had one master, and I was too blind to see it, Snivellus.”
The old name scaped his lips before he even thought of it, the murderous anger filling every ounce of Sirius’ body.
“Please…” Snape whispered, taking a couple of steps towards the other man, his expression pained.
“STAY BACK!” Sirius screeched, menacing sparks coming out of the tip of the wand. “You disgust me… you… how dare you… how can you even live with yourself? He trusted you and you murdered him!” he shouted, his voice quivering with rage.
“I…” Snape kept moving towards him, the tip of his wand dangerously close to his neck “Sirius, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t you dare call me that! I understand now well enough. How could you…?” Sirius’ voice broke and his gaze grew misty. “He trusted you… I trusted you and you… you…”
Snape left out a whimper and closed his eyes, incapable to hold Sirius’s stare. “It had to happen,” he rasped, agony tainting his voice.
“What? Us losing the war? Fucking fantastically done, Snape. We will surely now all die without Dumbledore, and all thanks to you. I am pretty sure Voldemort will make you his number one whore for this. If you are not already.” Sirius sneered.
Snape was taken aback by the poison that coated Sirius words. He winced at the insult but didn't respond. He knew there was nothing he could say to make Sirius understand.
His legs gave up, and he fell on his knees on the hard stone floor, his gaze lost for a moment.
“Then… if you must… please. I will happily go…” he muttered. Sirius was not able to see his face, as it was covered by two curtains of black hair. “If it is by your hand.” Snape raised his face to look at Sirius, and a tear slit down his ashen cheek.
“Any last words?” Sirius sobbed, feeling how his throat constricted and his hand trembled in his grasp of the wand.
“Thank you for loving me,” Snape wept.
A blinding green light flashed, followed by an anguished scream. The Astronomy tower fell silent afterwards.