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Sirius owed his life to Severus Snape.
It was so embarrassing.
A part of him wished he’d died instead.
It was after the war, and things were okay.
Sometimes they were even good.
Harry lived with Sirius now, and wasn’t that just a dream come true?
Sirius loved having his godson around.
He loved having company. Especially in Grimmauld Place.
Harry was the bright spot in his dark world.
And things were getting better … Slowly.
The Wizengamot had finally declared Sirius innocent.
The wizarding world now knew Sirius had not betrayed his friends.
Yeah, things were getting better!!
Except … Well. Except for a lot of things.
Sirius was still lonely.
His life still didn’t have purpose.
He was still not getting laid.
And—for some bloody reason—Severus Snape kept coming around his house.
It was MADNESS!!
Sirius hated him. Even after Snape had saved him from the Veil. Even after Snape had saved virtually all of magical Britain.
Snape was a hero.
And, truth be told, Sirius loathed him for it.
Sirius did his best to hide his loathing. For Harry.
For some damn reason, Harry liked Snape now. He sought out his company. And his gaze got a bit sweet when he looked at him—
No, I shan’t think of that!! Sirius thought, and he shut down his mind.
Literally.
His thoughts utterly went blank.
Then he transformed into Padfoot. To fill the void.
Yes, yes, things were always better when he was Padfoot.
Nothing could hurt him when he was the dog.
Not Snape.
Not his purposeless existence.
Nothing.
*
It was a late Saturday morning, and Sirius was in heaven. He was lounging about the parlour with Harry, drinking tea, munching on biscuits, and they were reviewing catalogues of magical mechanisms.
Motorbike parts.
Yes, they were in a cocoon of fantasy, coming up with all the different ways they could improve and update Sirius’ motorbike.
The poor thing had seen some things, and it needed an overhaul. Desperately.
“Look here, Sirius!” Harry exclaimed in excitement. “This bit would give it turbo speed!”
“Let’s see,” he said, and yanked the catalogue closer. He read the description thoroughly. “I dunno if the old engine could handle such a thing …”
“Then we’ll just replace the engine!!”
Sirius laughed. “That will take tons of work, Harry. And time.”
Harry beamed at him. “Yeah, but we’ve got the time!! And I’m not afraid of a bit of work. You know I’m not. And you know I’m not going anywhere!”
Something so warm burst inside Sirius. It made him feel all gooey on the inside.
It made him feel hopeful.
Yes, because Harry wasn’t going anywhere, and he would never leave Sirius—
There was a knock on the front door.
It startled them both.
“Who could it be?” Sirius said with a frown.
The Protection Charms were still up on the house, so very few people could actually see it—
Harry popped up immediately. He suddenly carded his fingers through his hair. “I’ll get it!” he said, and hurried from the parlour.
Sirius glowered at his retreating back.
James had used to fiddle with his hair just like that before he’d see Lily … And it had been so bloody annoying.
From the foyer came the sound of a gasp, then an exchange of quiet, shy words.
Sirius’ glower intensified.
He knew who it was.
A few moments later, Harry returned with Snape in tow.
“Sirius, look who it is,” Harry said shyly.
Snape met Sirius’ glower with a smirk. “Hello, Black.”
“Hello, Sniv—Snape.”
Snape’s gaze flashed, and Harry frowned deeply.
There was an awkward pause.
“I’ll make more tea!!” Harry exclaimed, and grabbed the teapot. He hurried off to the kitchen, leaving the two older men to glare at each other.
Well, Sirius was glaring. Snape was smirking.
“What are you doing here?” Sirius spat.
“I’m here to see Potter.”
“WHY?!”
Snape gave a lazy shrug. “The boy has taken a liking to me. What can I say?”
“No, he hasn’t!!” Sirius sputtered. “He hates you.”
“Not anymore. He’s experiencing a bit of hero worship, truth be told. I accomplished a great many things during the war and he appreciates that. I doubt you could understand, unfortunately. Since you did not accomplish such things. I dare say you were even a hero …”
Sirius grabbed his wand and made to jump to his feet, but then Harry returned with the tea.
“Please don’t have a row,” Harry said, setting down the fresh pot and a cup for Snape.
Nodding, Snape poured himself a serving, then sat down at the table. Right next to Harry.
Sirius frowned deeply as he drank his tea. Very deeply.
There was something strange going on between Snape and Harry. Something very strange, indeed.
They were sitting rather close to one another. And they both were a bit flushed in the face.
And as Snape sipped from his teacup, his gaze cut to the side to sneak a glance or two of Harry.
It made Harry squirm.
Sirius didn’t understand what he was seeing. Not at all.
“Did you receive my letter?” Snape asked quietly.
Harry squirmed some more. “Yes, I did. But I didn’t know what to make of it. The invitation came as quite a shock.”
“What invitation?” Sirius said suspiciously.
Snape’s gaze went cold. “None of your business.”
Sighing, Harry said, “Severus invited me to the Opera.”
Sirius spat out his tea. All over the catalogues.
Harry had just called Snape, Severus. And—
“When did you bloody start liking the stupid Opera?!”
Harry flushed all over. “Since—since right now!! I’ve never been to something like that!!”
“It shall bore you to tears!”
“Yeah, maybe, but I still want to experience it!”
“But WHY?!” Sirius cried.
“Because Severus asked me!”
Sirius froze in his chair. He expected Snape to begin gloating, but the man remained reserved. He was sneaking more glances at the boy. His ugly eyes were very opaque as he did it.
Harry breathed deeply, all worked up. “Please don’t be cross with me, please.”
“Why should I be cross with you?! I DON’T CARE!!”
Snape snorted quietly into his tea.
Harry shot Snape a wounded, frustrated look.
Remarkably, Snape straightened in his chair and said, “I invited Harry to the show because I’d like to introduce the boy to a bit of culture, that is all.”
(Harry?! HARRY?!)
Sirius didn’t relax. “Are you saying he doesn’t get culture with me?!”
“I’m not saying that.”
Harry sighed and motioned to all the catalogues to change the subject. “We’re researching how to fix up Sirius’ motorbike.”
Snape lifted his lip. “A valiant effort … definitely worthy of your time …”
“Don’t be rude,” Harry snapped.
Instead of getting angry, Snape’s gaze went to Harry’s face. He gave the boy a thorough, searching look; then he smiled intimately and murmured, “Oh, never, never.”
Harry squirmed some more in his chair, his colour deepening almost alarmingly.
And Sirius felt a slice of cold, cold dread shoot through him.
What the hell was going on between these two??
*
Sirius tried to get on with his perusal of the catalogues, but Snape’s presence was utterly ruining it.
“I shall go to the shed!” he announced, getting up. He hoped Harry would join him, but Harry remained in his seat.
“Okay! Sounds good! Severus and I will remain here,” the boy said. “We have a few things to discuss, don’t we?”
“Yes,” Snape said with an intimate smirk.
Swallowing back a scream, Sirius marched from the house. He spent a long, long time in the shed, inspecting the old motorbike, muttering under his breath.
When he finally returned to the house, he was rather confident that Snape had already left—but he was wrong.
No, he found the two of them in the foyer, standing very close, obviously in the middle of a long goodbye.
Snape had Harry virtually pressed up against the door and he was murmuring softly in his ear.
Harry was flushed all over and biting his lip. His eyes were glazed.
Snape was making the boy sweat.
He was terrorising him!!
Sirius could hear his caustic, rude words in his head: What are you doing wasting your life here, boy? All you do is sit about, fiddling with that stupid motorbike, pretending Black can help you improve your future. Why aren’t you already employed by the Ministry? Why are you so stupid, so lazy? Huh? What in the world would your mother think??
“Snape,” Sirius snarled from the doorway.
His voice startled Harry and Snape, and Snape stumbled back.
“Um, um, I’ll see you tomorrow night!” Harry gasped, and took off for the stairs, virtually sprinting.
His heavy footsteps disturbed all the portraits on the stairwell, and they yelled indignately at him.
Snape was doing his own bit of running away as he threw open the door.
“Wait a tick,” Sirius growled, and closed the space between them.
Snape sneered deeply—or made the attempt. It appeared his heart wasn’t in it.
No, Snape was too busy being flushed. And more than a bit breathless.
“Leave. Him. Alone.”
Laughing, still breathless, Snape said, “No.”
Sirius pulled out his wand and dug it into the man’s throat. “I’m warning you, Snivellus.”
Snape only laughed again. “You have no idea what’s going on. Not a bleeding clue. And I will tell you right now: You will not stand between me and the boy.”
“WON’T I?!” Sirius yelled. “He’s my godson!!”
This made Snape bare his teeth at him. “Yes, and I nearly died for him, Black. He’s mine. And there isn’t a damned thing you can do about it.”
Sirius sputtered in confusion. “He’s yours?! What the fuck does that mean!! Are you—are you recruiting him or something? Is there another dark wizard I don’t know about?!”
Snape threw his head back and laughed. So loudly. And, for some reason, joyfully. “My God, man. You are an idiot.”
Then Snape walked out, leaving Sirius to sputter angrily.
He really didn’t know what the hell was going on!!
What in the world did Snape want with Harry??
*
The next evening, Harry came down from his bedroom in fancy dress robes, vibrating with excitement.
Sirius had already begun drinking. “Is that a cape?”
“Yeah …” Harry said, inspecting himself in the gilded antique mirror. “Does it look stupid?”
“You look like a vampire.”
Sighing, Harry asked the mirror, “What do you think? Is the cape too much?”
“Comb your ridiculous hair!!" yelled the mirror.
Sighing some more, Harry carded his fingers through his hair. “No matter what I do, I can never get it to stay straight.”
“You look fine,” Sirius said, and gulped messily from his tumbler of whisky.
“Yeah, thanks,” Harry said, and began pacing in front of the fire.
“You’re rather worked up,” Sirius growled.
Harry nodded and bit his lip. He didn’t stop pacing.
Frowning, Sirius said, “Why are you so nervous about spending your evening with Snape? He’s seen you in all your varied states throughout the years.”
Harry shook his head vaguely, distracted. “I can’t explain it right now.”
Sirius grunted in annoyance and gulped back more liquor.
A knock landed on the front door, which made Harry literally jump in the air.
“I’ll get it!!” Harry said breathlessly, and rushed out of the parlour.
Sirius glowered as he listened to the exchange in the foyer. Harry gasped in delight about something.
Then Harry re-appeared, holding a bouquet of red roses.
“Severus got me roses!” he said, still so delighted. “Can I use this vase right here for them?”
Sirius was now frowning very deeply. “Why in the world would he get you flowers? You’re not a girl.”
This made Harry flush but not in a happy way. No, the boy looked very embarrassed now. He avoided Sirius’ gaze as he cleaned the vase and filled it with water with his wand.
“Don’t be so narrowminded, Black,” Snape said from the doorway.
Sirius eyed him darkly. Snape was wearing a cape as well. And the man had cleaned up just like Harry had.
Sirius forced a smile to his lips. “Hey, look at that. You do know what shampoo is!!”
This made Snape shove his hand into his robes, most likely going for his wand; but Harry exclaimed, “Don’t ruin our evening! Please!”
Snape sucked in an angry breath and forced himself to relax. “Okay, Harry.”
“That was rather rude of you, Sirius,” Harry said, putting the roses on the chimneypiece to display. “I’d appreciate it if we all could talk to one another like the adults we are.”
Flinching, Sirius dragged his gaze down. He suddenly felt like a kicked dog.
Stupidly, he almost teared up.
Harry was rejecting him.
He was abandoning him. His own godfather! For a mean, greasy dungeon bat!!
Sirius kept his head down, utterly miserable. Then Harry’s polished shoes entered his view.
“I’m leaving now. Won’t be home until very late. Can I get a hug goodbye?”
Grumbling, Sirius set aside his whisky and stood. Still not looking up, he gathered the boy in his arms, squeezing tightly.
Harry was shorter than him. Most people were.
“Take care of yourself,” he said gruffly, and pressed a fatherly kiss to Harry’s temple.
“I will. I promise.” Harry didn’t let him go, squeezing him back.
Finally, Sirius had the courage to look up, past the boy’s shoulder. His gaze snagged on Snape, who was watching them with a dark expression of raw jealousy.
Their gazes met then, murky grey to fathomless black, and the two men stared at each other.
You can’t take him from me, Sirius seemed to say.
Snape smirked. I already have.
Harry released him and stepped back. He squinted at Sirius and wagged his finger. “Don’t drink too much, all right?”
Sirius gave him a sad smile and shrugged.
A few moments later, Harry and Snape were gone, and Sirius was all alone in the house.
It was just him and the portraits.
And his memories.
Sirius left the parlour in search of more booze.
*
It was hours later, and Sirius was very drunk. His gaze kept snagging on the roses. They glinted prettily in the firelight.
Sirius wished to destroy them.
He did, he did …
Instead, he grabbed his half-empty bottle of whisky and wandered up, up to the attic.
He always paid his mum a visit when he was alone and pissed out of his mind.
The attic was cold and dusty, and the blackness pressed in on him from all sides.
Sirius threw off the shroud covering his mum’s portrait.
For once, she didn’t start screaming.
“Oh, look who it is,” she growled.
Sirius slumped down the wall opposite. He drank from the bottle and just stared at her.
He looked a lot like her. Always had. It was what had made him so pretty in his youth.
“Why didn’t you want me?” he whispered to her.
The portrait blinked. “What do you mean? I’m your mother.”
“You disowned me!! Abandoned me!!”
“You did that.”
“No, you kicked me out. You and Father. Disowned me.”
She huffed. “You turned your back on us first. Rejected us first. Ever since you were a little boy, you hated me.”
“I hated your beliefs. Your stupid fears. Your narrowmindedness.”
His use of that word made him pause. It made him think of what Snape had said.
Growling, he chugged back more whisky.
The portrait was quiet for a long moment, then said, “I always loved you, Sirius. But you didn’t love me. You didn’t love any of us.”
“I might be broken.”
His mum rolled her eyes. “You’ve always loved to pity yourself. It’s your worst quality.”
“Of course I’m pitying myself!! Look at what my life has become!! I’m nothing.”
“Who’s fault is that?! You were given everything in this world! Absolutely everything!!”
“No, I wasn’t,” snarled Sirius.
His mum sighed loudly. “So, what are you going to do about this current bout of melancholy? Wallow in it until you die?”
“Yeah.”
She shook her head. “What’s standing in the way of your happiness?”
“Myself.”
“Then stop it!!”
Shaking his head, he chugged more whisky. The world spun precariously. “I just want to stay here for the rest of my life. With Harry. Just me and him. We don’t need anyone else.”
“That’s not realistic, son. The boy has his entire life ahead of him. He will want to find a girl to marry. To settle down with. He will want to build a life separate from you.”
“Maybe, maybe not. He doesn’t seem very interested in girls. Not right now. He’s just obsessed with stupid Snivellus. But that can’t be sustainable, can it?”
His mum sniffed. “That man is deplorable. The worst kind of Mudbloods. Poor and ugly.”
Sirius laughed. “He’s not a Mudblood, Mother.”
“That’s your opinion.” Then: “Perhaps this deplorable man has Harry under an Enchantment? Feeding him a potion? To befuddle his mind.”
“Merlin, I wish it was that simple! Because I don’t think he is. Harry’s just that nice. That lovely. He hero-worships the dungeon bat. But, for the life of me, I can’t figure out what he’s getting out of the relationship! Why would anyone subject themselves to Snivellus’ greasy company?!”
His mum was frowning at him. “That man is obviously a leech. And he probably has terrible intentions when it comes to the boy. You need to protect him, Sirius. It is your job as his godfather.”
“Yeah, but how?!” Sirius cried. “I can’t keep them apart!! And Harry might—he might—”
He couldn’t say the words out loud.
Harry might leave me.
Harry might choose him over me.
“Don’t be a coward, Sirius,” said his mum. “Be the man of this house and put your foot down. It is the only way.”
Groaning miserably, Sirius curled up to cry. He transformed into Padfoot then, the sorrow too much.
His mum hissed in great displeasure. “Mutt,” she snarled.
Ignoring her, feeling a lot better, Sirius padded from the attic. He nearly broke a paw getting down the attic stairs.
*
Later, later, Sirius woke up … somewhere. He smelled oats and spices. Something mouldy, too.
Ah, I’m in the kitchen cupboard, he thought dully.
Padfoot had come in here to sniff around for food. The cupboard had felt like a nice warm den, so the dog had decided to curl up and go to sleep in here.
But Sirius was back to being human and his old back was lying on a very hard floor.
Fuck me, he groaned internally, not looking forward to getting up.
Then he heard voices.
They were hot and murmured. Very close.
“We must be careful,” said Harry. “We mustn’t wake Sirius.”
“He can’t hear us all the way down here. And did you see all the empty liquor bottles? That man’s probably passed out from drink.”
Harry sighed. “I don’t like that he drinks so much when he’s alone. It makes me worry about him.”
“Don’t concern yourself with his actions,” Snape said.
“Yeah, yeah, but I still worry.”
Harry and Snape fell silent for a weirdly long time. Sirius thought perhaps they had left but he didn’t hear their retreating footsteps.
Then he heard a quiet whimpering noise. And a sigh.
“Oh, Severus,” Harry murmured.
“Hush, hush,” came the man’s dark voice.
“I came down here to make us some food. Aren’t you hungry?”
“Yes—for you.”
Sirius frowned up into the darkness of the cupboard.
What the fuck did that mean?
His gaze went wide. Was Snape some sort of vampire?!
Was going to the Opera some euphemism for creatures of the night?!
(In that moment, Sirius completely forgot that he’d seen the man in broad daylight rather recently.)
Harry laughed lowly and murmured something too quiet for Sirius to hear.
Then more of that weird silence followed.
Then: “Oh, sir.”
Snape began panting. Panting.
Sirius heard it clearly.
“Fuck me, Harry. How I love it when you call me that. Fuck, fuck.”
“Oh, sir, sir, sir,” Harry cooed back.
This made Snape snarl and groan a quiet order to Harry.
Sirius imagined him ordering Harry to, Give me that neck of yours. Now.
There was the sound of rustling clothes, then Snape made the weirdest noise. It was a snarling, whimpered thing.
“Yes, yes, Harry, fuck,” slurred Snape.
The slur sounded like a slurp to Sirius.
HE’S FEEDING ON MY GODSON RIGHT NOW!!
Being very quiet, Sirius got to his feet. He realised he was still drunk. The darkness of the cupboard swam before his eyes.
I can’t take on a damn vampire in this state! What the fuck am I going to do?!
Then Sirius heard Harry choking. Gagging. Whimpering.
As if pain.
As if he couldn’t breathe.
His godson was dying!!
Snape was killing him!!
Utterly panicked, Sirius burst from the cupboard, wand raised, and—
What the fuck am I seeing??
Harry was on his knees before Snape. As if worshipping him.
And Snape had one hand buried in his wild hair, the other hand wrapped around his throat.
Harry’s eyes were twisted closed, his expression one of pain.
For a split second, Harry and Snape didn’t react to Sirius’ sudden appearance, and in that time, Sirius witnessed Snape grind into Harry’s face—into his mouth.
Because—because—
Snape’s cock was down Harry’s throat.
It was choking him.
Then Snape looked in his direction and yelled, utterly startled.
Snape pulled out.
From his godson’s throat.
Sirius gagged loudly.
Snape’s cock was suddenly right there. As hard as could be. It throbbed visibly. And it was dripping with Harry’s saliva.
To make matters worse, it was a bloody monster.
Probably the biggest cock Sirius had ever seen.
And it had just been down his godson’s throat.
Rage overwhelmed Sirius.
It was hot and sudden.
Mindless.
Yelling, Sirius lunged for Harry, yanking him to his feet.
“Wait—!” Harry cried, but Sirius ignored this as he hauled Harry over his shoulder.
Then Sirius made a run for it, sprinting toward the stairs. He was drunk, unsteady, and nearly missed a step.
Snape lunged halfway up the stairs and grabbed his ankle. “STOP!”
Utterly consumed by wild panic, Sirius howled and kicked Snape in the face as hard as he could.
Snape did his own bit of howling, but he didn’t let go of Sirius’ ankle, no, no; and Sirius continued to kick at him, more afraid of the monster dick he could still see than anything else.
“Sirius, damn you, let me go!” Harry cried.
“No, no!” he cried, finally escaping Snape’s clutches, and then he was racing up the stairs again, Harry still over his shoulder.
Sirius only made it halfway through the parlour before Snape got him with a Hooking Spell.
Yelping, Sirius went crashing to the floor, and Harry soared out of his grasp.
“Let me go, let me go!!” Sirius cried, trying to kick off the spell around his ankles.
Snape went to Harry, kneeling at his side. Thankfully his monstrous cock was finally out of sight.
“Are you all right?” he growled to Harry.
“Yeah, just mortified.”
Snape cupped Harry’s cheek and kissed him desperately.
And—Sirius vomited all over himself.
*
The aftermath of what Sirius had witnessed lingered and lingered.
He and Harry didn’t speak about it.
After being released from Snape’s spell, cleaned up by Harry’s spell, Sirius had dashed to his bedroom and remained there. Hiding. For several days.
He hadn’t a clue what to say to his godson.
It had never occurred to him that Harry could be romantically involved with Snape.
Even after seeing it with his own damn eyes, it was still difficult to wrap his head around.
Severus Snape had sex with men?!
His own godson had sex with men?!
WHAT IN THE WORLD !!
Sirius didn’t know many gay people. Obviously.
He hadn’t grown up around it.
Nobody had been gay back in school.
(Except for bloody Snape—somehow?!)
Being a homosexual just wasn’t on Sirius’ radar. Had never been on his radar!
And now—and now—
His godson must’ve been very confused !!
Is this what two decades of war did to a boy ?!
Is this what being the Chosen One did to him ?!
Scrambled his brains ??
Made him think he liked cock ?!
And not just any cock—the cock of a greasy dungeon bat !!
Sirius tried really, really, really hard not to remember what Snape’s dick had looked like.
Literally, it made him gag just to see it in his mind’s eye.
IT WAS DISGUSTING!!
AND HIS OWN GODSON HAD HAD IT DOWN HIS THROAT!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!
Yeah, Sirius was not ready to have a mature conversation about this.
He might never be ready.
*
After a few days, Sirius began hiding out in the shed, still avoiding everyone. Part of him hoped that Harry would just walk in and start helping him work on the bike, no conversation necessary.
Really, they didn’t need to discuss what had happened …
But Sirius’ first visitor turned out to be Snape.
At the sound of the shed door opening, Sirius looked up eagerly—but his expression fell when he saw who it was.
For a moment, neither man moved or spoke.
Then Snape ventured inside the shed, shutting the door. Sirius went for his wand.
“You need to speak to Harry.”
“Shut up!!”
Snape grabbed a stool—Harry’s seat—and straddled it. He wasn’t wearing robes that day, just in trousers and a comfortable shirt. And now that Sirius knew to look for it—yep, there was a good size bulge between his twiggy legs.
The bastard.
Snape just watched him for a moment, then said, “The boy thinks you’re disowning him for being gay.”
“I WOULD NEVER!!” Sirius gasped.
“Then stop acting like a loon and speak to him.”
Sirius shook his head, feeling stubborn, feeling moody. “I want you to stay away from him.”
Snape laughed mockingly. “I will never do that.”
“He’s too young for you!”
“He doesn’t think so. That’s all that matters.”
“You’re corrupting the boy!!”
Snape smirked. “Oh, yes. Most definitely.”
“What would his mum think, Snape?!”
This made the man glare daggers at him; then Snape relaxed, sighing.
“I think she’d approve. Harry loves me.”
Growling, Sirius whipped around to hide his face. He didn’t want Snape to see his sorrow—his fear.
Because he was about to lose his godson to this man, oh, yes, he was …
So frustrated with himself, Sirius felt tears sting his eyes.
They didn’t speak for a long moment.
“He loves you, too,” Snape said quietly.
Sirius rubbed at his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
“He does. And he doesn’t want to lose you. And, ultimately, I want him to be happy. So … that’s why I’m here to call a truce."
“What?” Sirius snapped, turning back around.
Snape removed a package from his pocket and enlarged it. Then he unwrapped its paper. “For the motorbike,” he said, setting down the part on the table.
Sirius inched closer to inspect it. “This is for turbo speed, right?”
“Exactly.”
Sirius frowned. “It won’t take, you know. The engine can’t handle it.”
“Yes, I’m aware. Harry explained the problem, so I looked into it.” He retrieved some parchment and handed it to Sirius. “I’ve drawn up plans to improve the engine. It will require an entirely different framework of spells.”
“Huh,” Sirius said, not knowing how to feel. He looked over the parchment, reading all of Snape’s spidery script. “This is … rather inventive. I’m keen to see if it actually works.”
Snape grinned toothily at him. “Oh, it will.”
Sirius stared at him. Snape had never grinned at him like that.
Now looking uncomfortable, Snape quickly dropped the smile and cleared his throat.
“Is this a sufficient attempt on my part?” Snape said. “Will you stop hiding from Harry and finally speak to the boy?”
Sirius blinked and said the first thing that popped into his head. He virtually blurted it, unable to stop himself. “I don’t want to lose Harry.”
Sirius expected to be ridiculed, but Snape’s expression softened.
“You won’t,” Snape said quietly. “The boy’s mad about you.”
Flushing deeply, Sirius sputtered, “You mean in a familial way—!”
Snape gave him a very dark grin. “Of course, Black. You would’ve already been eliminated if I thought Harry had any romantic feelings for you.”
Sirius stared at him in alarm, and Snape’s grin only deepened. It turned toothy again.
*
Later that day, Sirius wandered down to the kitchen to scrounge up some dinner, and he encountered Harry already at the cooker.
Sirius went up to the boy and embraced him. “I’m sorry I’ve been such an idiot.”
Harry laughed, still holding a dripping ladle. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Severus and me. We shouldn’t have—um—messed about in the kitchen.”
“I didn’t know to give you space. Now I do know.” Sirius finally released his godson and stepped back. “Can we please never speak of such things again?”
Harry nodded slowly. “Yes, but … I want to spend time with Severus in this house. As a couple. Nothing explicit, of course. Just lounging about together. Cuddling, perhaps. Is that okay?”
Sirius gulped back his discomfort. “This is your home, too. You may do whatever makes you happy.”
“Thank you, Sirius!! Really!!”
Now feeling all gooey on the inside again, Sirius smiled tenderly and patted Harry’s cheek. “Such a good lad.”
Harry beamed brightly for his godfather.
*
After that, things were all right. For the most part.
Severus began coming around virtually everyday, and he and Harry did lounge about the parlour, cuddling.
They looked very much in love, and Sirius did his best not to be alarmed. Or disgusted. Not because they were two blokes showing affection, no. It was just difficult for Sirius to see his Harry being affectionate with the greasy, snivelling man Sirius had spent two decades despising.
What about your mate, Ron?! He’s a better choice for you, no?! Sirius wished to ask Harry, but he never did.
He expected the question might make the boy gag.
For whatever reason, his Harry liked older men who were very, very ugly. Like … ridiculously ugly. Yellow, crooked teeth. A nose the size of Scafell Pike. Hair so greasy—Well. Snape’s hair was no longer greasy. It did seem the man had finally discovered the positives of shampoo.
Sigh.
Sirius would learn to get over his disappointment. His discomfort.
He wasn’t the one shagging the dungeon bat—THANK GOD!!!
Sirius and Harry still devoted a lot of their free time to fixing up the motorbike, and sometimes, Snape joined them in the shed, wearing stupid goggles and taking the process entirely too seriously.
When Snape barked about needing a clean work environment, Sirius almost socked him in the mouth.
Slowly, Sirius got used to Snape’s presence.
And, after a few months, the two men even began talking to each other. Like normal people.
Sirius discovered Snape liked doing things for others. He brought Sirius elixirs and helped him fix things around the house. He—of course—helped with the motorbike.
Then, one evening, Snape revealed something truly astonishing.
Snape and Harry were cuddling on the settee. Harry was wrapped up in a blanket, dozing with his head against Snape’s shoulder.
Sirius watched this and tried not to feel jealous. When was he going to have someone to cuddle up with?
Snape set down his book and said, “Rosmerta asked about you.”
Blinking, Sirius said, “Madam Rosmerta? The one with the perfect tits?”
Snape gave him a very bland look. “Yes, her. She seemed rather interested in what you were doing with yourself. I told her you were single, of course.”
Sirius flushed unhappily. “Oh, bugger.”
“She wants to have a drink with you. Asked me to ask you. That sort of thing.”
Now Sirius flushed for a different reason. “Wow. Don’t you remember what she looked like when we were lads?!”
Snape sniffed. “She wasn’t my type, but she still is a beautiful woman. Anyone can see that.”
“Yeah,” Sirius said dreamily. He sat back in his chair and thought about her.
Snape watched him a little, smirking. “Harry and I plan to have a drink at the Three Broomsticks on Saturday. You should join us. We’re stopping in at Hogwarts to say hello to Hagrid and Minerva. You could come along for that too if you’d like.”
Sirius blinked at him, still feeling dreamy. “Thank you … Severus.”
Snape fought back a grimace. “It’s my pleasure … Sirius.”