Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock…

The clock on the mantle was ticking and tocking rather loudly, thought Severus. He was lying about three feet in front of the fireplace reading a book lazily.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Severus was tapping on the edge of his book as he read. Sirius watched him with consternation. For two days Severus had been much quieter than normal. Sirius wasn’t sure why, but he had also felt odd.

Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish.

Teddy looked at Severus as he turned several pages of his book, one right after the other. He, too, knew that something was wrong with him. For two days his little brother had been nearly mute. But, then again, so had Sirius who was normally loud and rowdy all the time.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thum. Thump. Thump.

Alby and Jamie watched as their brother left his book on the floor and walked out of the room. Severus never left his books lying around on the floor, but maybe he was coming back.

Thirty minutes later, Severus was sleeping.

But not peacefully.

No, not peacefully at all.

~*~*~*~sdrawkcab~*~*~*~

“The land of lilies and petunia’s is full of all sorts of things! Butterflies, unicorns, and dandelions! The land of lilies and petunias is full of lots of things! Horses, carriages, and foals! The land of poison and hate is full of other things…Crying boys and hitting hands…”

~~~~*~~~~

“Damnit, Boy!”

~~~~*~~~~

“Lace wing flies, bicorn horn, unicorn hair freely given, seed of tiger lily, root of willow…”

~~~~*~~~~

“This is the last time I will tell you, Brat! I’ll beat the magic out of you if it is the last thing I do!”

~~~~*~~~~

“Dumbledore, please! Help my son! He needs it. I am dying, Dumbledore! Dying! Who is going to protect my son when the time comes?”

~~~~*~~~~

“Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”

~~~~*~~~~

“I cannot, Eileen. He will be needed…elsewhere…Later…”

~~~~*~~~~

“I can’t, Lily…I can’t…”

~~~~*~~~~

“Bloody Idiot!”

~~~~*~~~~

“There will be no foolish wand waving…”

~~~~*~~~~

“No! Not Lily! Please, Not Lily!”

~~~~*~~~~

“The land of poison and hate…”

~~~~*~~~~

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

The scream filled the house with a chilly frost of magic that literally covered every surface in the house. Ginny startled from the couch where she had been reading a Healer’s Digest.

Harry jumped up and made his way towards Severus’ room.

The little boy was thrashing in the bed. He was sweating. His face was flushed red and tears were falling down his little cheeks.

“Daddy…what is wrong with him?” Sirius asked from the doorway.

“I don’t know. Go get Mummy.”

But Sirius didn’t seem to hear him. Quite the opposite. He walked over to the bed and climbed up beside Severus.

“Sirius…”

Sirius lay down beside Severus, placing his hand in Severus’. Immediately, Severus stopped thrashing, but, for some unknown reason, Sirius fell into a deep sleep.

“Sirius…Severus…wake up.” Harry shook both boys gently, fear gripping his very soul.

“Harry, what is going on?” Ginny said from the doorway, her voice was tense with fright and concern.

Harry turned and looked at his wife, his face as white as snow.

“Gin! I don’t know what is going on! Neither of them will wake up!”

~*~*~*~sdrawkcab~*~*~*~*~

“I don’t understand.” Sirius said quietly when he saw Severus sitting beside him in a grassy meadow.

Severus swallowed, quickly wiping tears away from his eyes.

“Sev, I am kinda scared.” Sirius whispered. He didn’t recognize any of his surroundings. It made him uncomfortable.

“It’s okay, Sirius. I was afraid before you got here. But it was different. Everything was dark.”

Severus looked around. Maybe it hadn’t been dark by accident. Maybe he really did NEED Sirius. Maybe Sirius was one of his lights.

Was that even possible?

Was it possible that Severus already thought of Sirius as his big brother?

“I know this place, Sirius. I grew up near here…except there is no town here. The last thing I remember is lying in my bed.”

“Yea. Then you screamed a bloody awful scream and a frost covered the house. I climbed in your bed to see if you were okay. But that is all I remember.”

“Hey, Sirius?” Severus said, turning his head slightly to look at the older boy.

“Yea?”

“You better not let Mummy hear you say that word. She will get you good!” Severus said, then burst into childish laughter.

Sirius looked at the boy beside him and smiled.

But, suddenly, Severus turned serious again.

“How many memories do you have of our old lives?” He asked.

Sirius looked at him for a long moment before answering.

“All of them. They fade in and out though. Like yours, I guess.”

“Do they bother you? Do I bother you?”

Sirius sighed, then turned his entire body to face Severus.

“Listen, Sev. And Listen hard. I know that I screwed with you a lot in our last life. I know that I messed with you a lot in the beginning here. But, that was before I realized.”

“Before you realized what?”

“Before I realized that this time I had another chance. A second chance. Where I was no longer judged for being a Black, or going into Gryffindor. I want to make it a better life…ya know?” Sirius asked him, looking into his dark eyes.

Severus nodded.

“You know, Sirius, I am just as much to blame for our, um, hatred of one another. I want to keep my old memories so that I will not make the same mistakes. Even with them, I feel like I am five most of the time, even with them.”

“Yea, I know what you mean. And, Sev, you know in this like we both have four brothers and a Mummy and Daddy who love us. I am glad that we came back.”

“I just feel like there is something we are missing, Sirius. I mean, why us? Why not Lupin and Tonks, so that they could see their son? Why not Lily and Potter? For the same reasons?”

Sirius was silent for a moment. Severus studied something on the ground off in the distance.

“Sev, maybe it was because they died for so that their children could live, and because of that maybe they died…”

“Happy.” Severus finished for Sirius.

Sirius nodded.

“We didn’t die happy, or fulfilled. This is our chance.”

“I still have to talk to Dumbledore.” Severus whispered.

 Sirius didn’t say anything.

 “Yes, Little Severus, you do. But you shall not do so alone. I would never allow that, my Love.”

 Severus jumped up and turned around.

 There, in the light of the clear blue sky, stood Eileen Snape and Lily Potter.

 “Mum? MUM! Lily!”

 Severus ran to them and hugged them both…

 Sirius stood to the side and watched. At one time, he would have been envious.

 But right now, he was pleased.

 “Mum! Lily! Mum! LILY! I don’t understand…”

 “Which is why we are here to explain. Please, Little Severus, sit down, so that we may all talk.” Eileen told her young son.

 And, together, they all sat.

 ~*~*~*~*~sdrawkcab~*~*~*~*~

“I can’t get them to wake up, Gin!” Harry said, frustrated tears sliding down his face.

He couldn’t lose them. Not now. Not again.

Ginny checked the boys, and turned to Harry.

“I don’t know, Harry…Nothing is showing on the scan…I don’t know! They are our boys, Harry! We have to do something! We need them!”

“Stay with them, Gin. I am going to take the boys to Mum, and then I am going to call Madam Pomfrey. Maybe she can help…”

And with that, Harry Potter ran out of the room, leaving his wife with their unconscious sons.

They had to help them. No matter what. They had to save them.