Harry woke early the next morning expecting to see the familiar scarlet hangings and wooden ceiling of his dormitory. Instead, he found himself curled on a rather comfortable couch staring at a dying fire and his sleeping potions professor. Another time, Harry would have found the image of his dour potions master asleep with his mouth slightly askew amusing. Right now, all Harry could think about was how to extract himself from Snape’s lair with minimal contact. Harry silently pulled the blanket off himself and folded it in to a neat little square. He briefly wondered why Snape had returned to sit with him after Harry had gone back to sleep. Maybe the connection Voldemort had forged through breaking down the Occlumency shields left Harry open to being possessed and Snape was worried he would start attacking students on Voldemort’s behalf. Harry’s stomach recoiled at the thought. He looked back at Snape wondering if it would be impolite to not leave a note. He needn’t have worried. At that moment, Snape’s eyes flashed open. He moved from asleep to wide-awake with impressive quickness.

“Good morning, sir.” Potter said a twinge of nervousness in his voice. He didn’t think Snape would be too pleased with the idea of his least favorite student watching him sleep. As expected, Snape’s lip-curled as though Harry was something that smelled quite unpleasant.

“Potter.” Snape said it more as an acknowledgement than an indictment, which was new. Harry relaxed slightly. “You feel better I trust?”

“Yes sir, loads better, thanks and er sorry…” Harry continued scrambling to his feet, understanding the cue to leave.  Harry found his shoes and slipped them on, not caring to ensure they were on the whole way. “I’ll get out of the way sir.” Harry didn’t dare look at Snape’s face as he shoved on his glasses, picked his wand up off of the coffee table and headed off the couch.

“Potter.” Snape said in the heavily annoyed tone that Harry was more used to. Harry halted and turned around. Snape had an inscrutable, stern expression on his face as he advanced on Harry. Harry’s stomach began to turn. He really did not want or need a lecture at how terrible he was at Occlumency right now. But Snape did not say anything; he extended two small vials to Harry.

“Sir?” Harry questioned, taking the proffered vials. Snape’s stern expression flickered with annoyance.

“Pain potions Mr. Potter, which you should recognize should you with to receive above a D on your OWL.” Snape said. Harry just blinked stupidly at him. Snape crossed his arms in front of his chest as though Harry was making this interaction hard on him on purpose. “There maybe some lingering discomfort.”

“I-“ Harry started then stopped. He had to admit that Snape had done more than just patch him up. When Harry woke, puking, scared and shivering, Snape had been almost patient and solicitous. He had apparently stayed by Harry’s bedside all night (though considering Voldemort was trying to break into Harry’s mind that was probably more duty than care). Now he had thought to give Harry pain potions. Considering the man had thrown a beetle jar at his head mere weeks ago, Harry felt oddly touched. After all Snape had done for him, running out with only muttered thanks yous and apologies, like he couldn’t get away from the man fast enough seemed ungracious and bratty. Snape was giving him an odd, assessing look and Harry realized he was still staring at the potions. Summoning up all his Gryffindor courage, Harry looked Snape dead in the eye. 

“Thank you sir, for last night, and for…” Harry trailed off, breaking eye contact. For taking care of me, for staying with me, all sounded too childish for Harry’s taste. Instead, Harry raised the potions. “and for these.” Harry wondered if Snape understood the things Harry had been unwilling to say because a touch of color appeared his white cheeks and his jaw clenched.

“And sorry again about the carpet.” Harry added hastily with a little smile, deciding to save them both the awkwardness of Snape having to respond to Harry’s gratitude.

“As am I.” Snape drawled. Harry felt his smile falter. He should have known Snape would find a student joking with him, especially if that student was Harry, impudent.

 “That was a joke Potter.” Snape added impatiently, seeing Harry’s expression. This entire interaction had to be an after effect of the drugs. Snape’s own lips seemed to be fighting the urge to twitch upwards. Harry turned and stepped through the portrait hole. At the very last moment, without thinking about it, he turned and grinned at Snape. Snape looked momentarily stunned and then, just as Harry was turning around, almost sad.

***

Severus had seen Harry smile enough to know that the boy had Lily’s smile. He had seen it on the boy’s face on the Quidditch pitch, when he chatted with friends in the great hall and directed at others in the boy’s memories. Never had Potter smiled at him like that before. It was playful, childish, genuine and so like Lily. Severus had felt for a moment that he was standing at Hogwarts laughing with his old friend. Lily had never hesitated to tease him. Not in an unkind way like James and many of the other students, but in a way that expressed a familiarity and friendship that most people were unwilling to extend to him. Having that smile directed at him after so many years felt…disquieting. Severus turned back to the living room to finish tidying up. His Fridays were a light day. He only had a Hufflepuff/ravenclaw first-year class in the afternoon. He would give them something easy enough that he wouldn’t have to instruct them too much. After everything last night and today, he was tired, confused, and feeling emotions he was entirely unwilling to feel.

“Severus?” Dumbledore’s voice came from the fire. “May I come through?” Severus let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He knew that the older wizard would have been a challenge to locate but he had expected a faster response.

“Of course Headmaster.” Severus replied, sending the easy chair back to its spot by the fire with a quick flick of his wrist. Dumbledore came through the fire followed, by a rather harried-looking Sirius. Severus could not prevent his lip from curling towards his teeth.

“Where is Harry?” Sirius asked without preamble, his eyes sweeping over Severus’ living room as though Snape had the boy hidden somewhere.

“I didn’t realize you were bringing a guest Headmaster.” Snape said, not bothering to hide his displeasure. Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Dumbledore cut him off.

“I do recall asking, at the end of last year, for a cessation of open hostilities.” Dumbledore reminded them. Despite the benign smile on Dumbledore’s face, both Severus and Sirius understood the statement as an order and, with great restraint, looked away from one another.

“How is Harry, Severus?” Dumbledore said, apparently satisfied that the animosity in the room had been dialed down to a tolerable level.

“The boy is fine.” Snape answered, motioning to the couch. He sat down with Dumbledore but Sirius continued to pace a little wildly.

“He’s fine?” Sirius repeated, incredulous. “Hermione was beside herself, said he wouldn’t stop screaming.” Sirius stopped pacing for a moment and threw an accusing glare at Severus. “This never happened before these Occlumency lessons. How do we know he isn’t doing something to Harry’s mind?” Severus returned the accusation with the same blank, indifferent expression he gave Bellatrix when she accused him of being a double-agent.  

“Severus did nothing to harm Harry, Sirius.” Dumbledore said patiently. ”Given neither of us should be here perhaps we should abandon the blame and get the facts so that we do not prolong our excursion.” Severus noted that Sirius was clenching and unclenching his fists spasmodically in frustration. Nevertheless, he inclined his head slightly in agreement.

Severus told them what he had told Harry. Potter’s successful occlumency, the bursting blood vessels in the brain, the relatively quick recovery. Severus left out the details about the nightmare and his own vigil as he watched the boy not, as always for the rise of the chest (which he knew was coming) but for signs of pain and fear.

“Where is he now?” Sirius demanded when Severus finished. Sirius had jumped to his feet in emotion when Severus had mentioned the ruptured blood vessels and had resumed pacing. The back-and-forth was making Severus feel slightly dizzy.

“Class I’d imagine.” Severus replied with a tone of superb indifference. Sirius rounded on him, furious.

“You sent him to class after that!” Sirius roared. “His head literally exploded Snivillious! Don’t you think you could have found it in your cold, lump of a heart to give the boy a day sleeping in the hospital wing!” Severus jumped to his feet. Nose-to-nose, wand-to-wand with Sirius. Underneath his anger at being yelled at in his own quarters he felt a swell of uncertainty. This time, he actually thought he had done what was best for Potter. Maybe it had been too soon to send him to class.

“Are you quite finished?” Dumbledore asked as Severus and Sirius continued to glare at each other, wands raised. “Sirius, I can assure you Harry was well-tended.”

“How?” Sirius spat, not taking his eyes off of Severus. Dumbledore looked at the potions on Severus’ coffee table thoughtfully for a moment.

“Pain-reliever…anti-inflammatory…an invigoration draught” Dumbledore stopped over the last one. Severus thought he saw a smile playing at the old man’s lips. He resisted the urge to hit him. Dumbledore looked up at Severus.

“I suppose, should I be rude enough to enter your bedroom uninvited, I would find your bed has not been slept in. You sat up with him all night did you not? Even after he was so clearly out of harm’s way?” Severus felt a burn of embarrassment starting to crawl up his cheeks. The old fool had no right to go on like that in front of Sirius. Dumbledore continued to look around Severus’ quarters with a smile.

 “Blankets, pillow, damp washcloths. The evidence is here. Yes, it seems like someone looked over Harry with quite a lot of tenderness.” Sirius lowered his wand. For the first time in Severus’ memory, Sirius’ expression wasn’t filled with contempt but with confusion. Severus lowered his as well but still kept a firm grip on the handle, not quite willing to look Sirius in the eye. Sirius continued to scrutinize him.

“Well I am glad to hear that Harry is recovering. There is much to think about. I’ll be in touch soon.” Dumbledore said, rising to his feet. “Do keep an eye on him Severus. Good day Sirius.” With that, Dumbledore hopped in the fireplace and disappeared. Leaving Sirius and Severus to stare at each other.

“That was good of you.” Sirius said after a second of uncomfortable silence. “To take care of Harry like that.” Sirius fidgeted with his wand for a moment, seemingly not knowing what to do next. As Sirius was far more socially competent than Severus, Severus had no idea how to respond either. Both of them stood in Snape’s living room somewhere between awkwardness and anger.

Then, out of nowhere, Sirius’ entire demeanor changed. He shoved his wand in his pocket and looked up at Severus with a smile, leaning forward slightly with his hands still in his pocket.

“Fancy a drink?” Sirius asked. His tone was half-sheepish and half like he was partly enjoying the absurdity of the idea of them sitting down to a drink together.

“It’s 9 am.” Severus replied dryly, trying to retain some of his bite. He felt quite wrong-footed. His protest went without acknowledgement and Sirius summoned the firewhiskey.

“This place is quite nice actually. Could use a little more light….and all these books…Sirius looked at the books on the side-table and the bookshelf. “Have you actually read all of these books?” Sirius, poured two generous glasses and looked up at Severus.

“Yes.” Severus answered. Sirius held out a glass to Severus with almost childlike expectancy on his face. Severus hesitated than took it, sitting down on the couch across from Sirius. Sirius sipped his fire-whiskey and Severus did the same. The silence was a shade too awkward to be described as comfortable but there was something amicable in it.

“Maybe I should read more.” Sirius mused as he sipped his beverage. Apparently undeterred by Severus’ lack of contribution to the conversation. “It’d be better than talking to Buckbeak all day. You know I’ve actually started expecting him to respond. This is the first time I’ve been out of that blasted house in ages.” Severus did not know what to say and merely took another sip in response. It was odd to Severus that Sirius would speak to him about being shut-up in Grimmauld Place given that Severus had made it a point to rub it in so many times. Sirius refilled his glass and topped off Severus who wasn’t quite as fast.

“Keep up mate.” Sirius said with another grin. Apparently Severus was a “mate” now. This day was getting odd. Severus took a large swallow of fire-whiskey. A gentle, woozy sensation was beginning to come over him.

“Is it true you told Umbridge where she could stuff it?” Sirius asked, seemingly momentarily more cheerful.

“I threatened to kill her if that’s what you mean.” Severus replied. Sirius howled with laughter. A little part of Severus, the part that was still a friendless 11 year-old, felt a twinge of pleasure at Sirius’ amusement. “I wish I could have seen her face. What did she do to deserve it?”

“She was using a blood-quill.” Severus responded after a moment’s hesitation. He didn’t want Sirius to go running through the castle half-cocked. The smile fell off of Sirius’ face.

“On Harry?” Sirius’ asked. His voice was low, eyes hard.

“The boy’s fine. I fixed the hand. The scar may even vanish.” Severus said in response, attempting to wave off Sirius’ concern. It didn’t work. The mention of scars and the extra gulp of firewhiskey Sirius had seemed to be a poor combination. Sirius threw the glass across the room and it shattered on the wall. Severus flinched, this felt much too similar to nights with his father to be comfortable.

“I’m supposed to be his godfather.” Sirius yelled, whipping around to look at Severus wild-eyed. For a moment he looked so like Bellatrix that Severus nearly pulled his wand. Instead, Severus simply raised his eyebrows at the figure in front of him. There wasn’t much point in trying to stop a drunk. One simply had to roll with the punches, literally or figuratively. Sirius seemed to not like whatever he saw in Severus’ face because he smoothed his rage-twisted face back out.

“Merlin Severus, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have –“ Whatever he shouldn’t have done Severus didn’t hear. Instead of finishing the thought, Sirius turned to the wall and muttered repairo. The glass reformed. Sirius looked so much older than the cock-sure, 18-year Severus remembered. It wasn’t surprising, but Severus hadn’t really considered it until now. Remus, Black, Potter, even Lily, they were all frozen as Hogwarts-aged students to Severus. The boys were so connected to Lily, and the only Lily Severus cared to dwell on was the pre-fifth year Lily. The Lily whose eyes always found his across the Great Hall, who took care to see him as much as she could during the long summers with his father; his first friend. He didn’t like to remember that she grew up and grew-out of him. Consequently, he always looked at the dratted Mauraders as high-school students. It was odd now to sit across from Sirius the man when he remembered the boy so clearly.

 In school Sirius had always been casually handsome in the dark way that so appealed to teenage girls. All dark hair, tanned skin and a dangerous air of being uncontrollable. Now, he was subdued, scarred and Severus could practically see dementor’s in the man’s dark eyes. For a moment Severus wondered what the teenaged Sirius would think of the man before him. Unbidden, Dumbledore’s words came back to Severus: Haven’t they suffered enough?

Severus poured them each another drink even though Sirius had probably had enough. Sirius drank it gratefully.

“I swore to Lily that nothing would happen to him.” Sirius said softly. For the first time in the conversation Severus stared hard at Sirius. Lily. He couldn’t resist hearing about her, hearing about words she said and things she thought. Even if it was second-hand, even if it was from Sirius, even if the story involved James, Severus felt the need to hear it like a starving man feels the need to eat. He held his breath.

“She was so worried…having a baby in the middle of the war like that.” Sirius started, looking into his glass as though it was a pensieve and the memory was playing out in front of him. “And James wouldn’t – couldn’t – talk about  -about what would happen if…” Sirius trailed off. After all these years he still couldn’t talk about James and Lily’s mortality. “But one night James goes out for formula and a muggle – a muggle – pulls a knife on him.”  Sirius almost laughed. “Got him right in the stomach.”  Sirius started to chuckle fondly. Severus looked at him like he was insane.

“Anyways he had his wand – he fixed himself up a bit – came home and Lily saw to him properly. James and I thought it was a big laugh – a muggle with a bunch of wizard gold and a loyalty card to the Apothecary.” Sirius took a drink of the whiskey, lost in the memory for a moment. “Lily was not as amused. James went up to sleep it off and she lost it. Convinced that they were going to die and seeing as that both their parents were dead and James had no siblings, Lily was convinced Harry would have to go live with Petunia who would have no idea how to protect him from dark magic.”

“I promised her that if she and James died I would take Harry and raise him like my own. I looked her right in the eye and promised that he wouldn’t have to be raised by Petunia and that I would keep him safe.” Sirius raked a hand through his long-hair. “Some job I’m doing. ” Sirius took a pull of whiskey and gave a little laugh.

“She’ll kill me if there’s an after-life you know.” Sirius continued.  He gave a fake, angry hair-flip that was the exact imitation of Lily’s. “Black what in the hell were you thinking going after Pettigrew like that you pig-headed fool.” Severus just stared at Black, his expression blank. He did sound quite like her.

“She could be quite the bitch sometimes.” Sirius added with a smile that suggested this was his favorite quality of hers. The smile stayed fond but turned sad and it took Severus a moment to realize with a start that Sirius was missing Lily.

It was odd to see someone else mourn her. After all of these years the grief was, understandably, an old one for most. Sirius and Lily had become close only after she began dating James so Severus had never witnessed their friendship. Severus had assumed most of Sirius’ anger at Pettigrew and love for Harry had come from his friendship with James. He was unaware that Sirius held equal loyalty and affection for Lily. The information was confusing to Severus but he felt more than contempt for the man sitting beside him.  They were both loyal to an impossible promise made to a woman long dead. There was companionship, an understanding, in that state-of-affairs that not even Severus could deny.

“I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself.” Severus said after a long moment. “Potter-watching is extremely difficult. I’m pretty sure the boy actively wants to get himself killed.” Sirius chuckled.

“Did you see him last year with the dragon?” Sirius asked. “He flew at a dragon.” It seemed like after all these months Sirius still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Saw it?” Severus replied, almost smiling despite himself. “I had a damn near heart attack. Foolish child. Lucky he wasn’t burned to a crisp. Flying! He should have used a simple conjunctivitis curse.”

“Doesn’t have quite the same flare though does it?” Sirius responded affectionately.

 “Yes, well, seeing as it was less likely to get him killed…” Severus retorted pouring them both another glass.

“Their daring, nerve and chivalry set Gryffindors apart” Sirius said in a passable imitation of the sorting hat, picking up the glass and raising it.

“There is no way I am drinking to that.” Severus replied with clear distaste. Sirius laughed and raised his glass again.

“Alright have it your way then…to new friends.” Sirius said, a touch more soberly. Severus hesitated than raised his glass to Sirius. In a million universes, there was only one where Severus Snape and Sirius Black could come to an understanding. Severus respected Sirius’ desire to keep his promise to Lily. Sirius was touched at the care Severus had shown Harry. Both had been lonely for so long, their allies were so limited.  They were both drunk and painfully aware of the coming war and the unpleasant tasks awaiting them. Two people, more similar than they would ever acknowledge, poised to understand each other perfectly. They would be friends; both were unflinching in their loyalty once it had been given.

Severus poured another drink. There was no way he was going to be any use to his first-year Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw class.