| Quote: |
| Trowa Winner as Sirius, yours truly as Severus. I think I might have lost a post somewhere in there. Sorry about that. |
Severus was quiet for a moment, thinking before he responded to Sirius's offer. "That's quite alright. I'll not have you damaging your friendships for the sake of someone you don't even like." He swallowed and looked around awkwardly for a moment before speaking once more. "...thank you for letting me use your knife." he said just above a whisper- turning slowly to leave once more.
"Don't worry about it," Sirius said with a shrug, "Remus has been trying to get me and James to start letting up on you anyway. He gave a tiny smile, patting Severus' shoulder softly before giving a wave and adding, "Bye.", then heading back to the Potions room to join the other three Marauders.
Severus waited until he was sure he was out of sight before reacting. When he was back in the Slytherin dormitory he sat cross legged on his four poster and drew the curtain around himself. Slowly his fingers crept to the place on his shoulder where the other boy had so recently laid his hand. It was nothing really- merely a casual bursh of fingers against fabric and yet- well the truth was, no one goth within a hexxing's distance of Severus if they could help it- and no one had ever so much as held his hand.
Sirius was faultlessly casual- Severus knew the enconter meant nothing to him- but he couldn't help but let his mind linger. If he closed his eyes- he could almost feel Sirius's hand on his shoulder again- and if he tried- he though he could feel the lingering warmth of the other boy's slender fingers...
Severus's eyes snapped open. What was he doing? What was he thinking? Perhaps Sirius Black wanted to call a truce- he could handle that. He didn't need to go making anything more out of it.
Later that night, Sirius lay awake on his bed. He was laying on his back, his arms tucked behind his head with his legs drawn up slightly and bent at the knee. He absently looked at his hand; he'd actually touched Severus. Glancing around before sitting up, Padfoot pulled his curtains closed before settling back down. What had possessed him to actually touch the other? He sighed, laying his arm over his eyes. It's not like he minded. Severus was actually fairly tolerable. Now that he thought about it, Sirius wondered why he used to get some much fun out of torturing the poor boy. Rolling over onto his stomach, the Gryffindor boy closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Severus awoke early the next morning, as he typically did. It was still somewhat dark out- although the dusty hue of the sky meant that the sun would soon show itself. Severus clamored out of bed and entered the boy's washroom where he spent a substantially longer time than usual getting ready. After showering he took some time to examine himself in the mirror. Perhaps Sirius was on to something- perhaps he should take more pride in his appearance.
"But who would even care?" he asked his reflection. "Not like anyone would notice." he snorted at the pale boy looking back at him through the glass. "Well...he might." He blinked rapidly at the mirror, feling his cheeks redden slightly. He returned to his bedside- the other students were still sleeping soundly. Opening his trunk quietly he rummanged around until he found what he was looking for. A simple piece of black silk ribbon. He hastily tied his long hair back, although none to neatly- before exiting the dormitory and heading to the Great Hall.
"No one's going to notice, you silly boy." he told himself as he walked. "But... I guess it doesn't hurt to try."
Oddly enough, it was Saturday already. Even more odd was that Sirius had not only woken up before noon, but very early. Yawning, he rolled out of bed lazily to find everyone else asleep. His stomach gave a rather loud growl, so after getting himself dressed and cleaned up, Padfot headed down the stairs of the dormitory to get some breakfast in the Great Hall. And who would he bump into on his way down? None other then Severus. "Oh, sorry," he apologized ina groggy, half awake tone. One eye looked half close and Sirius yawned again, his hair still somewhat messy. It was apparent he wasn't accustomed to getting up so early on the weekends. "Nice hair tie," he commented absently, before staggering tiredly into the Great Hall.
Severus had almost cursed when he felt another student run into him. He'd edged away warily in a defensive reflex before realizing the boy meant no harm. As he watched the other wizard retreat, he realized it was in fact none other than Sirius Black. Sirius made his way sloppilly into the Great Hall, Severus wondered why he'd even bothered to get out of bed at such an hour, but said nothing- merely following somewhat curiously. He sat down at his house table, across the hall from where Sirius was now breakfasting. As he reached for a piece of toast his eyes drifted across to where the other boy was sitting, although he could think of nothing to say. It seemed odd- really- no other students had yet come downstairs- which made the distance between the two of them seem even greater.
Sirius pinched himself to stay awake, managing to eat his breakfast before laying his head on the table and falling asleep again. He jolted awake after a few minutes and sat up, rubbing his face and grumbling. He didn't want to go all the way back to the Gryffindor tower, but he was sleepy! Maybe he could get into the kitchen and have those House Elves make him some coffee? Yawning widely, he step his head on his arms on the table, closing his eyes to think. Unfortunately, he fell asleep again.
Severus watched the ordeal with some amusement. It seemed that Black was trying desperately just to remain awake at the table. Why on earth had he bothered coming down if he couldn't manage to keep his eyes open? The pale skinned boy smirked slightly as he watched Sirius drift in and out of consciousness, finally finishing his own breakfast and preparing to leave. Still- it wouldn't be terribly comfortable to fall asleep hunched over the hard wooden tables of the Great Hall- only to be awoken later by the chatter of other students, he mused.
With some amount of trepidation, and several looks about to make sure no one was watching- Severus cautiously made his way to the Gryffindor table where Sirius was sleeping. He gently prodded the shoulder of the other boy- if only to wake him and suggest he return to the dormitory.
Sirius grumbled, his head turning to face the direction opposite the shoulder being poked. "Mm... James, you p***k... lemme sleep..." he mumbled, before burrying his face in his arms. After a few moments, he raised his head, looking around tiredly. He jumped slightly and sat up straight, now aware he'd fallen asleep. Spotting Severus, Sirius rubbed his eyes before stretching and standing up. "Thanks for waking me up," he mumbled.
Severus nodded, "I'll just pretend you didn't call me James... or a p***k- although I must agree I find your evaluation..." a slight smile crossed his lips as he trailed off. "Surely you would rather return to your dormitory than remain dozing at the table." he suggested.
Sirius blinked several times before rubbing his eyes in an attempt to stay awake. "I just need some caffine," he commented, standing up and stretching, "Would you mind walking me to the kitchen? I need some coffee, but I don't want to chance falling asleep on my feet on the way there."
Although it was still a little strange to be addressed so casually by Sirius, he found that the shock was beginning to wear off. He nodded, stepping awake slightly so Sirius might walk past. "I suppose I should not be surprised that you frequent the Hogwarts kitchens- part of your marauding I presume?" He surveyed the other boy quietly as they walked. Even though he was half asleep- he still walked with a certain sort of masculine grace. Severus found himself imagining Sirius asleep not twenty minutes prior- probably collapsed on his bed in a mass of sheets... he smirked- before feeling his cheeks redden slightly. What on earth had brought *that* to mind?
"Those House Elves have known James, Remus, and me by name since third year," Sirius yawned, running a hand through his hair. This gave him a 'Just-Rolled-Out-Of-Bed' look, and he staggered slightly as he yawned. He lightly bumped shoulder with Severus, yawning out an apology as he tried in vain to rebutton the top two buttonts on his shirt as well as to fix his tie. Finally giving up when they got to the picture leading to the kitchen, he said the password and went inside.
"Can we help the Masters?" a House Elf asked.
"Coffee," Sirius yawned, taking a seat at a table. Within a minute or so, House Elves had served both Sirius and Severus a cup of coffee.
"Is there anything else the masters would like?" another House Elf asked, looking from Sirius to Severus.
"Nothing for now from me," Sirius said, sipping his coffee before yawning to a House Elf, "Coffee's perfect, as usual. Good job."
"I'm fine, Tibby." answered Severus. "I merely came as an...escort." he added. The house elf excused itself with a bow and went to return to finish brekfast preparations. Severus watched at Sirius drank his coffee- his newly rumpled hair playing once again to his imaginings of the other boy asleep. He coughed nervously once or twice- not entirely sure what to say. But seeing as how Sirius was intent on not returning to his dormitory- Severus couldn't see why he should allow him to wander around looking as though he'd fallen from a tree.
Saying nothing- he reachd out with one hand to adjust Sirius's top buttons and tie. "Pardon my intrusion." he said quietly "But I imagine a half buttoned shirt is as fetching as a head of greasy hair."
Sirius gave a lopsided smile. "Thanks. I'm a mess without Remus helping me in the morning," he yawned, sipping his coffee again, "So do you always wake up this early? It couldn't be 5 AM yet. I usually don't wake up until after noon if I can." He thanked a House Elf when she refilled his coffee, sipping it again. It usually took about three cups or so to get him working right this early.
For some reason the mention of Remus made Severus feel slightly... well.. he wasn't really able to put a name to his reaction- but he immediately tried to push it from his mind. He straightened Sirius tie as he answered, "Not always- but- frequently. If I get to the Great Hall early, I am usually finished before any of my classmates arrive. I find it helps me avoid... unpleasant encounters." He looked down slightly, "I usually go to the library or somewhere else on the grounds after that. I enjoy watching the sun rise..." he stopped- realizing how positively ridiculous he must sound.
Sirius gave a tiny smile, finishing up his second cup of coffee. he declined a third cup, feeling more awake than usual. "I don't remember the last time I actually seen a sunrise," he commented, "I'm always alseep. I never seem to catch the sunset either." He gave a sigh, rubbing his head. "Well, thanks for helping with all this," he commented, "I don't need to give those crazy girls more of a reason to stare at me." He ran a hand through his hair again before giving a tiny yawn. "Your hair looks nice," he commented, resting his chin on his hand, "Pulling it back accents your eyes."
It took a moment for Severus to respond- he was too busy imagining the crowds of female students at Hogwarts who no doubt spent a great deal amount of time admiring Sirirus Black. He'd heard them from time to time in the corridors- and had to concede that their affections were not poorly placed. Sirius was indeed handsome- if perhaps a little foolhardy. "I... find sometimes it gets in the way- when I'm working." he said, trying to dismiss the change.
Sirius absently brushed some of Severus' hair out of his face, fluffing it slightly before leaning back and grinning. "There. That looks great," he annouced with a tiny laugh.
Severus blinked somewhat surprised, but turned suddenly to face the houseelves- who had been too busy tending to their work to notice his embarrassment at the situation. "So... what are you planning on doing with your extra 7 hours of time?" he asked trying to change the subject.
Sirius gave a tiny shrug, thanking a House Elf when he took his empty coffee cup away. "I don't know," he said, "It's going to be a few hours until we can go to Hogsmeade." He yawned slightly before stretching. "Are you planning on going to Hogsmeade?" he asked absently.
"I'd considered going... perhaps briefly. I am in need of a new quill- but usually my visits to Hogsmeade do not take long. I have no real reason to linger." It was true- there seemed little sense in spending time and money in the Three Broomsticks or any of the other establishments where students often gathered to enjoy themselves, when you had no one to do it with.
"Tell you what," Sirius said, "You'll spend the day with me, James, Remus, and Peter. Remus has been trying to make me and James 'play nice' for a few years, and Peter really has nothing against you. James'll just have to deal with it if I tell him I invited you and that Remus and Peter don't mind you." It was a statement; not a question, not a suggestion. Severus would be coming to Hogsmeade with the Marauders, and nothing would be changing that anytime soon.
Severus coughed slightly- unsure of what to say. While he had indeed been enjoything this somewhat awkward truce between himself and Sirius Black- it seemed almost unbelievable that he was meant to go to Hogsmeade with the Marauders on friendly terms. But- in a way, the other boy's words made sense. Remus, had in fact never made any outward attack at him (save for that one night during fifth year- but it could not be said that Remus was really 'himself' that night)- and he had no fear of Pettigrew, of course. With Sirius promising to subdue James- the entire situation seemed..well... enjoyable. He nodded. "Alright then."
Severus looked around the kitchen, as the house-elves were still busy- the first students were just now rising from their beds. "So...what do we do until then?" he asked quietly- still somewhat unsure that Sirius wanted to consider the two of them as a "we" at all.
Sirius thanked a House Elf who brought him and Severus a breakfast croissant, taking a bite out of his while thinking. "Hm... I haven't seen a sunrise in a while," he repeated, "Why don't we go do that?" He grinned, a some-what manical look in his eyes. "We could break into the broom closet down at the Quidditch feild and grab some brooms, then fly up around the Astronomy Tower. We'd be bound to get a good look of a sunrise up there."
Severus was slightly nervous- he was not really much of a flier- but felt that saying so would probably cause Sirius to leave and find something else to do. He knew James and Sirius were quite good at Quidditch- and found few things in life better than flying around the grounds on their brooms. So he simply nodded. "Okay." He stood to leave, thanking the house elves for their generosity.
Sirius grinned, finishing up his croissant before waving goodbye to the House Elves. once back in the corridor, he stretched and gave a content sigh. "Much better," he commented, before grabbing Severus' sleeve and pulling him towards the front doors. Once outside, he took a deep breath of the morning air. "Forgot how refreshing morning air can be," he said absently, before pulling Severus down towards the broom closet.
The cool air felt pleasant against Severus's face, and he quite forgot his nervousness as Sirius pulled him by the sleeve down to the Quidditch pitch. He selected a broom and walked out into the open with it- feeling slightly more confident about the situation. He watched quietly as Sirius selected broom for himself and prepared to ride it. His hair still somewhat messy from his bed- he looked somehwat windswept. Severus smiled.
Siriurs took a seat on his broom before looking to Severus. "You can ride a broom, right?" he asked. He didn't really want Severus falling off halfway up to the Astronomy Tower. He kicked off the ground, stsaying about five feet off the ground while waiting for severus to do the same.
"Merlin...I hope so...." he muttered under his breath. He kicked off from the ground, his eyes clenched shut until he felt he was a ew feet in the air. He opened his eyes- looking somewhat desperately at Sirius as he made his way uneasily upward.
Sirius gave a tiny sigh, pulling his broom up next to Severus'. "Get on the back of mine," he instructed, "Can't risk you falling off and getting hurt. Or killed." He made sure to keep his broom still, before adding, "We could both land if you think that would be easier."
Severus turned red, "N-no. It's okay- I'm fine. I can make it- I'm just o-out of practice." he struggled for a moment before getting his broom reasonably under control. "The Astronomy tower isn't that far away." He manuvered his broom in that direction- trying hard not to think about what it would be like to share a broom with Sirius.
Siriurs pouted, reaching over before pulling Severus up onto his broom in front of him. "Now hold on," he said, ignoring the other broom as he bounced off the stands before landing on the ground, "I don't want to worry about you falling off once we're higher up in the air." His arms went around Severus slightly to the front of the broom and he moved forward, heading up at a diagonal towards the Astronomy Tower.
Severus's eyes opened wide as he found himself pulled from one broom to the other. He'd scarcely adjusted to the surprise when he felt a soft pressure at his sides. Sirius's arms. He went slightly rigid, trying to focus on holding onto the broom rather than thinking about the warmth against his robes. He swallowed hard- and looked straight ahead, feeling Sirius's chest leaning so casually against his back made him even more painfully conscious of his awkwardness as a flier.
"If you start to fall, give a yell. I'll catch you," Siriurs promised, his mouth dangerously close to Severus' ear. He stopped once they'd reached a good place for watching the sunrise, a smile coming to his face. "It looks like we're just in time," he said, noticing the sun had just started to rise. He smiled again, watching the dawn colors mix and blend. "It's beautiful," he breathed, still right near Severus' ear.
Severus indeed felt as though he might fall- although it had little to do with his inexperience as a flier. He opened and closed his eyes rapidly- staring blankly at the rising sun which had greeted him alone so many times before. However, he was having a hard time focusing on the sight before them both -the cold of the morning only made Sirius's nearness more obvious, and he nearly flinched in surprise when he felt the warmth of his breath against his skin. He willed himself to ignore it- to pay attention to the sunrise- but the task was proving difficult. He merely nodded- remaining silent- feeling that if he spoke- he might betray the multitude of confusing thoughts he was having.
Sirius gave a small smile as he watched the sunrise, before turning the broom back towards the Quidditch pitch. "That was actually pretty cool," he commented with a smile, landin the broom and helping Severus off, "Maybe I should get up to watch the sun rise more often." He grinned, picking up the brooms and returning them to a closet. "So, how about we head back up to the castle? We'll find James, Remus, and Peter and let them know you'll come with us."
Severus nodded- still a little uncertain. "You don't think my presence will cause more trouble than its worth?" he asked- not at all sure about James' reaction to his joining their trip to Hogsmeade. He'd seen the Marauders in Hogsmeade before (and had in fact had more than one unpleasant run-in with them on previous trips) - James tended to use the time to plot practical jokes, or chase after Lily Evans... he wasn't entirely sure that his presence would be condusive to the other Marauders enjoying themselves. "I'll be honest with you- I don't really need to go to Hogsmeade today- I c-could... um... read."
Sirius shook his head. "I said you're going, so you're going," he said simply, patting Severus' back as they headed up to the castle, "Remus won't have a problem, and Peter wouldn't dare to challenge me and Remus." He rolled his eyes as they stepped inside the castle. "James was planning on stopping at Zonko's, then leaving us to follow Evans anyway," he said, waving his hand dismissively, "Oh, here's Remus and Peter now." He waved his hand, grabbing Severus' sleeve again before pulling him along after him as he sped to catch up with the other two.
Remus and Peter paused, exchanging glances. Had Sirius gotten up this early just to harrass Severus? "Er... Good morning," Remus said, looking from Sirius to Severus questioningly.
"He's coming to Hogsmeade with us," Sirius said simply, before grinning and adding, "See? I told you I'd start 'playing nice' eventually."
"What do you think James is going to say?" Peter asked meekly, before quickly adding, "Not that I mind he's coming."
"He can deal with it," Sirius said simply with a shrug, grinning more when Remus gave an approving nod.
