Severing The Past (Severus)

Sirius slowly paced across the main hall. Regulus was becoming a valuable friend, other than a brother. He was doing a lot for Sirius. Many people now thought of him differently, due to Regulus's influence. And he thanked him for that. Now he was wondering if this situation would turn out to be the same. "Hello...Severus!" Sirius addressed his former rival and foe. Regulus had told Sirius to meet Snape right out of the potions class. And so he was doing. He had to wander though, what kind of relationship he and Severus would have from now on. Although he was changed, Sirius still had a bit of the old him in him. And he was with Marvolo. What the heck would happen between the two.

Sneering at a few first years who dared get into his way, Severus made his way up to the great hall after his last lesson for the day. Potions usually helped to relax him, but today his thoughts seemed to be evading his grasp the whole time and he almost messed up the draught they were supposed to brew.
He ascended the stairs towards the main hall, still deep in thought about his conversation with Marvolo of the last evening when he almost ran into Black. Severus tensed immediately and was about to sneer something unpleasant when the other wizard called him civilly by his first name. Although Marvolo had told him about Black's changing sides, Severus was still more than suspicious about him, but decided to play along for now. Keeping his face blank, he greeted in retun "Sirius, have you been waiting for me?"

Sirius nodded, as the Slytherin greeted him in a similar manner. "Indeed I have." Sirius commented, as the hall seemingly emptied. The conversation was having a good start so far, so Sirius was quickly captivated. "I believe Regulus has already warned you about my...change of heart. You might not believe it, but it's true." Sirius was about to say something, that might hurt Severus. But he knew that was needed. "I am in love with Marvolo. And she feels the same way for me. Now, you can question me about anything. But be sure no prank will be coming your way." Sirius let out, sincerely. He didn't like Snape. That was a fact. But that didn't mean he didn't acknowledge his skills. Having him as an ally would prove quite useful.

Severus observed the Gryffindor closely as he talked about his relationship with Marvolo, searching for a hint that he might be dishonest, but could find none. 'At least he owns up to his feelings' even in his thoughts he sounded sneering. After years of torment from the other boy, Severus would not easily trust him, though and stayed alert.
"Indeed, your brother updated me of all the things happening while I was away. You will understand that I'm not so easily convinced as you brother and your girlfriend, so you will have to bear with my suspicion for now." Severus stated calmly, seeing no use in hiding his feelings on the matter.
"Marvolo already told me about your relationship and I promised her that I would accept it. I know you two have been flirting for a while now , even though I don't like it much." he took a step closer to Black. "One question I do have though. Why did you and my cousin break up? I did not have the time to talk to her, yet about it, but be aware if you hurt her in any way I will take revenge, no matter if you're Marvolo's lover or not." he hissed lowly.

Sirius understood Severus's stand. It wasn't every day that a marauder simply decided to turn on his friends, and join what gryffindors called, the enemy. As always, Regulus had done his job well. And Marvolo seemed to have gotten involved as well. Good. If Sirius could get even more people to vouch for his actions, then every Slytherin would bow to him as one of their own house. And Sirius was even better than that. "I can wait for your suspicion to vanish." Sirius declared. He'd surely be able to get used to Severus not being so trustful.

After hearing Snape's rant about his relationship with Marvolo, Sirius couldn't help but feel proud that she was his. "And I thank you for not interfering." Sirius said, as Severus came a tad closer. Morgan. Why was it always Morgan? "We came into a disagreement. I acted violently towards another guy. One that at my eyes, wanted to take your cousin from me. She got in the way, and I couldn't help it. I did not wish to hurt her. But she didn't give me a choice." Sirius said, calmly, still maintaining his posture.

Severus chuckled and smirked at Black. "We will see if you can make it vanish or not. That depends solely on your actions, Sirius." he drawled. Severus seriously doubted that the day would come that he and Black would trust each other, but he didn't feel the need to spell it out for the Gryffindor. Then again, he didn't trust many people, so it wouldn't make a huge difference anyway.

Black's words about his cousin were far more interesting for Severus than his relationship with his friend; Marvolo was quite capable of taking care of herself and seemed to be happy with the Gryffindor, his cousin, on the other hand, seemed to have changed quite a lot.
"That other guy, was not a certain death eater, was it? The one she's now going out with?" Severus asked suspiciously. He still didn't know whether he should be happy about his cousin's change of boyfriend or not. He did understand the jealousy Black had been feeling though. A feeling Severus knew just too well.

My actions. Sirius would have to think deeply about that. What was he going to do? Well, his actions didn't seem to displease Severus too much. At least, not those he did at the moment. Fair enough, Snape had a point. But if Sirius said everything that had happened with Morgan, clearly, he was sure Severus wouldn't be too pleased.

"You mean if he was Rabastan? No, it had nothing to do with Lestrange. It was another one. Lestrange came after. He and Gaunt, not Marvolo of course, got inside Morgan's head. I must say they did a nice job convincing her to believe in who she was." Sirius said proudly. Both he and Morgan were understanding who they were. And although they were separated, their lives would always be brought together by a force harder than steel. Hope.

Severus listened to Black in surprise, hearing that there might me someone else involved with the whole situation. 'The whole mess fits better,' he thought darkly and shook his head. He would find out what all this was about, but for now he put his questions behind.
"Morgan told me that Morana and Rabastan have been helping her find her confidence. She now knows that she is more special than the other people. I must admit I was quite shocked by the change in my cousin when I returned. She now behaves like a real pureblood. Her parents would be proud." he said thoughtfully.
His eyes gazed over the other boy's face, noticing a peculiar expression. "You still care for her, don't you?" Severus asked him.

Sirius nodded, a bit skeptical, and unsure about if that was the way to go or not. But forgetting that, it was true. How could he not care for someone he had loved. "Forgive me for the example I am about to use, but you still care for Lily. Even though you are now apart. Even if love fades, care will always be there. Whether you want it, or not." Sirius stated. His voice was strong, and obviously calm. Sirius had the intent of making Severus believe he was not only changed in terms of heart, but also in terms of mind. In a way, he had to. They were growing. Aging. So Sirius couldn't be the little kid that harassed Snape anymore.

Hearing Black speak Lily's name, Severus felt the old hatred burn bright in his heart and was about to lash out at him again. Yet he managed to keep himself in check at the last second. He was right afterall, Severus would always care deeply for Lily, no matter if she hated him now or not and if Black felt anything for Morgan that he felt for Lily, he could understand the other boy.
"Whether you want it or not ..." he muttered softly. That was quite right, he often wanted nothing more than to forget about Lily, but it wouldn't work. "I understand what you mean, I guess." It was hard to admit that the two of them might have something in common, but Severus could no longer deny it. Their feelings of love might be of a different nature, but the rest was the same.

Similar situations. When those were compared, the outcome depended on the conversation. But Sirius was enjoying this outcome. Severus seemed to understand that both he and Sirius had lost something close and important. And still held it in high standards. Sirius had hurt a lot of people. But Morgan was perhaps the one he had hurt the most. Sure James, Remus and Peter were hurt. And so was Lily. But Morgan? She turned to her dark side nearly as fast as a blink after their break up. Not that Sirius wasn't happy about it. Having someone like her on the "team" would help.

"I've done a lot of bad things. A lot of mistakes," he whispered. "Many involving you Severus," Sirius continued to speak, trying to make his way into a firm apology. "And for those bad things I did to you, I apologize." They were men. No longer small children who bullied each other. After nearly six years of playing around, Sirius had understood that hurting Snape wasn't the best thing to do. James seemed to have gotten that too. But no apologies were made. Maybe that could show Severus the difference between Sirius and James.

As soon as Sirius turned the conversation to their own troubled past, Severus' whole body tensed up and a suspisious expression appeared on his face again, his black eyes glittering dangerously. Black might now be on their side, but Severus wasn't stupid enough to expect that the Gryffindor's more than negative feelings towards himself had changed the slightest bit. Years of being pranked and humilated raced through his mind and the old hatred he had been feeling for Black and Potter was instantly back.
Severus knew that he would never be able to forget these years of torment, especially their last prank at the end of the past term. If Severus was honest with himself he knew it wasn't their fault that his and Lily's friendship had come to an end, still he couldn't help but blame them partly for pushing him far enough to say the filthy word to his friend.
Shaking his head to clear his mind of these thoughts, Severus pulled his anger back. The past could not be changed, but the future might be able to be improved. The last summer had taught him that there were worst things than childish bullying, no matter how much that had hurt him. Severus observed the Gryffindor in front of him closely, but could not detect any insincerity and had Severus himself not thought that Black might have matured a bit just shortly ago?
Biting his lip, he gave him a curt nod and said "I accept your apology, Sirius. That doesn't mean that I have forgiven you, not that I think I ever will, but I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless. It is something to work on at least." And they would have to work together from now on, seeing that they were on the same side and the dark lord didn't care for their feelings towards each other anyway.

Sirius wasn't entirely surprised in Severus's easy going reaction. They weren't exactly going at each other's throats. But still, Severus handled it better than what Sirius thought he would. Mentioning Lily, and then the atrocities that had happened between the two was surely a way to make Severus unstable. But he seemed to be taking it lightly.

Sirius agreed that Severus could only accept the apology. Surely with time he'd embrace forgiveness. "I'm sure with time we'll get to be less aggressive towards each other. Our mutual care for Marvolo can help us in that matter. But it can also destroy us..." He commented. Although they were on the same side, that didn't mean Sirius wasn't gonna lash out at Severus if needed. He'd surely do that with Rabastan. "...it depends on your actions." Sirius was trying to make it clear that if Severus made any sort of advance on Marvolo, Sirius would be on top of him before he could blink.

"I understand you have a special care for my girlfriend. And I'll allow you to remain that close to her. No problem will exist on my behalf in that matter. But if you get closer, my temper will escalate. I want this, uneasy, truce to work. So, promise me Marvolo is off bounds for you, and I promise to take good care of her." He stated firmly, in hopes Snape would understand that the amount of care existing between Sirius and Marvolo was of gigantic proportions.

At hearing the Gryffindor's almost possessive words, Severus couldn't help but chuckle slightly and had to hide his smirk. As if he needed to be jealous of Severus when it came to Marvolo, just like he had told Morgan, he had only friendly feelings for his friend and that was good. Between the two of them, it would never work, they were just too different where it counted.
"Don't worry Sirius, Marvolo is all yours. I'm just a good friend for her. You work much better anyway, always hot and cold. That's nothing for me." Severus told him.
The following words though made Severus' face darken and he sneered at Black. "Oh you allow me? Black, if Marvolo wanted to get closer to me and I wanted that as well, rest assured we wouldn't need your approval. And now stop being such a possessive idiot, it's senseless." he drawled and rolled his eyes. This was getting riddiculous.

Sirius finally got what he wanted. A trace that Severus still was the same old Snape. It made him smirk as well. Because if he thought that was being possessive, he had no idea of how Sirius truly was in that matter. But still, his following words somehow put a grin in his face. "Very well." He stated.

"Too bad she doesn't want to huh Snape?" he teased. Not in the old way he used to, just teasing Severus about his problems. This, to Sirius, was just plain funny. "You'll find a girl that likes potions someday." He said, as Severus had mentioned what made Sirius and Marvolo such a match. It could be hard. Snape didn't have the best personality when it came to girls. God knows how Lily was shocked at what he did. But still, it could be possible.

This time, Severus couldn't hide his amused smirk at the Gryffindor's teasing words. Who would have guessed that he would be found chatting more or less amiably with the other boy, Severus definitely wouldn't have believed it just an hour ago. "As if, Sirius, as if. I have set my eyes on someone already anyway and I'm sure Marvolo is over her crush on me." he couldn't help but throw this bit of information in the Gryffindor's face, watching his reaction closely.
"And it's not their intrest in potions that makes a girl attractive in my eyes, Sirius, but whether they are dependable and trustworthy or not." Severus said seriously. These were traits more important to him than a pretty face and easy sex, not that Black would understand. He seemed to enjoy Marvolo's rather open nature in that regard.

Severus had a point. Marvolo's interests weren't the reason Sirius came to her. He went to her because of her bold and exciting personality. "Already? You work fast." He commented, hearing Severus's following words carefully. "I was quite aware she was into both of us. At least last year." His smirk turned less bright and less wide, but was still there. Sirius teased Severus, he did the same. Why should Sirius be bothered?

"Trustworthy..." Sirius commented, as his eyes were narrowed a tad and his his head leaned down. "I also want that. But for now, only one girl I've been around has given me that." Sirius lifted his head, trying to put on his cocky smirk again. "It was actually your cousin." He expressed, trying to not show his sorrow. Why did it exist? Because Marvolo was not trustworthy. Not yet. Sirius was sure Severus was gonna catch that little hint and question Marvolo. If she hadn't told him about what she had done already.

A slight smirk slipped on Severus' face when he realized that Black tried to act like he didn't care. As if he would be fooled. Everyone would mind if their girlfriend were friends with someone they once had a crush on.
Ignoring the slight barb to his single status, Severus just shook his head and chuckled. "Sometimes I don't get how someone can have such feelings for several people at the same time. I heard she was also flirting with Rabastan?" Severus said and rolled his eyes. It was hard enough for him to admit having feeling for one person, but for several? No he couldn't comprehend that, but then again, he didn't have to.
Black's next words, made Severus' expression turn thoughtful, but could he really blame the other boy for mistrusting Marvolo, when Severus himself had the same feelings sometimes. She was a good friend, no doubt, but he had the feeling that it only lasted as long as one had the same goals and believes as herself, so he couldn't really talk to her about the doubts he was having about their lord.
But should he tell the Gryffindor about this? Severus opted to keep himself neutral and said "Morgan is a very trustworthy girl. There is only one other I trust as much as I trust her and it is not Marvolo. Still, it makes me wonder why you wouldn't trust your own girlfriend. Is it only healthy distrust or is it something more..."

Sirius heard a hard truth. Even if Marvolo was his, she'd never truly only be in love with him. That was another reason he didn't try to pursue a relationship back in the day. The other year had shown him a lot about Marvolo already. "Flirting? No. Much more, she was his supposed girlfriend when we were, well, flirting..." Sirius answered, a bit disappointed. Truth was, his girlfriend could never truly pick who she was going to stay with.

A cheating girlfriend couldn't be that trusted. If Sirius revealed that to Severus what she had done, he'd actually like to see what his opinion about her would be. Of course, who were they to judge. Sirius himself did not do that when Marvolo came to him at the gryffindor dormitory. But what about one's opinion. How much would it change? What would Severus see when looking at Marvolo? Something that could've happened with him? "Other than her constant swings in personality towards me, she does things that make you trust her even less. And to me...she's done a lot of things like that. You can say I know when to not trust her. Which happens to be too frequently."

Severus couldn't help but feel a sort of malicious glee that obviously Black's relationship with Marvolo wasn't as happy as one might think. After all the years it was like payback from a higher force. Karma, or however the muggles called it. He knew that his friend really seemed to love the Gryffindor, but that didn't changer her flirtatious nature, which was exactely the reason why it would have never worked out between her and Severus. If he committed hinself to someone it was for real and he expected the same from his lover.
"Yes, I heard that she was supposed to get together with Rabastan, but you seemed to have impressed her a bit more." he said with a smirk that turned thoughtful at the next words. Marvolo's actions obviously bothered the Gryffindor quite a lot and Severus wondered what exactely she must have done to inspire such distrust in him. He almost felt sorry for the other boy, first to lose the girl he loved and then he couldn't even trust new girlfriend. Still, Severus couldn't help but feel confused. "Isn't it hard to be with Marvolo when you can't even trust her completely? I don't know if I could do that. I would probably feel way to tense to let go around her." he said with a frown. No, actually he knew that he wouldn't be able to have a relationship like that, as trust was even more important to him than love itself.

Impressed her. Was that really what Sirius had done? He had yet to kill, or severely injure someone. Marvolo seemed to only like those sort of things. Sure she said that love was in the air. That she was madly addicted to Sirius. But was that all he was? Was Sirius simply an addiction to another insane girl? He had had enough of things like that with his supposed first love back before he even met Marvolo and Morgan. "Don't know if impressing is the word here. I think what impresses Marvolo is violence. And for now, Rabastan has showed a lot more violence than me. She probably just go curious about my...change." he responded, still a bit bothered by that love polygon. There were so many people involved, he didn't even want to count.

Sirius heard Severus's next words loud and clear. And it was truly a tough question to answer. "Love is a powerful thing. Much more powerful than what many people think. Love makes you give people second chances. Marvolo screwed up. Big time. But I forgave her. However, the lack of trust makes me not forget. So I can never trust her completely. That''s why I can be with her." he responded, trying to give the best explanation he could. Marvolo was full of surprises. And not all of them were good. But Sirius was a sucker for love.

Severus inclined his head as he contemplated Sirius' words. Maybe impress really wasn't the best word to use with Marvolo in this situation, but then again it was always hard to guess what was going on in the girl's mind. Sometimes Severus wondered what had happened to her to turn her into the witch she was now. "Maybe curious is the better word than. You and your friends were always the epitome of a Gryffindor and to think that you of all people would turn to our side was completely unexpected for all of us. Marvolo isn't the only one who is curious about this change of heart." he told the other boy.
At the next words, Severus had to frown again though. Love... Marvolo and Black talked of it like if was some sort of obsession, an addiction one could not escape and that they seemed to value more than anything else. This was something he couldn't understand. For him there was no love without trust, but also no trust without love. Then again, he had to admit that there were only two people he trusted and loved, though both in a different way. Maybe Black's greater experience with the subject made a difference after all.
"I don't think I can understand that..." he admitted honestly. "But I guess everyone feels different anyway, so if it works for you."

How could Severus understand? He had yet to have what young boys loved. A girlfriend. In due time, if he tried to be more social, at least one girl would fall for him. Definitely. But by then, he'd have to face things Sirius faced as a boy. How it hurt every time the couple fought. The trust issues. At least, Sirius had learned that as a little kid. To Severus, those feelings would be stronger and harder to live through. And with Snape in particular, only letting go of Lily seemed hard enough. And he hadn't even done that properly, like Sirius had stated earlier. No one could do so. "For now, I am indeed in love with Marvolo. And I want to see where this will lead. But love can also blind people. And I hope that doesn't happen to me or to her." Sirius stated calmly.

After all having a normal conversation with Severus wasn't all that difficult. But something he said made Sirius's ear begin to get more attentive. All of us... He smirked at the thought, looking down. "Were you too surprised when they told you? I mean, I just thought your reaction was gonna be of disbelief. Regulus told me it wasn't exactly like I thought." He exclaimed, rather interested in finding out how Severus had reacted to the news of Sirius's change. Just thinking about the reactions Snape could have made his smirk remain on his face. He wished he had been there.

Still partly confused by the conversation he had with the Gryffindor, Severus was somewhat relieved when Sirius changed the topic. He didn't deal all to well with feelings of uncertainty and confusion, as he always felt like not being in control of everything and if he admitted it, Severus was some kind of control freak. It gave him the stability and safety he needed to funktion properly
And when Marvolo and Regulus had told him about Black's actions, he had felt like that again. "I was definitely surprised. I mean just imagine how you would have reacted a year ago if you returned from your summer break and Potter told you that him and me were best friends now. This must be about how I have felt. The thing with Marvolo, your flirting gave me already some warning that you might get serious about it, but that you would actually join our side?" he shook his head. "I couldn't believe it and I think the conversation would have turned into a full blown fight with me deadly pissed had I not just returned from the dark lord. Inwasn't really up to fighting at that time..."
Severus trailed off here, of course he would not tell Black how emotionally draining it was to spend such a long time in close proximity to their lord. Constantly having to watch your back, how you acted, what you said, what you did, just so you wouldn't feel the man's anger in form of the cruciatus on you. "And while I was still trying to process what they had just told me, they were going on and on how much you had changed and that you and Marvolo work together and that you're truely one of us now." Severus looked up at Sirius and shrugged. "I just realized that fighting about it wouldn't make a difference, so I just accepted it and decided to keep an eye on you." he said with a slight smirk.

Severus Snape and James Potter best friends. Now that would be an even more surprising sight. But Sirius's turning was...expected by Regulus. Somehow, his brother had a feeling it was gonna happen. Possibly because Regulus always knew Sirius had a dark side waiting to come out. Many others knew this. James. Remus. But those two, they simply did not want to admit it.
"That, surely, would've given me quite a shock. And Marvolo's a bad influence on people," Sirius continued, now trying to joke a bit, after that whole relationship conversation. "I've met him, actually. Marvolo said I intrigued him. Most likely due to said change. How was your time with him? Is it stressful to be next to him?"

Sirius heard closely, and was pleased at how Marvolo and his brother seemed to be talking about him. "Getting in a fight in Marvolo is never too wise. Somehow, she finds a way of always winning." Sirius grinned immediately afterwards, as Severus exclaimed his intention on keeping tabs on Sirius. "Guess that's fine. Hope to not disappoint your watchful eye." he stated, with a wider smirk.