fatal love

chapter 82

When Sirius got back to Gryffindor Tower, it was well past midnight. He felt exhausted, and he knew he'd have to deal with a torrent of shit from James tomorrow, but whatever. He didn't care.

He'd let himself get too sucked into the Marauders, and he'd forgotten that he was the Heir, first and foremost. What he'd done to Snape might not have been pretty, but it had been necessary. He always had to make sure he was respected, and Snape had just taken it too fucking far.

When he entered the Common Room, he expected it to be empty. But it wasn't. Remus was sitting in one of the armchairs, staring at Sirius from where he'd just come through the portrait.

"Hey Moony," Sirius sighed.

"James told me."

Sirius shrugged. "Okay. Just do me a favour, and have a go at me tomorrow, yeah?"

"For fucks sake, Sirius, this isn't a joke!" Remus yelled angrily, standing up. "Is it true? Did you Crucio him?"

Sirius looked at Remus evenly. "Yeah, I did. He deserved it."

"No he didn't! No one deserves that!"

"Well, that's life. If you insult the House of Black, you're going to get punished. Snape should have known that."

"Oh my God," Remus said quietly, staring at Sirius disbelievingly. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"You want to know what he said, Remus? He was laughing at me, about how Walburga Crucios me. I thought he should see what it was like." Sirius chuckled. "Then he wasn't laughing."

Remus shook his head. "That wasn't right, Sirius. How could you do that?"

"I have other questions. Like how he knows what Walburga does in the first place."

Remus paused. "What are you talking about?"

"Who did you tell?" Sirius hissed.

"Me?! I didn't tell anyone!"

"Really? Not even Evans? I know you talk to her about me. Maybe you told her, and then she told Snape. Seems pretty fucking likely from where I'm standing."

Remus kept looking at him like that, like he couldn't believe the things coming out of Sirius' mouth. "I never said a word to anyone," he said firmly.

"Well then who did, Remus? Because I know James wouldn't. And you two are the only people I told."

"I don't know, but it wasn't me!"

Sirius snorted. "Whatever. What's done is done, Dumbledore won't let Snape talk."

"What do you mean? You aren't expelled?"

"Nah. Dumbledore could never expel the Heir," he smirked.

"So... you just got away with it?"

"Yep."

Remus shook his head. "Jesus fucking Christ... you just..." He looked up, meeting Sirius' eyes. "And how do you feel now?"

Sirius shrugged. "Like I wanna go to bed, I dunno. I don't feel much of anything, to be honest."

"Christ, you really are just like them."

"What?" Sirius asked sharply. "Like who?"

"You are," Remus said slowly, as if he was just realising something for himself. "You're just another Black."

"Is that a problem?"

"It's... I can't be friends with someone like you, Sirius. I can't be friends with someone who fucking tortures people they don't like, and who doesn't even feel bad about it!"