the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 9 - Dog Star

"Got your letters," Harry told him. "They helped. Can you stay?"

"I'll stay," Sirius promised. "For as long as I can. As long as I stay out of sight it should be all right. Remus is coming too."

"Good," Harry smiled again, for the absent werewolf this time, and Severus felt the pang again tugging at his heart.

"Albus told me what happened," Sirius told Harry gently. "Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine, Sirius," Harry assured him, though Severus was fairly certain the boy was still in a great deal of pain. The wounds he'd received were not yet all the way closed. No doubt his muscles ached too from the strain of battle, and the forced healing they'd been through. "Dumbledore and Severus saved me."

Severus's eyes widened at Harry's words, not certain what he was more shocked by - the acknowledgement of what he'd done, or the use of his first name. Sirius was obviously just as shocked by his words.

"Severus?" he asked in disbelief.

Harry's eyes fluttered again and it was obvious he was fighting to stay awake. "Don't fight, okay?" he whispered. "Don't want you to fight." Severus understood then, both the words and the use of his name. He was protecting him! The little brat was actually trying to protect him while lying here half dead himself. He was protecting him from his godfather's temper, or perhaps simply protecting his godfather from finally committing the crime for which he was being hunted. Either way he was putting himself between them - forcing Sirius to acknowledge both the life debt between them, and the marriage that bred such familiarly.

"Harry?" Sirius asked in confusion. But the young man was down for the count, out like a light again. Sighing in frustration Sirius leaned forward and kissed Harry lightly on the forehead. Then pulling up a chair he sat down next to the bed opposite Severus.

"You do realize that if you ever hurt him, I'll rip your throat out," Black said stiffly.

"Figured as much," Severus agreed mildly.

"Good." Sirius folded his arms and glared across the bed at him.

Severus sighed. It was going to be a long wait.

Several hours later sometime after the evening meal Severus Snape was witness to an odd sight. He'd of course been expecting the arrival of Remus Lupin - Black had said as much to Harry. And truth be told Lupin looked much as he had last time Severus had seen him. What he hadn't expected to see was the way Black immediately jumped up at the sight of him, crossed the room and threw his arms around him in a fierce hug. Nor could Severus quite explain the somewhat pained look on Lupin's face as he returned the hug awkwardly. By the time Black drew back, face lit up with a brilliant smile, all sign of discomfort was gone from Lupin's face, replaced instead by concern for Harry.

"How is he?" he asked Black quietly.

Black led him over to the bed, one arm draped almost possessively over Lupin's shoulder. Seeing Severus' look of surprise, Lupin actually flushed under his gaze. Black didn't seem to notice.

"Severus," Lupin greeted with a brief nodded as he took the seat Black had just abandoned. Severus suspected he'd sat down simply to get out from under the arm Black had put around his shoulder.

"Remus," Severus greeted back, keeping his tone as cordial as he could. He was a bit baffled by the behavior he had just witnessed, quickly coming to the conclusion that something important had changed in the dynamics of the two Marauders.

He'd first seen Remus Lupin in the Great Hall during their sorting ceremony in first year. He only noticed the small, honey-haired boy because of his so obvious attempt to remain unnoticed. The boy stood apart from the rest of the first years, kept his head shyly down, darted nervous looks at those around him, not daring to even join in the excited whispers of those around him. And then the sorting had begun and Severus had seen something he remembered to this very day.