The Marauders: Year Six Part 2 #Wattys2017

Perhaps I Intend To

Perhaps I Intend To

Severus Snape was sitting in the pub off Knockturn Alley alone, and as himself. It felt good to be out of James Potter's uncomfortable body for longer than just the couple minutes he'd spent here and there between swigs of Polyjuice. Knockturn Alley was the only place he really felt safe letting down his guard like this, and this pub - Warlock's Brewery - was where he'd told Regulus to meet him. Before him sat a glass of butterbeer in a foggy mug with a chipped handle and behind him, at another table, there sat a hiccuping hag. Regulus stepped through the door nervously, looking around, and the bartender, a man with long dirty blonde hair that hung in his eyes so thick you couldn't even see his eyes glanced at Severus as his new guest arrived, and Severus motioned for two more butterbeers.

Regulus sat down.

Both of the dark haired boys stared at one another, neither speaking, and the blonde-haired bartender came over and dropped the two mugs before them on the table and shuffled away. Severus took his up, but Regulus left his where it was.

"It's rude to let a drink stand, Regulus," Severus Snape said low and cold. Then, reading Regulus's mind, "No. I did not poison it." He rolled his eyes.

Regulus said, "You can't blame me for wondering."

Severus rolled his eyes again in reply.

Regulus said, "Look, I came here because you said you were going to do some talking and so far all you've done is sat there and mocked me for not trusting you when, in fact, I found you yesterday, transfigured --"

"Polyjuiced," Severus corrected lowly. "It's a potion, not some pretty wand waving."

"-- to look like my brother's best friend," Regulus continued without missing a beat, "Who you are not, by the way --"

"Ugh and thank Merlin for it," Severus drawled. "Your brother is an absolutely idiotic bit of rubbish. If you could hear some of the filthy things that go through his mind..."

Regulus pursed his lips, more offended by this statement than he was willing to let on, and said, "So stop looking at his mind, then."

Severus smirked. "It takes barely any effort. A feeble mind is an unguarded mind."

Regulus had to use every ounce of control within him to keep his face straight, to keep his mind from lashing out. He said, "Look, Snape, I kept your secret alright? If you want me to go on keeping it I'm going to need to know the details. Otherwise... something might... slip."

Their eyes met for several long moments.

Severus leaned forward, "Fine. I'm impersonating James Potter to give the Dark Lord time with the real one." Severus's voice was low.

"Why does he need time with James Potter?" Regulus asked, trying to sound as disgusted as he could by the thought of spending time around Potter.

Severus looked pleased by this reaction, and he continued, "He's investigating what Potter knows about the Blind Seer, Mopsus, and his clocks."

Regulus said, "I know he's investigating the Blind Seer's clocks, he told me that much himself." Regulus wanted to make a point of showing Severus Snape that he knew just as much information as he did, and that he'd gotten it from exactly the same source as well. Severus frowned. "What I don't understand, Snape, is why you are impersonating James, for one (you're literally the last person that should be, seeing how much you hate him), and also what in Salazar's bloody knickers does the Dark Lord think James Potter knows about Mopsus?"