Secrets- A Severus Snape Story

Chapter 7- Sirius Black In The Flesh

At Ron's sudden revelation Harry wheeled around.

With a snap, the man in the shadows closed the door behind them.

A mass of filthy, matted hair hung to his elbows. If his eyes hadn't been shining out of the deep, dark sockets, he might have been a corpse. The waxy skin was stretched so tightly over the bones of his face, it looked like a skull. His yellow teeth were bared in a grin. It was Sirius Black.

"Expelliarmus!" he croaked, pointing Ron's wand at them. 

Harry's and Hermione's wands shot out of their hands, high in the air, and Black caught them. Then he took a step closer. His eyes fixed on Harry.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," he said hoarsely. His voice sounded as though he had long ago lost the habit of using it. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful ... it will make everything much easier ..."

The taunt about his father rang in Harry's ears as though Black had bellowed it. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack ... to kill. Without knowing what he was doing there was sudden movement on either side of him and two pairs of hands grabbed him and held him back. "No Harry!" Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron however spoke to Black.  

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us, too!" he said more fiercely, though the effort of standing up had drained him of still more colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Something flickered in Black's shadowed eyes.

"Lie down." he said quietly to Ron. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

"There'll only be one murder here tonight," said Black, and his grin widened.

"Why's that?" Harry spat, trying to wrench himself free of Ron and Hermione. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew .. Whats the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?" 

"Harry!" Hermione whimpered. "Be quiet!" 

"HE KILLED MY FAMILY! Harry roared, and with a huge effort he broke free of Hermione and Ron's restraints and lunged forwards - 

One of Harry's hands fastened over Black's wasted wrist, forcing the sandpits; the knuckles of Harry's other hand collided with the side of Black's head and they fell, backwards, into the wall -

 Hermione was screaming; Ron was yelling; there was a blinding flash as the wands in Black's hand sent into the air a jet of sparks which missed Harry's face by inches; Harry felt the shrunken arm under his fingers twisting madly, but he clung on, his other hand punching every part of Back he could find.

But Black's free hand found Harry's throat -

"No," he hissed. "I've waited too long - "

The fingers tightened, Harry chocked his glasses askew.

Then he saw Hermione's foot swing out of nowhere. Black let g of Harry with a grunt of pain. Ron had thrown himself on Black's wand hand and there was a faint clattering sound - 

Harry threw himself towards his now free wand - "Argh!" 

Crookshanks had joined the fray; both sets of front claws had sunk themselves deep into Harry's arm; Harry threw him off but Crookshanks now darted towards Harry's wand - 

"NO YOU DON'T!" roared Harry, and he aimed a kick at Crookshanks that made the cat leap aside, spitting; Harry snatched up his wand and turned - 

"Get out the way!" he shouted at Ron and Hermione.