Some Day | Wolfstar

Fifteen

By some unspoken arrangement, Sirius Black and Severus Snape ended up walking to the hospital wing together. The previous considerations of possible tainted reputations or suspicions resulting from them seen together no longer held any power over either of them.

Either way, they met no one on their way except for Professor Slughorn, whose eyebrows raised in surprise, and a couple of unsuspecting fourth year Hufflepuffs - on their way to the library with quills and parchment in hand.

The hospital wing was deserted except for Regulus. Madam Pomfrey made no effort to hide her surprise upon seeing the two boys together. There rivalry was by no means a secret. It was simply left to itself, to either fester into something more, or to resolve itself.

Sirius didn't bother greeting her. He simply walked over to Regulus. A small black vein was almost touching where his heart would be.

"It won't make any difference," Severus said softly, glancing at Madam Pomfrey who was arranging vials of potions on a rack, far away from them. Sirius looked at him, puzzled.

"Whether it reaches his heart or not. It won't kill him," Severus explained. "So he'll just... be unconscious? Forever?"

"Unless something else kills him, yes." His dark eyes fell on Sirius' wand. "Ebony? Quite good for Dark Arts," he said.

Sirius looked at him. "Shame, it'll go to waste," he said lowly. He stepped closer to Regulus, and stood watching him for what Severus felt like three hours.

Quietly, they left the hospital wing. "Is he not going to wake up? Ever?" Sirius asked as they walked towards the fourth floor corridor.

"Unti we find the cure, there's no waking him up. The condition is permanent, it doesn't wear off."

Sirius halted. Noticing that he was walking alone, Severus turned around.

"We?" Sirius frowned. Severus opened his mouth to correct himself, but realised that he didn't want Regulus to die either. They were by no means friends, himself and Regulus. Severus neither had nor needed friends. And Regulus had been acting different ever since he got back, almost avoiding Severus.

But they'd spent so much time talking potions and trying to improve their skills at hexes and jinxes together. He didn't have a lot of friends, and Regulus had come as close to a friend as Severus could have.

He wasn't doing it for Sirius or even Regulus. He was doing it for the one person in the entire school who had taken the time to get to know him.

"But you're not like them, Severus. You're... You're good!"

He would do it for her. He knew he wasn't a good person. But he could do one good thing.

"You really have two options... or three. You do it with your friends, you do it with me, or you do it yourself," Severus said. "Your friends will want to tell the teachers. Regulus will have to be expelled for meddling too much with the Dark Arts, even if he's cured. And do you really think you'd be able to do it yourself?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Academic purposes, Sirius. I know they hardly mean anything to you. I helped develop this curse. If anything, I am bound to find a cure for it."

Sirius had never taken Severus as a person of honour, but he didn't care. Severus was right. Remus had already proposed going to McGonagall.

He handed the book to Severus, who pocketed it. They started walking again.

"Next Friday, midnight. Slughorn's cupboard," Severus said as they reached the Grand Staircase. The two boys parted; one descending towards the Slytherin dungeons, the other strolling up towards Gryffindor tower entrance.