There’s More Than One Way To Skiin a Cat
Severus Snape hated the word hero, not because the wizarding world considered him one, but because of the hypocrisy. How can he be called a hero when thousands of lives were lost in the middle of the war?
And yet, here he was, saving a small black fluff from the rain, more specifically, a black cat that appeared in front of his door at Spinner’s end, injured and half dead.
“You gotta be kidding me” Severus said when opening the door and looking at the cat. They stared at each other for a minute or so before moving aside and letting the animal come inside at a slow pace.
“Well?” He said “I’m not a veterinarian, you know.” The cat simply looked at him and a small pained meow was heard. In the end he applied a few spells here and there and applied some ointments where a leg was certainly broken and some scratches on the belly were seen.
It was all a parody. The war just ended no more than a week ago, with no one exactly knowing what happened, only that most of the Order confronted Voldemort and in the most miraculous outcome, was defeated.
Everyone known was at the field fighting against Death Eaters, Severus included. It was his first fight on the side of light after pleading with Albus Dumbledore to save sweet Lily Evans after hearing the infamous prophecy.
Yes, Lily Evans became a mom but while everyone thought for a couple of years that she would end up together with James Potter, the baby came to this world with not one, but two moms.
In the end, Severus started learning to get over his platonic love, but still loving the witch, fighting a war that lasted too long. Fortunately, and against all odds, in the end he was cleared from all charges and not going to Azkaban, or worse, receiving a dementor’s kiss.
It was all a parody, after many years of drama, of longing and of sourness, that he ended here at his depressive family home with specifically this black cat.
Snape sighed, knowing that for today he could not do anything about his uninvited visitor. Opposite to what others may think, yes he hated humans but had a hidden a soft spot for animals and it was even worse that this one was injured.
Putting a bowl of water and another with tuna, Severus was hesitant about the next course of action. “I feel stupid talking alone you know, but I guess you are not going to eat cat’s food.”
No answer given, but apparently the animal was already dosing off.
“Well, make yourself home, I guess.”
One of the benefits of being Severus Snape was that absolutely no one bothered him. No friends looking after him after the war asking if he was ok, and with his trial out of the way, the dark haired man was not needed anywhere.
Well, he had one person he could call a friend but alas, destiny was a cruel thing to believe in.
Days passed, and the black cat was visibly better and still around. Sometimes looking at Severus like judging him, some other times simply sleeping or snooping around while recovering. Funnily enough, when it was hungry it started scratching the sofa.
“That’s not funny you know?”
No answer given.
After two weeks, Severus found the situation ridiculous because he knew exactly what was happening and while he enjoyed having another soul around and even better one in animal form, he knew he had to say something.
“You know you have to return some day, Regulus.”
A hiss.
“And you know that I know who you are hiding from.”
A very loud hiss.
Severus didn’t say another word. In fact, most of his days were in total silence because he truly felt ridiculous trying to have a one sided conversation. Not exactly meaning that Regulus was very talkative in his human form but he knew that he would not achieve a real answer there.
The Horrocruxes did exist, and only a few knew about them. One of them being Regulus, who was the one who went on a quest to destroy them, and absurdly so, Severus who was a little sneaky snake and discovered what was happening at Grimmauld Place (an almost fatal error in Regulus' books) since he was working along the younger Black producing potions for the Dark Lord.
They fought and Regulus almost killed Snape, but the older one quickly explained that he also wanted the Lord destroyed.
“So, are you on the side of Light?”
“No, I’m on my own side” answered Regulus.
What came next was that Walburga and Orion’s younger son disappeared at some point, some people believing he was dead, some others believing that he was a traitor.
Nevertheless, Severus was the only one who knew the truth. That Regulus was on a quest against death, and if victorious he would become a hero, whether he wanted it or not. And because defeating a Dark Lord is not an easy feat, what transcurred was that from time to time, Black would meet Snape in hidden places, share information and help each other out. While Severus was still in the dark ranks, Regulus was around looking for the pieces of Tom Riddle’s soul. While they do not called each other friends, they knew they were, at least, close acquaintances working for the same goal.
Days before the final battle, the potion maker was already in the Order’s ranks and that’s exactly how he was the one to give the intel about fighting the dark side after learning from Regulus himself that the last horcrux was destroyed. Of course, Dumbledore did not believe him at first but somehow he acquiesced.
The final battle came, and Regulus disappeared.
Until he came in the form of a black cat, another fact that only two people in the world knew, one being Severus, the other one, one that he would not simply say his name out loud for fear of invoking him. After all, black cats are bad luck.
One month later and the damned black cat was still around Spinner’s End.
And again, as ridiculous as this might sound everything became very domestic, something that not everyone would believe since the cat acted like a cat and Severus started to believe that he might be wrong about it being Regulus Black or, that the wizard simply was trying to forgot that he was human.
Probably the second, as a coping mechanism, but who was he to tell.
First thing in the morning, and with Severus having nothing else to do after the war, his routine was simple. Wake up, have breakfast, go to his lab and work on potions, (he had his own coping to do), lunch, more potions, and dinner. Probably read in the afternoon.
And in every single thing he was doing, the cat was following him, or at least looking what he was doing. Human or animal, the judging eyes were the same.
Funnily enough, Reg was doing cat things like sleeping on the couch, playing around and even sleeping on Snape’s bed, something that he was finding amusing and exasperating at the same time.
“You know if i were to tell your boyfriend that we are sleeping together he would Crucio me” Snape would say with a smirk on his face.
Another loud hiss, louder than all the previous ones.
Because Snape was a little shit who knew how to press the right buttons.
Because Regulus Black was in love with James Potter when they were at Hogwarts.
Because Sirius’s brother went on to become a Death Eater with a master plan in his mind and with no one else to tell because he did not want anyone in danger, least of all the ones he secretly loved, his lover and his brother.
And because everyone believed, James included, that Regulus died.