Chapter 2
"You damned ignorant fool! Insane son of a bitch, what the bloody hell were you thinking?"
Severues reflected, and not for the first time, that Sirius Black was an obnoxious twat. He gathered up the shreds of his self-control and turned to face the maddening Gryffindor.
"Black," he said, acknowledging the other man's uninvited presence in his potions lab. "Would you be so kind as to explain just what it is you are doing here?"
Severus did not move around the table as he spoke; he wasn't an idiot. He knew that Sirius Black was unpredictable at best, and when angered, he was so much worse than a child in a dangerous potions lab... liable to explode, hugely and messily, with injuries to those around him almost guaranteed.
Severus was also keenly aware of the nearly paralyzing pain radiating from his arm. He'd made a choice last night, when the opportunity presented itself. He could only hope it was the right one. The Slytherin didn't notice Sirius advancing on him until the other man was right in front of him, reaching out to him.
"Severus," he said. "Please, tell me you didn't go through with that fool plan of yours. There are other options!" Sirius was pleading with his friend, begging to hear only good things. He'd been fighting on the front-lines of this war for far too long and had seen far too many of their friends die before his eyes. He needed to know that his closest friends, the people most dear to him, were safe.
But as he stood there, staring into his friends eyes, he knew exactly what Severus had done.
"Oh, sweet Merlin!" Sirius' voice was strangled. As was his way, he still tried hard to joke. "Moony is going to kick your arse for this, you do know that, right?" he asked, attempting a smile.
Severus could only nod in reply. He moved slowly, careful not to jar his damaged arm, and guided Sirius into one of the chairs by the fire. In truth, he was glad that it was Sirius who'd found out first. Coming from a family of predominantly dark wizards, Sirius could understand the sacrifices battle called for. James would have given him a long, drawn-out speech about what a bad decision this was and how could Severus be so ignorant? Lily would have almost immediately started researching, looking for a way to reverse the problem. And Remus? Well, Moony would have hexed him first, lectured him second about idiocy and dark magic, and asked questions third. Sirius, thankfully, had only been shocked.
Once he had Sirius settled in the chair, Severus knelt before him and pulled up his sleeve; he would not be ashamed of this decision. The two men stared at the gruesome mark in Severus' flesh, both uncharacteristically silent. The wound was red, inflamed, as if it had been continually aggravated since it's creation.
"I had to do it, Sirius. You know, just as well as I, that we need someone we can trust on the inside. Someone with the right talents to appeal to the Dark lord." Severus paused, drawing in a ragged breath. "While I was out yesterday, picking up some supplies, Lucius Malfoy approached me..."
"Damn it, Severus!" It seemed that all Sirius was doing tonight was yelling at his friend. "You were in Knockturn Alley again, weren't you? Do you know how many people have been killed there? Or how many just disappear? What were you thinking?"
Guilt flashed across Severus' face and he looked away. He was truly sorry for frightening his friend, but, "It's still not right." He said, "I haven't found the right combination yet and I know I'm close to it!" He didn't have to explain what he meant. After all, they were both close friends with Severus' subject alpha and they both knew that Severus would not stop until he'd created a solution.
"Sev," Sirius clasped his friend's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. "Damn it, Severus, what have you done? What have you done?"
Tears were falling from Sirius' eyes in a steady stream of silver. He didn't notice them though, as he clung to one of his closest friends.
"James? Lily? Are you there?" A voice called frantically from the fireplace. When no reply came, the voice called out again, even louder, "James! Get your arse down here right now! We need to talk! It's Severus, he's gone and done something Gryffindor-ish!"
'Oh, that isn't good," James thought groggily, coming awake slowly. Lily Potter stirred slightly as her husband of a mere week and a half stood and stumbled out of their bedroom, heading for the living area.
"What the hell do you want, Sirius?" he snarled, only partially angry with his friend.
"James? Good, I was wondering when, or even if, you'd manage to pull yourself from your lovely, lovely wife." At James' glare, Sirius pressed on, "It's Severus, James. The idiot did it! After we told him not too, he bloody went and did it anyway!
"I need you and Moony to get here as soon as you can. Maybe we can find a way out of this mess; we've had to get out of tougher scrapes before, right?"
James could only nod, helplessly agreeing with Sirius' frantic words. Yes, if Severus had done it, if he had actually joined Voldomort's Death Eaters, then the Marauders would stand behind him. For years the four had been inseparable and this was just another test... they would survive.