As the Sorting Hat yelled “Slytherin!”, the table rose in applause, but Severus watched the boy sit there, eyes wide in shock.
“Mr. Black,” Slughorn called, and the boy’s head jumped towards him. "You should move to your table now."
“I’m not going to Slytherin.” He said disbelievingly. “Please, I should be somewhere else- I’m nothing like- there’s been a mistake!” He protested, and the Slytherin table were now giving each other questioning and taken aback looks, some glaring at him coldly.
“The Sorting Hat doesn’t make mistakes, Mr. Black, please move to your table.” Slughorn said and the boy remained in his seat with begging eyes. “Now.”
Black bit his lips with a frown and looked at the other rude boy who was with him on the train, waving disappointedly and slipping down the chair to the Slytherin table that were now all equally offended. He sat awkwardly at the end of the table as they called the next student to go up to the Hat, and Severus hoped he would be sorted were he wanted.
And he was. Without Lily.
A sixth year Prefect - Lucius Malfoy, as he introduced, led the first years to the dungeons, walking them through daily routines and information that Severus mostly knew.
Malfoy also caught two of their yearmates snickering behind Severus’ back, sending them glares that had them shut up immediately.
The boy, Sirius Black, however, spent the entire time following with a quiet frown.
After Malfoy dropped them off at their dorm, the rest of their year swept back out to the common room until it was only Severus and Black left.
He sat down on his bed and smiled as he lay back on the soft mattress and started bouncing his leg. It felt amazing. He kicked his shoes off and jumped on the bed and chuckled as he rolled to his side on the pillow.
“Why are you laughing?” Black huffed, and Severus flinched, sitting up defencively with a frown.
“None of your business.” He glared.
“You’re laughing at me, it is my business.” Black glared back.
Severus blinked. “I wasn’t laughing at you.”
“Then who were you laughing at? The fish in the lake?” Black mocked.
Severus wanted to say they did actually look quite funny, but decided against it. “I just liked the bed. It’s soft and bouncy, I like it.”
Black watched him, his glare fading away slowly. “Oh.” He said. “Alright.” He said, sitting down on the bed, quietly.
“You don’t have to look so disappointed, you know.” Severus said after a while and Black rolled his eyes.
“What do you know.” He whispered, mostly to himself. “My family’s horrible.” He then looked up angrily. “And they’ve all been in Slytherin! Each and every one of them!” He said. “And now I’m here too!”
“So?”
“So?! I’m going to be just like them! Like my cruel, hateful mother, someone who’d hex and curse anyone and anything they don’t like!” He cried.
“Merlin himself had been in Slytherin, you sure don’t think Merlin had been something like that.” Severus raised a brow.
Black eventually calmed down again, his blazing eyes and angry breathing coming down to a little thoughtful frown, so Severus continued.
“It’s all up to you, you know? You can be good no matter where you are, and you also don’t need to be in Slytherin to be cruel.” He said.
“But everyone here’s Dark.” Black protested again.
Severus scoffed. “Mum says long ago there wasn’t any of this Light and Dark bullshit. It’s all just magic, you can blind someone with a Lumos Maxima if you try, it’s all some stupid crap that’s been going around in the recent centuries.” Severus said, then lowered his voice. “Politics and stuff, she says.” He said. “As I said, it’s what you decide to do.”
Black smiled. “You talk like grandfathers.” Severus smiled as well and they fell silent for some time.
“Actually, you know what, Sirius?- you're Sirius, right?”- he nodded – “Now you’re family’s gonna think that you'll be just like them, right?” Severus asked and Sirius nodded with a frown. “So guess how they’d look when you turn out to be the opposite in the end. Never gonna see that coming.” Severus smirked and he thought it would’ve taken a miracle, but the boy’s face slowly grew into a huge grin, his eyes shining with mischief this time, and then broke into a cheerful laugh.
“Merlin’s beard, you’re a genius!” He laughed. “Hmm, yes, I can do that. Gladly!” He dropped back on the bed happily.
***
Sirius was whispering with those Gryffindor friends of his, and Severus eyed his cauldron worriedly. He hadn’t added the lavender yet, and judging from the bubbles, the cauldron was not long from blowing up.
Severus reached over Lily and tapped Sirius’ arm, he raised a hand gesturing “wait a second”, and Severus and Lily exchanged looks as the now orange looking potion bubbled much faster than it should have. It would take a miracle for it to not explode.
“Sirius!” Severus whisper-shouted, with Slughorn strolling around. Fuck it. He huffed and reached forward, grabbing the lavender, dicing it up quickly, when Slughorn had barely turned his head.
Sirius finally looked back. “What?- Shitshitshi-“ His eyes widened as he saw the fuming potion, and Severus threw in the lavender the last moment, the liquid calming down slowly, the colour turning to a glassy pink.
“Fuck, Sev, thank you!” Sirius breathed out.
Severus gave him a look.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll try to focus in class, sorry.” Sirius gave a sheepish grin.
Severus shook his head and turned his attention back to his own cauldron. Well, hopefully he'd finally manage.
***
Potter and Pettigrew's hateful hurl of laughter echoed in his ears and his head spun painfully as he tried to stand back up but failed. He thought maybe he'd give himself some time until the effects of the curse fade away, but another curse hit him in the chest right then, cutting his breath for some horrifically long moments. He struggled to breathe and raised his wand, yet with the images floating in front of his eyes he could barely see a thing, let alone focus well enough on the two to cast something.
His head throbbed and he groaned at the pain, catching Potter say something along the lines of "Finish this in style." and a curse being yelled and he thought not even a miracle could save him from a couple nights in the infirmary this time.
But he must've been completely numb, because he didn't feel a thing hit him, someone yelled "Leave him alone." and he just laid his head on the ground, trying to manage his breathing while he could.
The hallway quieted down eventually and his head was turned to the side, someone asking him if he was alright, and he would've hexed the idiot it he wasn't a total mess, because do I look alright?
Severus slowly opened his eyes in the dark, to the unfortunately familiar view of the infirmary's high ceiling.
"He's awake!" Lily cried. "Madame Pomfrey!" She called and ran off.
He tried to sit up, but someone stopped him, holding him down.
"What- no, no no, Sev, lay back, your head's still injured." Sirius.
Severus rolled his eyes and huffed weakly in protest, but laid back down.
"How are you feeling?" Sirius quietly asked.
"Alive." He breathed out and heard Sirius sigh.
"They've done this before?" He asked again.
"Uh, yeah, a couple hundred times give or take."
"Why you never told me anything then?" Sirius huffed.
"Told you what? That your friends been-" Severus said with a scoff.
"You're my friend!" Sirius cut him.
"Yeah we're friends, but they've been your close friends for four fucking years. Don't need to point out the difference, do I, Sirius?"
"Well they're not. Not anymore." Sirius huffed impatiently again.
"Why not?" Severus asked after a silent bit.
"Make a guess." Sirius said with an unimpressed look that reminded Severus of Lucius and his interactions with first years and he chuckled quietly.
"So it was you who..."
"Cast the shield, yeah."
Severus laughed. "Yeah, what other idiot would ask if I were alright when I'm lying on the floor half dead."
"Oh, fuck you, Severus! I was panicking, alright?!" Sirius shot but ended up in a laugh as well.
***
Severus was absolutely fucked. Literally, and officially fucked.
The Slug Club Christmas party was tomorrow night, and from the people who had stayed over for the Christmas break, he barely knew anyone who was participating, and as far as he knew, they all already had dates. Much unlike Severus who had procrastinated asking someone in all the possible ways: Spending extra extra hours in the library, sneaking to the Forbidden Forest to find ingredients he didn't even need, writing about half a dozen poems and learning how to draw kittens.
He needed a miracle, a big, big miracle sent by Merlin himself, and maybe then, he could probably find someone.
He looked around the common room and to their yearmates. He could ask Mulciber, but he wasn't sure if he wasn't going with that sixth year Ravenclaw. He could ask Beatrice Madison, but she only liked girls and maybe he could ask her to go as friends-
"What's got you all sulking, Sev?" Sirius sat down beside him, offering him an Acid Pop.
"Why do you eat these." Severus frowned at the pack of Acid Pops on Sirius' lap.
"Because they're tasty."
"They burn your fucking tongue." Severus frowned.
"Only if you're an amateur." Sirius rose a finger and an eyebrow smugly. "Uh, so." He cleared his throat. "You're going to the party tomorrow, right?"
Severus nodded with a sigh.
"So who're you going with?" He asked.
"No one, I guess. And that's why I'm sulking."
"Huh." Sirius said. "Lucky for you, I haven't asked anyone either." He said and gave a grin.
"What?" Severus looked at him. "Why?"
"Surprising as sounds, it's sometimes hard to build up the courage, okay?" Sirius rolled his eyes impatiently. "So?" He asked and Severus tilted his head for him to continue and Sirius cleared his throat more decisively this time. "Will you go with me?"
"What-" Severus blinked. "Merlin- yes!"
They laid on top of the Astronomy tower and Sirius laughed heartily at something he'd just said, pointing at whatever constellation in the sky, but Severus didn't really care.
Not at all.
He thought maybe they should've had a little less FIrewhiskey, should've probably not taken Severus' Prefect badge as a sign they wouldn't get in trouble, because looking at the way Sirius smiled at the sky now, his lazy eyes watching the stars, Severus felt he was in a huge trouble, and he thought maybe they'd named him Sirius because his eyes shone so bright, or maybe because he was more beautiful than anything in the night sky, brighter than anyone, and he felt his heart jump a beat as his eyes moved from those grey eyes to his lips, curled in a smile, and oh, he was surely in trouble.
And he thought, fuck miracles.
And sat up on his elbows, catching Sirius' face in his and he thought he could blame the alcohol tomorrow, if it didn't go well, and kissed him deep, making up for all the times he hadn't and fingers were in his hair, and a hand on his back, and he knew he was in trouble because fucking dammit, he would probably never want him to let go.