Three\'s A Crowd

Part - 10

Remus sighed as he opened the door to his chamber. He did feel a little better having spoken to Dumbledore about his suspicions. And Albus had seemed to be quite confident that things would work out between the four of them.

Four? Or was that the seven of them? Oh Merlin, in a few months there would be three children to consider as well. His and Harry\'s sons, Sirius\' daughter; how in the world would they work that out? Why could not just one of them have touched Severus? Why could it not truly have been Remus alone who had found the Slytherin that day?

Why did things have to be so damn complicated?

He had been preparing to take a sleeping draft to attempt to ease what he knew would be another long painful night when he realized that he was not alone. \"Sirius?\" He saw his old friend slumped in the chair by the fire. His eyes were locked on the flames.

\"Sirius, is there something wrong?\"

After a moment, the black haired man turned towards him. Remus gasped as he caught sight of the right side of his friend\'s face. He had a black eye.

\"What happened?\" Remus asked, then scowled. \"You idiot, you had to go after Severus!\"

\"Just use Avada Kadavra and get it over with.\" Said Sirius in a flat monotone, turning listlessly back to the fire.

\"What the hell is wrong with you, Sirius?\" demanded Remus angrily.

\"Sni... Severus has been treating Harry badly, so I went to see him,\" admitted Sirius.

\"You went to torment him with the curse.\" Remus\' voice was low with rage. \"Damn it, Sirius, why can you not leave him alone!\"

Ignoring his friend\'s justifiable anger, Sirius continued. \"I was just going to make him tell me some embarrassing stuff. Thought he would be too ashamed of being caught by me to run and tattle to Dumbledore.\"

\"Gods, Sirius, how could you?\"

\"I made him tell me how he lost his virginity. Every detail.\"

\"Oh, Merlin. Was it,\" Remus felt his stomach sink. \"Was it his father?\"

\"Not quite.\" Sirius looked up at his friend. \"It was the summer of our fourth year. His father took him to Knockturn Alley to help carry his packages. While they were in one of the seedier shops, a couple of men started following them. When his father confronted them, they asked if Severus was a virgin. When Sebastian told them that he was, they started making obscene suggestions. Offered his father money to let them deflower him.\"

Remus turned away with a shudder as Black continued. \"They paid the sick bastard sixty galleons. Severus was placed under Imperius and told to go with them to the back room. They also let Sebastian know that they had some friends that would like to play also. He would not get sixty galleons since Severus was not no longer a virgin, but they promised he could get ten. So whenever his father needed money during the summers, he took Severus back to that same shop. The proprietor was more than happy to let them use the back room, as long as he got to watch.\"

\"My god, Severus,\" Remus whispered. Then he looked at Sirius. \"He was going through that alone while we treated him like... Merlin, is he alright?\"

\"When I released him from my command, he did not say a word, just decked me,\" noted Sirius rubbing his eye. \"Then he pointed to the door. I wished he would have yelled or hexed me, anything but that look.\"

\"No,\" Remus whispered.

\"So many things make sense now. How he turned really introverted when he came back to school that year. It was the beginning of our fifth year that he seemed to stop washing his hair too,\" Sirius said softly. \"You remember?\"

\"Shut up, Sirius,\" Remus growled. \"Just shut up!\" He could not even look at his friend any longer. He ran for the door leaving Sirius alone. Remus just kept running till he found himself standing outside of Dumbledore\'s office.

He had not intended to go there, and immediately turned to leave. What Severus had been forced to tell Sirius was not for him to share. If Severus wanted Albus to know, he would have told him.

He had not in close to twenty years. But it was Severus\' story to tell. It should never have been forced from him like that. Sirius was so irresponsible, just as he had been in school. His jokes had seemed so funny at the time. Even when they caused harm, it was always something small. A few bruises, a cut, broken bones, a concussion, it was not until the incident at the Shrieking Shack that Sirius had even begun to consider the consequences of his actions.

\"Remus, my boy, I was not expecting you until morning,\" noted Dumbledore from the top of the stairs in his blue dressing gown.

\"Oh, Albus, I was just walking and...\"

\"It looks as if you were just running,\" The older man said gently. \"But you did not know where you were running to?\"

\"I, it is complicated.\"

\"Things often are. I believe that the castle decided that you needed to speak to me.\"

\"The castle decided?\" Remus repeated.

\"There is much more to Hogwarts then stone and wood.\" The Headmaster affectionately stroked the wooden doorframe. \"Come on up, my boy, I believe that we have a few more things to discuss.\" Remus found himself mounting the stairs.

He began to wonder if he shouldn\'t just move into the Headmaster\'s office!


tbc