The Sweetest Taste

Chapter Two: You're a Nice One, Mr. Snape

Severus was thankful when Remus finally showed him to his room. He was exhausted and his body was aching and begging him for rest. He also didn't feel like being around Black, who retained that odd blend of mischief and hatred in his eyes. Severus wasn't sure whether to consider himself special or doomed, knowing full well that this look was reserved just for him. The room was small, but cozy. Much to his relief, it wasn't too ostentatious. The walls were undecorated and painted a neutral gray. The floors were covered in black carpet, Severus noted, probably due to the fact that there was a young child in the house. The carpet was pleasant against his bare feet as he walked across the room to his bed, onto which he practically fell. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

"So, Severus...what do you want to do when you're finished with school?"

The question was innocent, only increased in its purity by Lily's sweet voice. Severus observed her with his fond gaze. She held a stick in her right hand which had been knocked into the schoolyard by the previous night's storm. She brushed it along the grass, her long elegant fingers wrapped delicately around the stick.

"I don't know," Severus answered quietly.

Lily was his only friend. Well, his only friend worth thinking about. His only friend worth talking to. The worst part about it was that she was dating the person he hated most.

Potter. James Potter, the most egotistical bastard known to the wizarding world. The boy who tormented him day in and day out with his equally pigheaded cronies, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and even that bumbling git, Pettigrew.

"It would have to do with Potions," Lily said thoughtfully, picking loose bark from her stick. "You're brilliant with potions, Severus. I can't think of anyone that can compete." She looked at him with penetrating green eyes. "Don't let anyone bring you down, Severus. You'll do well, no matter what." Her hands began to shake and Severus attempted to hold them, to settle them.

"No, Severus," Lily said gently. "You can't take it back." It began to glow green in her grasp.

"There's nothing you can do," she said sadly. "It's over, Severus."

The stick exploded, releasing thousands of butterflies. Lily's green eyes lost life and she fell, dead, to the ground. The butterflies flew around her body and rested, taking solace in her death.

"Lily," Severus gasped, sitting up in bed. His room was dark, night had fallen. He sat in bed, shaking for five minutes before steadying himself and getting up. His stomach was reprimanding him for denying himself of food and, he hoped, Lupin would have the hospitality to feed as well as house him. He also hoped that Black would be occupied with Harry, as at that particular moment he did not feel with reciprocating with the normal hostile banter.

He crept quietly out of his room, his black robes billowing behind him. He realized that the image was needlessly intimidating and that some may call it creepy, but he felt that even in these times it was best to keep up with appearances.

I am Severus Snape, he told himself. I am cold and deceptive and completely in control.

He walked down the long hallway and to his relief, heard Black putting Harry to bed through one of the closed doors. Lupin sat in the living room reading. The werewolf looked up from his book when Severus walked in and gave a small, polite smile.

"Sleep well, Severus?" he asked kindly. "I daresay you looked absolutely exhausted." Severus nodded. "Would you like something to eat?" Lupin continued. The perfect host, Severus thought dryly. "I saved some supper for you. We had spaghetti. It's Harry's favorite."

"Yes," Severus said. Then added after a thought, "Thank you."

Lupin smiled. "You're welcome." Severus watched as the werewolf went to the refrigerator, took out a bowl, and set the bowl in the microwave.

"Do you always mother your guests, Lupin?" Severus cringed internally at the sound of his own voice. As innocent of a question as it was, he knew that he had said it in the coldest way possible. Rudeness, he told himself, would get him nowhere fast. Lupin was the one he could tolerate, after all.

But Lupin just turned around, smiling, as if to humor him. Severus wasn't sure whether he should be infuriated or relieved. "Only when the guests need to be mothered, Severus." Fury, Severus decided, but bit his tongue to keep from insulting his host. Lupin shook his head. "Try raising a child and see what it does to you. Sirius went from turning your hair purple to reading Fido the Wizard Puppy faster than I could have possibly imagined."

Severus felt his mouth twitch at the idea of Fido the Wizard Puppy, but thinking quickly, wiped the smile off of his face faster than it had appeared. Lupin set the now heated bowl of spaghetti on the table and nodded to a chair. "Make yourself at home, Severus. You'll be here for a while. If you need anything, feel free to rummage. If you can't find it, feel free to ask." With that, Lupin walked out of the kitchen.

Severus sighed. Blasted Lupin, so hard to hate. He twisted the spaghetti around his fork and took a small bite, relishing in the taste of it. Such a simplistic food, he thought. So childish in design, no wonder Harry liked it. Harry, the 5-year-old child of James and Lily Potter...no, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Snape looked at the forkful of noodles in front of him, and set his utensil down in the bowl. He didn't feel very hungry anymore. His heart felt heavy, as if it were about to plummet straight to his feet and through the floor. He didn't think it would be such a bad end, to crash through the earth. Maybe he would end up in an alternate universe where he would be able to single-handedly take back that night four years ago, save Lily and even James. Maybe that foolish oaf Pettigrew wouldn't be a traitor or, even more hopefully, Black wouldn't have been so goddamn stupid as to switch with the bastard.

"Mr. Snape?"

Severus was shaken from his reverie by the small whisper of Harry Potter. He focused on the boy, looking into Lily's green eyes through the small glasses perched upon the child's nose. He noticed for the first time the lightning shaped scar peeking out from behind the messy black hair. No one can get by the Dark Lord unscathed, Severus told himself. No one. He realized it had been at least a minute since the boy had approached him and he had yet to reply. Harry was waiting patiently.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, but..." Harry placed his finger to his lips before giggling. "Sirius and Uncle Remus will get REALLY mad at me if they find out." He climbed onto one of the chairs and looked intently at the man. "What were you thinking about?"

Severus wondered if he should tell the boy, but quickly shook the thought away. Don't be ridiculous, Severus, he reprimanded himself harshly.

"Nothing, child," he said with a wave of his hand. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I can't sleep," Harry replied, reaching across the table for the salt and pepper shakers. "Stupid early bed times. I drew on the walls to make them happy, Mr. Snape. They just get stupid sometimes and think its bad." Severus watched with amusement as Harry shook both salt and pepper onto the table to emphasize his point. "Sometimes I get really mad at them. They're mean."

"I think they do it with your best interest in mind, Harry," Severus said. He thought back on his words, surprised that he said something with good intentions toward Lupin and Black. "Coloring on the walls really isn't a nice thing to do, you know."

"But it was necessary!" Harry cried in outrage.

Severus placed his finger to his lips. "Shhh, little one, they'll hear you." He paused, still surprised at himself, and looked at the child. "Maybe you should go back to bed before you get into any more trouble. How did you get past them anyway?"

Harry looked at the wizard slyly. "I crawled." The note of pride and triumph in his voice caused Severus to laugh. "They don't notice because they sit on the couch and I can sneak right past them and into the kitchen." The boy shook a rather large pile of pepper onto the table. "Sirius told me to bother you a lot," he said after another moment had passed. "He said that if I was going to throw a tantrum, I should throw it around you. But then he said that if I threw a tantrum, I'd be in trouble, so not to throw them. It confused me a lot, Mr. Snape."

Severus half-smiled. Oh, Black, how childish of you.

"Yes, I see the mixed signals in that," he chuckled. "Your godfather and I don't like eachother very much."

"Why not!" Harry looked truly upset by this. "Sirius is good, Mr. Snape. He may be mean sometimes, but he's really, really nice most of the time! And...and...you should like eachother."

"Okay, Harry," Severus said, smiling. It wasn't really an agreement to like Black, it was just a way to get the child to let the subject go. "I think maybe you should go to bed. You really don't want to get caught."

As soon as this last attempt left his mouth, Black and Lupin walked into the kitchen to find Harry and Severus at the table among the large amount of salt and pepper.

"Harry James Potter..." Black trailed off dangerously.

Lupin shook his head. "Oh, Harry..."

Harry gulped and looked to Severus with pleading eyes. Humph, me...Severus thought. Help James Potter's son. Right.

"Um, if I may," Severus intervened. "Harry was thirsty and asked me to get him a glass of water. We got sucked into conversation afterwards. It's really my fault he's out." Right. You've gone soft...he scolded himself.

"Yeah!" Harry grinned. "Mr. Snape and I were talking about things."

"Harry...the shakers," Black said softly, glaring pointedly at the mounds on the table.

"Sorry, I was bored," Harry said sheepishly. "I won't do it again, Siri, I promise."

Severus watched as Lupin and Black looked at eachother, as if they were mulling over the consequences with their eyes. Gah, was that creepy. He almost felt sympathy for the child.

"Well...okay," Lupin said finally, fixing Severus with a quizzical look.

"But next time, young man..." Black trailed off, attempting to glare at Harry. Harry, however, quickly stuck his tongue out at him, causing his godfather to laugh. "Okay, okay...you got me. But next time..." The incident repeated itself. "Goddamn it," Black managed through his laughter. Harry gasped. Black covered his mouth with his hand when he realized his folly. "Harry, you're not to repeat that..."

"Goddamn it," Harry teased.

Black groaned. "Harry, say it again and..."

A moment of silence.

"Goddamn it."

Black groaned again. "I give up." He picked up his godson and tousled the mop of black hair fondly. "Okay, bed." They left, their banter still audible long after they left Severus's view.

Lupin remained, smiling with amusement at his old schoolmate. "Oh Severus..." he said.

"What?" Severus said, suddenly conscious of himself. He wiped the smile from his lips. "What?" he repeated.

"You've gone soft..."

"Haven't!"

"Have!"

"Haven't!"

Lupin grinned broadly. Severus, realizing his argument, cursed himself.

"Goddamn it."