In Cruciatu Veritas

Part I

The sound of the doorbell was accompanied with the all too familiar string of curses.

"YOU STINKING SCUM OF THE EARTH! FILTHY TRAITOR! TOERAG!"

Sirius pulled the heavy curtain over the painting to silence his mother's screeches and opened the front door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Well, what d'you know? For once, my dear mother seems to have been right," he said with a grim smile. "Snape."

"Black."

Apart from the snowflakes in his hair and the paleness of his face, all was black about the man standing on the doorstep - a black turtleneck, black trousers and a long black leather coat that nearly swept the ground. This was certainly a suitable visitor to the house of Black, Sirius thought, but unwanted all the same.

"And to what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked. "No one's here, you know. And shouldn't you be at Hogwarts?"

"Hogsmeade weekend," Snape said shortly, without any sign of the disappointment Sirius had expected, and stepped inside.

"How's Harry? I hope you haven't been giving him a hard time with the Occlumency classes?" It had been over a month since Sirius had seen his godson and the thought of him, spending his evenings with Snape, sickened him. "Because if you do..."

"We don't have time to discuss Potter now. I'm rather in a hurry and I want your help with something," Snape said, ignoring Sirius's threat and slamming the door shut. "Out in the back. Come."

Sirius couldn't believe the nerve of the man, that condescending, vile, arrogant, repulsive excuse for a man! As alluring as the thought of taking him on was, Molly would hardly appreciate the house being demolished in a duel. Since Sirius knew better than to piss her off intentionally, he took a deep breath and swallowed his anger.

"Sorry, I can't leave the house," he said lightly as Snape brushed past him, the black leather fluttering around him like a trail. "Strict rules about that."

"And when have you been one to follow rules, Black?"

Sirius watched him march straight through the house to the back door, step out and let the door close behind him. After considerably less hesitation than he had intended, Sirius hurried after him.

Snape was waiting for him in the narrow alley behind the houses, where the rubbish bins were hidden from the public eye.

"You could have taken the time to dress first."

"I am dressed!" said Sirius, slightly offended. It was the middle of February and Sirius was shivering in his once-white T-shirt and worn-out jeans. Living inside the house for months on end made one forget there still was such a thing as weather. "And I thought this thing of yours couldn't wait."

"See that?" Snape asked, pointing at a crumpled newspaper on the ground, next to the rubbish bin.

"Unless I go blind, yes," Sirius replied, trying hard to keep his teeth from clattering.

"I have reason to believe it is a Portkey."

"And what might make you think that?" Sirius asked as he picked up the paper and started to straighten it out. "Look, it's just a Muggle paper. 'A postal strike'. I wonder if it means that they're dropping explosive letters on some poor sods, or that..."

"I'm certain that it is indeed a Portkey," Snape interrupted him and reached for the paper, "because I placed it there."

"Come again?" Sirius said, staring at Snape in disbelief.

But Snape now had his pocket watch in his hand and he started counting, "Three, two, one..."

The sudden jerk send Sirius flying through the air, his mouth opening to shout out a number of curses that even his mother would have found appalling, but he was unable to make a sound. Then, as quickly as they had been lifted, his feet were back on the ground and he found his voice again.

"...BLOODY TWAT!" he finished and, taking a look around, added, "WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?"

The stone walls were dripping with moist and the ceiling was low enough to touch. There were a few torches on the walls to give light to the room, and on each wall there was an archway, leading to new rooms, which Sirius could barely see from the darkness, but assumed identical to the one he was in. It was certainly a cellar of some sort, and a large one, judging by the echo that was still repeating 'fuck are we, fuck are we'. A cellar or perhaps...

"A dungeon," he said out loud.

"You always were such a bright boy, Sirius Black," said the voice behind him. "I bid you welcome to Malfoy Manor, or at least the lower parts of it."

Sirius whirled around to face Lucius Malfoy, who was slowly emerging from the shadows with a nasty smirk on his face. The platinum blonde hair flashed in the torchlight as Malfoy stopped in front of Snape and gave him a nod of recognition.

"Severus."

"Lucius," Snape said coldly and handed Malfoy the Portkey.

"I'm pleased to see you've succeeded in bringing our Master his gift, Severus."

"Rumours of Black's intelligence are greatly exaggerated," Snape said wryly.

"OI!" Sirius exclaimed, but was taken no notice of.

"The Dark Lord has agreed to leave Black to you, Severus. You'll have a chance to prove your loyalty to him, and I trust you shan't disappoint us."

"I shall be worthy of your trust." Snape bowed his head and Sirius could see a trace of smile on his lips. "As you are well aware of, Lucius, I am rather anxious to settle an old score with Black."

Malfoy returned the smile and glanced at Sirius with utmost contempt.

"I share your sentiments, Severus, believe me, I do. I wouldn't mind staying to watch." Malfoy walked up to Sirius and ran his slender finger down Sirius's face. But as the finger moved across his cheek, the gentle caress turned into a sharp nail, digging deep into his skin and, painfully slowly, scratching a long cut all the way down to his chin. Sirius's eyes watered from the pain, but he was determined not to let out a sound. Finally Malfoy pulled back and smiled. "However, I have agreed to allow Severus some privacy, and as there are far more pressing matters for me to attend to..."

"Places to go, people to kill?" Sirius said cheerfully, swallowing the tears. "All that evil needs a doer, eh?"

"Now, you must know that wasn't exactly wise," Malfoy said smilingly.

Snape had already raised his wand and was pointing it at Sirius when Malfoy stopped him.

"Oh, do let me, Severus." Malfoy's eyes were locked onto Sirius's. "I cannot let you steal all the fun, now can I? CRUCIO!"

Although he had been expecting it, the torturing curse hit Sirius hard and sent him screaming to the floor, where he lay convulsing and moaning in excruciating pain until Malfoy finally lowered his wand.

"Merely a little taste of what is yet to come," Malfoy said, sneering. He turned to leave and as he past Snape, he added, "Oh, and you will make sure that you leave no nasty marks on him, won't you, Severus? Those horrid little men at the Ministry can be so tiresomely pedantic."

Malfoy strode out of the room and Sirius heard him talk to someone, who had obviously been waiting in the darkness, covering his back. Then the footsteps receded and Sirius was left alone with Snape.

Lying on the floor, Sirius was searching frantically for anything that could be used as a weapon, but apart from a large table with strange looking winches at either end of it, the dungeon was quite empty. He saw Snape approaching, pointing at him with his wand.

"Dumbledore trusted you, you traitorous bastard!" Sirius cried, still shaking from the pain. "Should've known better. Once a Slytherin, always a BLOODY FUCKING CREEP!"

"Language, language," Snape said pleasantly. "Now, back on your feet, Black."

With more difficulty than he would have cared to have Snape witness, Sirius managed to push himself up. For a split second he considered whether it would be possible to do a runner as a dog, but Snape appeared to be reading his mind.

"No dogs allowed on the premises, I'm afraid," Snape said coldly. "Turn yourself into one and I will put you down like one."

Disappointed, Sirius imagined the first place he would have sunk his fangs into.

"So, the master calls and the strayed servant comes running back. Or did he ever leave at all?"

"That is no concern of yours," Snape said shortly. "All you have to worry about is how much pain one can endure."

"And I'm your ticket back to Voldemort's graces?" Sirius continued, ignoring the threats. "Honestly, I'm impressed that you lot think so highly of me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Black. You were simply the most convenient target. Do you honestly think anyone else would have come as quietly?" Snape sneered at him. "And you do have certain publicity value, of course. The Ministry of Magic will be proud to declare that the dangerous fugitive has been finally caught."

"By Lucius Malfoy, you mean."

"Precisely."

"Though unfortunately dead, I expect."

"'Died resisting arrest', I should think," Snape said, still grinning. "And, furthermore, there is the personal aspect. We all do have to pay for our doings, don't we, Black?"

"Over twenty years of open hatred isn't enough for you, is it?"

Snape's laugh sent shivers down Sirius's spine.

"How little you dogs understand human emotions!" he said scornfully. "I've enjoyed myself tremendously watching your pathetic little gang split apart. The kings of Hogwarts, and look at you now! The almighty Potter dead, the werewolf not far from starvation - so hard to find werewolf-friendly employers nowadays, isn't it? - and little Peter Pettigrew... Why, do come and greet your friend, Pettigrew. I know you're lurking there."

A tiny, grey man appeared under the shadowy archway and shambled nearer. Obviously this was the man Malfoy had been talking to, left there to keep an eye on them.

"Hello, Sirius," Pettigrew said nervously. His gaze was fixed on the floor as if he was afraid either one of the men could kill him with just one look.

"Still alive, Wormtail?" Sirius spat. "Do try and keep it that way - until we meet again."

It was immensely satisfying to see Pettigrew fidget.

"Enough," Snape said without taking his eyes off Sirius. "Now, sod off, you rat. I do not recall asking for an audience."

Clearly relieved Pettigrew hurried back into the darkness. Sirius was almost sorry to see him go, since the man could have offered him the distraction he so desperately needed in order to attack Snape.

"And you, Black, if you would be so kind as to remove your shirt."

"Y'know, you really ought to work on your spells if they can't even penetrate cotton," Sirius said and lived to regret it as the Cruciatus Curse hit him again. The pain surged through him, gripping his every muscle, as if he was being eaten up from the inside. This time it seemed to last even longer and as the world blackened in his eyes, Sirius was certain he would meet his end right there on the floor, writhing in pain.

But the end was yet to come.

"Yep, that seems to work nicely," Sirius muttered after Snape had lowered his wand and his body had stopped convulsing.

"The shirt, if you please."

Still gasping for air, Sirius struggled to his feet and tore the T-shirt off his back, throwing it onto the floor. But just as it dropped from his hands he saw a rope spurt out of Snape's wand and felt his wrists being tied together behind his back.

"I might have guessed you were into this bondage type of thing," Sirius said smilingly, although feeling anything but comfortable. "Well, it's no skin off my back, if you get off on my gorgeous body."

"Funny you should mention it, since the skin of your back is precisely what I had in mind," Snape said in a low voice as he walked closer. Then, standing face to face with Sirius, he brushed off the hair covering Sirius's eyes and added, "Among other things."

Sirius stared blindly into his eyes, wanting to show no concern for what was waiting for him. Whatever Snape had in mind, no matter how much pain was involved or how long it would last, Sirius was determined to just grin and bear it. He might not leave the dungeons alive, but he would leave with dignity, nonetheless. A stiff upper lip and all that bollocks.

"Lucius has graciously agreed to lend me this humble abode of his for as long as I might have need for it," Snape continued, dipping his finger in the cut on Sirius's cheek and examining the blood on it. Sirius saw his eyes light up and, with a wicked smile on his face, he started smearing Sirius's lips with the blood. Sirius tried to turn his head away, but Snape grabbed hold of his hair, forced his head back and whispered, "So, make it last, will you."

Before Sirius realised it, Snape's mouth was on his lips, sucking the blood off them so voraciously he nearly suffocated him. Sirius tried to fight him, but as his hands were tied and his head in Snape's tight grip, there was nothing he could do. After what felt like an eternity, Snape pulled away, licking his lips and seemingly enjoying the taste.

"You bastard!" Sirius hissed through his clenched teeth. Although, he had just sworn to keep a stiff upper lip no matter what should lie ahead, Sirius honestly had not even considered that his lips might be physically involved! There were only so many things he was prepared to endure and being violated was certainly not one of them.

Quickly he weighed his options, and the urge to just make a break for it and die trying gained strong support, but there was still a part of him that refused to simply roll over and die. He did not want to allow Snape the pleasure of torturing him to death - or whatever it was he was planning to do to him - nor did he want to give him the satisfaction of proving him a coward.

The choice was easily made.

"Why, Snivellus, you intend to snog me to death?" Sirius forced a laugh. "An excellent try, I'll give you that, but I doubt whether a rubbish kisser ever actually killed anyone."

Sirius was quite pleased with himself when he saw the flash of anger in Snape's eyes. He grabbed a better hold of the back Sirius's head and dragged him by the hair over to the large table. With a nasty thump Sirius's face hit the wooden surface as he landed on his stomach, his legs left hanging over the end of the high table, his feet barely touching the floor.

"You will pay for that," Snape said, panting. "Just like you will pay for every rotten thing you ever did."

"I take it, this may take a while?"

"I'm hoping so, yes."

The ropes disappeared from Sirius's wrists and instead his hands were pulled over his head. He felt the coolness of the metal on his skin as the chains locked onto his wrists, and then the ropes were flying through the air again, though this time destined for his ankles, which were tied firmly to the table legs. Sirius was utterly unable to move.

"This place is filled with charming little gadgets such as this," Snape said as he turned the handle of the winch at the head of the table and Sirius could feel the chains tightening around his wrists. "Used in stretching the truth out of the victim. Oddly enough, our time seems to be rather opposed to this simple, yet most convenient apparatus." Snape gave a little sigh, as if he was missing the good old days. "In your case, however, we shall apply it to a slightly different purpose."

Snape mumbled something under his breath and from the corner of his eye Sirius could yet again see something spurting out of his wand, though this time the rope seemed to grow narrower towards the end and split in two. Sirius concluded it to be a whip of some sort, but it was glowing as if it was on fire, or as if...

"This is for mocking my kissing skills, you wretched dog."

...it was fire. As the first lash burnt excruciatingly into his bare back, Sirius knew what it was, and his cry echoed throughout the dungeons.

"Nice Flamgellum you've got there," Sirius breathed through the waves of pain. He thought he smelt his flesh burning, but the next minute the smell was gone and only the agony remained. "Thought those things were banned some few hundred years ago."

"Such a pity, don't you think? It's quite marvellous, actually. Sufficiently painful, no numbing effect - you'll see that every lash is as painful as the first - and none of the restrictions, which one has with the Cruciatus - the victims going out of their minds and all that - and yet, leaves no marks on the skin. No need for the Ministry to know the circumstances in which your demise took place, now, is there?"

Sirius was almost grateful, when the second lash took his breath away, and Snape could not enjoy hearing him scream again.

"Now, that one," Snape said, his voice shivering slightly. "Remember the Balding Curse you so cleverly cast upon me in fifth grade?"

So, the man was still living in the past, Sirius thought, still hanging on to things that should have been nothing more than a distant memory. But evidently there were some wounds that would never heal, quite unlike the ones on Sirius's back. This would surely be a long and painful trip down memory lane, if Snape intended to whip him for every mischief Sirius had ever been guilty of, since the list was endless.

But Sirius would not submit to this, he would not give Snape the satisfaction. If Snape wanted to make it last, then last it would.

"Your hair grew back, didn't it?" Sirius said lightly, trying to hide the burning pain. "Grew back nice and greasy."

The next lash came swiftly enough.

"And this," Snape continued as the Flamgellum hit Sirius's back, "is for the extra armadillo bile you slipped into my Wit-Sharpening Potion the year before that."

Breathing was becoming increasingly difficult and it took Sirius some time to get enough air into his lungs to speak.

"What was it James called you - Auberginus Snape?" Sirius gasped for air, tears streaming down his face. "Because you were as purple as, as..."

"An aubergine," Snape said coldly and put an end to Sirius's laughter with the Flamgellum. "This one... This is for the time you tried to feed me to the werewolf." And he added yet another lash.

The second lash hit right over the first and the pain was simply insufferable. The smell of burning flesh was stronger than before and Sirius felt sick. But what made it even worse was that this time the accusation had been an unjust one.

"You can't blame me for that," Sirius whispered without a trace of laughter. He was desperately trying to get his breath back but the pain kept him panting. "That wasn't the plan... James messed it up..."

"Oh, how noble. Pin it all on Potter, why don't you."

"Look, I'm telling you the truth!" Sirius cried out, ignoring the burning on his back and paying for it dearly. As his lungs were no longer working properly, speaking proved to be quite a challenge. "I never meant... for you to... to go that far..."

"SILENCE!" Snape shouted and his whip lashed yet again, sending Sirius nearly unconscious. "This is for the time you and Potter saw fit to humiliate me by floating me in the air with half the school watching."

The sight of Snape, dangling upside down, thrashing his skinny legs about, had been permanently imprinted in Sirius's mind, the unquestionable climax of which had come when James had conjured Snape's pants off, so that everyone could see his privates.

"We couldn't believe our eyes..." Sirius whispered feebly. The memory of it still made him chuckle, but the pain prevented him from laughing out loud. "You were... hung like a donkey..."

"And what exactly did I do to deserve to be treated like that? NOTHING!" Snape said, his voice shaking with rage. "I was minding my own business, not even noticing you lot! But you sad bastards just wanted to get the girls to notice you, didn't you?"

"It wasn't my idea," Sirius protested weakly. "James wanted Lily to see him... I never..."

"Eager to shift the blame onto your deceased friend, aren't you, Black? Come now, you weren't that good-looking to get the girls simply by snapping your fingers. You had to do something and I was just conveniently in your way."

"WHAT GIRLS?" Sirius shouted as loud as he could. He had always known that not everything was right about Snape, but now the man seemed to have gone completely mad. "When did you ever see me with a girl?"

"You may find it inconceivable, but keeping record of your conquests wasn't my favourite pastime." Snape walked around the table into Sirius's view, tapping his chin with his wand. "But come to think of it, I never did see you with anyone except your little gang."

"They were all I had." Sirius was breathing heavily, the words sticking to his throat. "And why would I need to impress my friends by playing stupid tricks on you?"

"Perhaps you were, in fact, trying to impress one of them."

"What?"

Even without the pain on his back, Sirius would have found it hard to follow Snape's train of thought. If the man was out to get his revenge, then what the hell was he asking him all this for? So far Sirius had thought Death Eaters were just plain evil but, apparently, the Dark Side made them bonkers as well.

"Yes, I sort of suspected that that was the case," Snape said maliciously. "So, you and Potter, was it? And such a lovely couple, too."

"WHAT?"

Yes, definitely insane, Sirius thought. He wondered whether it was the humidity of the dungeons that had finally reached Snape's brain, or perhaps he had just changed sides once too often and messed up his mind for good. Or bad. Or whatever. Sirius was losing his own train of thought as well.

"But surely you must have been having it off with someone?" Snape asked innocently. "Unless... Oh, no. Don't tell me it was the werewolf? Now, that would make an interesting scenario, opens up whole new possibilities, a wolf and a dog."

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Sirius wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. "WHAT THE FUCK HAS THAT GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?"

"Touched a nerve there, I take it," Snape said, evidently pleased with himself.

Shaking with anger, Sirius struggled in his chains. He wanted to hit and kick and maim and cripple, but the chains would not give in an inch. This sudden interest in his teenage sex life was disturbing enough as it was without dragging Moony into it. It had been ages ago, for fuck's sake! And why would Snape give a toss about whom he had been sleeping with?

The answer was obvious enough. Snape was clearly losing his marbles, even forgetting the whipping as he dwelt on the past. Sirius wondered whether he could use the man's derangement to his advantage. At least the whip stayed away as long as the conversation stayed on the subject, so Sirius thought it best to go along with it and keep Snape talkative. And after all, Snape had specifically asked him to make it last.

"If you find my sex life so intriguing, I'll have you know that I've shagged probably ten people in my life and all of them before my years in Azkaban," Sirius said, his voice failing him at times. "And after that... Well, it's quite hard to pull, y'know, when you're a wanted homicidal maniac. By now, even Kreacher's starting to look appealing..." Sirius paused, realising he had drifted a bit too far. "So, there. Had enough?"

"The house elf?" Snape asked, pretending to be surprised. "I thought you mind have found the Dementors more to your taste."

"No, not really my type. Though I bet they're still hell of a lot better kissers than you. Unlike you, they've had plenty of practise and..."

The world blackened in Sirius's eyes as the inevitable whip lash sounded through the dungeons. There was no way he would win this, nothing he did would make any difference, and he certainly would not be able to keep his tongue under control. What chance did he have against an insane Death Eater armed with a Flamgellum?

To his surprise a low laughter followed the scream of pain, and Sirius realised it was coming from him.

"I find it hard to see anything amusing in your current situation, Black."

But Sirius was howling with laughter, wriggling in the chains, unable to control himself any longer.

"Severus Snape... is questioning me... about my, my, my... sex life!" he stuttered, laughing almost hysterically.

"I assure you, I have no interest whatsoever in your sexual activities," Snape said sharply.

"Severus Snape... questioning me about my, my..." Sirius couldn't utter the word any more and simply giggled. "Whipping me to death... Severus Snape... of all the people... this is unbelievable... SO... FUCKING... UNBELIEVABLE!"

Snape walked up to him and pulled Sirius's head up harshly, the chains tightening around his wrists and cutting through his skin.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Snape asked in a strained voice, evidently about to lose his patience.

"You want to know?" Sirius managed to say between fits of laughter. "You really want to know?"

"YES!" Snape shouted and slammed Sirius's head back onto the table. "WHAT?"

"Oh, you'll get such a kick out of this one," Sirius said, still chuckling. "You talked about that night, under the Whomping Willow, but you don't know the half of it, mate... My plan, my plan was..." He broke into a fit again. "My plan was that you go inside, catch a glimpse of Moony and, scared shitless, come running out..." He was pissing himself laughing. "And I'd be waiting for you and making sure Moony wouldn't touch you, and then I'd be, I'd be..." His voice drifted into laughter. "I'd be all gallant and heroic and comforting. And here you are, the cause of it all, whipping me with your Flamgellum. WHAT A LAUGH!" He stopped to get his breath back, only to have another hysterical fit come over him.

Snape was silent for a while, just staring down at Sirius with disdain, until he said, "Do you honestly expect me to believe any of this fabrication?"

"That's what was supposed to happen," Sirius said, trying to calm down. "But James didn't understand, of course he didn't, so he came and messed it all up."

Now it was Snape's turn to laugh.

"Oh, I see! Little Sirius Black wanted to play the hero, to rise from the shadow of the great Potter, only to be shoved even further into oblivion." Snape barked with laughter. "Poor, pathetic Black!"

Snape's obstinate reluctance to believe him annoyed Sirius, but he could not think of a way to prove the man that he was, in fact, telling him the truth in all its wretchedness. Suddenly a movement in the corner of the room caught Sirius attention. Something small and grey was working its way towards the table, stopping at every shadow and then scurrying across the empty floor.

"Ask Peter," Sirius said. "He knew I fancied you, just ask him and he'll tell you. Hello there, Wormtail!"

Snape looked down and evidently saw what Sirius was seeing: a long tail that disappeared underneath the table.

"THAT BLASTED RAT!" Snape got quickly onto his knees and crawled under the table. "Spying on me, are you, you bleeding vermin?"

Sirius was starting to calm down and, to his horror, he realised the significance of the words he had been idiotic enough to let escape. His mouth had just kept shooting out secrets he had spent half his life guarding and soon he would have to pay a dear prize for his stupidity. What in the name of all that was good and decent had compelled him to reveal himself to Snape?

Not being able to see him but hearing the curses, Sirius reckoned that Wormtail had managed to slip through Snape's fingers.

"If I see you sneaking around one more time, I swear the Dark Lord will lose his servant in a hideous mouse trap accident!" Snape shouted into the darkness as he straightened up at the foot of the table. "Now, where were we?"

"As far as I can recall, you were about to kill me and join the Dark Side," Sirius said, the laughter now far gone.

"No, I believe I was mentioned in another context, altogether," came the cold voice from behind him. "You claim to have fancied me, was it?"

"Ah, yes, that." Sirius didn't know how he had managed to end up in such a mess, let alone how to get himself out of it. "But that was a lifetime ago. I was a horny teenager with notoriously poor taste in men."

To Sirius's surprise the lash never came.

"Am I to understand, that you nearly got me killed only because you wanted to play the gallant knight?" Snape asked, his voice colder than ever.

"You're right, I'm such a cliché, so feel free to whip me. This time I think I actually deserve it."

But the pain stayed away. Instead, Sirius was sure he felt Snape leaning closer over his buttocks, his wand tapping the side of the table and his breath sweeping over Sirius's back.

"So, all those pranks and jokes were simply your bizarre way of telling me that you fancied me?"

The sarcasm was dripping from every syllable.

"Yes, it was all done just to get your attention," Sirius said bluntly. He couldn't help but wonder why people this thick were allowed to live. There should have been a law that anyone over certain level of thickness was to be executed for the greater good.

"And I suppose Potter shared your feelings?"

"No, he genuinely disliked you." Sirius was starting to think that swallowing his tongue would be the only escape from this mess he had made. How the hell could it have seemed like a good idea to spill his guts at a time like this? Dying by his tongue would be an act of poetic justice. "Haven't we already established that I'm a twat and deserve to be whipped to death? What are you waiting for?!"

"And now?" Snape asked, and Sirius was certain he heard some hesitation in his voice.

"Now I say goodbye to this cruel world. And I do mean cruel."

"No, you silly git." The hesitation was gone and the sarcasm had returned. "Do you still fantasise about saving me from werewolves?"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, SNAPE!" Sirius shouted, the frustration getting intolerable. "Haven't you received your revenge already? You and Malfoy can have a hearty laugh on my expense. What more do you want from me?"

However, Snape appeared not to be listening.

"Let us say..." Sirius felt him press against his buttocks. "...I shag you right here and now. "

"You WHAT me?"

Sirius gasped for air. He must have heard him wrong, or otherwise this was getting way, way too absurd.

"It has been long for you, hasn't it, Black? 'Shag', as in take you. Here. Now."

"This can't be happening, it just can't be..." Sirius was banging his head against the table. So, this was where it had all been leading. First the kissing, then applying the stretching table to 'a slightly different purpose' and finally the disturbing curiosity about his sex life - it had all led to this. Obviously, Snape had decided not to settle for physical pain when there were plenty of other injuries he could cause. Again, Sirius banged his head against the table. "WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"Not to bang yourself senseless, for a start. That is my privilege," Snape said and the innuendo was clear enough. "So, what would you say if I took you right here? Do you still find me... attractive?"

Sirius was convinced he was about to go out of his mind. It was obvious Snape was mocking him, doing his best to humiliate him in every conceivable way, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop him. He would die on that table, so what did any of it matter anymore? Oh, bollocks!

"Look, if you must know, you're standing right where I always wanted you - not that I had enough imagination for all this..." Sirius rattled his chains. "And sometimes it was the other way around and you were..." His mind was drifting alarmingly far from the point. "ANYWAY, if you must know," he repeated, "then yes, I still fancied you, when you showed up on my doorstep in that coat, all that black leather... I tell you, if it hadn't been for the cold weather..." Sirius's head hit the table with a loud thud. "But I can assure you, all that has changed since then! You make me sick, YOU FUCKING WANKER!"

Sirius closed his eyes, hoping death would come swiftly to release him from any more ridicule, and most importantly, from a fate far worse than death. He had a definite feeling that Snape could quite well do it, take him, as he himself put it, right then and there, to hurt him more than any whip ever could and to show Sirius just how much he loathed him.

The number of times Sirius had pictured them, imagined what Snape would feel like inside him... But this had absolutely nothing to do with those images. This would be done with nothing but hatred and scorn and disgust.

Sirius shuddered to think just how perverted he was to have fancied someone like Snape, for if the man was capable of doing something so despicable, what the fuck had Sirius seen in him in the first place?

"So, you like the coat?" Snape asked, confusing Sirius even more.

"Yeah," he managed to say. "Makes you look all dark and terrifying."

"That was my intention."

Yep, that was it, dark and terrifying and incredibly smug. That was what Sirius had found so appealing in the man. He felt sick.

Sirius flinched as he felt Snape's hands move on his buttocks.

"And I like these jeans," said Snape quite casually, as if they were chatting in rather different circumstances.

"Thanks. I'm quite attached to them." This was getting a bit too surreal for Sirius. "Tell you what? They're yours after I'm dead. That shouldn't take too long."

"They look better on you," Snape said and gave Sirius's arse a long squeeze that nearly made him scream.

The man had evidently decided to milk it to the last drop before giving him the final blow, but Sirius did not know how much more he could take. Snape's hands just kept on caressing his arse and the waiting was becoming unbearable.

"Can't you just Avada Kedavra me already and be done with it?" Sirius asked tiredly.

But Snape did not seem to hear him and the rubbing on his arse continued. Sirius banged his head once more to the table, as hard as he could, and then lay motionless, hoping Snape would think him unconscious and, the fun being over, just throw the final spell on him. Provided, of course, the sick bastard had no further perversions up his sleeve.

He felt Snape back away and suddenly the ropes around his ankles were gone. Still not wanting to let the man know he was conscious, Sirius kept his eyes shut and his legs limp. Snape was now at the head of the table and Sirius heard his wand tap on metal before the chains snapped open.

"Up!"

Startled by Snape's voice, Sirius pushed himself up and tried to stand, but his legs gave in immediately and he collapsed on the floor.

"Come on now, Black, UP," Snape said as he grabbed his arm and helped him to stand.

Propped safely against the table, Sirius finally dared to meet Snape's eyes and looked at him as defiantly as he could, though failing miserably. He felt naked without his shirt on, ashamed of his pale and scrawny body. And yet, there was no trace of the contempt and resentment he had grown accustomed to see on Snape's face.

Snape still had his arm around him and Sirius was just about to say that he didn't need his help anymore, that his legs were gaining strength again, but he was silenced by Snape's hand at the back of his head, pushing its way into his matted hair and taking a strong hold of it by the roots.

"You complete and utter git," Snape whispered, his dark eyes boring into Sirius's.

But before Sirius could return the compliment, Snape pressed his lips softly on Sirius's. The kiss was long and gentle and Sirius felt his knees giving in again.

"You mean I could have been doing this all these years? Snape mumbled when he finally pulled back. "I hate you, Black."

"I hate you, too," Sirius replied automatically and without thinking, he opened his mouth to receive the second kiss.

Snape was sucking the last trace of reason out of him, but by now, Sirius was more than happy to abandon all that rubbish and let the absurdity of the situation take him over. He figured that he must have managed to bang himself unconscious after all, since this surely couldn't have been Severus Snape saying those words, kissing him with such tenderness. Sirius decided to make the most of the last dream he was likely to ever have and let his hands wander inside the leather coat and grab hold of the arse he had been fantasising about for the better part of his life.

"Black, I'll have to chain you again," Snape said suddenly and pulled away. "I forgot about the rat, Pettigrew will go straight to Malfoy. We must hurry."

Sirius returned back to reality with a jump. Still not quite sure whether the snogging had been a dream or just part of Snape's devious plan to humiliate him even more, Sirius now knew what he had to do. And as Snape turned his back to reach for the chains, Sirius pushed him onto the table and snatched the wand from his hand. In an instant, the ropes were flying through the air and tying Snape to the table.

"So, mind telling me what the fuck is going on here?!" Sirius said, looking at the peculiar bundle of ropes going all the way across Snape's chest, over his arms, and around the table.

"Black, you fool!" Snape shouted, struggling furiously in the ropes. "Untie me at once! We don't have time for this, Malfoy could come at any moment and Moody..."

"Moody?" Sirius walked closer, twirling the wand in his hand. "And what the hell has Moody got to do with this?"

"Will you just let me go and I can explain everything!"

"Oh, no-no-no," Sirius said shaking his head. "You can explain it right from where you are."

"It was all a plan, and not mine, I assure you." Snape's face was turning redder than Sirius had ever seen it, his eyes flashing through the locks of hair. "Moody's upstairs gathering information on the contacts of the Death Eaters, and he's supposed to bring us the Portkey, so that..."

"BOLLOCKS!" Sirius exclaimed. "How the hell would Moody get into Malfoy Manor? And what about me? One minute you're trying to kill me and next you're snogging me! FOR FUCK'S SAKE, PICK A SIDE! Are you a Death Eater or..."

"MAY I SPEAK?" Snape's face was nearly as purple as after the aubergine potion. "Moody IS here, he came with us, wearing the Invisibility Cloak, but all that can wait. Black, you must listen to me! You must let me go, for if Malfoy finds us like this, we will never get out of here alive!"

Sirius was shaking his head violently. None of it made any sense and every bone in his body was telling him not to trust anything that came out of Snape's mouth. Feverishly he paced around the table, staring at his feet. All of a sudden something caught his eye.

"YOU FUCKING RAT!" he shouted as he ran after Wormtail, who had just disappeared through one of the archways. The rat had seen everything that had happened between him and Snape... Sirius let out a stifled roar. "NOW I'LL GET YOU, YOU BASTARD!"

"No, Black! Come back here! You mustn't..." Snape cried, but his voice trailed away as the black dog dashed into the darkness.

End of part I