The Hallway

"So Danni, how are you?" George said watching Sirius leave

[DAMN YOU SIRIUS. I have to keep remembering I'm roleplaying George. And then I have to remind myself that he's about to be dating Angela. I'm so tempted to like..jump you because of your avatar every time I post]

George looked at Danni. "I don't think I've seen him since this morning. I'm sure he's around somewhere though."

He walked up to Dee. "Great, shall we go?"

"Thanks. Uh, bye I guess."

"Lead the way."

Danni left, deciding to head into Hogsmead for some alcohol and quiet.

[GAHH! XD I screwed that up. Just ignore the first post]

*wanders aimlessly down the hallway*

Severus was pacing back and forth, unsure what he wanted, or where he wanted to go. He was terrified- had somebody found Sirius? Was he dead? Was Severus Snape now a murderer? It all seemed so unreal, so strange, so twisted. He heard Pansy's voice in his mind, telling him he wasn't a monster, and then he heard Sirius' voice, screaming at him for making that spell... What was he? What was going to happen? Severus punched the stone wall hard, breaking his hand again. Fuck. You'd think punching a wall once would be enough to prevent me from doing it again. He gave up on trying to go anywhere, and sunk to the ground, watching the blood drip, not wanting to heal it. There was blood on his hands tonight, but it wasn't his own; it was Black's.

[Would you like me to help? Or are you going to snap at me like last time?]

[James is going to hex you into oblivion. Is Pansy getting on any time soon?]

[George sooo wants to come by and say something along the lines of "I told you so" but he's on a date, and also feels that might push Sev over some sort of edge.]

*is so caught up in her own world that she trips over someone's leg*

*said automatically* Ooh sorry!

*looks up and realises it's Snape she's stumbled over and her face sort of freezes.*

Oh...

*she stares, wondering what to do. part of her wants to slap her for pulling the same move on Sirius as he had on her with the snake, part of her is pleased he'd been so worried about Tam and seeking revenge on her behalf, and there's a very loud voice in the back of her head that reminds her she owes him a huge apology. she stays frozen, undecided as to whether she should stay or flee*

[I have no idea, James. And Dee, not at the moment, Hermione and Snape are going to run into each other. Ahem, HERMIONE. NOTICE SNAPE.]

[Er, oops. Didn't see you'd posted.]

Severus looks up and sees Hermione. He's about to say something, to yell at her or punch her or anything- but he just doesn't seem to be able to find the motivation. "It's fine," he mumbles, returning to his intense observation of the blood slipping through his fingers onto the floor.

[I DIDN'T WANT TO ANYWAY. I NEVER HAVE ANY FUN AROUND HERE. coughthat'saliecough *runs away* BYE]

[lol no worries - I think we all pretty much posted at once!]

*his lack of open hostility spurs her on. she's curious about his hand, but bites her tongue. she gathers her Gryffindor courage and takes a deep breath*

I wanted to apologise to you. What I said in the Library was completely out of line. It was thoughtless and hurtful and I'm sorry

*lets her breath out in a rush and looks away*

It takes Sev a moment to even understand what she's talking about. He sighed and replied in his dead voice without looking up. "It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done." He contemplates asking her if she's heard anything about Sirius, but decides to remain silent. He's not sure he really wants to know the answer.

[TELL HIM I DIED!!]

*she nods, still not quite able to look at him, and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. she's not sure if she wants to leave yet - she knows they'll never be friends, but it's strangely soothing to be in the company of someone who doesn't spend every second asking her if she's ok, or shooting her pitying glances. she bites her lip, almost wants to ask if he's seen Remus, but knows that's a topic of conversation that should never come up between them ever again.*

Do you want me to heal your hand?

[lol Sirius]

Severus looks up at her incredulously. "If I wanted it healed, don't you think I'd have done it myself?" he snapped, before smacking himself in the face with his unbroken hand. "Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.. sorry," he said, his voice trailing off into a whisper. Snape couldn't take it anymore- he needed to know, and he needed to know now, and Hermione would know, she had to know. "Is he alive?" he asked, his voice shaking with fear.

[No! I died a long painful death!]

[I would so laugh if, at that moment, Sirius came strolling through the hallway]

*she steps back a little in alarm - the tone of his voice is a sharp reminder to her of their history and she mentally berates herself for the slip. she shouldn't have drawn attention to it. it takes her a moment to realise he's talking about Sirius and she nods, waving his apology off*

Don't worry about it. And he's fine.

*she contemplates telling him about James' return, but doesn't bother. she doesn't have the energy to fight - she barely has the energy to put one foot in front of the other these days*

I'll just... go...

*instead of turning away at once, she hesitates, watching him curiously because she can't help but see his agitation and she thinks there's more to it than just her presence*

[That would be perfect, but wouldn't Sirius just try and AK him on the spot or something? I'd rather not have them get into another fight until our epic battle.]

Severus couldn't repress his sigh of relief. He wasn't a murderer. He wasn't a killer. He was just a man doing what he thought was right. That's what Pansy said. Doing what needed to be done. "Hermione? I... I'm sorry about you and Remus. I am. He loves you, so much," he whispered, choking back tears of both relief and exasperation.