The Chariot [Fic]
Title: The Chariot (Drawn by Flame and Sea)
Author: summerborn
Type: Fiction
Length: 2750 words
Main character or Pairing: Severus Snape/Sirius Black, with Dumbledore as the Charioteer
Card: The Chariot
Card Interpretation: "The two animals which draw the Chariot try to go in different directions." Control over things that are by nature in conflict; control over opposing people, or wants, or emotions.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Characters and most of the rest of it belongs to JKR.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Sirius Black is forced to view an old opponent in a new light-Dumbledore assigns him to work with Severus Snape on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix. Of course, nothing happens quite the way either of them expected.
Author Notes: In case the title could use explaining: Slytherin's element is water while Gryffindor's is fire :). Thanks to M and J for beta/other help. All remaining mistakes are entirely my own. Also be sure to check out this lovely art for The Chariot by chibitoaster-it's amazing!
The Chariot (Drawn By Flame and Sea)
-:-
Sirius Black strolled into the Headmaster's office and took the chair that presented itself. He stretched out his legs and propped his elbows on the arms of the chair before turning his attention to the Headmaster. "All right," he said. "You called, I came. What's up?"
Albus Dumbledore studied him from across the desk. Sirius waited. "I have an assignment for you," the Headmaster said after a moment, "but I am not sure you're going to like it."
Sirius frowned. "Order business?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Don't we normally work in pairs? James is busy with Lily and the new baby, but Peter is available; I just spoke with him-"
Dumbledore raised a hand. "You will have a partner, but it isn't anyone you've worked with before. Well," he amended, "at least not on Order business."
"Who is it?" Something in Dumbledore's tone made Sirius slightly suspicious, but how bad could it be? Arthur Weasley wasn't bad. Mad-Eye Moody?
"Before I bring him in, I want to tell you two things." Uh-oh, Sirius thought, not answering a direct question is not a good sign. The Headmaster went on, "I must have your complete understanding of these issues, is that clear?"
Sirius nodded, slowly. There was no question that Dumbledore was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, so if Sirius wanted to help he was going to have to do as the old man said.
"First, you are to be on your best behavior. No hexing your partner, no discourtesy, no personal attacks of any sort. You are to treat him as an honored guest."
Sirius wondered if he should be offended. He was always polite! Well, maybe not to some of his family. But they weren't in the Order. "Okay," he said. Easy enough.
Dumbledore peered at him over the rim of his spectacles. "I have your word?"
"Of course!" Sirius drummed his fingers on the armchair. "What was the other thing?"
"The other issue... to be frank, Mr. Black, I need you to watch your partner very closely, as there are some who will be suspicious of his motives in aiding us."
What? Sirius was still trying to process this when Dumbledore stood and moved to the fireplace. He threw in a pinch of green powder, crouching low. "Severus? Will you please join us in my office?"
"That's funny," Sirius said, "I didn't think there could be two people in the world with a name as bad as-"
The Floo flared to life, and the turning figure inside resolved itself into a dark-haired young man, a few inches shorter than Sirius, with a sullen sort of glare on his face. As he stepped out of the fireplace, Sirius got to his feet in disbelief.
There was a moment of silence, during which Sirius tried to find the words to properly express his outrage, and Snape just scowled.
"I believe you two know each other," Dumbledore said cheerily. "Now, do sit down and we'll discuss the details of your assignment."
He returned to his seat behind the desk and waved a hand. Sirius' chair bumped into the back of his legs, but instead of sitting, he leaned over Dumbledore's desk and planted his fists squarely on its surface.
"Are you-I mean, sir, no disrespect, but-you do realize he's a..." Slimy, greasy bastard half-blood, and a Slytherin for God's sake! "A Death Eater?"
A derisive snort came from the direction of the other chair. Sirius ignored it.
"And what makes you think that?" Dumbledore's voice was as pleasant as if he were offering Sirius a cup of... "Tea?"
"Headmaster," Sirius continued, trying to sound reasonable. "Severus Snape is as Death-Eating as they come. There may not be proof, but he hung around all of them in school-my own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, on numerous occasions-"
"Mr. Black," Dumbledore interrupted. His voice was soft, but the warning tone was unmistakable. "I understand your concern, but the fact of the matter is this: I trust Severus Snape. He is working for the Order now, and I would like to remind you of the things we discussed privately. Both of them." He drew his eyebrows together meaningfully, and Sirius blinked.
He'd promised to be polite, yes, but the other promise had been to keep an eye on his partner-now revealed to be Snape. So maybe Dumbledore didn't fully trust the greasy git, but he wanted to make Snape think that he did.
It was a little confusing for Sirius to try to sort out, but he could at least play along with Dumbledore's scheming. For a little while, anyway.
Slowly, he straightened up and nodded, then glanced over at the other chair.
Snape was a couple of years older than the last time Sirius had seen him, but he was pretty much the same as ever. Sallow skin, hooked nose, no evidence of ever running into a bar of soap. He was smirking now, at what he must see as vindication from Dumbledore, and when he spoke, his voice was just as oily and sneering as Sirius remembered.
"If the Gryffindor hysterics are finished, perhaps we can get to the matter at hand."
Sirius rolled his eyes. This was going to be hell.
-:-
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Black asked for the tenth time.
Severus silently counted to three, turned a page in the book he was holding, and then flicked his eyes contemptuously towards Black. "Of course I'm sure."
"I just can't imagine Lucius Malfoy needing something at a Muggle library." He began to pull books out from the shelf, rearranging and putting them back seemingly at random. Severus fought the urge to snap at him for such blatant disregard of the books' order.
"Perhaps that is because you are an imbecile," he muttered.
Black glared at him. "Look," he said. "Just because Dumbledore trusts you doesn't mean I do. So maybe you should rethink your attitude."
Severus turned a page, ignoring him. The truth was, he didn't know what Lucius Malfoy could possibly want at a Muggle library either, but it must be something important if the man was here at all. And as for the Headmaster trusting him... Severus wasn't too sure about that, either. But he needed Dumbledore's trust, he needed the Order of the Phoenix, and right now that meant he needed Sirius Black. Not that the fact didn't rankle.
Just then, a distant flash of silver-blond hair caught his eye. "There," Severus said, and, using the book he held as a screen, he began to move around the end of the row of bookshelves. Odd, it looked like Lucius had been carrying a book of his own into the library. Something to take notes in?
"Wait-Snape-"
Severus whirled. "Do not say my name," he hissed. "There are few words as guaranteed to catch his attention, and I would prefer to observe him without being seen." He turned back, intent on getting close enough to Lucius to see what he was doing. He was fairly sure that Lucius wouldn't use the computer catalog system, or ask for help from a Muggle, which meant Severus should be able to see which books the man looked at and at least recreate the search when Lucius was gone.
He reached the end of the aisle and slid quietly around the corner, when suddenly Black came striding past him, right out into the main aisle, where he would be in plain sight.
"Idiot!" Severus debated with himself for an instant: if Black was spotted, he could be hexed, captured, or killed, any of which would be entertaining and personally satisfying for Severus. But if Lucius didn't kill him outright, there was no real hope that Black could resist torture, and Severus' involvement with the Order would no longer be a secret.
He took two quick steps to catch up with Black and took hold of his arm, squeezing hard just above the elbow. Black started to squawk, but Severus dragged him forward behind another row of bookshelves, not daring to glance around to see if Lucius had looked their way.
"What do you think you're doing?" Black snarled when Severus shoved him forward, released his arm.
"Of all the people that old fool could have saddled me with, you are undoubtedly the dumbest-"
"Watch it, Sn-" Black cut off mid-word, and for a moment Severus actually thought his previous warning had sunk in. But Black was looking over his shoulder, and Severus acted on instinct. Rather than turn and confirm the worst, he moved forward.
-:-
Sirius turned as Snape pushed past him, still too shocked by the sight of Lucius Malfoy's face at the end of the aisle to think clearly. But they hadn't been spotted-yet-so all they really needed to do was keep quiet and not call attention to themselves, right?
Snape looked like he was about to go sneaking around the other side of the shelves, but Sirius was suddenly gripped by a fear that he would be discovered, that both of them would be found and hexed when they had been strictly admonished not to use their wands at a Muggle library. Malfoy wouldn't hesitate.
So he did the first thing that came into his head: he caught Snape by the shoulders before he could turn the corner and shoved him up against the shelf.
"What are you-"
Sirius had to shut him up. So he kissed him.
It had the intended effect. Both of them froze, and in the hushed moment that his mouth was jammed up against Severus Snape's, Sirius imagined he could hear footsteps drifting away from them.
He practically leaped away from Snape, and was about to make a show of wiping his mouth when Snape bit out, "What the fuck was that?"
The Slytherin made it sound like being kissed by Sirius Black was some kind of torture! Not to mention the fact that his quick thinking had just kept both of them from being noticed by the Death Eater they were supposed to be watching. Sirius rather thought he deserved some kind of medal for sacrificing his own lips so that the mission could continue.
"Oh, don't tell me you didn't like it, you poof." Sirius purposefully put a bit of swagger into his tone, that old self-satisfied arrogance that Snape always used to find so irritating.
"I did not." Snape's eyes were dark with fury. "If you ever so much as touch me again, I'll..."
Right, like Severus Snape was some big prize. Sirius gave a snort, but he pitched his voice low so he wouldn't be overheard. "Right. You didn't like it. So if I kiss you again, your cock isn't going to react at all, is that what you're telling me?"
"No! I mean-"
Sirius moved forward and covered his mouth with his own again, at the same time reaching down and palming roughly at Snape's crotch. Snape made a noise of protest, but it was cut off quickly by Sirius' mouth and tongue. He hadn't kissed many boys before, but he'd never gotten any complaints from boys or girls, and he thought even Snape wouldn't be able to control the physical reactions of his body.
So he expected the stiffening of the cock under his hand, but what he didn't expect was for Snape to start kissing him back-to reach around and grip his neck, to move them both back into the opposite shelf, to press his body against Sirius' and rub against the hand. It was impossible for him to pull back in this position, so he bit down on Snape's lip, trying to get him to be the one to pull away. But Snape just pushed him harder against the shelf, until he could feel the corner of what had to be a bloody encyclopedia or something digging in just below his shoulder blade.
For a moment Sirius couldn't breathe, and all he could think was that there was a lot underneath his hand, and no one had ever been this rough with him, and God, he liked it, he liked kissing Snape-
Suddenly disgusted, Sirius shoved blindly and twisted away at the same time, managing at last to push Snape off. They broke apart, both panting and slightly flushed, and Sirius' mind raced for something to say. That was hot was just as true I hate you, but neither seemed appropriate.
"Told you you'd like it," he managed at last.
Snape's face darkened, and his hand went to his sleeve before he apparently remembered that they were wearing Muggle clothes for this assignment. Sirius took a half-step back, thinking that a library was hardly the place for a duel, and then something he had seen a few minutes earlier came rushing back.
"The newspaper archives," he whispered, and Snape paused, eying him suspiciously.
"The what?"
"That's what Malfoy was looking at. I saw him. Come on, I'll show you."
-:-
"This drawer," Black muttered, nodding to one of the cabinets of Muggle newspapers. "But I don't see how we're going to figure out anything else. There must be hundreds of newspapers in there."
Severus' hands itched to draw his wand, to be sure they didn't miss anything, but he had to settle for memory and reasoning. If Lucius hadn't been too careful putting his research materials away, he might be able to pick out just the right one. He pulled the drawer open, revealing the old, yellowing pages pressed closely together.
He swept his eyes over the drawer, taking in the smell of ink and old paper and the way the corners of the pages were neatly aligned, except for one of the older papers.
"This one," he said, pointing. Black pulled it out and spread the newspaper across the top of the cabinet, and together they scanned the headlines from November 18, 1943.
Most of it was hard to make sense of without having the context of living during that time period, but one phrase caught Severus' attention: "... unidentified boarding school in northern Scotland." He pulled the paper towards him so he could read it better. It was an obituary.
Myrtle was the daughter of local councilman Myron Davison and his wife Georgina. Her death was a tragic accident, according to her parents, and took place at the school Myrtle attended, an unidentified boarding school in northern Scotland. She is survived by her parents and her elder brother Richard.
"D'you suppose that could be Hogwarts?" Black was at his elbow, frowning down at the small print.
Severus was about to retort that Black's brains must be even more addled than he'd thought, but something made him hold his tongue. It was possible that Black truly didn't know of the ghost known as Moaning Myrtle, and Severus could not forget that one of Potter's friends was most likely a Death Eater spy. It would be best to keep this information to himself until he could speak privately to the Headmaster.
"Possibly," was all he said. He scanned the page again, but nothing else looked relevant, so he nodded at Black to put it away.
"Well, this was a wasted trip," Black complained as he closed the cabinet door again. "We still don't know why Malfoy was doing research at a Muggle library, of all things."
Severus folded his arms and glared. "Not entirely wasted. I have learned one thing, which is that you are not capable of controlling your depraved urges."
"My urges?!" Black's jaw dropped open. "You're the one that-"
"Shh," Severus said, glancing around at the other library patrons. "Perhaps we should return to the Headmaster before you get us thrown out of here."
"I-" Black was speechless, and for a moment Severus allowed himself to remember the way their mouths had crushed together, and the way Sirius' strong fingers had clutched at his shoulders. But reality came crashing back, and Severus knew that there were more important things to worry about than properly humiliating Sirius Black as payback for his crimes.
Thinking of a decades-old ghost and the strange small book Lucius had been carrying, Severus turned away and headed for the exit. Yes, he needed to speak privately with Dumbledore, and Black would be sorted out in turn. Severus had a long memory.
Author: summerborn
Type: Fiction
Length: 2750 words
Main character or Pairing: Severus Snape/Sirius Black, with Dumbledore as the Charioteer
Card: The Chariot
Card Interpretation: "The two animals which draw the Chariot try to go in different directions." Control over things that are by nature in conflict; control over opposing people, or wants, or emotions.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Characters and most of the rest of it belongs to JKR.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Sirius Black is forced to view an old opponent in a new light-Dumbledore assigns him to work with Severus Snape on a mission for the Order of the Phoenix. Of course, nothing happens quite the way either of them expected.
Author Notes: In case the title could use explaining: Slytherin's element is water while Gryffindor's is fire :). Thanks to M and J for beta/other help. All remaining mistakes are entirely my own. Also be sure to check out this lovely art for The Chariot by chibitoaster-it's amazing!
The Chariot (Drawn By Flame and Sea)
-:-
Sirius Black strolled into the Headmaster's office and took the chair that presented itself. He stretched out his legs and propped his elbows on the arms of the chair before turning his attention to the Headmaster. "All right," he said. "You called, I came. What's up?"
Albus Dumbledore studied him from across the desk. Sirius waited. "I have an assignment for you," the Headmaster said after a moment, "but I am not sure you're going to like it."
Sirius frowned. "Order business?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Don't we normally work in pairs? James is busy with Lily and the new baby, but Peter is available; I just spoke with him-"
Dumbledore raised a hand. "You will have a partner, but it isn't anyone you've worked with before. Well," he amended, "at least not on Order business."
"Who is it?" Something in Dumbledore's tone made Sirius slightly suspicious, but how bad could it be? Arthur Weasley wasn't bad. Mad-Eye Moody?
"Before I bring him in, I want to tell you two things." Uh-oh, Sirius thought, not answering a direct question is not a good sign. The Headmaster went on, "I must have your complete understanding of these issues, is that clear?"
Sirius nodded, slowly. There was no question that Dumbledore was the leader of the Order of the Phoenix, so if Sirius wanted to help he was going to have to do as the old man said.
"First, you are to be on your best behavior. No hexing your partner, no discourtesy, no personal attacks of any sort. You are to treat him as an honored guest."
Sirius wondered if he should be offended. He was always polite! Well, maybe not to some of his family. But they weren't in the Order. "Okay," he said. Easy enough.
Dumbledore peered at him over the rim of his spectacles. "I have your word?"
"Of course!" Sirius drummed his fingers on the armchair. "What was the other thing?"
"The other issue... to be frank, Mr. Black, I need you to watch your partner very closely, as there are some who will be suspicious of his motives in aiding us."
What? Sirius was still trying to process this when Dumbledore stood and moved to the fireplace. He threw in a pinch of green powder, crouching low. "Severus? Will you please join us in my office?"
"That's funny," Sirius said, "I didn't think there could be two people in the world with a name as bad as-"
The Floo flared to life, and the turning figure inside resolved itself into a dark-haired young man, a few inches shorter than Sirius, with a sullen sort of glare on his face. As he stepped out of the fireplace, Sirius got to his feet in disbelief.
There was a moment of silence, during which Sirius tried to find the words to properly express his outrage, and Snape just scowled.
"I believe you two know each other," Dumbledore said cheerily. "Now, do sit down and we'll discuss the details of your assignment."
He returned to his seat behind the desk and waved a hand. Sirius' chair bumped into the back of his legs, but instead of sitting, he leaned over Dumbledore's desk and planted his fists squarely on its surface.
"Are you-I mean, sir, no disrespect, but-you do realize he's a..." Slimy, greasy bastard half-blood, and a Slytherin for God's sake! "A Death Eater?"
A derisive snort came from the direction of the other chair. Sirius ignored it.
"And what makes you think that?" Dumbledore's voice was as pleasant as if he were offering Sirius a cup of... "Tea?"
"Headmaster," Sirius continued, trying to sound reasonable. "Severus Snape is as Death-Eating as they come. There may not be proof, but he hung around all of them in school-my own cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, on numerous occasions-"
"Mr. Black," Dumbledore interrupted. His voice was soft, but the warning tone was unmistakable. "I understand your concern, but the fact of the matter is this: I trust Severus Snape. He is working for the Order now, and I would like to remind you of the things we discussed privately. Both of them." He drew his eyebrows together meaningfully, and Sirius blinked.
He'd promised to be polite, yes, but the other promise had been to keep an eye on his partner-now revealed to be Snape. So maybe Dumbledore didn't fully trust the greasy git, but he wanted to make Snape think that he did.
It was a little confusing for Sirius to try to sort out, but he could at least play along with Dumbledore's scheming. For a little while, anyway.
Slowly, he straightened up and nodded, then glanced over at the other chair.
Snape was a couple of years older than the last time Sirius had seen him, but he was pretty much the same as ever. Sallow skin, hooked nose, no evidence of ever running into a bar of soap. He was smirking now, at what he must see as vindication from Dumbledore, and when he spoke, his voice was just as oily and sneering as Sirius remembered.
"If the Gryffindor hysterics are finished, perhaps we can get to the matter at hand."
Sirius rolled his eyes. This was going to be hell.
-:-
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Black asked for the tenth time.
Severus silently counted to three, turned a page in the book he was holding, and then flicked his eyes contemptuously towards Black. "Of course I'm sure."
"I just can't imagine Lucius Malfoy needing something at a Muggle library." He began to pull books out from the shelf, rearranging and putting them back seemingly at random. Severus fought the urge to snap at him for such blatant disregard of the books' order.
"Perhaps that is because you are an imbecile," he muttered.
Black glared at him. "Look," he said. "Just because Dumbledore trusts you doesn't mean I do. So maybe you should rethink your attitude."
Severus turned a page, ignoring him. The truth was, he didn't know what Lucius Malfoy could possibly want at a Muggle library either, but it must be something important if the man was here at all. And as for the Headmaster trusting him... Severus wasn't too sure about that, either. But he needed Dumbledore's trust, he needed the Order of the Phoenix, and right now that meant he needed Sirius Black. Not that the fact didn't rankle.
Just then, a distant flash of silver-blond hair caught his eye. "There," Severus said, and, using the book he held as a screen, he began to move around the end of the row of bookshelves. Odd, it looked like Lucius had been carrying a book of his own into the library. Something to take notes in?
"Wait-Snape-"
Severus whirled. "Do not say my name," he hissed. "There are few words as guaranteed to catch his attention, and I would prefer to observe him without being seen." He turned back, intent on getting close enough to Lucius to see what he was doing. He was fairly sure that Lucius wouldn't use the computer catalog system, or ask for help from a Muggle, which meant Severus should be able to see which books the man looked at and at least recreate the search when Lucius was gone.
He reached the end of the aisle and slid quietly around the corner, when suddenly Black came striding past him, right out into the main aisle, where he would be in plain sight.
"Idiot!" Severus debated with himself for an instant: if Black was spotted, he could be hexed, captured, or killed, any of which would be entertaining and personally satisfying for Severus. But if Lucius didn't kill him outright, there was no real hope that Black could resist torture, and Severus' involvement with the Order would no longer be a secret.
He took two quick steps to catch up with Black and took hold of his arm, squeezing hard just above the elbow. Black started to squawk, but Severus dragged him forward behind another row of bookshelves, not daring to glance around to see if Lucius had looked their way.
"What do you think you're doing?" Black snarled when Severus shoved him forward, released his arm.
"Of all the people that old fool could have saddled me with, you are undoubtedly the dumbest-"
"Watch it, Sn-" Black cut off mid-word, and for a moment Severus actually thought his previous warning had sunk in. But Black was looking over his shoulder, and Severus acted on instinct. Rather than turn and confirm the worst, he moved forward.
-:-
Sirius turned as Snape pushed past him, still too shocked by the sight of Lucius Malfoy's face at the end of the aisle to think clearly. But they hadn't been spotted-yet-so all they really needed to do was keep quiet and not call attention to themselves, right?
Snape looked like he was about to go sneaking around the other side of the shelves, but Sirius was suddenly gripped by a fear that he would be discovered, that both of them would be found and hexed when they had been strictly admonished not to use their wands at a Muggle library. Malfoy wouldn't hesitate.
So he did the first thing that came into his head: he caught Snape by the shoulders before he could turn the corner and shoved him up against the shelf.
"What are you-"
Sirius had to shut him up. So he kissed him.
It had the intended effect. Both of them froze, and in the hushed moment that his mouth was jammed up against Severus Snape's, Sirius imagined he could hear footsteps drifting away from them.
He practically leaped away from Snape, and was about to make a show of wiping his mouth when Snape bit out, "What the fuck was that?"
The Slytherin made it sound like being kissed by Sirius Black was some kind of torture! Not to mention the fact that his quick thinking had just kept both of them from being noticed by the Death Eater they were supposed to be watching. Sirius rather thought he deserved some kind of medal for sacrificing his own lips so that the mission could continue.
"Oh, don't tell me you didn't like it, you poof." Sirius purposefully put a bit of swagger into his tone, that old self-satisfied arrogance that Snape always used to find so irritating.
"I did not." Snape's eyes were dark with fury. "If you ever so much as touch me again, I'll..."
Right, like Severus Snape was some big prize. Sirius gave a snort, but he pitched his voice low so he wouldn't be overheard. "Right. You didn't like it. So if I kiss you again, your cock isn't going to react at all, is that what you're telling me?"
"No! I mean-"
Sirius moved forward and covered his mouth with his own again, at the same time reaching down and palming roughly at Snape's crotch. Snape made a noise of protest, but it was cut off quickly by Sirius' mouth and tongue. He hadn't kissed many boys before, but he'd never gotten any complaints from boys or girls, and he thought even Snape wouldn't be able to control the physical reactions of his body.
So he expected the stiffening of the cock under his hand, but what he didn't expect was for Snape to start kissing him back-to reach around and grip his neck, to move them both back into the opposite shelf, to press his body against Sirius' and rub against the hand. It was impossible for him to pull back in this position, so he bit down on Snape's lip, trying to get him to be the one to pull away. But Snape just pushed him harder against the shelf, until he could feel the corner of what had to be a bloody encyclopedia or something digging in just below his shoulder blade.
For a moment Sirius couldn't breathe, and all he could think was that there was a lot underneath his hand, and no one had ever been this rough with him, and God, he liked it, he liked kissing Snape-
Suddenly disgusted, Sirius shoved blindly and twisted away at the same time, managing at last to push Snape off. They broke apart, both panting and slightly flushed, and Sirius' mind raced for something to say. That was hot was just as true I hate you, but neither seemed appropriate.
"Told you you'd like it," he managed at last.
Snape's face darkened, and his hand went to his sleeve before he apparently remembered that they were wearing Muggle clothes for this assignment. Sirius took a half-step back, thinking that a library was hardly the place for a duel, and then something he had seen a few minutes earlier came rushing back.
"The newspaper archives," he whispered, and Snape paused, eying him suspiciously.
"The what?"
"That's what Malfoy was looking at. I saw him. Come on, I'll show you."
-:-
"This drawer," Black muttered, nodding to one of the cabinets of Muggle newspapers. "But I don't see how we're going to figure out anything else. There must be hundreds of newspapers in there."
Severus' hands itched to draw his wand, to be sure they didn't miss anything, but he had to settle for memory and reasoning. If Lucius hadn't been too careful putting his research materials away, he might be able to pick out just the right one. He pulled the drawer open, revealing the old, yellowing pages pressed closely together.
He swept his eyes over the drawer, taking in the smell of ink and old paper and the way the corners of the pages were neatly aligned, except for one of the older papers.
"This one," he said, pointing. Black pulled it out and spread the newspaper across the top of the cabinet, and together they scanned the headlines from November 18, 1943.
Most of it was hard to make sense of without having the context of living during that time period, but one phrase caught Severus' attention: "... unidentified boarding school in northern Scotland." He pulled the paper towards him so he could read it better. It was an obituary.
Myrtle was the daughter of local councilman Myron Davison and his wife Georgina. Her death was a tragic accident, according to her parents, and took place at the school Myrtle attended, an unidentified boarding school in northern Scotland. She is survived by her parents and her elder brother Richard.
"D'you suppose that could be Hogwarts?" Black was at his elbow, frowning down at the small print.
Severus was about to retort that Black's brains must be even more addled than he'd thought, but something made him hold his tongue. It was possible that Black truly didn't know of the ghost known as Moaning Myrtle, and Severus could not forget that one of Potter's friends was most likely a Death Eater spy. It would be best to keep this information to himself until he could speak privately to the Headmaster.
"Possibly," was all he said. He scanned the page again, but nothing else looked relevant, so he nodded at Black to put it away.
"Well, this was a wasted trip," Black complained as he closed the cabinet door again. "We still don't know why Malfoy was doing research at a Muggle library, of all things."
Severus folded his arms and glared. "Not entirely wasted. I have learned one thing, which is that you are not capable of controlling your depraved urges."
"My urges?!" Black's jaw dropped open. "You're the one that-"
"Shh," Severus said, glancing around at the other library patrons. "Perhaps we should return to the Headmaster before you get us thrown out of here."
"I-" Black was speechless, and for a moment Severus allowed himself to remember the way their mouths had crushed together, and the way Sirius' strong fingers had clutched at his shoulders. But reality came crashing back, and Severus knew that there were more important things to worry about than properly humiliating Sirius Black as payback for his crimes.
Thinking of a decades-old ghost and the strange small book Lucius had been carrying, Severus turned away and headed for the exit. Yes, he needed to speak privately with Dumbledore, and Black would be sorted out in turn. Severus had a long memory.