Chapter Text
Sirius Black never thought he’d care if Severus Snape slept with someone. Yet he did. From the day Sirius was acquitted—it was also the day he saw Snape for the first time since he and James broke the news of Lily’s pregnancy—he couldn’t stop thinking about who the former victim of his constant pranks was with now. Because it was obvious that there was someone.
Anyone who could have guessed the storm of emotions that was brewing within him might have asked one simple question: What had changed?
Well, everything had changed.
From early childhood, he’d known he was an alpha. He’d learned this before he learned he was a wizard, which, considering he’d been born into a family proud of his pureblood ancestry, was quite remarkable.
He didn’t understand the fascination with the bond between an alpha and an omega destined for an alpha. So he didn’t want to endure omegas craving his attention—he used powerful pheromone blockers to keep his true nature from being revealed. He could still smell some scents, but never, ever feel the same as when, almost two years ago, Snape’s scent hit him, his face glaring and his wand pointing at him.
The scent so dizzyingly overwhelmed him that he operated almost on autopilot, barely restraining himself from attacking the former Slytherin despite the presence of Remus, Harry, and his friends. Attack Snape and bite into his neck, so that he bore the mark of belonging to HIM, not to someone else.
Why did it have to be Snape? And why did Sirius only find out after all these years? You don’t become an omega. You’re born an omega. They could have been together back in school. They could have been together almost from the day they met…
Sirius found himself spiralling into chaos during a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix—the organisation resurrected after Lord Voldemort’s return—when, sitting across from Snape, his thoughts increasingly focused not on what Dumbledore was saying but on the Potions Master’s exposed neck. There was something odd about his appearance, and it wasn’t just his attire—he wasn’t wearing his black robes, but jeans, a black Van Halen T-shirt, and a red-and-black chequered shirt—but his demeanour.
The sound of Snape’s voice jolted him out of his reverie. He sounded hoarse, as if he’d burned his throat with a scream. “As I mentioned, the Dark Lord currently resembles a snake more than a man. Unfortunately for us, Riddle has reached the wrong conclusion. None of us can convince him of the error of his reasoning.” After he finished speaking, he tucked his hair behind his ear. Sirius was speechless when he saw the three star-shaped earrings atop his earlobe.
“Speak, Severus...” Albus interjected. “Unless it’s something you’d like to discuss privately.”
“I think we’ll need to provide protection for Cedrick Diggory and his father,” Snape said. The expression on his face suggested he couldn’t have been more serious in his statement. “According to the Dark Lord, what failed that day wasn’t Potter’s escape, but Diggory’s survival.”
The drawing room at Grimmuald Place suddenly fell deathly silent. The half-spoken suggestion didn’t need to be uttered to be understood. Sirius suddenly felt out of place with his previous thoughts; he’d gladly blamed it on his hormones, but he’d be lying to himself.
Molly cleared her throat—probably glad the children would be at Hogwarts for a few more days, which kept them out of this conversation—then said, “I think you have an idea, Severus...”
“Of course I do. Cedrick and his father could move in with Black. Considering the affair between Potter and that boy... It would be a rather logical solution.”
They spent the next several minutes discussing what was to happen in the coming days. The children’s departure from Hogwarts for the summer break, the Death Eater meetings, the next school year, and a few other matters that—as it turned out—were urgent.
Since Sirius was primarily concerned with accommodating the two guests who had been forced upon him, taking care of Harry, and restoring his family’s estate to its former glory, he quickly drifted back into the recesses of his incorrigible thoughts.
Snape’s scent was becoming increasingly pronounced. It was surrounding Sirius, making him think more and more about one thing. The sight of Severus’ bare skin didn’t help calm him down. That’s why he decided to ask. “Does anyone know who will be taking up Defence Against the Dark Arts next school year?” to direct his thoughts elsewhere. More useful and definitely not sexual.
“Cornelius wants to talk to me about this,” Albus muttered, dissatisfied. “I suspect what he means. He’s been trying to bring someone fond of him to Hogwarts for several years now.” Dumbledore began tapping his fingers on the table. The situation must have been serious; it rarely happened to him. “With Tom back... he might succeed. Especially after the rumours of Lord Voldemort’s return, some wizards I spoke to about jobs this year took back their applications.”
At that moment, a crazy idea popped into Sirius’s head. He asked, “What about me?” before his courage ebbed. Seeing the Headmaster’s unease, he focused his gaze solely on him. “Could I teach at Hogwarts this year? You know I have teaching qualifications.” He had got his license during his Auror training. Being an Auror was James’s dream, not his. He wanted to be a professor someday, but was too afraid to tell anyone about it.
“I’ll see what I can do about it. If my suspicions are wrong and Fudge doesn’t force me to hire his protégé,” Albus said in one breath, and when he heard Snape’s growl, he quickly added. “You know perfectly well that because of the curse, I can’t allow you to work in this position, Severus. I employ others for only one year, and most of them finish their work before the end of the school year, anyway.”
Snape glared at Dumbledore. Irritation, perhaps even anger, radiated from him. “That’s not what I mean this time. I don’t think that allowing me and that… mutt… to be in the same building would be wise.” Could Albus have known what connected them? Or perhaps it was their past conflict? “However, if that is your decision, then I will comply with it.” He stood up, saying, “Forgive me, but I have to go. In about an hour, I have my last class of the school year with the fifth year, and I still need to change.”
Albus smiled as he said, “Go, boy. We’ll be leaving soon too, but we still have some business to discuss.” Black felt his gaze on him. “Or more precisely, I must discuss something with Sirius.”
xxx
Sirius chased Snape once he was in the hall, ignoring Albus’s call. It wasn’t hard for him to guess which direction the former Slytherin was heading. The library. Of all the fireplaces connected to the Floo system in this tenement, Snape always chose the one in the library to take one of the potion’s book with him.
They needed to talk and discuss that awkward situation. Sirius knew there was no point in putting it off any longer. No matter how much hatred they felt for each other, they had to come to an understanding if what was between them was to work.
He caught up with him at the top of the stairs. He grabbed his arm and, pulling him toward him, turned him around to look him in the eye. “Damn it, you’re my OMEGA. You can’t ignore me like that! Something could happen to both of us if we don’t take care of our bond!” he said through clenched jaws.
Sirius’d tried to start this conversation with him so many times, but Sirius avoided being in the same room with him and ran away every time Sirius tried to get even the slightest bit closer. He needed to solve it. He needed to know what was going on and who Snape’s lover is.
The Slytherin brushed his hand off his forearm, then muttered with amusement. “Frankly, I don’t care what you want from me. I’m aware of what happens if an omega stays away from his alpha for too long. I also know what happens to an alpha rejected by his omega.” The smile on his face widened. “Believe me, my life will be the price I’m willing to pay to see you writhe in pain. I’m used to it by now. I wonder how long you’ll last.” He snorted, then quickly added, “Now let me go. I don’t have much time to waste.”
Snape pulled away and walked in the direction he’d chosen. Sirius gasped. It must have been some kind of mockery of life if fate had linked him with someone willing to sacrifice their life in the name of revenge.
The worst part was that a shiver of pleasure ran down his spine at the thought of having someone like Snape in his bed. Someone who is fearless in feeling and giving pain. “Fuck, I'm cooked.”
xxx
Severus was nervous. He couldn’t care less about Black, but he still reacted to his pheromones almost as he would have done as a mere teenager. At school, he did everything he could to avoid revealing that he practically—by magical law—belonged to Sirius Black. He did everything he could to avoid the possibility that he might be carrying his child, a child who, knowing his luck, would look like a miniature version of his tormentor.
His mother had ended up marrying Tobias Snape not only because she had fallen in love with him, but also because she had succumbed to her instincts. Severus didn’t know what his father was like before alcoholism consumed him. But he knew what domestic violence felt like. He had too much evidence on his skin. He still had scars on his back and chest.
He didn’t want that for himself. That’s why he decided he would never bond with an alpha, someone who could unnaturally bind him to them. Even if the price was a lonely life. Or death.
Severus began to feel the effects of being away from his destined alpha about ten years ago. Pain, unstable magic, a temporary blockage of his access to magic… When things got absolutely bad, he turned to his friend for help. Evan’s bite on the back of his neck—invisible under his loose hair—eased the
symptoms and helped him survive the last few years in relative peace.
He hadn’t expected Sirius Black to ever return to his life. But he had. And Severus wasn’t about to make it easy for him. He would work against their bond until either the bond between them broke or one of them died.
As far as he was concerned, there was no happy ending for Severus Snape and Sirius Black. At least no one in which they were together at the end of their story.