All in the Family

Chapter 141: Snape Victorious

The room was so dark that at first they didn't recognize being back in such a familiar classroom. All the curtains were drawn and only spluttering candles lit the horrid décor that no other teacher had would ever put up in here, grisly depictions of people in pain with ghastly injuries or contorted body parts. A copy of Confronting the Faceless by Hickabod Marthel toppled out of the bag Remus landed on top of, sending the book with a pale, empty human like shape on the cover that eerily reminded him of Voldemort skidding away.

He got up still shaking his head to find their DADA classroom like a nightmare as he sought out the others, all of whom had landed on desks and chairs as well. Sirius had landed by one particular picture depicting a soulless husk slumped on the ground and couldn't seem to look away, and Remus moved forward on instinct to put himself between that future that was not happening to him to catch Sirius' eyes with concern.

Padfoot smiled at him in relief and turned purposefully away, but Remus didn't think it was a better option when he went after Peter and Regulus again, that didn't feel like it was helping anything, but he knew better than to try and stop Sirius there. Instead he went up to the desk in mild concern for who was teaching the class this year, the room felt so forbidding it wasn't going to be a good thing.

Wormtail and Reg were looking over the class copy with mild disgust, sitting at the same desk like that could ever happen outside of this madness. He hopped up onto the table and grinned when Peter still looked up at him with mild curiosity.

"What were you trying to tell Prongs anyways?" Sirius asked.

"Um," Peter knew exactly what he was talking about and gave a questioning look at Regulus, who merely shrugged. Taking that as permission to say whatever he liked, he admitted, "I was going to ask him to tell you to stop asking about Regulus. If you want to talk to him Padfoot, he's right here."

Regulus didn't look up, now acting more invisible than if he had the cloak on him.

Sirius' scowl was not encouraging, and Peter winced. "Hence why I was trying to tell James, you listen to him."

"The hell is with the two of you?" His voice was already edging towards outrage. "I don't bloody have a mind link with him, I think for myself! James doesn't tell me what to do, nobody does! He's my best friend because he's never tried to pull this shit! If you have something to say then bloody say it! I was only asking you in the first place because the last time I tried you snapped my head off!"

Peter winced and looked away, feeling even more guilty for that now, but Regulus calmly interceded with a level look at his big brother now. "Well then, I'm saying it. Go away please. I do want to talk to you, but, later."

Sirius threw his hands up in resignation but did as asked. Fine, if Peter and Regulus wanted to exclude him from their life, more power to them! Nobody could say he hadn't tried!

"No, we're not okay," he told James before he could ask, throwing himself into the seat beside him, watching Moony go through a desk with blood pounding in his ears rather than anywhere else for once. Being patient was a lot harder than he'd ever given credit for, he had no idea how to keep going like this. "Merlin, I would kill for a game of Exploding Snap right now."

"I can help with that without the body, this time," James grinned as he pulled exactly that from his bag, which was still overflowing with the rest of their prizes from the shop.

"You are the best mate in the world," Sirius told him with all the sincerity in him as they set up.

James waited until after the first batch had exploded and proudly declared himself as winning before saying calmly to Sirius, "you can get it off your chest you know. Just because I don't approve doesn't mean I won't listen." He'd admit he did feel a little guilty at his irrational anger for Regulus, but that wasn't making the feeling go away either when he imagined Sirius alone in that house.

Sirius watched the deck magically reshuffle, only waiting long enough to look around and see nobody had reacted at all to their game, and that was good enough for him as he told Prongs of every bloody thought that had been on his mind about both Peter and Regulus for practically his whole bloody life just under the books loud words, ergo either of them barely reacting to Snape Victorious. It made too much sense after all, what with their surroundings and Slughorn taking his old job, and they cared far more about making each other laugh than the spare thought it was Snape would finally be gone after this book. They just had to get through it until then.

Lily and Frank watched in dumbfounded fascination for this. Once back in Malfoy's room had been an anomaly enough, but this was twice now the two had purposely showed almost a mature response to such dislikable news to them. Even Alice and Frank made more disgusted noises at the news that Snape was still a teacher around their boy, a promotion in that greasy gits eyes after all the horrible things he'd done.

Lily still couldn't help an automatic resistance to the idea of being peaceable with them, but she hadn't loathed the very idea of Potter for a while now, and she wasn't sure when exactly that had ended. She didn't have any other feelings to cling to about him now though, leaving her rather empty and concerned.

A very small, even traitorous part of her whispered against the idea of interacting with him in any way as some kind of betrayal to Sev, but she closed her eyes and pushed that thought away. He did not, and possibly may never again get any say in any part of her life.

By the end of it all where the most extravagant thing they did was high five each other in congratulations for winning the game without an explosion and catcall Lupin a few times for sitting at the teacher's desk to read all this while eating from a box of sweets without sharing, causing all five of them to smile for the friendly banter, Lily and Frank had quietly apologized to Alice and promised to try with her now. Maybe it would do them some good to interact with them more.