Chapter 16: Wag Of The Dog

The Corridors, Hogwarts...

Sirius Black had been moving rather quickly through the vast halls of Hogwarts castle. His curly dark brown hair rising and falling at his broad shoulders and his gray suit unassuming, surprisingly not in the least bit flashy as he ventured toward the Slytherin Dungeons toward the office of Severus Sebastian Snape. He had been stuck in Grimmauld Palace for weeks without the opportunity to stretch his legs and given a minor assistance in the handy appearance altering spell from Dumbledore, he felt that this was as good an occasion as any to test it out. Severus Snape had been busily grading papers when Sirius knocked on his office door.

The Potions Master grew tense and a low growl erupted from his throat but he shook it off and tried to focus on the task of grading 4th year parchments. He had no interest in conversing with Sirius Black of all people and no amount of ties to The Order would make it so. If the mangy mutt came to grill him about his treatment of Potter then he would just have to get in line.

"Enter." said Snape bitterly.

Sirius strolled into the office bringing with him the atrocious scent of wet dog.

"Why are you here?" asked Snape without looking up from his grading.

"We need to talk." said Sirius.

"What makes you think that I would be interesting in speaking with the likes of you?" asked Snape not at all hiding the bitterness in his tone.

"Look Snivellus." said Sirius.

At the mention of the accursed childhood moniker bestowed upon him by his sworn enemies Snape leapt from behind his desk and slammed an unsuspecting Sirius into a nearby wall knocking down a few of his assorted decorations. Sirius glared at the Potions Professor with hate filled dark eyes. He had not known where Snape had gotten the strength from but the foreign scent that seemed to radiate off him put him on notice.

"Let me go." demanded Sirius trying to claw at Snapes surprisingly strong lean pale arm.

Snape's obsidian eyes took on an eerie red glow as a hostile growl rumbled deep in the back of his throat.

"I suggest you watch your tongue mutt." he said in a dangerous manner. "I am low on patience these days."

Sirius looked into Snape's eyes unable to do much else after the dour wizard had siezed him by the collar. His lengthy pale fingers were gripping the collar tightly and his sharpened fingernails at his skin.

"I will not hesitate to rid the world of your miserable existence once and for all Mutt." said Snape. "Do not test me."

Sirius could already tell that Snape wasn't kidding around. It was clear that Remus' worst fears had come to pass and that he had turned Severus Snape after all.

"Alright." conceded Sirius. "You win."

Snape let out one last warning growl and let Sirius drop to the stone floor below.

"Now." said Snape reverting to his usual demeanor. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see for myself it Remus' suspicions were correct." said Sirius rubbing his aching neck. "It appears that he is indeed correct about your current condition."

"Indeed." replied Snape still in a dangerous tone. "Anything else?"

Sirius got back to his feet and straightened his suit.

"The matter of your unfair treatment concerning my Godson." he said.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the dog before him.

"I do not think you want to play holier than thou with me." he said bitterly. "As I recall, you Gryffindors tend to use the term fair very loosely when in context of yourselves but you are very comfortable with sadistic treatment of others when it serves a purpose for you...I believe the term fair coming from any such Gryffindor is highly over-rated."

"You will not use my godson to extract your revenge Snivel-Snape." said Sirius correcting himself in the wake of Snape's hostile glare.

"I mean to do nothing of the sort." replied Snape turning his attention back to grading his parchments. "Potter is simply overzealous in his concept of what he, as a Gryffindor perceives to be "fair treatment...it is not my problem that he presents himself to be the same spoiled arrogant brat that both his father and godfather have turned out to be."

"My godson is not spoiled." said Sirius in defense of Harry. "Unlike your so-called godchild, Draco Malfoy."

Snape had not bothered to take the bait for the argument. He, himself believed Draco to be a bit spoiled but the boy was simply playing a role that was designed for him at the moment of his birth. In actuality he had been more like his mother, with a surprisingly gentle heart like his father. Of course no one else needed to have known that.

"My god-son." said Snape looking at Sirius sharply. "Is not so fool enough to rally his friends in a bid to locate your former Marauder comrade Peter Pettigrew...and attempt to get his own brand of justice."

Sirius' eyes grew wide at the mention of this.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Try the Gryffindor common room...I'm sure you know the way to your precious tower." said Snape lazily flicking his wrist in a bid to dismiss his most hated enemy. "If you act now you might be able to stop him from becoming a bigger fool than you."

Sirius bit back a retort and took off toward Gryffindor tower.

Snape smirked sensing the fear course through him as he left. He started thinking that being condemned to living as a werewolf might not be such a bad idea given how he could make his former enemies cower in an instant.

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Later...

Hermione Granger had been making her way across the grounds when she caught sight of Harry Potter's godfather Sirius Black. And instantly she thought to get to Professor Snape as soon as possible. It had been no secret that the two wizards harbored a deep hatred for one another. Given Snape's current condition it was bound to spill over into something more than just verbal sparing and from the looks of Snape and Sirius during the night of Lupin's transformation, Snape seemed to be itching for a reason to hex Sirius.

The mysterious Black had been visibly irate about something and from what the bushy haired witch could gather, he had spoken to Harry at length about something. Professor Snape made his way toward the corridors and had been right on course with Sirius. His face a mask of conflicting emotions. The ebony robes billowed angrily with each passing step.

"Snivellus!" shouted Sirius angry himself.

Snape's attention immediately focused on the mangy dog standing in his path. Hermione had barely let out a breath before the Potions Master had made his way toward Sirius with long pale fingers that wrapped painfully around his throat.

Hermione noted how Sirius struggled against Snape's sudden burst of strength. She moved quickly recalling how Snape seemed to react to her even when he had been in his wolf form.

"I warned you once before dog." said Snape with his eyes glowing and his tone dangerous.

"You're picking on my godson." said Sirius, his eyes gleaming from the force of his anger.

"Mr. Potter's rather colorful perception of me is not any of my concern." he said still in a dangerous tone. "You having the audacity to use that name in my presence is what I have a problem with."

"Professor Snape." said Hermione reaching out toward the irate Potions Master.

Snape turned his attention to the small witch who had dared come between him and his mortal enemy.

"Professor Snape please." said Hermione trying to reason with him. "Sirius Black is not worth it."

Snape glared at the mangy mutt in his clutches. The older wizard struggled against his iron grasp and shifted against the nearby stone wall. Remus Lupin made his way down the corridor found himself running into Severus, Sirius, and Hermione Granger who had been trying admirably to defuse the somewhat heated situation between Snape and Sirius.

"Severus." said Lupin rushing over toward them. "Sirius."

"Remus." said Sirius pleased to see his friend. "Get your blasted monster off me."

Snape tightened his grip on Sirius' collar.

"Why don't you do something constructive Snivellus, like play with your chemistry set." said Sirius.

"I believe there is a substantial reward out for your arrest." said Snape bitterly. "How many "chemistry sets", as you seem so keen on mentioning would you say I could buy with that money?"

"You spineless..." started Sirius.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle Black." said Snape. "I seem to recall a certain group of spineless Gryffindors strutting about these very halls."

"Severus that was a long time ago." said Remus. "Sirius let it go."

The Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor was largely ignored by both wizards.

"Come on Snivellus, you and I both know the real reason you treat Harry so poorly." said Sirius.

"Sirius." said Remus warning his friend. "Don't."

Hermione had not known what they were speaking of but it only seemed to enrage Snape all the more.

"Professor Snape please calm down." she said. "Sirius is only trying to bait you."

"You still haven't gotten over the fact that she chose him over you." said Sirius in an arrogant fashion.

Snape's rage seemed to flood to the surface as he began to exhibit signs of his previous transformations.

Beast mind:

KILL DOG! KILL DOG! KILL DOG!

Snape lessened his grip on Sirius' collar. The arrogant wizard thought it meant that he was getting to him. Lupin caught the foreign scent of the emerging beast. Hermione's eyes widened. She knew that if they didn't get Snape away from Sirius he would rip him apart. Thinking rather quickly, she gripped his hand and pulled The Potions Master toward the nearest corridor. Lupin pulled Sirius to the side determined to save him despite his apparent stupidity.

Snape's rage had been boiling over.

Hermione took a breath as she noted how Snape's teeth shifted into the dagger like canine's of the ebony wolf.

"Breath Professor." she instructed him. "Just breath."

Snape snarled as the rumble of the beast came from deep within him.

Beast Mind:

The Female. She's here. Why is she here? Is she protecting the dog?...NO. That scent. That intoxicating female scent. Must have her. Must have her soon. She's mine! She's all mine!

"Professor?" said Hermione checking the man who had been taking labored breaths as he stood before her.

Upon hearing her voice he suddenly backed her into a cold stone wall. His ebony clad frame and continuously shifting form somewhere between the pale fleshed Potions Professor and the gray skinned Were-wolf still very much in his teaching robes.

"MINE!" shouted Snape with a crazed look in his obsidian eyes as they warred between staying their natural dark hue and glowing red.

"Professor Snape you have to calm down." said Hermione trying to reach him.

She had been well aware of the damage his wavering emotions could cause. Snape continued to press her slender frame into the cold stone wall. The bushy haired witch let out a hitched breath when she felt his looming body press against her.

"KILL DOG!" he said in a trance like state.

"No Professor." said Hermione reaching out against her better judgment and touching his face. "You have to control yourself."

Snape seemed startled by the contact, so much so that the wolf's hold on him had been broken. He noted his close proximity to the young witch and moved back from her immediately thought it had not been far enough out of her grasp.

"Miss Granger, kindly tell me what you are doing placing your hands on my person." he said shocked.

Hermione sighed in relief and drew her hands back.

"I-I was trying to calm you down sir." she said rather shyly. "Y-You didn't look to good when I happened upon you in the corridor."

Snape arched an eyebrow at her.

"And what pray tell was so wrong with me that you felt the need to inflict the horror of your touch upon my person?" he asked as venomous and angry as ever.

"Don't recall sir." said Hermione with a small smile. "But you looked like you could use some help."

Snape muttered something about foolish Gryffindor sentiment.

"Five points from Gryffindor for invading my personal space." he said before walking away.

Hermione sighed pleased that she was able to get him to keep his composure. Five points was but a small price to pay for her white lie. She had not wanted to risk this happening again if he knew that Sirius Black was at Hogwarts and provoked the incident. Feeling rather proud that she had "taken" one for the team Hermione made her way toward Gryffindor tower. She had been unaware of the shifting obsidian eyes that watched her from the shadows.