alwaysimpure | What if Peter hadn't been the secret-keeper, but still a traitor?

It wasn't often that Sirius considered, even for a moment, being grateful to his mother. She had made his life misery, she had turned his brother from him, she had messed him up the way only family could. But at least she had also prepared him for pain, definitely for more pain than any growing child should have to experience and through enough that he had been able to withstand more torture than most minds could take since he'd been captured.

A trap, a simple one, but he had trusted Peter and that had made this so easy. Of course he'd trusted Peter. Not because Peter was brave or overly loyal, but because he just didn't seem capable of deceit. Too much the coward, too stupid. he had underestimated him and that's how he ended up here. Some dungeon, who knew where, chained to the wall, wandless and in pain.

Deatheaters weren't gentle captors, especially not to bloodtraitors. He hadn't eaten or drunk, hell, hadn't slept or pissed since this started, not that he had any way of telling how much time had passed. But as long as there was so much importance on getting the truth from him, at least Sirius knew that they were still safe and that gave him strength like nothing else.

There was no one with him at the moment, a short but welcome reprieve. Sirius had closed his eyes, tried to use wandless magic to find some spell to break the chains, hopeless as that was. He'd have been better of focusing his strength on a healing spell, but that had never been his style. Too much of a fighter.

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Severus drew his hand away. He wasn't hot. He took out his wand, glancing back towards the door before flicking his wand at the chains, letting them grow longer.

"When were you fed last?"

"Back home. What are you doing?"

Sirius frowned, tugging at the chains as he felt more freedom. This was weird, very, but perhaps it was a chance. He didn't want to die, after all, contrary to popular belief.

"But not to worry, I'm assured I'll get to eat as soon as I tell them where James is." He watched Severus's face. "And Lily and the baby."

Severus' face twitched at the mention of Lily, eyes darting up and then quickly away, jaw set. He didn't give a fig what happened to Potter, or...that brat. But...

He huffed, grip tighting round his wand. "...And what have you told them?"

"Nothing! What do you take me for, some bloody coward?"

Sirius shook his head, eyes narrowed with actual anger, although he let go of it fast enough. He'd always had a temper.

"Why do you think I look like this?"

"I've seen better men crumble," Severus said simply, taking a slow breath. What in Merlin's name was he supposed to do now. "So you're the secret keeper? You? Why not Dumbledore?" That bastard old man. He'd let Black guard the secret?? He'd promised he'd keep Lily safe.

"I'm sure you have. Are you proud of yourself? Which one did you torture? Frank? Alice? Fabian?" Sirius spat on the ground and closed his eyes. Alright, this plan of getting Severus to free him wasn't working out overly well so far.

"I'm doing a good job keeping it secret so far, so stop complaining."

Severus glarred in distaste and stepped back. "I didn't touch any of them." And no, he wasn't proud, but...no of this was what he'd thought it would be. He didn't need Black judging him.

"Not good enough. They never should have found out it was you." He might resist, they all did. But they'd get the information out of him sooner or later.

"Ah, just watched? Much better." Sirius was judging, naturally. He had always been judging Severus and he'd never have this much reason to.

"No, they shouldn't have," he agreed, pressing his lips together as he remembered the betrayal. No need to let Severus in on that.

"You could kill me," Sirius suggested.

"I could," Severus said stiffly, leveling his hand to point at Sirius' chest, "Is that what you want?"

Of course it wasn't what he wanted. He was eighteen, damn it, he had his whole life ahead of him.

"Since you seem convinced I'll break down and since you're not likely to help me escape, yes."

Severus stared him down, but when he flicked his wand it wasn't a flash of green or red, he simply banished the chains.

"If you fuck this up I will haunt you until your dying day, Black."

Sirius quickly lowered his head to hide one of the smug and triumphant smirks he was renowned for. It had been quite the gamble, no need to spoil it now.

Besides, the fact that he had to hold on to the wall to keep from collapsing didn't leave him feeling smug for long, anyway. Sirius looked at Severus, not joking around anymore.

"Come with me."

"Drink this," Severus said with a sigh, conjeuring a goblet of water and pushing it towards Sirius.

He wasn't going anywhere. It was part of the deal. But he couldn't talk about that. "No one's going to believe you got past me when you can't even stand."

Sirius wanted to argue, but he decided that he could do that after drinking. It wasn't until he had taken the first sip that he realized how much he'd been craving liquid.

"How could anyone believe that I got past you? You can't just stay here, they'll kill you."

"You under-estimate how much faith any one has in me," he said, combing his fingers through his hair. "They'll believe it. They won't be happy. But they'll believe it." He'd gotten quite good with Occulmency since he'd first spoken with Dumbledore, they wouldn't know he'd let Black escape.

"...I have to stay."

"Why? And what do you propose I do?"

Sirius was angry suddenly, because he felt cornered, because he didn't want to leave Severus behind and because suddenly it was a lot harder to just forget all that had happened between them.

"I don't have a wand. Want me to run?"

"Because I bloody well do, Black. Do you think you're the only one who has secrets to keep?" Severus snaped. He didn't trust Dumbledore to keep Lily safe as it was, and certainly not if he backed out of his side of things.

"Merlin, do I have to do everything? Hit me you idiot. Take my wand, and get out of here, or so help me-"

What if Peter hadn't been the secret-keeper, but still a traitor?

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