Chapter Text
Pair Up
Severus sat on the trolley looking out at the passing streets. He sighed, thinking about what the day had in store for him. It had only been two weeks since the news had been given, to 7th years, that they were to attend a series of field trips in their final year at Hogwarts. They field trips were to help the young witches and wizards learn more about the Muggle world and wizarding world through experience. So it was now that Severus sat with a rather smelly young Hufflepuff, headed to a Muggle art museum, while constantly being jeered at by the Marauders who sat in the seats behind him. Severus gazed off into nothingness for several more minutes before the trolley pulled up in front of very large ornately carved building.
Severus was brought out of his trance by the voice of the headmaster from the front of the trolley. Severus sat up, irritated and simply hoping to get the day over with soon, he listened to the headmaster speak.
"Now students, I do hope you treat this experience as a fun way to learn. It is the first time we are instituting this sort of program at Hogwarts and I am hoping the endeavor proves successful, so that future students may be able to partake in the activities you will partake in."
Dumbledore looked around at the students to make sure they were all listening; namely the Marauders who were known for their pranks and trouble causing ways.
"Now the museum has informed me that due to its size and the mischievousness of past students that they now operate on a buddy system. Therefore, each student has to have a buddy. The museum has said that they prefer the pairings not be chosen by the students, so I have allowed your head's of houses choose your buddies."
Severus allowed a sigh of relief to escape his lips. He was afraid that Dumbledore had paired them up and was certain that the man would place him among his enemies, but he was certain McGonagall would never allow such a fate for one of her Gryffindor's and Severus was glad for it.
"I feel that the buddy system is a simply splendid idea, and so your buddy chosen today will be your buddy for all trips this school year."
Dumbledore's statement was met with much groaning but he did not respond, instead reading the pairs for the trip. Severus only listened vaguely, as his attention was not needed until his name was called, but he breathed easier when the Hufflepuff beside him was paired with a Ravenclaw. He was supremely happy that he was not paired with the boy, who did not know the purpose of a shower or a deodorizing charm.
"Severus Snape," called the headmaster and Severus turned his attention to the man after hearing his name called, "and Sirius Black."
Severus felt his guts plummet and become very chilled and icy. He thought that surely the headmaster was mistaken, or it was some sort of a joke. He heard the git, Black, voicing his thoughts to the headmaster, only for the headmaster to tell him that there was no mistake and for him and Black to head into the museum. Both walked by looking rather dejected, Severus turning his gaze, which burned with such anger, onto the headmaster before glaring daggers at the back of Sirius' head.
The pair made it halfwayto the door, when Sirius stopped and turned to look at the bus. Severus turned around and looked at the boy with much irritation when he noticed the boy had stopped walking.
"Black, what are you doing? I wish to get this atrocious day over with a quickly as possible," he said to Sirius who was watching the bus.
Sirius ignored the boy and continued to watch until he saw what he was waiting for. James made his way off the bus positively beaming and Sirius fully expected him to head over to him and snivels to wait for Mooney and Wormtail. However, James seemed not to notice him and was completely focused on impressing his partner Lily Evans. Sirius saw red, positively livid that he and his friends had been purposely split up and he had been saddled with the git of the century, Snivellus Snape. Sirius turned around slightly dejected and Severus swept off without a word to the boy, feeling slightly relieved that James would most definitely not be joining them.
Both boys made their way into the museum and, for about thirty minutes, made their way through the museum quietly not really paying much attention to the Muggle artwork. Sirius found himself slowing as they came to several paintings that looked as though artist really enjoyed dash marks.
"What's with all the squiggles," he wondered out loud, "and why don't these painting move. Muggle are so boring."
Severus rolled his eyes at the boy and looked at the picture, he recognized it from his Muggle art class in elementary school. It was his art teacher's favorite picture, Starry Night, by Van Gogh. He looked back to Sirius, who was now looking at the picture with his head tilted to the side.
Severus sighed. "It was Van Gogh painting moron, that's just what he did," he huffed, "now lets go, I do not want to spend all day with you."
Sirius gave Severus a disbelieving look. "How would you know Snively?" he jeered crossing his arms over his chest.
Severus pointed to the picture description on a pedestal under the painting, before turning and walking away, his ears red from rage and the extreme want to hex Sirius. Sirius walked after the boy resisting the urge to hang him by his ankle with Severus' own spell. The only reason he did not hex the boy was because there were many Muggle children roaming about.
It was only a few minutes before Sirius found himself staring confused at another painting. It was a picture of a tree, but the tree, had many limbs that did not match up. He was ignoring the impatient Severus who stood to the side tapping his foot was wishing to be out of the museum.
Sirius looked to the artist's name, Anya, and read the description, but still he understand the picture. "She should used reparo before she started painting. It looks like she is looking at the tree through broken glass."
Severus rolled his eye yet again at the boy's ignorance. "It is supposed to look like that. It called artistic expression. The artist wants the viewer to believe they are looking at a tree through broken glass."
Severus nearly walked off again when Sirius called him, "Yeah, well, If you so smart, than what about this one, its called The Diamond Ring Effects. It is very colorful, pretty even, but it looks like the lumos spell gone horribly wrong."
Severus shook his head at Sirius, thinking that the boy should not be entitled to opinions. "I'm pretty sure it is suppose to represent the emotions elicited by a diamond ring, especially when it shines in the light. It is, as you say pretty and so are diamond rings."
Severus turned from Sirius and swept of once again but this time at a slower pace, as it was becoming obvious by Sirius' increasing interest in the paintings that they would be spending more time in the museum than he intended. The only reason Severus slowed was that if Sirius was focused on the pictures, he was not focused on making Severus look like a fool.
It was some time before they stopped again. This time Severus was looking at a picture that was seemingly just entirely monochrome. Sirius walked over to the painted and rolled his eye.
"This is art," he scoffed rolling his eyes, "yes, because yellow paint on paper is really art." He turned and headed off to look at another picture, leaving Severus thinking that the mutt that was Black really had no sense of what is meant to be artistic.
Severus turned and noticed Sirius rounding a corner, and hurriedly followed him, not wanting to be caught without his partner and receive a detention. The next room was full of photographs and Sirius was already looking at one intensely and much too closely.
"It looks real," he said, "An old lost sailboat, but what's with the water it should move," he said going to poke the photo.
Severus grabbed his hand before he could touch it. Sirius turned to him wide eye and they just starred at each other before Sirius snatched his hand away and moved to turn away.
"Unless you have a small Muggle fortune hidden away, I suggest you do not touch," said Severus pointing to the do not touch sign.
Severus moved around the boy and moved into the sculpture room. He walked right into the middle of a very nice sculpture that had a label saying to be careful. Sirius walked in and looked at him, his jaw dropping. A little Muggle girl walked over to Severus pointing, "look mommy pretty," and the girl's mother responded with a yes dear before moving on.
"Snively, youre glowing," he pointed out before giving he an incredulous look. "Why are you glowing?" he inquired.
"Stop calling me that Black, on I'll hex you into next week," he ground out while making his way out of the awkward looking shiny sculpture. "It an illusion, it is meant to make it look like you are glowing, when you are not."
Sirius nodded his understanding then quickly made his way into the sculpture, ignoring the hexing comment, while Severus made his way over to an empty bench. Sirius grew bored quickly and joined him on the bench, enjoying finally getting to rest his feet. After a few minutes an old man joined the pair.
"Hello, boys. Are you on a school trip?" he greeted.
Both boys simply nodded trying to enjoy the rest, but the old man started talking to them. "This is a great museum, always has been. I loved it when I was younger, even when I was your age." The old man pointed over to the corner of the room, "I remember when I was a boy there use to be a great big sculpture of Apollo, over in that corner." The man began to talk about how the museum once was while Sirius and Severus listened to the man drone on with only a quarter interest. It was not long before the boys found themselves being pulled into sleep, their eyelids feeling very heavy and there bodies becoming more relaxed.
Sirius found himself being pulled from him sleep by what sounded like a cough, followed by another cough. Sirius opened his eyes to see the headmaster looking worriedly at he and Severus. He took a minute to wake more fully before he realized there was something very warm lying on his shoulder. He turned to see greasy black hair cover a slightly red face. Sirius frowned at Severus' closeness, but frowned more at the fact that the boy seemed much too warm.
"Sirius my boy, I have been looking for the two of you for quite some time. Come now," he said reaching for Severus, "we have to get everyone home. Your friends are very worried about you Mister Black."
The headmaster removed Severus from Sirius and touched his head. Severus was burning up and Dumbledore figured it would be best not to wake him. He cast a featherlight charm on the boy in picked him up before making his way to the exit. Sirius felt slightly worried for his enemy, but quickly quelled the feeling. As he made his was to the exit following behind Dumbledore, he wondered just how long they had been sleep.
When they got outside, Sirius noticed the slightly pink and orange sky and felt his stomach rumble. "So much for short stories," he muttered and got on the bus with Dumbledore and sat with his friends awaiting the barrage of questions he knew would come about where they had been and the seemingly unconscious Snape.