"What is she doing here?" Remus asked Sirius without even looking at her direction.

"She is my fiancée now—" Sirius said the first thing that crossed his mind and it was the wrong answer. He coughed when Remus pushed him further against the wall, his head slamming in a 'thud'. Instead of showing any signs of fear, Sirius snorted through his nose. "Easy Moony," Sirius patted Remus' wrist as a sign to weaken his grip a little bit, but Remus did not oblige. "You can see for yourself."

Sirius held an unblinkingly stare at Remus while both of them kept in silence, extremely concentrated. It was pretty obvious for Titania what was happening in front of her. She never thought Remus and Sirius were capable enough to know the mind arts. She had no idea if they were skilled enough in Legilimency and Occlumency, but it was clear that Black willingly gave access for Remus to peep inside his mind. Considering the werewolf expression softened a little just after a few seconds, possibly the first memory Sirius show to him was when he saw Peter Pettigrew cutting his own finger, blowing up the street and running away killing twelve muggles in the process.

Remus wasn't satisfied with just that and he continued his own search at Sirius' memories and thoughts, his brows furrowed. Remus didn't release his hand from Sirius' throat, but his grip loosened a little. Sirius' forehead had a few drops of sweat while Remus took his time scrutinizing his mind to be sure Sirius was indeed innocent.

"You were suspicious I was the spy. Call me surprised," Remus stated dryly but soon he opened a smile and his arms to hug his friend. "I don't mind it, I'm so glad I still have you." Remus voice was ragged, his eyes filled with tears.

Sirius snorted, hugging his friend back and patting his shoulder gently. "Our pack was small, but now it's just you and me."

Titania watched calmly the reconciliation between the two friends, her body still tense. She drew her wand and pointed it at Remus direction. Their smirks disappeared from their faces.

"What does he know now, Sirius?" Titania asked, eyes fixed on Remus' who suddenly paled. Sirius slowly positioned his own body in front of Lupin.

"He knows everything," Sirius started and when Titania sneered at him, he put his hands up like in surrender and quickly add. "Don't worry, Remus is safe! I'm sure he won't tell anything to Dumbledore."

"He better not," Titania drawled, hiding her wand inside the long sleeve of her dress. "If I even suspect he opened his mouth to say anything to Dumbledore I'll expose his condition to the Ministry."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but he stopped when Remus put a hand on his shoulder to tranquilize him. "Don't worry, Snape, I won't betray the last friend I have left in this world," He flashed a sad smirk to the witch.

Titania rolled her eyes and turned her back to Sirius and Remus. Regulus looked up at them with a bored expression, already sitting comfortably on a couch in Sirius' living room, just waiting for them finish their 'pendencies' so they could discuss important matters. Remus made a mention to leave them alone but Sirius insisted he stayed and so he did. Regulus called Kreacher and asked him to serve tea and biscuits for everyone.

"So, you two are really going to marry?" Remus questioned almost hesitantly, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Yes, and you'll be my best-man, Moony!"

Regulus chuckled after hearing Remus' nickname trying to hide the hurt he felt for Sirius' choice, without even considering his own little brother who just set him free. Disappointed but not surprised.

Titania let out a sigh. "We can discuss the details of the wedding later, first of all we need to discuss the better place to live after we take Harry."

"Well, I think this place here is perfect," Sirius opened a smirk while Titania skimmed her eyes around the place with a sneer, judging it in silence. The place had dust everywhere, old cloths scattered on the ground and lots of dirty dishes in the sink. "Of course we can redecorate it the way you wish later," Sirius declared as predicting what a woman would prefer to hear. "But if you try to use green and silver everywhere, I will ask for a divorce," He quickly add with a joking tone, making Reg snort.

"I'm actually astonished that your House isn't fully decorated in red and gold." Titania drawled, looking around impassive. She could ignore all the mess considering Sirius was absent for months and must have left his house in a hurry after hearing about the deaths of James and Lily. With a few waves of anyone's wand, everything would be clean in a matter of seconds.

"Oh Tanya... you said it because you didn't check the other rooms yet." Reg stated maliciously. This time was Remus who snorted while Sirius stared flushed at them.

"Shut up brother!" Sirius had mirth in his voice. He looked at Titania's direction. "We can discuss the colors of my bedroom later if they bother you too much," Titania raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Considering we are going to share it." He declared smugly.

Remus gazed at the floor, like he suddenly wanted to bury his face deep in the ground. Regulus took a sip of his tea, observing Titania's reaction with interest.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Black," Titania quirked her lips up in disdain. "As I previously told you, I'll have to endure you just once, after that I shall sleep in Harry's room, in the living room or anywhere else far away from your annoying company."

"Well, I'm sure we can think about changing the decoration of my room after you surrender to my charms, future Mrs Black." Sirius had the audacity to wink at Titania, chuckling after seeing her murderous expression.

Remus looked like someone who wanted to vanish from a place but was too polite to do so, while Regulus took another sip from his tea, discreet about the enjoyment he felt observing the quarreling couple.

Titania let out a humorless laugh. "You are all barks and no bites as always, right, Black?"

Sirius' eyes darkened a little and a malicious smirk crossed his features, then he glanced at the other two men present there, considering better his next choice of words. " I had no idea you liked to be bitten so badly, but shouldn't we discuss your preferences in bed when alone, luv?"

Titania suddenly stood up, flushing in a brilliant red, completely outraged. "Reg, I'll let you handle my living arrangements with your brother now, it's your turn to hear all the rubbish he has to say. Send me an Owl or call me if you need anything, I'm leaving. See you later." She addressed only to Regulus before walking to the entrance. Sirius and Remus gave their goodbyes to her and she slammed the door in response.

"You are very good at this, brother. I hope you can give me some tips later about how to conquer a lady's heart."  Regulus' couldn't hide the amusement plastered on his face. Remus' ears were red from embarrassement. Sirius scratched his beard, opening a mischievous grin.

"So, Titania has a phone?"

As soon as the trial was finished, a special edition of The Daily Prophet was prepared to inform the news about the innocence of the heir Black and the fact Peter Pettigrew was actually alive and was the true culprit behind the Potters' betrayal and the mass murder of twelve muggles. Lots of details about the case would be informed, like the fact Pettigrew missed his right index finger and was an unregistered Animagus who could transform into a brown rat, considered extremely dangerous.

Working at the Ministry, Arthur Weasley received the news about the trial of Sirius Black as soon as it ended and all details regarding Peter Pettigrew were disclosed first to all the employees who worked there.

Arthur paled as soon as he received information about Pettigrew, recalling the pet rat his son Percy found, a brown rat without a finger in one of its paws. His family could be in grave danger right now, so he seek the help of the Aurors, declaring his son got a rat fitting the description of Peter Pettigrew. Arthur hoped it was only a common rat and everyone would made a laughing matter of him the next day.

Arthur apparated near The Burrow and entered in his house. Molly was in the kitchen near Ron and Ginny and as soon as she turned to greet her husband, Arthur made a silence gesture to her, followed by a wave of his hand so the Aurors could follow behind him. Molly kept in silence with an astonished expression seeing Arthur so tense just like the two strangers following him.

When Arthur entered Percy's room, the boy was reading a child's book, his rat Scabbers sleeping lazily inside his cage. None of them noticed his presence. He let out a relieved breath before casting a stunning spell at the rat's direction. The Aurors stormed inside the room, scaring Percy who started to cry. As soon as Molly appeared at the door, her son ran to her arms and she hugged him.

"What is happening Arthur?" She asked with a ragged voice.

Arthur said nothing, observing one of the Aurors taking the unconscious rat from its cage and putting it on the floor. The Aurors performed the Animagus reversal spell and there was Peter Pettigrew. Molly screamed seeing the pet of her kid transforming into a short chubby man. Arthur's knees were shaking, his mind wondering about what could have happened with his family while he was working.

Peter was completely knocked out and breathing with difficulty. Arthur's stunning spell ended up to be too strong for a small rat, but he couldn't care less about it when it had a chance for the rat being a mass murderer so close of his wife and kids. It ended up he was right.

Percy and Molly were completely horrified. The Aurors explained the situation to Molly while Arthur was still in shock to say anything.

Arthur embraced Molly and Percy tightly before returning with the Aurors to the Ministry. He kissed Ron and Ginny who were sleeping and Molly called the sons who were playing in the garden so their father could kiss each one of them too. The kids thought at first their father was being imprisoned, but the Aurors soon explained Arthur Weasley helped them caught a dangerous criminal. Arthur could only flash them a nervous smirk, his hands shaking, sweating profusely.

Arthur wanted to be with his family more than anything right now, but he still had to give his testimony to the Ministry, so he left The Burrow with the Aurors and an unconscious Peter Pettigrew.

Arthur Weasley was so desperate when he read the description of Pettigrew and his Animagus form that his mind never registered the Ministry of Magic would give a generous money compensation for anyone who helped them find Peter. He was surprised when received a bag filled with galleons. The Ministry also gave the week off for him to relax and enjoy his family. Arthur wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

Pettigrew never recovered his consciousness. The stunning spell was too much for him in his rat form, his heart gave away a few hours after arriving at St Mungo's Hospital. The flash of a camera captured the Death Mark on his arm.

The news and details about Pettigrew's capture and death appeared the next day on The Prophet. Arthur Weasley was now being considered a hero and lots of families were in uproar, disgusted by the fact a mass murderer was hiding as a pet in a place full of children.

Sirius Black received the news at morning while eating breakfast with his young brother. He had mixed feelings about Wormtail's death, he wished Peter had suffered much more, but at the same time it was an undeniable proof of his innocence for people who could still believe he was guilty and was only released thanks to all influence and power of the House Black. He send an owl to Arthur Weasley as soon as he finished his meal, inviting him to a meeting so he could thank him in person.

Arthur send a reply at the same afternoon, saying he was the one who wanted to thank Sirius Black. If the truth wasn't exposed, who knows what Pettigrew could have done with his precious family? Arthur invited Sirius and Regulus for lunch at The Burrow at Saturday.

Lots of owls were send to Sirius that day, but he only read the ones he considered important, like a long letter from Hagrid expressing his guilty for believing Sirius was a Death Eater as much as his happiness about the fact Sirius was an innocent man. He invited Sirius for a drink at The Three Broomsticks so they could chat and Hagrid could return the flying motorbike he borrowed from him.

Sirius cried tears of joy that day. He was truly frightened that everything good happening until now was just a delirium from his mind and he was actually still inside the prison.

After regaining his composure, he decided to call Titania using the number Regulus gave him. Sirius loved muggle things, of course he had a phone and was extremely glad Titania had one too.

"Regulus? Did something happen?" Sirius heard Titania's voice at the phone for the first time. He couldn't stop grinning.

"Wrong Black, sweetheart."

It took her a moment to reply, probably considering hang up on his face. "What do you want?"

"How can you be so cold with your future husband?" Sirius could almost picture Titania rolling her eyes right now. She didn't even bother replying so he continued. "I just wanted to test if this was the right number. A phone can be indeed useful at emergencies, much faster than an owl!"

"Did you call me only to estate the obvious?"

Sirius chuckled. "Of course not! I wanted to hear your delicious voice. Say something naughty!"

Sirius heard the phone clicking at the other end, he barked out a laugh. Yeah... he wasn't trapped in a dream after all.

When Titania Snape entered Sirius' house the next morning she didn't even look at his direction. Reg couldn't contain a small smirk forming on his lips, he surely heard about the phone call or was at least suspicious Sirius did something to make Titania mad.

Titania took her time inspecting Sirius' house. At least he had the decency to clean the dust and put away all the things at their rightful places.

Sirius' house was comfortable and bigger than Titania's, but it wasn't too ostentatious, it was a place he bought with his own money, not the current fortune he received as the heir of House Black. He had only two rooms in his house, his own and one for possible guests, both at the second floor. Besides the kitchen and the living room, the first floor also had a study room with lots of bookcases.

The icing on the cake was a potions lab in the basement. It was wider than the one Titania had at her house and Sirius possessed a few rare books and ingredients that made her eyes twinkle. The illumination and temperature were also perfect for potion making. Sirius didn't have as many equipment and stuff as she had but there appeared to have enough space to place her own stuff too.

Sirius wasn't skilled as Titania in the arts of potion brewing, but he was good enough to make the Animagus Potion with James and Peter at the age of fifteen. He and James probably helped brewing some potions at the war against Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

When Titania turned around to leave the basement, Sirius had a smug smirk, it was clear on her face she approved the potions lab. She returned to the second floor to analyze better the guest room that would be Harry's. Titania was examining it when Sirius leaned against the door, just a step behind her.

"We can extend Harry's room when we start to have our own kids."

Titania scoffed and turned to face him in disbelief. Regulus suppressed a laugh, standing outside the room just behind them.

"How about we make a Quidditch team of our own?" Sirius winked and opened a malicious smile.

"I think I'll leave you alone now." Regulus provoked.

"Don't you dare abandon me with your stupid brother, Reg!" Titania said through her teeth glaring at Regulus and then turned her head to stare Sirius, trying to maintain the focus of her mission, ignoring the irritation he caused on her. "We'll have to buy some furniture for a kid's room, clothes and toys for Harry. The bed and the wardrobe I'll use from now on, I'll bring a few of my things to organize, since I'll live here after our wedding. I'll also change the colors, I feel like I'm inside the Gryffindor Common Room." She scrunched up her nose in disgust.

Sirius crossed his arms, a wrinkle between his eyebrows. "If you wanted to share my room even sleeping in a separate bed, I wouldn't care to redecorate everything there, but I'll have to meddle with your choices for Harry."

Titania only arched an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "Grow up, Sirius. Harry is still a baby, he isn't even sorted yet."

Sirius exhaled in frustration. "You don't get it. I visited my godson lots of times and I know exactly how was his room. James and Lily were both Gryffindors and you know how James used to be about it..." Titania's mouth felt suddenly dry. "I want him to feel as comfortable as possible. We can change it little by little on the future."

Titania considered his words and nodded. "Sure."

After that they spoke about the arrangements they would have to make for Titania to move there. Sirius would expand the basement and the study room in case they needed to use at the same time. They would decorate them together in a way pleasant for both of them. Besides Harry's room and his own, Sirius gave Titania carte blanche to change anything else as she pleased, as long as she didn't threw away anything without talking to him first.

Sirius and Regulus talked a lot the prior day so he knew Titania didn't have much money and wouldn't feel comfortable using his, so he told Regulus he could buy or change anything essential if it could be better for Harry and Titania.

Sirius lost a good amount of weight in Azkaban, so Titania prepared some meals for him to recover properly until the wedding day. While she was organizing the food in the fridge and making a shopping list for them, Sirius spoke alone with Regulus. He wanted Narcissa's aid to go shopping with Titania, buying her new clothes or anything else a lady could want or need.

"Don't worry about it, brother, Cissy and I were already planning to do that anyway."

"I'll be forever grateful if any of you sneak in her clothes something sexy in red and gold." Sirius winked. Regulus chuckled.

"You are such a kid, brother."

At Thursday morning Titania and Sirius received an owl from the Ministry approving their marriage request. Regulus and Sirius would have to go there to set the wedding date and submit the papers claiming Harry's guard. They were in a hurry so the date chosen was May 9th, the second Sunday of May. It gave them a little more than two weeks to prepare everything.

What Titania didn't know was the fact Narcissa and Regulus already had planned most of the wedding ceremony for her, now they had only to set their plans in place, buy a few things and contract some people. They only did it all behind her back because they knew Titania couldn't care less for any details concerning a fake wedding with her childhood enemy. They wanted her to feel pretty, loved and happy, Titania deserved to enjoy that special day as much as she could, they didn't want her feeling miserable for marrying Sirius or stress out about any arrangements.

They would need Titania and Sirius' help only to make the guests list, the invitations were already prepared, they only needed to fill the names and send the owls. Regulus and Narcissa were sure neither Titania or Sirius would want to invite too many people or make a big celebration about it, they shared more similarities than they could admit. Reg and Cissy had the feeling Titania and Sirius were a perfect match for each other, but were too stubborn to admit their feelings. Well at least Titania. Sirius actually seemed to be enjoying the prospect of a future with her, it would be much easier if he didn't act like a moron.

At evening, Regulus, Sirius and Titania were eating dinner together. Regulus said he didn't want to meet the Weasleys and Sirius should go with Titania instead, taking the opportunity to present her as his fiancée. It could be also a good opportunity for Titania to take a few tips about taking care of kids, considering Molly Weasley had seven, while Narcissa had only a son and her House-elf did almost all the job for her. Titania exchanged some glances with Reg and Sirius had the feeling his brother was hiding something. If he had his own reasons to decline the meeting with the Weasleys Sirius would respected him and didn't push the matter further.

Sirius send and owl to the Weasleys asking if his fiancée could join them at Saturday instead of Regulus. He said his brother wasn't feeling well but could meet them another day. At Friday morning he received a letter from Arthur saying his family would be more than happy to welcome his fiancée and if his brother felt better he could join them as well.

Titania arrived at Sirius' place half hour before the meeting with the Weasleys and almost didn't recognize Sirius, who cut his hair and trimmed his beard and mustache. The last time Titania saw Sirius with a short haircut was around their fourth year, after that Sirius let his hair grow long. Titania forgot how hot Sirius could look without much effort. Regulus was adjusting Sirius' tie and smirked when glanced at Titania. He knew exactly her taste and she cursed the day after her visit in Azkaban, when she told him Sirius looked way manlier with facial hair.

Titania hold her breath when her eyes met Sirius' and he smiled to her. "Look at you. You almost look like a person now." Her comment made Sirius bark a laugh.

"I'll take that as a compliment, sweetheart. Now I understand why Regulus insisted for me to keep it." He ran his fingers through his beard. "You like it, don't you?"

Titania scoffed and rolled her eyes, trying to feign indifference. "You better behave in front of the Weasleys. We don't know yet if they'll gossip about us."

"Don't worry about it, Tanya. I've already told you Dumbledore won't try to do anything against us. If he didn't make a move at the trial, he won't interfere anymore, it's a lost battle."

"Yeah, I'm thinking about inviting him to our wedding." Sirius said jokingly.

"Don't you dare..." Titania started but was interrupted by Regulus.

"I was actually thinking the same. I'm pretty sure he'll decline if you two invite him to your wedding. I think is wiser to act like you don't have hard feelings towards him, Dumbledore is a powerful wizard, I think is better not oppose him."

Titania bit the inside of her cheeks, considering Regulus' words. Sirius had a sneer in his face, clearly he had the same opinion as her, however Regulus had a good point. "But Reg... what if he try something, like drugging me or Sirius— "

"He won't. Even if he managed to do so, it would only delay the consummation of your marriage for a day or two." Regulus' comment made Titania's cheeks gain a tone of pink. "It would be extremely stupid trying to poison anyone in a place with two Potion Masters." Titania widened her eyes and Reg flashed a smirk. "Of course you want to invite Slughorn, and I'm pretty sure my brother will invite McGonagall and Hagrid... Trust me, I bet 50 galleons Dumbledore won't come if you invite him."

"I'll take your bet, brother!" Sirius declared then shook Regulus' hand.

Titania crossed her arms and sighed in frustration. "If anything bad happens, I won't forgive any of you."

Sirius and Titania had a warm welcome from Molly and Arthur. Titania thought at first their house would be in a chaotic state, considering the Weasleys had seven children, but they were unexpectedly well-behaved for kids. They could be shy in front of strangers or maybe they were just wary or scared of receiving Sirius Black at their home. Sirius was innocent, but he still had the reputation of being someone ferocious at the war against Voldemort and recovered his status as a war hero as well, just like James Potter. The kids observed him and Titania in curiosity, the two younger ones were sleeping when they arrived, Molly fed them a little earlier.

Titania sat down besides Sirius at the table, enjoying the delicious meal Molly prepared for them. She felt a little out of place, not used to socialize with people, yet she wanted to gain Molly's friendship, it would be good for Harry to have friends around his age and Molly could give lots of tips for her, not just about kids, but also about cooking, one of Titania's favorite hobbies.

"I must say your cooking skills are amazing, Molly," Titania declared sincerely, trying to start a conversation. She only called the witch by her first name because she insisted on it when they met, but it felt a little strange for Titania.

"Thank you, dear!" Molly opened a smile at her, making a gesture with her wand to fill Titania's glass with more grape juice.

"And you have such adorable kids." Titania continued sheepishly. Sirius turned his head to look at his fiancée, smirking after seeing her flushed face, knowing Titania wasn't used to praise people.

"Thank you again!" Molly's smile widened even more. "I know people isn't used to big families like ours," She said while slicing a piece of chicken for one of the twins. She leaned a little at Titania's direction using a conspiratorial tone. "If a man ever says he intends to make a 'Quidditch Team' with you, just run."

Titania choked while drinking her juice, and coughed. Sirius patted her back and gave her a napkin, trying to hold back a smirk.

"Oh dear!" Molly exclaimed. "You are two lovebirds, aren't you?" She chuckled and looked at Arthur.

"Molly..." Arthur flashed an embarrassed smile at his wife, the tip of his ears extremely red.

"Of course! Titania is such a charming woman," Sirius chuckled, seeing Titania now red as a beet. "We were crazy about each other since Hogwarts,"

Titania cleared up her throat. "Stop lying Sirius," She glared at him then regained her composure and looked at Molly who was eager to know the rest of the story. "He was the one crazy about me. Can you believe he asked my hand when I was eleven, when we met at the Hogwarts Express?"

"That's true!" Sirius chuckled.

"So were you dating since your first year?" Molly had a reprimand tone.

"Oh no." Titania took a sip from her glass, making a small suspense. "As soon as we were sorted into different Houses he started to hate me."

"That was true as well!" Sirius shrugged."Unfortunately the feeling was mutual and we were always fighting each other."

"We started seeing each other only after our graduation, then everything you already know happened and here we are now." For Titania was easier to lie using half-truths. Sirius didn't corrected her.

"In which Houses were you sorted in?" Arthur asked.

"I was a Gryffindor, Titania was in Slytherin."

"Oh," Arthur nodded, putting a potato in his mouth and chewing it. Molly's expression failed away for a moment. "Molly and I were both Gryffindors." He said after swallowing his potato, then he looked straight at Titania. "It must've been hard for you in Slytherin. Your surname is 'Snape', isn't it? Are you a muggleborn?" Arthur asked with genuine curiosity. Being friends with Narcissa, the wife of Lucius Malfoy, Titania knew beforehand Arthur Weasley was one of that wizards who were fascinated by muggles, so she was safe from any prejudice concerning his blood status. However, judging Molly's expression, she possibly would face a small prejudice about her House.

"No, I'm a half-blood, actually, my mother married a muggle. But if you don't mind... I don't want to talk about my parents, can we change the subject?" Titania flashed an apologetic smile at Molly.

Sirius took Titania's hand on his under the table and squeezed it reassuringly, then he looked at Arthur and Molly. "My fiancée is an amazing witch, if wasn't for her and my brother I would be still in Azkaban. I'm a lucky man to have her in my life and I'll be extremely glad if you all attend our wedding." He smiled again, releasing her hand before she could feel uncomfortable. Molly noticed Titania's expression softening at Sirius' words, then she was smiling again.

"Of course we will! You two form such a cute couple!"

After finishing the meal they ended up dividing into groups. Sirius and Arthur gone to the living room while Titania and Molly stayed at the table chatting, the kids playing in the garden.

Molly and Titania talked about cooking recipes and then Titania started to ask Molly a few questions about taking care of babies. Molly stared suspiciously at Titania, already knowing the date of the upcoming wedding.

"If Sirius had been released a few weeks earlier, I would suspect you two hushing the marriage was thanks to a child." Titania paled thinking about Harry, but Molly interpreted it the wrong way. It took her a few seconds to process. "No way! You did that in Azkaban?" the older witch asked with a hiss.

 "W-what?" Titania felt confused, caught off guard by the strange question.

Molly huffed and rolled her eyes, leaning closer to Titania. "Are you with child, dear?"

Titania blinked stupidly at the red-haired woman, it took her a moment to realize what happened. "Oh no!" She let out a humorless laugh, then her brain worked quickly and she add. "But I want to be a good mother... when I have a kid to take care of." She forced her thoughts into Harry. She didn't want to think about the possibility of having a baby with Sirius, her future marriage was only a farce, after all.

Molly send her a skeptical glance. Good, now the Weasley matriarch was sure Titania was pregnant. She didn't know if the Weasleys were trustworthy, if they were not, The Prophet for sure would rejoice with a scandal involving her name and Sirius.

Sirius and Arthur discovered they both shared a passion about muggle things, specially vehicles. Sirius bragged about the flying motorbike he enchanted and then was happy to hear Arthur also had a project of his own. They talked a little more about vehicles and then Sirius offered a small amount of his own fortune as thanks for Arthur capturing the rat who made his life miserable. Arthur refused, saying he already received lots of galleons from the Ministry and he should be the one thanking Sirius, or else, who knows what Pettigrew could do against his family? Sirius insisted and in the end he convinced Arthur to let him pay for the future expenses their kids would have at Hogwarts. Arthur only accepted thinking about his family's well-being. If something bad happened to him, it would be good to have someone else responsible for his kids' education.

Arriving at Sirius' house, Titania found herself alone with him, Regulus wasn't there anymore. She made mention to leave him alone, but Sirius asked for her to stay a little more, at least for a tea. Regulus, Remus or Narcissa wouldn't keep company at them all the times on the near future so it was good to get used at each other's company. Titania was apprehensive about him trying any 'funny business' with her or something, but he didn't.

Sirius poured tea for her and they kept quiet for a while, each one of them lost in their own thoughts, until Sirius finally broke the silence.

"I know you are uncomfortable about it, but I'm curious... You said your mother was a witch. From which Family?

Titania took a sip of her tea. "She was from the House Prince."

Sirius whistled. "Was she disowned, then?" He already knew the answer before Titania nodded. Some wizard families were extreme purists, the Prince family was one of them. His mind drifted away to a memory from his second year at Hogwarts, when he followed Titania after seeing her receive an owl for the first time. Now he had a guess why she was crying that day. His heart felt suddenly heavy.

Sirius' gaze met Titania's, then his gray eyes descended to her rose lips. Today she didn't use black lipstick like when she visited him in prison, now she had a lighter make-up, possibly to make a good impression towards the Weasleys. It wasn't important for Sirius how much Snape painted her face, she was fascinating no matter what, he loved her dark eyes, her long nose and her beautiful lips. But what he wanted most was see her face clean and her hair disheveled, preferentially waking up in his arms.

"So, where do you want to go on our first date, princess?"

Next Chapter

About the next updates:

They stopped in a place with two wizards guarding a door. They examined her with judgmental looks, their dissatisfaction more than clear. Titania requested a private visit with Sirius Black, convicted of mass murder and affiliation with Voldemort. Thanks to her, they had all the trouble to stay in that miserable place and the fact that a disgusting person like Sirius Black was receiving the visit of a beautiful young witch only made their resentment worse.

Titania was tall for a woman and strutted with the elegant grace of a ballerina. Her skin was pale, contrasting with the looks she embraced of a dark witch, her robes, nails and make-up matching her raven-black hair, cut just below the jaw. Titania’s clothes were simple but sophisticated and didn't expose much of her skin. The only accessory she was using was a silver locket engraved in intricate flower patterns. Her nose was long and fit well in her features, accentuating her exotic beauty. She held her head up high with an air of cold indifference, the posture of an Ice Queen.

One of the guards opened the door and let the witch walk inside the room. "Knock twice when you finish," He said dismissively, shutting loudly the door behind Snape. The guards didn't took her wand neither checked the package she carried with her. For centuries Azkaban existed and nobody ever escaped the prison, they were over-confident of the wards and protections inside the place and didn't seem to care about her well-being at all. It was the way she requested and she was basically on her own. The silvery doe near her, ears perked up, alert.

The room had stone walls and was poorly illuminated. Slumped in a chair behind a table, a man observed her with a hardened expression. He had shackles in his wrists and ankles, connected by chains and looked more like a ghost than a person. For a moment Titania though they brought the wrong prisoner to meet her, until their gazes crossed, she could recognize his piercing gray eyes anywhere.

Sirius was tall and well-built, but he visibly lost weight, his cheeks slightly sunken and his collarbone was protuberant. The wizard was also paler than ever, but even being sun deprived, the tone of his skin was a little darker than hers. His long hair was filthy, tangled and the wizard was dressed in dirty prison rags, smelling unpleasantly. It was the first time Titania saw him with a short beard and a mustache. The heir of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was more similar to a drunken hobo than the pure-blood wealthy wizard who studied with her at Hogwarts. At the wizarding school he was considered one of the most popular and handsome boys, always laughing and planning stupid pranks. Titania was his favorite target and they were always fighting since their first year. Sirius Black had a stupid prejudice against Slytherins and the witch was one of them.

They both kept staring at each other in silence. Despite the fact Titania rehearsed their meeting in her head countless times, now she was speechless. Even though she knew Azkaban's reputation, it was a shock to see how much he changed here. The witch took her wand from inside her sleeves to cast a Muffliato at the door's direction, so the guards couldn't hear them. Sirius glanced the silver doe that came shyly near him, then he looked up Snape with narrowed eyes. The Doe started to walk slowly in circles around the room, alleviating the Dementor's gloomy aura for them both.

Titania approached the table but didn't sit in the chair across the prisoner. She was feeling extremely nervous and had to suppress her emotions and feelings behind her Occlumency walls. Snape stared down the man in front of her with a blank expression, still not knowing how to start the conversation she planned for so long. Sirius lifted his chin up to her, a sneer plastered into his face.

As much as Snape never liked the man, she wasn't there to mock or humiliate him. She was there to know exactly what happened after the attack to the Potters a few months ago. If her suspicions were correct and Black was actually innocent, she would need his help to take Lily's son, Harry Potter, from the hands of Petunia Dursley, who was Lily's muggle sister. But the woman was resentful of everyone who could use magic and Titania was afraid that she could mistreated the child. Actually, it was more than a fear, her intuition screamed that to her and she couldn't let anything awful happen to the son of her best friend.

Sirius was unpredictable and difficult to deal with. Being locked in Azkaban only made everything more problematic, she had no idea if he would be receptive or just try to kill her. Unfortunately, Sirius was too smart to be seduced or smooth-talked and too Gryffindor to be bent by fear or threats. The witch had to play him with mastery, finding the perfect balance about how to act. Being too cruel or rigid would make him a harder shell to crack, while being too soft and lenient would make him overly suspicious.

Titania could hide her feelings very well, but in the truth she was completely frightened. Sirius wasn't aware he had all the power in the negotiation she planned to make with him, and if he noticed it, it had the risk that he would turn the tables in his favor, submitting her into his will. If he did it, she would have no choice but accept his terms. Titania was willing to do anything in her power to help Harry, he was the last connection with the person Titania loved the most in her entire life. Lily was the first friend Snape ever had and to her, Lily was like a ray of sunlight that showed Titania that life isn't a never-ending harsh winter. Lily brought happiness and warmth into Snape's heart and was very precious to her.

"You are the last person I expected to visit me in this shithole," Sirius was the one who broke the silence. "Enjoying the view, Tits?" He crossed his arms, the chains making a clanking noise. The shackles limited his movements, but didn't restricted him completely. His expression was unwelcoming, full with disgust.

Titania stiffened seeing him full defensive. She hated when he called her that, but she bit her tongue and swallowed her pride."Actually no," She started and made a pause, calculating her next words. "I never liked you, Black, but this is too much, even for me." She walked closer to him and put the package in the middle of the table.

Sirius' gaze shifted to the small bundle. "How sweet of you, Tits, you even brought me a gift!" He snorted through his nose. "What's it? A bomb?" He asked calmly, his voice full of venom.

The witch waved her wand to open the package, revealing its contents. It was a small chocolate mousse cake on a platter and seemed very appetizing, with frost parts like ice cream, charmed with spells to keep it cold and chocolate shavings on the top. It was a portion made to serve well one person, maybe two. The dessert was like a piece of art that could be attributed to a renamed pâtissier. Sirius contemplated it with famine eyes, his expression darkening. "How many poisons did you put inside that?" He tore his eyes away from the cake to glare at her, his jaw clenching.

"None." Titania replied nonchalantly. "The chocolate will make you feel better," She pushed it further into his direction, using her hand. " We have some matters to discuss and I need you with a clear mind," She said calmly while using her wand to divide the cake in eight slices, flinching when Sirius kicked the leg of the table.

"I will eat nothing!" He shouted and kicked it again. "And I have no fucking business to discuss with you! Get out of my sight, viper!" His voice was loud and he continued to kick and stomp the leg of the table. Titania levitate the cake and gave a step back from him, observing him at a safe distance. Thanks to the privacy charm she cast, the guards wouldn't be able to hear all the noise, or if she got hurt. It was a double-edged sword.

Black suddenly stood up and slammed his fists on the table, making Snape flinch again. "I. Said. Get. The. Fuck. Out!" He yelled the last word baring his teeth, his face red in anger. Sirius took the chair he was sitting and threw it across the room, smashing it against the wall at the opposite side Titania was. He took the broken chair and slammed it several times against the floor, screaming and cursing. Titania stood still, watching Black's outburst in silence, while he acted like a wild animal, unleashing all his fury in the object. It didn't go unnoticed to Snape that Black didn't toss the chair at her direction at least once. It was a good sign.

Sirius finally got tired and leaned against the table panting, trying to caught his breath. Titania kept her gaze fixed on his, able to maintain her mask of cold indifference. She raised an eyebrow to him. "Finished?" Snape asked in a calm tone, like she just observed a small kid giving a tantrum. Black blinked in confusion, not believing she was still there. The witch took a deep breath, gathering all her courage and approached him. Even crouching over the table he towered her.

Titania put the cake down on the table without even looking at it, her eyes locked into his. "Your stench is making me feel nauseated," She drawled and put her wand under his neck. He tensed but didn't budge. Her gaze dropped into the tattoo under his jaw, the one he received in Azkaban to mark him as a prisoner, ‘ᛈᛉ390’. Snape brushed the tip of her wand against it. His Adam's apple bobbed when he gulped, the muscles in his jaw tensed, but he didn't move or said anything. The witch made a wand movement and touched him again, the tip of her wand sucked all the dirt of his body, hair and clothes. He observed her with an unreadable expression and kept still until she finished to clean him.

Titania folded up the sleeves of his both arms with a gesture of her wand and examined them carefully. Sirius had lots of tattoos on his skin but no Death Mark on his forearms. The Prophet declared he was the most faithful servant of Voldemort, but all his most loyal followers received it. It was an 'honor' granted to the Death Eaters. The witch made another gesture towards the pieces of the chair on the ground, casting a Reparo over them to fix the piece of furniture. "You may sit now," Snape made a gesture towards the chair behind him so he could take a sit.

He didn't.

Titania suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and stepped away from him. She sat down across from where he was, crossing her long legs. She stared him with an eyebrow raised, waiting for him to do the same, but he didn't. She opened her mouth to talk, but he cut her off.

"I was left here to rot. No trial. No visits. No matter how many times I asked," He rasped. "Remus would visit me to kill me with his bare hands if he could, so I'm not surprised he didn't come to see me. But Dumbledore? Alice? Frank? They have influence inside the Ministry, and Frank and Alice are Aurors, for fucks sake!" He slammed his hands on the table again and let out a humorless chuckle. Snape pressed her lips tightly together by the mention of the Longbottoms. "No, they didn't come, but you did. I had no idea you were so important, Tits!" His voice was full of sarcasm. Titania didn't reply, letting him continue to vent out. "Last time I checked you had no money to buy new things for yourself, but now you are apparently wealthy enough to bribe important people so you can visit me in this fucking hellhole! Why?" He screamed.

Titania felt her chest tightening. Sirius had no idea about the fact Frank and Alice Longbottom were tortured by the Cruciatus curse until they lost their minds. The Death Eaters who did it were already judged and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. One of the responsibles was Sirius' cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. The other ones were Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange and Bartemius Crouch Jr.

"We have some matters to discuss–"

Sirius slammed the table, interrupting Snape. "I have nothing to discuss with you, snake!" He spat the last word with revulsion.

Titania sighed and rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers. "Black, I am the last chance you have to be heard."

Sirius scoffed. "Like you would believe in my words, viper! I have no idea how much time passed, it feels like what? Two years? Three?" He asked sincerely with a shrug and she didn't correct him. "Are you really here or am I being delusional? Did my mind finally give it away?" A mad grin spread over his mouth and then he gasped, his eyes watery. "I have absolutely no idea!" He slammed the table again but not using the same strength as before. He was probably hurt by now. " None of the people who fought alongside me at the war even cared to hear what I had to say, but you," He waved at Titania. "You are here and isn't even mocking me!" Black started to laugh like a lunatic. "Fuck this shit, I have no idea about what is happening anymore!" The prisoner glanced at the cake and took a piece between his fingers, destroying its perfect format, don't bothering to take one of the perfectly cut slices. "Do you want to see me suffering in front of you, am I right? Your wish is my command, dear Tits, fuck it all!" And he put the piece of the cake inside his mouth.

Sirius chewed the chocolate mousse cake inside his mouth and felt himself in heaven. He shut his eyes and hummed in pleasure before swallowing it. The wizard didn't know if the warmness and happiness spreading inside his heart was only the effect of the chocolate itself or because it was the better thing he ever tasted in his life. Or he only felt like this because his taste buds were deprived of good food for such a long time? It didn't matter, the dessert was so good he felt the urge to laugh and cry at the same time. He took a bigger piece of the cake and swallowed it. He felt his cheeks wet. Yes, he was crying. Crying from happiness, a feeling he thought he wouldn't experience ever again. Maybe he was also laughing at the same time, he didn't bother, his focus was entirely on savoring the chocolate dessert. If the poison Snape put inside it would kill him slowly and painfully, it was worth every bite. He devoured the rest of the cake without sparing a glance at the pretty dark-haired witch observing him quietly.

Sirius finished the cake, his tears still rolling and he didn't bother to stop, even after his male pride kicked in. He let out. The man cried and sobbed about 2 or 3 minutes until he calmed down a little. He dried his wet face using the back of his hands and when he looked up Titania, her face was void of emotion, but her dark eyes had a mysterious glint.

"You don't need to worry, Black, I have no intent of killing you. The chocolate will help to clear your mind from the influence of the Dementors, we have a long talk ahead of us," Snape said in a drawl, always a drawl. Sirius hated the fact the tone of her voice was so pleasing, soothing and deliciously sexy. A sound so mesmerizing coming out of the mouth of a despicable Slytherin who also dares to be incredibly attractive. Sirius felt himself drawn into her since the first time they met, at the Hogwarts Express when they were 11 years old. At that time Titania was just an ugly duckling, a lanky girl too tall for her age that dressed badly, her clothes were old and sometimes unclean. Now she has the audacity to appear in front of him like a beautiful dark swan. Just when he is in the worst condition imaginable for any human being! It was extremely humiliating and made his blood boil.

"You didn't come here just to talk and take care of me," Sirius showed Titania a wolfish smirk. "Or this is the strangest wet dream I ever had with you," The dark witch gaped at him with cheeks tinged in pink. "Sorry, it just escaped," Sirius felt his face hot. Snape seemed uncomfortable but soon enough she buried her feelings away behind her cold mask. Perhaps being dosed with greats amounts of happiness after months or years being deprived of it had the same effect as being drunk, making him more honest, stupid and reckless.

"Before I start to discuss important matters with you, I need to clarify a few things," Snape stood up from her chair and Sirius had to use all his will-power and control to pay attention in what she had to say and not sweep his eyes all over her. It was easy to get lost in the slender curves of her body, even though the covered clothes she used left a lot to imagination. Sirius hadn't a doubt, though, about her being magnificently gorgeous inside all of it.

"I never liked you, Black, and probably never will," She stated with cold indifference, pacing in front of the door. "But something is amiss in all this story... You betraying James Potter, for starts," She trailed off, her dark eyes tracing over his face, studying his reactions. Snape gave a step closer Sirius and crossed her arms, lifting her chin at him. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened the night the Potters died."

Sirius sat down lazily in his chair, maintaining eye contact. "It was my fault that they died, but I never betrayed them," He looked down at his hands, feeling the heaviness of his own words. "I would rather die than betray James!" He said with clenched teeth, feeling the burn of tears behind his eyes. "He was my brother!" Sirius cried and the tears fell down his eyes, he couldn't control it. He buried his face in his hands, trying to school himself to stop crying, Snape stared back at him with her brows furrowed, but he couldn't read her.

"Who betrayed Lily and James, then?" Snape asked with a frown.

"Wormtail," Sirius hissed. Then he blinked in confusion, letting Peter's nickname slip so easily between his lips.

"Who is Wormtail?"

"P-Peter," He adjusted himself in his chair, blinking stupidly at her. "Peter Pettigrew" Her eyes shone in contained fury.

"Why did you call him Wormtail?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a reference to his Animagus form. He is a rat. We all had nicknames," The words escaped from his mouth and he covered it with a slap. His heart thumped madly inside his rib cage. He was panicking.

"Pettigrew is an Animagus?" She spoke in disbelief. "So is he still alive?"

"Yes he is," Sirius answered in auto-pilot. He could felt the sweat forming in his forehead.

"And you are an Animagus too?"

"Yes, I'm a dog."

"Of course you are," She quirked her lips up, trying to suppress a smirk. It was the first time Titania seemed truly amused in this conversation. Sirius widened his eyes at her, astonished. Then a sudden realization crashed into him.

"You vixen!" He blurted out. "You put Veritaserum in the cake!"

"I'm a Slytherin and a Potions Master, Black. What else did you expect?" She declared with a haughty smirk. "I'm not a brainless Gryffindor to believe people's words and I can't take any risks."

Sirius chuckled darkly. "I hope you don't ask me how many times I wanked thinking about you." After he realized what he just said, he muttered a curse under his breath.

Titania slammed her hands at the table, making him flinch. "I'm not here to discover your dirty intimacies, Black," She made a pause, glaring menacingly at him." Tell me exactly what happened before you were caught," She demanded and he obeyed. Not just thanks to the Veritaserum, but because he felt really intimidated by her now and was curious about the true motives of her visit.

Sirius told her everything about the Fidelius Charm and his own idea to exchange the Secret's Keeper at last moment and how he felt guilty about it. The Potters were betrayed by Peter Pettigrew, but in a certain way he was responsible for the deaths of his friends and felt he deserved to be punished by his stupid mistake. After the attack, Sirius cornered Peter, who cut his own finger off, and then blew up the street, killing the muggles and fled into the sewers in his rat form. That was the final straw for him that day and he completely snapped. He was found laughing like a lunatic because he was completely broken. He lost three of his most precious friends that day, being backstabbed by one of them. He started to cry uncontrollably again, completely desperate.

"I need you to pull yourself together, Black," Titania pat his back in pity until he calmed down a little. He didn't expect her to touch him in a soothing way, trying to make him relax. When his sobs stopped she took the spare chair and sat down in front of him, crossing her long legs. "If you are innocent, I may be able to help you. Of course it comes with a price, I have my own conditions after all." He was disappointed but not surprised about her declaration.

"First of all, I must say I'm not here for my own benefits, I'm here for Lily's son," He opened his mouth to ask if everything was okay with his godson, but she raised a hand to silence him. "He is with Petunia, but I'm afraid she will mistreat him."

Sirius gritted his teeth. "I talked to Hagrid the night Lily and James died, he was there to take Harry. I insisted to keep the kid, but he told me Dumbledore already made arrangements to let Harry with Lily's sister," He exhaled, furious. "I even lend him my motorbike!"

Titania glared at him and Sirius thought she was about to lost her composure and curse him, but she managed to suppress her emotions a little. She stood up and started to pace again in front of him. "So it means Dumbledore planned to let Harry with Petunia even before they arrested you!" Snape stared at the wizard and for a glimpse of second he saw horror behind her eyes. "It seems to me Dumbledore wants you to be here," Titania hugged herself, her face pinched in worry for a moment, before she looked at Sirius again and shielded herself inside a blank mask. "Dumbledore is far more dangerous than I though," She confessed.

Sirius let out a groan of frustration. He never trusted a Slytherin, but she was too reasonable, he couldn't disagree with her. He was almost sure Dumbledore was the responsible about him being left to rot inside Azkaban without a trial. The son of a bitch didn't care if he was guilty or not.

"Is Petunia that bad, Snape?" The wizard asked in concern. He wasn't close with Lily's family, but he knew Titania was Lily's friend since before Hogwarts, so her opinion really mattered in this case.

"She was bitter and resentful of Lily, because unlike her, Lily was able to do magic." The dark witch stared at the floor and took a deep breath. "I loved Lily, but she was so foolish. I always advertised her about her sister but she was a naive Gryffindor who believed blindly in the goodness of others." Snape's nose was scrunched up, talking about Lily was making the witch let her poker face mask slid off. She pressed her lips together, looking at the floor in silence. Black waited for her to continue, he knew the witch was very reserved with her emotions and he could tell she was using every ounce of control and willpower to not burst in tears in front of him. "I couldn't help her in the war, but we send letters for each other from time to time," She continued, eyes fixed on his. "She told me that after the war ended, she wanted me to be Harry's godmother, and I accepted," The dark haired witch closed her eyes and huffed in frustration. "I showed Lily's letters to Dumbledore, but he refused to let Harry in my care," She looked up at Sirius with a sneer that wasn't directed to him. "It was just a letter and nothing official. I want to take care of Harry, but I have no legal claim to take his guard. I have no power. I don't think Petunia will let him die, but my intuition screams she won't treat him well." She let out a sight. "Do you understand now why I am here, Black?"

Black scratched his beard while processing her words. It took him a while to understand the weight of her statement. When he did, he felt an urge to tease her a little. "Oh, I see now," He stretched out lazily and opened a cocky smile to her. The witch had a small wrinkle between her eyebrows. He chuckled. "You need Harry's godfather," He pointed his thumb towards his chest. "You need me," Titania narrowed her eyes at him. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but are you asking my hand in marriage?"

Titania's lips curled in anger. "Yes," She didn't try to hide the disgust she felt with her declaration. That didn't make Black angry, he loved to piss her off.

"So, if we marry, you will gain Harry's guard, my money, Potter's money and the surname of The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black?" He whistled. "That's an audacious move, Tits," She bared her teeth at him, offended.

"I'm not after any money or status, Black! I only want the best for Harry," Snape hissed. "I doubt you can take care of a small child by yourself," She eyed him up and down with a sneer, raising her voice a little higher than the usual. "I want the same authority and rights as yours to raise him and unfortunately you are the only person that can give it to me!" She spoke fast and It was the closest he ever got to made her raise her voice loud. Sirius felt impressed with himself. He glanced the Patronus doe walking inside the room and opened a smirk.

"Tits," He provoked, calling her by the nickname he knew she hated. "Are you aware how marriage works for wizards and witches, right?" Her face was so flushed he already knew her answer.

"Yes, Black, I know it already," Snape said with seethed teeth, making him open a mischievous grin. "I will just need to endure you once," She shrugged, speaking like the thought of laying in bed with him didn't affect her at all, and he knew it did.

"Well, just once is disappointing," He scoffed. "I would shag you right now if you asked me to, and I intend to fuck you as many times as you let me," He declared bluntly, the words escaping his mouth with all plain honesty of his inner thoughts. It was the first time he saw her red as a strawberry. He coughed, feeling his face hot, completely embarrassed. "Sorry, the Veritaserum is on you."

Black glanced the doe again. To wizards and witches marriage is a magical contract and it had to be consummated to take its effects inside their society. The sexual communion sealed the bond between two souls and it was one of the most ancient rituals they still practiced. It wasn't like muggle marriages, just needing to sign a piece of paper to obtain legal rights. It wasn't an eternal bond, though, after every three or seven years the vows could be renewed or dismantled.

"Don't worry, Black, I won't be in your way if you want to screw someone else." Titania said with a blank expression, like reading his lewd inner thoughts. "You can have as many mistresses as you want, I only care about raising Harry well."

Sirius scratched his beard again, sending her a disapproval look. "Just because I dated lots of girls it doesn't mean I'm unfaithful, I never had a girlfriend." He let out a breath of frustration for talking too much. Veritaserum is a bitch!

"Whatever, Black. We can discuss these details later. I just want to be clear that I don't mind and I don't want to be in your way. To me this is nothing more than a fake marriage.”

The wizard scoffed and shrugged. "Rotting here I'll have no sex at all until I die... One time is better than never again and I think it can be bloody hot to shag someone I hate," He winked at her, embracing the Veritaserum's effect. "If we are going to marry, it means you already have a plan to release me for sure, right?"

Titania glared him with contained fury. "Yes, I'll give more details after we seal our deal with blood." She said it expressionless and he had no idea if she was talking seriously or joking. "You made my life easier being innocent."

"You demand the same rights as me and not Harry's full custody, why?" He pointed out.

"I have lots of motives for that, is the best option for Harry." She replied with a shrug.

Sirius hummed. "I won't oppose you, you can have anything you want from me, I know your intentions are pure."

It was clear Snape didn't expect this sudden declaration from Black. Her curiosity spoke louder and she couldn't hold her tongue. "How can you be so sure?"

Sirius smiled and pointed out the Patronus doe circling around them. "James was an Animagus too, we called him Prongs," She kept her gaze fixed on his face, a blank mask. "He was a stag and your Patronus is a doe," Black tilted his head a little, opening a genuine smile at her. "Lily was definitely James’ soulmate... you think about her when you conjure it, am I right?" Snape didn't answer his question but she didn't need to. A painful expression crossed Snape's features. Her eyes welled up and she was clenching her jaw. "You loved her, you wouldn't harm Harry."

Titania turned her back for him for the first time, hugging herself. He knew she was trying to regulate her breathing and bury her emotions. "I don't mind if you cry in front of me, Tits, I've already saw it at Hogwarts–"

"Just shut your damn mouth, Black," She hissed and he obeyed. Sirius and Titania fought a lot at Hogwarts and were always bullying each other. Sirius wasn't a complete jerk but even though he never made Snape cry, he remember very well the day he caught her crying near the owlery, at their second year. Sirius didn't like to see women crying, even if was a Slytherin viper like her.

It took Titania a minute or two to recompose herself. She approached Sirius again, her hand searching something inside her robes. She took a small silver dagger from a hidden pocket doubtlessly enchanted with an extension charm. Sirius eyed it but didn't move, he wasn't afraid. He noticed various runes carved in the blade, it was a ritual dagger.

"For Harry's sake I propose a truce between us, we need to watch each other's back for the time being," Titania pierced her hand in cold-blood until the dagger reached the other side. The only sign of pain she expressed was a twitch in her eye when she took it off. Titania put the dagger on the table in front of Sirius while showing him her left bloodied palm. "Promise me that you will marry me and will give me the right to adopt Harry as my son, Sirius Black."

He stood up and took the dagger from the table to pierce his right hand in the same way as she did, his shackles clanking with his movements. His bloodied palm touched hers, his hand dwarfing her delicate one. They enlaced their fingers, holding their hands in a strong grip, her hand shaking slightly. "If you help me leave this shithole, I promise that I will marry you and we will raise Harry together, Titania Snape." As he said the words, the blood of both hands stopped to drip and started to flow back up, being reabsorbed by their bodies. A red glow appeared as the injury of their hands disappeared and a faint patterned silver circle emerged around the place that was pierced by the dagger. Titania lift her face up while Sirius leaned down to kiss her mouth. It was a dispassionate kiss, not much more than a graze between their lips, just a formality to seal vows or promises involving marriage.

Sirius slouched back into his chair and Titania took a step away from him. "Now," Sirius said with arched brows while looking his hand with interest, noticing that the new magic circle on the back of his hand had a double on his palm."Will you tell me how you plan to prove my innocence?" He put his hands behind his head, lazily. "It seems you managed to be influential enough to visit a high-security prisoner in Azkaban, but is it enough to make you being heard and request a trial for me?"

Sirius forgot how to breath for a moment when Snape opened a bright smile at him. She let her mask slid in front of him countless times in the past, but never before she showed him a good expression. "I have an ace up my sleeve, Black," The witch constrained herself a little again, but a faint smirk still tugged in the corners of her mouth.

"Just spill the beans, Snape," He said, impatiently. "You already got what you wanted!"

Titania chuckled and made a small pause for suspense. "Regulus is alive."

"What?" Sirius suddenly stood up, propelling himself in his feet and when he noticed, he was in front of Snape holding her shoulders, his eyes scanning hers for traces of lies. The witch didn't recoil. "Are you sure? How do you know that?"

Snape put her hands over his chest to shove him away. He released her but stood tall in the same place. "Because I was keeping him alive. He betrayed Voldemort and we had to hide these past two years." Sirius opened his mouth to ask more details about his young brother, but Titania didn't let him speak. "I can't give you many details, I need to keep you in the dark for now, I think is better this way... It's not being easy for any of us, but you need to resist inside here just a little more." She stared him with a piercing gaze. "You being an unregistered Animagus can be a problem in your trial, but I'll work with Reg in your case. I–"

Sirius lifted his hand to brush Snape's cheek with the back of his knuckles. The witch stiffened a little but let him, observing with wary eyes. "I'm still not sure if I'm dreaming or if my mind slipped away. Everything seems too good to be true."

"So, are you saying that marrying me is like a dream for you?" She scoffed. He never thought he would miss the venom of her voice, that thought made him chuckle.

"I'm at the bottom of a pit. Just the hope of being able to breath fresh air again is like a dream, Tits." Her dark orbs studied his face with a stern expression. He brushed his fingers through her silk hair. "You look pretty real to me, but I'm afraid that I'm just being delusional," He admitted.

Titania studied him for a moment, staring deeply at him, concerned. His gaze felt into her full lips colored in dark lipstick. He touched there faintly with his thumb. It surprised her, her lips parting a little. He felt her soft fingers skating up his arm until reaching his wrist. She gave a step back from him, now holding his arm by the wrist. Her expression was unreadable while she put the tip of her wand on his palm.

Sirius felt a sharp sting in his arm and jumped out of her reach. "Merlin's balls, witch! That hurt!" He shook his hand up and down, feeling betrayed.

"Don't get too romantic, Black," Snape hissed. "I'm not here because I care for you, I'm here to use you, for Harry's sake," The witch gave a step closer to him, her dark eyes boiling with fury. "I'll do my best to endure our first and last time in bed only because is mandatory to consummate the marriage. We will take Harry from Petunia, raise him together and I hope you do your best to respect me in front of him because we aren't kids anymore and we'll have a huge responsibility ahead. If you are unable to behave yourself, do your best to ignore me, am I clear?" She glanced down his arm. "Or do you need to test again if you are dreaming or not?"

"Thanks for remind me you are a venomous snake," Sirius said with gritted teeth. "So, we will raise Harry together as a married couple but you will actually have my brother as a lover?"

Titania raised up her eyebrows with a 'fuck you' stuck in her throat, but she managed to control her temper after taking a deep breath. "We are just friends, not lovers,"

"Yeah, but I know you were together at Hogwarts!"

"Together?" Titania scoffed. "We were both single, Black. If we slept once or twice is none of your business!"

Sirius gave a step towards her. "Yes it is! I don't want to hurt my brother sleeping with his girl!"

Titania pressed her lips together. Her eyes softened a little because of his concern about Regulus. The witch exhaled and made a pause, calculating her next words. "Black, the idea of our marriage was Reg's and he is fine with it. We aren't lovers... Since he betrayed the Dark Lord I'm struggling to keep him alive and he isn't fully recovered yet. Reg talks a lot about you," Snape shove her hand into a hidden pocket inside her robes and took a small scroll from it. "He never believed for a moment that you betrayed James," She extended her arm to give the scroll to him. "He was the one who pointed out the inconsistencies to me, but he is too weak to visit you in here."

Sirius took the scroll from her. It was sealed in black wax, stamped with the crest of House Black. Sirius recognized the handwriting as soon as he opened the letter. It was indeed from his young brother, Regulus.

"If you are reading this letter, it means I was right all along about your innocence and I'm not surprised at all.

I regret that we stopped talking with each other while still at Hogwarts, I miss you a lot, big brother!

I know you are extremely resentful of our family and Slytherins in general, but no matter how much we may fight, we are brothers and I still love you very much. Also, your prejudice is stupid and you have to work over it in the future!

Please, tell Titania anything you think it may be relevant to your case. We will need to study the better way to prove your innocence and we can't leave breaches behind. I'm also feeling outraged that they threw away a Black inside Azkaban without a trial! I have the feeling that they took advantage about you being a castaway, someone wants our House to be silenced. I'm not a purist, but lots of pure-blood Houses fell along with the Dark Lord. I think someone with great power wants to suppress the influence of some of them and after releasing you I plan to bring to the public attention about the fact other wizards and witches who were put in Azkaban without a trial may be innocent too.

I hope we can have a conversation after your trial, to settle down our differences. I need you to understand my side of the story and accept me by who I am, no matter how much you hate us Slytherins.

I just want to anticipate that I never joined Voldemort because I believed in his principles, I've always planned to betray him. I think an infiltrated enemy is worth hundred soldiers at the battlefield. The Dark Lord had lots of loyal followers, but he also had people that only joined him by fear. If the life of someone you love is being threatened, sometimes you don't have an option. I think is bullshit this nonsense of 'dark side' and 'light side'. People are often gray and not pure good or pure evil. My only regret about being a Death Eater is to have blown out my cover before the perfect time to strike, exposing my true colors at the wrong moment.

I got emotional after losing someone I loved deeply and almost died after acting recklessly. Father was killed soon after that, trying to discover what happened to me, his death thorned my heart apart, it was all my fault and I'm sorry about that.

By the way, father never disowned you legally, so as the oldest son, you are still the rightful heir of his heritage. Mother still has the fortune of her own side of the family and I'm using her money. She isn't in a healthy state of mind and I think if I had died too, she would completely lost it. I'm sorry to say that she believes in your loyalty to Voldemort and was livid that you joined his ranks even after what happened to me and dad.

I know you never got along with mother, but I hope you eventually forgive all the things she did to you. I'm sure she loves you too, even if she shows it in a twisted way. The war made lots of changes in her. She is not the same purist as before, since the life of his youngest son was saved by a half-blood witch carrying a muggle surname.

About the Veritaserum, I told Titania it could be a bad idea, but she was inflexible. Ask her to give the antidote she carries, you can't risk revealing anything to anyone yet.

Just few people know I'm still alive and I intend to keep a low profile as longer as I can, so nobody will be prepared when I demand justice for you. Don't worry, though, I plan to get you out of there as soon as possible! I didn't visit you because I'm not healthy enough to be exposed into a place full of Dementors.

And don't be a prick to Titania! She is like a sister to me, if you hurt her in anyway I promise I will make your stay in Azkaban appears a stroll in the park.♥

Love,

R.A.B."

When Sirius finished the letter, his tears were falling again. The wizard thought his tears dried after grieving for James, Lily and about how his life turned upside down, but today he was overly emotional. He closed the letter and it self-destructed in front of him. He wasn't surprised, it was a classified correspondence between Blacks.

"He told me you have an antidote for the Veritaserum," Sirius said after taking a moment for himself.

Titania opened her locket, it had extension charms too. Black spotted what appeared to be a secret stash of potions or antidotes. The witch took what seemed to be a small muggle pill. She offered to him and Sirius took it, put in his mouth and swallowed it. He had lots of doubts yet and didn't trust completely in Snape, but he was tired and afraid to expose more of his intimacies to her.

"As I said before, the only problem I see is about you being an unregistered Animagus. Even if you want to register, I think they may use it as an excuse to keep you locked for more time," Titania crossed her arms and with one hand she fiddled with her silver locket, in deep thought. "I think you will have to wait one or two weeks until your trial, maybe more. I will visit you a day or two before it, to update you about how we are going to act." Snape looked up at him again, her mask of cold indifference back in her beautiful face. "If you have nothing more to add, I will take my leave."

"Yeah, I have," He said, hesitantly. He closed his hands in fists beside his body. "I am sorry for the rude things I said today and for the way I treated you all these years," Sirius bit the inside of his cheek and Titania blinked in surprise, staring at him like he just grew up another head. "And thanks for helping me, I promise I'll treat you with respect and I'll do my best to raise Harry with you."

Titania forced a smirk and Sirius knew she wasn't believing in a word he just said. "You need to remain strong a little more, Black, for Harry." She pleaded.

He nodded. "And tell Reggie I miss him a lot too. Please." Sirius added the last word with reluctance. He couldn't help himself to think that asking Snape a favor felt like stabbing his own eyes with needles. His future was in her hands now and he had to swallow down his pride. Sirius had a huge debt to pay her after obtaining his freedom back.

Titania turned her back to him and knocked the door twice after releasing the privacy charms. The Patronus doe followed behind her.

Chapter II

Notes:

Veritaserum is a Truth potion, a serum that forces the drinker to spill the truth.

There will be no Horcruxes, Voldemort died for sure in this AU.

I had this chapter written for a while, but took a long time to 'polish' it and it became longer than I expected. I also made lots of changes and changed my mind several times. I hope you like it. In the future I'll probably edit this story a little, at least to make corrections. English is not my mother language and even though I understand it, I'm still learning to write, so is far from perfect, but is better to start the story than not. Please, correct me if you spot any errors, I don't mind at all. :)

I don't know when I'll update this fic, considering I have other 2 or 3 ideas with 'female Snape' and I also have my Tomarry fic, 'The Dark Lord, The Witch and the Time-Portal'.

For the people who is reading ‘The Dark Lord, The Witch and The Time Portal’, I want to say that I already have a draft for the next chapter, but I don’t know when I will update it. I have some drawings I want to make first, but I plan to write it as soon as possible. I'm really anxious to write the next 2 chapters and after that I will probably try to edit the story a little, correct some mistakes and/ or descriptions, but I don’t plan to alter it too much.

The other ideas I have involving Titania Snape happens in different contexts, but the character is the same in essence. The Titania from this story is the softest of them all, considering she is the younger, among other things that I can’t spoil. But I think I’ll maintain for all of them the same childhood/adolescent context. If you plan to accompany me, I hope you enjoy this trip! @_@

BTW, when I imagine Titania’s I remember the actress Laura Prepon, who plays Alex Vause in Orange is the new Black. I love her voice, it’s so delicious to hear! And her looks are a bit similar with Titania’s too. I picture Regulus as the actor Ezra Miller, I like his playful way in the few interviews or videos I saw him in. And even though I love Gary Oldman, the Sirius Black I imagine isn’t so much alike him physically, is more like the one I see in fanarts of the Marauders. But Lupin is a hottest and younger version of the one played by David Thewlis! <3