Severely Moonstruck - 1. Prologue

Remus Lupin stepped into his office and grimaced. Deep shadows were visible under his eyes, for though the Wolfsbane Potion made his transformations less painful and kept him from running amok, his body still took a heavy strain from it all. Even his eyes looked old. Who would believe that he was only thirty-three?

What he really wanted to do was go to sleep, but he knew he had a lot of work to do before going back to teaching on Monday. The news that Severus had decided to cover Werewolves in his absence was worrying enough on its own. He would have to try to figure out a way to return to Hinkypunks without it seeming forced. He sat down at his desk and rubbed his face. Perhaps he would rest his eyes for just a few minutes.

He was roused by a knock on the door. It felt like only a moment had passed, but judging by the dusk outside his window he must have been asleep for at least two hours.

‘Yes, come in,’ he said, shaking his head and blinking a few times, not wanting to appear as though he had been asleep.

Severus Snape opened the door silently and stepped inside.

‘Hello, Remus,’ he said softly. ‘Back to normal, I see.’

‘Hello, Severus,’ Remus replied. He tried to remember what he had been doing before he fell asleep. Ah, yes. Hinkypunks. ‘Back to normal, yes. What can I do for you?’

There was a brief silence. Severus seemed to hesitate for a moment.

‘I just thought I should make sure there were no problems with the potion,’ he said at last. ‘Any side-effects to speak of?’

‘None at all, thank you, Severus. I’m dead tired, though.’

Remus thought, for just a second, that he saw the faint trace of a smile graze Severus’s features. ‘I thought you might be,’ he said. ‘I brought you a little pick-me-up. Thought you might need it to plan your lesson for Monday.’ He strode over to place a small bottle on the desk, but kept his eyes on Remus, studying his face. ‘You were sleeping,’ he stated.

‘I may have dozed off, yes,’ Remus admitted. There was another silence, more awkward this time. Severus turned to leave. ‘Why did you cover Werewolves while I was gone?’ asked Remus.

Severus turned around to face him again. ‘I would have thought that would be obvious.’

Remus was taken aback for a second. ‘Why would you do that to me, Severus? I can think of more sure ways to expose me to the students, if that was your goal. Do you hate me that much?’

Severus opened his mouth, closed it again, and turned his back on Remus once more. ‘Good night, Professor Lupin,’ he said, and left the room.

Remus closed his eyes and sighed as Severus shut the door behind him. Had it always been like this? He supposed it had been far worse at times. But all the same . . . Why did Severus keep confusing him this way? And why did Remus allow himself to be reeled in and toyed with, just as he always had?

Perhaps he wanted it that way. Perhaps it meant security, and that always seemed to be in short supply. Sirius was on the loose again, and Remus was back at Hogwarts, faced with the memories of his past with both him and Severus. He felt almost like a schoolboy again, as though things were back to the way they used to be, and yet . . . Severus’s eyes had lost their spark and Sirius was now a wanted criminal—a murderer.

Remus was afraid. What if he found himself faced with Sirius at some point? Would he be able to condemn him? He betrayed James and Lily, and murdered Peter. That was what he had been told, but the Sirius Remus had known could never have done such a thing. Had Remus been so deceived in him? Or had Sirius changed? He had hated the Dark Arts. He had hated Voldemort.

And what of Severus?

He was a saving angel for Remus now, brewing him the Wolfsbane Potion without fail, every month. Remus owed the fact that he could teach at all entirely to him. And yet, had Severus not tried to expose him?

Remus picked up the bottle with the potion Severus had made for him. He pulled the stopper and sniffed it. The fluid was orange and smelled sweet and tempting—an Invigoration Draught. He took a sip, instantly feeling his entire body grow warmer. With another sip his eyelids seemed to become less heavy. He emptied the bottle and suddenly felt as though he’d had a good night’s sleep. Severus knew medicine. Perhaps he ought to have been a Healer, rather than a Potions Master. Remus put the empty bottle in his desk drawer for safekeeping.

He had better get to work. He knew the effects of the potion wouldn’t last more than an hour of two, but that at least was something. It helped.

Dumbledore had asked Severus to brew the Wolfsbane Potion, but he had brought Remus the Invigoration Draught of his own initiative. It was rare for Severus to show kindness to anyone, but Remus knew. He remembered what others did not.

That Severus Snape was a good man.