A Midnight Guest

Remus sighed and pushed a pile of parchments aside. He was exhausted; his head ached and his eyes were strained from the hours he'd spent reading arcane texts. Translation work for the Ministry was one of the few jobs still available to him, but it was one that he deeply and sincerely loathed. Despite his aversion to the dull, mind-numbing work, it proved to be convenient and practical in effectively hiding his lycanthropy from inquiring employers. He worked at home, thereby making it unnecessary to fabricate excuses for absences that would be conspicuous in a workplace. However pragmatic this career choice was, it never ceased to feel like a complete waste of his time and energy.

He sighed again and glanced out the nearby window. October rain was drumming the glass unceasingly, its steady rhythm permeating the small room. Setting down his quill next to the stack of parchments, he slowly rolled his shoulders forward. He definitely needed a break.

"You just need a big cup of hot chocolate." That's how Sirius would have teased him. That's how it would have been all those years ago. Merlin's beard, thirteen years ago...

"I'm too old for this bloody nonsense," he murmured as he stood up. "I'm worrying about him like a teenager." Maybe a cup of chocolate wasn't such a bad idea after all. And he had that letter to write.

He stretched and yawned loudly, his sore muscles shuddering slightly from sitting still for too long. With the exception of the rain's lulling consistency as it beat against the window, the house was very quiet. He could hear the water leaking from the tap in the kitchen and the rustling of fallen leaves on his doorstep. The floor creaked underneath his every footfall as he slowly came down the stairs to the kitchen, trailing his hand absentmindedly along the railing.

"Certainly not today," he said, smiling to himself. But he knew he really had to clean the house, which was slowly falling into a sad state of complete disarray.

Recently Remus found himself completely unable to do anything that required the least bit of effort. Such was the case with the obligatory letter to Dumbledore. He simply hadn't been able to conjure the will and energy to sit down and write it and consequently had been procrastinating for the past three days. As for how long he'd been putting off his cleaning... only Merlin knew.

"Maybe I'm getting old?" he mused with a smile. "A weary werewolf bachelor. Aren't I quite the catch?"

***

With a steaming cup of hot chocolate in his hand, he sat down to begin his letter to Dumbledore. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something moving at the other end of the table - a large brown cockroach was skittering across the table. Lupin felt his muscles tense. Cockroaches, however easy to deal with, were a nightmare. He simply hated those fast moving legs...

He winced.

"Get a grip, Remus!" he told himself aloud. With a soft 'pop' the cockroach exploded, leaving a wet stain on the tablecloth.

"Scourgify!" Lupin waved his wand with disgust. It was awful.

Happy he had something to distract him from thinking about other members of the large family of cockroaches possibly lurking beneath the table, Lupin came back to the letter.

...As I have already said, Sirius can stay here and is always most welcome. All the preparations are already made and...

"Bugger!" said Lupin as he watched stains of chocolate forming complicated silhouettes on the parchment. "Can't anything go right today?"

He put down the quill. "Preparations already made." He had cleaned the guest bedroom yesterday. Washed the heavy curtains around the four-poster and brought fresh linen. Opened windows and shutters to air the room. He could almost see Sirius looking at him with an innocent smile and saying, "A guest bedroom, I'm flattered, Moony." But... It was long time ago, he reminded himself again.

Remus' index finger absentmindedly traced the rim of his cup. He hadn't been getting many letters from Padfoot lately. He had received few short notes, telling him Sirius was doing all right - given the circumstances, of course - but nothing more than that. They were all very similar.

Dear Moony,

I'm safe and well hidden. Not much fun, but no Dementors for a change.

Take care,

S.

Remus wasn't really sure...

Someone's outside, he thought suddenly. He wasn't expecting anyone, as it was almost midnight. Of course it could be... No, Remus, don't be ridiculous. His heart started to beat a little faster. Now he could hear more clearly. Firm footsteps on the gravel and, a moment later, a sharp knock at the door.

Lupin did not move at once. Only when the knock was repeated, this time more impatiently, did he rise slowly from his chair and go to the front door.

Outside stood Severus Snape.

***

"Good evening, Severus," said Remus after a long moment of silence. He didn't make any move inviting Snape inside. "You were just passing by, I guess, and thought you'd come over for a midnight cup of tea with an old friend?"

"Very funny, Lupin," Snape bit out sardonically. There was a tense pause as the silence mounted. Remus didn't even bother to react.

"I've got a message for you from Dumbledore." Still no reaction. "You'll regret it if you don't hear it. It's no pleasure for me to be here, I assure you," he added.

"Oh, I do believe," replied Lupin, reluctantly moving aside to let Snape in. "So what brings you here? Apart from the sheer pleasure of my company?"

"Sod off, Lupin. You're pathetic," said Snape waspishly while seating himself in Remus' chair near the fire. "Still drinking chocolate? Gods, isn't that sweet? Perhaps remembering the old times when--"

"Let's get down to your message, shall we?" Remus interrupted, angry sparks lighting up his eyes; his voice, however, remained placid and steady. "What is so important that Mr. Severus Snape himself decided to pay me a visit?"

"I am here only because Albus Dumbledore asked me. He seems to regard this matter as important, whatever my humble opinion may be. I am here to talk about Sirius Black."

Oh yes. That's something to improve my mood. A chat about Sirius. With Snape. But Remus didn't vocalise his thoughts. He waited for Snape to continue.

"Black seems to be very concerned about the Potter boy," Snape said casually. "He is coming north and, as the Headmaster suggested, will stay at your house."

Remus cleared his throat.

"When... when do you expect him to show up?" he asked. "I knew he'd be coming eventually and I have already made some preparations..."

"Tonight," Snape interrupted him. "Any moment now, as far as I know."

Silence fell in the kitchen. Remus kept a steady gaze on Snape.

"But you haven't revealed the biggest mystery tonight, Severus," he said finally. "How come you deliver this message? Couldn't you simply owl me?"

"I agree, this was most inconvenient. But when the news about Black reached Hogwarts, it was too late to owl you. Besides, Dumbledore seemed to be concerned about your, shall we say, mental state." Snape's eyes glanced over the kitchen, stopping for a moment on the big chocolate stain on the table, and looked Lupin straight in the eyes. "But I can see everything is as usual."

"Thanks for the interest," said Lupin coolly.

"You're welcome." Snape smiled but his eyes were as cold as ever. "Dumbledore also wants you to..."

But Remus didn't hear what Dumbledore wanted him to do. He was on his way to the front door, already knowing whose footsteps he had just heard seconds before.