- Rating:
- PG-13
- House:
- The Dark Arts
- Genres:
- Drama Angst
- Era:
- Multiple Eras
- Spoilers:
- Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
- Stats:
-
Published: 01/10/2004Updated: 03/05/2004Words: 12,647Chapters: 4Hits: 1,796
Two Lions And A Snape
Whipper
- Story Summary:
- Two parts Snape, one part Lupin and one part Black. Add a generous amount of snark and angst. Pour into remote cottage.
Two Lions And A Snape 04 - 05
- Posted:
- 03/05/2004
- Hits:
- 373
- Author's Note:
- Thank you's to my beta-readers and to everyone who's sent feedback. If you have a question about my story -- please feel free to email me.
Interlude I: In Which We First Encounter Aunt Agda And See Her Cottage
Sirius Black.
He and Moony Flooed to Dumbledore's cottage. Sirius would rather have Apparated as he, just as his godson, wasn't too fond of Flooing but all it took to convince him that they'd better save their strength was a quick look at Remus' tired face.
As the two friends stepped out of the fireplace and glanced around in the lounge not even the nausea that, for him, always accompanied Floo traveling could keep him from laughing out loud.
The room was... cluttered, to say the least. Paintings and huge shelves covered the walls and strange, but undoubtedly fascinating, items filled the shelves. Thick books, a huge fireplace and heavy oak furniture completed the picture. The obsession with strange, colourful objects had to either run in the family or the Headmaster must have re-decorated the cottage to fit his... slightly more eccentric style.
Remus seemed to be thinking the same thing as he chuckled softly to himself at the same time as one thin hand reached out to pet a Gryffindor-red sofa. The werewolf then leaned forward a little to have a better lock at a small, shiny stone that was laying on a sturdy table.
"Do you want to know what I think?" Moony finally asked with a small grin as he turned the shiny rock over in his hands. When Sirius nodded his friend continued, "I think that Dumbledore's Animagus form just might be a magpie."
"A magpie?"
"They're famous for stealing bright coloured objects and collecting them in their nests. When I was little I once climbed up this tree where a magpie lived just to see if it was true. The nest was full with blue things; ribbons, toys, somebody's bracelet." Remus smiled a little apologetically. "I'm not saying that I think Dumbledore's a thief, just that he's-"
"A bit too fond of his toys," someone said calmly behind them.
The two of them turned around quickly and found themselves face to face with the large painting that hung above the fireplace. A stern-looking old woman with her white hair in a loose bun was looking at them with curious eyes.
"What are you two gentlemen doing here? And how do you know my nephew?"
"Your what-?"
But Remus had already caught on. He might be a bit quiet at times but Sirius knew that his friend was much smarter than he let on.
"Agda Dumbledore?"
"Yes, I am she." The woman in the painting leaned forward so much that Sirius for a moment was afraid that she'd fall out from the frame. "And who might you be?"
"Remus Lupin and Sirius Black," Moony quickly answered and Sirius sketched a bow to the old woman. "We're here because your... uh... nephew, Albus Dumbledore, invited us to stay here for a few months."
"Really?" She raised a white eyebrow. "He didn't tell me."
"I'm sorry, Mrs Dumbledore, I'm sure-"
"Don't look so concerned, children." Agda Dumbledore smiled suddenly and with blue eyes glittering with warmth instead of cold curiosity it was easy to see the resemblance to Hogwarts' Headmaster. "I know who are you, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and you're very welcome to my home. I hope you'll like it here."
"Thank you," Sirius said, offering the portrait his best 'school-boy' smile. "We're honored to make your acquaintance, Mrs Dumbledore."
The portrait laughed heartily.
"Albus sends me such polite young men. So, tell me, Sirius... may I call you Sirius and Remus?" As the two of them nodded, she continued; "Thank you. You two will call me Aunt Agda. Everybody does. Now tell me, Remus, how long are you and your friend going to stay here?"
"We're not quite sure," Moony answered in his place. "A month or two. Maybe more. It's just gonna be me and Sirius the first week. Then Sna- Severus will be joining us."
"Severus?" The old lady suddenly sounded very interested. "Severus Snape?"
"You know him?"
Sirius couldn't keep the surprise from showing.
"Of course I know him. I'm dead -- not senile." She frowned at them a little sternly. "He's been here before. Twice. The first time was almost twenty years ago and the last time... six years ago come November. Poor dear, he didn't look well at all."
"He never does," Sirius muttered under his breath, pouting a little as Moony shoved a bony elbow into his ribs.
"What did you say, Sirius?" Aunt Agda looked at him kindly.
"He said that Severus probably won't be doing so well when he comes by this time either. He's being sent here to recuperate. Just like me and Sirius."
"The two of you do look like you're in need of some fresh air, uninterrupted sleep and good food." Her eyes twinkled a little. "Provided that one of you can cook you will have no problems finding any of those things here at my cottage."
Taking a good look out the window and seeing only trees Sirius had to agree with the fresh air part. Good food... well, Remus was a decent cook and to tell the truth he wasn't very picky. (When you had spent years on the run, surviving on scraps of food from dumpsters and rats, you seldom were.) But uninterrupted sleep?
He snorted.
That wasn't very likely to happen any time soon.
Remus Lupin.
Aunt Agda happily told them where to find linens and how to write a shopping list for the magical larder. She also entertained them with small anecdotes about Albus from when he'd been a little boy. (Albus Dumbledore as a small child looked, in Remus mind at least, very much like a miniature man with a long, white beard.)
As chatty and helpful as she was, she wouldn't tell them a word about Severus or his two previous visits at the cottage. The old lady was, apparently, both fond and protective of the Slytherin. Remus smiled broadly at the memory of Sirius spitting out tea all over the table as she'd told them how adorable she found 'dear Severus'.
He wasn't quite sure what it was about the cottage (although he was pretty sure it had a lot to do with the portrait of Aunt Agda and all the little trinkets that were laying around) but it made him feel more relaxed and at peace than he had been for... a long time.
Curled up in a huge, comfortable armchair the werewolf was enjoying a thick book with Muggle stories. Padfoot was resting by the fire and seemed to enjoy the change in surroundings.
Remus smiled a little; maybe this was what Sirius needed?
When Harry had approached him with his 'proposition' his first response had been to say no, but the look on the boy's face (hope mixed with the kind of worry that had no business haunting such a young man) had made him think it over twice. Both he and Sirius needed some time away from the wizarding world to 'find themselves' or whatever cliched phrase you wanted to use.
Granted, living with Severus wouldn't be easy but, at least according to the Headmaster, Severus needed to get away from it all as much as Sirius and himself. Maybe... He shook his head, unsure himself of what he was hoping for.
They surely wouldn't leave the cottage as friends but maybe in the future the Wolfsbane Potion would be delivered to him along with a pleasant note instead of yet another variation of 'don't forget to drink it before full moon this time, you disgusting, murdering beast!'
With a small snort of self-disgust mixed with amusement Remus buried himself in the books again, finding pleasure in the escape into a world where his kind were mere fairy tales.
"Goodnight then, gentlemen," Aunt Agda said sometime later. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow. Pleasant dreams."
A bit disoriented Remus looked up from the book just in time to give her a small smile before she disappeared from the painting.
"Nice lady, don't you think?"
A bark confirmed that Sirius agreed with him.
"Ready for bed?"
He was given a quick lick before the dog trotted off towards the master bedroom they had decided to share, leaving the smaller room to Snape when he arrived. Something that, according to Dumbledore, would happen in a week or so. Apparently, the Potions Master had some potions to finish before he left Hogwarts. (Obviously just an excuse not to have spend time with them but well, Remus couldn't really blame him for that. As hard as he and Sirius found it to get along with Severus, Severus probably found it ten times harder.)
A soft bark brought him back to the present and Remus stared after his friend and sighed, thinking that at least when Severus arrived he'd have someone to talk to that was guaranteed to use human speech.
Chuckling sadly he closed the door to the lounge behind him.
Chapter IV: In Which We Experience The 'Calm' Before The Storm
Remus Lupin.
They spent the first week at Dumbledore's Aunt's cottage in something akin to peaceful bliss.
Remus enjoyed the solitude and the soothing sounds of the forest. Sirius, as had become his habit ever since he returned to them from the Veil, spent most of his time as Padfoot, stretching his legs on the open land, chasing small rodents and other furry little animals.
Severus Snape had yet to arrive.
Which, of course, explained the peaceful bliss, Remus mused with a small chuckle. He was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. Experience told him that as soon as the Slytherin arrived he'd spend most of his time acting as a buffer between him and Sirius.
He'd made perfectly clear to both Sirius and Dumbledore though that he was quite prepared to lock the two men into the small cellar of the cottage until they both promised to behave like... well, maybe adults were too much to ask for but he was hoping for at least 'well-behaved toddlers'. Or, so help him Merlin, they could stay in the cellar until they died of starvation. Which, considering Sirius' and Severus' states of malnourishment, probably wouldn't take too long.
A shower of cold water quickly woke him from his morbid daydreaming and he growled loudly as he threw himself after his fast-footed friend with an 'aqua impeto' on his lips.
***
When the two men returned to the cottage two hours later they were both wet, muddy and Sirius legs were still a bit wobbly after having been hexed with Jelly Legs at two different occasions. They couldn't agree which one of them was the winner of their spontaneous duel but Remus went to sleep with a small smile on his lips thinking that they had both benefited from having some real fun.
That night he dreamt about a Gryffindor versus Slytherin waterfight with he, Sirius, James, Peter, McGonagall and Harry in one team and Snape, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Rosier and Voldemort in the other. By the end of the dream Snape and Peter had changed houses though and Peter was wearing Slytherin green while Severus was sporting Gryffindor red.
He woke up feeling very strange indeed. Staring up at the ceiling he realised that there were only two days left before Snape would join him and Sirius. He gave the dog that slept in the foot-end of the huge bed a weary look. Sirius, or Padfoot as he usually thought of his friend as while the man was using his Animagus form, wasn't going to make things easy and neither was Sna... Severus.
Padfoot kicked out with a paw and whined softly in his sleep. Sitting up slowly so not to wake the dog, Remus patted the sleeping animal. Not even as a dog did Sirius seem to be fully protected against the nightmares that haunted his sleep. Remus wasn't quite sure what his friend dreamt of but he could easily imagine how the cruel Dementors, the cold, hopeless feeling of Azkaban and the grey dullness of the Veil mixed together would become a frightening landscape of horror.
"Schh," he whispered, pleased when the whimpering sounds slowly came to a halt. After a few minutes he curled up under the covers again, convinced that the nightmares were over for now.
Sirius wouldn't remember what had happened and with a little luck he'd forget about the sad whimpers himself by morning.
Turning around and burying his head in his pillows he tried to convince himself that his dream would turn out to be some weird kind of prediction which meant that the three of them would get along just fine.
Of course, he thought seconds before sleep claimed him, he had barely passed Divination.
Albus Dumbledore.
He hadn't really planned on supervising Severus while the other man packed his bags, but a short note from Remus about the Wolfsbane Potion made him realise that he had better keep an eye on what the Potions Master brought with him to the cottage. He wasn't, after all, sending the three young men away just to have Severus poison them all in a fit of anger, he thought to himself with a small, almost sad smile.
Sitting in one of the two rather uncomfortable leather chairs that were placed in front of the fireplace inside Severus' personal rooms he watched the tall, dark-clad man carefully fold what seemed to be an endless number of black robes before shrinking them to fit the small bag placed in the middle of the floor.
The silence in the room was not of the comfortable sort and Dumbledore felt a bit sad about that knowing that his Potions Master was more than a little bit upset with him. It couldn't be helped though and as long as the man stayed alive their friendship was a small price to pay. Not that he really thought that would happen; he liked to at least imagine that their strange relationship meant as much to Severus as it did to him.
"Are you taking any books with you?"
"No," came the rather unexpected answer.
"Really?" Albus tried to have a look at his friend's eyes but the curtain of unwashed hair made it bloody near impossible. Severus hid behind his hair as most people hid behind stone walls. He wondered, briefly, if the young man had done the same as a student. After searching his memory he found a picture of Severus sitting in his office as a young student. It convinced him that he had indeed. "Why not?"
"I've already read, re-read and memorised most of them," the Potions Master explained tiredly. "And if memory serve correctly you have books in the cottage?"
"Of course," he assured his friend. "Mostly fiction though."
Severus made a small face at that but, as had become his habit the past few weeks, he refrained from actually commenting. Albus tried to imagine Severus reading a Muggle love novel and felt the edges of his mouth try to turn upwards. Another look at the exhausted, sick-looking man in front of him quelled any urges to smile though and he sighed a little instead.
"What are you planning on doing then?" Albus pried gently, desperately wanting Severus to have plans for the future even if it was just to make the lives of poor Remus and Sirius miserable.
"I thought the plan was that I would be relaxing?"
"Of course." There was a short pause before Albus continued, "Do you plan to bring material to make potions?"
"No." Severus glared at him with an ugly frown on his face. "And if you're worrying about your precious Gryffindor werewolf I can assure you that I have made sure that he will have what he needs every full moon. Believe me, sir, I have no wish to come face to face with a werewolf ever again."
That was his Severus, Albus thought with a small grimace, going for maximum damage when hurt. The man had always reminded him of a cornered animal, although he doubted the Potions Master would appreciated the comparison.
"You're not packing any potions for... personal use?"
"What business of yours is that?"
Hot, angry eyes met his, challenging him. He took the challenge calmly and in the end black eyes turned away.
"My apologies, sir," Severus said stiffly before returning to his packing with jerking, ungraceful movements.
Albus concealed his smile behind his hand. It wasn't often that Severus apologised for anything.
After a quarter of an hour of silence -- not quite as uncomfortable as before, though, now that words had actually been exchanged for the first time in days -- the younger man marched off to his private lab just to return after hardly more than a few minutes with a dark wooden box that he, without a word of explanation, dropped in Albus' lap.
When he carefully opened the box he found several small vials and bottles carefully stored in different compartments. They were all labeled and he quickly realised what Severus expected him to do. Picking them up, one by one, he read the familiar, slightly angular script on the labels.
'Sleeping Draught', 'Pain-Stiller Potion; Strength Two', 'Pain-Stiller Potion; Strength Three', 'Dreamless Sleep Draught'... Nothing forbidden, nothing that if taken in the correct dosages was harmful. (Although the reasons for why Severus would have a need for such strong pain stillers made Albus even more heavy-hearted.)
He looked up at his friend who was standing over him, scowling darkly.
"Well..." Severus snapped. "Do they all get approved?"
The young man, not even forty after all, sounded so angry that something in Albus flared.
"I'm just worried about you," he said in an unusually sharp voice. "Surely you cannot fault me for that?"
"Hmmm," was the only answer Severus would offer him, but Albus supposed he would have to do with that. He couldn't really expect the Potions Master to apologise twice on the same night.
***
"I'm keeping you from getting some well-needed, much-deserved sleep," Albus mumbled half an hour later.
After having finished his packing the Potions Master had joined Albus by the fire and the two friends had shared a quiet moment just 'enjoying' each other's company. Or rather, Albus openly enjoyed Severu's company while the younger man scowled darkly at the fire; the only evidence that he wanted his friend there being the fact that he had yet to kick him out.
Them spending time together was, unfortunatly, not something that happened very often but Albus always enjoyed it when his young friend was in the mood for it. Although this time he couldn't help but wonder why now. Just a few days ago Severus had been too angry to speak with him and everyone knew that the Slytherin wasn't the 'forgive and forget' sort of man.
And as pleasant as the change was it worried him very much that the Potions Master was acting so very out of character.
As Severus didn't answer, Albus continued:
"As amusing as it must be to listen to the rantings and ramblings of a foolish old man you have many other, more important things on your mind. Undoubtedly you will need some sleep if you are to keep up with Remus and Sirius tomorrow."
Severus nodded his agreement but didn't grab the opportunity to complain about the two Gryffindors or to even send him away which just added to Albus' worries. He gave his friend a searching look. Severus looked just as he had the past couple of years, only maybe a bit paler and thinner. And maybe a bit more tired than usual too.
Not for the first time Albus wished there had been a another option to teaching Severus the art of Occlumency. The young wizard had been hard enough to read without those skills.
"Do I have something on my face?"
The object of his intense scrutiny gave him an irritated look and Albus shook his head before casually asking;
"Are you having trouble sleeping?"
He knew that the young man was an insomniac and rather prone to nightmares when he actually got some sleep but, as he'd seen evidence of earlier, the man had a rather large collection of sleeping aids.
"Aren't I always?"
There was no self-pity in the words, just calm acceptance and Albus nodded.
"But your potions...?"
"They are working just fine. However the stronger sleeping aids all tend to be either addictive or their effects lessen with daily use and you end having to drink enormous amounts of the potion for it to work properly."
"Ah... no point in falling asleep just to wake up a few minutes later in desperate need of the lavatory, huh?"
A small shadow of a smile graced the otherwise so grim face and Albus smiled back broadly.
"Exactly."
"So you haven't been taking any potions? For how long?"
"Two weeks tomorrow. I'll need to stay off them for yet another two weeks." Severus sighed and Albus could see the self-disgust in his eyes. "I've always tried to follow a certain schedule but, well... I don't need to tell you how hectic the past few months have been. I'm afraid I allowed myself to... indulge."
His students might find it a bit hard to believe but Albus knew that as hard as Severus was on other people he was even harder on himself. The Potions Master hated mistakes and cock ups, especially if he was responsible for them himself.
"I don't think anyone would blame you for that," he told his friend in his most convincing, soothing voice even though he was sure that his friend wouldn't believe him. "Considering the circumstances it is most understandable that you would... slip."
There was a long pause as Severus refused to answer.
"So it's been two weeks since you last got to enjoy the benefits of a good night's sleep?" Albus said after a few moments. "And two more before you can take any sleeping aids again?"
"A good night's sleep?" Severus smiled thinly. "That was so much more than two weeks ago. Actually I was probably still sleeping surrounded with plush animals when that happened last."
Now that, Albus thought while allowing a small smile to escape, was a picture that was equally sweet as it was highly disturbing. He had to force himself not to ask just what sort of 'plush animals' the stern man had owned as a child and which one had been the 'can not be parted from, absolutely necessary if to be able to fall asleep' toy.
Predicting Severus' reaction should he ever ask, he quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He then gave his Potion Master yet another searching look before making up his mind.
"Very well then," Albus said and rose from the chair, determination making him stand taller than usual. Severus gazed up at him with an eyebrow quizzically raised. "Come with me, please."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, come with me." He quickly marched off to the door before turning around, motioning for Severus to join him. "You're but a human being, young man, and you need your sleep just as much as the rest of us mortals. Since you're obviously unable to get it on a natural way and potions aren't an option right now I suppose I will have to make sure you get it myself."
"What are you talking about, Albus?"
"You'll see," Albus promised.
Sirius Black.
He and Moony Flooed to Dumbledore's cottage. Sirius would rather have Apparated as he, just as his godson, wasn't too fond of Flooing but all it took to convince him that they'd better save their strength was a quick look at Remus' tired face.
As the two friends stepped out of the fireplace and glanced around in the lounge not even the nausea that, for him, always accompanied Floo traveling could keep him from laughing out loud.
The room was... cluttered, to say the least. Paintings and huge shelves covered the walls and strange, but undoubtedly fascinating, items filled the shelves. Thick books, a huge fireplace and heavy oak furniture completed the picture. The obsession with strange, colourful objects had to either run in the family or the Headmaster must have re-decorated the cottage to fit his... slightly more eccentric style.
Remus seemed to be thinking the same thing as he chuckled softly to himself at the same time as one thin hand reached out to pet a Gryffindor-red sofa. The werewolf then leaned forward a little to have a better lock at a small, shiny stone that was laying on a sturdy table.
"Do you want to know what I think?" Moony finally asked with a small grin as he turned the shiny rock over in his hands. When Sirius nodded his friend continued, "I think that Dumbledore's Animagus form just might be a magpie."
"A magpie?"
"They're famous for stealing bright coloured objects and collecting them in their nests. When I was little I once climbed up this tree where a magpie lived just to see if it was true. The nest was full with blue things; ribbons, toys, somebody's bracelet." Remus smiled a little apologetically. "I'm not saying that I think Dumbledore's a thief, just that he's-"
"A bit too fond of his toys," someone said calmly behind them.
The two of them turned around quickly and found themselves face to face with the large painting that hung above the fireplace. A stern-looking old woman with her white hair in a loose bun was looking at them with curious eyes.
"What are you two gentlemen doing here? And how do you know my nephew?"
"Your what-?"
But Remus had already caught on. He might be a bit quiet at times but Sirius knew that his friend was much smarter than he let on.
"Agda Dumbledore?"
"Yes, I am she." The woman in the painting leaned forward so much that Sirius for a moment was afraid that she'd fall out from the frame. "And who might you be?"
"Remus Lupin and Sirius Black," Moony quickly answered and Sirius sketched a bow to the old woman. "We're here because your... uh... nephew, Albus Dumbledore, invited us to stay here for a few months."
"Really?" She raised a white eyebrow. "He didn't tell me."
"I'm sorry, Mrs Dumbledore, I'm sure-"
"Don't look so concerned, children." Agda Dumbledore smiled suddenly and with blue eyes glittering with warmth instead of cold curiosity it was easy to see the resemblance to Hogwarts' Headmaster. "I know who are you, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and you're very welcome to my home. I hope you'll like it here."
"Thank you," Sirius said, offering the portrait his best 'school-boy' smile. "We're honored to make your acquaintance, Mrs Dumbledore."
The portrait laughed heartily.
"Albus sends me such polite young men. So, tell me, Sirius... may I call you Sirius and Remus?" As the two of them nodded, she continued; "Thank you. You two will call me Aunt Agda. Everybody does. Now tell me, Remus, how long are you and your friend going to stay here?"
"We're not quite sure," Moony answered in his place. "A month or two. Maybe more. It's just gonna be me and Sirius the first week. Then Sna- Severus will be joining us."
"Severus?" The old lady suddenly sounded very interested. "Severus Snape?"
"You know him?"
Sirius couldn't keep the surprise from showing.
"Of course I know him. I'm dead -- not senile." She frowned at them a little sternly. "He's been here before. Twice. The first time was almost twenty years ago and the last time... six years ago come November. Poor dear, he didn't look well at all."
"He never does," Sirius muttered under his breath, pouting a little as Moony shoved a bony elbow into his ribs.
"What did you say, Sirius?" Aunt Agda looked at him kindly.
"He said that Severus probably won't be doing so well when he comes by this time either. He's being sent here to recuperate. Just like me and Sirius."
"The two of you do look like you're in need of some fresh air, uninterrupted sleep and good food." Her eyes twinkled a little. "Provided that one of you can cook you will have no problems finding any of those things here at my cottage."
Taking a good look out the window and seeing only trees Sirius had to agree with the fresh air part. Good food... well, Remus was a decent cook and to tell the truth he wasn't very picky. (When you had spent years on the run, surviving on scraps of food from dumpsters and rats, you seldom were.) But uninterrupted sleep?
He snorted.
That wasn't very likely to happen any time soon.
Remus Lupin.
Aunt Agda happily told them where to find linens and how to write a shopping list for the magical larder. She also entertained them with small anecdotes about Albus from when he'd been a little boy. (Albus Dumbledore as a small child looked, in Remus mind at least, very much like a miniature man with a long, white beard.)
As chatty and helpful as she was, she wouldn't tell them a word about Severus or his two previous visits at the cottage. The old lady was, apparently, both fond and protective of the Slytherin. Remus smiled broadly at the memory of Sirius spitting out tea all over the table as she'd told them how adorable she found 'dear Severus'.
He wasn't quite sure what it was about the cottage (although he was pretty sure it had a lot to do with the portrait of Aunt Agda and all the little trinkets that were laying around) but it made him feel more relaxed and at peace than he had been for... a long time.
Curled up in a huge, comfortable armchair the werewolf was enjoying a thick book with Muggle stories. Padfoot was resting by the fire and seemed to enjoy the change in surroundings.
Remus smiled a little; maybe this was what Sirius needed?
When Harry had approached him with his 'proposition' his first response had been to say no, but the look on the boy's face (hope mixed with the kind of worry that had no business haunting such a young man) had made him think it over twice. Both he and Sirius needed some time away from the wizarding world to 'find themselves' or whatever cliched phrase you wanted to use.
Granted, living with Severus wouldn't be easy but, at least according to the Headmaster, Severus needed to get away from it all as much as Sirius and himself. Maybe... He shook his head, unsure himself of what he was hoping for.
They surely wouldn't leave the cottage as friends but maybe in the future the Wolfsbane Potion would be delivered to him along with a pleasant note instead of yet another variation of 'don't forget to drink it before full moon this time, you disgusting, murdering beast!'
With a small snort of self-disgust mixed with amusement Remus buried himself in the books again, finding pleasure in the escape into a world where his kind were mere fairy tales.
"Goodnight then, gentlemen," Aunt Agda said sometime later. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow. Pleasant dreams."
A bit disoriented Remus looked up from the book just in time to give her a small smile before she disappeared from the painting.
"Nice lady, don't you think?"
A bark confirmed that Sirius agreed with him.
"Ready for bed?"
He was given a quick lick before the dog trotted off towards the master bedroom they had decided to share, leaving the smaller room to Snape when he arrived. Something that, according to Dumbledore, would happen in a week or so. Apparently, the Potions Master had some potions to finish before he left Hogwarts. (Obviously just an excuse not to have spend time with them but well, Remus couldn't really blame him for that. As hard as he and Sirius found it to get along with Severus, Severus probably found it ten times harder.)
A soft bark brought him back to the present and Remus stared after his friend and sighed, thinking that at least when Severus arrived he'd have someone to talk to that was guaranteed to use human speech.
Chuckling sadly he closed the door to the lounge behind him.
Chapter IV: In Which We Experience The 'Calm' Before The Storm
Remus Lupin.
They spent the first week at Dumbledore's Aunt's cottage in something akin to peaceful bliss.
Remus enjoyed the solitude and the soothing sounds of the forest. Sirius, as had become his habit ever since he returned to them from the Veil, spent most of his time as Padfoot, stretching his legs on the open land, chasing small rodents and other furry little animals.
Severus Snape had yet to arrive.
Which, of course, explained the peaceful bliss, Remus mused with a small chuckle. He was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. Experience told him that as soon as the Slytherin arrived he'd spend most of his time acting as a buffer between him and Sirius.
He'd made perfectly clear to both Sirius and Dumbledore though that he was quite prepared to lock the two men into the small cellar of the cottage until they both promised to behave like... well, maybe adults were too much to ask for but he was hoping for at least 'well-behaved toddlers'. Or, so help him Merlin, they could stay in the cellar until they died of starvation. Which, considering Sirius' and Severus' states of malnourishment, probably wouldn't take too long.
A shower of cold water quickly woke him from his morbid daydreaming and he growled loudly as he threw himself after his fast-footed friend with an 'aqua impeto' on his lips.
***
When the two men returned to the cottage two hours later they were both wet, muddy and Sirius legs were still a bit wobbly after having been hexed with Jelly Legs at two different occasions. They couldn't agree which one of them was the winner of their spontaneous duel but Remus went to sleep with a small smile on his lips thinking that they had both benefited from having some real fun.
That night he dreamt about a Gryffindor versus Slytherin waterfight with he, Sirius, James, Peter, McGonagall and Harry in one team and Snape, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Rosier and Voldemort in the other. By the end of the dream Snape and Peter had changed houses though and Peter was wearing Slytherin green while Severus was sporting Gryffindor red.
He woke up feeling very strange indeed. Staring up at the ceiling he realised that there were only two days left before Snape would join him and Sirius. He gave the dog that slept in the foot-end of the huge bed a weary look. Sirius, or Padfoot as he usually thought of his friend as while the man was using his Animagus form, wasn't going to make things easy and neither was Sna... Severus.
Padfoot kicked out with a paw and whined softly in his sleep. Sitting up slowly so not to wake the dog, Remus patted the sleeping animal. Not even as a dog did Sirius seem to be fully protected against the nightmares that haunted his sleep. Remus wasn't quite sure what his friend dreamt of but he could easily imagine how the cruel Dementors, the cold, hopeless feeling of Azkaban and the grey dullness of the Veil mixed together would become a frightening landscape of horror.
"Schh," he whispered, pleased when the whimpering sounds slowly came to a halt. After a few minutes he curled up under the covers again, convinced that the nightmares were over for now.
Sirius wouldn't remember what had happened and with a little luck he'd forget about the sad whimpers himself by morning.
Turning around and burying his head in his pillows he tried to convince himself that his dream would turn out to be some weird kind of prediction which meant that the three of them would get along just fine.
Of course, he thought seconds before sleep claimed him, he had barely passed Divination.
Albus Dumbledore.
He hadn't really planned on supervising Severus while the other man packed his bags, but a short note from Remus about the Wolfsbane Potion made him realise that he had better keep an eye on what the Potions Master brought with him to the cottage. He wasn't, after all, sending the three young men away just to have Severus poison them all in a fit of anger, he thought to himself with a small, almost sad smile.
Sitting in one of the two rather uncomfortable leather chairs that were placed in front of the fireplace inside Severus' personal rooms he watched the tall, dark-clad man carefully fold what seemed to be an endless number of black robes before shrinking them to fit the small bag placed in the middle of the floor.
The silence in the room was not of the comfortable sort and Dumbledore felt a bit sad about that knowing that his Potions Master was more than a little bit upset with him. It couldn't be helped though and as long as the man stayed alive their friendship was a small price to pay. Not that he really thought that would happen; he liked to at least imagine that their strange relationship meant as much to Severus as it did to him.
"Are you taking any books with you?"
"No," came the rather unexpected answer.
"Really?" Albus tried to have a look at his friend's eyes but the curtain of unwashed hair made it bloody near impossible. Severus hid behind his hair as most people hid behind stone walls. He wondered, briefly, if the young man had done the same as a student. After searching his memory he found a picture of Severus sitting in his office as a young student. It convinced him that he had indeed. "Why not?"
"I've already read, re-read and memorised most of them," the Potions Master explained tiredly. "And if memory serve correctly you have books in the cottage?"
"Of course," he assured his friend. "Mostly fiction though."
Severus made a small face at that but, as had become his habit the past few weeks, he refrained from actually commenting. Albus tried to imagine Severus reading a Muggle love novel and felt the edges of his mouth try to turn upwards. Another look at the exhausted, sick-looking man in front of him quelled any urges to smile though and he sighed a little instead.
"What are you planning on doing then?" Albus pried gently, desperately wanting Severus to have plans for the future even if it was just to make the lives of poor Remus and Sirius miserable.
"I thought the plan was that I would be relaxing?"
"Of course." There was a short pause before Albus continued, "Do you plan to bring material to make potions?"
"No." Severus glared at him with an ugly frown on his face. "And if you're worrying about your precious Gryffindor werewolf I can assure you that I have made sure that he will have what he needs every full moon. Believe me, sir, I have no wish to come face to face with a werewolf ever again."
That was his Severus, Albus thought with a small grimace, going for maximum damage when hurt. The man had always reminded him of a cornered animal, although he doubted the Potions Master would appreciated the comparison.
"You're not packing any potions for... personal use?"
"What business of yours is that?"
Hot, angry eyes met his, challenging him. He took the challenge calmly and in the end black eyes turned away.
"My apologies, sir," Severus said stiffly before returning to his packing with jerking, ungraceful movements.
Albus concealed his smile behind his hand. It wasn't often that Severus apologised for anything.
After a quarter of an hour of silence -- not quite as uncomfortable as before, though, now that words had actually been exchanged for the first time in days -- the younger man marched off to his private lab just to return after hardly more than a few minutes with a dark wooden box that he, without a word of explanation, dropped in Albus' lap.
When he carefully opened the box he found several small vials and bottles carefully stored in different compartments. They were all labeled and he quickly realised what Severus expected him to do. Picking them up, one by one, he read the familiar, slightly angular script on the labels.
'Sleeping Draught', 'Pain-Stiller Potion; Strength Two', 'Pain-Stiller Potion; Strength Three', 'Dreamless Sleep Draught'... Nothing forbidden, nothing that if taken in the correct dosages was harmful. (Although the reasons for why Severus would have a need for such strong pain stillers made Albus even more heavy-hearted.)
He looked up at his friend who was standing over him, scowling darkly.
"Well..." Severus snapped. "Do they all get approved?"
The young man, not even forty after all, sounded so angry that something in Albus flared.
"I'm just worried about you," he said in an unusually sharp voice. "Surely you cannot fault me for that?"
"Hmmm," was the only answer Severus would offer him, but Albus supposed he would have to do with that. He couldn't really expect the Potions Master to apologise twice on the same night.
***
"I'm keeping you from getting some well-needed, much-deserved sleep," Albus mumbled half an hour later.
After having finished his packing the Potions Master had joined Albus by the fire and the two friends had shared a quiet moment just 'enjoying' each other's company. Or rather, Albus openly enjoyed Severu's company while the younger man scowled darkly at the fire; the only evidence that he wanted his friend there being the fact that he had yet to kick him out.
Them spending time together was, unfortunatly, not something that happened very often but Albus always enjoyed it when his young friend was in the mood for it. Although this time he couldn't help but wonder why now. Just a few days ago Severus had been too angry to speak with him and everyone knew that the Slytherin wasn't the 'forgive and forget' sort of man.
And as pleasant as the change was it worried him very much that the Potions Master was acting so very out of character.
As Severus didn't answer, Albus continued:
"As amusing as it must be to listen to the rantings and ramblings of a foolish old man you have many other, more important things on your mind. Undoubtedly you will need some sleep if you are to keep up with Remus and Sirius tomorrow."
Severus nodded his agreement but didn't grab the opportunity to complain about the two Gryffindors or to even send him away which just added to Albus' worries. He gave his friend a searching look. Severus looked just as he had the past couple of years, only maybe a bit paler and thinner. And maybe a bit more tired than usual too.
Not for the first time Albus wished there had been a another option to teaching Severus the art of Occlumency. The young wizard had been hard enough to read without those skills.
"Do I have something on my face?"
The object of his intense scrutiny gave him an irritated look and Albus shook his head before casually asking;
"Are you having trouble sleeping?"
He knew that the young man was an insomniac and rather prone to nightmares when he actually got some sleep but, as he'd seen evidence of earlier, the man had a rather large collection of sleeping aids.
"Aren't I always?"
There was no self-pity in the words, just calm acceptance and Albus nodded.
"But your potions...?"
"They are working just fine. However the stronger sleeping aids all tend to be either addictive or their effects lessen with daily use and you end having to drink enormous amounts of the potion for it to work properly."
"Ah... no point in falling asleep just to wake up a few minutes later in desperate need of the lavatory, huh?"
A small shadow of a smile graced the otherwise so grim face and Albus smiled back broadly.
"Exactly."
"So you haven't been taking any potions? For how long?"
"Two weeks tomorrow. I'll need to stay off them for yet another two weeks." Severus sighed and Albus could see the self-disgust in his eyes. "I've always tried to follow a certain schedule but, well... I don't need to tell you how hectic the past few months have been. I'm afraid I allowed myself to... indulge."
His students might find it a bit hard to believe but Albus knew that as hard as Severus was on other people he was even harder on himself. The Potions Master hated mistakes and cock ups, especially if he was responsible for them himself.
"I don't think anyone would blame you for that," he told his friend in his most convincing, soothing voice even though he was sure that his friend wouldn't believe him. "Considering the circumstances it is most understandable that you would... slip."
There was a long pause as Severus refused to answer.
"So it's been two weeks since you last got to enjoy the benefits of a good night's sleep?" Albus said after a few moments. "And two more before you can take any sleeping aids again?"
"A good night's sleep?" Severus smiled thinly. "That was so much more than two weeks ago. Actually I was probably still sleeping surrounded with plush animals when that happened last."
Now that, Albus thought while allowing a small smile to escape, was a picture that was equally sweet as it was highly disturbing. He had to force himself not to ask just what sort of 'plush animals' the stern man had owned as a child and which one had been the 'can not be parted from, absolutely necessary if to be able to fall asleep' toy.
Predicting Severus' reaction should he ever ask, he quickly pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He then gave his Potion Master yet another searching look before making up his mind.
"Very well then," Albus said and rose from the chair, determination making him stand taller than usual. Severus gazed up at him with an eyebrow quizzically raised. "Come with me, please."
"Excuse me?"
"I said, come with me." He quickly marched off to the door before turning around, motioning for Severus to join him. "You're but a human being, young man, and you need your sleep just as much as the rest of us mortals. Since you're obviously unable to get it on a natural way and potions aren't an option right now I suppose I will have to make sure you get it myself."
"What are you talking about, Albus?"
"You'll see," Albus promised.