Interludes
Interludes
Genre: Angst/Hurt-Comfort
Summary: AU from almost the beginning.
Warnings: Dursley!Abuse;
Interludes:
Severus growled irritably as the panicked slamming on his door increased. There were very, very few witches and wizards – all order members – who knew of his continued habitation in London, now that the Dark Lord had fallen and his role as a spy had been revealed before the entire wizengamot… and -of those very few who did know of his location - only one had any reason to believe that he would be welcomed into Severus's home, but Severus could not bring himself to imagine Albus Dumbledore plaguing his door in the early hours of morning, hammering his door like a panicky muggle.
Still the fact that the wards were even letting him do so …
Severus huffed and tried to roll back over in his bed, but before the latest pounding could even connect with the door, he threw off the covers and jumped up. Fully intending to send the irritant away, Severus fairly dashed down the stairs, cursing as his slippers caught on several of the stairs, making him almost trip. By the time he reached the door, with his wand drawn and held low, partially hidden by his hip, Severus was in a mood to hex even the headmaster if the elderly wizard was so unwise to be making such a stir at his door. With that petulant thought in mind, he threw open the door and stepped back in shock at the sight that greeted him.
A very unwelcome visitor, in the shabbiest of muggle cast offs, leaned unevenly against doorframe, panting as he juggled a small bundle in his arms and pulled his hand down barely avoiding Severus's face in the process.
"What are you doing here?" Severus growled angrily and looked over his visitor's shoulder at the grimly bright moon just appearing on the horizon: "on this of all nights?"
"Had to." The wolf panted heavily and continued, by way of explanation, "couldn't standby any longer."
A growl broke from the werewolf's throat, and he hurriedly shoved the bundle into Severus arms even as the other wizard raised his wand defensively.
"Take him. Don't give him back. I'— arhhrrr- I'll ex-plain after I recover."
As Severus realized that the awkward bundle he was now holding was in fact, a young child, his unwanted visitor leaned into the door and used it to push himself upright then away from them. He had staggered several feet away when Severus's conscience finally got the better of him.
"Lupin… there is… I have a storm cellar warded… in case of a similar emergency." He offered reluctantly and thought for a brief moment that his offer might have been accepted, but the other wizard stiffened after a moment and shook his head.
"Can't." he panted, as his oncoming change took more and more of a toll to fight off, "Can't risk it. Not- not with him here."
"Him?" Severus furrowed his brow as he stared down at the waifish figure in his arms. From the unruly curls that framed the child's face and the child's slight form, it could have as easily been a young girl as it could have been a boy.
"And, who's child have you burdened me with?" Severus asked acerbically, although a suspicion of why Lupin would have had the temerity to come to him, nibbled at the back of his thoughts.
Lupin stopped again, but this time turned away and stared at Severus with a rueful appraising glance. Finally, he sighed and shook his head then lifted his eyes to Severus with an angry gaze.
"He's Lily's child… and a burden to no one."
Without another word, Lupin turned and staggered away as quickly as he could before giving in and apparating to the forbidden forest. Allowing his fight with the transformation to weaken, Lupin pulled up his memories of running through the forests with James, Sirius, and Peter – and for the first time in years, he allowed himself to relax into the memories. There was no way he could change what had happened in the past, but at least, he had done what he could to help Harry.