Severus Snape was in the Prefects' bathroom, brushing his teeth. It was 3am or thereabouts, so he had reason to feel fairly secure that he would be uninterrupted. His hazy calculations, however, did not take into account the nocturnal habits of a fellow prefect.

Remus Lupin muttered the password to the guardian statue, and stepped past it into the cool, clean-smelling darkness. He too believed himself to be alone and consequently made his way to the boys' bath, started the taps, stripped off (folding his clothes as he went) and climbed in. Remus made no secret of his love for a good bubble bath, and he simply oozed contentment as he floated happily on his back. Water filled his ears and all he could hear was the rushing and swooshing of his own blood. He closed his eyes.

Severus left the sink area, and padded back into the main room with bare feet slapping softly on the tiles. As he heard the faint lapping of water coming from the bath, he froze. Remus had turned on no lights, lit no lamps, so had inconveniently given Severus very little warning of his presence.

Snape, meanwhile, considered calling out as an affront to his cherished dignity. He walked into the bathroom, and took out his wand.

'Lumos.'

The glare of light through his eyelids roused Remus out of his reverie, and his eyes snapped open. A split second elapsed before he realised just how naked and visible he was, and put his feet on the bottom, hands protectively cupping where boys' hands most readily fly.

'Ah – Severus,' he said, discomfited. 'Hello. I didn't know you were here.'

'Obviously,' Snape commented, eyebrows raised. Remus noted the dishevelled hair, the bare feet.

'You have, er, toothpaste,' he said inconsequentially, and touched his own cheek. 'No, other side.'

Severus wiped it off, still staring at him with that unreadable black gaze. Little did Remus the modest guess, but despite his apparent composure, he was actually fighting to gain his self-control and think of some way to extricate himself from the situation, pride intact. But all he could think of was Remus, floating in the bath with a happy smile on his lips… foam caught in tangled hair… a huge scar on his shoulder marring his pale skin. He could still see the tip of it, as Remus stood almost neck-deep in foamy water.

'What is that scar from?' he blurted out, and immediately realised. He cursed his stupidity, his lack of control. His eyes unwillingly met Remus'.

'It from when the werewolf bit me,' Remus replied unblinkingly.

Severus nodded brusquely.

'I'll leave you to finish your bath,' he said.

'You don't have to go,' Remus said, and then wondered why. 'How come you're up so late?'

'I often cannot sleep,' Severus confessed.

'Couldn't you make a potion for that?'

'I could – I do – but I enjoy wakefulness at night.'

'Me too. It's so quiet, no people around… and so beautiful. Things look better in the dark.'

'Is that why you had no lights on?'

'Yes – I think it's more relaxing.'

'Hmm,' said Snape, giving the impression that he was not a mere mortal who required relaxation.

'I don't mean to keep you here against your will.'

'I should think it would take more than you to do that,' Snape's pride snapped out. Then he realised the inference – that he wished to remain with Lupin. He clenched his jaw.

'I have no doubt,' Remus said thoughtfully. Then, with his accustomed tact, he changed the subject. 'Sometimes I think the only part of being a prefect that I really enjoy is using the bathroom.'

'I know it is the only part I enjoy,' Snape said dryly. 'Shepherding first years and putting insolent brats in detention is not my idea of fun.'

'So why do you do it?'

'I was not aware there was an element of choice in the matter.'

'There's always a choice… do you think Dumbledore'd force you into anything? You could always hand your badge in…'

'No,' Snape said emphatically. 'I will not quit. And besides, if it gets Lucius Malfoy off my back, it cannot be all bad.'

'Lucius Malfoy.'

'You are, I am sure, aware of he and his companions' mania for pure-bloodedness and abject cruelty?'

'Yes… but I assumed… you are a Slytherin.'

'Voldemort is a half-blood,' Snape said, the name echoing like a whip crack, 'and he was a Slytherin. And so am I. Unfortunately this illustrious precedent does not advantage me in the eyes of dear Lucius.'

'So why did the Hat put you – and Voldemort – in Slytherin?'

'Ambition. I had it on my head, and it said things about intelligence and courage, but it concluded my driving force was ambition.'

'Ambition to do – what?'

Snape looked faintly disconcerted for a moment.

'I – I do not know.'

'What's your favourite subject?'

'Defence Against the Dark Arts.' No hesitation.

'Perhaps you will be a great Auror.'

'Spend my extremely short life attempting to hunt down witches and wizards the Ministry deems 'dangerous'? No thank you.'

'Well, what then?'

'I do not know. Slughorn has been showering political leaflets on me but – I do not know.'

'I suppose you don't have to decide quite yet… although I suppose we've already limited ourselves, by what NEWTs we've chosen.'

'And what have you chosen, Lupin?'

'Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy – and Potions,' Remus reeled off.

'To do – what?'

'Healing at St. Mungo's. My mum's a Healer – I think it's really interesting, and you can make people better. It's something worth doing.'

'What of those you cannot cure?'

'At least I'll know I've done my best.'

'Do you think being a werewolf will be a problem?'

There it was, out in the open, spoken aloud. The question that constantly haunted Remus. The question whose possible answer was too potentially devastating to attempt to discover.

'I don't know,' Remus said in a small voice, and turned away. 'I'm going to get out. Could you leave, please?'

Snape, with a flash of perception quite alien to him, realised it was not with he himself that Remus was offended. It was simply the fact that he had spoken a thought that Remus was obviously trying to ignore, and forced it to his notice.

It was out of character for Remus to be so irrational and irritable, so Snape replied with something equally out of character. He apologised.

'I'm sorry. That was thoughtless of me.' Being Snape, though, he couldn't leave it at that. 'But Lupin – I know you don't want to, but you should at least think about what I said.'

A less fair, less even-tempered individual would have exploded at this, but Remus did not. He took in the sense of Snape's words, digested the significance of the apology.

'You're right. Of course. But you have to understand. I've wanted to do this for so long. If I can't do that – well, what will I do? Who'll employ a werewolf?'

'I don't know,' Snape replied honestly. 'You should talk to McGonagall.'

'I will,' Remus resolved.

'And I should leave you to your bath.'

'I do have to get out now anyway. See you tomorrow, probably. And thanks, Severus.' He meant it. His friends loved him too much to say things that needed be said, and Snape had said them.

'You're welcome,' Snape replied graciously, and departed with a swish of black robes.

Remus soaped himself thoughtfully. His hand lingered slightly too long on a certain part of his anatomy and the confounded mermaid on the wall giggled so that he whisked it away hurriedly and shampooed his hair, blushing furiously.

Both boys thought about their conversation as they laid in bed a bit later; Remus about Severus' blunt but not unkind honesty, and Severus about Remus' polite pleasantness – and vulnerability.