TITLE: Healing in four steps
AUTHOR: green7silver
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and I don't know who else do.
FEEDBACK: Would love it, since it´s the first time I write for a wave.
NOTES: That ´s my first slash fanfiction, so don ´t be too harsh. Thanks to my friend Daniela and Leslie, my betareader. All mistakes, which are still in the story, belong to me.

Prolog: The invitation

He was feeling so sick. And it was not only the disease, which was spreading in his body. No, also his mind–his soul felt sick. He was sick of his job, sick of these insolent brats he had to teach, sick of Potter's attempts to get rid of him, sick of the rooms that were cold even in summer, sick of struggles about every potion ingredient that cost a bit more, sick of the lonely evenings and even lonelier nights–sick of his whole life.

Remus drank the last sip tea and looked at his watch. He had still ten minutes left before the portkey would be activated. He still wasn´t used to having a portkey at his service. Not used to having money. But after the war, everything had changed. They had won in the end.

Voldemort was gone for good this time, the Death Eaters were dead or in Azkaban, and Fudge had been sacked. Arthur Weasley was the new Minister of Magic, and he had declared a new policy towards the part humans, cooperation instead of pursuit. Remus was the werewolf-representative. It was the first time in his life he had had a really well paying job, and he enjoyed it. He had renovated his house and for the first time in as long as he could remember, it was what it had been before the family had spend their whole fortune trying to cure the illness of their only child.

But now it was time to go to Hogwarts. Remus grabbed the portkey, and five minutes later he was walking to the castle doors.

A lot has changed since Albus retired, Remus mused, going inside. Most teachers had survived the war but, some had retired, as well. Minerva was now the headmistress, and she was slowly building up a new team of teachers around her.

"Remus," someone shouted, and the werewolf turned around and smiled at Harry.

"Hello, you look well. A formidable deputy headmaster."

"Yes, I like my job very much. But I always liked being at Hogwarts, and it looks as if it can only get better."

"What happened?"

"Seems that Hogwarts is getting a new Potions Master after all." Harry grinned broadly.

"Severus is retiring?" Remus asked, surprised. The Slytherin had never been keen on teaching, he knew, but nevertheless...

"Sorry, I would really like to fill you in on the details, but I have a class to teach. Bye."

"Bye." Remus went down to the dungeons. Now he was really curious, but he didn´t believe that Snape would tell him anything. "I´ll be lucky if he helps me with the wolfsbane project."

He knocked softly at the door and was greeted by an ill-tempered, "Come in."

Snape was packing his things. "Lupin, what do you want? The full moon was just two days ago, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, it was, but I have a request. I want to make a study about wolfsbane and feral werewolves, and I thought…"

"No."

"But Severus, you are the expert."

"I have no time."

"Harry told me that you´re retiring so you should have plenty of time."

"Retiring. He wishes!" Severus snapped, then he began to cough, holding himself upright with difficulty.

"Severus." Remus grabbed his arm and tried to steady him.

"Let me alone." Severus slapped his fingers away. "Now go."

"Severus, what´s the matter?" Remus stood stubbornly at the door.

"Only to shut you up, I have Malagis."

With that, he pushed Lupin, who was too shocked to react, outside.

Malagis, but that... Malagis was not deadly, normally, but it was a very unpleasant illness with fever, itching, emotional fluctuation, and a lot of relapses. But Harry wouldn´t joke about something like that, would he? Confused, he wandered upstairs. When he stayed in Hogwarts, he normally stopped and had a cup of tea with Filius Flitwick. Maybe his former colleague could explain things. But when he came in, Madame Hooch, Professor Sinistra, Professor Trelawney, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Hagrid were sitting around the table and drank tea.

"Remus?" Flitwick got up. "I didn´t know that you were coming to Hogwarts today. Would you like to have tea with us?"

"Of course." Remus sat down between Hagrid and Madame Hooch.

"Olympe sent me a bit of French cake. We're trying it now," Hagrid explained. "What are you doing here?"

"There´s a new project about Wolfsbane, and I wanted Severus to help me."

"He has other problems," Flitwick replied.

"Yes, I heard that he had Malagis."

"Yes," Ron said with a smirk, "serves him right, the old slimy git. At least this way he won´t be bothering us anymore."

"But can´t he stay here in the infirmary?" Remus asked.

"That was at first his suggestion, too, but Poppy has better things to do than look after him," Sinistra sneered. "We have to look after the children, after all."

"I think he will go to some hotel in the countryside," Trewlaney added. "Too mean to pay for a stay in St. Mungo's."

"But this way Harry can get a new potion instructor." Ron grinned. "Just as a substitute, but if he or she does well–and how can it be worse than Snape?–I´m sure we can convince Minerva to hire him or her." Ron looked as if Christmas and Easter had come together this year.

"By the way, Minerva has written about new teaching methods. What do you think of it?" Neville asked, and the discussion took another turn to teaching methods, their advantages and disadvantages, but Remus didn´t listen anymore. He had known that Snape was not popular–he was not too keen on him, himself–but now the Slytherin had fallen gravely ill and no one cared. His colleagues were indifferent or even happy about getting rid of him. Severus had no family and no friends. The Slytherins knew now that he had betrayed them. And no one else seemed to care. Minerva was at a conference for teachers in New York, but even Dumbledore didn´t seem to care. Remus knew only too well what it meant to have to deal alone with everything, let alone a dangerous illness, and he didn´t wish that on anyone, not even Snape. The thought that he would stay in a single room, dealing with his illness alone... But he couldn´t change that, except if… He got up abruptly.

"You want to go already?" Filius asked, disappointed.

"Yes, I have a lot of work, sorry." He said goodbye to everyone, then he went down to the dungeons again.

Severus wasn´t very pleased to see him again. "What do you want now?"

"It's about the project."

"I told you that I have other problems."

"But this project is very important for me. And I have a suggestion to make. Filius told me that you had planned to stay in a hotel. That will not be too comfortable. Here´s the deal: You can stay in my cottage. It will much more comfortable, and you can help me with the project. Otherwise, I can force you with the help of the Ministry. Your decision."

"Than I will come with you."

Remus looked at Snape, surprised; he hadn´t expected him to give in so easily. But he caught himself: "Good, have you packed everything?"

"Yes, there was not much. Most of it belonged to the school anyway."

"Good. I have a portkey, so we can go at once."