So, after years of silence I decided to write a new fic. Just to elevate the boring train rides to and from work. Hope you enjoy reading it. Reviewing would be nice, so I know what bits I need to work on. Am not a native speaker and spell check is not available on my phone, so hope it's not too bad.

Chapter one: The Rose

Slowly the sounds of hundreds of voices became louder and louder. With imminent dread he intently looked at the enormous wooden doors in front of him. He cringed as he the volume increased. How many incompetent fools would enter his classroom this year? His eyes narrowed as the older students entered the Great Hall chattering loudly as they caught up with the latest holiday adventures and so-called gossip. There was one figure that stood out though. One person, whose presence he dreaded the most…

Slowly Remus entered the Great Hall, letting himself being pushed along by the dozens of students. A small smile appeared on his face as he took in his surroundings, letting his gaze linger on the magical ceiling above him. He wondered what this year had in store for him. His eyes rested briefly on one man in particular sitting at the Head Table. Would he finally be able to close his past? He straightened his shoulders and walked briskly towards McGonagall.

Back, he was back once more. His living ghost from the past. Severus narrowed his eyes as he witnessed Minerva greeting him… it, warmly. He was already wishing for some kind of freak accident, which would force Lupin to resign. He was sure though that if he had any hand in his resignation again, Minerva would fire him before he could say 'bloody werewolf'. A tight knot formed in his stomach as he saw Lupin approaching him, eyeing the vacant chair to Severus' left. He wouldn't…

"Good evening, Severus!" The man said warmly.

"Lupin!" Came the clipped reply.

"Still here I see."

Bloody hell was the werewolf actually trying to start a conversation? "Yes!" Not much of a choice, he added silently.

The rest of the meal Severus tried to ignore him as much as he could. He didn't want nor need this. Lupin was acting like they were normal colleagues, while they were anything but.

"Severus?"

"What is it now?" He asked annoyed.

"I was wondering whether you'd like to come by Friday evening. Have a cup of tea?" Remus gave him a warm smile. "I'd like to know what you've been up to these last couple of months. We haven't talked much since the end of the war."

"Well I'm sorry but since when are we such chummy friends? I think I'd rather teach that Longbottom boy for another seven years, than have tea with you. Now if you'll excuse me I have more pressing matters to attend to." Like fixing your bloody Wolfsbane potion, he added silently. He stood up abruptly and walked briskly out of the Great Hall.

Remus rolled his eyes and focused his attention back on his desert. Well that didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped. It didn't really matter. They had the entire school year ahead of them to talk and finally close this chapter. The good thing was that the situation could hardly get any worse than this. He figured as he savoured the taste of his chocolate pudding.

If Severus was honest with himself the lifelong grudge against Lupin had all but dissipated. In light of his own killing of Albus (albeit ordered and necessary) and the followed forgiveness by... well almost the entire wizarding world, his own grudges seemed trifle/trivial at best. Still Remus had been foolish and unkind and therefore didn't deserve his friendship. That is to say Severus saw no need to form a friendship with someone whom he had nothing in common.

Severus grabbed his medium sized cauldron, added five liters of water and stalled it on a crackling fire. His worktable was filled with herbs and various other unidentifiable ingredients.

Just as he started cutting up the asphodel a loud knocking could be heard.

"Enter!" he shouted. After all it could only be Elizabeth. No one else dared to disturb him in his workroom. His suspicions were confirmed when a red-headed woman in her mid-thirties entered the room.

"Beth, what can I do for you on this oh so lovely evening?" Severus asked a tat annoyed.

"Oh Severus, you do know how to make a woman feel welcome." She laughed. "I merely wondered whether you'd like to share a much needed glass of wine with me?"

"I would actually, but I have to brew Lupin's potion. Don't want him running amok again, now do we?"

"True! I saw him talking to you during dinner. Anything interesting to report?" she stalked over to his fireplace and let herself fall into an overstuffed armchair. Clearly feeling no need to leave anytime soon.

"He wants to have tea with me. Highly bloody likely!" He told her, returning his attention to the asphodel.

Elizabeth grinned. She only knew bits and pieces of the whole situation, but she was already intrigued by the werewolf. Anyone who could annoy Severus to such a degree was worth getting to know better. She observed the man in front of her chopping up herbs in such a precise and careful manner that he seemed born to do this. She had only been working at Hogwarts for one year, but already felt a special bond with him. It seemed she knew bits and pieces of him that not many others did. She wondered how this Lupin figure would effect her friend during the upcoming months.

"If you're just going to sit there and stare at me like I'm sprouting a second head you might as well make yourself useful." Severus suddenly said, interrupting her trail of thoughts.

"Sure!"

"Can you add some wood on the fire? Make sure it stays around the same height." He briefly looked up at her: "If that's not too hard for a mere woman such as yourself." He added with a grin.

"Ha... Ha, did I ever tell you Severus that you are so not funny?" She showed him her tongue, before grabbing some wooden logs.

Suddenly a soft knock could be heard. Elizabeth gave Severus a surprised look: "Expecting anyone?"

"No, but I can guess who it is... Enter Lupin!" A wide-eyed Remus opened the door, giving them both a curious look. "How did you know it was me?"

"Because no one else has such an annoying knock!" Severus bit back, glaring at him. "What do you want?"

"I wondered whether you'd remembered that the full moon is in five days?"

"I did!"

"Ah..."

Elizabeth eyed the exchange with growing interest. "We're actually making it as we speak. That is to say Severus is doing his Potion Master thing and I'm attending to the fire." She smiled at him. "I don't think we've formerly introduced yet." She extended her hand: "I'm Elizabeth van de Ende, the new Muggles professor. You must be Remus Lupin? I've heard quite a bit about you." He gave her a small smile and shook her hand, not quite sure what to say.

"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth." He finally said, apparently deciding that staring at the pair of them wouldn't make him understand the situation any better. Why was this woman hanging out in Severus' workroom? Were they involved? And more importantly how had she been able to get so close to him that she could sprawl over the man's armchair? "Right, I'd better get going then. Just send the first batch whenever you're ready Severus. And as always, thank you for brewing it for me." With that said, he left the room quickly.

Elizabeth giggled: "Really Severus, what ever did you do to the guy to make him so on edge?" Severus snorted. "Trust me, he and his little cohorts have done more to my emotional state-of-mind, than I ever did to his."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the fire. "Riiight!"

The next evening Remus was deeply engrossed in one of his favourite books when a rapid knocking shook him back to the here and now. He combed a hand through his hair and straightened his shirt, before opening the door.

"Ah Severus, thank you so much." He gave the man in front of him a radiant smile. "Please do come in!" He ushered him inside before he could change his mind. "Tea?" He asked, pouring him a cup before he had time to object. "Do sit down Severus."

Snape, not being his usual waspish self, followed his lead semi-amused and intrigued.

"Lupin, apparently unlike yourself I have work to do this evening." He remarked, taking in Remus' dishelved and barefooted appearance.

A blush rose to his cheeks as his hands unconsciously straightened his T-Shirt once more. "Yes well... Uhm just milk right?"

"Yes!"

He handed Severus his mug and sat down across of him. "So what have you been up to as of late?" Remus asked after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"You mean after the war?"

The Werewolf nodded.

"Nothing I'd like to share with you." came the cold reply.

Remus' eyes widened: "Fair enough."

The silence returned. "I want to leave the past behind me, but I believe I can only do that once I've made peace with some unresolved cases. You are such a case, Severus. And only with your help can I finally finish this chapter of my life." His eyes sought his unreadable black ones. "All I ask of you is that you hear me out. If you still decide to hate me afterwards that's fine by me. It'll simple mean that the chapter ends badly."

"Why in Merlin's name would I help you find closure?" Severus asked with a sneer.

Remus looked at him in shock, before letting out a frustrated growl. His eyes became glassy and radiated defeat. "Fine just get out then!"

"Fine! You're only using me to resolve your petty feelings of guild, you self-centered coward!" Severus rose, his tea still untouched and left.

Outside of the room he stopped briefly to clear his head. The look that Remus had given him had touched him deeper than he would ever expected to be possible. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with him? He was becoming too emotional. He bristled and started walking towards his blissfully solitary dungeon.

Remus howled in frustration. Stupid, infuriating, annoying man! Severus was truly unbelievable. He would have laughed, if he hadn't felt so damn frustrated. He was bloody incorrigable almost to the point that Remus was amazed by it. He, self-centered? Remus huffed. Severus must have been thinking of his own horrible qualities!

After this conversation, or more like terrible argument, a series of curious events started. Beginning the following morning...

The following morning Severus entered his classroom to ready it for the assignments planned for the day. His plans were momentarily diverted though when his eyes fell on a beautiful single red rose that lay on his workdesk. "What the hell!" he muttered, approaching the delicate flower with a frown. Was this Lupin's work?

If so it was a pitiful attempt at reconciliation. What could have possible possessed the man to give him a rose? He wondered.

"Wait!" It must be Elizabeth with her overly feminin ways. She must have read somewhere in one of her annoying magazines that red roses did something, or whatever.

He picked up the flower and looked around the room hoping it would provide him with some idea of what to do next. He didn't possess a vase. He had never had use for such a thing as no one had ever given him a flower before. In the end he settled for a long rectangular potion bottle and deciding it would be fun to see the curious looks of his students, placed the improvisational vase well in sight on his workdesk. He decided not to mention it to Elizabeth. Best left to let her wonder, he figured. He wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that he had been irked by her present.

Just as he had expected the rose raised various questions amongst his students. Almost all first stared at it, surprised, before whispering excitingly with their neighbours. Others though had totally different reactions like one Slytherin girl, who simple started to draw the rose in her notebook or a sixth year Hufflepuff (or was it a Ravenclaw?) who started blushing furiously and couldn't tear her eyes of the rose for the remaining of the lesson. She must have had a vivid imagination, he mused.

As the rose withered away, so did the gossip about it. Neither Elizabeth nor Remus had mentioned it. The last ignoring him altogether. As he stared at the silken item in his wardrobe he hit himself for thinking that this would be the end of it.

"Mifty!" He yelled. A loud crack could be heard as a House Elf appeared in his room.

"Master Snape called?" The Elf asked, her big eyes blinking up at him in question.

"Yes I bloody called! What in Merlin's name are these things doing in my wardrobe?" He fumed, pointing at a set of silk black boxers.

"Mifty found them in Masters laundry. Mifty thought it being new under garments of Professor Snape."

"Well Mifty thought wrong!" He growled. "They are not mine. You got the laundry mixed up" (that must be it!)

Mifty never mix up laundry, sir. Mifty is a good House Elf. If Professor Snape wants Mifty can have a Bludger chase her for an hour." Her big eyes turned watery as he scolded her.

"Don't be ridiculous!" He bristled, his anger slowly dissipating. The Elf probably had to wash thousands of clothing items each days, making a mix up unavoidable.

"Simple take them out of my closet and leave." And with that the matter seemed to be resolved. The black boxers didn't return to his wardrobe and the rose died and was tossed in the bin.