Disclaimer: All characters and potions and places belong to JKR.
A/N: This IS MPREG! That means male pregnancy. Turn back if that makes you queezy.
Remus Lupin hated taking the train. The air was stuffy and smelled bad, the seats were uncomfortable, there were too many people, and the ride was harsh on a person's back. He discreetly folded an arm around his belly, bracing himself as the train lurched backwards. Bile rose in the back of his throat, and he struggled to keep from being sick in the middle of the train car, thanking the gods that his stop was the next.
It was a trip that had been put off far too long, but probably could have waited for another time. He smiled softly when he remembered Severus' words of protests, saying that they lived too far apart for it to be of any convenience for the two of them.
"Come now, Severus. I'll meet you in Hogsmeade." Naturally, that meant that Remus would be doing most of the traveling, but he felt he owed it to his former enemy. Severus Snape had developed the wolfsbane potion so that it completely eliminated the transformation of the werewolf completely, a fact that Remus was eternally grateful for, now more than ever.
Remus was surprised when he saw Severus Snape standing on the platform when the train had stopped. Remus immediately smiled at the man, who showed no sign of emotion in return.
"You could have flooed," was all Severus said in way of greeting.
"No. Too dangerous for the little one," Remus replied. For the first time in his life, he was grateful for his oversized robes that hid his bulging stomach. Severus raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Reaching into his robes, he produced a vial and handed it to Remus. Remus, recognizing it as a treatment for nausea, swallowed it immediately. He muttered his thanks and returned the vial. Severus turned and swept off the platform, Remus following close behind.
"I owe you everything," Remus said once they had been seated. "I hardly feel that one meal shall ever express my gratitude."
"Some answers might help lessen you debt," Severus replied, folding his hands on the table.
"Ah, you too," Remus said, smiling. "Very well, ask what you want and I shall answer to the best of my knowledge."
"Why?" Remus blinked, as if waiting for Severus to elaborate.
"Yes, the question on everyone's mind. 'Why'," Remus said, taking a sip of his water. He stared at a spot on the table as he tried to find the right words.
"If it bothers you-" Severus said, sounding uncharacteristically caring.
"Severus Snape, caring if something bothers me? That's a first," Remus chuckled.
"Har har," Snape said, sneering.
Remus was silent for a few more moments and Severus soon believed that Remus would not answer the question. "She was dying," he said finally. Severus stared, but said nothing when he realized that Remus did not know he had spoken out loud and was lost in his reminisce.
"I didn't even know her. She was just… lying there, in the middle of the battlefield. There was so much blood, and no one around who could help her. She had enough breath in her to tell me she was with child, and to beg me to do something.
"I knew the spell. Stumbled upon it once while I was doing research for an essay in my sixth year. Don't know why I remembered it... There were no women around, hell, there was no one else around who could do it. I- I had to."
"Had to?" Severus questioned.
"Had to. I didn't have a choice-"
"You had a choice. You could've walked away," Severus pointed out.
"No, I couldn't have! I-" Remus took a breath, forcing himself to calm down. "You don't understand. Nor am I asking you to. I told you what you asked for, not what you wanted to hear and I'm sorry." A heavy silence fell over them, and Remus wondered if Severus would get up and leave.
"I'm sorry to have upset you," Severus said softly, staring at the far wall. When Remus didn't reply, he looked at him and was disturbed at the look of amusement that met his eyes. "Yes?" he questioned.
"You. Apologizing. To me," Remus said in disbelief, obviously fighting the urge to laugh.
"Be quiet, wolf."
The rest of the meal was spent in silence. But it was a comfortable silence, one that is spent when one is simply enjoying the other's company without having conversation.
"We'll have to do this again sometime," Remus said jokingly as Severus escorted him back to the platform.
"Yes, we will," Severus agreed seriously.
"Later. I don't think I can survive another train ride, let alone the ride back," Remus said, patting his stomach. Severus pressed another vial into Remus' hand and he tucked it into his robes.
"Then I shall floo in." Remus was too surprised and touched to say anything in response to that. Catching Severus by surprise, he hugged the potions master before boarding the train.