"Oh Merlin that is just awful" Lupin told him for the twentieth time, grimacing as he swallowed the last mouthful of potion and handed the goblet back.
"So you've said" The Potions Master sneered.
"Are you sure there is nothing you can do about the taste?" the wolf asked him, more out of habit that actual hope.
Snape just turned and walked away not even bothering to respond.
Tired of listening to the monthly complaints Snape decided to at least consider some options for improving the potions taste and was preparing a few ideas for it when the twins arrived for Secret Potions Club as it had been dubbed.
"What are you working on Sir?" The boys had no hesitation moving behind the desk to look over the other man's shoulder at his notes and Snape was surprised to find he wasn't too bothered by their relaxed attitude to him, it was actually refreshing to have students who seemed pleased to be there.
The notes themselves were nothing more than a list of ingredients and preparation breakdowns anyway.
"Oh" George exclaimed pulling one page closer to read off of it "Wolfsbane"
Snape's eyes widened in surprise that the boy had apparently identified the potion from the information on the parchment and fought the urge to cover the paper knowing that he was meant to be protecting his colleague's secret. He was about to come up with some excuse for why he was looking into wolfsbane when the other brother startled him even further.
"Is that for Professor Lupin then?"
The question was delivered casually as the boy fiddled with an ornate quill he had just picked up from beside Snape's inkwell.
Snape himself froze. "How did you?" He backtracked "I mean ….no…I"
"it's alright Professor, we've known for a while" Fred reassured him with a smile.
"Yeah, we overheard him talking to Dumbledore at the start of the year" George agreed. "There may have been some extendable ears involved" he admitted with a grin.
"So what is it you're up to?" Fred queried.
Luna arrived just as the Potions Master had come to terms with the fact that several of his students were aware of Lupin's Lycanthropy and apparently unfazed by it. Lupin had informed him some time ago that the girl herself was aware so he decided to take advantage of the situation.
"Please take a seat Miss Lovegood" He gestured for the boys to do the same and they all pulled their chairs up to the front of his desk "Since everyone present is aware of Professor Lupin's affliction, you may as well all help me with a brainstorming session"
He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation "Due to a number of incessant and ungrateful complaints I am attempting to find a way to make the wolfsbane potion more palatable"
Luna smiled at him, ignoring the numerous points of sarcasm in that statement. "Oh that's very kind of you Professor"
Snape rolled his eyes but turned away so she wouldn't see it "It's more to shut him up than out of kindness I assure you"
The girl continued to smile anyway and Snape let the matter drop as he stood to write the ingredients and method on the chalkboard for them all to review.
"My first thought was to add dandelion…" He informed them "...but that would reduce the effectiveness and potentially make several of the ingredients turn poisonous" He wrote this on the board then put an X beside it and continued. "Then I thought removing the seederman could help as it is very pungent but there is nothing to replace it with that would work as well and it is needed to stabilise the colerot"
The children watched in silence as he talked through ideas, more thinking out loud to himself than brainstorming, this was an advanced potion after all and a little beyond their level.
From his seat George tiled his head to the side in consideration eyes trained on the list of ingredients.
"Why don't you just give him a tongue numbing potion beforehand so he can't taste anything, then substitute the marrow in the wolfsbane with mill-root to offset the curdling effect of the Harrow weed in the numbing potion and add some messatal powder to reduce the acidity the mill-root would cause?"
The other three all turned towards him in surprise. Even Fred was staring at his twin as if he had never seen the other boy before.
"What?" George asked defensively.
"Brother of mine" Fred told him solemnly "I have no idea what you just said."
"I do." Snape cut in rushing to write it down "That….that would work. Why did I not think of that?"
Fred blinked at his brother dazed.
"How did you know that?"
George shrugged "We found that book on the base properties of potion ingredients and their interactions when we were cleaning out the potions stores in detention once remember?"
"I remember a lot of numbers and words that didn't make sense." Fred told him, shaking his head in amazement.
"I was wondering where that went" Snape muttered, staring at George in surprise. "That's an advance level textbook. You read it?"
"Yeah."
"You understood it?"
"Yeah. It was cool."
"Wow." Fred whistled in admiration, "I'm impressed."
"Well you were always better at charms" George grinned "Apparently potions are my forte."
"I'm impressed too" Snape told him with total sincerity "In fact…" He paused for a moment considering the possibility, "Mr Weasley I would like to review your current understanding and possibly look into enrolling you for the NEWTS exam"
George balked in shock "NEWTS? But I'm only fifth year"
"That's why I want to review your knowledge" Snape told him "you might not be ready but if you can read that book and understand it enough to come up with a suggesting like the one you just did think you might be."
Luna looked delighted.
"You could be taking one of your NEWTS early" She squealed "In Ravenclaw that's one of the biggest honours"
"In Gryffindor it's the opposite" George snorted shaking his head. "Especially in potions. No offence Professor."
Snape sighed lightly trying to hide his disappointment; it was always a shame when talented students refused to embrace their abilities. "So you don't want to take the test?"
George watched the emotions play over the man's face; surprised to see genuine hurt there "What the hell" He declared "I'll give it a go"
Fred clapped him on the shoulder in support "Wicked. Can't wait to see the look on mums face when she finds out"
George laughed "She'll think it's a prank"
"Yep, but this time it will be totally true, George Weasley potions genius"
Snape snorted at the statement but didn't try to refute it; that was a very difficult textbook after all, it seems his students were full of surprises these days.
….
"Drink this." Snape demanded, thrusting the small vial into the werewolf's hands, the familiar goblet of wolfsbane still grasped in his own spindly fingers.
"What is it?" Remus asked nervously.
Snape rolled his eyes at the suspicion in the other mans gaze "It's a vial of very potent poison that will turn you every colour of the rainbow before it kills you." He responded sarcastically. (Oddly enough thanks to Neville he now knew how to make a potion that would do exactly that, it was number 17 in his book)
Remus continued to stare at the vial as if suspecting Snape really had given him poison until the Potions Master finally lost his patience "It's to help with your wolfsbane" he snapped.
Why was he bothering to do this again?
With one last nervous look Lupin apparently decided to trust him and shrugged then downed the potion.
"Ugh wa, un hearht is shat?" Lupin asked, frowning and poking at his own tongue looking confused.
Snape just thrust the goblet of wolfsbane at him and waited for the other man to get the message and drink that too. Lupin downed it quickly, face twisting into the usual grimace on instinct before suddenly dropping in surprise. He paused, smacking his lips together as if actually trying to taste the potent liquid. Brown eyes turned towards Snape, wide with amazement.
"The numbing potion will wear off in a few minutes" Snape told him taking the goblet back and turning to leave. He made it two steps before tensing in horror, wondering for a moment if he was under attack and ready to fight back as a weight hit his back and arms trapped his own in a firm hold. It took a few seconds to realise with dawning horror that he was being hugged.
"Sezruss zank u su nutch" Lupin cooed at him.
"Lupin" Snape said slowly as if talking to a small child.
"Esss seruss?"
"Let go"