"So, what are you like, then?" Severus asked, trying to forget about his own problems.
"A lot more like you than I'd care to admit," Remus answered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Severus sniggered, before falling back into his pain filled state.
"You just need to talk to her, she'll forgive you," Remus suggested, assuming why Severus was so upset.
Severus wiped his eyes, avoiding Remus' gaze as he voiced the thing he had feared the most, "She thinks I meant it, but I'd never meant it. I lo...I never want to hurt her, Remus, ever. And now she's left me, for good."
Slumping his shoulders, Severus stared off into the distance, his eyes brimming with tears once again.
Both of them seem to have overlooked the fact that Severus had, in fact, addressed Remus by his forename.
Remus paused, contemplating his response, "I don't think that's true."
Severus frowned, looking slightly disgusted, "You don't know her like I do...like I did."
Remus nodded, "You're right...I don't. But I do know that you mean the world to her."
Severus shook his head, refusing to accept it.
With a small sigh, Remus looked ahead as he spoke, "You'll get through this."
Severus looked sick, replying carefully, "I've told you. You don't know her. I went too far this time. Much too far."
Remus shook his head, "You don't know tha-"
"Yes I do!" Severus shouted, banging a fist against the wall, "Leave me alone, Lupin," he muttered, reverting back to the usual greeting name.
"Not when you're like this," he said warily.
"I don't need you," Severus said ironically at the same time that Remus said, "You need me."
Remus nodded for Severus to talk first.
Severus shrugged, "I have nothing more to say. Go away, go and bully some other poor soul with those friends of yours."
Remus sighed, "I don't do that kind of thing. You know that."
Severus scoffed, "Of course you don't."
Remus raised an eyebrow sceptically, "Would you?" He asked.
Severus shook his head.
"There you go then," Remus replied, hiding a smug look, "Didn't I say I was a lot like you?"
Severus didn't dignify him with a response, knowing quite well that there was no need for him to.
"So what do you actually want to help me for, then?" Severus asked in a small, almost afraid voice.
Remus sat in silence, thinking carefully about how to respond.
"I didn't know you were here, at first, I thought the library would be empty at this time-"
"Me too," Severus interrupted bitterly.
"Yeah, well... I heard you, and I came to see who it was. Then I saw it was you, so I didn't hesitate." Remus concluded, thinking over his words again to see if it made sense, and to see if he had left anything out.
"Why?" Severus asked.
"Why?" Remus repeated, confused.
"Why didn't you hesitate?" Severus asked.
"Oh." Remus said, "Well, I had a feeling that there were only three possible people that could be making you feel this way."
"Oh yeah?" Severus asked, looking mildly amused at how much his fellow fifth year claimed to know about him.
"Yeah; Lily, us or your fath-" Remus stopped, realising a little too late that he wasn't supposed to know about Severus' home goings on.
Severus' amused look faded, "She told you." It wasn't a question, it was merely a statement, and so Remus pondered before replying.
The silence grew thicker, protesting at the lack of noise.
"She was worried about you," Remus said, making a mental note to speak to Lily before Severus saw her again.
"There's no need," Severus said, as though he had heard Remus' thoughts.
"Huh?" Remus asked.
"You don't have to warn her. She won't want to see me. Doubt she'll even care..." Severus trailed off. He seemed to be talking more to himself rather than to Remus.
"We've been through this," Remus reminded him, sounding a little weary.
"Yeah," Severus agreed, "And you aren't listening to me."
Remus rolled his eyes, though not in amusement.
"I think you'd find that you aren't listening to me, actually," Remus said.
Severus raised his eyebrows, and Remus instantly knew why. He had sounded like a child.
Severus sighed, "I've got to go," he said, eyeing the clock.
Remus nodded, "Come and find me, if..." he trailed off, allowing Severus to fill in the blanks for himself.
"I'll think about it," Severus said rising. Once he had wiped his eyes and his nose upon his sleeve once more, Severus bent down and picked up his books.
"I..." Severus began.
Remus shook his head, understanding, "There's no need," he said.
Severus gave a small nod, and walked away. As he did so, however, a small smile played across his lips. He considered telling someone about he and Remus' little chat, knowing full well it would get the boy in trouble with his friends.
As he glanced back briefly though, and saw that Remus had a small smile of his own, mirroring Severus', Severus changed his mind. After all, the Gryffindor hadn't been that bad to him.
For once.