The four Marauders were in the library. Remus was working on a Potions essay that he knew Sirius or James would ask to 'read' sooner the deadline. As it was, they were playing catch with Remus's bottle of ink, firmly corked. Lucky for them, Madam Pince was in another wing, doing something obscure with her beloved antique categorising system. Peter was hovering round James, trying to become included in the game and failing dismally.
The eternal triangle, Remus thought to himself as he wrote about the uses of Primula vulgaris in mood-altering potions. But his attention was soon grabbed as James hissed, 'Look Sir! Snivellus!'
Sirius merely raised one eyebrow, but Remus's relief was quickly shattered.
'What'll we do to him, Jamie?'
James looked down at the ink bottle in his hand, and then in the direction that Severus had walked. He smiled a wicked grin. Sirius shook his head in a manner clearly meant to be throwaway and bored, but Remus wasn't deceived. He knew Sirius, knew how he felt about tormenting Snape, and he was grateful for his friend's thoughtfulness. But Peter had no such insight, and no such qualms. He returned James' grin, and together they set off after Severus.
Sirius sat down next to Remus.
'Can't you stop them?' Remus asked.
'Sorry Remy-boy, you know there's no stopping Jay when he's on the prowl after Snape.'
Remus ran a hand through his hair and laid his quill down roughly, spattering black ink like sooty raindrops. He could hear raised voices, then a cry of protest; Snape's voice.
Merlin knew he's been in this position before… his mind drifted, and suddenly he remembered the class earlier. Lupus… protecting Severus… he hadn't just been imagining he was the wolf, though, he was the wolf. And yet he would sit and do nothing. Again.
No – not this time. This time he would protect Severus from his carelessly cruel friends. He stood up purposefully.
Sirius stared at him but said nothing. He had a moment of sudden, shocking clarity – well before Remus himself.
Remus walked over to where he had heard the voices emanating from. Severus stood, wand out and pointing straight at James, who held the bottle of ink, uncapped now. There were flecks of ink on Severus's face, and James' fingers were deep black as though they had been dipped into the bottle. Peter, meanwhile, had his wand pointing at Severus. Both he and James wore mocking grins, whilst on Severus's face there was a look of desperation, corneredness, and he was glancing round as though looking for a non-existent escape route.
So it happened that his eyes met Remus's first. James and Peter followed his gaze.
'Hey Moony – come to join in?' Peter asked.
'No, actually,' Remus said, and though he was terrified, he was surprised at how steady his voice was. 'I've come to tell you stop, and to leave Severus alone.'
'Re?' James said, shocked. 'So it's 'Severus' now, is it?'
'Yes. It's his name, and he's my friend. So please stop all this.'
Peter's demeanour was defiant, but James slowly put down the bottle and, at a glance from him, Peter lowered his wand.
'We don't mess with Marauders' friends,' James said slowly, 'but Snivellus? I just don't know you any more, Re.'
And with that, he and Peter walked off.
'I'm sorry,' Remus said, and Snape looked surprised.
'Why are you apologising?'
'All those times when I've sat back and done nothing… I've despised myself,' and Remus was unnerved to find his voice tremble now. 'And I'm sorry that my friends seem to have to give you a hard time. But it's not going to happen any more.'
'I suppose you want my thanks.'
'I don't deserve them. I should have done this a long time ago.'
'I should be able to defend myself. It's not your responsibility. And I can, you know. Defend myself, I mean. I give as good as I receive.'
'I know… but Severus.'
'Yes?'
'You said I wouldn't tell you what I was imagining when I conjured up Lupus.'
'It's a private matter.'
'But it concerns you. You know I am – a wolf – and I've been ashamed that I didn't act more like the wolf, for the first time in my life. You see, to conjure Lupus, I imaging I was protecting you – from James and Peter - and Sirius.'
Snape was rendered speechless by this frank confession.
'So now you know. Though I am a werewolf, I'm not all bad.'
'I never thought you were,' Snape said softly.
Remus blushed crimson to his roots.
'S-see you in Potions,' he blurted, and turned tail and fled.
When he returned to his table, his books were still there but the three others were gone. With a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, totally unrelated to the quickened beating of his heart, Remus packed up his essay and quills, returned the books to their shelves and then departed, to find them.
