New chappie! Sorry for taking so long to update. I hope you'll like it!
Thanks to my darling reviewers: HeartAngel, Kitearakat, mrscakeakajane and yellowflutterfly.
HP and all its characters belong to JK Rowling.
A summer to remember
Remus shifted on his seat, uncomfortably. Few situations in life are as awkward, difficult and rather shameful as meeting your in-laws for the first time and of course, this wouldn't be the exception. The lycanthrope continued observing the cup of tea between his hands, half listening to Lily's and Eileen Snape's cheerful chatter.
The plan was to pay a quick visit to his boyfriend, since the summer had become unbearably long. Because, despite the short time that they could actually spend together at Hogwarts, it was a million times better to have him so close and yet so far, that having him no close at all.
But of course, Lily had to have other plans. As promised, the redhead walked him to the old Snape House, which wasn't very big, but rather gloomy. The girl had rung the bell and I keep on chatting, while waiting for someone to open the door.
Creaking, the door had opened, revealing a very tall and skinny woman standing at the door's threshold. Long silky jet black hair fell like a curtain shadowing the face. Peeking through the dark bangs, staring at them curiously, a pair of large dark brown eyes could be seen. Although she looked quite severe, her face suddenly lit with a huge smile, after recognizing the girl standing at the door.
It was quite obvious that Eileen knew Lily and she was quite keen of her, judging by the warm welcome. She let them in, after informing them that Severus had gone out to run some errands, but that he would be back soon. Then, the older woman offered them tea and asked them to wait at the living room.
Which is exactly were we started. Remus shifted on his seat once again, incapable of saying a single coherent word and side-glancing at his mother-in-law. Truth to be told, she and Severus looked a lot alike, which led the brunette into thinking that if his boyfriend was to smile a little bit more, he would come out as charming as Eileen. 'Cause, although he wouldn't dare to call her 'beautiful', she truly seemed funny and quite vivacious.
"So, Remus, by any chance, your mother's name is Lucille?"
The boy nodded his head, unable to produce any sound. The woman smiled you "We were at school together, then. A very pleasant and cheerful girl, wasn't she? A bit like Lily, I would dare to say…"
His friend laughed "That would explain why we got along so quickly" she exclaimed, with a huge smile. Then, she returned her attention to their host "However, you and Mrs. Lupin couldn't have been friends, right?"
"What makes you think so?" wondered Eileen, taking another sip of her tea, smiling slightly.
"Well... umm... you know, the Slytherins and the other houses..."
"Oh, but Lucy was in Slytherin!" exclaimed Eileen cheerfully, smirking a bit at Lily's surprised look. Remus didn't break a sweat; he was quite familiar with that story "Sure, she married a Gryffindor, giving her father a heart-attack, but…"
"Funny, how history tends to repeat itself!" giggled Lily, chipperly. Then, after realizing what she had said, she blushed. Most likely, Severus hadn't told his mother that… -
Eileen seemed grasp the hidden meaning in the young female's words and stared at Remus, who was currently murderously glaring at his friend. Just great; the only thing that would have made the situation more embarrassing was that Eileen found out she was talking to her son-in-law…
"Oh. Wait a second. God, how could I not notice it sooner!" the woman shouted, surprised "You're my little one's boyfriend!"
The teenagers had to prevent themselves from laughing. It sounded so strange that someone called Severus 'my little one'. The dark haired teen would certainly not appreciate it in the slightest... Seconds later, Remus realized what Eileen had just said. But that meant...
"Has Severus told you about me?" he immediately flush, his chest swelling with pride. Severus had told his mother about him! That meant he wasn't embarrassed of their relationship and that it truly meant something important to him! Merlin, weren't those wonderful news?!
Eileen smiled mysteriously and the brunette felt his cheeks burning from embarrassment. There was something incredibly intriguing and attractive in that smile "Of course; he didn't mention you were in an actual relationship though. He just told me what happened during Christmas"
Remus blushed some more (as if that was even possible) while Lily had to suppress a giggle. Oh, this was so awkward…
"I... umm... eh..."
"Well, I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend for my son" announced Mrs. Snape, smiling sweetly "And if I was to be completely honest, I'm glad he has chosen you, Remus. After all, I meet your parents and I have no doubt you were well risen. I firmly believe you'll make my Severus very happy"
"I... ah... I'll try" he shuttered, his embarrassment fading gradually "thank you your trust, Mrs. Snape"
"Oh, I think they'll make each other happy" proclaimed Lily "They are perfect for each other"
Remus couldn't help to agree completely.
"Lupin?! What are you doing here?!"
Severus had just returned home feeling tired and hungry. He had been running some errands at the city centre all morning and was beyond tired, wishing he could just grab something to it and go to sleep. Which, apparently, was too much to ask.
"Severus, be friendly! Your boyfriend made a long journey to come and visit you, and this is how you thank him?"
"My... bo- what? MOM!"
Eileen laughed and Remus decided that if Severus laugh was half as beautiful as his mother's, he couldn't wait to hear him. That sole evening spent at her mother-in-law's home, had left more than eager to spend the rest of his days with his beloved one...
"No use in denying it, Sev" said Lily, coming out of the kitchen, carrying some dishes "Remy and I have already told her everything that has happened since New Year Eve until today"
"I would appreciate if you stopped messing with my affairs, Evans. Between you, Narcissa and the werewolf I'm gonna lose my mind"
Eileen looked at her son harshly while Remus looked downwards. Sometimes, he couldn't help doubting that Severus cared for him. Sometimes his comments were so hurtful…
"Lily, would you come with me to the supermarket? I'm all out of milk" Eileen asked, glaring severely at her child. The redhead nodded and hurried after the older woman, leaving the couple alone in the house.
"What are you doing here, Lupin?"
"I wanted to see you" confessed the other sincerely, listening to the front door being closed "these last weeks without you have been..."
"Shouldn't you be with your little friends? Certainly, now that all are reunited at Potter's house..."
"How...?"
"You're forgetting Narcissa is also Black. I was told that her darling cousin decided to run away from home and go to live with the Potters"
Silence. Long, dense and uncomfortable. Gods, the Slytherin could get so dense and annoying at times… "I didn't want to be with them, Severus. I wanted to be with you"
"Seriously? Because that's not what it seems to me. I believe you'll choose them any day over me"
"You know I had nothing to do with…!" -
"I'm not interested in your pitiful excuse. I have no idea why you came, I would have thought you would use the summer to end this pathetic farce of a relationship" Severus looked down briefly, sighing "It would have been easier"
"Severus..."
"Honestly Lupin..."
"I love you"
Confession had come out of nowhere. Remus hadn't had any intention to make the visit a declaration of his love; had not planned even to apologize, because he didn't even know the other was angry. Also, he had always thought that when he told Severus he loved him, it would be at night, in some romantic scenario with a huge bouquet of flowers and romantic music in background. Not in the gloomy house and the sound of the wind hitting the windows as the only sound to listen to.
"Lupin..."
"Remus. Please Severus, I implore you. Call me by my first name" he took a step towards him and held his hands "And please forgive me. I promise I won't let my friends do anything to you ever again. I swear I'll tell them about us. I give you my word that
"No. Don't do that" he bit down his lip, nervously. Damn it, why did Remus always put him in difficult moral-conflicts? How was he supposed to deal with that? And even worse, why was he supposed to?!
It was difficult. Impossible, almost. Severus wasn't used to show his emotions but the brunette always brought them afloat. In his mind, flashbacks of their days together at school passed: his birthday, Valentine 's Day, Remus' birthday. The monthversaries. The simple days where they just enjoyed the bliss of being together. So many things, so many memories, so many emotions.
Slowly, he placed his lips over the other's, taking the initiative for the very fist time. In all honesty, he didn't even know what did he want. Sometimes he wished Remus would tell the other Marauders the truth; sometimes he wished that no one (not even Lily and Cissa) would know of their relationship. It was so complicated...
He felt Remus' tongue tracing his lower lop tentatively, undoubtedly wondering if he should press his luck. Severus' lips parted lightly, mostly on their own accord.
After all, emotions are difficult. But the desires of the flesh, are much simpler.
Eileen cleared her throat, succeeding in breaking apart the young couple kissing over her couch, like there was no tomorrow. Behind her, Lily started laughing like she had lost her mind, quite pleased of how things had worked themselves out. Remus kept telling her that there was no need for him to talk to Severus about what had happened shortly before the vacations (when the Marauders had played a rather nasty prank on the Slytherin) because the dark haired teen hadn't complained to him and all but Lily knew better and had pressed Remus into apologizing, before the relationship went downhill.
"Sorry for interrupting. But some of us can't have someone else's face for supper, so we'll rather have a good stew"
Severus rolled his eyes "Subtle as ever, mother"
The woman winked "Just go to the dinning room, would you?" she started walking towards the kitchen, smiling "By the way, Remus, Lily tells me you're staying at her place…"
"Yes, well, she said..."
"You can stay here, if you want. I believe Severus' bed will be wide enough for the two of you, huh?"
By all response, the boys blushed while Lily roared with laughter.
"So, I've been forgiven?"
It was nearly midnight and the boys were lying on Severus bed, certainly NOT cuddling and barely moving at all; nonetheless, enjoying the other's company. The moonlight passed through the half closed curtains, lighting the room a bit, giving it a romantic (and yet soap-opera-ish) look.
"I'm not angry with you, Remus" Severus whispered, moving slightly closer to him "I don't like your choice of friends, but I am not angry with you" he sighed "Also, I suppose you don't like my friends either, so I can hardly ask you too…"
Silence. Unsurprisingly, silences are ongoing in their relationship... "Full moon is approaching" pondered Severus aloud "May I ask what are you planning to do?"
"I guess I'll be going home" the brunette murmured back "we have basement, you see, so I…"
"There's still a week left. Are you staying here?"
The other nodded his head "Unless, of course, you want me to leave..."
Severus shook his head. "No. To be you honest, I also missed you"
Remus smiled and kissed the other's cheek "You know; I was thinking that… well, since I've already met your family, I wondered if... umm... you wanted... eh… to meet mine"
"The fact you met my mother is more coincidental than anything" the dark haired boy protested "It wasn't your intention when you came here, was it?"
"Well, no, but…"
"And if I was to meet you parents, it would make our relationship somewhat more… official, right?"
"I guess..."
"So, no, I don't think it's a good idea that I meet your parents" he offered him a quick and rather sarcastic smile "Unless you want to formalize our relationship"
Remus laughed "You know that's exactly what I want, Sev"
The Slytherin hesitated and then gave him a short kiss "Well, if that's the case… I guess I'll go with you"
Smiling, the lycanthrope placed his head over his companion's chest and closed his eyes "Thanks you" he whispered, suppressing a yawn "Sleep well, Sev"
"You too, Remus"
Severus recognized the aristocratic factions immediately. Pure blood families were very few and since his own mother had mentioned Remus' mom had been in Slytherin, he thought it was safe to assume that Mrs. Lupin's face would be familiar to him. However, he hadn't expected her to be a Malfoy.
Remus and Lucille Lupin looked almost nothing alike at all (except for the lips, Severus later realized) but he could see a lot of alikeness between the female and his friend Lucius. The same long silvery-blond hair hung freely around the admittedly beautiful features and both had the same cold gray eyes. The nose, the lips, the delicate and high cheekbones; everything in Lucille shouted 'Malfoy'. Funny, the boy thought, that neither Lucius nor Remus ever had mentioned that they were related.
However, her character and behavior was nothing like the proud Malfoys Severus had the (dis)pleasure of knowing. Lucille smiled a bit much more than what was healthy and she was incredibly friendly and caring; never acting or saying something that could be taken as elitist or derogatory. As the matter of fact, she treated Severus as if he was a long-time friend.
"You will have to apologize me, dear" Lucille said, while she served him a glass of lemonade "but I wasn't expecting Remus just yet and the house is such a mess…" she laughed and Severus was pleased to hear the sound of her laugher was very similar to Remus'.
"No need to worry, Mrs. Lupin" he said, shrugging "it seems to me that you have a lovely house"
The blonde smiled and tilted her head lightly, thinking of something "Tell me, Severus dear, are you a muggle-born? 'Cozz I don't seem to remember…"
"Mom" Remus protested, wincing. He always hated when his mother's old habits of judging people by their blood-status came out…
"Oh, no, no! I didn't mean that!" the woman argued, smiling gently "I just thought that maybe..."
"My father was a muggle" explained Severus, not really caring "My mother is a pure-blood witch. Eileen Prince was her maiden name.
"Eileen?" repeated the oldest, smiling widely "Of course, Ellie Prince! How could I forget her?! We were such good friends back at Hogwarts… I haven't heard from her in years, though… "
Severus said nothing, but looked down. He refused to talk about his complicated family life; Lily was the only one who knew about it and that had been mostly a coincidence, because she had been unfortunate enough to witness one of his parents 'discussions'
"So, Severus are you staying the rest of the summer with us?"
"Just a couple of days, I think" the boy whispered "I don't want to cause any trouble…"
"Oh, there's no problem!" Lucille exclaimed "It's only a week, after all. Unless of course… well, with the Full moon and all that…"
"Mom!" Remus cried out and the female covered her mouth, startled and embarrassed.
"Oh dear, I thought… oh God… I…"
"Severus knows" the brunette whispered "it's just that…"
The blonde shook her head and stood up "Honestly Remy, I believe that you're being far too dramatic. But oh well..." she began walking towards the kitchen "I'll be preparing dinner; your father must be coming home any minute…" and she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Your mother seems... umm... Nice"
"Surprised, huh? Ja! Finally something surprises Severus Snape..." the lycanthrope said ironically while the other shook his head stubbornly "however, my mother doesn't come from the same line your friend Lucius does. They would be like second cousins, had she not been cut off"
"Really? What happened, cut her off for marrying a muggle?" wondered the Slytherin, arching an eyebrow.
"My father is a muggle-born, Severus" Remus protested, pouting slightly "technically, I'm not a half-blood. Although I guess that in your lot's eyes…"
"Oh, don't you patronize me, werewolf! You know full well that…"
Here came a whole new argument. Better to stop it before it got nasty "Let's not argue, okay?" he suggested and the other nodded, although he didn't seem pleased. Remus placed his hand over Severus' knee and gave it a gentle squeeze "Anyway… I'm glad you came, Sev"
The other boy shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal "Don't make a big deal out of it. It's just like you said; since you had already met my mother, it was only fair I met yours"
The brunette smiled adoringly and kissed him on the lips, tenderly "I love you, did you know it?"
"I believe that you mentioned it at least a dozen times while we were at my house" the dark haired teen said, smirking "you also realize I'm not gonna say it back, right?"
Another kiss and Severus returned it with the same intensity "This is good enough for me" Remus whispered gently, managing to make the other shiver and offer him a brief sincere smile.
Suddenly, the front door sung open and an from it came an enthusiastic male voice "Honey, I'm home!" seconds later, the kitchen's door opened and Lucille Lupin virtually flung herself at her husband's arms, who spun her around and she gave him a short 'welcome home' kiss. Remus blushed and eyed Severus, mentally apologizing for the embarrassing scene.
"Glad you arrived safely, sweetheart" murmured Lucille, kissing her husband again "Supper is almost ready. Oh, and Remus is home and brought a friend with him"
"Good, fine, great" he answered, not really paying any mind to his wife's words, his whole focus apparently on rearranging her blond bangs that he had managed to ruffle "Had I already told you that you look gorgeous with that dress, Lucy?"
"Oh, John, stop it…!"
"I'm being serious! You look positively… delicious!" and with that being said, he kissed her neck, making her giggle quite girlishly "John, behave! We have a guest!" she exclaimed, still laughing, while Remus blushed some more and Severus arched his eyebrows.
"What gu…?"
"Dad!" cried Remus, finally remembering how to speak.
"Oh, Remy! You're back!" the brunette rolled his eyes, while the man chuckled and walked towards him. He ruffled his hair affectionately, smiling "and who's your friend?"
"Dad, this is Severus Snape. He's… umm…" the brunette's embarrassment returned and he turned redder than ever before, but Severus decided against saying anything. As the matter of the fact, he had no problem with Remus not telling his parents about their relationship just yet.
"Pleased to me you, Severus" said Mr. Lupin, shaking the younger man hand, a very firm handshake, by the way. The boy nodded his head, also realizing where Remus features, expression and general character had come from.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Lupin" he greeted him, deciding behave politely (after all, both his mother and Lily had threatened him about it)
Remus gulped. There was really no right time to make the 'revelation', so he figured now was as good as later. And his parents were already there, standing in front of them so the best he could do was…
"Well, let's head to the dinning room!" suggested Lucille "Dinner is ready, I would say"
"I… wait a second" the brunette shuttered, his cheeks burning "There i-is so-something I-I need to tell y-you…" –
Severus sighed. In his opinion, Gryffindors didn't appreciate enough the subtle art of hiding some details from time to time. There's no need to be absolutely honest the whole time…
"I… umm… that is, me and Severus… eh… we"
Lucille smiled, resting her head over her husband's shoulder "We know, Remy. Do you honestly thought a mother wouldn't know when her baby-boy wants to introduce her to his boyfriend?" she smiled some more "And we're happy with your choice. Actually, we were starting to fear you would choose your dear friend Black. Not that I dislike him, it's just that he can be so… umm…"
"Obnoxious?" Severus supplied helpfully, offering Remus a smirk while said boy glared daggers at him. –
"Close enough" said Lucille "now that's settled, can we have dinner? I wouldn't want for the food to go cold"
"Or the oven to explode as it did the last time your mother forget to turn off the flame..."
"John!"
"It is the truth, dear" the man stated calmly, leading his wife towards the table "come on, let's give these lovebirds a little privacy…"
Once the adults were gone, they waited in perfect silence for a couple of minutes. Finally, Severus broke the silence "It went better than expected, huh?"
"I-I…"
"Oh enough, Lupin! Stop acting like a child" smiling ironically, the dark haired teenager took his hand and kiss him on the cheek "let's get something to eat. I'm starving"
Remus didn't argue and immediately complied. After all, Severus was right. It had gone so much better than he had hoped...
That night, the young couple were in Remus' room, resting on the small bed. Severus caressed the other boy's arm tenderly, making him purr softly "A less than appropriate sound for a wolf, don't you think Remus?"
"Hmph" the other protested with a smile, causing something very close to a giggle to escape from the lips of his beloved.
"Tomorrow is Full Moon you full" whispered Severus "will you be alright?"
"I will be" the brunette argued calmly "and you? I would understand if you want to leave, you know…"
Severus shook his head vehemently "No, I want to be on your side" he kissed him so-very-tenderly, making the other smile some more before pressing his body closer to him. Suddenly, an idea started forming in his mind, making him rise on his elbows.
"Severus?"
"Yes?"
"I was thinking that... umm..." slowly, and very nervously, the werewolf placed a hand over his companion's chest, right under the pajamas' shirt "well… I was wondering if…"
"God knows you weren't blessed with eloquence, Remus" Severus argued, half smiling, half frowning "but I believe that I understand what you mean. Do you really want to… that is... would it be prudent for us to...?
Remus silenced him promptly, pressing his lips over the other's, managing to pin his boyfriend to the bed "I do. Question is, do you?"
Severus bit down his lip, somewhat fearful "You realize that our relationship will be heading for a whole new level, right? And this is very… meaningful. For both of us, I suppose"
"Yes" he nodded his head for emphasis "I want to be with you, Sev" tentatively, he restarted to kiss him, only that instead of aiming for his lips, he turned his attention to his boyfriend's neck "So…?"
The other sighed and nodded his head "But… do you have any idea of how to… umm... you know...?
"I have the general idea" replied the youngest, recalling a rather strange and uncomfortable conversation that he had maintained with Sirius long time ago (not that he wanted to think about it right then, mind you) Due the memory, he blushed "We'll go slowly, okay? Won't try anything that make us feel uncomfortable, ok?" he smiled gently and another thought passed through his head "Eh… and do feel free to stop me whenever you want to"
"You too"
A grin that could only be described as wolfish spread across the werewolf's face "Trust me, Severus. I won't be the one wanting to stop"
That sounded strangely threatening... and very exciting.
As any other 'first time' that took pride on being so, this was odd, embarrassing, full of awkward movements and silences and entirely not too pleasant.
But, as any first time between two people who are truly in love, it was the best experience of their lives.
OK... I'm not sure about this. Sounded much better in my mind, but... oh well, anyway. And sorry for the way in which I skip several months and weeks and so on... However, although originally I had another chapter between this and the previous one, I decided to edit it. And please do forgive me for if this is too corny and characters are too OOC…
Okay, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!
