Chapter 26 - Second Attempt

A/N: This chapter is slightly heavy, and also probably not going to be a favorite of you Potter-haters. I hope you guys enjoy it somewhat, anyways! Drama at the end!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, but I did brew this chapter's drama myself!

XXX

Severus gulped, shrinking under Lupin's gaze. The gaze wasn't threatening, but it resembled that of a parent's, sitting their child down to have "the talk." Definitely not something that promised good things for either party.

"Snape.." Lupin began, struggling for the right words to say. His honey colored eyes never left Severus' dark ones. "I've said this before, but I'm sorry. For everything."

Severus was taken aback. "Was this the big important thing you almost ripped my arm off for?" he replied, snark becoming his weapon. Emotions were not helpful in this situation, no matter how many were flitting through his mind to his beating heart. No matter how many flickered in the Gryffindor prefect's eyes. They were not helpful.

"I'm sorry," offered Lupin. He rubbed his right arm with his left, awkwardly. Severus wondered if he did that often. He had never cared to pay attention.

"I've heard."

"You know, sarcasm isn't really helpful in this situation..."

"How do you know?" It was totally helpful in this situation.

Lupin sighed. "I don't."

Severus was taken aback for the third time that evening. Remus Lupin, giving into him after begging to him? Was his father suddenly going to love magic too, and give him a pony this Christmas? Not that Severus wanted a pony; in fact, that was one of the last things he would ever consider wanting, but that was beside the point.

"We're all sorry, you know," Lupin continued after a few seconds of silence. "Peter, and Sirius, and James, even if he doesn't like to acknowledge it."

More silence, before Severus finally asked ". . . Why?" His voice cracked at the end, and internally, he screamed.

"Because we realised you're human," Lupin explained. "We were stupid and bored, and James was jealous. Besides, 'you were just a slimy snake, we were helping.' Or at least, that was what we told ourselves. But when you came here and you looked like a person who we might have tried to befriend, and you were completely scared of us, it made us feel awful. It made me feel awful..." Lupin closed his little speech with an obvious regretful tone. It appeared that Lupin wanted to continue, but instead, he swallowed, and looked at Severus with the most sorrowful face. His tone was the most apologetic he had ever heard someone get as he finished. "We've been trying to take it back for a while, but it's really hard. We don't want to think of ourselves as bad people, you know? Besides, we're all cowards. James doesn't want to admit he was jealous of your relationship with Lily, and Sirius was always afraid of any apology of any sort - he just sort of hardens up and pretends it's fine. So, I'm apologizing. For all of us. I know it doesn't make anything we did any better, but we're all really, really sorry and-"

"Just stop," Severus interrupted. His mind was racing so fast it was making his head spin. He didn't want to listen to Lupin's unending drivel any longer. He felt anger well up inside him, but it wasn't white hot as he expected. It mixed with his pain and his sadness, creating sort of a dull ache inside him that made him want to curl up in a dark corner and cry until he fell asleep. However, that was a bad idea. Besides, he couldn't cry even if it would make his situation better. He searched, but there were no tears to shed. Just the ache.

Severus instead settled for staring into space at the tea set, his chin resting on his less-sallow-but-still-pale fingers, his elbows resting on the table he was sitting at. Wait a second, a table? When had he sat down at a table? Why was Lupin still standing, fidgeting behind a chair? He looked like he was going to faint.

"Lupin..?" Severus began to ask, but all questions were stopped when the boy being questioned closed his eyes and collapsed in a heap on the cold stone floor.

XXX

A/N: Please remember to review your thoughts and feelings on this chapter! Why did Lupin faint? What will Severus do? I'd love to see how close your theories are! Also, I still have announcements up on my bio if you haven't checked them out yet.