Chapter 35: Safety Check

Summary: Remus reflects on his relationship with Severus.

Notes: Thank you for reading and reviewing, everyone. I hope you like the new chapter. Let me know what you think.

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Remus followed Severus out of number twelve Grimmauld place. They both apparated to the river and started to walk down the street. As Remus struggled to keep up with the other man's long strides, his mind started to wonder much like the last time he had been here. Spinner's End was one of the most depressing places he had seen and that was saying something. Remus had been wondering around Europe ever since James and Lily's death, never staying in one place for too long, never feeling like he belonged anywhere.

The idea of traveling, seeing all there was to the world might have been exciting when he was at school but the reality had been much grimmer. He had barely been able to keep himself fed and clothed, spending the full moons alone and recovering from them painstakingly slowly. Suffice it to say, he had not been able to afford to live comfortably. In spite of everything he'd been through, he couldn't imagine what Severus' childhood had been like in this neighborhood.

Severus had not been the most cheerful of people at school. Was it because of where he had grown up or due to being forced to suppress his nature, or had it been both?

"Was it like this here when you were growing up?" Remus blurted out before he could stop himself. He regretted it the moment the words were out of his mouth.

"What do you mean?" asked Severus without slowing down his pace.

Remus braced himself. "This neighborhood. It looks a bit …" he trailed off as he saw the other man tense.

"Poor?" offered Severus, clearly annoyed.

"I meant to say dangerous." corrected Remus.

"You can go back if you want."

"I didn't say I wanted to go back. I just can't imagine you growing up in a place like this." said Remus.

Severus stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at him, his black eyes sharp.

"I don't mean to offend you. It's just …"

"Yes?"

"I wouldn't want my child to grow up in a place like this."

"Neither do people who live here." Severus snapped and started walking again.

Remus followed him, cursing himself for opening his big mouth. They walked the rest of the way in tense silence.

As they reached the last house in the row, Remus took a deep breath and cleared his mind before drawing his wand. Severus did the same and opened the door.

The house was pretty much the same as the last time Remus had visited. They searched every room and casted spell after spell, but it seemed like no intruder had been in the house.

Once satisfied with the safety of his home, Severus pocketed his wand and opened the window to let the fresh air in.

"I'm sorry about earlier." said Remus. "I really didn't mean to upset you."

Severus didn't response and started to empty his pockets of shrunken luggage. Remus was about to say something when the man spoke. "Albus told me about Karkaroff, that he exposed you as a werewolf before leaving."

"Ah… that's right." said Remus, thrown off by the change of topic.

"Did it have something to do with me?" asked Severus, his expression unreadable.

"No. no, it didn't. You weren't even conscious, remember?" lied Remus.

Severus' eyes narrowed. "It was because you wouldn't let Karkaroff take me." he stated.

Remus nodded. He didn't hold Severus responsible for what had happened.

"Why? Why did you help me when it cost you so much?"

Remus couldn't help but feel a little hurt at the question. "The same reason you tried to save Harry." he said.

Severus shook his head. "I did it because I'm responsible for my students' safety. You're not responsible for me."

"It was the right thing to do."

"Is that why you helped me? Because it was the right thing to do?"

"Yes! And because we're friends." snapped Remus. He was angry now. He didn't know why the other man's words hurt so much, but they did. "Are we done here?" he asked, itching to get away from that house.

Severus shrugged. "By all means, leave." he said. "Thank you for the help." he added as Remus turned to leave. He didn't look back.

…..

Remus had calmed down by the time he got to Sirius' house. He was planning to scape to his room, but the smell of Molly's cooking was still lingering in the house and he remembered how hungry he was. So instead, he headed for the kitchen. "Sirius." he greeted his friend as he passed him on his way.

"What took you so long? What were you doing there with that git?" asked Sirius in an accusatory tone.

Remus sighed. "We checked his house and then I came back." he answered, knowing it wouldn't be the end of it.

"Why did you even go in the first place?"

"Because … because Severus is my friend and he needed help." he said, opening the door to the kitchen. He headed straight for the pot that was sitting on the stove and picked up a bowl.

"Oh, really?"

Remus filled his bowl and took a spoonful, savoring the taste. "Why else would I go?" he retorted.

Sirius looked smug now. "Because you have the hots for him." he said with a smirk.

Remus almost chocked on his stew. "What?!"

"Admit it! You're always defending him and you go all poppy eyed when you see him."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Come on, Remus. It's me. I've known you since you were eleven." said Sirius, his smirk widening. "I don't blame you. He looks much better now, almost fuckable."

"Who are you talking about?" asked someone from the other side of them room.

Remus turned to see Bill and Charlie sitting at the table. He felt himself blush.

"Snape." said Sirius. "Our boy here has a crush on him but doesn't want to admit it."

"Stop it, Sirius." snapped Remus and sat down next to the two brothers. "It's good to see you again, Charlie." he said and offered the young man a warm smile.

"Likewise." said Charlie, returning his smile, even though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Are you really into Snape?" asked Bill, making his brother frown.

"We're friends, that's all." answered Remus and tried to concentrate on his food.

"So you didn't fuck him while you were there?"

"No, Sirius. I didn't and I wasn't planning to."

"I'm just saying. If he looked like this when we were at school, I would have had a go at him sixth year." said Sirius and turned to the Weasley brothers. "I was in the experimentation phase at the time." he explained.

Remus rolled his eyes as Sirius started telling the story. He refilled his bowl and stepped out of the kitchen, marching to his room. He perched on his bed with his stew and wondered if there was some truth to what Sirius had said.