Chapter Thirty Eight- Friends Who Heal Together…

AN: This chapter is pretty short so I'm updating two at once.

Disclaimer-Most of these characters belong to JK Rowling, I'm just borrowing…

After dinner Remus left for the library and Severus got his massage. After that he was exhausted as usual and fell asleep. If Remus ever returned, Severus did not notice. The next day he woke up alone and continued on with the ritual.

Remus's visits did slow down some. He would eat dinner with Severus two days a week and sleep over only on a Friday or Saturday night. Lily, to his delight, would join him for dinner a couple days a week, and Lucius would join him at least one day per week.

Although Severus was pleased to have the company, he found Lucius to be dull and boring. His aristocratic accent and verbiage were wearing Severus down, as no one, not even the British Royal Family, spoke as proper as Lucius. He talked about Narcissa mostly, and Quidditch some. Severus was still in pain and sick of living in the infirmary despite his disliking of his roommates.

Nearly three full weeks after his return to Hogwarts, he was bored and dining with Lucius on a Thursday night.

"So then she was telling me about her grandparents. Fascinating people they were. Of course the Black Family is a very honored and well known one, despite her sisters and cousin trying to ruin the family's reputation," Lucius said after swallowing a bite of roast beef. Severus yawned. He wished he was anywhere but where he was, and not listening to this boy drool over that girl.

"Our next Quidditch game is this weekend, against Ravenclaw. We are sure to win, and she's going to sit beside me!"

Severus let out a very long and very audible yawn. He did not mean to be offensive but was so bored, he simply did not notice.

"Severus, are you listening to me?"

"Sure, did you fuck her yet?"

"What?" Lucius shouted, dropping his tea cup.

"Fuck, sex…lay. Did you or not?"

Lucius's eyes popped out of his head and his mouth dropped. He stared at Severus for several moments and did not even breathe. He stood, adjusted his robes and faced Severus.

"Mr. Snape, must you be so lewd?"

"Mr. Malfoy, must you be so prude?"

"I am no prude; I however do not speak of such things, especially to children!"

Well he did have a point. It was none of Severus's business, but what was the point of all this wooing if not to fuck the bird?

"Sorry. What's the point of all of this then?" Severus asked.

"The point is to get to know her, spend time with her, possibly marry her someday, Mr. Snape," Lucius nearly whispered, finally calming down enough to sit beside Severus. Lucius took in a long, deep and slow breath before releasing it and looking away.

"As you say, I'm just a child. What do I know of such things?"

Lucius smiled, some, and then turned back to Severus.

"There two kinds of women in this world Severus. The kind you marry…and the other kind."

"Other kind?" Severus asked. He had a filthy mouth but his mind had not quite caught up.

"The kind you fuck, as you so eloquently put it," Lucius spoke in a very soft and deep tone. The use of one of Severus's favorite dirty words shocked him as he heard it escape the refined lips of Lucius Malfoy.

"So…you don't fuck wives?" Severus asked. He was at that point, genuinely confused.

Lucius rolled his eyes and exhaled quickly.

"I keep forgetting, you have no upbringing and no proper mates do you?"

"The only mates I have are a girl and a bloke who made a huge snow-penis over Christmas hols."

Lucius made a face that at first looked like confusion, then repulsion, then curiosity and then nothing at all.

"Like I said, no proper mates. No Severus you do not...fuck...your wife. You make love to her. Understand?" he said softly, and appeared to be very uncomfortable using the f-word.

"Not really."

Lucius rolled his eyes again and took another very deep breath. "You are young. Wives are to be worshiped and respected. They bear your children. You are, regrettably, a mere half-blood, but a well brought up pureblood witch is a rare and special thing. They do make the finest mothers."

Severus's mum was a well brought up pureblood witch, and she was far from a fine mother.

"So you see Severus, these are women that…well…they are like fine works of art. Loose women on the other hand, are what who you use to…work out your…desires."

"Oh, okay," he supposed. If you loved the person, why would you not just sleep with them and marry them?

"Again, you are young. You have years before girls and sex are even an issue, let alone marriage."

"Well you are young, why are you thinking of marriage?"

"Honestly Severus, we must work on your diction and accent. I can barely understand you most of the time. Are you aware that you lump all of your words together into one long word? And use terms only Muggles from Manchester would understand? Plus the foul and obtuse language you use is quite unbecoming. It makes you look ignorant, unintelligent and…"

"And?"

"And…of low birth."

"It's how I talk. I'm sorry, it's how me parents talked and I'm not really from Manchester…"

"Severus, it's how my parents talked, not how me parents talked. Honestly. I do not mean to be rude; I'm only trying to help you, understand?"

Severus pondered Lucius's well chosen words for a moment. He did have a point. None of the other kids in his House spoke like him. Hell even Lily didn't speak like him, though her accent was strong like his but her word choices were far more sophisticated. She attended public school however and he did not.

"Okay, I'll try. Won't be easy."

"It won't be easy. And this is a choice for you to make, if you feel your accent and choice of words are acceptable in everyday conversation, by all means, do keep them!" Lucius said rising with a glimmer in his eye.

"I will work on it. Thank you. Have fun at the match on Saturday."

"We will!" he said before leaving the room.

--

Two days later it was the morning of the Quidditch match. Severus was finally beginning to feel better. Although he was still in horrific pain, either it had dulled or he'd grown used to it. The baths and massages were growing easier, or he was simply used to them. The time away from dorm room was also easier, or again, he was just growing used to it.

He woke up early that morning, around ten, and left the confines of his room to head out to the main infirmary room where he could get a better view of the Quidditch pitch. Once he arrived he saw the bloody and bruised body of Remus Lupin lying in a bed.

"What happened?" Severus asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Nothing, go watch the game from that window."

Nothing his ass. Something happened. Severus was genuinely concerned about his friend, so he ignored Madam Pomfrey and went closer to Remus's bed.

Remus had one eye badly bruised and cut, and the other one wide open.

"What happened? You look as if you were attacked by a hippogriff!" Severus asked.

"Would you believe I was attacked by a hippogriff?" Remus said with a faint smile.

"No, I would not."

"It's the truth. We were heading to Hagrid's hut and one popped out of no where and attacked me."

"What were you doing at Hagrid's hut?"

"Oh…uh, I got detention and I was to serve it with him."

"Detention for what?"

"Oh…um, well…I flunked my Transfiguration exam…"

"They don't give detention for that Lupin. What really happened?"

"Mr. Snape, what did I tell you? Leave him alone," Madam Pomfrey said closing the curtain that surrounded Remus's bed.

"What happened to him?" he asked her.

"None of your business that's what, sit and watch the game or return to your room."

She was dead serious he could tell. He returned to his room, quite worried about his fallen friend.

Did his roommates attack him for sleeping over in the infirmary with him so much? Or sharing dinner with him?

He could do nothing at that moment as the world stopped for Quidditch at Hogwarts. After the match, he would visit his Head of House.

As was suspected, the Slytherin's easily defeated the still broken Ravenclaw's. He walked slowly to his Head of House's office only to find, he was not there. So he went to Lucius's room only to find, that he was not there. Did the entire Slytherin House disappear after a win?

Severus sat in the hallway of the cold dungeon until seven in the evening when Horace Slughorn finally appeared.

"Mr. Snape? What can I do for you?"

"I need to talk to you, it's private."

"Enter," he said opening the door to his office for Severus. "How are you feeling?"

"Better thanks. I think…well…I have a problem. It's another student. I think he's…getting hurt."

"Hurt?"

"By his roommates. I think they beat him."

Slughorn looked shocked and appalled. "Beat him?"

"Look, I know for a fact his roommates are bullies, and I see him with bruises and cuts, all the time. He's in the infirmary constantly."

"Not our House?"

"No!" Severus yelped, almost taking offense that anyone from his House could be so brutal. "Gryffindor."

Slughorn lifted his brows and dropped his mouth some. "Can you be more specific?"

"Remus Lupin, his roommates are Potter, Black and Pettigrew. They are cruel and violent. He's tiny and weak. They hate that he and I are mates, and I think they hurt him because of it. He's in the infirmary right now, you should see the state he's in!"

"Has he said anything to you?"

"No, he tells me he's clumsy. Oh and then today he told me he was attacked by a hippogriff on the grounds, like that would ever happen."

"A hippogriff? Well he's creative isn't he? There was no hippogriff attack here that I've heard and I've taught here forever! No Mr. Snape, if someone is abusing Mr. Lupin, we'll put a stop to it. I'll speak with his Head of House immediately. I can assure you, if something is happening, she'll stop it. She has no tolerance for such things, and neither do I!"

Severus felt good as he walked back to the infirmary. In a role reversal, he would dine with Remus and keep him company. Potter and Black and Pettigrew would be expelled, and Severus, Remus and Lily could go on with their lives.