Of unsent letters and broken hearts

by teenagerwritingfiction

A series of letters Remus wrote to Sirius and vice versa between 1981 and 1994. They both know that they'll probably never send the letters, but they write them anyway. They're the only Marauders left, they've just lost two of their best friends, their lives have been changed forever; so they seek the comfort of the person they love the most, even if that person is unreachable.

13. Remus to Sirius: 13

September 9, 1993

Dear Sirius,

I'm furious. I thought that maybe, just maybe, after more than a decade, Snape would have grown up a bit. That maybe the bitter, cruel boy I knew, who called classmates slurs and practised dark magic with his friends, would have matured a bit after living through a war and becoming a teacher. But no, he's become a cruel, cold, bullying bastard. When I finally managed to talk to him earlier this week, he insulted me and mocked my lycanthropy. But I assumed that he was just being petty, that maybe after holding a grudge for so long he couldn't forget about it, that maybe some old wounds just couldn't heal. But apparently he's a git to everyone, especially students.

When I arrived in the teacher's room to show the class a Boggart – after a short encounter with Peeves, who sung the same song he sang for seven years (which is a terrific tongue twister, by the way) – Snape picked on Alice's boy, Neville, and "advised me not to entrust him with anything difficult", the arsehole. Anyway, I asked Neville to be the first to face the Boggart, and you know what the Boggart turned into? Not Bellatrix Lestrange, who tortured his parents into insanity. Not Lord Voldemort, her master. Not his parents, who don't recognize him. Not a spider, a gigantic snake or some other monster – although you could probably call the person it did turn into a monster, as well.

His Boggart was Snape. Snape! So a teacher is the biggest fear of a boy whose parents were tortured? And I thought he must've matured, if he was hired as a teacher.

I'd like to have seen his face when he heard what I asked Neville to do while saying the Riddikkulus spell: imagine Snape in his grandmother's clothes. You would've loved it, it was a true spectacle. A bit childish perhaps, but he started it. He deserved it.

It's good to be back, Sirius. Just being here makes me so much happier. Sometimes I walk through the corridors and it's almost like I can hear you and James laughing, talking way too loud. There are so many memories attached to this place... And it's great to be around all of the students, to be able to teach them what I know and give them advice. There are some trouble-makers, like Fred and George Weasley; they remind me of you and James. It would be great if I could keep this job for a longer period than my past jobs, with Snape making the Wolfsbane potion and Dumbledore looking out for me. If I could have this job for years, or even decades, like professor McGonagall (or should I say Minerva?)... It would be amazing.

Love, Remus