"Er- um…," Vanessa was at a loss for words. Several seconds of silence passed as she fumbled for her wits. Why couldn't she just pull it together already when he had asked a simple question? Lupin flashed her a good-tempered smile and added, "It will only take a moment, really. I just have a small favor to ask you." His eyes held concern and she realized she was gripping her book a little too tightly and backed up nearer to the wall. She nodded numbly and was about to suggest that he meet her later in her office when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Professor Lupin, are you aware that you are making Branson late for an appointment? She was due in my office two minutes ago." He laced the title "professor" with sarcasm, but Lupin showed no sign of irritation. "My apologies Vanessa. I did not know you were engaged at the moment. I will come by your office tomorrow during your planning hour." She flinched when Lupin spoke her name, which didn't escape Snape's notice as his hand was still planted firmly on her shoulder. She finally mustered up the air to speak and croaked, " That's fine with me." He offered her a curt nod, glanced at Snape's hand curiously, and left. Snape cleared his throat and began briskly walking towards his office. Vanessa shuffled after him, trying to match his long strides. Snape motioned her into a dimly lit room and shut the door as she took a seat. His office was cluttered with books, stray ingredients, and rusted cauldrons. She was surprised to see a few defense objects, such as the ancient sneakoscope sitting on his desk. He sat down behind his desk and folded his hands expectantly. "Thank you for meeting with me Snape. I was wondering if you could help me with a potion...or help me create a potion rather. I'm not sure if one exists to meet my needs. It is a personal matter you see-,"
"Yes you've mentioned. By the way Branson, why are you so terrified of Lupin? Surely you don't expect him to intimidate you with his… wolfish defects here in the hallways of the school? But you were positively shaking around him. If you are here to ask for a werewolf deterrent potion, I'm afraid Dumbledore has forbidden me from brewing them in the castle, so it is out of the question."
This was the first time Vanessa detected a glint of humor in Snape's eyes. Snape had determined that he had found a fellow Lupin-hater in Vanessa Branson, and this alone convinced him that he had found a new coworker to add to his short list of friends. He dismissed the thought that her gentle features and sharp indigo eyes were another enticement for befriending the new runes professor. Although, he couldn't help but feel a little protective when he saw her cornered by Lupin in the dank hall outside his dungeon.
" No professor, I am not terrified by Lupin, I was only caught off guard. And what I am looking to brew is a bit stronger than wolf repellant. The thing is...well," she hesitated, thinking about how much she should reveal. Snape was not the most inviting person to confide in, yet she felt that she could trust him somehow. Gathering her thoughts, Vanessa continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
"When I was a teenager, I was attacked by a werewolf. He was in his human form, but he...wounded me. Severely. These wounds thankfully did not convert me into one of his kind but there are a few - um - side effects. One of those is that my wounds sometimes reopen on full moons, which can be, well, excruciating. I was wondering if you could help me make a salve to minimize the harm when they reopen."
She didn't look at him as she spoke. Now she was surprised to see that his face was intense, with no trace of humor. Vanessa remembered how he had looked at Lupin with disgust and wondered if he considered her repulsive now too. Whatever he may think, she just wanted to know if he would agree to help her. After all, he was helping Lupin, a full werewolf. She couldn't keep his piercing gaze.
"Does Dumbledore know?" he asked softly.
"Yes, I told him when he hired me. I promised that it would not interfere with my position, but having this salve would help tremendously."
"Do you know who he was… the werewolf that- actually nevermind. Now then, I think I have an idea for the salve you want to make. I will try out a few different combinations to find an exact match, but it should be possible." Snape conjectured. He was disgusted by what he had heard. A werewolf attacking a younger Vanessa Branson, in human form. The savagery of the image it brought to mind was hideous. He wondered where her wounds were. Maybe if he saw them, he would know a better way to design the salve. But he barely knew her, so he asked a few questions about the color, shape, and size of the wounds.
"They are red and… well I could show you?" Vanessa suddenly felt shy. She had never had to describe her wounds to someone. Come to think of it, no one else had ever seen them. Except her father's men when they tore the wolf-man off of her all those years ago. But Snape was practically a stranger. What would he think of the ugly old scars? It didn't matter though, she reminded herself. This was the best way that he could help her, and she needed relief from the wracking pain that the full moon brought her. It was getting worse every year.
"Very well." Snape cautiously approached her, and she turned her back towards him. She lifted the back of her shirt, high enough to see all the marks. Silently, she felt Snape's eyes taking in the grooved marks where the wolf-man repeatedly, deeply scratched her, and the place on her shoulder blade where he had sunk his teeth ripping into her shirt. And again nearer to her hip. She didn't bother showing him her arms. She felt him reach out and trace the longest cut with his fingertip. He did it impulsively, wondering at how painful it must have been. Vanessa, he thought, was far tougher than she appeared. Just then, his office door banged open.
"PROFESSOR! Malfoy's been injured! He got attacked by a great beast in Professor Hagrid's class! Now he's-" An emotional slytherin girl looked dumbfounded at the sight of Professor Snape with his hand up the back of Professor Branson's shirt. "Get out of my office Parkinson! NOW!" Snape blustered. The girl snapped the door shut behind her and Vanessa quickly tugged on her cloak. She may have just imagined a hint of a blush on Snape's cheeks.
"I'm sorry, that probably put you in an uncomfortable position. I'll go so you can attend to your student," Vanessa said. She was definitely blushing.
"It's not your fault these children are so lacking in manners that they barge into their teacher's rooms unannounced. Please excuse me Vanessa, I will send you an owl when I have made progress on your potion," He grasped her arm kindly and then hurried out to the hospital wing. Vanessa wondered why she was still blushing.
Now that her first full day of teaching classes was over, and with a mind full of exhausting, confused thoughts, Vanessa was craving food. Not just any snack, but a peculiar taste she had developed shortly after she was attacked by a werewolf. She wanted raw meat. A t-bone steak, or maybe a few pork chops. A leg of mutton? She settled for all of it, and the house elves in the kitchens asked no questions. They offered her the food in a neatly-packed basket, all wrapped in a large cloth napkin. She gratefully took it and toted it all the way out of the castle. She needed somewhere private, away from prying eyes to gossip about her strange raw-meat habit. Before she snuck past the tree-line of the forest, she caught a glimpse of a distraught looking Hagrid who was pulling a stocky hippogriff towards his hut. The rumors she had heard from students in the halls must have been true. The poor creature didn't deserve what would surely come. However, she didn't like the thought of one of her students getting attacked, even for his own stupidity.
Vanessa plucked her way through the trees, pausing at the strange sounds she heard from time to time. Finally, the castle grounds and its sounds were out of her range. She sat down on a mossy log and cheerfully unpacked her basket. She had swallowed two pork chops before she noticed she was being watched. A fat, orange cat looked longingly at her basket. She tore a chunk of mutton and tossed it to the quiet creature. The cat snatched the meat and sprinted off. Vanessa jumped up with a start. Not only had a cat been watching her, but the big black dog from last night was there. Now in the daylight that filtered through the leaves, the dog seemed much more friendly. There was an unusually expressive quality in its eyes, and she noticed the ribs sticking out of its sides. The dog seemed sickly and it panted with a congested snout " Come over then. Have some steak, Snuffles." The dog perked up and ran over to eagerly accept. It curled up on her feet to work on the large slab. She was glad to have a friend out here in this strange forest. Something was off about the dense trees and echoes of animals moving through them. She reached down and scratched behind his ears. "Let's make a deal. You keep my meat habit a secret and protect me from spooks out here, and I will offer you daily snacks." The dog opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue. Dog's can't really smile, but Snuffles seemed to like this proposition. This was the beginning of a great friendship.
The next day, Vanessa was dreading her meeting with Lupin. But true to her word, she waited in her office during her planning period. She offered Griggs crackers through the bars of his cage until she heard a polite knock. "Come in," She called. Lupin entered and took in the contents of her office. "That's a beautiful bird you have there," He said, admiring Griggs as he snapped up another cracker. "Thank you. This is Griggs. Please take a seat."
She noticed that the man had a small leather box tucked under his arm. "What's that?" She asked, intrigued. She recognized the distinct runes that lined the lid as belonging to an ancient Inuit faction of wizards, renowned for their skill in illusion magic.
"This contains a scroll with a strong charm written on it. I am not familiar with the runes myself, so I was hoping you could help me decipher them for an advanced lesson with my seventh years. The store owner told me that it is a confusion charm for impeding enemies. Whether that is true or not, I can't say. Do you think you can help me?"
Vanessa had already snatched the box from him and unfurled the scroll. She was intensely interested in this rare charm pattern. After a couple minutes of silent scrutiny, she looked up to see Lupin observing her with a sad expression on his face. "Oh I'm sorry, I was entirely distracted by the runes. Yes I can absolutely help you with this. I haven't seen more than two samples of these kinds of runes in real life, only in printed copies. This was an excellent find! To answer your question, this is a genuine confusion spell, and I can have it translated by Friday."
"Fantastic! Thank you so much Vanessa, this will be a great help." Lupin seemed encouraged by her enthusiasm. Runes had that effect on her.
"May I ask you a question?" Lupin asked hesitantly. She suddenly remembered who was in her office. Oddly enough, she felt less nervous around this well-mannered werewolf. So far, he seemed the total opposite of the monster she had encountered. Maybe Minerva was right.
"Certainly."
"Why do you dislike me? Do you truly hate all werewolves? Or am I just that intimidating? Because I assure you, I have no ill-will towards you."
She was surprised by this question. Especially after she was starting to rethink her stance on werewolves.
"Well...you see Lupin. I-I have difficulty feeling safe around werewolves. It is nothing personal, but I was attacked by one when I was younger, and well, I am just starting to learn to be more tolerant. For a long time I hated all werewolves, and I still feel like that sometimes. But I am trying to change my attitude. I'm sorry if I have offended you by my actions." She was rambling, but she noticed that Lupin's eyes filled with empathy, and some confusion.
"Attacked...but not turned into a werewolf? How-" He was interrupted by a firm knock at the door. "Come in," Vanessa called with relief. Talking about this with Lupin of all people felt...odd. Severus Snape swept into the room, and his eyes hardened when they landed on Lupin. "Vanessa, I wasn't aware you had a visitor, my apologies," He spoke to her, but kept his glare aimed at Lupin. "That's alright Snape, I'm leaving. Vanessa, we can continue our discussion once you have completed that translation. Thanks again." She nodded at him, and exhaled because she hadn't realized she was holding her breath. She did not intend to share all of her personal history with Lupin. Snape turned to her and she thought she detected a look of concerned scrutiny before he turned to examine Griggs. "A raven, now that's a strange pet."
"It's a colonial tradition. In America they gained popularity after the Salem witch trials deemed ravens to be common "familiars". When in fact, they are just exceptionally intelligent companions. This here is Griggs," She said fondly.
"Did you get my owl?" Snape asked, reaching into the cage and petting Griggs' silky head. She had forgotten to open the letter. It arrived during a very lively class discussion, and she had stuffed it into her pocket.
"Oh I'm sorry, I haven't had a chance to read it yet." She stood and drew the parchment out to look at Snape's spindly writing.
"No matter, I can just tell you in person. I have a prototype of the salve that I would like you to try. When you have a chance, come down to my dungeon and we will test it. There should be a full moon next weekend,"
"Thank you, that will be great, Severus-er-Snape I mean." She corrected herself.
"No that's ok, please call me Severus. We are friends, aren't we?" he said softly. She suddenly noticed how close he was standing.
"Ok Severus. Thank you." Vanessa said with a chuckle. Blushing again? Snape glanced over at the scroll.
"And by the way, if Remus Lupin makes you uncomfortable again, you are welcome to come to the dungeons during planning. He rarely ventures down there." he offered with a knowing grin.