Severus refused all invitations to stay overnight at Grimmauld Place. He would have liked to refuse all invitations to eat there, too, but the look Albus gave him after the first official meeting of the complete Order of the Phoenix left him no other choice; he knew if he didn't eat he would eventually fall prisoner to a long lecture from Albus about accepting the hospitality of others and the need for social interaction. Of course, Severus did not socially interact at dinner; Lupin sat next to him and thanked him for agreeing to brew Wolfsbane again, to which he nodded once; Lupin took the hint and no one else bothered him for the rest of the meal. As soon as he finished eating he rose, crossed the kitchen and thanked Molly Weasley. She beamed. "Of course, Severus, please feel welcome at any time."
As he swept out of the kitchen Severus realized that at least the heads of the Weasley family were decent, sweet people. Their children, on the other hand… he slammed the front door behind him and apparated to the Ministry of Magic for his next shift. Thankfully the others knew well enough not to give him any shifts guarding Potter; they probably assumed that Potter would be in just as much danger if guarded by Severus than if he were attacked directly by the Dark Lord.
Severus was not looking forward to the next meeting. He had spent most of the week at Spinner's End, with occasional stops by headquarters and Hogwarts as needed before and after his guard shifts. The Wolfsbane was underway and would be ready for Lupin at the July full moon, which fell the day of the Dark Lord's next meeting and consequently the day before the Order was to meet as well. Severus could feel the tone of the Dark Lord's meetings shifting toward something more dangerous; he was worried that one day he would slip mentally and all would be revealed. He constantly practiced calming and controlling his mind and his facial expressions; indeed, right before leaving for headquarters to drop the potion off for Lupin he sat down and spent fifteen minutes clearing his mind.
When he arrived at Grimmauld Place he was glad not to have to search for the werewolf; it was Lupin who let him in. "Ah Severus, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Indeed, the look on Lupin's face was one of simple happiness in seeing Severus – no expectations, no revulsion. Severus wished he could be as kind as the werewolf, or at least as good of a liar. "Your potion, Lupin," he said, gesturing to the proffered flask. "Since it was brewed last minute, you will need to drink some on the hour until your transformation and the effects will not be as potent as if I had been able to provide it to you in the week before. Some wolfish tendencies may not be as easy for you to control tonight." Remus looked astounded. "Severus, this is unexpected but so welcome! I did not expect any form of potion until August's moon. I'll be leaving for my own home just in case anyways, but the transformation will be so much better with this!"
Black appeared from the shadows. He looked sallower and slightly heavier, now that Severus saw him in the daylight streaming from the open front door. "I'll be with him, Snape, he doesn't even need that potion." Severus sneered. "You shall absolutely not be with him, Black, the Headmaster will not allow it. He has asked me to look in on Lupin after the transformation." This was absolutely not true but hot rage had risen in Severus's chest at Black's boasting that he was going to defy Albus's orders. "And if I see you there, Black, I shall personally send the Headmaster a patronus on the spot. You will never see the light of day again." Black's wand was drawn before Severus had finished speaking. Remus's eyebrows went straight up. "Alright, alright, Sirius please put that away. I will be absolutely fine with Severus checking in tomorrow morning and I'll send you a patronus when I awake. As soon as I'm strong enough I will return." Black looked like he may be physically ill; he said nothing more but stuffed his wand into the pocket of his robes and disappeared, making a racket as he went.
"It is kind of you to offer your services Severus. I had better tell you how to reach my house," Lupin said, and pulled out a piece of parchment which he scribbled an address on before handing to Severus. Severus realized that Lupin had already reached the conclusion that Albus had said nothing to Severus about checking on him the day after the full moon. Perhaps werewolves were not only equal in intelligence to humans, but smarter than humans, he thought. He would have to tell Dolores – if he ever saw her again. So it was with a twisted smirk that he took his leave from headquarters and apparated to Hogwarts.
After a few hours of making lists of ingredients to stock and working on lesson plans, Severus took a few moments to clear and calm his mind and then made his way to Malfoy Manor. He bowed to the Dark Lord upon entrance and then took his spot in the circle that had begun under the Yew tree and now was a circle of chairs around Lucius's table; this was normally six chairs from the Dark Lord's left hand side. The sibilant voice stopped him. "Severus, switch places with Wormtail." Severus stopped, schooled his expression, and then pushed in his chair and switched with Pettigrew, not looking at the little man. He had been given a spot three places down the table upon the Dark Lord's return; at first Severus had thought maybe the rat had moved up in the Dark Lord's opinion permanently, but now he understood that it had been a temporary reward and nothing more.
The seats between him and the Dark Lord remained empty. Lucius sat to his left. The meeting did not need to be called to order; the room had already been silent…
Feeling drained, Severus left the Manor at two in the morning. Lucius had wanted to talk after, and the only place to talk privately was the gardens, so they had spent the greater part of three hours walking among the peacocks and rose bushes. Severus was exhausted. He returned to Spinner's End and sat down to clear his mind. The meeting had not been as bad as he had feared; the Dark Lord had used no legilimency, had mostly been looking for updates from those who were supposed to be recruiting followers. As a double agent, Severus was not expected to do this and had escaped the approval – or punishment – of the Dark Lord that night. He did not have much to report to Albus at the meeting tomorrow, other than the fact that McNair had nearly reached the giants and that Fenrir Greyback had been found once again. The Dark Lord was pleased by this, and had agents that were going to attempt to make contact sometime next month… long after the full moon was over…
Severus had dozed off and jerked awake with the full moon still on his mind. Lupin! It was already eight o'clock, later than he had slept in quite some time. He hurried down to his private stores and gathered up some potions. He was halfway out the door when he stopped and went to the kitchen; it only took a few minutes to make a quick breakfast, which he put in a hamper with a warming charm on it. He doubted Lupin had any food at his residence. He closed his eyes outside and concentrated on the address in his pocket before apparating.
Severus arrived at a small, cozy looking cottage. It was set upon a bluff, with a lovely view of the sea, which was cold and grey looking this morning. Right behind the cottage was a stand of dark woods. Severus wondered exactly where he was. He opened the gate; the walk was made of shards of beach glass that had been charmed together into larger paving stones. He had to admit it was quite charming.
He entered the cottage and took stock of his surroundings; there was a small living room and behind it a kitchen. He took the basket in there; it had a large window with a view of the woods. Closer up they appeared less threatening than when viewed as a hulking mass from the front of the house; Severus could see birds and a squirrel among the trees, and wildflowers bloomed along the line where the trees ended and the sand began. "Lupin!" he called out, not wanting to surprise the man. There was a stirring from upstairs. "Shall I come up?" A hoarse, weak voice answered. "Give me a minute… alright, come on up. Second door on the right." The first door Severus passed showed him a small bedroom, most likely a guest bedroom; sparsely furnished and tiny but neat and clean. He opened the second door.
There was another small bedroom, furnished much the same way – a bed and a chest of drawers and not much else. This room was most definitely not neat and Severus assumed Lupin had locked himself inside for the transformation. The bedclothes were strewn around the room, the drawers had been knocked over and were on the floor, but at least nothing looked as though it had been torn by teeth or claws.
"By the absence of any signs of maiming your belongings, I trust you were better in control last night?" asked Severus, stepping into the room. Lupin sat up from where he had been lying on the other side of the bed and smiled weakly. "It was great, Severus, painless transformation, just a slight bit more restless than I normally am. The change back was a little rough but still so much better than without anything." Lupin had pulled on the closest pair of pants and was just finishing pulling a jumper over a t shirt as Severus walked in. He flopped back onto the floor when he completed the task. Severus pulled the potions out of his pocket and handed them to Lupin one by one. "Strengthening solution… something to heal your bruises….this one is just a general pick me up… and one for aches and pains."
Lupin's smile widened with each potion and he downed them all happily. "Thank you so much Severus!" He laid back for another moment and Severus watched as color returned to his face and he began to look less tired. He sat up. "I feel nearly normal now, that's amazing!" Severus snorted and pulled his wand out. With a few different charms he righted the drawers, made the bed and sent Lupin's possessions piling neatly back to where they should be, folding themselves as they went. The window opened to let in the sea breeze. "I shall be waiting downstairs," Snape said abruptly, feeling awkward, and descended to the kitchen where he laid two place settings at the small table and unpacked the food.
Lupin came down five minutes later, having washed his face, combed his hair, and put on socks, shoes and robes. He took in the breakfast spread, which included sausages, eggs, beans and tomatoes, biscuits, and fresh fruit. "I do not deserve all this Severus, good lord…" Severus cut him off. "It's just breakfast, man, I did not think you would want to return immediately to that mutt. This way you can stay here until you're up to the task." Lupin started and conjured a patronus to send Sirius; Severus smirked when he heard what it would say. "Severus has cared for me admirably; I shall return this afternoon." That would drive Black mad.
They breakfasted silently but companionably; Severus found that Lupin's company was actually not the worst thing in the world. He did not attempt to provoke unnecessary chatter, which Severus was quite grateful for. Once they were finished Severus repacked his hamper with a wave of his wand, cleaned the dishes with another wave, and stood up. "My job here is done. I shall see you tonight at the meeting." Lupin saw him to the door. "Severus, I cannot express how grateful I am for what you've done this morning. In truth, I dreaded this transformation and it was actually almost pleasant. If I can ever help you with anything, you have only to say the word."
Severus met Lupin's eyes and saw only kindness and gratitude. He was at a loss for words in this kind of situation; he was not used to people expressing their appreciation so openly. "It is the least I can do; I have the skill, I may as well use it, he said, not unkindly." "I'm not only speaking of the Wolfsbane, Severus, but you know that. I hope you have an enjoyable day," Lupin said, relieving Severus of the need to say anything else and draw out the interaction any longer, "I shall see you tonight." He smiled that genuine smile and closed the door.
Severus apparated back to Spinner's End and set to potions research for the rest of the day, but he kept stopping to think about Lupin and what he had said. Severus had learned the hard way, over many years, that most people said one thing but thought another; but Lupin was the first person in a long time who seemed innocently, genuinely sincere. Was it possible, or was Remus just another in a long line of people who had eventually let Severus down over the years?