A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Hope you all have an amazing day, I've been really excited about this chapter for ages and I hope you feel the same! This is my longest chapter so far and probably one of my favourites! Enjoy! And once again, thank you for all your comments and opinions!
A/N: Chapter Warnings: Bad language, mentions and potential references to rape and violence.
Chapter 28: Remus, Severus and the Appearance of Sirius Black
"What's wrong with you Remus? You seem to be really distracted as of late" Tonks asked Remus curiously, as Remus sat in the library at Grimmauld Place with his nose in a book.
"Nothing Tonks, just stressed about all the war and werewolf business. But, nothing to worry about, eh?" Remus lied.
Tonks gave him a quizzical look, there was something going on here and she didn't like being kept out of the loop. She huffed in annoyance and sat, pouting grumpily, and waited silently whilst Remus continued to read his book.
"Remus, I'm bored" Tonks whined after about ten minutes of silence. The ticking of the wall clock was getting on her nerves.
Remus sighed and marked his place in his book, shut it, and placed it down on the desk with a loud thud.
"What do you expect me to do about it?" Remus asked her, he was slightly annoyed that she was disturbing his perfectly good reading time.
"I thought we could find something fun to do?" She muttered and shrugged her shoulders.
Remus snapped.
"And how would Nymphadora like her performing monkey to entertain her today? Would you like me to dance for you, maybe I can sing? Or would you like me to read you fairy-tale stories in funny voices?" He said angrily.
Tonks just stood there stunned, her jaw dropped. She had never heard Remus speak like that before, she didn't realise Remus had the capability to speak like that. For a moment she felt as if she was a school girl being chastised for something she'd done wrong. She didn't know why but she felt an awful sinking feeling inside her and, for the first time in a long time, tears began to well in her eyes and she tried to fight them back.
"I'm sorry Remus" she said quietly.
Remus instantly felt awful, he had been going through everything that had gone on lately. He was thinking about the future, he was exerting a lot of effort trying not to confront Sirius and on top of that, the full moon was in four days and Remus was beginning to feel twitchy, it was making him highly irritable.
"Don't apologise Tonks, I'm sorry, my furry time is in a few days and it's making me feel uncomfortable. The wolf knows it's about to be free and it's not giving in. Like a recovering addict, wanting their substance so desperately. I didn't mean to take it out on you Tonks, I was just trying to relax myself and the wolf, I am so sorry Tonks" Remus said, ashamed of himself that he had treated a lady in such a way. What would his mother think of him?
Tonks stood in front of him; she put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him in some way. She would never understand the feeling of being a werewolf, and how it played havoc with the human form. She felt sympathetic for Remus.
At her touch, Remus relaxed and found that he and the wolf calmed when she was in close presence. In fact, the wolf was practically humming with appreciation, which had never happened before. What the hell was that about?
"Remus, are you alright?" Tonks asked him, but he barely heard her.
Remus was confused, his heart sped up and his breathing got heavier and he had begun to break out in a sweat. He looked down into the eyes of the young woman staring up at him with a worried expression. He licked his dry lips and tried to speak but the words were not coming out.
"Um, I-...well, what's...I don't know-" he was stammering.
Tonks was so close that she could smell his musky scent, it was addicting and she wanted more. She stood on her tiptoes so that she was closer to him.
Remus breathed deeply, he could smell her scent, and everything about her. With the full moon so close, all his senses were heightened and he could smell so many wonderful things coming from her, the wolf approved.
Neither of the two would ever know who started it but before they knew it, they were kissing.
The kiss was so delicate, but filled with such passion that it was almost too good to be true. Remus had one hand placed gently on the back of her head and the other hand was placed on the small of her back so that he could bring her closer to him. Tonks had both hands placed on either side of Remus' head and she was weaving her hands through his soft hair.
Remus groaned in satisfaction when Tonks moved and pressed her small frame solidly up against his body. In response, Tonks seductively snaked her tongue over Remus' bottom lip and begged for permission to enter his mouth.
Permission granted, Remus opened his mouth and a battle for dominance began between the two tongues. Tonks won, Remus was a shy kisser after all, and the two got lost in each other.
Remus could feel his dick standing firmly to attention, the trousers he wore left no chance of concealment and his hardened length was pressed solidly against Tonks' hip. He knew she could feel it and the thought thrilled him, being close to the full moon also meant that Remus was - like a teenage boy looking through a porno mag - horny.
Tonks could feel him pressed against her hip and she nearly gasped. The man was huge, how had she never noticed that before? She ground her hips against his erection, causing him to practically howl in pleasure. It had been a long time since Remus had this sort of attention.
Tonks had unbuttoned Remus' shirt and had taken it off and thrown it across the room and her hands explored Remus' scarred chest and torso, and trouser covered cock. Remus' hands had moved. One hand had gone up her shirt and had begun playing with her breast; the other hand had roamed lower, and was now making its way up the back of her thigh, up her skirt, and towards her knicker covered womanhood. Both were rutting against the others hands and they were moaning loudly.
"Well isn't this just nauseating?" came a voice from the entrance to the library.
The pair snapped back to reality and looked at each other, Remus flushed red and Tonks let out a timid giggle. Both had swollen lips and mussed up hair, Remus had a tent pitched so big that Boy Scouts could camp there. The pheromones that Tonks was giving off were also not helping his heightened sense of smell, neither was her devilish smile. She looked the epitome of hellcat with rouge cheeks.
Both turned towards the entrance of the library and found Severus Snape staring at them with one eyebrow raised, arms crossed, and a slightly green tinge to his features.
Remus quickly sat down, and grabbed the book he was reading earlier and placed it casually across his lap. He looked at Tonks, who was looking back at him as she licked her lips and gave Remus a cheeky wink. Remus let out a strained moan.
Severus had now stepped into the room and began approaching the pair although he vowed not to get to close. The air around them stank of sweat and hormones, and it was making Severus feel slightly ill.
"Well, well, look at what we have here. Lupin, I came to drop off your wolfsbane but it seems that you like to let the wolf off its leash anyway. No offence Lupin, but that book isn't doing you any favours" Severus said nodding pointedly towards the book seemed to be hovering just above Remus' lap.
Remus grimaced, this was awkward, he had always been shy around females, and had never really known how to be intimate with a female, but this was the first time that he had ever felt like he'd lost a part of himself when he parted with Tonks. He sighed, could this be any more complicated? He refused to let her get close, he refused to hurt her.
Severus smirked at the wolf and turned his attention back to his former student. He was slightly stunned by her; it seemed like only five minutes ago she was sat in his class studying for her OWL's and now; here she was, practically having sex in front of him.
"If you don't mind Lupin, I also wished to have a few words with you in private" Severus said, looking at Tonks and basically glaring at her to get out.
"Of course Severus. Um, Tonks, do you think you could give us a moment? I promise that you can come back as soon as Severus is gone" he told her, still mesmerised by her.
"Ok" Tonks agreed.
"I will be back. I'm not finished with you yet big boy" she winked at him as she left the library giggling.
Remus flushed red once again as he put his head in his hands in embarrassment, and prayed for Severus to, just once, be merciful.
But judging by the Slytherin grin that Severus was giving him, mercy would not be happening. Remus gulped, waiting for the mocking comments.
"Big boy? Is that because you're tall or for another reason?" Severus asked chuckling lightly at Remus' expense.
Remus just looked down whilst shaking his head, his face and ears were burning.
"What do you want Severus?" He asked.
Severus seemed to go back to his serious state as he remembered what he came here about.
"You sent me a letter Lupin, or did you forget? You asked me to meet you here the next time I was to bring you wolfsbane. Also, Minerva and Dumbledore are going to be confronting Black about his less than favourable behaviour. Minerva is pissed that after everything the Order has done to protect him, he still insists on his womanising and drinking habits in muggle pubs all over London. He was almost caught the other day by a ministry worker. He is a foolish, reckless, pathetic excuse of a man who believes he is a King and deserves everything handed to him. We are all going to 'lay down the law' as it were and tell him to buck up his ideas or he will be handed over to the ministry" Snape told him.
Remus took a deep breath; his old friend had gone off the deep end. Sirius was never wholly sane to begin with; spending all that time in Azkaban really fucked him over. Sirius had always liked his alcohol, and his women, but he was never stupid enough to put that above his friends and family or put himself in danger.
"I'm in, what do you need me to do?" Remus asked him.
Severus froze; he had only come here to inform Remus of the events that were going to unfold. He didn't come here to ask for Remus' help; Severus wasn't quite sure what to say in response.
"Er, well...you could think of some ways to play on that Gryffindor sentimentality that you all seem to have, see if you can make him see the error of his ways" Severus said.
"And what about Hermione?" Remus asked him.
"What about her?" Severus asked.
"Well, is the issue going to be addressed at the meeting?" Remus questioned Severus.
"I don't know, I don't think they're intending to but you know how short tempered Minerva is, it only takes one of us to say one wrong word and everyone will know. I've prepared the girl that this might happen so she can prepare for the aftershocks" Severus told him.
Remus nodded his head.
"Has she been getting on alright?" Remus asked.
Severus hesitated; he wasn't sure what Hermione would be happy with him telling Lupin. So Severus told Remus the things that were known by more than one person.
"Well, she…" Severus began in a casual tone, as he informed Remus about everything that had happened, regarding his Hermione, since Remus had last spoken to her.
Remus took a few moments to take in all the new information. He was surprised that so much could happen in the space of three weeks. He was happy to know about what was going on at the school but when he had asked about Hermione, he had meant about her mental state.
Remus looked back at Severus.
"That's a lot of stuff happening there Severus but when I asked, I meant to ask about Hermione's mental health, her recovery. How is she doing?" Remus asked.
"She's moving on, she refuses to let all of this control her life. She's prepared to lay down her life for Potter. She is aware that she could die in this war, and I think she doesn't want to spend the rest of that time, no matter how short it may be, being broken over something she cannot change. She got her little friends to band together and form 'Dumbledore's Army' and they go off and practise advanced magic in the room of requirement" Severus chuckled at Remus' surprised look.
"Hermione? Granger? The girl who is a stickler for the rules? That girl has grouped together an army to fight back against the authorities of the wizarding world which is not only against school rules but illegal and a punishable offence?" Remus exclaimed both bewildered and scared for the students involved.
Severus nodded.
"The very same girl, she used her hatred, her pain and anger and has turned into something that makes her feel stronger and will help her in the future" Severus told him.
"And all the staff knows about it? Isn't that dangerous?" Remus asked him.
Severus quickly shook his head.
"No, I don't think the whole of the teaching staff are aware, at all. I only know because Hermione talks in her sleep. She sometimes reveals sensitive information which is partly the reason I have decided to teach her occlumency, so that she can protect her thoughts no matter what" Severus said.
Severus looked at Remus and found that Remus was staring back at him curiously. Severus raised an eyebrow in question.
"Sleep?" Remus said out loud.
Severus was now confused and frowned at the wolf.
"What are you babbling on about Lupin? It's not even midnight yet, has that witchling of yours tired you out that much?" Severus mocked him, almost laughing at Lupin's new weakness.
Lupin cleared his throat.
"No Severus, you said that Hermione talks in her sleep. How would you know that?" Lupin asked him, eyes wide.
Severus' eyes also widened and he internally panicked, Severus hadn't realised he'd let his tongue slip and revealed information. Some fucking spy!
Severus broke out in a sweat as he realised that he was taking far too long to respond to the question, and that threw him into near frenzy.
Remus fought back a chuckle, his heightened senses could feel that Severus' heartbeat and pulse had accelerated, he could also smell the fear and sweat radiating off Severus.
'Well, I've never seen Severus look this nervous' Remus thought to himself.
Then other thoughts began to develop in Remus' mind. Did Severus see Hermione sleep often? How did that arrangement come to be? It can't have been through occlumency because Severus said he had only begun teaching her because he already knew that she spoke in her sleep. There was no way that Severus would be able to get into the Gryffindor common room without someone noticing. Was Hermione spending time in Severus' quarters? Harry had said that Severus had been helping her...maybe there was more to it than that.
Lupin watched Severus like a hawk, waiting for the response.
"Um...when she was in the hospital wing, I took her potions, she was mumbling whilst she was out" Severus said, lying through his teeth. Severus had known she talked in her sleep purely because of the times she had spent sleeping in his quarters.
"Thestral shit" Remus called his bluff.
Severus' eyes widened; how dare Lupin question him! He opened his mouth to retort but Lupin stopped him.
"Don't bother Severus, had it not been so close to the full moon you would've gotten away with it but I can smell your lies. Everyone has 'a tell' when they are lying, yours is sweaty palms and I can smell that" Lupin grinned at him.
Severus sighed.
"She sometimes comes and sleeps in my quarters when she just needs some space from her own dormitory and the other students" Severus muttered.
"But that's surely illegal" Remus exclaimed, tone somewhat accusatory.
Severus nodded.
"The circumstances meant that Minerva gave me permission to let the girl stay should she want to. It's nothing less than innocent Lupin, she sometimes sleeps on my sofa whilst I have my bed or vice versa, she has the bed and I have the sofa. But, that has only happened once and that's because she was ill and needed to rest in comfort to get better" Severus said quickly trying to suggest it was all innocent. Which it was if you minus the snogging and the dry humping. Severus fought to not get lost in the images.
"Again Severus, I would've believed you if your testosterone level hadn't just shot up" Lupin said, now feeling protective of Hermione and angry towards Severus for taking advantage of a minor.
"Have you slept with her? If you have Severus, I might just kill you myself" Lupin growled.
"Alright Lupin, maybe a couple of times there was something more but it was nothing more than what you and Miss Tonks were doing when I came in here. I swear Lupin I haven't slept with the girl, I would never do that whilst I know that she is still in such a delicate state" Severus muttered quietly.
"You're not taking advantage?" Lupin questioned, still defensive.
"Normally it's her that accosts me and has me pinned against a wall but then sometimes, it is me and I feel awful about it" Severus sighed shaking his head.
"My God Severus! You fancy her don't you?" Remus gasped.
"Fancy her? How old are you Lupin, fifteen? Yes, I find her interesting and she is stunning not just in looks but in intelligence as well, I do enjoy her company" Severus replied hesitantly.
Remus just stared at the man stunned, Remus wasn't sure if Severus noticed but whenever Severus was talking or thinking about Hermione, he had a look of blissful peace on his face. It was an expression that Remus had never seen on the professor before, even after knowing him for decades.
"I never went looking for her Lupin, I swear, she always came to me first" Severus informed him.
Remus just nodded, still stunned and promised that they'd revisit this at another time. Remus was beginning to pick up another scent and it smelled awfully like...
"Snivellus! You've come to play tea party with moony, how lovely! I do hope you two are playing nicely!" Sirius taunted from the library entrance.
Severus rolled his eyes.
"Goodnight Lupin" Severus said politely.
"Goodnight Severus and thank you" Remus replied in his usual uplifting voice.
Severus moved towards the entrance to the library where Sirius was stood.
"That's right Snivellus, get out! You have no friends here and who would want you anyway? Hey, if you need a pity shag I know a perfect little whore who would-" Sirius was cut off.
Severus had heard what Sirius had begun to say about sexual actions towards women, and it made his anger flare. Severus had placed his hand tightly around the mutt's neck and was holding him against the wall of the library, Sirius was struggling to breathe and his face was going purple due to lack of air through strangulation.
"Don't ever, speak about treating a woman like that to me Black or I will kill you" Severus said in a low, dangerous, promising voice.
Sirius was now trying to gasp for air, and was also trying to free himself from Severus' grip, Sirius would never admit it, but he was slightly panicking.
Remus had stood up and was quickly walking towards the two men, getting ready to diffuse the situation; there would be no murders tonight on his watch.
As suddenly as Severus had grabbed Sirius' throat, he let go, letting the shaggy haired man cough and splutter as he hit the ground.
"You'll pay for that Snape!" Sirius roared in a raspy voice.
Sirius then went for his wand but froze when he realised his wand wasn't there. He looked at the floor around him and then back at Severus who was grinning at him.
"Looking for something mutt?" Severus asked casually.
Tonks had heard the commotion and had now joined the trio and was asking what was going on. She paused when she took in the situation and watched silently as Severus held Sirius' wand, threatening to snap the thing in half.
"Severus, think about it" Remus warned.
Severus relented and tossed the stick to the other side of the room and turned to walk away.
"That's right Snape, walk away like you always do! With your pathetic, empty threats that you never deliver on. You're just as pathetic as some of those women that I've-"
BAM!
Sirius' world went black for a few moments and when he came round, his vision was blurry and he was on the floor. He couldn't feel his face or hear out of his left ear or see properly out of his left eye. He put his hand to his face and when he removed it, it was covered in blood. He looked up in shock.
The room was silent.
Severus lowered his right, now slightly bruised, fist in satisfaction.
"That was just child's play Black" Severus growled through clenched teeth.
Severus turned on his heel and left the house, he then apparated back to Hogwarts.
.
.
.
Back in the library at Grimmauld place, the three were trying to wrap their heads around what happened.
Sirius still looked a little out of it, but was aware enough to understand what was being said around him.
"How dare he do that to my cousin?!" Tonks exclaimed, as she kneeled to tend to her cousins face.
"On the contrary dear Tonks, I think he got exactly what he deserved" Remus said.
Both Tonks and Sirius looked at Remus like he had lost it.
"You were asking for it" he said to Sirius with a shrug of the shoulders.
Remus went and picked up his wolfsbane and exited the library leaving the two cousins behind in shock.
.
.
.
Severus landed back at the Hogwarts gates and was looking forward to a midnight drink before sleep. He made his way to his quarters, and he went in and sat down by the fire with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He then felt a sharp pain in his right hand and looked down at his blackened, bruised knuckles before wincing. It hurt but Severus had never felt so much satisfaction from any other action that he'd ever done. He had showed Black of his place tonight, and he couldn't help a small smile tug on his lips at the thought.
"What the bloody hell happened to your hand?!" Hermione exclaimed, making him jump out of his skin.
