Chapter Two: Miscalculations

To say Remus was surprised at how well the plan was working would be an understatement. As days turned to weeks and weeks quickly passed into months, Remus was put more and more on edge. He was constantly waiting for the slip up, a detail Lily didn't know about the pregnancy, James not playing the part of doting husband well enough, or even Sirius not bragging to everyone who would listen that he had been named godfather.

But they all played their parts perfectly. Which left Remus his time to prepare for his ever-growing cub and sulk in his apartment alone. There was just one factor he had not anticipated.

As April rolled in, it brought with it a torrential downpour. Diagon Alley's roads were flooded with water and mud, people were ducking inside shops in a rush trying their best to not get soaked even with water-proofing charms. Remus, who had initially been setting more gifts into the nursery, tore his gaze away from the window once again. It had been four months since Moony had forced him to end it with Severus, but the man still ached for the former Slytherin.

Every day since, Remus found his gaze drifting toward the apothecary shop that Severus worked in. Whether he was in the flat or out and about in the streets below, it was as if his gaze was drawn to it. He desperately wanted to go in and tell the other man the truth, but every time he tried Moony would find a way to make him change his course. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips as he rubbed at the stubble on his face. He needed to shave, but he would probably put it off for another night; he didn't have anyone to impress at the moment anyway.

A gentle kick followed by his stomach growling brought him out of his bitter musings. Despite his foul mood recently, he smiled and rubbed his stomach. Right now, his cub was the light in the darkness. A dim candle growing brighter and brighter by the day. By now, a little past the six-month mark, Remus' stomach was a lot more pronounced and affected his gait as he walked-ahem, waddled. Thankfully, the spells used during the ritual with Dumbledore covered his pregnant walk with heavy glamour charms.

Rubbing his stomach, which elicited more gentle kicks and movements, Remus made his way to the kitchen. "Yes, I understand. You're hungry," he cooed lovingly. "I'm moving as fast as I can."

Once he made it into the kitchen, however, he quickly discovered that…he had forgotten to go grocery shopping…again. Stomach growling even louder this time, Remus silently scolded himself for forgetting something so important. "Alright, out to eat it is."

Quickly donning his water-proof cloak—hoping it would protect him against the pouring rain—and grabbing an umbrella from the stand, he made his way out into the wet street below his flat. The buildings could barely be seen through the onslaught of rain that seemed never ending. More than once, he almost knocked into someone, only to sidestep them—into many deep puddles—at the last second. The cold, fat drops angrily pounded against the material of the umbrella above him, while the ones that had managed to hit him stung his face and seeped slowly into his clothing.

Not truly focusing on a particular restaurant, he navigated the streets by memory alone, knowing that even his strengthened sight would be useless in this weather. It also dampened out any scents he might have been able to use to identify a restaurant closer than the ones he knew the locations of. Instead, he shuffled through, as lost as the other humans also on the street that day.

Remus wasn't prone to miscalculations. He always thought of every possible outcome, considered every factor, and even added in potential oversights. Why the sorting hat hadn't placed him in Ravenclaw like it had intended, he would never fully understand. However, this one occasion, Remus slipped up. He hadn't considered every possible factor that could impact his carefully crafted plan.

It wasn't entirely his fault, as this situation was so rare Remus could only remember it happening five times in his entire life.

Encountering another werewolf.

To be fair, many werewolves were like him; trying to keep their lycanthropy hidden to pass in everyday wizard society. They were cursed with something that they had no say in—it's not like they had asked to be bitten—but were still ostracized or considered dangerous by ordinary wizards. Despite this blatant bigotry against them, many still held jobs and made an honest living for themselves. There were also those who had sought normalcy in the Muggle world, only utilizing magic in few situations or to brew or order the Wolfsbane Potion. These people had been unable to handle the constant hatred spewed at them by wizarding society, not to mention the constant regulations held on them for simply existing. Then there were those who relished in their curse—these werewolves considered it a blessing—and were more open about their condition. Some to the point of purposely scaring innocent people. It was this group that gave werewolves their bad reputation. But, as the saying goes "one bad apple spoils the bunch."

He would forever blame the fact that he had not detected the other werewolf on the rain. Honestly, it was a well-planned ambush, attacking when his senses would be impaired. But they forgot that he was also an accomplished duelist, in both theory and in practice. When Remus felt himself suddenly pulled into a hidden side alley, instead of fighting or screaming, he let himself be pulled, hoping to gain the advantage.

Pregnancy had not impaired his reflexes that much as of yet and he deftly spun out of the grasp of his assailant, wand already in his hand and in defensive position. However, who he saw at the entrance of the alley had his hand shaking ever so slightly. He felt his heart quicken with fear and it felt as though there was nothing but ice running in his veins.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat at the entrance of the alley, was Fenrir Greyback.

"Long time no see, pup." His voice, nothing more than a guttural snarl, sent an unwanted chill up Remus' spine. Calculating, yellow eyes took in his appearance and his smile widened, showing off his permanent fangs. "I guess you're not a pup anymore though, are you? You can't even send your dear old dad a letter once and a while?"

Remus hated how his body reacted to Greyback, hated that his initial reaction was not to fight him but to freeze in fear. This man took everything from him. He ripped him away from his family after the bite, tortured him. Tried to force him to be a member of his disgusting pack. That thankfully changed when Dumbledore found him and the headmaster took him in as his ward. "You are no father of mine," the younger man snarled back, bile creeping up the back of his throat.

"Your words hurt me, Remus. I gave you this life!" Greyback spread his arms wide in a grandiose gesture. "You should be on your knees, thanking me."

Remus grit his teeth as he fought against an alpha order. Whether or not he recognized Greyback as a pack member or not, he was still the one who bit him and would unfortunately always outrank him. "YOU GAVE ME A CURSE!" He lashed out with his wand, casting a silent stunner toward the looming figure in front of him.

Anticipating the jinx, Greyback deftly threw up a shield. He clucked his tongue as he took several steps closer toward his former protégé. "Always so quick to lash out, you never reined in your temper I see." Before there was any time to react, Greyback flung his hand out, grasping Remus by the throat and pressing him against the closest wall. "Then again, maybe you get that from me?" He pressed his face closer to Remus', a deranged smile on his face.

He could smell Greyback's putrid breath through the little air he was able to breathe in and it was making him sick. His stomach rolled and he felt his cub moving restlessly, impacted by Remus' heightened blood pressure and adrenaline. Black specks started to dance in front of his vision as he desperately scratched at the stronger man's hand in an attempt to get him to let go.

As abruptly as he had grabbed him, Greyback released his grip, but kept him pinned to the wall. "I haven't come here to fight, boy." Remus loathed that he flinched away from the monster. "Not this time, anyway. This is your last chance to accept my offer."

Offer? Remus thought as he coughed and gasped for air, rubbing at his throat. He was certain that he would have bruises, but he would have to worry about that later. At least at this point, it didn't seem like Greyback was trying to kill him. But that didn't mean much, he was still in danger—his cub was still in danger—he had to act fast and get out.

"What offer?"

Greyback's arms crossed over his chest. "To have our proper place in the magical society! We have been forced into the dark by wizards for too long! The Dark Lord is promising werewolves a high place in his wizarding world. Join the pack, join this cause and you won't have to be living paycheck to paycheck anymore! Wouldn't have to hide anymore."

Remus wasn't sure if he imagined it, but he could have sworn he saw the yellow eyes flick to his midsection and linger there for a millisecond before returning to his own gaze. The mere thought that Greyback had been able to figure it out had Remus panicking; it felt as though someone had stuffed a pure wad of cotton in his mouth. He tried swallowing the dryness away, wincing as it caused the bruised muscles to contract.

Remus knew that Lord Voldemort hated werewolves and "half-breeds" as much as everyone else in the wizarding world; possibly more, now that he thought about it. But he also couldn't deny that they were powerful dark allies, especially if he had managed to recruit Greyback and his deranged pack. If he was attempting to gather werewolves as supporters, it was only for his own twisted gains. Greyback had given him this offer twice before; once shortly after he graduated from Hogwarts and again about a year and a half ago.

"I've told you twice already. My answer is no." He was proud that his voice was strong at the very least, he didn't need his voice shaking as badly as his hands were.

"Think carefully about this; if you reject me this time, I won't be asking the next time I come 'round." Greyback's eyes flashed dangerously, but Remus stood his ground.

"I have no interest in following you or that maniac. I am not a part of your pack. You can run to your master like a good dog and tell him you failed." Remus sneered at the man towering over him, the urge to protect himself and his cub outweighing his fear at the moment.

He heard the smack ringing through the alley before he felt the sting on his face or the blood welling up in his mouth. A rough hand was gripping his jaw, forcing him to look up into Greyback's eyes. He looked beyond enraged; if Lupin hadn't known what moon phase it was, he could have sworn Greyback was about to transform right there. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood as a growl rumbled deep in Greyback's throat. "If I were you," he snarled. "I'd learn to keep that tongue in check. It isn't a redeeming quality of yours and I doubt you'd want anyone else to learn behavior like that."

Remus gasped as a hand was roughly pressed to his stomach. He knows, was his only thought before Greyback stood up abruptly.

"I have better things to do than worry about some packless mongrel. You've made your choices, and you'll have to live with all of the outcomes. Hope it was worth it." And like that, the man turned on his boot heel and strode out of the alley, arm raised in a farewell gesture before the rain swallowed him.

Swearing to himself, Remus spat on the ground, watching the rain wash his blood down the nearest drain. All thoughts of food had left him as he sat in a puddle and let the rain fall on him. Should he go to the Aurors and report the attack? No…there was too much implications toward his pregnancy. Even Sirius wouldn't be able to deceive his curious colleagues with that much evidence to suggest an illegal werewolf pregnancy.

He would get sick if he just sat there in the rain like a fool though, even if it was letting up a bit now he was already soaked to the bone. After ten minutes of just sitting there allowing the shock and adrenaline to leave him, Remus finally stood up. There would be no way he could report the altercation with him and Greyback; besides, other than a stunner and a shield tossed up, there hadn't been any attacks. No, he couldn't tell the authorities…but there was someone he could talk to.

No attacks this time, Moony's words rang ominously in his head as he stumbled his way out of the alley and onto the main streets.

Remus ignored him as best he could, feet leading him to a completely different destination than the one he had earlier. He no longer cared about food. Only one thing mattered at this moment.

Where are we going? The cub needs food still.

"I will eat when I'm hungry again."

You are hungry. You're still filled with adrenaline.

"Shut up!"

And for once Moony did. He didn't even protest when they entered the shop, a bell chiming to signal the arrival of a customer. Remus stood in the entry of the shop, dripping water all over the floor, and waited.

"Yes, how may I assist—" Severus appeared from behind the curtain, separating the employee only section from the rest of the apothecary shop. "You." His eyes instantly hardened upon seeing the reason for his interruption.

"I need bruise balm." Remus was still reeling from shock to care that this was the first time he had been able to speak to Severus in months.

"For what?" Severus spat coldly. "Black too rough in the bedroom?"

Remus blinked, momentarily confused by the remark. Until he remembered how Moony had convinced Severus to leave him in the first place; with a lie about Remus cheating with Sirius. He was tired of lying to the man he loved and, since Moony was quiet for once, he was going to at least tell him the truth that he could. "I had an altercation with Greyback. He managed to get a grip on me." He moved the fabric of his cloak so that his neck was exposed, showing the myriad of purple and blue that was already covering his neck.

People could say whatever they wanted about Severus Snape, but the one thing that they absolutely could not say was that the man didn't care. Remus knew better than anyone what lengths the man would go to in order to help someone in need. He seriously doubted Severus would turn him away, especially since he knew how rare it was for Remus to seek out help. The silence in the room was heavy as the two men stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Ultimately, it was Severus who spun on his heel and began rummaging in some cabinets before he found the balm he was looking for.

Still silent, he walked up to the man and inspected the bruises, using two fingers to carefully tilt Remus' jaw from side to side. "Greyback?"

"Yes, he came to make me the offer again." Severus had been involved with Remus when Greyback came to him with the offer the other times, so thankfully Remus wouldn't have to go into much detail.

"And you refused."

It wasn't a question, but Remus still felt obligated to say, "Of course I refused…I want nothing to do with either of them." A chill ran through his body and he hugged himself to try and warm up.

"How long were you sitting in the rain?" Before Remus could register what Severus had asked, he felt a cool hand pressed to his forehead. "You have a bit of a fever. Sit."

He pushed a chair toward the blonde man and turned to fetch another potion. Bemused, Remus sank into the chair. He discreetly pinched his thigh to make sure that this was actually happening, though the pain in his neck and cheek should make it obvious that he was awake.

It was several minutes before Severus came back with the vials he had deemed necessary.

"Potions don't work on me," Remus reminded flatly, eying the vials which he was positive contained a fever reducer, a Pepper-Up, and a pain reliever.

Severus quirked an unamused eyebrow in response. "I know my…clients…"

The air was heavy between them and both rushed to avoid eye contact. Silently, the vials were pushed across the small table and Remus knew better than to refuse. With a shaking hand, he reached out and took them all, grimacing as he did so. He noticed that the potions were actually working, Severus must have tweaked these in particular for his werewolf clients. Severus was one of the most skilled potion makers in the country, well on his way to earning his Mastery, and as such had werewolves all over Europe ordering the Wolfsbane from him.

Once he had taken the potions, Severus passed over the bruise balm and observed as Remus applied it. The air was heavy after Remus spread the balm to the bruises, most of which had already faded to a sickly yellow. After a minute of the silence, the younger man cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "H-How much—?"

"No charge."

Surprised, Remus' blue eyes locked with onyx. "Why?"

A shrug that flowed seamlessly into a standing motion was his initial response. Remus had started to think that it was because the former Slytherin still harbored feelings for him? Hope pounded against his ribs and the truth was dancing on the tip of his tongue, ready to leap forward.

"You were attacked by a Death Eater, besides…you're broke. I might loathe you for what you did to me." Remus flinched as Severus' eyes flashed with intense emotion. "But that doesn't mean I want you on the street like a beggar, you'd be harder to ignore then if I passed you on the street every day." He began to gather up the empty vials, depositing them into a sink near the backroom.

"Severus…" Remus' hand had instinctively reached out toward him, but he found himself recoiling back as a wickedly fast stinging hex struck his outstretched hand.

Black eyes flashed dangerously, almost madly, as Severus holstered his wand. "You lost your right to call me that. If you ever think about trying to touch me again, I will not hesitate to—"

The bell over the door chimed and just like that, their encounter was over. It was almost as if Remus wasn't in the shop at all, for how little Severus paid him any regard. He knew that it was not wise to stay and try to continue or even start another conversation. As quietly as he could, Remus made his way to the door making sure to softly whisper "Thank you for the help," as it swung shut behind him.