Disclaimer: See previous Ch.s
Severus was sitting alone in the staff room, enjoying a rare moment of lonely peace on a Saturday. As per usual, the moment was cut short by the interruption of another person. He sipped his tea and turned towards the door to see Remus Lupin staring at him. "Yes?" he hissed, annoyed that he couldn't even enjoy a full minute of peace without locking himself in a room.
Remus didn't answer but strode quickly across the room and sat in a large chair opposite Severus.
"Do have a purpose or are you just here to breach the peace?" Severus hissed again.
Remus cocked his head to the side. The mannerism was rather reminiscent of Arduine, Severus noticed. "We have more in common than you'd like to think." Lupin said.
"Really? Do enlighten me..." Severus wasn't sure where Remus was going, but he was going to be on full alert the whole way there.
And then Remus pulled out a surprise ace. "Arduine." he said simply.
Some blood drained from Severus's face, but he generally kept his composure. "What abour our resident Amazon Queen?" he even managed to keep the regular amount of acid in his voice, even though his mind was reeling with possibilities of how the man across from him would know of that past.
"I'm just making sure that you are not going to make what is already a horrible time for her here even worse by making her relive what you put her through. I care about her." Remus's face was dark. Severus couldn't remember if he had ever seen the man so intent on one purpose.
Severus's eyes narrowed. "I do not intend to repeat history." he hissed, ready to strike if Remus doubted him. He tried to ignore the little whisper in his mind that told him that he cared about her too.
"Good. She does not need any more obstaces in her journey to defeat Nocens."
"Dumbledore has already given me this lecture." Severus rose. "I do not need it repeated to me as were I a child." he spat out at the other man. Severus left the room in a flurry of angry robes.
He marched down the hallways, any students in his path invariably jumped away to let him pass. How did Remus Lupin know of what happened? And how did he know Arduine? And what makes him think that history would repeat itself? Severus fumed with anger and confusion. He wasn't even sure where he was going until he looked up and saw the door to the infirmary in front of him.
He opened the door and flew past Madam Pomfrey, ignoring her protests. He opened the door to Arduine's room and slammed it behind him. "How in the world do you know Remus Lupin? And why does he know about what..." Severus's rage subsided as he searched for words. He slumped down into the chair.
Arduine had jumped at the abrupt intrusion upon her space, but settled herself for an important explination. "He is my friend. I thought it important to tell him. He had already known about... the rape."
Severus just looked confused and drained.
"He wandered into our village not long after he left Hogwarts. After the rest of the Marauders were locked away or dead he took to the forests. He journeyed deep into unkown forests to make sure that he didn't harm humans at the full moon. And then he came upon Locusani." Arduine swung her legs out from under the sheets and let them dangle towards the floor. "We helped him and, to everyone's surprise, could restrain him with our magic and our strength during the full moon. He left four years ago to find Sirius after his break out from Azkaban."
Severus had put a hand to his head and was rubbing one of his temples. "Too many surprises..." he mumbled to himself.
"I told Remus because we are great friends. He is the only other person who knows about what happened. And he will never tell anyone, he knows how much I trust him." She hopped down off the bed and padded over the cold floor to Severus's side. She crouched down and looked up at him. "I'm sorry if what I did troubles you."
He looked down at her. "It is fine. I was just taken by surprise when Remus approached me. It was the last thing I expected him to pull on me."
Arduine closed her eyes for a moment. Severus's hand was just beneath her face, resting idly on the arm of the chair. She could smell his skin. Familiar, yet new, it reminded her of the ancient redwood and cypress around her village. Then it hit her like a brick wall, arousal.
She had been crouched there for a long time, by Severus's standards. Once she closed her eyes he couldn't help but just watch her, wondering what she was thinking. His eyes wandered over her features, how peaceful and calm she looked, whatever she was thinking. He remembered her lying in her bed, what he thought was unconscious, and how beautiful she had looked. Awake, she was even more alluring.
Then her face had shot up and her eyes locked with his. She gracefully stood and walked back to the bed, taking her usual seat. Severus was at a loss to what had broken the moment.
Arduine walked back inside herself as she sat on the bed. She looked up to Severus, sitting in his chair, and felt her own desire within her. It was not supposed to work this way. This is not normal. And this cannot happen. "Sometimes I think the Fates play games with me..." she smiled weakly.
Severus just barely heard her. "They are three interesting personalities, with a bizzare sense of humour." He wasn't quite sure as to why she had stated such, but he knew better than to pry. "I must go. I have to get to Hogsmeade before dinner. I will see you later." The last words came out as a question rather than the statement he had intended.
"Yes. Good bye, Severus." She nodded to him and half-smiled, still caught up in her own thoughts.
He bowed slightly as a return, but she was off somewhere else, distant. Without another word he left the room.
Severus was sitting alone in the staff room, enjoying a rare moment of lonely peace on a Saturday. As per usual, the moment was cut short by the interruption of another person. He sipped his tea and turned towards the door to see Remus Lupin staring at him. "Yes?" he hissed, annoyed that he couldn't even enjoy a full minute of peace without locking himself in a room.
Remus didn't answer but strode quickly across the room and sat in a large chair opposite Severus.
"Do have a purpose or are you just here to breach the peace?" Severus hissed again.
Remus cocked his head to the side. The mannerism was rather reminiscent of Arduine, Severus noticed. "We have more in common than you'd like to think." Lupin said.
"Really? Do enlighten me..." Severus wasn't sure where Remus was going, but he was going to be on full alert the whole way there.
And then Remus pulled out a surprise ace. "Arduine." he said simply.
Some blood drained from Severus's face, but he generally kept his composure. "What abour our resident Amazon Queen?" he even managed to keep the regular amount of acid in his voice, even though his mind was reeling with possibilities of how the man across from him would know of that past.
"I'm just making sure that you are not going to make what is already a horrible time for her here even worse by making her relive what you put her through. I care about her." Remus's face was dark. Severus couldn't remember if he had ever seen the man so intent on one purpose.
Severus's eyes narrowed. "I do not intend to repeat history." he hissed, ready to strike if Remus doubted him. He tried to ignore the little whisper in his mind that told him that he cared about her too.
"Good. She does not need any more obstaces in her journey to defeat Nocens."
"Dumbledore has already given me this lecture." Severus rose. "I do not need it repeated to me as were I a child." he spat out at the other man. Severus left the room in a flurry of angry robes.
He marched down the hallways, any students in his path invariably jumped away to let him pass. How did Remus Lupin know of what happened? And how did he know Arduine? And what makes him think that history would repeat itself? Severus fumed with anger and confusion. He wasn't even sure where he was going until he looked up and saw the door to the infirmary in front of him.
He opened the door and flew past Madam Pomfrey, ignoring her protests. He opened the door to Arduine's room and slammed it behind him. "How in the world do you know Remus Lupin? And why does he know about what..." Severus's rage subsided as he searched for words. He slumped down into the chair.
Arduine had jumped at the abrupt intrusion upon her space, but settled herself for an important explination. "He is my friend. I thought it important to tell him. He had already known about... the rape."
Severus just looked confused and drained.
"He wandered into our village not long after he left Hogwarts. After the rest of the Marauders were locked away or dead he took to the forests. He journeyed deep into unkown forests to make sure that he didn't harm humans at the full moon. And then he came upon Locusani." Arduine swung her legs out from under the sheets and let them dangle towards the floor. "We helped him and, to everyone's surprise, could restrain him with our magic and our strength during the full moon. He left four years ago to find Sirius after his break out from Azkaban."
Severus had put a hand to his head and was rubbing one of his temples. "Too many surprises..." he mumbled to himself.
"I told Remus because we are great friends. He is the only other person who knows about what happened. And he will never tell anyone, he knows how much I trust him." She hopped down off the bed and padded over the cold floor to Severus's side. She crouched down and looked up at him. "I'm sorry if what I did troubles you."
He looked down at her. "It is fine. I was just taken by surprise when Remus approached me. It was the last thing I expected him to pull on me."
Arduine closed her eyes for a moment. Severus's hand was just beneath her face, resting idly on the arm of the chair. She could smell his skin. Familiar, yet new, it reminded her of the ancient redwood and cypress around her village. Then it hit her like a brick wall, arousal.
She had been crouched there for a long time, by Severus's standards. Once she closed her eyes he couldn't help but just watch her, wondering what she was thinking. His eyes wandered over her features, how peaceful and calm she looked, whatever she was thinking. He remembered her lying in her bed, what he thought was unconscious, and how beautiful she had looked. Awake, she was even more alluring.
Then her face had shot up and her eyes locked with his. She gracefully stood and walked back to the bed, taking her usual seat. Severus was at a loss to what had broken the moment.
Arduine walked back inside herself as she sat on the bed. She looked up to Severus, sitting in his chair, and felt her own desire within her. It was not supposed to work this way. This is not normal. And this cannot happen. "Sometimes I think the Fates play games with me..." she smiled weakly.
Severus just barely heard her. "They are three interesting personalities, with a bizzare sense of humour." He wasn't quite sure as to why she had stated such, but he knew better than to pry. "I must go. I have to get to Hogsmeade before dinner. I will see you later." The last words came out as a question rather than the statement he had intended.
"Yes. Good bye, Severus." She nodded to him and half-smiled, still caught up in her own thoughts.
He bowed slightly as a return, but she was off somewhere else, distant. Without another word he left the room.