Remus slipped into the Infirmary unnoticed. Careful not to disrupt the
nightly quiet, he reached a small, barely noticeable trapdoor in the far-
end wall, away from the infirmary beds. [Just like them to hide him like
that] he shuddered. No-one knew what had happened to the much-feared
Potions professor bar the staff. He tried to tell himself that it was all
for the best.
His hand trembled slightly over the door-handle. His face set, he pushed the door open, and entered. Shouldn't it have been locked? He dismissed the thought and looked around. Pale moonlight streamed into the small padded cell and over the man's empty features. He wasn't sleeping. Remus found himself wondering whether he ever slept at all. For now, he was staring at the intruder unblinkingly. [Brilliant Remus. Now what? What can you do?] He sat on the floor, level with the envelope of Severus Snape still staring at him.
And then something happened. For one instant, staring into the listless black pools of his companion's orbs, Remus picked out a glimmer that hadn't been there, that shouldn't have been there: warmth flickered in them, and something like recognition, at odds with his blank face and lack of movement. The werewolf blinked and stared intently in Severus'body's eyes. And again that shard of consciousness was there. Could it be true? Remus felt almost like crying with relief at seeing that spark of intelligence, which he had deemed impossible after the events of the previous month…
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand grabbed his wrist. He struggled desperately before realising that it belonged to the body facing him, and that the eyes were beckoning him to follow. He ceased to struggle and he thought he saw something akin to relief flooding in them. He was pulled to his feet, and gently tugged towards one of the cell walls. Remus drew in a shaky breath and nodded to the figure, before following it through the wall, which offered no resistance.
*******************
A month ago; nine PM.
Remus lifted his eyes to the clock above the mantelpiece for the hundredth time, idly wondering what the hell Severus could be up to. It was too late for him to be carving, assuredly, and he must have been out of the Forest… The things that prowled it at night could be dangerous even to a fully trained wizard.
"Nonsense, Severus had once told him after he expressed his fears, a few days ago. I'm the scariest thing in these woods when night falls. And I'm proud of it." He had grinned, and Remus had found it impossible to be angry at him.
Still… the Potions Master had never been that late. And furthermore, they were going to be late for that play, if he tallied further. Remus abruptly realised that he had been fidgeting nervously. He started to pace about the room. Well, if they wanted to get there on time, he would just have to go get Severus directly in the Forest. And it would assuage his fears at the same time, even if it made Sev mad that he was being treated like a four- year old… He bit back a smile, threw on a heavy cloak, present from the former, and left towards the clearing.
*****************
The hand on his arm was the only thing that kept him from panicking in the unfathomable darkness that surrounded them. About ten minutes had elapsed since they had left the Infirmary, and still they walked on, the hand guiding him patiently, and never saying a word. Just as Remus thought that he couldn't take anymore and was going to die of claustrophobia, they emerged into a place that seemed awfully familiar…. The clearing. They were in the clearing. He looked up at the dark figure standing beside him, and knew without a doubt that there was more in its mind than a screaming void. Logic denied it, but there must have been a glimmer of Severus Snape left, it least tonight.
But why had he been brought here? "Severus" ushered him into the shadows beneath the dense vegetation, and motioned for him to look to the centre. The carvings stood there, unblemished, glinting fantastically in the moonlight. A Shadow hovered over them, polishing them with minute flickers of wand than shone warmly in the surrounding darkness. Remus let out a strangled cry, and the figure behind him squeezed his shoulder slightly, though whether in comfort or in restrain, he wasn't sure.
Out of nowhere, another figure appeared, and soundlessly made its way towards the sculptor. A sick feeling twisted the werewolf's stomach as an elaborate motion of Severus' alight wand allowed him to see what it was. A dementor.
The man was humming softly under his breath a tune from a film they had seen together, and stood back to survey his work, satisfied. "Right. This time, it's ready…" And he froze. Turning on his heels composedly, he faced the dementor. Remus' breath caught in his throat.
A voice rang out from the darkness, echoing about the entire Forest. A voice brimming with hate and malice, but above all, sadistic satisfaction. "Ah, your masterpiece, is it not? I *wonder* why you kept that from me… Severus my pet, why *exactly* would you do something like that, hmm?" The voice chuckled, then hissed abruptly "Enough. I have no patience for traitors. Crucio." The words rang eerily in the night air, and the figure behind Remus squirmed uneasily as its counterpart fell to the ground, struggling madly not to cry out, not to give his Master that satisfaction. The dementor had not moved.
After a while, that seemed an eternity to Remus, still retrained by his companion, the Dark Lord muttered a reluctant "Finite Incantatem", followed by a full body-bind. "Since that doesn't elicit as much response as I would like… I'll just have to resort to other means, I guess…". Severus was abruptly thrown against a tree, as the dementor made its war towards the model wood carving, hand raised. The thing caught fire instantly. The Potions Master ceased to struggle against the spell and watched in morbid fascination as the flames licked the base of the ice carving, melting it slightly our of shape. He let out a strangled gasp, as fell back limply against the tree.
Enraged, Remus flew out of his hiding place, out of his guide's grasp, throwing himself against the dementor and… passing swiftly though it, unnoticed. He stumbled back at Severus' feet, who still hung limply there, eyes closed to block out the sight of his work being consumed by the flames. In shock, Remus, reached out to him, his hand brushing through the other man's arm apparently unheeded. [What does this mean? What am I doing here, where is…] He spotted Severus' counterpart hovering towards the tree, his expression blank, as ever. Just as he was about to turn to him for answers, words reaches his ears from the tree.
"I'm sorry Remus, so sorry…" in a barely audible whisper. Severus looked immensely tired. It took Remus a second to realise that the words were not addressed directly to him. He looked in question at his guide, who merely nodded wearily, and motioned for him to stand back.
The dementor stalked to the Potions Master and its form loomed over him briefly, face level with his. Remus knew what was coming. The dementor would disappear, and he himself would reach the clearing, finding Severus sprawled across the Forest floor in the middle of the blazing clearing, the mindless victim of the dementor's kiss. His eyes blurred, and he sensed the hand returning to his arm, guiding him away.
The hand left him a few seconds later, and he opened his eyes to find himself floating in front of Hogwarts, Severus' "body" in front of him, regarding him with a shrewd expression. It muttered in a breath
"I did what I could. I'm sorry…"
"I can't hold you responsible, can I? I've missed you." Remus' voice broke slightly.
The spectre smiled sadly, becoming more and more indistinct.
"You're dying"
"I know."
*****************
Remus floated outside his window, facing himself, still seated inside. His eyes were closed, and he was deathly pale… he snorted, realising that he *was* dead.
A single tear glistened like a jewel for a second on his cheek before trailing down, leaving a small silver streak across his prematurely wizened face. Outside, the first twirling snowflakes plummeted to earth, shining purely for a split second before they reached the ground. Just as his hopes once had.
Maybe that was all for the best. Tomorrow, they would find nothing but a dead body in the Infirmary, where what was left of Severus "lived". And they would find his in his room, facing out to the window, a goblet wolfsbane in hand. And they would be free from all this. What could possibly await him now that was worse than this last month? He smiled as he started to fade.
THE END.
A/N: Well, that's it. I hope it wasn't too corny at the end… I'm sorry, I couldn't bring myself to have them both setting off together into the sunset… *grins*. And, I'm proud of one thing: their relationship was just as ambiguous as it had been during the entire fic!!!!! So, was this slash or was it not? Huh? That's for you to decide…
Don't forget my lil challenge, right?
Seeya all.. I hope!
Unseen
His hand trembled slightly over the door-handle. His face set, he pushed the door open, and entered. Shouldn't it have been locked? He dismissed the thought and looked around. Pale moonlight streamed into the small padded cell and over the man's empty features. He wasn't sleeping. Remus found himself wondering whether he ever slept at all. For now, he was staring at the intruder unblinkingly. [Brilliant Remus. Now what? What can you do?] He sat on the floor, level with the envelope of Severus Snape still staring at him.
And then something happened. For one instant, staring into the listless black pools of his companion's orbs, Remus picked out a glimmer that hadn't been there, that shouldn't have been there: warmth flickered in them, and something like recognition, at odds with his blank face and lack of movement. The werewolf blinked and stared intently in Severus'body's eyes. And again that shard of consciousness was there. Could it be true? Remus felt almost like crying with relief at seeing that spark of intelligence, which he had deemed impossible after the events of the previous month…
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hand grabbed his wrist. He struggled desperately before realising that it belonged to the body facing him, and that the eyes were beckoning him to follow. He ceased to struggle and he thought he saw something akin to relief flooding in them. He was pulled to his feet, and gently tugged towards one of the cell walls. Remus drew in a shaky breath and nodded to the figure, before following it through the wall, which offered no resistance.
*******************
A month ago; nine PM.
Remus lifted his eyes to the clock above the mantelpiece for the hundredth time, idly wondering what the hell Severus could be up to. It was too late for him to be carving, assuredly, and he must have been out of the Forest… The things that prowled it at night could be dangerous even to a fully trained wizard.
"Nonsense, Severus had once told him after he expressed his fears, a few days ago. I'm the scariest thing in these woods when night falls. And I'm proud of it." He had grinned, and Remus had found it impossible to be angry at him.
Still… the Potions Master had never been that late. And furthermore, they were going to be late for that play, if he tallied further. Remus abruptly realised that he had been fidgeting nervously. He started to pace about the room. Well, if they wanted to get there on time, he would just have to go get Severus directly in the Forest. And it would assuage his fears at the same time, even if it made Sev mad that he was being treated like a four- year old… He bit back a smile, threw on a heavy cloak, present from the former, and left towards the clearing.
*****************
The hand on his arm was the only thing that kept him from panicking in the unfathomable darkness that surrounded them. About ten minutes had elapsed since they had left the Infirmary, and still they walked on, the hand guiding him patiently, and never saying a word. Just as Remus thought that he couldn't take anymore and was going to die of claustrophobia, they emerged into a place that seemed awfully familiar…. The clearing. They were in the clearing. He looked up at the dark figure standing beside him, and knew without a doubt that there was more in its mind than a screaming void. Logic denied it, but there must have been a glimmer of Severus Snape left, it least tonight.
But why had he been brought here? "Severus" ushered him into the shadows beneath the dense vegetation, and motioned for him to look to the centre. The carvings stood there, unblemished, glinting fantastically in the moonlight. A Shadow hovered over them, polishing them with minute flickers of wand than shone warmly in the surrounding darkness. Remus let out a strangled cry, and the figure behind him squeezed his shoulder slightly, though whether in comfort or in restrain, he wasn't sure.
Out of nowhere, another figure appeared, and soundlessly made its way towards the sculptor. A sick feeling twisted the werewolf's stomach as an elaborate motion of Severus' alight wand allowed him to see what it was. A dementor.
The man was humming softly under his breath a tune from a film they had seen together, and stood back to survey his work, satisfied. "Right. This time, it's ready…" And he froze. Turning on his heels composedly, he faced the dementor. Remus' breath caught in his throat.
A voice rang out from the darkness, echoing about the entire Forest. A voice brimming with hate and malice, but above all, sadistic satisfaction. "Ah, your masterpiece, is it not? I *wonder* why you kept that from me… Severus my pet, why *exactly* would you do something like that, hmm?" The voice chuckled, then hissed abruptly "Enough. I have no patience for traitors. Crucio." The words rang eerily in the night air, and the figure behind Remus squirmed uneasily as its counterpart fell to the ground, struggling madly not to cry out, not to give his Master that satisfaction. The dementor had not moved.
After a while, that seemed an eternity to Remus, still retrained by his companion, the Dark Lord muttered a reluctant "Finite Incantatem", followed by a full body-bind. "Since that doesn't elicit as much response as I would like… I'll just have to resort to other means, I guess…". Severus was abruptly thrown against a tree, as the dementor made its war towards the model wood carving, hand raised. The thing caught fire instantly. The Potions Master ceased to struggle against the spell and watched in morbid fascination as the flames licked the base of the ice carving, melting it slightly our of shape. He let out a strangled gasp, as fell back limply against the tree.
Enraged, Remus flew out of his hiding place, out of his guide's grasp, throwing himself against the dementor and… passing swiftly though it, unnoticed. He stumbled back at Severus' feet, who still hung limply there, eyes closed to block out the sight of his work being consumed by the flames. In shock, Remus, reached out to him, his hand brushing through the other man's arm apparently unheeded. [What does this mean? What am I doing here, where is…] He spotted Severus' counterpart hovering towards the tree, his expression blank, as ever. Just as he was about to turn to him for answers, words reaches his ears from the tree.
"I'm sorry Remus, so sorry…" in a barely audible whisper. Severus looked immensely tired. It took Remus a second to realise that the words were not addressed directly to him. He looked in question at his guide, who merely nodded wearily, and motioned for him to stand back.
The dementor stalked to the Potions Master and its form loomed over him briefly, face level with his. Remus knew what was coming. The dementor would disappear, and he himself would reach the clearing, finding Severus sprawled across the Forest floor in the middle of the blazing clearing, the mindless victim of the dementor's kiss. His eyes blurred, and he sensed the hand returning to his arm, guiding him away.
The hand left him a few seconds later, and he opened his eyes to find himself floating in front of Hogwarts, Severus' "body" in front of him, regarding him with a shrewd expression. It muttered in a breath
"I did what I could. I'm sorry…"
"I can't hold you responsible, can I? I've missed you." Remus' voice broke slightly.
The spectre smiled sadly, becoming more and more indistinct.
"You're dying"
"I know."
*****************
Remus floated outside his window, facing himself, still seated inside. His eyes were closed, and he was deathly pale… he snorted, realising that he *was* dead.
A single tear glistened like a jewel for a second on his cheek before trailing down, leaving a small silver streak across his prematurely wizened face. Outside, the first twirling snowflakes plummeted to earth, shining purely for a split second before they reached the ground. Just as his hopes once had.
Maybe that was all for the best. Tomorrow, they would find nothing but a dead body in the Infirmary, where what was left of Severus "lived". And they would find his in his room, facing out to the window, a goblet wolfsbane in hand. And they would be free from all this. What could possibly await him now that was worse than this last month? He smiled as he started to fade.
THE END.
A/N: Well, that's it. I hope it wasn't too corny at the end… I'm sorry, I couldn't bring myself to have them both setting off together into the sunset… *grins*. And, I'm proud of one thing: their relationship was just as ambiguous as it had been during the entire fic!!!!! So, was this slash or was it not? Huh? That's for you to decide…
Don't forget my lil challenge, right?
Seeya all.. I hope!
Unseen
