The area of Belgium where French is normally spoken is - I'm pretty sure - the main farming area. Isn't it?

Chapter 28: Rump Logic

They went to bed together that night, spooned within each other, the contact soothing and comfortable rather than reminiscent of daker memories. Or, at any rate, so Remus hoped. Still, Severus didn't seem to mind and they both managed to sleep rather well.

The morning brought a heavy, pale yellow sort of light filtering through the windows. Remus noted that Severus was still slumbering away, looking rather peaceful.

Taking the initiative, the werewolf swooped down and kissed him gently on the cheek. Snape stirred, mumbled and then shifted further onto his side, away from Remus. The werewolf smiled then snuggled up closer to him.

"Morning, Severus," he murmured wickedly into the man's ear.

"Go *away*."

"Sure?"

"I just want to *sleep*." There was a pause. "Now piss off and leave me be."

~

If anyone had been around early enough in the morning, they would have seen two men with armfuls of food making their way upstairs.They would have also registered with some surprise, that both men were giggling.

~

"So," Remus said, grinning, bread crumbs spraying as he spoke.

"So?"

"When did you find out that you were gay?"

Snape paused. "Rather early on. But I thought it was something to do with Dumbledore, which improved things to no end..."

"Really?"

He nodded. "You have no idea... the feeling of being unclean... it's indescribable..." he took another bite of his toast. "Now that I can rationalise it... think about it clearly.. rather clinically, to be honest, but even so... I felt I was on a different level from everyone else. It was the only special attention I got, apart from my sister, yet it made me feel so dirty. And *that* made me feel bad because it meant I was being ungrateful..."

Remus dusted his hands. "I see..."

"... so when my sexuality came into it," he gave a dry laugh. "I thought it was the by-product of the whole affair."

"Several psychologists would say it was."

"They *would*," Snape said contemptuously. "They'd also say that homosexuals are incapable of having long-term relationships and are just hetrosexuals who are either confused or who *think* they're homosexual. See, that's the way it works."

"Of course."

"And if they were right," the Potions Master went on. "I'd be sexually abusing that nice young Harry too, wouldn't I? I'd be a neurotic wreck who masturbates in the dark of the night and reads pornography from alley way pamphlets."

They sipped their tea.

~

"Don't you have lessons?" Remus asked.

"Yes."

"Why aren't you at them?"

"Special favour from Dumbledore."

~

The werewolf stroked the other man's hair. "It's very nice, you know."

"Thank you."

"Mmm... gorgeous... so soft..."

"Remus..."

He entwined his fingers further.

"No, Remus, stop... you're beginning to scare me..."

"Beautiful...beautiful...beautiful..."

"Remus, I'll be getting knots..."

"Hair hair..."

"Remus!"

~

They lay there on the bed, side by side. Severus turned to Lupin. "That drunken one-night stand thing..."

"Mm-Hm."

"Do you remember anything from it?"

There was a pause.

"No." Another pause. "Why?"

"Just wondering."

~

"What would you have done if I did?"

~

"When did *you* find out that you were gay?" Snape asked.

"I must have been.... fifteen...."

"Mmm... I beat you to it."

"You had help," Remus said without thinking. Snape stiffened beside him. "I'm sorry... It slipped out--"

"It's alright..."

"Well..." Remus continued. "I had a crush on this boy... a *real* crush."

"No!"

"Shut up."

Snape sniggered.

"I thought he was everything... what he ate, how he dressed, how I looked to him... What about yours?"

"Mine?"

"First crush."

A rather deadly silence followed.

"A boy."

~

They sent down the breakfast things to the kitchens via the handy little portholes in the wall of the bedroom. Severus had said a firm no to ordering lunch: as he wasn't doing anything, he couldn't afford to eat all three meals, or he'd feel spectacularly ill by the end of the day.

Together, they played several games of chess (twelve in total; Severus won ten of them). They also journeyed through the small behind-the-walls staircases, up to the Owlery (where they gazed at the clouds and lake) then down to the dungeons, to prepare several kilos of mandrake flesh for Madam Pomfrey and eventually concot a base for a wolfsbane potion, that Severus could keep for sometime in the future.

After their toiling in the dungeons, they returned to the rooms and - after a rather marvellous mix of persuasion and bribery (wheedling, much to Remus' disgust, took a large part in it as well) - took a look at some of the photos of the Snapes.

Unlike the first one he had seen, these were all in informal settings. Remus liked the photos of Severus' parents when they were together, the most.

"What happened to your mother after he died?" He asked.

Severus sighed. "Wasted away. She actually died of ovarian cancer, but she was so drained by then, there wasn't much of a chance. It was probably the treatment itself that harmed her the most, rather than the illness. Ironic, I suppose."

Remus laid a hand on top of Snape's. "Were you close?"

"Had to be, after my father died." He shrugged.

"How old were you when she died?"

"Mmm... just turned 16, I think." Remus could tell that Severus was being rather vague quite deliberately, so he stopped.

~

"Should we get supper?" Lupin asked, straightening the sheets on the bed. Snape was packing the chess pieces *properly*. Rat had also arrived and was nibbling at the 'fluffy green leaves' that the rodent called lettuce.

"Later."

"Do you want me to see to it?"

"Yes. Something light, please. The breakfast was too long and large, anyway, and I haven't done any real exercise, either."

"Alright. Just bread, cheese and appleas affair, then?" Remus grinned.

"Farmer's boy, aren't you?"

"Probably: it's the Belgian in me."

~

He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled. "I love the way your hair smells."

"Thank you." Snape pulled away. "Are you sure you want to stay here for the night again?"

"You know I'd love to."

"You can sleep on the floor, this time, then."

Remus narrowed his eyes and to his surprise, Severus smiled maliciously at him. "That wasn't very nice, Severus." The werewolf said, a mock- disapproving note in his voice.

Severus kissed him, gently and letting it linger. The werewolf felt his lips tingle as they pulled away.

"Another one, please?" He whispered.

A snort. "Only if you're good."

*

What should I say? Thank you to all who have sent me e-mails, etc etc... reviews... sorry this took it's time coming. Had a bit of trouble uploading the document on the manager. Jesus.