Chapter 5
Moody had returned to wherever it was he lurked when he wasn't at Hogwarts or Grimmauld Place, Shacklebolt had returned to his small home in wizarding London, and the Weasleys had retired to the Burrow. McGonagall and Dumbledore had taken over the vacated chairs in front of the fireplace, and McGonagall snored softly. Dumbledore was still awake, the flickering flames reflecting off of his silver rimmed spectacles. Remus quietly took the third chair, an overstuffed, blue leather monstrosity, and sat in silence for several moments before turning to the Headmaster.
"Albus, we need to talk." He glanced towards Snape, who was still face down on the table, before continuing. "I think there's something wrong with Severus." He looked at Dumbledore, who continued to gaze into the heart of the fire. Remus was about to say something more when Dumbledore cleared his throat and sat back in his burgundy corduroy armchair.
"I am happy that you can continue to feel compassion towards Severus, despite his undeniably irascible nature." Remus almost sighed at Dumbledore's usual circumlocution.
"Albus, what can be done?"
Dumbledore took a sip of his tea. "Severus is a very difficult person to help, as I'm sure you have had occasion to notice."
Remus was starting to feel that he wasn't going to get a straightforward answer from the old wizard. "In the hall, before you found us, he suddenly turned around and started reeking of dark magic. I thought he was going to curse me, but... well, one moment he was just walking, and the next..."
He trailed off as a low moan reached them from the staff table, but Snape did not wake up. "And now he's passed out on the table. I've never seen him drink more than a glass of wine before, but when I went to get him in his rooms, he could barely stand. What are you playing at, letting him get into this state?" Remus worked to contain his anger. "What would have happened in the corridor if you hadn't shown up?"
Dumbledore stirred, then slipped a length of dark oak from his sleeve. "Unless he has suddenly developed a talent for planned wandless magic, very little."
Remus felt his anger drain away, and he was suddenly overcome by a bone deep weariness. Of ::course:: Dumbledore had everything under his thumb. He sat back in his armchair and closed his eyes. "Albus, I should have known you would have everything under control. But..."
"Remus, I understand." Dumbledore balanced his cup on the arm of his chair. "Your concern is well placed. It shows true heart to be able to look outside of oneself to see the problems of others."
"Albus, he's passed out drunk on the table! You'd have to be blind not to notice!" Remus hissed, mindful of the sleeping McGonagall.
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "And yet you are the only person to express any form of concern." Remus felt the discussion leaving the topic of Snape and refocusing on himself. He almost sighed in frustration.
"What about Severus? Are you just going to let him do this? What if he's summoned?"
"I will do everything in my power to protect him from Voldemort. However, I can do little to protect him from himself." Dumbledore turned back to contemplate the shifting flames.
"But he respects you. He - he would do almost anything for you," Remus pleaded, shoving down the thought of Snape telling the slytherins about Remus' lycanthropy. "If you told him to stop, he would."
"Ah, Remus. The only people who can save one from oneself is their friends, and he has precious few of those."
"He doesn't make it particularly easy to be his friend, though, does he?" Remus groused. "I've tried, but he's... really bitter about James and Sirius, and everything." He felt a flash of shame at the thought of himself turning a blind eye on his friends' childhood antics.
"Severus carries many demons, and he bears them alone."
The two sat in silence until the fire had almost died out. Remus dozed, and at some point Dumbledore woke McGonagall and the two left him asleep in the chair.
*********
Snape gradually woke in the dark staff room. The fire had been banked and glowed dully - light shining through bloody glass - and the room had the quiet peacefulness of early morning. He momentarily wondered why he was asleep in the staff room, but his foggy brain soon gave up trying to figure it out.
With a groan he stretched and tried to stand without jarring his head. He had succeeded and was heading toward the door when a throat was cleared - stand and take your punishment like a pureblood wizard, boy - behind him. He ignored it and continued attempting to navigate the clutter of mismatched armchairs and reading tables.
"Severus." It was that damnable werewolf again. Snape paused for a moment before continuing toward the door. "Snape, I would like to talk to you."
Snape felt a flash of anger. Why was it always that beast? "I don't make a habit of cov-conversing with animals." He only stumbled slightly as he continued moving toward the door.
Remus watched the haggard slytherin. "Severus, just sit down for a moment."
Snape felt his face flush. "I believe I have spent enough time in your company for one day," he hissed. He bared his teeth in anger as the werewolf crossed his path and blocked the door to the staff room. "M-move out of my way, Lupin."
Snape reached for his wand and found his sleeve empty, and a wave of fear set his head pounding again. "What did you do with my wand?!" he spat, steadying himself on a nearby chair back. Lupin stood calmly and Snape's fear was compounded by helplessness. Without his wand, his voice was his only - rolling, jaundiced eye and snapping, foaming jaws - defense.
"Severus, let's sit down for a moment -"
"Where is my wand?!" He felt something ::give:: behind his eyes and the fireplace suddenly roared with flames. His vision blurred and he almost cried with frustration - why did this have to happen now? His hands and feet were icy, his bones throbbed, and his fingers itched with repressed dark magic.
A sudden mental image of the hated werewolf writhing beneath the Cruciatus curse tightened his stomach and chest with need, but he covered his head with his hands and tried to block it out. Can't go back... Need the heroin... losing control....
"L-l-let me out!" He groaned, rubbing at his face in agony. "N-now! I - I need -" He shuddered and groaned again, screwing his eyes shut. "P- please..."
*********
Remus was struck dumb by Snape's plea. He had never heard the arrogant dark wizard ask please of anyone but Dumbledore.
He had moved to intercept Snape on his way to the door and the pale man had reached for his wand. The metallic stench of gathering black magic had curdled in Remus' nose and then the fire had flared in the fireplace: Remus felt a jolt of real fear at the thought of the potential of uncontrolled magic.
He had been about to draw his own wand when Snape had suddenly fallen to his knees and begged - begged! - to be released, as if he was trapped in a shrinking cage of molten steel. Remus spun around and pushed the staff room door open.
"Sev - Snape! What do you need?!" He felt desperate - death and illness had always held a particular horror for Remus. The man huddled on the floor exhaled sharply and crumpled, as if the cage had collapsed around him and slathered him with fire.
"I-i-in .... d-d-desk..."
"In your office?"
"...please..."
Remus whipped around and took off for the dungeons.
*********
Moody had returned to wherever it was he lurked when he wasn't at Hogwarts or Grimmauld Place, Shacklebolt had returned to his small home in wizarding London, and the Weasleys had retired to the Burrow. McGonagall and Dumbledore had taken over the vacated chairs in front of the fireplace, and McGonagall snored softly. Dumbledore was still awake, the flickering flames reflecting off of his silver rimmed spectacles. Remus quietly took the third chair, an overstuffed, blue leather monstrosity, and sat in silence for several moments before turning to the Headmaster.
"Albus, we need to talk." He glanced towards Snape, who was still face down on the table, before continuing. "I think there's something wrong with Severus." He looked at Dumbledore, who continued to gaze into the heart of the fire. Remus was about to say something more when Dumbledore cleared his throat and sat back in his burgundy corduroy armchair.
"I am happy that you can continue to feel compassion towards Severus, despite his undeniably irascible nature." Remus almost sighed at Dumbledore's usual circumlocution.
"Albus, what can be done?"
Dumbledore took a sip of his tea. "Severus is a very difficult person to help, as I'm sure you have had occasion to notice."
Remus was starting to feel that he wasn't going to get a straightforward answer from the old wizard. "In the hall, before you found us, he suddenly turned around and started reeking of dark magic. I thought he was going to curse me, but... well, one moment he was just walking, and the next..."
He trailed off as a low moan reached them from the staff table, but Snape did not wake up. "And now he's passed out on the table. I've never seen him drink more than a glass of wine before, but when I went to get him in his rooms, he could barely stand. What are you playing at, letting him get into this state?" Remus worked to contain his anger. "What would have happened in the corridor if you hadn't shown up?"
Dumbledore stirred, then slipped a length of dark oak from his sleeve. "Unless he has suddenly developed a talent for planned wandless magic, very little."
Remus felt his anger drain away, and he was suddenly overcome by a bone deep weariness. Of ::course:: Dumbledore had everything under his thumb. He sat back in his armchair and closed his eyes. "Albus, I should have known you would have everything under control. But..."
"Remus, I understand." Dumbledore balanced his cup on the arm of his chair. "Your concern is well placed. It shows true heart to be able to look outside of oneself to see the problems of others."
"Albus, he's passed out drunk on the table! You'd have to be blind not to notice!" Remus hissed, mindful of the sleeping McGonagall.
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "And yet you are the only person to express any form of concern." Remus felt the discussion leaving the topic of Snape and refocusing on himself. He almost sighed in frustration.
"What about Severus? Are you just going to let him do this? What if he's summoned?"
"I will do everything in my power to protect him from Voldemort. However, I can do little to protect him from himself." Dumbledore turned back to contemplate the shifting flames.
"But he respects you. He - he would do almost anything for you," Remus pleaded, shoving down the thought of Snape telling the slytherins about Remus' lycanthropy. "If you told him to stop, he would."
"Ah, Remus. The only people who can save one from oneself is their friends, and he has precious few of those."
"He doesn't make it particularly easy to be his friend, though, does he?" Remus groused. "I've tried, but he's... really bitter about James and Sirius, and everything." He felt a flash of shame at the thought of himself turning a blind eye on his friends' childhood antics.
"Severus carries many demons, and he bears them alone."
The two sat in silence until the fire had almost died out. Remus dozed, and at some point Dumbledore woke McGonagall and the two left him asleep in the chair.
*********
Snape gradually woke in the dark staff room. The fire had been banked and glowed dully - light shining through bloody glass - and the room had the quiet peacefulness of early morning. He momentarily wondered why he was asleep in the staff room, but his foggy brain soon gave up trying to figure it out.
With a groan he stretched and tried to stand without jarring his head. He had succeeded and was heading toward the door when a throat was cleared - stand and take your punishment like a pureblood wizard, boy - behind him. He ignored it and continued attempting to navigate the clutter of mismatched armchairs and reading tables.
"Severus." It was that damnable werewolf again. Snape paused for a moment before continuing toward the door. "Snape, I would like to talk to you."
Snape felt a flash of anger. Why was it always that beast? "I don't make a habit of cov-conversing with animals." He only stumbled slightly as he continued moving toward the door.
Remus watched the haggard slytherin. "Severus, just sit down for a moment."
Snape felt his face flush. "I believe I have spent enough time in your company for one day," he hissed. He bared his teeth in anger as the werewolf crossed his path and blocked the door to the staff room. "M-move out of my way, Lupin."
Snape reached for his wand and found his sleeve empty, and a wave of fear set his head pounding again. "What did you do with my wand?!" he spat, steadying himself on a nearby chair back. Lupin stood calmly and Snape's fear was compounded by helplessness. Without his wand, his voice was his only - rolling, jaundiced eye and snapping, foaming jaws - defense.
"Severus, let's sit down for a moment -"
"Where is my wand?!" He felt something ::give:: behind his eyes and the fireplace suddenly roared with flames. His vision blurred and he almost cried with frustration - why did this have to happen now? His hands and feet were icy, his bones throbbed, and his fingers itched with repressed dark magic.
A sudden mental image of the hated werewolf writhing beneath the Cruciatus curse tightened his stomach and chest with need, but he covered his head with his hands and tried to block it out. Can't go back... Need the heroin... losing control....
"L-l-let me out!" He groaned, rubbing at his face in agony. "N-now! I - I need -" He shuddered and groaned again, screwing his eyes shut. "P- please..."
*********
Remus was struck dumb by Snape's plea. He had never heard the arrogant dark wizard ask please of anyone but Dumbledore.
He had moved to intercept Snape on his way to the door and the pale man had reached for his wand. The metallic stench of gathering black magic had curdled in Remus' nose and then the fire had flared in the fireplace: Remus felt a jolt of real fear at the thought of the potential of uncontrolled magic.
He had been about to draw his own wand when Snape had suddenly fallen to his knees and begged - begged! - to be released, as if he was trapped in a shrinking cage of molten steel. Remus spun around and pushed the staff room door open.
"Sev - Snape! What do you need?!" He felt desperate - death and illness had always held a particular horror for Remus. The man huddled on the floor exhaled sharply and crumpled, as if the cage had collapsed around him and slathered him with fire.
"I-i-in .... d-d-desk..."
"In your office?"
"...please..."
Remus whipped around and took off for the dungeons.
*********