Hey all. Sorry it took so long to update, I really am. It was like this giant dead albatross, all stiff with rigor mortis and everything, hanging around my neck. But you see, my beta was in BC, I was in the emergency with a life-threatening eye infection, and my poor cat had his tail removed. So what was I to do in the face of so much opposition? Certainly not find time to write.
I'm also sorry about the "False Update". I edited a few chapters on August 6 and so it appeared that I had added a new chapter when I hadn't.
I also made a teensy weensy change or two here and there in the chapters I edited. The problem with writing everything as I go is that I often corner myself, and as a result I had to go back to chapters one and two to take out about ten words total, but ten very critical words. They dealt with the Lestranges already being in prison (my bad, because they haven't wound up there yet) and the Longbottom's being in St. Mungo's (obviously if the Lestranges haven't done their thing yet, the Longbottom's are still fine and dandy). You guys probably didn't even remember my mentioning these details in the first place, but now you know. And now my plot is saved. Hurrah!
X X X
With the door shut behind them in the dim study, Severus tossed Lupin a leather pouch of a dried herb. "Can you tell me what that is?"
"Er," Lupin said, awkwardly catching the pouch with both hands. His eyes had been resting on the pickled something that was floating in a greenish fluid on his host's desk. He dubiously peered into the pouch. "Monkshood?"
"Yes. Monkshood. Also known as aconite, wolfsbane, friar's cap, chariot of Venus." Severus sat down at his desk and steepled his fingers. "Its medicinal value is uncertain and during my work at St. Mungo's I was investigating its properties, both magical and chemical. Sit down," he said, gesturing toward a chair on the other side of his desk. Lupin hesitantly complied.
"I thought you wanted to talk about school."
"Talk about school, during a nice sociable visit?"
Lupin did not appear to have heard this last remark. He had discovered the Pickled Something's brothers and sisters perched, in jars of different sizes, on the bookshelf behind Severus, some of them being used to prop up the books. Severus casually turned to admire his collection.
"I do like to collect ornaments," he said nonchalantly.
Lupin snapped out of his reverie. "Right," Lupin said. "What's this about if it's not about school?"
Severus did not say anything for many seconds while he considered the man before him. "You were readily available when the need arose for you to take my place," he commented.
"So?"
"You were not otherwise busy? It was easy for you to come at the drop of a hat?"
Lupin chewed his tongue. "I haven't been very busy these days."
"No, and your clothes are as shabby as ever. How long have you been out of work?"
Lupin, under his ever-present mask of politeness, was beginning to bristle at this assault on his pride. He swallowed slowly, and spoke. "My lack of a job isn't for want of trying."
"Naturally," Severus said with an insincere wave of his hand.
Remus narrowed his eyes at Severus. After a good minute of staring he abruptly stood up and straightened his robes. "I will take my leave—"
"Sit down," Severus hissed harshly. Lupin complied and Severus leaned over his desk to stare into his face. "I despise you as much as ever, you arrogant Gryffindor swot, but right now I believe we each have something to offer the other." Severus reached into one of the drawers and withdrew a bank slip. He slid it across the dark surface of his desk face down and allowed Lupin to take it. Lupin's eyebrows rose as he read it.
"You are offering me this?" Lupin asked mistrustfully. He still held the note between index and thumb, hesitant to claim it in a more possessive hold, as he appeared to wage war with himself. With a sigh, the battle was won and lost. His victorious half asked, "What is it...that you need me to do?"
"I'm not asking you to murder anyone, Lupin, so stop looking like that," Severus snapped. "I am designing a potion, with that herb you are holding there, and I need a test subject."
Lupin looked at Severus with a mixture of shock and offence. "I may be going through a rough patch, but I don't think that entitles you to imply that I'm that desperate. Use test rats like the others use, and keep you money," he said, tossing down the piece of paper.
"I would, were it not for the apalling scarcity of rats suffering from lycanthropy."
Remus became very quiet and still. "What's this potion all about, Snape?"
"I am hoping to find a remedy for your condition. Not a cure, but a remedy."
Remus looked at him very gravely. "Then I accept."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Very well."
X X X
Celeste was rifling through her books, looking for the familiar spine of the book on cyclical illnesses in her possession. When she found it at last she cracked it open to its largest section : Lycanthropy.
She quickly reviewed the list of the fundamental symptoms and characteristics at the beginning of the chapter. Full transformation into a wolf-like canine during full moon...Sensitivity to silver...Duration of transformation : eight to ten hours...Cure : None...Known Remedies : None...Poisons : Werewolves demonstrate a distinct bodily aversion to wolfsbane...
Celeste flipped ahead in the chapter and saw that the original paper of 1452 that had declared aconite to be a useful poison to use against werewolves, and had dubbed the plant 'wolfsbane' for that reason, was provided in full. She closed the book, picked up Speranza from the bed, and made for Severus's study.
X X X
Severus was interrupted mid-sentence by an abrupt knock on his door. He glared at the door in annoyance. "Come in," he huffed.
The door swung open to reveal Celeste, babe and book in arm. She marched in with her chin held high and deposited the book upon Severus's desk.
"What is it?" Severus demanded.
"Are you planning on giving him some sort of wolfsbane potion? Because it says right in there that the plant's poisonous to werewolves."
Severus glanced fleetingly at Lupin, who was suddenly very distressed-looking. "Perhaps, madam, you would do well to not jump to conclusions about things of which you know very little."
Celeste narrowed her eyes at Severus and then turned to Lupin. "Mr. Lupin," she said, holding out Speranza. "If you wouldn't mind?"
A surprised Lupin took the child while Celeste used her free hands to flip to the page that provided the beginning of the wolfsbane paper. "It says right there—"
"I know what it says, madam," Severus said harshly. "I've read it more than once."
"And so what exactly are you planning on doing with your new lab rat?"
Severus glared at his wife, and in a factual and imperious tone he said, "I plan to use the wolfsbane, which has magical properties very similar to those of the moon because of the effect of the lunar cycle on the herb, as a means of building up a natural antidote in his body against the magical effect of the moon, so that come full moon, his transformation is not a full one. Does that satisfy your prying curiosity, madam?"
Celeste was mute for a moment. "You're looking for a cure?"
"No. Only a remedy."
"Oh."
"Oh, indeed. Now go; Lupin and I have arrangements to discuss."
Celeste dumbly took back Speranza from Lupin. She made a reach for her book, but Severus moved his hand to rest on its cover. She left it.
The door closed behind her and Lupin and Severus were left contemplating each other.
"You're going to help me with a poison?" Lupin asked at length.
"It is a well-established fact that even the most potent of poisons often have medicinal values. It's a question of volume, rather than substance. The human body can ingest anything without harm as long as the volume is moderate."
"I suppose I shall have to trust you."
Severus didn't answer.
"What happens first?"
"First, I would like to see how your body accommodates a dilute dosage of an infusion of wolfsbane. I will increase that dosage until we begin to notice an effect in your system, and at that point I will know the volume of wolfsbane infusion it is safe to work with. Being a natural substance it will clear itself from the system within a day, however it may take time to reach the threshold value. I will also be administering immunity-suppressing potions during this time, to prevent you from developing the antidote prematurely and skewing the results. Do you follow?"
"Yes," Lupin mumbled.
Unconvinced, Severus continued. "From there it is merely a matter of adding other ingredients to optimize the effects of the active substance, the wolfsbane."
"Er," Lupin said. "And what do you expect the results to be?"
"I have a vague notion that your transformation will not be complete. You will retain some human about you. At the very least, the narcotic properties of the drug will sedate your wolf form, thereby reducing its hazard as posed to humans."
"When do you need me to start?"
X X X
Celeste was sitting in the kitchen with Constanza, feeling rather foolish. She did not think her suspicions were entirely unfounded, but her husband definitely had a way of making one feel small and stupid.
"And that man's a teacher," she muttered under he breath.
"What's that, dear?" Constanza asked, looking up from her pastry.
"Nothing," Celeste said. Constanza returned to her task.
"I've figured out what his project is about," Celeste announced.
"Oh?" Constanza said.
"He's trying to discover a remedy for lycanthropy."
"I knew that."
"You did?" Celeste asked in disbelief.
"He told me, child."
Celeste huffed in annoyance. She watched idly as Constanza rolled out the pastry, thinking about the accursed project and how interesting it sounded.
"That's it," Celeste announced, standing up. "I have to learn how to cook."
X X X
Author's Notes :
Nebula Zirconia : Hmm. I didn't want to overplay it. It was difficult to suspend the misunderstanding in my head. It didn't seem that it could have gone on longer than it did without Severus figuring out what was going on; however, I, too, was disappointed at how short it was. So. You asked for it:
In the hallway outside her room Celeste noticed that Severus had followed her instead of heading the opposite way down the hall to his own room. She turned to face him, silently asking him to explain himself, but he merely cocked one eyebrow and opened her bedroom door for her. She entered and he followed her in, shutting the door behind them.
Severus stood against the dark door, his eyes a little too black in the flickering light that came from the fire place. His gaze on her face made Celeste uneasy. She backed up instinctively when he stepped farther into the room. Severus stopped, gauging with curiosity the effect he seemed to be having.
The baby murmured against her shoulder.
"Perhaps you should put her to bed," Severus said quietly.
Celeste did not like hearing that word from his mouth for some reason. She nodded uncomfortably and bounced Speranza in her arms.
He strode across the room then, towards Celeste, and she clutched the baby tighter. When he reached her he stepped around her and sat down on the edge of her bed.
"I will wait," he said.
Celeste fumbled with the handle of the nursery door. When it was closed behind her she leaned against it heavily, feeling quite angry and helpless. The baby murmured in her arms once more and Celeste realized that she was holding her a little too tightly for the baby's comfort. Trying to absorb herself in Speranza for the moment, she cooed softly to the baby and walked around the room for a bit.
Celeste could hear restless shifting from the next room. It would be better to come out of the room of her own free will than to have him come in and order her to come out, she thought. At least then she could retain some tattered dignity. She deposited the baby in her cradle and tucked the blanket around her.
Celeste slowly opened the door to her room once more, and without looking in the direction of her waiting husband, she stepped in and gently shut the door.
"Well?" Severus said expectantly as Celeste stood several feet away from him, unmoving.
She forced her eyes upwards, off the floor, and saw that he had loosened his cravat somewhat, to make himself more comfortable while he waited.
"I'll need a few minutes," she said, thinking she would rather change without him watching her.
Severus rose off the bed and slunk towards her. "What for?" he said. He was a foot from her now. "It shouldn't take long."
Celeste closed her eyes, waiting for whatever he was going to do. She then felt him disturb the air to her left. She opened her eyes and saw that he had walked right past her.
"I think it had a brown spine," he was saying.
"Pardon?" Celeste said, dumbfounded. Severus was scanning the books on her tall bookcase behind her.
"The book I'm borrowing from you," Severus said. "Well? Are you going to help me find it?"
"Oh," Celeste breathed. "Yes. The book."
Severus narrowed his eyes at her. "What did you think I wanted?"
Celeste shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and pulled a book from the shelf. "Nothing. Here's the book."
Severus accepted the book but stared at her intently for a moment longer. He walked to the door and opened it, but before stepping through it he turned to face her once more.
"Good night," he said in an impatient tone. The door snapped shut behind him.
Milly : Yes, I know, Celeste is a tad annoying. But the worst is almost over, I hope. It's always dangerous introducing a new character, especially when the new character has to fulfill duties as a dynamic, developing character (which means they have to start out with flaws and issues before they can evolve into a better person). It takes a lot out of the reader to put up with the OC when all they really want is Severus Snape. However, because of your comments, I have decided that perhaps I am putting too much emphasis on Celeste. Perhaps I should redirect the focus to Severus's development. Expect more of him soon. As for Celeste's name, I wanted something sibilant but that didn't start with an 's'. I also thought that a name that meant "heaven" would do well for a woman who had sky-coloured eyes. Her eyes are important because Severus has a certain weakness for them. As for her not being dark enough for our dear Severus, I did not entirely create Celeste myself. I stole some of her (wicked, wicked me!) from the one-shot Check Mate. I absolutely loved that fic and I had to do something more with the characters to satisfy me. In Check Mate, Severus is drawn to the OC because she is wholesome. Being a Death Eater, it is easy for him to find depraved women, so he doesn't want them.
Floria : I'm afraid Celeste was just a little surprised. It was probably the first time she ever met a werewolf in person. You see she recovered herself in this chapter.
We3 : What a nice thing to say! I had to go bury my face in a pillow to hide my blush. And you say you like the original characters? Crikey. I'm really confused about what my readers want now. But I guess I just have to keep on trucking in the direction I'm going.
Everyone else : Thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing.
It has come to my attention that there are readers out there that have put me on their Favourites list or their Author Alert list, but haven't reviewed once. I can't say how strange I think this is.
I'm not updating until I get at least ten reviews for this chapter. HA!