A/N: Dude. I went back and realised that my previous A/N's are practically novels. So I'll keep this one terse - thanks to those who reviewed, and enjoy this chapter! pats self on back
The Ebony Files
Chapter Four: Chinese Takeout
September 10th, 1977
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Tuesday's Potion class. I'd dreaded this the whole weekend.
Severus didn't even look up as I dropped my books on the table and sat down.
The dungeon was filled with the chatter of other students, but between us there was only silence. The bitter, deadly kind.
After several millennia disguised as seconds, I couldn't stand it anymore.
"Okay, I know you're just completely enamored with me, but you really should contain your excitement better, somebody might find out." I rolled my eyes.
I regretted saying this a second later. I'd just made a gay joke. To Severus Snape.
"Forget I said that," I muttered, wincing inwardly at the expression on his face. "Let's just get this over with. I managed to get most of the books Slughorn listed, but Madam Pince said somebody'd already checked out The Complete Encyclopedia of Antidotes and I couldn't find A History of the Dangerous and Deadly either, so another student must've needed it for their pro-"
I stopped myself, for Severus had reached into his bag and pulled out the exact two books I'd just named.
"Oh," I said. "I thought - you - well, never mind, that's really great, Severus."
At the sound of his name, something angry flickered in his eyes.
"I thought it was Snivellus," he said icily. "Not so courageous when you haven't got precious Potty and Black by your side, are you?"
"Well sure then, if you really prefer that name then I have no problem with it," I replied sarcastically.
"I don't have a problem with letting a few people know what you're really doing on those sick days of yours, Lupin," he said in a low voice.
"I'm glad you don't have a problem with that, Severus. Congratulations. Now maybe if you just sort out all those other issues you have, like shampooing that pile of oil you call hair, you'd be almost normal-"
"Right, because you know exactly how normal feels like, don't you, changing into a full-fledged monster once a month right under everybody's noses. You're just one big pathetic lie-"
"Yeah, well, at least I don't go around threatening others about incidents that could've gotten myself killed!" I said furiously.
"And you would've done it, wouldn't you, you sick monster, if Potter hadn't backed out, you would've bitten me-"
"Well, I usually order Chinese takeout when I'm in the mood for something oily-"
"Boys!" came the loud voice of Slughorn. Severus and I hastily tucked away our wands.
"Now, now, surely I only imagined seeing that Mr. Lupin and Mr. Snape here were involved in the smallest of arguments?" Slughorn said, smiling at us. "You really mustn't bicker, boys, else your project (which I'm positive is coming along wonderfully) won't be finished in ti-"
"We weren't arguing, Professor," Severus said quietly. "You see, Remus here just misplaced all of our notes, so we were trying to remember where he last put them. That's all." A few titters rang across the dungeon, but James, Sirius and Peter were glaring daggers at Severus. They knew from 6 years of sharing a dormitory with me that I'd never "misplace all of our notes". Ever.
"What'd you do say that for?" I demanded once Slughorn was out of earshot. "We don't even have notes!"
"Precisely," he said, his voice icy. "Now we have an excuse."
"Oh, that's real clever, yeah, and you just conveniently heaped all the blame on me-"
"I try to kill two birds with one stone when the opportunity presents itself," he said coolly.
I stared at him, disbelieving. How could anybody be so rude?
"You know what? I give up," I said finally. "Trying to reason with you is clearly a waste of my sanity. Go on, then, start taking notes before I misplace them again." I shoved a heavy stack of books toward him.
"Suit yourself," Severus said as he picked one up and began flicking through its pages.
Despite the freezing dungeon, I spent the remainder of class feeling hot and furious with myself, with Slughorn, but mostly, with the despicable Slytherin sitting across from me.
"He kept bringing up the werewolf thing, the stupid git! He even threatened to tell everybody! And did you see him lie to Slughorn? Saying that I, I'd misplaced the notes! I'd never lose my notes! Ever! I'm responsible and organized and I-"
"Remus! Calm down! You're acting so unlike yourself it's getting scary," Lily stifled her giggle and pretended to be interested in her Charms textbook as Madam Pince prowled by, sniffing loudly.
We were in the library again. I stood in one aisle of books, pondering Hexes from Hell, while Lily stood innocently in another. Despite the thick bookshelf that separated us, we found that we could talk quite easily through gaps in the books and then immediately pretend to be absorbed in literature if anybody came near. Which didn't happen often, as we were in the Restricted Section. Lily had been granted unlimited access by McGonagall, and Slughorn had devoured my lie about some of the best werewolf information being in the Restricted Section like a box of crystalized pineapple.
It was a good way to communicate, albeit a nerdy one.
I made a quick glance about to see that Madam Pince was gone. "Sorry. I know I've been acting very un-Remus-like. It's just that the more stress I have to deal with, the shorter my temper becomes. And he was being so...so...I can't even think of a word to describe it without risking expulsion if Madam Oversized Bat here overhears me."
She laughed, smoothing her long red hair. "I can understand that he's irritating, Remus, but you did overreact to that misplaced notes thing a little, you know."
"Yeah, well, you wouldn't have been so happy either."
"Nah, I would've better about it," Lily said. "I'm not a perfectionist like you."
"Of course you are. Didn't you get 12 'Outstanding's on your O.W.L.s?"
"I got an 'Acceptable' in Defense. I accidentally looked away from my boggart on the practical when I saw that you'd stepped into the testing area next to mine," she said.
I mumbled something about "Pince coming" before ducking my grinning, flushing face behind a book.
God. She was so worth everything.
At suppertime, Sirius, James and Peter had a load of things to say about Severus, none of which were very kind. By the time dinner had ended and we'd climbed up the stairs to the Common, James had already announced that he was going to hit a Bludger up the Slytherin team captain's-
"We don't need to hear the details," I hastily cut him off as we sank into the squashy chairs by the fire.
But I was secretly grateful that they agreed with me. Knowing that I had James Potter and Sirius Black on my side was the greatest feeling in the world.
"So what were you guys really arguing about, if you didn't lose the notes?" Peter asked, pulling out his half-finished Transfiguration essay.
"Honestly, I don't know. We somehow started insulting each other, and he kept bringing up the - er, you know, my-"
"Furry little problem," James filled in, grinning.
"I hate it when you call it that," I said.
"It's a good cover," James said as Sirius nodded solemnly. They looked like idiots. "People just think you've just got too much nosehair or something when they hear it-"
"Yeah, like that time we made Snivellus' grow three feet-" Sirius started laughing.
"And then braid itself-"
"And you got a week's worth of detention for it," I reminded them.
"Yeah, where we found that map in Ogg's desk-"
"Which had all the secret passages-"
"And from that we were able to create the Marauder's Map," James finished proudly. "See? Some good came from it."
Despite myself, I had to laugh and agree.
"You know, in retrospect, I feel kind of bad about it. I was acting pretty rude too-"
"Nonsense," Sirius said loudly. "What'd you do, Moony, forget to say 'Bless you' when he sneezed?"
"No, it was worse than that," I blushed. "I told him that if I'd bitten him last year, he would've tasted like oily Chinese food."
Once they'd stopped laughing, Sirius turned to me, shaking his head.
"I don't know what you're worrying about. He's got nothing on you, mate."
A/N: Yes, I know, this was kinda short. It's kind of a filler chapter - nothing much happens, but it was still wicked fun to write, especially the argument between dear Remus and Severus. God, how I love those two.