Free from his last class of the day, Severus sat beneath the tall oak tree that was in the back courtyard. It was generally empty, and that was how Severus liked it. Alone. He pulled out his notebook and began scribbling it in, his nose so near the paper, they were almost touching.
"Just where I thought you'd be."
He looked up and saw a smiling Remus Lupin looking down at him. He smiled as well. "Remus, sit."
Remus did as he was told, but there was something unnatural about his movements, Severus noticed. He moved with ease, no limp. It was familiar, yet all the same, strange. He peered at Remus and noticed the silly goatee that he had grown, in some vain attempt to hide the scars on his face.
This was all very familiar. Severus was certain that this had happened before. He looked at Remus again, thinking how he despised the goatee, and just as soon as he thought it, Remus, unknowing to what just happened, was clean shaven.
Severus blinked. "I'm glad you're here," he said. "I can't seem to get these properties just right..."
"I'm not here to talk of properties," Remus replied. He rested a hand on Severus' knee. "Are you?"
Severus twisted his tongue behind his smile. "I suppose not."
"I don't know how you found this place," Remus said, standing and shrugging off his shirt. "No one ever comes around here. It has more privacy than the dormitories."
"Which is exactly why I like it." Severus reached out and unbuckled Remus' belt. He didn't even need to unzip them, as the pants slid off of Remus' painfully thin form.
Remus leaned down and kissed Severus. "I love you."
Severus had no response, no response than would not have been a lie, or at least only a single version of the truth, so he said nothing, but kissed Remus along his hip bones. The effect was nearly instant, as Remus moaned and nearly lost his balance, resting one had on Severus' shoulder and the other against the trunk of the tree.
Severus slid the tips of his fingers under the waistband of Remus' faded boxer shorts and pulled them down.
"The air's so cold," Remus hissed.
"Is it?" Severus rubbed his hands against Remus' buttocks. "Is that better?"
Remus moaned again.
Severus took as much of Remus' penis as possible into his mouth, and took pleasure as his head bumped against the tree with each movement of his head, and the feeling of Remus hips moving against his face.
Remus came and Severus swallowed it thoughtlessly. Remus sat on his clothes and felt around Severus' lap. "You want something, Severus?"
He shook his head. "No, Remus, I just want to watch you move."
Remus laughed. "How should I move, then?"
Severus unbuttoned his robed and slipped out his gray underwear. "Sit with me."
"Gladly." Remus curled up next to Severus, their bodies flush against one another. Severus wrapped his robes around them both.
Remus rubbed his hand along Severus' thigh. "Are you sure you don't want anything? I can't sit here without doing what I can to please you." He kissed Severus' pale neck. He moved his hand up to Severus' penis and began to move his hand up and down the erection while sucking Severus' neck.
Severus moaned, the feeling was so strong, he was nearly in tears. His moan turned to a cry as he came.
Remus licked his hand and Severus woke.
He was lying on the kitchen floor, breathing heavily. He sat up and looked around. It was simply the kitchen floor, nothing special about it. He could still smell the acid from Elixir when it had been cooking on the stove. He could hear Remus' soft snores from the living room. How long had he been out?
He stood, and felt a wetness in his pants. He shed them and saw that they were covered with his semen. He paused. That meant the memory had been a product of Elixir.
Elixir worked.
Severus ran into the living room and shook Remus by the shoulder. "Remus! Remus! REMUS!"
Remus woke and looked at Severus, puzzled. "Severus? What's going on? Why aren't you wearing pants?"
Severus stared at him. "You."
"You're not wearing pants because of me?"
"No, well, yes, but, no."
Remus smiled faintly. "I don't think I understand you."
"Elixir. It works."
"Congratulations!" Remus said, sitting up. "I'm impressed. But, er... what does it have to do with you being half naked?"
"Well, the memory. The memory was of, it was of you." Severus sat on the edge of the couch. "Do you remember the courtyard behind the university?"
Remus smiled. "Of course. We spent... time there."
"We were there. I'm sure you can guess what was happening."
"Oh... yes." Remus' face flushed. "But why-"
"Why you? Why not Regulus?" Severus asked in a hushed voice. "I don't know."
Remus was quiet.
"So now what?"
"Pardon?"
Severus sighed. "I know how to make Elixir properly now. How do I get it to this, this Voldemort? That's only if he'll buy it from me."
"Was it good?" Remus asked.
"Oh yes," he replied. "It was great. I woke up, still feeling elated, and... the memories were so strong and vivid. It took nothing for me to try and impregnate a pair of pants."
Remus snickered behind his hand. "So, it truly works as you say. Your dearest memories."
"If I have it right, it may even be able to enhance reality on your own imaginary worlds."
"Fascinating," Remus said, smiling.
"I guess I have to wait for Regulus to return," Severus said. "God only knows where he is now."
"Bellatrix did get him quite angry, but that was..." Remus looked at his watch. "That was nearly five hours ago."
"Five?" Severus repeated. He looked out the window at the nearly faded sun. "You don't think he would have left for good, do you? On the account of Bella?"
"No, not on Bella," Remus said.
"Say what you're thinking, Remus," Severus said, turning on his friend. "Tell me."
"Nothing. Simply that. He'll be back, Severus. He always comes back to you."
Hearing those words, hearing Remus say them, Severus felt a sudden pull to Regulus. He could not imagine his life without him, the love of his life. As attracted as he was still to Remus, even at the idea that his fondest memory was of him, Severus was drawn desperately to Regulus.
"Thank you," Severus said. "I suppose we'll just have to wait."
Severus showered and dressed in clean clothes. He tried to erase the thoughts of Remus, the memory was still burned into his mind. However, it wasn't hard, his drive to Regulus was stronger than ever.
The door opened and Remus said, "What are you doing here? Get out of here! Get that thing out of my face!"
Severus walked into the living room. There was Regulus.
And Macnair.
"What are you doing here?" Severus asked. He looked to Regulus. "Did you bring him here?"
Regulus shook his head. "Voldemort wants his money."
"We don't have it."
"Then you're gonna die!" Macnair said, pointing the gun directly at Severus' forehead.
Severus looked unamused. "I don't have the money, but I have something better."
"If you're going to suck my dick, you can keep it."
"I have a new drug. Market it to Muggles, they'll never know what hit them. There's only enough magic in it to give the user control. I tried it myself, it's perfect."
"Why the hell should I believe you?" Macnair asked, the gun unmoving.
Severus' face was calm. "Because killing me, killing Regulus, killing us all, it wouldn't give back the drugs Regulus used. It wouldn't bring in the money. You, your Voldemort, they'd all still be without."
He paused, and then Macnair lowered the gun. "I'll be by in one hour with Voldemort. Have a batch ready for us to try. If it's good, we'll sell it. We get your cut until all the money is paid back in full, with interest. After that, you'll see your cut."
"They'll pay twice as much than they would for regular acid," Remus said.
Macnair seemed interested, but he didn't reply to him. "I'll be by with him."
"We'll be here," Severus said and Macnair left.
"You fixed it?" Regulus said. "You got it?"
"I got it," Severus replied. His face changed in a way he was not used to. The strained face a man makes he tries not to cry. "Regulus."
Perhaps it was his tone, or the fact that for the second time they had looked down the barrel of Macnair's gun, Severus would never know, not for sure, what it was that made Regulus fall in his arms, sobbing.
"Oh, Sev, oh god... I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, so sorry."
"It's all right, it's almost over," Severus said, running his hands through Regulus' hair. "It's nearly done."
"I mean it this time, watch me every second of the day, Sev, I won't use, not anymore. I can't do it. My body isn't strong enough. I'm not strong enough without you, and I know I'll lose you. I can't lose you." Regulus' legs went out beneath him and he sank to the ground. Severus followed him.
"It's all right," Severus said. "We'll fix it, Reg, we'll fix it together."
Fixed on the couch, Remus was crying.
