15 Werewolves at home II

When they entered Remus' flat, Remus, while searching for the light switch, upsat a stack of books which had been leaning at the wall next to the door. Living in a Muggle environment, like Severus, he mostly used Muggle technology for everyday tasks. Electricity was such a thing. Severus knew that living in a flat in a Muggle house without using electricity would raise suspicion.

'Now, don't comment on my style of living, Severus, please,' Remus said while he piled the books to a new stack with one hand, holding the food bag in the other. Severus had closed the door behind them but remained standing, watching the other werewolf, who caused the books to topple over again.

'I wasn't planning to do that,' he answered, but couldn't help smirking. 'This is your place, and it's not up to me to critizise the way you live or your flat. Actually, it looks quite comfortable,' he added.

And Severus meant what he was saying. Although he himself was more the type of person who had everything in order. An order to a degree that it would strike many people as very fussy and which would never lead to a homely atmosphere in a place where he was living. But Severus' background prevented him from allowing the slightest disorder. If you were dealing with potion making, the tiniest mistake could lead to a catastrophy, even death. That was not only true in respect of potion making, but had also been his prominent rule when he had been a spy. As his former life hadn't consisted of much more than these two things, he simply had transferred this habit to what one would call his "private" life as well.

'Well,' Remus looked up from his task sceptically. It was quite obvious that he didn't believe Severus. Though he didn't comment any further but led the way round his flat.

'There's the kitchen, my bedroom, the living-room - the sofa can be transformed into a bed, if that's okay for you - bathroom. Make yourself at home. It's not very spacious, but it's enough for me and the odd visitor from time to time.'

Severus stood in the corridor, feeling a bit out of place in this flat which was another man's home. Still not being used to receive help from other people, even if it was Remus, a person he had known for quite a long time now, he felt like an intruder.

'The sofa will be fine, thanks.'

'Hm.' Remus seemed to ponder over something. 'Will it be okay for you if I leave you alone for some time, Severus? I really do have to check my mail in the office.'

'Yes, sure.'

'Right. Then, … if you want anything to do, I have got loads of literature about, well, … the obvious, … lycanthropy, of course. But its not sorted, I mean, I just collect about everything about our condition. Sometime, I guess, I will sort everything out, but I just haven't got the time.'

'I see.' Severus raised his eyebrows, giving him a questioning look.

'Well. You can read the stuff, if you like.' Remus made a gesture with his hands and seemed to be a bit embarrassed, now that Severus had seen his flat which was indeed a bit untidy, even to non-potions-masters standards. 'I mean, you were planning to do some research on lycanthropy and the wolfsbane potion, weren't you? You can use everything in my flat as if it was your own. Well, the food things in the kitchen are mostly yours anyway. Just make yourself comfortable, all right?'

'I will. Don't worry, Remus. You don't mind if I sort the books and journal articles a bit?'

'No, no. Please yourself, Severus. … Hey, don't think that I invited you to tidy up my flat!' Remus grinned sheepishly.

'No, you'd better not, because you wouldn't be able to pay me.' Severus grinned back maliciously. 'Overqualified that's called, I think.'

When Remus saw that Severus wasn't serious about it, he smiled.

'Well, have fun. I am off. See you.'

'Yes, sure.' Severus answered but wasn't really giving much attention as his eye had caught a relatively recent article on lycanthropy cut out rather carelessly from 'Healer's Weekly' on top of another stack of books and journals. He took it, found himself a cosy place on the sofa and began to read.

…

Hours and many articles and book chapters later, Severus realized that he hadn't eaten nor drunk for some time which was obviously the reason for his developing headache. He went into the kitchen where he found the bags they had brought from his flat still unpacked. He poured himself a glass of milk and made a sandwich. While he was eating with one hand, he started storing away the food things with the other. That done, he went back into the living room to continue his reading and sorting.

He had to catch up a lot on his subject because since he had been forced to stop the actual potion brewing he had practically given up dealing with everything related to it. Well, he had tried to keep up with things at first, but it had been too frustrating after some time and he had given up reading anything about potions. Now he felt like in trance, virtually sucking up everything new he could find in Remus' collection.

He had completely lost track of time when Remus finally came home, his face showing distinct traces of being overworked and tired.

'Hi Severus. Oh, I see you've already worked a lot,' he commented when he saw Severus sitting on the floor amongst the different stacks of literature on the floor, which he had labelled neatly. 'You shouldn't, I mean, you're still a reconvalescent, you know.' Remus frowned, concerned. 'Did you eat anything?'

'Yes, at lunch time.' Severus didn't look up, he just wanted to finish this very fascinating article about the influence of an eclipse of the moon on werewolves.

Remus let himself drop in one of the two old armchairs and yawned. Severus looked up, suddenly realizing that he was acting quite unpolite towards his host.

'Oh, I am sorry, Remus. I was so occupied with this. It's really fascinating. I didn't know how I was actually missing this. I should have prepared some dinner, shouldn't I? Shall I make us some sandwiches?'

'Hm. Yes. Good idea.'

'What do you want on them?'

'Anything. Do them as you like.'

Severus put the book he had been reading on one of the stacks and got up, groaning and stretching. Sitting motionless for hours had taken its toll of him.

He went in the kitchen and prepared some cheese and tomato sandwiches and filled two glasses with orange juice.

They finished their meal quickly without any conversation, Remus being obviously too worn out and Severus not knowing what to talk about. Altough he had been gathering a lot of information by going through all the articles and books, he was tired too and didn't want to bother the other werewolf with complicated theories on potions.

Remus stretched his legs and yawned again.

'I don't want to keep you up unnecessarily, Remus. I am quite tired, too. I think I'll have another go at sleeping, nightmares or not.' Severus sighed, not really convinced about what he was saying. The fact that he had occupied himself the whole day with reading had somehow suppressed all thoughts of what he was dreading.

'Hm. I've got an idea. I don't know if it will be any good, but … what if I stayed awake to watch you, and if I find any signs of you having a nightmare, I could wake you up to end it before it'll get worse?'

'Well. You look as if you could do with some sleep as well, but if it helps … I' d be grateful, of course.'

It didn't feel right for Severus that Remus, overworked and tired as he was, should spend the night awake, watching over him. But that was obviously typical for him: helping others even against his own good. Severus watched wearily while the other werewolf elongated the sofa and transformed it into a bed with another wave of his wand.

After both had had their turn in the bathroom, Severus settled on his sofa and was definitely more comfortable than Remus who huddled under a blanket in one of the armchairs opposite Severus.

He was tired and felt safer in company, glad that Remus had taken it upon himself to watch him and, if necessary, wake him up in time. Although he doubted the practical value of this strategy, he felt quite grateful about it and fell asleep easily.

-----------

When he woke, Severus didn't know if the flash of light and the scream had been part of a dream or not. It was still in the middle of the night, or at least pitch dark outside. His heart was beating quicker than usual but he didn't feel as bad as after a full nightmare. He listened and meant to hear heavy breathing which was probably Remus.

'Remus?' he whispered.

No answer.

Unsure what to do, but fearing that something bad had happened, he scrambled from his bed and felt his way towards where he remembered the light switch. By the time he had found it, his eyes had got used to the darkness and he would have seen Remus anyway, but the comparatively blinding light helped to make the scene Severus was looking at only more disturbing.

Remus was sitting on the floor amidst toppled over book stacks, ashen faced, holding his head and staring at Severus with an expression of terror in his eyes. Severus could also see blood on Remus' hands. He didn't understand at first. Something terrible must have happened, but he didn't remember having done anything, not to speak of attacking the other werewolf.

'REMUS! What on earth …?'

'You could have warned me that you are able to curse and do wandless magic while you are asleep. That would've been fair, wouldn't it?' Remus said reproachful in a hoarse voice.

'What do you mean? Did I do that? Did I hit you? I can't remember a thing!'

'No? You don't remember that you tried to curse me when I wanted to wake you?' Remus' voice was shaking. 'Severus! You … you nearly killed me with an unforgivable! You used the Avada kedavra, asleep and wandless!' Remus' terrified expression hadn't left his face and he was still fighting for breath.

So that was where the flash of light had come from when he had woken up. Severus was horrified. How could he have forgotten! He would have never believed that he would still be able to do that. He had actually never had the chance to test this terrible skill of his. No, he had always taken precautions that there would never be a posibility to injure somebody unintentionally.

Severus felt sick. He was such a nuisance. Not even safe to fall asleep in company, dangerous to others. He wasn't able to say anything to Remus, he felt too bad about this. The best thing would be to leave now and to return to his own place, but he was like paralysed, looking helplessly at the other werewolf, who was still staring at him as if he had never experienced anything worse, which was probably true in this case.

After a minute of silence, Severus felt that he couldn't stand this any longer and had to do something. He decided for something practical. Therefore he moved to go into the kitchen to get some ice for Remus' head.

When he came back into the living room to hand Remus the ice he had put into a folded tea towel, the other werewolf got his voice back.

'Where did you learn that? Death eater training camp?' Remus asked while he pressed the pack of ice on the side of his head where the curse had grazed him.

'No, there wasn't such a thing. We were a small group of … followers,' Severus spat the last word, 'together with Lucius Malfoy, and trained this amongst other things.'

'Impressive,' Remus sneered, shaking his head in disbelief. 'But …? How do you live with this … this skill, if you are not really able to control it? If you've got family, for example?' He seemed to have recovered a bit from the shock and was on his way to get his nerves back by talking about what had nearly killed him a minute ago.

'Well, I was always on my own,' Severus sighed and sat down on his bed, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees to hide his face in his hands. He now recognized that his knees were quite shaky, but he was glad that Remus didn't throw him out right away and that they were able to have something like a conversation.

'At Hogwarts, well, there were a lot of wards around my quarters, anyway. Because of all the potion ingredients, and to help to occlude my real identity. Albus and Minerva knew the counterspells, of course, but they were informed about my special "skills".' He paused, looking up at Remus, who was listening intently, with an expression still showing the shock he was under.

'But that was ages ago, Remus! Honestly, I had no idea! I have never used that against anybody. I would've never thought that I would be able to do this, not having done magic for over two years and all. Never!'

Severus desperation was becoming stronger and he thought that he didn't know what he would do if Remus would throw him out and he had to spend the days before his first transformation alone … alone with nightmares and the constant remembrance that he had nearly killed somebody … somebody he thought quite highly of and whose help he needed so desperately.

'I believe you Severus, and I can't really blame you, or let's say it's not alone your fault. There are always risks if you work with werewolves, especially werewolves with a background of dark magic,' he shrugged his shoulders.

Typically Remus, to be that forgiving, Severus thought but was glad, of course, that he took it like that. Maybe they could ease the tension further by talking a bit. Severus cleared his throat.

'May I ask, … how did you manage to evade the curse?'

'I think it wasn't strong enough and didn't hit me directly, and I, … well, frankly, I was a bit weary when I went over to wake you. To be more precise, that moment the moon shone onto your bed and the light fell onto your left arm and the scar. That gave me the idea to be careful and to have my wand ready. That way I was able to deflect most of its force.'

Remus paused and turned his head carefully as if to look for the traces the curse would have produced after he had forced it into another direction. Severus followed his look and there were, unmistakebly, signs on the wall where a very violent curse had finally found a solid barrier.

'But I hadn't counted on an unforgivable.'

'Who would?' Severus sighed. Then, unexpectantly, his stomach made a loud noise.

'Sorry.'

'Never mind, Severus. Although werewolves are hardly ever really hungry, it can also be the other way round, meaning you can have unexpected attacks of sudden hunger in the most inappropriate situations. But as we have to eat as much as possible, don't hesitate to get yourself something to bite. And while you are at it, I wouldn't mind something myself,' Remus encouraged him.

'I think that was the last of the bread we had when I made us sandwiches earlier. And I have to admit that I'm not really in the mood of cooking something. Shall I call a pizza service?'

'Are there any who deliver in the middle of the night?' Remus, not that familiar with Muggle customs, asked unbelievingly.

'If not in London, where else?' Severus laughed. 'I think I might even have an advertisement of one amongst my papers in my coat. Wait, I'll go and have a look.'

Glad to be able to do something useful, he got up and went for the corridor where their coats were hanging. He needed less than a minute to find what he was looking for. He had no idea why he had kept the small leaflet with the menu of the 24 hours pizza service, but it didn't matter now.

'What would you like,' Severus enquired goodnaturedly, now that he had something sensible to do and could forget for a moment about what he had nearly done only a minute ago.

'Anything. Something with lots of vegetables in it, perhaps. I still believe that it helps to bear the transformation if you eat healthy things.'

'On it.'

'Huh?'

'On it. The stuff is on the pizza, not in it. Have you never had one before?'

'Yes, of course, but they are sometimes folded and then the ingredients are inside, aren't they? Well, maybe that wasn't a proper pizza, I'm not quite sure, it was some time ago.'

'It seems that I know more of Muggles than you do, Remus. Although I haven't spent that much time amongst them. And there I thought there wasn't anything I could teach you.'

'Oh please, go ahead, but …. after we have eaten. I won't mind listening to a lecture so much then,' Remus laughed at Severus.

'Did I give the impression that I was planning on a lecture? But what I would need now, is your mobile phone, Remus. You've still got it, haven't you?' Severus raised his brows questioningly as if he was in doubt about it.

'Yes, of course.' Remus got up and went into the corridor where Severus could hear him rummaging in diverse pockets of cloaks. There was also a sound which Severus identified as another stack of books collapsing.

'Oophs. There it is. Here you are, Severus. Battery fully loaded and all.' Remus came back and handed him the mobile, looking triumphantly.

'Right. Let's take the vegetarian one, shall we? I don't know if it can be considered healthy, but it sounds all right on the menu.'

Severus dialled the number and waited.

'Jack's Twenty-Four-Hours Pizza Express, Jodie speaking, how can I help you?' a female, busy sounding voice answered.

'I'd like two vegetarian pizzas,' Severus answered. 'And … can you make them with extra tomatoes?'

'Yes, sure. Two vegetarians, extra tomatoes. Small, middle or large?'

'Middle.'

'Right, and your address?'

'265 Dorset Street. Third floor.'

'Thank you for your order. We'll deliver in about, let's see… 25 Minutes.'

'Thank you.'

Remus was clearly impressed.

'It's that easy, is it?'

'In general, yes. But don't think I am doing this often. And I haven't tried that pizza service before, so I can't tell you anything about the quality.'

While they were waiting for the delivery of their unconventional nightly meal, Remus tried to tidy up and resort the books or, rather, build up new stacks. Severus had opened the living room windows to renew the air in the room which had become quite stuffy and went into the kitchen to organize plates.

When the pizza man came, and it hadn't needed more than the promised 25 minutes, he did not only carry the two pizza boxes but also two bottles of wine.

'You are the lucky winner for tonight!' he announced, beaming. 'As the 33rd

customer after midnight you are entitled to two bottles of wine. Our special game this month!'

'Oh. Thank you. Very kind,' Severus answered politely.

Even if he seemed to know more of Muggle customs than Remus, he wasn't very familiar with their means of promotion, but the way the young man acted, it seemed to be something normal in the Muggle world.

'What do I owe you?

'Fifteen fifty.'

'The rest is for you.' Severus handed him sixteen pounds. He had seen this on television and thought it only to be fair to give a tip to somebody who worked to deliver pizzas in London at night.

'Thank you, sir. Have a pleasant night. Bye.' The man winked at him cheeerfully before he turned to descend the stairs.

Severus shook his head. If the pizza man would have known that he wasn't delivering his pizzas for a, what he was obviously thinking, amorous rendevous, but to two desperate werewolves who had to calm their stomachs and their nerves, he wouldn't have been so cheerful.

He carried his load to the living room where Remus was waiting expectantly.

'There you are. Let's start, before they get cold.'

'That was quick. Smells good. What's that?' Remus indicated the two bottles Severus was carrying under his arms.

'We won it. Some Muggle marketing strategy. Well, as you said you don't consume anything intoxicating so short before the full moon, I'd better store them away …'

'Oh, I don't know. That's just an idea of mine. Others live vegetarian, some don't eat at all the last days before the moon. I do not really believe in this, it's just … well, to do something, … not to feel so helpless, you know.'

'Hm. There's nothing to be said against a glass of wine to a pizza, I guess.'

Severus put the pizza cartons on small table in front of the sofa and placed the bottles on it as well.

'Have you got a corkscrew?'

Remus shook his head and laughed. He took his wand out of his left sleeve, tapped the neck of one of the bottles lightly and the cork popped out easily.

'I forgot that I am in a wizard's household,' Severus said apologetically and looked longingly at the magical instrument.

'No, sorry, Severus. No more wandwaving for you. Remember, what happened … '

'Ok, ok. I didn't ask, did I?' Severus retorted offended.

'I am sorry, if I hurt you, Severus,' Remus apologized quickly, 'but … it's just easier that way and … well, you'll see, maybe everything will be ok again after the full moon. I don't want to give you any false hopes but I've got the feeling that you won't lose your magic again. Your magic had always been so strong …'

Severus didn't answer. He would know in a few days time. If it would only be over soon. He hated this uncertainty. The only thing he knew for certain was, that this was the only time that he couldn't wait to see the full moon rising.

In the meantime, Remus had conjured two glasses for the wine and had already filled them. Severus was stopped in his line of thought when Remus put one of the glasses in front of him.

'To your health, Severus!'

'To yours, Remus.'

They both drank a bit before they opened the cartons. As the pizzas had already been sliced, they didn't bother for knives and forks but just started eating.

They ate silently for a while, only paused briefly to sip at their wines now and then.

Finally, Remus was the one who opened the conversation again.

'By the way, Severus, did you have a nightmare before I woke you? It looked like it, you know. You seemed to be quite restless in your sleep,' he enquired after making a pause from eating.

'Oh, I … don't remember. And even if I had one, does it matter now?' Severus, finding the pizza quite tasty, took another bite.

'No, probably not.' Remus shrugged his shoulders and continued eating.

At some point he refilled their glasses and when they finished their pizzas, he filled them a third time. Severus feeled quite relaxed by now, knowing full well that this was due to the alcohol he normally only drank rather small amounts of. While Remus started on his third glass, Severus hesitated. He didn't want to risk losing control again. Two glasses had already been more than enough, but the circumstances, the shock in the middle of the night and the pizza, which had made him quite thirsty had led him to some carelessness which was quite unusual for him.

Anyway, he felt comfortable and relaxed enough to start the conversation anew.

'You know, I had this idea about you having a cage in your flat!'

'A cage? … What for?' Remus asked, speaking rather slow now. It was only then that Severus realized that the alcohol had taken its toll of Remus as well but that he, unlike Severus, had definitely had more than was good for him. While Severus had thought it wiser not to start on his third glass, he noticed that Remus had finished his quickly, and was about to start on his fourth.

'Well, to spend the night of the full moon in. Just in case you don't make it to the Ministry in time, or to keep another werewolf in,' Severus went into more detail, observing Remus critically.

Remus looked at him questioningly and needed a few seconds to react.

'Funny. A cage? In a Muggle envi… envio… well Muggle place. And what …. whattttabout the … howling?' he started to giggle and took another big gulp from his glass.

Remus was definitely drunk now. Severus decided that this had to end as soon as possible, he just had no idea how to persuade Remus to go to bed and sleep.

'How shall I know? There are spells you can cast to keep the sounds in a room. Anyway, it was just an idea.'

'Huh? The Minisssry …….would ne … ne'er allow ….' Remus stopped in mid sentence, staring confused at Severus.

'Right. Don't you think it would be better if we went to bed? I don't know about you, but it's in the middle of the night and I can feel a headache approaching from this stuff. It's obviously quite cheap,' Severus tried.

'But … but I …. I've to wash… watch … you. If youf …ann… nnother nigh'mare.'

'No thank you. I don't want to risk another accident of that kind. This time, I might be able to actually kill you, because you are hardly able to defend yourself.'

Severus stood up and approached Remus, hoping that he wouldn't show too much resistance. He was well aware that this could lead to a dangerous situation. You never knew how a drunken wizard would react. He was prepared to use a stunning spell on Remus, should he start doing anything weird, anything remotely looking like a curse. With his wand lying out of reach on the table and Remus being not very good at wandless magic, Severus should be relatively safe, but he didn't want to take any risks. He made a move to get between Remus' wand and it's owner.

'Defffennnce?' Remus blinked at Severus. 'I am a …. def …….defffennnnce teasher!' he protested.

'Fine,' Severus said unmoved, eyeing the other werewolf cautiously. 'But not tonight. Bed it is now, I think,' he ordered strictly.

Remus nodded and didn't show any signs of resistance when Severus bent down to pull him up from the sofa. He was obviously quite docile when drunk. That made things easier. Less easy was the way to Remus' bedroom. Once he had left the relative safety of his place on the sofa, Remus became quite disorientated and tried to drag Severus towards all possible directions, except his bedroom. After a few minutes of struggling, Severus managed to push him onto his bed and before the other werewolf could get out of it again or do anything stupid, Severus covered him tightly with a few layers of blankets.

' I …n… not …….drunk.' The intoxicated werewolf struggled to get up again.

'Well, that's a matter of opinion. But we can discuss it if you want. If you are able to build one sensible sentence I'll let you out of bed again.' Severus leaned back against the doorframe, his arms folded and couldn't help grinning maliciously.

'Uuh. What? I…. donnn…' Remus looked slightly disheartened.

'See?' Severus didn't make an effort to keep the triumph out of his voice. 'You sleep,' he went on, trying to sound even more strict. 'It's late - well, early actually, anyway. Your headache will come soon enough tomorrow. I'll take the chance to try to sleep as well. I am tired enough now.'

The fact that Remus didn't protest anymore - especially not after being treated like a naughty child - told Severus that his strategy and probably even more the tiring effect of the alcohol finally seemed to cause the desired reaction from Remus. He gave in and let himself fall back into the cushions. Severus went out of the room and turned the light off, but waited for a moment until he could be sure by the snoring sounds that the other werewolf was actually asleep. He then went to his own bed in the living room, didn't care to put it straight again, but just went under the crumpled blankets. He was dead tired. Fortunately he was spared this time and, at least as far as he could tell, didn't dream.

-------------------

'Remus! REMUS!'

A somewhat familiar and very loud voice seemed to explode directly in his ear which was nearest to the fireplace and caused Severus to jump violently. Despite the effects of the alcohol and his sleep deficit, he managed to direct his view in the direction of the shouting and looked straight into Harry's eyes, whose head was hanging there in mid air, obviously transferred by using the floo network. While the younger wizard seemed to look worried and a bit angry at the same time, Severus tried not to look too sleepy.

'Where is he? And what are YOU doing here?' Harry demanded imperiously.

'If you must know,' the older wizard answered with a pained voice, sitting up to appear a bit more decent, if that's at all possible if you wake up on a sofa in full clothes after a night as Severus and Remus had just experienced, with far from enough sleep to get over it. 'I was having some problems and before I would freak out completely, Remus suggested that I stay with him until the first moon.'

'So! And there you decided to have a little party and drink yourself silly, didn't you? What have you done with him?' Harry went on louder, by now enraged.

Severus squinted his eyes to get a closer look on the enfuriated auror's face and sat up straighter before he chose to answer. He had never expected Potter to trust his former Potions teacher fully, and Severus had certainly never come to really like his former student. Their relationship could be characterized as a mixture of respect and a kind of truce, which they had developed over the years and which was mainly based on their experience of their fight against the Dark Lord. But this behaviour was far from what Severus could tolerate. To him it looked like a relapse to former times when his opponent had still been a student.

'May I remind you that it is solely Remus choice whom he invites home and that he will certainly not need your permission to have 'a party' or whatever you may call it,' Severus began in a calm but dangerously low voice.

Severus was quite enraged now himself. True, they had been quite careless last night. First with the nearly fatal accident he'd rather not think about and would certainly never tell Harry about, then with the wine. But he didn't think that he was in a position where he had to explain himself (well, he only would have had to if he had killed Remus). He was the other werewolf's guest and as such it was all Remus' business.

He felt his anger increasing and decided that he had to get rid of this conceited young man as soon as possible. Not only because he was annoyed, but even more so as the headache he had been feeling when he was woken up so suddenly was definitely becoming stronger.

'He is in bed. That's at least where he was when I last saw him. Where else would he be after "drinking himself silly" or whatever you are calling it,' he snapped. 'But that's also none of your business, young man.'

'Right. I would appreciate it, if you could wake him up and tell him that I want to talk to him,' Harry retorted in in mock formality which finally caused Severus to lose it for a moment.

'YOU!' he barked at the Harry furiously and made a step towards the fireplace, pointing with his forfinger and was about to start a tirade about how to behave properly in the presence of older wizards, but suddenly stopped himself before his outburst would get out of hand. This was not worth it, was it?

'Oh, just sod off.' With that he turned on his heels (rather socks) and marched off towards the bathroom where he thought a good long shower, followed by some aspirin and a coffe later should help to chase away his headache and clear his mind.

He noticed only vaguely that Harry was shouting something probably rude after him, but didn't care.

---

Later, in the kitchen, after his second rather strong cup of coffee he was still irritated by the young auror's unexpected "visit". Really, what had Potter been thinking? He surely would tell Remus all about their conversation. Although he doubted that Remus would have any more influence on the young auror, but Severus thought that the other werewolf should know about Harry's behaviour towards his godfather's guest. Just as Severus pondered on the option of having another cup of coffee or another aspirin (the ingredients of a headache potion would have been much the same and as he had had no opportunity yet to collect a stock of ingredients, not to speak of brewing a potion, even a simple one - he also doubted if Remus would let him have an open fire in his flat to put the cauldron on - he resorted to Muggle medication) the dorbell rang.

He very much hoped that it wouldn't be Harry. He hesitated for a moment if he should answer the door at all, but it could be something or somebody important for Remus, so he went. When he passed the bathroom and saw his clothes from the day before he had also worn at night and who were quite crumpled lying on the floor, he realized that he wasn't dressed decently enough to open the door to whoever was standing in front of it. After the shower he hadn't cared about that, just put on some fresh underwear and grabbed an old bathrobe of his host. He dashed into the bathroom put on his shirt and trousers quickly and made haste to finally open the door.

It wasn't Harry. But the person who was standing in front of him didn't seem to be in a better mood as the young auror had been in before. What was more, her attire and even more the haughty expression she was wearing made him aware that he was probably not meeting her standards. The lady he was facing with his crumpled shirt, unshaven, uncombed hair and dark shades under his eyes which betrayed him every bit as someone who hadn't quite recovered from a long night in which alcohol had played a prominent role, was wearing a fur coat over a suit, expensive looking shoes, golden earrings and a pearl necklace. At least he was able to speak in full sentences and had had the presence of mind not to open the door in his underwear, he thought. What impression Remus would have made in this situation Severus didn't really want to know.

'Good morning, Madam. What can I do for you?' Severus began with his silkiest voice, trying to make up for his appearance.

'Good morning,' she replied stiffly and mustered him from head to toes. Literally, because he was barefoot, as he realized now.

'I wanted to speak to Mr. Lupin. I am Mrs. Trafford, I own this house. Are you a guest?' she went on in a very strict voice still looking critically at him.

'Yes. Snape is my name. Mr. Lupin is not well, I am afraid. And yes, I am staying with him for a few days. Would that be a problem?'

'Generally, no, but I must warn you, or rather Mr. Lupin. I have rented the flat to him only, it's was not meant to house more people. It's too small for that purpose and will cause too much noise and trouble in a house like this. I like to stress that this is a very calm house, with people who are or who have been working hard in their lives and want their peace and quiet.'

She gave Severus a look which made it quite clear that she didn't think he belonged to that part of the population.

'As I said, I wasn't planning to move in here, I am just staying for a few days.' He tried not to sound annoyed and even managed to smile a bit.

'Very well then. But there is another thing,' she continued and Severus, who had already guessed that she wasn't only checking on him and would leave him alone afterwards quickly, was beginning to get cold feet, as it was rather chilly on the staircase. He didn't think she expected to be invited inside and wasn't planning to do that even if she had (Remus' would freak out on him if he did, he was sure about that).

'You were rather noisy last night. There was a loud bang and screaming. I must ask you, Mr. Snape, and would you be so kind to pass this information on to Mr. Lupin, I cannot tolerate parties or whatever you were doing during the night. Anything which causes noise and disturbances.'

'As I've told you before, Mr. Lupin is ill. He fell over a chair last night when he rushed to the bathroom, I believe.'

'It sounded rather like an explosion,' she said indignantly, as if she expected him not to tell the truth. 'And there is more. Mr. Lupin very well knows, as it is stated in his contract, that pets are not allowed.'

'I cannot quite follow you, Mrs. Trafford. Mr. Lupin doesn't own any pets, as far as I know.'

Now he was really annoyed. What was this woman thinking? He couldn't imagine that this was the typical Muggle landlady and asked himself how Remus could stand this. Well, he was very tolerant and forgiving, but …

'So. Some of the other tenants have complained over a dog howling at night a few weeks ago. If Mr. Lupin thinks he can fool me, he is very much mistaken. If he does not want to keep to the rules of this house, he can very well look for another place.' She was very agitated now, her cheeks started to glow red.

Severus was indeed now irritated by her mentioning the howling, because that would mean that Remus or another werewolf had stayed in his flat on the full moon. Hadn't he just denied that possibility a few hours ago? He crossed his arms, took a deep breath, trying to ignore the cold which was creeping from his by now freezing feet up his shins and and forced himself to remain calm.

He gave her his most dangerous smile and began to stare deeply into her eyes. He remembered having tried this with Minerva Mc Gonagall while quarelling over training times on the quidditch pitch for their houses. That hadn't impressed the witch then, but had the desired effect on the Muggle lady. She took a step back, grabbing for the lapels of her coat to pull it closer. Her face had taken an anxious expression. But it didn't prevent her from going on.

'These people,…' she pointed with her forefinger at him as if taking aim with a weapon. 'These strange people who look like junkies, drug addicts or worse, who come to visit him,' she took a deep breath while Severus continued staring at her. 'This has to stop. I have a reputation to lose. Do you understand me? A reputation!' Her voice began to sound a bit hysterical.

'Now, Mrs. Trafford, they are certainly no drug addicts. And even if, … ' he kept his voice very low now and made a demonstrative pause to think about what to tell her. A bit of the truth couldn't hurt, he decided.

'I am sure you know that Mr. Lupin is a social worker. He is, I have to admit, working with people who are, how shall I put it, not very well accepted in society. He is helping them, you know, but they are completely harmless. They meet in his flat to talk about their problems, he gives them a lot of confidence, you know. He is really good at this, very understanding.' His face took a dreamily expression, which must convince her, if she hadn't known before, that he belonged to 'these people'.

'And you are one of them, I believe? Meetings! Honestly! And what about those strange noises, the howling?'

'Oh yes, Madam, the howling.' He lowered his voice even further and made as if to step towards her which caused her to retreat, panic in her eyes.

'That's part of the therapy.'

He could see her gulp and gripping the banister. He felt a bit uneasy when he suddenly realized how much he was enjoying this. But only a bit. This will make up for years of her harrassing Remus, he thought.

'Therapy!?'

'Yes, it's very liberating and has a relaxing effect. Especially on a full moon.' He had read about that, but couldn't believe it himself. But is was good for his story and certainly increased the discomfort of his opposite.

'Now really, if you want to make a fool of me! Next thing you will tell me that you all transform into werewolves. Rubbish! I am warning you, Mr. … Mr. …'

'Snape, Madam, Snape.' He inclined his head for a mock bow.

'Mr. Snape! This will not be the last thing you and Mr. Lupin will have heard from me!'

'Thought so,' Severus murmured, grinning, after she had turned her back on him and stomped - very unladylike - up the staircase.

He quickly went back into the flat, his thoughts not upon the shrewd landlady but on putting on some socks, several pairs, if possible. He closed the door behind him, turned and collided with Remus who was shuffling slowly across the corridor, eyes closed, his hands protectively over his ears, obviously on the way to the kitchen to find something to fight his hangover.

'Uuups. Sorry. Already up?'

'Could you keep your voice down, if you please,' Remus whispered in a pained voice, keeping his yes shut. 'I don't remember having such a headache, not even after a full moon.'

'Come. Have some aspirin and a coffe, or what do you prefer?' Severus put his hand on Remus' shoulder and steered him into the kitchen.

'Don't you have a headache potion?'

'No. Of course not. As I wasn't able, or not allowed to brew potions, how shall I have managed to produce one? These Muggle pills will do just as well. It's the same ingredients, anyway.'

'Thank you.'

Remus sat down heavily, drank the coffee and swallowed two of the offered pills. He propped his elbows on the table, hid his face in his hands and groaned.

While Remus was busy with his coffee, which he drank very slowly, Severus took the opportunity to do something about his cold feet and went into the living room to look in his bag for some socks. When he returned, he found Remus staring hard onto the the table, holding on to his mug as if he feared to fall from the chair if he didn't.

'I know this was utterly stupid. As if I didn't know that I couldn't take more than one glass without any problems. … 'Uhm. … Severus?'

'Yes.'

'Did I do or say anything … hm … stupid?'

'No, no.' Severus laughed. 'No need to worry in that respect. Nothing of the kind.'

'Good. At least something. Where's my wand?'

'You left it in the living room.'

He held his hand out, murmuring 'Accio' and the desired object came flying around the corner. Remus looked first at his wand and then eyed Severus wearily.

'You didn't… ?'

'No, I held my promise. I didn't do any magic. Honestly. The coffe was made the Muggle way.'

Remus finished his coffee without saying anything and held his mug up to Severus who was leaning against the sink, watching the other werewolf. He reacted promptly and refilled it.

'Maybe it would be good for your stomach, if you fed it a bit of toast?'

'Uh no. Better not.'

As Severus himself was hungry, he began to spread some butter on a toast, filled himself another mug of coffe and took a seat opposite Remus.

'Right, are you ready for some news or to learn about what you have missed this morning?'

'Yes, fill me in.'

'Well, first there was this arrogant pompous young auror you call your godson.'

'Harry? Harry was here? What did he want?'

Remus sat up straight and looked disbelievingly at Severus, seeming to have sobered up quite suddenly.

'No, he called via the floo. He wanted to talk to you, but I don't know about what, because I didn't wait for him to explain himself, and do you want to know why?'

'What day is it? … Oh no! Shit. I forgot. The meeting!'

'That's quite obvious. But that's not the point, right now. He was behaving impossible, Remus. At his age, like a frustrated schoolboy, just impertinent. I couldn't stand that so I left him hanging in the fireplace. I don't know what you taught him, but it certainly wasn't manners.'

'Oh don't Severus, no discussions about Harry Potter's upbringing, if you please. I think I know why he behaved in that, well, inacceptable way. We had a meeting with the head of the Department of the Control of Beasts and it happens that, well … I think I know that she is his girlfriend.' Remus sighed. 'And now he thinks that I made a fool of him by not turning up.'

'So what?'

'Well, you know we are family, Severus. And they are young. Do have a bit of understanding for them!'

Severus didn't comment, but only rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

'All right, let's change the subject,' Remus grinned goodnaturedly. He obviously had overcome of his hangover partially by now. 'Wasn't there somebody at the door when I came from my bedroom?'

'Yes, your charming landlady, Mrs. Trafford.'

'Oh no!' Remus groaned, hid his face with his hands and let his head sink onto the table dramatically, and looking up again 'I trust you were polite enough with her?'

'Me? Indeed, what do you think! The most polite I could manage.' Severus snorted. 'Really, I don't know why she was so frightened.'

Remus threw him a dirty look. 'I think I can imagine why. That will be it, I guess. I am done with. She will throw me out now.'

'Tell me one thing, Remus. Didn't you say, you wouldn't stay in your flat nor let any other werewolf remain here during the full moon? She complained about some howling a few weeks ago. I just thought you should know.'

'Damn, that must have been Tim. I had placed a muffling charm on the rooms and he had promised not to howl. Well, he is a bit of a problem.' Remus sighed.

'He is one of my cases, Timothy,' Remus added when Severus gave him a questioning look. 'You might have a chance to meet him should he come to the meeting. But you never know with him.'

'Meetings? That's why she also complained about strange folks visiting you.'

'Yes. Most of my werewolves come here more or less regularly in the week before the full moon. It's just to talk, to see that everybody is all right … that sort of thing. Nobody has to talk about him or herself or their problems.' Remus shrugged his shoulders. 'You don't have to attend if you don't feel like it. It's not that it will be registered in your file at the Ministry if you don't show up, but, of course, if problems should occur, regular attendence would be a point I would mention when asked by the officials to put the person in question in a favourable light.'

'Meaning, I better do attend?'

'Well, you'll see, they are all friendly people. Because of their condition, they don't have much of a social life. That's why they come. Some might be a bit weird, but in general …' he paused to look at Severus questioningly and to give him a chance to make up his mind about this.

'All right, I am not going to wander about outside in the Park while they are here.'

'Could you do me a favour, Severus?'

'Yes, what?'

'As these meetings are more like a party and as werewolves we have to see to it that we eat enough, I have to make some preparations, like …'

'You want me to prepare dinner?'

'No, no. Not that big, really. Just a little bit to bite.' Remus grinned sheepishly.

'It's all right, you got me, Remus.' Severus shook his head. 'How many do you expect, and when?'

'Sometime next week, I have to look it up. And … well it's difficult to forsee with werwolves. Sometimes there are three, sometimes ten persons.' Remus shrugged his shoulders.

'I tell you what, Remus. I hate these social events everybody calls parties. But I'll attend and I'll prepare the food. That way I'll have an excuse to be in the kitchen when it becomes too much, all right?'

'Great. Thank you Severus.'

Perhaps it was just as well to divert his thoughts from the full moon. If it was right was Remus had said, that the other wolves were not too keen on talking about their condition. And he dearly hoped that, because he didn't think that it would help him at all, listening to other people talking about lycanthropy. Therefore the younger werewolf was looking forward to the approaching meeting with mixed feelings.