Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything therein. No profit was made, etc. etc. etc.
Chapter Two
Restlessly he sat, book open on his lap, eyes wandering through the living room. His worn, broken-down couch was against the wall, next to a wobbly end-table on which rested a desk lamp containing an almost burnt out bulb. Any moment now, Remus expected the filament inside to break and plunge the entire room into darkness. He was living a careful existence surrounded by Muggle tenants whom he had never personally met. Doing magic in such close proximity to his neighbors was not a wise choice, Remus decided. He had no idea whether he was being watched by them, and did not want to chance anything. Therefore, he made it a priority to refrain from using magic as much as he could. Remus could survive in near-darkness.
Though, he had made it a habit of not reading in bad light. All of his literary pursuits were reserved for the daylight hours, or by candlelight. However, Remus could not exactly call what he was doing presently "reading." Perhaps it was better that the light was so dim; the shadows that were being cast around the room made the four walls appear to be slightly longer than they actually were. The emptiness of the room, however, was still quite apparent to him. His couch and table were accompanied by a tattered folding chair with a half-stuffed cushion he had found, a makeshift coat-rack, and an upside down cardboard box which was presently serving as a bookshelf. Earlier that evening, Remus had rushed around struggling to rearrange every piece of furniture he owned in an effort to make the room seem more habitable and cozy. However, he had, after an hour, given up hope and resigned himself to reading. Of course, this consisted of sitting back and silently criticizing the lack of substantiality in his living room.
Why was he so preoccupied with this sudden need to not appear to be such a charity case? Remus inwardly kicked himself, as he hardly ever became so concerned over such things. He was who he was, nothing more and nothing less. Then why was he suddenly so worried about whether or not his apartment had enough furniture to be considered presentable? Before he could start formulating an answer, there was a light rap on the door. Remus gave a little start, his heart leaping momentarily into his throat. Swallowing hard, he set his book on the table beside him and tried to answer the door with as much calm composure as he could muster.
Severus stood in the hallway, hands shoved deep into the pockets of a dark green peacoat. "Good evening." He said softly.
"Come in." Remus bid, stepping to the side and allowing him entrance. Shutting the door behind him, the lycanthrope took a long, deep breath in and let it out slowly. "Would you like me to take your jacket?" He offered cordially.
The Potions master shrugged off his coat, handing it to Remus. "Thank you."
The lycanthrope remained unmoving for a moment, thrown by the fact that Severus was dressed in Muggle clothes, something he had never before seen. All throughout their years at Hogwarts they had remained in their school uniforms, changing strictly to wizard robes once they reached adulthood. It was a new sight for him. Remus, on the otherhand, had always held a fondness for Muggle articles such as cardigans, wearing them either under or in place of his robes. Severus was another story entirely.
Tugging at the hem of his long black turtleneck, Severus took a seat in the tattered folding chair. "Lupin, I'd advise you to close your mouth. You're gaping like a garden fountain."
Remus pushed his lips together. "I'm sorry." He said before taking a seat on the battered couch. "It's not everyday one gets to see you wearing Muggle clothes."
"I hardly want to arouse suspicion, Lupin." Severus returned.
His dark eyes scanned the room, causing Remus to feel the burn of embarrassment slowly creeping onto his cheeks. "It's not much..." He apologized weakly.
"It's quite adequate." returned the Potions master. Whether he meant it as an insult or an affirmation, Remus was not sure.
"Would you like some tea?" The lycanthrope asked, feeling a bit awkward. "I'll put a pot to boil if you would." Remus went on. Getting back into the habit of easy conversation was more difficult than he had anticipated. Not that he had expected to be carrying on grand conversations with Severus by now, or to be having any at all.
Severus appeared to be thinking for a moment before he spoke. "That would be nice." He returned, his voice softening slightly. If Remus had not been listening so intently, he might have missed it. Perhaps it was not as difficult as he thought...
Remus disappeared into the tiny kitchen. He struck a match and lit the stove before filling his second-hand tea kettle and placing it on the burner. Peering around the corner, Remus could see Severus had picked up his book and was gingerly turning the pages. The Potions master looked so calm and intrigued by the leather and aging leaves that held ancient prose. Turning back to the kitchen, Remus rummaged through a drawer to find his tea ball and filled it with sweet smelling leaves.
"I was unaware you took an interest in Muggle literature." Severus' voice sounded through the silence. Remus could tell his companion was still inspecting the book, or perhaps reading portions of it, for his voice was slightly muffled.
"I inherited my father's collection of books." Remus returned, stepping back into the living room and smiling softly.
Severus shut the book's cover and examined the gold lettering on the front. "Plato."
"That's one of my favorite books." He added.
The Potions master opened the book again, letting the pages fall where they were most accustomed. Instead of philosophic prose, Severus was greeted with a fading picture of Remus' parents. "Are these your parents?" He asked, picking up the photograph in his hands. The faces smiled back at Severus, unmoving, frozen in time by Muggle technology.
"Yes, that's them." Remus nodded.
Severus looked up at him, his dark eyes narrowed slightly. "You resemble her." He announced. "But your jaw line is very similar to his." added the Potions master. Extending his arm, Severus offered the picture to Remus.
Taking hold of it, Remus' fingers slid over Severus'. The lycanthrope felt the warmness and the softness of his hands. He inwardly remarked that he had never expected Severus' hands to feel like they did.
Both men remained, as if locked in that very position by some extreme gravitational pull. Their eyes met, as they did at every Order meeting. Severus' lips parted slowly, as if he were about to say something. Remus remained unmoving, listening with rapt attention.
FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Severus jumped, startled at the sound of the tea kettle screeching. Remus, who had been jolted out of his thoughts, scrambled into the kitchen, silently cursing the inopportune announcement of tea. For once in his life, Remus could have done without tea. He quickly fixed two mugs and brought them into the living room where he found Severus to be fiddling with the hem of his sleeves, withdrawn under his veil of dark hair which was now hanging in his eyes. He took the tea gratefully but did not look at Remus as he did so. After a few sips, Severus set his mug down and looked at the lycanthrope once more.
"It's good." Severus announced. Perhaps, Remus thought, it was better to avoid drawing attention to what just passed between them.
"Thank you." Remus returned, swallowing hard.
Reaching into the pocket of his black trousers, Severus withdrew a vial of what Remus recognized to be Wolfsbane. "It's imperative that you take every last drop." reminded the Potions master.
Remus removed the stopper from the vial, grimaced, and tipped the glass to his lips. The liquid burned as it went down and this was the only time he could remember welcoming the feeling. It was a distraction from the burning he was feeling in his chest. Handing Severus the empty vial, Remus attempted to smile but found that he could not. "Thank you."
Severus nodded, finishing his tea in silence. "I'll return tomorrow, if that's acceptable with you."
"Yes, of course." Remus returned. He felt as if he should be insisting that Severus stay, but thought it would most likely be best to allow him to leave after what had transpired. Their conversation had been for the most part awkward and it was best not to press that. The lycanthrope stood and offered Severus his peacoat before opening the door.
"Good night, Lupin." Severus bid as he slid on the jacket and left. Watching him disappear down the hall until he was out of sight, he shut the door and sighed. The very moment the lock had been firmly bolted, the filament in Remus' light bulb broke.