Chapter 8: A Secret Between Friends
{A/N: Sorry about the wait, long shifts turned into much needed rest days when I did manage to get some time off and of course...here's another chapter...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
Remus Lupin's Office, Unknown World...
Annoyance filled the Potions Master as he found himself enduring pain from retinas as Lupin shined a most uncomfortable pen light into them. He was merely seconds from tossing the "good" doctor into the nearest wall, but found his rage delayed via the concerns of his young wife whom had been tightly grasping his hand.
"I should never have let you hang those blasted lights in such horrid conditions." said Hermione with a good deal of guilt filed across her surprisingly lovely face.
For the first time since he awoke in this strange world he was forced to see how truly beautiful she was and also just how much this man who's life he had stolen meant to her.
"It's not your fault." said Snape surprising himself with his attempt to console the sorrowful young woman.
Lupin looked upon his best friend with a bit of sadness behind his eyes before running more tests.
"I hate to be the burden of bad news Hermione, but it appears Sid does indeed have a compounded concussion." He said confirming the saddened woman's fears. "There isn't much we can do for him outside of bed rest and keeping his stress level down as much as possible while he recuperates."
"Of course." said Hermione feeling a bit low for getting angry at her husband prior to their visit to the doctor's office. "Whatever he needs."
Lupin sighed watching the tear struck woman get to her feet and kiss her husband effectively catching him off guard.
"I love you." she said meaningfully.
"I love you too." He replied know all to well that it had been expected of him.
"For the time being, his injury will make some memories difficult to recall so have some patience with him if you will." continued Lupin. "For the moment I need to speak with him in private if you don't mind there are more tests to run and seeing you upset might further complicate his condition."
Hermione took one last look at the man she believed to be her husband and kissed him once more before taking her leave to allow Lupin to continue his work.
Once the sorrow young woman had gone Snape gave Lupin his full attention. He knew instinctively that the sheepish doctor was hiding something.
"You are quite an accomplished liar Lupin." He said making it clear that he wasn't in the least fooled by the doctor's words to his wife.
Lupin sighed.
"Your condition has been aggravated by the mild concussion you suffered in the fall but we both know the real reason for your memory loss." He said meeting the Potions Master's eyes.
Snape narrowed his gaze at his apparent old friend.
"Do we?" he asked feeling that there was more to the good doctor's words.
"For heaven's sake Sidney the tumor is getting worse by the day." said Lupin as if the very words pained him. "I know this isn't easy for you...?"
"Tumor?" asked Snape in disbelief. "What bloody tumor are you...are you trying to say that I am dying?"
The doctor had been in a state of utter shock as he attempted to gather himself in the wake of his best friend forgetting about the his most heartbreaking diagnosis yet.
"Sidney we've been over this...You developed a brain tumor some time ago and at the rate you're mind is deteriorating it seems as if you have only three months left to live." said Lupin with tears streaming down his ghastly pale cheeks.
Snape had no clue how to react to the sight of a man he loathed since he was a boy almost as much as he loathed any self important Gryffindor, weeping at the prospect of his impending demise due to a Muggle illness.
"I..." began Snape not much for apologizes due to his lack of having heard any.
His attempt at civility seemed at an end as Hermione made her way back into the room.
"Has there been any change?" she asked sounding a bit hopeful.
Lupin shook his head.
"No he's very much still the cranky git you brought in an hour ago." replied the doctor leaving not a trace of sentiment from his earlier discussion with Snape in private.
"He's at least attempting to be civil at least." said Hermione with an arched brow as she turned her attention to her husband.
Snape did his best to keep from rolling his eyes, knowing as much as he did now...it was a wonder this Sidney put up with the unruly woman this long. The Potions Master had known Hermione Granger or rather the insecure obnoxious girl but this...woman was a complete mystery to him.
She made her way over toward him decidedly more patient since the last time he found himself alone with her. This had all been due to Lupin of course and his explanation that Sidney wasn't exactly "himself" and that they shouldn't expect him to be for the time being.
It was more than a bit of weight off the shoulders of the man already bumbling about in a world he scarcely understood but to have to do so with another bloke's family fussing over him in the most ridiculous of ways was utterly horrifying in it of itself.
"Sidney." said Hermione in a calm tone. "How about I take you home?"
Snape sighed thinking "if only it had been true".
"Alright." he replied still weary of his own condition following Lupin's input.
It was an odd feeling to know that he was going to die and not care about the outcome in the least. It had been something he was prepared for ever since the end of the second wizarding war and yet his end had not come. Now here he was living another bloke's life and being given his death sentence.
Most men would have been unnerved by the news as Sidney Sinclair no doubt was when he had been first informed. Snape began to guess that perhaps Sidney's fall wasn't quite the accident his family believed it to have been.
Perhaps the chap wished to take his destiny into his own hands and attempted to alleviate his own pain.
"Sidney?" said Hermione attempting to get Snape's attention.
"Yes?" he asked with an arched brow.
"I asked if you were hungry?" she repeated, but still held her patience which seemed the staple of their arrangement ever since she found out about the concussion.
"No...thank you." he said having not in the least been in the mood for food after dealing with a series of startling revelations about this strange muggle bloke's life.
"Alright we'll just get you home to rest then." said his rather concerned young wife.
Snape nodded slowly in agreement.
Lupin placed a hand on his shoulder and The Potions Master grew tense for a moment not expecting physical contact from anyone let alone a former predator in terms of the former werewolf's status.
"It'll be alright Sid." he said.
"If you say so." replied Snape as polite as he could manage.
With that he and Hermione made their collective journey out of Lupin's office and back toward their shared home.
