Author's note: Being home sick gave me time to finish editing the chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 29 – Werewolf Woes
Severus Snape was having a terrible week, and it had started way before the Quidditch match. He had enough House pride to want Slytherin to win, but the loss bothered him mostly because it gave James Potter another win. He was used to dealing with the unfairness of life, so it didn't surprise him in the least.
However, Lily had surprised him. He had suggested that instead of watching the game, they could both feign feeling unwell and then meet up while the rest of the school was busy. They'd have the castle to themselves with no worry about their Housemates views on their continued friendship.
She rejected the idea so quickly that it was hard not to take it personally.
"Sev! It's the Quidditch Finals…I can't miss it. Your House is playing too. Don't you want to see who wins?"
Lily had always enjoyed Quidditch more than Snape. There were times in their first and second year that they sat together during a Quidditch match, an action that now would be inconceivable. Snape had almost asked her what was more important the Quidditch match or saving their friendship? But he'd chickened out and quickly backtracked on his idea.
His sour mood only grew worse while listening to his fellow Slytherins grumble about the loss. He had real problems to deal with, but the House of Salazar were never gracious losers. Word got around that Lestrange blamed Regulus Black for the defeat. If it had been anyone else, Snape would have thought Lestrange was being unfair. Afterall if it wasn't for Potter slamming into his broom at the worst moment, Regulus would have caught the snitch earlier in the game giving Slytherin the win. However, Regulus was as haughty and entitled as his brother, and Snape knew the younger boy disliked him, so having Lestrange bring him down a peg or two certainly wasn't unwelcome.
In public though the Slytherins spent their time threatening Potter for his role in their loss, muttering things about 'his luck running out' and ''he'd get what was coming to him". The morning after the match several Slytherins used the snake summoning charm (Serpensortia!) during breakfast directing them to the Gryffindor table. There had been absolute panic as the Gryffindors scurried away from the snakes, hissing and slithering underneath and on top of their table. While they managed to scare a lot of students (Pettigrew squealed like a first-year girl), none of the Quidditch Players were intimidated. A snake did bite Potter's hand while he helped vanish them, but the serpent was unfortunately not of the venomous kind.
The other issue still on his mind was convincing Lestrange he held the correct views on blood. He'd finally taken some action last week when he helped scare a group of younger Muggleborns. He'd gone the extra step of making sure they were frightened enough that they wouldn't dare tattle. He'd thought that action would be enough for Lestrange to at the very least acknowledge his effort.
When Lestrange ignored him, Snape was forced to corner Avery alone in the dorm one morning.
Avery was amused by his question. "We all know you are capable of hexing other students – mudbloods, half-bloods, blood traitors. Did you really think that was all it would take?"
Snape flushed. He hated being laughed it. He was at Hogwarts, what could he honestly do to Muggleborns that would satisfy Lestrange that wouldn't get him expelled?
Of course, he knew the real answer. Lestrange wouldn't be satisfied until he ended his friendship with Lily Evans. He didn't see why that was needed to prove his worth to the Death Eater Cause. If that were the case, he'd have to find a different avenue to join. He didn't really need Lestrange if he contacted Lucius Malfoy. Lucius had always a more positive view of him than Lestrange, and they had kept some contact since he had left school. He could explain the situation, and Malfoy was bound to be more sympathetic.
Sirius winced as the alarm clock blared throughout the dormitory, grabbing a pillow to cover his ears. Three hours of sleep was simply not enough, but it was useless to ignore the alarm. It was charmed to continue until they were all awake, and there was no tricking it. Sirius forced himself to roll out of the bed. James was blinking blearily at him – his glasses still on his bed stand. Peter was sticking his arm out of the bed hangings mumbling, "I'm awake."
Several minutes later when they were all physically out of their beds the alarm had finally stopped. James had set it to give them the most possible sleep without them missing class. That meant they would only have about ten minutes to wash up and get dressed. It was the second night in a short amount of time that they'd gotten less sleep than needed. The Quidditch victory celebrations had gone into the night, and with never ending pile of homework they hadn't been able to sleep in late on Sunday.
Sirius wasn't complaining. He would gladly trade more nights of lost sleep to accompany Remus during his transformation. Last night's adventure had been grand. The werewolf had been more energetic than usual, and they had let it take the lead and ended up venturing deep into the Forbidden Forest. Under the safety of darkness, many magical creatures emerged. That evening they'd run into a herd of unicorns. The normally shy creatures approached them (even with a werewolf in toe), and one of them was very interested in Prongs.
"Muffin or croissant?" Peter asked breaking into Sirius's thoughts.
"Croissant."
"Me too," James said.
Peter tossed a croissant over to Sirius and then to James from the bag of treats on his bed. They always made sure to have extra food for breakfast from the kitchens on the full moon. There was always a good possibility they'd miss breakfast. Though they tried not to do that every month to prevent a noticeable pattern.
Sirius grabbed the thermos of strong cold tea he'd prepared yesterday. He could have warmed it up with a charm, but it was much easier to drink cold tea quickly and the extra boost from the caffeine in the tea was what he really craved. He handed it over to James and Peter was last to sip from it.
Peter made a face. "You never add enough sugar."
Sirius shrugged. "You can prepare it next month if you want."
James yawned as he stretched out his legs. "So we've got our story straight to cover Moony's absence?"
"He was feeling unwell last night, and Madam Pomfrey insisted he spend the day in bed," Sirius recited. He knew Lily Evans had noticed Remus's pale complexion yesterday during breakfast, so that fit in perfectly with the excuse. Besides Snape, most students were perfectly content with their vague answers when they questioned Remus's frequent disappearances.
"Sounds good," James agreed.
Charms was first that morning. As they walked towards class, Sirius felt calm. He liked the quiet of the castle before the bustle of the day began.
"Well, well, well look who missed breakfast again," Snape said appearing out of the shadows. He'd been lying in wait for them. It flabbergasted Sirius that Snape was back to that same behavior of sneaking around after them. It was pathetic really, and he was about to say those very words out loud when Snape continued, "Rather unfortunate day to miss the delivery of the Daily Prophet. Lucky for you I have a copy right here."
Snape's dark eyes lingered on Sirius, and for a moment Sirius feared that there was another article about him. Perhaps his parents were humiliating him further by answering his request to stay at the Potters via a letter in the editorial section? It would not shock him if they ordered him to spend the summer with one of his distant relatives.
Snape held out the newspaper, and James stepped forward to snatch it out of his grip.
"I'd read the main article. Right on the front page."
Sirius doubted a letter from his parent's would be front-page news, but he quickly discovered the truth was worse. Sirius stepped closer to James so he could read the headline, and in large black letters: Werewolf Rampage: At least two Muggle Children Dead.
The details were minimal as it had all happened last night, and the Ministry was focused on preventing panic in the Muggle World. It was hard not to feel queasy when he read about the body parts that had been recovered.
Snape watched them process the information with a sneer on his face. "Those in the Ministry are already calling for changes to the law – tagging all werewolves, life time imprisonment, or my favorite idea – make it a crime to not turn in a known unregistered werewolf. I know he's not registered. He might be safe here at Hogwarts with as sympathetic Headmaster, but Dumbledore won't be able to protect him forever."
There was the unspoken threat that Snape would not stay quiet forever about Remus's condition. Sirius felt a wave a fury, but as he went to grab his wand Snape was already stepping back and away.
"See you in class." Snape's voice echoed through the corridor as he slinked around the corner.
"Idiot…he's trying to rattle us," James said. He folded the newspaper into a square before slipping it into his bag.
"Well it worked," Peter muttered, his eyes darting nervously around the empty hallway. "There's a werewolf registry?"
"Not well maintained, but there is one," Sirius said pocketing his wand. "We read about it. How do you not remember that?"
Peter shrugged. Sirius and James had read every book they could find about werewolves after discovering their close friend was one, while Peter had always been more apathetic about it. "And what's the punishment for failing to register?"
"Right now? I think it's a fine."
"Then there's an additional fine if you register and fail to disclose it on job applications," James stated. "It's impractical. No one is willingly going to disclose that information to a potential employer."
"If they change the law, Moony might not have a choice," Peter said. "Especially without Professor Dumbledore being around to protect him…and us."
James scoffed. "He'll always have us. We'll figure out something".
Peter nodded to placate James, but it was clear that he didn't really believe that if worse came to worse that they could do anything to help Remus. In a way Peter wasn't wrong. Sirius knew that the world outside of Hogwarts was not forgiving. Dumbledore had considerably more sway on the pupils under him versus when they graduated. For the first time Sirius wondered if Dumbledore would be still be able to keep Snape quiet when they left school. Remus would still have his Hogwarts education, but being outed as an adult might make employment unattainable.
Sirius didn't say any of this out loud. And to make himself feel better as much as Peter he added, "This will blow over. Ministry will oblivate the Muggles…and it will be forgotten within a few days."
Afterall werewolves attacks weren't frequent, but they had happened before without any changes to the law. Restricting the rights of werewolves was one issue both side of the war could agree on, if they chose to. There was as high a prejudice against werewolves even among those fighting for magically equality. Most werewolves were hardly model citizens being forced to live on the fringes of society. They were classified as Dark Creatures, and assumed to be dangerous and deceitful. Then when one of them did kill children it was very difficult to draw any sympathy for them. Still capturing and imprisoning werewolves while they were transformed was one thing, but when they returned back to humans it was more difficult to justify.
"Do you think it was deliberate?" Peter asked.
Sirius frowned. "How are we supposed to know?"
"You-know-who is recruiting werewolves-"
"Since when?" James demanded.
"Remus said."
"He did?" Sirius asked. He thought back to when he'd divulged to Remus about Voldemort recruiting him, and Remus had made no mention that he was facing a similar situation. Then again no one on Voldemort's side did know Remus he was a werewolf…
"And not just werewolves…giants and-"
The bell for the start of class sounded, and they all groaned. Flitwick was more tolerant with mischief in his class, but even he gave detention for being late. Having to focus on class helped allay their worries about the outside world, but Sirius knew it was only a matter of time before the growing war would impact them all directly.
Snape was very stressed. His backup plan to go around Lestrange and contact Lucius Malfoy had only made him feel slightly better. It also did nothing to help another pressing worry – Potter and Black. He was still expecting them to make a move at him soon. At least spell he'd been working on, Secumseptra, was ready enough that if he needed to defend himself, he could use it. As with other Quidditch Players, James kept his nose clean before a match, and now that the season was over, there was nothing to delay him. There was also no reason for Snape to have to wait for them to make the first move. He could go on the offensive. He only had to keep them at bay for a few more weeks, and then he'd be rid of them all summer.
The morning after the full moon all four Gyffindors had been missing at breakfast. It was curious that all four weren't there as Lupin was the only one who should have been disposed. He let that slide when he read the werewolf article in the Daily Prophet. An idea popped into his head, and he found the Gryffindors before class, delivering the newspaper to them personally. It dampened their pompous demeanor immediately, and as an added bonus he delayed their arrival to class so they all earned detention.
Defense Against the Dark Arts later in the day ended up being even more entertaining, and he didn't have to involve himself in any of it. At the start of class, two girls in his House began pestering Professor Keenan about the dangers of werewolves and how to spot one. Snape could see that Keenan was trying his best to show werewolves in a positive light. It wasn't shocking news to discover the Muggleborn teacher was a werewolf sympathizer. Werewolves were monsters, and everyone in the school keeping Lupin's secret could pretend all they wanted that Lupin was tame and civilized. The fact is Lupin was as capable of murdering children as any werewolf.
Keenan did his best to focus on the differences between wolves and werewolves, and he reminded them it would be on their OWL written examination. At one point he did inform them that there were some signs and symptoms in a human with lycanthropy before they transformed (such as illness and irritability). He made sure to point out that most werewolves secluded themselves from humans during their transformations.
Potter and Black whispered throughout most of the lesson (losing Gryffindor twenty points in the process). They bolted from the room with Pettigrew in toe the moment Keenan dismissed them (probably to console the werewolf hiding out in the Hospital Wing). In Snape's opinion they were concerned for nothing. He doubted any of his classmates would guess Lupin's dark secret unless a neon hung above Lupin with the word werewolf on it.
Lupin, paler than normal and walking with a slight limp, was back in classes the next day keeping a low profile. Snape thought it would be very educational for them all to find out what a werewolf thought should be a proper punishment for one who murdered children. As expected, he couldn't get near Lupin with his friends being extra protective to ask it. Over the next few days the werewolf discussion died down. It was back to the mundane discussions of teenage gossip.
One particular morning his stress levels were high enough that it was causing a headache, and the last thing eh wanted to hear was Potter's annoying, carrying voice and obnoxious laughter. He could have turned around and walked the other way, but instead he raised his wand, not caring the least that Potter was surround by a group of admirers.
It was a mistake because a second later he found himself sprawled on the ground.
"Sorry…didn't see you there…" It was a Ravenclaw in his year that had pushed into him. The tone of his voice made it clear his action had been on purpose. "Potter, he was aiming for you."
The Ravenclaw joined the group, and Snape was disgusted to see him put an arm around one of Lily's friends, Mary MacDonald. That girl was airheaded and a gossip, and a Ravenclaw should have better priorities when looking for a girlfriend. Snape picked himself up off the ground wondering if his next best move was just to start firing curses. He was not facing a friendly group.
His situation grew worse when the group parted slightly to let someone to the front, and he was flustered to see it was Lily. The last thing he needed right now was word to get around that he allowed his Muggleborn friend to chastise him publicly.
"I'll deal with this," Lily instructed. "Go on. I'll catch up with you."
The group reluctantly walked off leaving them alone. Snape didn't miss Mary's worried glance or Potter's furious glare.
"I was doing everyone a favor," Snape began as Lily pulled him to the side so they'd be out of the way of any students walking by. "Unless you enjoyed hearing Potter prattle on for ages?"
"Langlock Charm?"
He breathed a sigh of relief to see her smile. "Yes," he lied. He was actually going to vanish Potter's hair, but the Langlock sounded less serious. "What were you doing with Potter anyway?"
She gave him a look. "I wasn't with him. And if all you want to do is complain about Potter-"
"I don't," Snape replied quickly. His second lie to Lily. He very much wanted to warn her about Potter. She clearly did not understand that any hint of friendliness on her part would only encourage the boy.
"Good. He talks enough about himself as it is."
This time Snape was the one to grin. Hearing her berate Potter was one of his favorite things. Though with the topic of his enemy not allowed, he couldn't think of anything to say. And they used to be able to talk about nothing for hours.
"So OWLs soon…" she began. "Have you been sticking to your revising schedule?" She had lightly teased him about his orderly schedule when he first showed it to her, but he detested cramming. He liked being prepared, and getting high marks would help with his plans after Hogwarts.
"Mostly. We can study together any time you want."
Lily looked slightly guilty. "I joined a study group. At first it was only to support Mary. She had a crush on the boy that had put it together…he's her boyfriend now, so that worked out…"
"The Ravenclaw that pushed me?"
"You hardly have the moral ground. You were going to hex Potter," she reminded him. "Anyway, now that I started on their studying schedule it makes sense to keep with it."
"So you don't have time to revise with me at all?" He couldn't hide the tone of resentment in his voice.
"We can still do homework together…and we are partners in Potions. Surely between hexing Muggleborns, Avery and Mulciber need to revise?"
He stared at Lily in confusion. They'd been talking about studying and now she turned the topic to the hexing habits of his dormmates. He was instantly defensive. "What do you mean by that?"
"I've been hearing things-"
"What about Potter and Black? They think it's their right to hex any student for merely being sorted into Slytherin! How are they any better?"
"This isn't about them. If you continue to stand by and defend people like Avery and Mulciber, people are going to think you approve of their actions!"
"And what do you think?"
"Honestly, Sev. I don't know anymore."
Her words brought him speechless. She looked torn. It hurt even though he sensed she was having as difficult a time saying those words as he was hearing them.
Usually when they go to this point in their arguments one of them would reassure the other that despite their differences they were still friends – best friends. The chasm between them would be bridged again and all was well.
However today Lily did not reassure him, and he could not think of how to respond. "I-"
The words on his lips died as a group of chattering students bumbled by. They paid no attention to their conversation to the side. They had no idea that a friendship was close to breaking as they carried on with their own lives.
Lily twirled the end of her hair nervously. "Let's focus on our OWLs. And then we can…" She trailed off.
He nodded curtly.
She tried to smile, but it did not reach her eyes. "I'll see you in Potions tomorrow?"
"Yes. Tomorrow."
As he watched her go, his pounding headache growing worse. He curled his fists in frustration because he didn't know how to fix things with her.
"Lover's quarrel?"a snide voice stated.
Snape nearly jumped out of his skin only to realize the words had been spoken by a portrait. A rather rotund man with large glasses dressed in a dark green suit was leering at him.
"Shut up," he muttered. His mood only worsened to find even the bloody portraits had an opinion about his relationship with Lily. He should have headed to the dormitory to lie down, but instead he followed Lily's suggestion to study. Even if everything else in his life was out of his control, achieving OWLs in all his subjects was not one of them.
Sirius leaned back his chair so the front legs of his chair were in the air.
"One day you are going to fall flat your back," Mary MacDonald warned as she walked past him with the other Gryffindor girls. "Where is Lupin? I have a book I need to return to him."
"He'll be here," Sirius said letting his chair fall back down with a thud. It did give him pause that Remus hadn't shown up yet. Class was about to start, and Remus hated being late. He was handing in assignments he'd missed during the full moon, so there was no reason he should be delayed.
Sirius turned in his seat to face James and Peter sitting behind him. Peter was scribbling the last few answers for a homework assignment, and James was lost in thought, his gaze on one redheaded girl in particular.
"Staring at her is a bit pathetic," Sirius said, keeping his voice low enough so no one else could hear.
James gave a start. "I was thinking. Not staring."
Peter chuckled. He always liked when the teasing between their group did not involve him personally.
"Sure, Prongs," Sirius answered as James tried to kick at him from under the desk. "In case you didn't notice, Moony isn't back yet."
James frowned glancing at his watch to check the time. Remus had been shaken by the news of the werewolf attack so they were all keeping close tabs on their friend. In a quiet moment, Remus had confessed he was felt both disgust and sympathy for the werewolf responsible for the attack. The perpetrator hadn't been caught, and even if the story wasn't worthy of the front page any longer, it didn't mean Remus wasn't still worrying about it.
The bell rang before the boys could discuss it any further. Professor McGonagall was in a no-nonsense mood. She did not comment about the empty seat besides Sirius, but she must have sensed there was potential for him to cause trouble if he wasn't kept occupied.
"Mr. Black," she called out. "Please pass out this box of kittens. We will be practicing the Vanishing spell once again. This will be on your OWL practical."
Sirius lifted the box of squirming kittens off the Professor's desk.
"I've enchanted your desks so the kittens cannot jump off them. Now remember the more complex the animal the more concentration needed."
Sirius began passing out the kittens, but he kept an eye on the door, willing Remus to appear.
"Oooo can I have the orange one?' Mary McDonald asked peering into the box, and Sirius obliged her. James and Peter picked out two gray kittens with four white paws and almost identical striped tails.
Sirius was heading over to Avery when the classroom door swung open. Instead of Remus, Snape skulked in, his long greasy black hair hanging around his face. Sirius had not noticed Snape's absence, and now his concern for his friend grew. It couldn't be a coincidence that Snape was late the same day as Remus. Sirius strained to hear the words exchanged between Snape and Professor McGonagall, but he only caught a few words that didn't make him any wiser.
"Are you going to stand there all day, Black?" Avery grumbled.
"Why are you so eager to begin?" Sirius countered dumping a black kitten on Avery's desk. "You couldn't cast a Vanishing Charm if your life depended on it."
Avery glowered at Sirius as Snape slipped into the empty seat next to him. "Someone in your quartet missing?"
"If you did anything to him-" Sirius threatened.
"I didn't. Now give me a cat," Snape responded briskly.
Sirius picked the meanest looking kitten to hand off. The kitten hissed loudly at Snape, hair standing on end. Sirius snorted as Avery looked alarmed by the agitated animal and Snape scooted back in his chair.
"Scared of a kitten?" Sirius scoffed.
"Is there a problem here boys?" Professor McGonagall interrupted.
They all quickly denied an issue, and McGonagall cast a quick calming spell on the unhappy kitten. Sirius continued down the aisle giving Mulciber his animal next. He was debating whether he should bring it up to McGonagall that Remus was missing or if he should leave and go look for his friend himself.
Then less than a minute later the door the classroom opened once again, and Remus walked in. Sirius felt an immediate sense of relief. Remus was still paler than normal, but unhurt.
Sirius quickly finished his task, and brought the last two kittens over to his desk. Remus handed McGonagall a note and as she read it over Sirius noted she was giving Remus the same look she reserved for troublemakers in her own House (usually him and James).
"See me after class, Mr. Lupin. You too, Mr. Snape."
"Yes, Professor," Remus answered softy, and he kept his head down as he hurriedly took his seat.
"What happened?" Sirius whispered immediately.
"Later," Remus hissed, dropping his bag on the ground, retrieving his wand, and facing the front of the classroom attentively. Professor McGonagall proceeded to go over the incantation, Evanesco, before allowing them to have a go at the spell.
Sirius tried to get Remus to tell him what had transpired, but his friend was adamant that they focus on the lesson. The class struggled to vanish the kittens even though they'd all successfully vanished other items. By halfway through the class there were still tails, stripes, and feet visible on most of the cats. Professor McGonagall was not impressed by the classes' overall progress. Remus, who had never had a problem with this particular spell, was less successful than Peter that day. McGonagall noticed that Remus was distracted. She was not in a forgiving mood for she stopped by their table often reminding them the reason for their failure was simply lack of concentration. Sirius waited until the end of class to prove he could vanish his kitten, and only James and Allison Fawley from Slytherin managed to do the same.
Sirius was tasked with collecting the kittens back as McGonagall assigned them homework. MacDonald tearfully gave up her orange tabby, and the kitten on Snape's desk gave one last hiss before allowing Sirius to scoop her up. She immediately started purring as Sirius carefully placed her back in the box.
As the boys packed up their belongings, Remus looked as happy as a prisoner awaiting execution.
"We'll wait for you," James said patting Remus on the shoulder in reassurance.
Out in the corridor the boys settled against the wall. Sirius positioned himself so he had a partial view of what was going on inside. He could see the backs of Snape's and Remus's heads. McGonagall's mouth was in a very thin line, a sure indication that she was angry.
Peter was prattling on about something when the door opened and Snape walked through first. Sirius instantly bristled, Peter paused midsentence, and James locked eyes on the Slytherin.
"How sweet…that the resident werewolf has such a strong support system. Your pet needs to be kept on a tighter leash." Snape's robes billowed around him as he stormed down the hall. If McGonagall wasn't in such close proximity, he would have cursed Snape.
A few moments later Remus emerged from the classroom looking slightly abashed. "Detention. Three nights."
"For being tardy?!" Peter exclaimed his eyes wide.
"It didn't help matters," Remus answered carefully.
"So if it wasn't for being tardy, what was it for?"
"Behavior unbecoming of a prefect," Remus replied, looking amused by their shocked faces. "Did you notice Snape was late as well?"
"We noticed," Sirius said sharply. He was having trouble reading Remus's demeanor. They were all on edge, and Remus appeared strangely calm.
"Was that git harassing you again?" James demanded.
"No…well he did bring up that article on werewolves. I – er – I let his words get to me. He implied I sympathized with the werewolf…that I believe it was justifiable for a werewolf to kill Muggles. And that's when I turned his arms and legs into tentacles."
"You what?" Peter exclaimed as Sirius let out a bark of laughter.
"I wish I could have seen that." Sirius closed his eyes for a second, picturing the greasy slime ball as part octopus.
"And how did Snape react to that?" James asked cautiously.
"His arms were tentacles, James. There wasn't anything he could do." Remus shrugged. "Before anything could escalate, Professor Flitwick walked by. We were near his office. I was going to drop off an assignment with him next. Professor Flitwick docked me 50 points, and he wrote McGonagall a note of explanation."
"Fifty points and detention – that's rotten luck," Peter said shaking his head in sympathy.
"As McGonagall pointed out the fact that I could dock points or assign him detention made my actions even grievous."
"Doesn't she know Snape's been –"
"She doesn't know, and I didn't tell her. She's not wrong. I shouldn't have reacted with a wand. I am supposed to be setting an example."
James was looking perplexed. "You don't seem worried that Snape will retaliate…as in let a certain secret slip?"
James was right that it was odd. Remus had been adamant not so long ago that they needed to leave Snape along, and he wasn't the least nervous after finally standing up to Snape.
Remus let out a loud sigh. "I think you were both right about that…as usual."
"We could remind him that keeping his mouth shut would be in his best interest," Sirius offered. He was itching to get at Snape for the last several days. James nodded, looking as ready for an altercation as his best friend.
"No," Remus said quickly. "There's no need. He's been more vocal with his threats, but that's all they are – threats. He's showing no signs of actually going through with them."
"As we tried to tell you."
"I know," Remus responded curtly adjusting the bag on his shoulder.
"And don't you feel better having put him in his place?" Sirius asked.
Remus gave Sirius an exasperated look that then broke into a wry smile. "A bit."
"Come on, I bet Snivelly wasn't expecting that at all – knocked that sneer right off his face!"
"Yes, but listen that still doesn't mean-"
"Right…right…we know, Moony," Sirius said brushing away any further admonishment. He didn't need Remus to start going on and on about leaving Snape alone. "Let's go, yea?"
And Remus, as he'd always done before, let the matter drop.
Author's note: Thanks for reading, and to all that reviewed. Let me know your thoughts. Next chapter will feature Snape's Worst Memory scene! It was certainly tricky getting them all from the werewolf prank to SWM, and I hope it is all believable.