AN: Another installment from when Snape and Lupin were adopted. I still don't own anything and this hasn't been beta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Gigglewater

"Alright, boys," Minerva said as she came down the stairs and walked over to the fireplace. Severus and Remus were both on opposite ends of the couch. Severus with a book open in his lap while Remus sat staring boredly out the living room window. "We expect the two of you to behave while we're gone. Your Dad and I will only be gone until late this evening and Jenka is making dinner for you both."

"Sure," Remus answered softly while Severus hadn't even bothered to look up from his book.

"If you need anything, you know how to reach us?"

"What do you think we're going to need in the four hours that you'll be gone?" Remus asked, his tone sharp enough that both Minerva and Severus looked over at him. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath and turned back to watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky.

Just then, Albus came in through the kitchen, a bright smile on his face.

"Are you ready, my dear?" he asked Minerva as he picked up the jar of floo powder from where it sat on top of the mantle.

"I am," she answered, then turned back to the boys and said one last time, "Behave."

Neither boy answered her and within a few seconds, she and Albus were gone.

"Finally," Remus muttered causing Severus to look up at him again.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

The two teenagers had been living together since Albus and Minerva had adopted Remus in May. It was August now, and they still weren't getting along much better than they had at the start of the summer. Though they at least seemed to have worked out a mutual respect for one another. And at times, if they didn't think too much about how they were enemies, one might even think they were friends.

"Don't have one." Remus snapped back.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Sure. You're not still upset that Mum grounded you yesterday, are you?" Remus had been invited to visit with James and Sirius over at the Potter's house over the weekend and while he was there, the three of them had gotten into trouble with Mr. Potter for taking off on Sirius's motorbike. Strictly speaking, Sirius was allowed to drive the motorbike yet, let alone give rides to his friends. Especially when Mr. Potter had thought they were all asleep up in James's room in the first place. To say that Minerva had been less than pleased was an understatement.

When Remus didn't say anything though Severus went back to reading his book only to close it a moment later. "What day is it?" Remus just glared at him but Severus glared right back. "That's it then," Severus stated, "It's only a few days til the full moon."

Though he hadn't said it in a mean or sarcastic way, Remus, being especially testy during this time, took it that way and he pushed himself off the couch and walked over to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Severus asked.

Remus didn't answer. He just continued up the stairs as if he hadn't heard his new brother. "Fine with me," Severus muttered as he stretched his legs out along the sofa and opened his book back up to where he had left off. "Maybe now I can read in peace."

However, that peace was short lived because it was only about an hour before Remus had come back downstairs, this time heading straight to the kitchen, only to return a few minutes later carrying two glasses.

"Come with me," he said simply as he stopped in front of where Severus sat.

"Why?" Severus asked, looking up at him in confusion.

"Just come on," Remus argued, "we've only got a few hours until they're back."

"What have you got glasses for?"

"Sev!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Severus put his book down for the final time and stood up to follow Remus back upstairs and into Remus's room.

"Here." Remus said, handing a glass to Severus before turning to his trunk at the foot of his bed and beginning to rummage through it.

Severus, unsure of what was even going on, stood silently behind him as he waited for whatever Remus was getting them into.

"There it is!" Remus suddenly exclaimed as he stood up. He turned back around to face Severus holding a bottle in his hand and smiling brighter than Severus had seen him in days. Severus shook his head. "No," he said, backing up and away from Remus. "No, that's what we with brains like to call a bad idea."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Sev. It's not like it's Firewhiskey or something. It's Gigglewater for Merlin's sake. How bad can it be?"

"I'm going to guess bad."

"Have you ever drank before?" Remus asked.

"Yes, Firewhiskey that I nicked from Dad's study last year," Severus answered, "and the only reason I didn't get caught was because Lily happened to overhear that Dad was looking for me and so she covered for me."

"Okay, then," Remus said with a grin, "so then you already know what that's like, so Gigglewater should be a piece of cake."

"Why are you doing this?" Severus asked, stubbornly refusing to take the bottle that Remus was holding out for him. "Where'd you even get that?"

"James's house," he answered simply.

"Okay, but why?" Severus was confused because it was really unlike Remus to act so foolishly. Especially for something as dumb as a bottle of Gigglewater.

"Because…" He stopped and turned around so that he wasn't looking at Severus. "Why do I even need a reason?" He spun back around and glared at Severus. "I'm sixteen years old. Practically of age and If I want to drink, then I should bloody well be allowed to drink!"

"Remus." Severus said quietly. "What's going on?"

Remus groaned and dropped heavily onto the bed, staring fixedly up at the ceiling while Severus looked around his room for some clue as to what was bothering him. He looked at the pictures on his desk, the papers scattered about. Bits and pieces of letters that were only half written, a calender hanging off to the side. He glanced at it and saw that a date had been circled in red. He figured it was probably the date of the next full moon but upon closer inspection, that wasn't it at all.

"Mum's Birthday." Severus sighed. It was tomorrow's date but since Minerva's birthday wasn't for several more months, Severus could only guess that this was Hope Lupin's birthday instead.

"Merlin," Snape breathed and in the next moment, before he had a chance to talk himself out of it and knowing full well that it was a really, really bad idea, he took the bottle from Remus and filled first his and then Remus's glasses while Remus sat up in the bed, staring at him quizzingly. "Here," Severus said, handing Remus back the glass.

Remus grinned and raised his glass before taking a sip.

"Well?" Severus asked.

"Nothing." Said Remus, shrugging his shoulders. Severus raised his own glass up to his lips and took a sip for himself but much like Remus, he didn't feel a thing. He shook his head.

"Maybe you have to drink a bit before it starts working?" He decided before drinking a little more. Remus did as well and together, they sat quietly for a few moments, both slowly emptying their first glass.

Suddenly, a bubble of laughter welled up inside Remus and he grinned.

"There we go," he said around another small giggle. Severus gave a small laugh as well and held the bottle up to refill their glasses.

"We just needed more to get the effects," he said before laughing again.

Only that wasn't the case at all. In fact, had they only waited a bit longer, the giggles would have started on their own with just a bit of the gigglewater. Instead however, Remus and Severus were both already well on their way through their second glasses and were starting to have a hard time getting words out around their fits of laughter.

"I wonder," Severus said a few minutes later while he clutched at his side, "how long it lasts?"

Remus shook his head, unable to speak properly for all the giggles that he couldn't control. He tried to stand up but he lost his balance and immediately fell back down to the bed, spilling a good portion of his glass onto the light blue comforter.

"Whoops!" he said through peals of laughter. He shakily held his index finger up to his mouth and said a long, exaggerated, "Shhhhhhh," Severus laughed harder at him, his dark eyes brimming with tears because he was laughing so hard. "Sevvy, shhhhhh." Remus went on. "Don't tell Mum."

Severus glared at Remus as sternly as he could while still being unable to stop the laughter that was pouring out of him, "Don't call me Sevvy, savvy?"

That only seemed to make them both laugh more and when Severus tried to take another drink from his glass, he missed it entirely and nearly dropped the whole thing.

"R-remus," Severus said as soon as he could get the word out, "I think," he giggled and then tried to stop himself by shaking his head. "I think we are drunk."

"We can't be drunk, Sev," Remus laughed, completely unaware that his glass was tipping dangerously towards the floor. "Mum will kill us."

"Mur-der," Severus said slowly. "Murrr-derrr." He laughed then and Remus stood up, holding his hand out to his brother.

"I think this calls for a song!" Severus laughed and took hold of Remus's outstretched hand and allowed himself to be hauled up from the bed. They each put their free hands around the others back to steady themselves and held their glasses up high as they swayed back and forth. "I'll start!" Remus said excitedly. "Hog-warts! Hog-warts!" They laughed loudly and Severus joined in. "Hoggy- worty, hooogg-warrttsss!"

Remus stopped then to laugh. "I don't remember the next bit!"

"Oh, I do!" Severus exclaimed, "Teach US SOMETHING PLEEASEEEE!"

"You have got to be kidding me!"

So lost in their song, neither Severus or Remus heard the floo come to life downstairs. But they both saw the irate Head of Gryffindor House standing in the doorway to Remus's room.

"Mum!" Severus said happily, around another fit of giggles, "Come sing with us!"

FIN