It had been two weeks. Two bloody, miserably fantastic weeks since the 'Shack Incident'.

Two weeks since it was decided to keep Severus' recently acquired lycanthropy a secret. It was amusing to keep the damned Marauders waiting with baited breath while he 'pretended' to mull over whether or not to inform the headmaster about their royal fuck-up. Almost as funny as their collective sigh of relief when he relented- albeit in spiteful words and with a scornful sneer fixed firmly upon his face.

Two weeks since these self-same Marauders became indebted to him- ah yes, there's the silver- oops, bad choice of words- lining in this mess.

And, as such, two blissful, prank-free weeks.

Then again, it'd also been two weeks since he'd found out that JAMES FUCKING POTTER was his mate.

Two weeks of (successfully, of course) avoiding an adorably (UGH!) apologetic and repentant blue-eyed angel- MONSTER; and (not-so-successfully) avoiding an evil, obsessed, loud, completely inappropriate, persistent, annoying, get-out-of-my-fucking-head dragon-wolf.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that Lupin's now my Alpha? And as such, he is bound to 'care, guide, protect, and teach' me? And also, he has to ensure that all members of his pack get along in bloody harmony? Yes, that means that Black is essentially BANNED from pranking or hurting me- whether physically or emotionally- so he can no longer call me that God-awful nickname; but it also means that he has to defend and- ugh!- 'understand' me.

So not only do I have to deal with a GRYFFINDOR defending me from bullies- from both within and without my house- but also the bloody Spanish Inquisition about the scars that cover nearly every inch of my skin. It's none of their bloody God-damned business!

WHY couldn't that part of Lupin's werewolf instincts have been suppressed? Damn fucking pack!

Also- the bloody icing on the cake!- everything werewolf in me tells- no, commands- me to ugh submit. Severus Snape is NOT weak, and does NOT submit to ANYONE! EVER!

Well… maybe for a certain tousle-haired Raven… NO! Bad Ryu! Bad!

::That wasn't me…::

'Shut up already!'

Yeah, it's been a bloody, miserable ::fantastic:: 'Shut up!' week.

"Severus! SEVERUUUUUUUUS!"

No! Damndamndamndamndamn! Jam- POTTER!

Severus looked around frantically. He'd had a free period, but it seemed like his plans for hiding out in the library with Shadows and Secrets: Reasons to Fear the Dark by Damien Zaharu were suddenly blown to dust. The classes were a good thirty minutes from releasing, far too long for him to just run the whole time. Shit, because if there was anything Severus was good at, it was running. Far too much practice- No! Don't think of that right now! Right now, HIDE!

So Severus took off in the opposite direction, cramming his Dark Arts book into his bag to allow him to run faster. He had been having a perfectly decent day, and the last thing he needed was a confrontation with Potter to ruin it.

He was too far from the dungeons to hide down there, not to mention, they were in the opposite direction- Potter's direction- from where he was he was running now. Also, the last place he wanted to be was alone with his Slytherin housemates. So the nearest option available to him was the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. He'd found that in his second year. Finding hiding placed was another skill he was only all-too-familiar with.

Not too far now… damn, too many stairs. Crap they're moving!

And with a strength and agility only possessed by a new were, Severus leaped from the staircase currently shifting in the opposite direction from where he wanted to go, to another staircase slightly lower and to the right that lead to the correct destination. He landed and rolled down a few dozen steps before his hand shot out and grabbed the railing, halting all downhill movement. He only had enough time to straighten his robes and catch a brief glimpse of Potter's amazed and shocked face before he was bolting up the stairs and down the seventh floor corridor.

Thankfully he wasn't even out of breath, not even winded, thanks to his rather convoluted and unorthodox change. Lungs of a lion… or rather, a dragon.

He knew that his clever move wouldn't deter Potter for long, Merlin knows how those imbeciles managed to memorize the castle so thoroughly, but it was- hopefully- enough of a head start for him to reach and become safely ensconced wthin the ROR.

Severus careened to a stop opposite to the portrait of that Barmy fellow, before rapidly pacing back in forth three times thinking 'I need someplace to hide. I need someplace to hide. I need someplace to hide.'

The door slowly began to materialize just as he heard the echoing footsteps- loud, uneven, obviously Potter- reach his sensitive ears. Severus quickly seized and yanked open the door, turning and slamming it shut with a note of finality.

Severus sighed in relief before resting his non-sweaty forehead against the back of the door.

And then…

"Hello Severus."

Severus whirled around, a swear word on his lips, to come face to face with a pouty Pettigrew, an uncomfortable Black, and a- Dammit- determined, serious-looking Lupin.

Severus spun around, fully intending to wrench open the door and make his escape, before a sweaty, glowing, GORGEOUS James Potter slipped in through the door and firmly shut it behind him, simultaneously stealing Severus' breath and blocking his escape route.

Fuck…

"Severus," He winced at the authoritative tone with just the smallest warning of Alpha laced within Lupin's voice as he turned around to face the two/thirds-reluctant trio, "It'd time for us to talk."

But at the same time he suddenly realized that he'd unconsciously left Potter at his back, which only signified a deep trust between a new and volatile young werewolf, or… And he watched as Lupin's eyes widened as he made the connection.

Well, double fuck…