Remus woke late the next afternoon. His body hurt far more than any other time in his life. As though by telepathic impulse, Sirius and Severus both came in only moments after his eyes finished adjusting to the light.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked with soft voice in case Lupin had a headache after his ordeal.

The werewolf sat up slowly with some help and leaned tiredly against the headboard. He turned his itchy eyes about the over-bright room. Severus was still standing in the doorway. As soon as their eyes met, Severus flinched and looked away.

With a fresh bout of energy fueled by guilt and anger, Remus stood on his own and stumbled toward his bathroom. He slammed the door shut behind him, ignoring the muffled befuddlement of Sirius.

He leaned against the sink and ran luke warm water into the basin. After splashing several handfuls of water across his face, Lupin gingerly took up the towel and patted his face. The sight that met him in the mirror made him drop the cloth to the floor without a second thought.

No wonder Severus kept shrinking away from him when he looked at him.

Beyond the odd position of his lip over his large teeth, both of his eyes were wide and glowing. He still had the eyes of the wolf. Remus strangled a sob and touched his mirror image. His clawed hand curled into a fist and with a yowl of rage, he slammed it into the porcelain basin and watched as it fell to pieces at his feet.

The water pipe busted and soon his room was flooded with well over an inch of water.

"Remus!" Sirius shouted through the door, jiggling the handle violently.

Remus swung it open and stormed from the room, pushing past Severus and stood in the hall, banging his fists into the drywall. His stomach clenched painfully in his gut and he bent double as though to retch. Nothing came of it, but dry, cracked sobs ripped painfully up his spine. He lost track of everything but the pain in his heart.

It was ten minutes later, shivering and hiccoughing that he realized he was being rocked in Sirius' soaking wet arms. The animagus had waded through the mess and shut off the valve to his bathroom water flow and had soaked himself to the skin to do it. Severus was gone.

"What's happening to me?" Remus chocked out, carefully enunciating around his new teeth.

Sirius didn't answer, he didn't know how to.

The sound of soft footfalls on the stairs drew his watery gaze and Remus saw Severus breech the stairwell. The potions master didn't so much as blink when he met Lupin's gaze this time. The man held down a short juice glass. "Drink this."

Remus took it, trickling a small mess down his chin as he had to relearn to drink with his new teeth. He offered the empty glass up to Snape and wiped his chin with the back of his good hand. "What was it?"

Severus stared at him like he was an idiot, "Warm milk."

"What?" Sirius asked brusquely.

"I told you both he could have no medication until he is fit for it," Severus hissed. "At least it is something in your system. It is supposed to have a calming effect." The potions master sniffed.

"Something your mother taught you?" Sirius queried with a snort. He helped Remus to his feet and the werewolf saw Severus stiffen.

"Yes," Severus said quietly. With a last, lingering look, the man returned to the kitchen with the empty glass.

Remus followed Sirius to his room and slumped into the chair as Sirius stripped off his wet clothing. Sirius plopped down on the bed with a dry shirt in his hands. He sighed heavily and gave Remus a tired smile.

"Severus and I were talking this morning--"

"Did you just call him Severus?" Remus interrupted with a gape.

Sirius grimaced, "Don't tell him, it was an accident."

"Right," Remus touched his forehead and wondered if he had woken in an alternate reality.

"Anyway, we were talking this morning. Snape's pretty sure this is all reversible." Sirius spoke with a reassuring tone.

"It's true," Severus interrupted in the doorway, having returned from the kitchens with a small tray of food. He set it down beside Remus and gave him a pointed stare until the werewolf took up a toast point and nibbled on it. The potions master was appeased and looked over at Sirius before letting out a snort. "Get dressed Black. Do you think we actually want to see that?"

Remus blinked wide eyes at the two of them. Surely Severus didn't just make a joke.

"Of course you do," Sirius grinned. "You just don't want to admit it." He pulled the shirt over his head anyway as Snape began to glare.

Remus continued to stare. It had to be another reality. Severus and Sirius could hardly speak to each other in calm tones, much less make jokes.

"Close your mouth, Lupin," Severus grumbled.

The lycanthrope closed his jaw with a clack and grimaced as his new canines pierced his upper lip. He ran his tongue across his lip and tasted blood there.

"Let me see," Snape demanded, already tugging at his mouth. Remus acquiesced before the man did it roughly and tore his lip off of his face. After a moment of grunts and sighs, Severus released him. "Be more careful. You're other teeth are exceedingly sharp." He turned his fingers and prodded at the muscles along Remus' jaw. "It seems you also have extra jaw muscle. Don't bite anything out of anger, even if it's something as simple as a spoon. You'll probably bite it in two."

"Wicked," Sirius grinned and a mischievous glint lit in his eyes.

"Don't think about it, Black," Severus amended. "He could hurt himself. I don't want to return here tomorrow only to find he's broken his jaw because you wanted to see if he could bite through an iron poker."

"Fine," Sirius pouted, flopping backward onto the bed like a chastised six year old.

"Tomorrow?" Remus touched his throbbing lip and tried to keep his mind on the conversation.

"Yes. I will be returning to Hogwart's shortly. After updating the Headmaster, I'm sure you will not have to see me until I come tomorrow evening. If you are well enough then we will start treatments."

"You're leaving then," Sirius sat up again, rejoining in the exchange.

"That is what I said," Snape growled.

An evil grin curled Sirius face. "I don't suppose you could bring by a couple of birds with you?"

Severus' eyebrows rose to his hairline. "If you think I could possibly attract any women to bring to you, that it would be without the use of imperio?"

Remus gaped at them again, sputtering as he pointed at first one and then the other. "When did... ?"

"Are you feeling alright, Lupin? Perhaps you'd best eat something and have a lie down." Severus frowned.

"I... Never mind." Remus waved them off. He needed to return to bed and pray he woke up in a world that made sense.

"Eat, Lupin. You will take regular meals and no medication whatsoever while I am gone. If any pain you get becomes unbearable, contact the Headmaster or myself." Severus lectured, his voice and demeanor stern.

"Aye, aye," Sirius rolled his eyes, giving the man a fake salute.

"You do have the permission to bite him if he becomes too much of a nuisance," Severus smirked as Sirius glared at him.

With a spin of robes, Severus soon disappeared and Sirius was left with a gaping Remus.

"You heard him," Sirius prodded, "eat as much of that as you can."

Idly taking up another toast point, Remus gazed levelly at his friend. "What's happened?"

"Well, you've made a proper mess of the hallway, but it's nothing a bit of paint can't fix," Sirius plucked up an apple slice from the plate and ate it.

"No, no," Remus sat forward with a grunt, toast forgotten. "What's happened between you and Severus?"

A shadow fell over Sirius' face and he actually stopped chewing as he got lost in thought. "An odd understanding I suppose," he said finally. His blue eyes lit on Remus' befuddled face and he smiled sadly. "He's still a slimy git. I just think I might understand how he started to become one."

Remus smiled a little, proud of Sirius' newfound brain. "Good, Padfoot." The wolf stood up from the chair and lay down on his friend's bed. He stretched out and curled onto his side, suddenly exhausted.

"Sleepy, Moony?" Sirius grinned, snapping open a throw blanket to drape across the lycan. Remus grunted, already half asleep. He smiled a little as he felt Sirius brush hair from his face and heard the door shut lightly. He dreamt of better things for the first time in months.

...oOo...

Sirius woke Remus at five o'clock that evening and made him move about. They went downstairs to the kitchen and Sirius let Remus dump himself into a chair to rest.

"There, that wasn't so bad, eh?" Sirius quipped. The animagus rustled about in the pantry and came out with some packaged food to start a supper.

"Says you," Remus grumbled into the wood.

Sirius laughed and set about cooking. They talked of idle things for a while, Sirius making sure Remus wouldn't fall asleep at the table. He was just spooning out their meal twenty minutes later when a loud bang came from the front door.

Both men stared at the entryway to the kitchen in surprise. Order members hadn't been around much the past few days. Remus was sure it was Albus' doing in an attempt to give him some privacy.

Mrs. Black's portrait let out a howl that lasted only seconds before it went eerily quiet. Sirius and Remus shared a confused look. Low grumbling and a stuttered step grew louder as their impromptu guest came further up the hall. A billow of black robes and a scowling pale face soon erupted into the kitchen.

"Severus?" Remus stood up a little shakily.

"Sit down, Lupin." Snape hissed, stalking around the table and sitting down stiffly at the opposite end.

"What are you doing back here?" Sirius frowned, scooting the plate across the table to Remus and sitting down to eat.

"I have been forced into a leave of absence," Severus growled, hands curled into tight fists on the tabletop.

"What for?"

Snape scowled and uncurled his bandaged hand, holding it palm-side up on the table. Remus paled and dropped his fork with a clatter. The potions master closed his hand and set it under the table on his lap.

Had Remus bit him on purpose last evening, he would have been sure to rub the lycan's face into it for years to come. As it was, it had happened during asphyxiation when Severus had willingly shoved his hand into the beast's mouth. It was his own fault and he felt there was no reason to plague Remus with it. At least until the werewolf got better.

"Eat, Lupin," Severus grumbled, conjuring a glass and levitating a bottle of fire whisky from his baggage that sat in the doorway. He poured a healthy amount and drank half of it. Sirius picked at his dinner and Remus ate virtually nothing. Snape scowled, "Both of you quit moping. I'm not about to take care of you both because you feel a sense of guilt."

Sirius scowled at him and took a large bite of food out of spite. Remus couldn't look up at Snape from his plate.

Severus sneered, "If you find my presence so unappetizing, I'll gladly leave you to sulk in solitude." He took up his bottle, drank the remains of his glass, and levitated his luggage behind him as he stomped up the stairs and locked himself into his room.

Sirius and Remus sat at the table, processing the news as best as they could. Remus tried to eat a bit more and only managed a bite before he couldn't stomach anything else. The animagus reluctantly took his plate away and sat down beside his friend. "Don't let Snape get to you Moony."

Remus said nothing.

It was hardly ten minutes since Severus arrived that the door banged shut again and Albus Dumbledore came bustling quickly into the kitchen. The Headmaster didn't bat an eyelash at Remus' deranged looks. His blue eyes glanced across the kitchen, searching, before they lit on Remus again.

"Where is Severus?"

"Upstairs," Remus mumbled, "second door on the right."

"Thank you," Albus spoke quickly, turning and moving up the stairs.

"What was that about?" Sirius wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Remus frowned, spinning his teacup in his hands.

They could tell the moment that Albus found Snape. The door thumped shut and Severus' angry voice filled the hallway. The two Gryffindors didn't leave the kitchen, only stared wide-eyed at each other. Snape's speech was muffled through the walls so they couldn't quite understand what was being said, only that the man was very angry.

The angry bursts were punctuated with eerie silence as Albus spoke calmly, but it never lasted long as Severus burst out loud again. There came a point when they could no longer hear any noise from upstairs and they looked worriedly at each other and the entry.

Albus came back downstairs some ten minutes later, his face lax and eyes dull. He paused in the kitchen and sighed heavily, twisting the ends of his beard in his fingers. "I believe a bit of an explanation is in order."

"There's no need--"

"Yes, there is," the Headmaster interrupted. "Because of Severus' injury, I think it is prudent that he remain here. I know that he will be functional until the next full moon rises, but it will always plague his mind and hinder his work--both mentally and physically. Here, he can research for your health and learn for himself should the worst come of it."

Remus frowned and stared down at his crooked hand that he cradled in his lap. Albus rested a warm hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I want you to understand that Severus does not blame you for his injury, Remus."

The wolf nodded, closing his eyes as heat prickled behind them.

"I am serious, my boy. He was adamant in his retelling of last night to point out that it was his folly and that you were not to be blamed." Albus smiled gently as Lupin finally dared look up. The Headmaster sighed softly and nodded to both of them, "I must return to Hogwart's but I could not leave Severus in such a frazzle. I imagine he will be very touchy for a few days. I am sorry you have to face the anger that I have created."

"It's fine, Albus," Sirius shrugged his worry off. "Snape may be a right bastard, but he's careful about keeping his hate for those that deserve it."

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose onto his forehead. Remus smiled a little and shook his head, "I'm confused too, Albus."

The Headmaster laughed lightly as Sirius looked cross at his friend's jibe.

"I will leave you to him, then. Take care, Remus. If you should have need of anything, all you need do is ask."

The werewolf thanked him as Sirius walked the Headmaster out. There was a bit of dragging and thumps from Snape's room. Remus looked mournfully at the ceiling and hoped that Severus would not become the evil that he was.

...oOo...

It was ten thirty in the p.m. as Sirius sat alone in the dark of the den. Remus had gone to bed only an hour after Albus left them. He was worried for the lycan but wasn't sure what to do about it. Remus looked to be sinking slowly back into the depression and pain that had plagued him only a month ago.

Sirius took a long drink of his gin and set the glass on the floor beside him. Perhaps he should talk to Snape about it, but not tonight.

Severus had yet to come downstairs since his arrival. Now and then there were noises from the man's room that could have been moving furniture, but Sirius didn't care enough to investigate. The wizard could tear apart the room and sleep in a pile of shredded mattress for all he cared.

All the animagus knew was that he now had two ill and cranky men under his roof. One of them could rend him to pieces without breaking a sweat; the other could poison him with a self-brewed potion or hex him into a million frazzled lumps. Now he had to tip-toe about them and be wary of what he did... And that would be a chore. Sirius had never been one to do what was expected of him.

He was pleasantly lightheaded as he made his way upstairs to go to bed. The staircase swaying gently beneath his feet. He thanked Merlin for whomever invented hand-rails. Sirius paused to check on Remus. The werewolf was balled on his side and hugging a pillow. With a sad smile, Sirius pulled the door shut and stuttered to a stop outside of Snape's door, listening intently to the silence inside.

There was a light underneath the door, but it was very quiet. Sirius believed the potions master had fallen asleep, but just as he began toward his room he heard the turning of a page and snorted to himself. Of course. Snape was reading. The potions master didn't have a friend in the world that wasn't leather-bound or boiling in a cauldron.

Sirius' brows furrowed together. What an awful thought, he scolded himself--even though he knew it was true. He had just raised his hand to knock but caught himself in time. He took several sloppy, drunken steps toward his room as quickly as possible. He wasn't about to invite Snape for a game of Exploding Snap just to satiate his guilty conscience.

"No more alcohol," he slurred to his reflection. At the moment he looked as atrocious as Remus probably felt. With a grimace at himself, he stumbled from the bathroom and fell onto the bed in a flop.

...oOo...

It was maybe three in the morning when Sirius was rudely prodded awake. His semi-conscious mind recognized the dull glow of Remus' eyes in the half-light.

"Wuzza matter?" Sirius palmed one of his eyes and struggled to sit upright.

Lupin was sitting on the edge of his bed, eyes half lidded and curled in on himself as though he were cold.

"Are you in pain?" The animagus cleared his throat, shuffling aside his blankets to get up but Remus was pinning them in place.

"No," The lycan whispered raggedly.

Sirius sat propped against the headboard and took a long, slow breath in. He looked over Remus with a more careful--and awake--eye. The werewolf looked exhausted and slightly panicked at the same time. The reason for his friend's moonlight visit struck him between the eyes like a two by four. "Was it another nightmare?" He asked softly, trying not to sound condescending as though Remus were five years old.

The werewolf looked away, in shame or guilt, Sirius wasn't sure. His heart went out to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Remus shook his head.

"Do you want a drink?" Sirius tried with a grin.

A steady silence followed. Remus shifted and stood, "No, I... I'm sorry Sirius, I'll just go back to my room."

Sirius caught hold of Remus' hand and stopped him. He waited until Lupin caught his gaze again before he asked another question. "Do you want to stay in here with me?"

Even though Remus was not close enough for Sirius to see his face, he was sure his friend was flushing. After a tense moment, he saw Remus nod tersely once.

With a disarming smile, Sirius tugged on Remus' arm and tossed his blankets aside. The werewolf sat down and slid timidly across the linen.

"I'm sorry Siri," he whispered into the dark.

Sirius flipped the blankets back up over both of them and tutted. "Nonsense, Remy," he grinned and laughed. "It's been a while since we've shared a bunk, but it's certainly nothing new." Remus didn't laugh with him.

The animagus waited for several long minutes until Remus' body softened in sleep before he tucked him in properly. He made a mental note to speak to Snape first thing in the morning as he slid down beside the lycan.

He curled an arm around Lupin's too-thin waist and tucked the grey-streaked head beneath his chin. Remus sighed softly in his sleep and snuggled into the warmth behind him. Sirius smiled sleepily and pressed a dry kiss to the back of Lupin's neck. "Sweet sleep, Moony."

...oOo...

Severus was awake before the dawn sun had begun to color the horizon. He had not slept during the night, only tossed fitfully on the lumpy mattress before getting up and sitting at his desk.

He hadn't done any real research in that time even though he had taken out a text to do just that. Mostly he sat with the book open and stared at the wall fuming in silence. His hand throbbed in a tempo with his head, he may have read a paragraph in the hours of time he sat staring, but he didn't learn a word.

The window was stuck shut, still coated in filth and grime. Snape had attempted to open it at one point to help with the stuffiness of the room and cool his heated temper. All he managed to do was smear the glass and dirty his hands.

His bandaged hand was dirtied, but he didn't have the will or the ability to change the dressings himself. Besides, he thought to himself, that's what the bloody bandage is for. He settled for wiping the clingy bits off with a towel and forgetting about it.

He napped on and off again during the darkest parts of the night, but he didn't sleep long or well. By the time the sun did come up, creeping over the horizon like phosphorescent molasses, he had a crick in his neck.

The trademark black robe was thrown across the foot of the bed. He winced periodically as he curled his fingers to pluck at his buttons as he dressed down. He could not sleep once the sun was up--had never been able to especially as a child--so he was preparing to suffer for the day on sketchy rest.

The shower head spat freezing drops for several agonizing seconds before the warmed water made it up the piping. Severus showered quickly and carefully, trying not to use his injured hand if he could help it, and stepped out feeling more cranky than when he went in.

Dressing was a little more painful than undressing. It was easier to shrug out of clothes using other muscles than it was tugging them on with just his hands for help. By the time his trousers were on and shoes tied, he didn't have the hand endurance to button his shirt up.

Furious at his need for other's assistance, he finger-combed through his damp hair with his right hand and swore colorfully under his breath as he trudged toward Sirius' room. There was no way he was going to survive with any dignity when his ordeal was over. Already the hate-hate relationship he had with Sirius Black had muted to frustrated-annoyed.

He pounded sharply on Sirius' door, fresh dressings clenched in his fist. There was a set of grumbles and annoyed mumbling before the door was yanked open by a sleep rumpled Sirius Black.

"Snape? What the hell do you want? You do know what time it is..." The animagus gave him a bleary eyed once-over, eyes straying back to Snape's pale chest and dripping hair twice before he managed to look him in the eye.

"I require some assistance," Severus snipped, pushing past the yawning wizard and came up short. Remus Lupin was shifting in Sirius' bed, sitting up groggily and rubbing at one eye. "I see you are busy," Snape spoke stiffly, fingers flexing around the bundle of clean bandages in his hand.

He turned on his heel sharply and was already in the hall by the time Sirius realized what he had meant.

"Snape, wait just a damned minute!" The animagus barked. To his surprise, the potions master stopped. "You want help with something than get back here and quit being a virginal prat."

Severus glared over his shoulder and snarled.

"Besides, it's not what you're thinking you great pervert," Sirius heaved a heavy sigh and waved his arm impatiently. "Come on, then."

The still damp wizard returned reluctantly to Sirius' room and stood rigidly in the doorway. Remus had wakened completely during the shouting match and sat looking ill and embarrassed on Sirius' bed.

"Good morning, Severus," Remus mumbled, unable to hold Snape's gaze for very long.

"Lupin," he replied with a terse nod.

Sirius rolled his eyes at both of them and scratched idly at his bare chest. "Well, what do you need?"

Without explaining--and not needing to after--Severus extended his hand. The circular puncture was still fresh and oozing. Even though Snape had cauterized it with searing silver only two nights ago, it looked raw as though it only just happened. Even wounds two days old without magical mending would have knit at the edges by themselves and would no longer bleed unless reopened.

Sirius took the clean linen and gingerly examined the injury even though he had to ignore the irritated glare Severus gave him. Dark violet bruising circled the wound in a thin ring. It spurted a bit of blood at him as he prodded along the thick of Severus' palm with his thumb.

The animagus let out a low whistle. "Do you have anything to put on this?"

"No."

"Is that because you don't want to," Sirius asked in a light tone, trying to take the severity out of his question, "or because you don't dare to?"

"If you find it difficult to wind cloth about my hand, Black, I'll have Lupin do it," Severus hissed.

Remus stood up at his name but looked warily between the two. "I'm sure you'd prefer Sirius," he swallowed thickly, still unable to meet Severus' gaze.

With a decided effort, Severus took the stretch of bandage from Sirius' unresisting fingers and took the few steps toward Remus. "I'm sure you've had more experience," Severus mumbled, purposefully staring at the scars that criss-crossed along Remus' abdomen.

"Severus, please," Remus panicked, back-pedaling. "I'm sure Sirius is more than capable--"

"Do it, Lupin," Snape pressed, shoving the length of fabric into his palm. Remus grabbed hold of it on reflex and stood gaping as Severus then shoved his lacerated hand under his nose.

"I--" Remus paused, now unable to look down at the wound. The stern look on Severus' face brooked no argument. The lycan looked past Snape toward Sirius, hoping for some reinforcement. Sirius had his arms crossed over his chest and was nodding slowly, in agreement with Snape.

With a deep breath, Remus looked down at the injury he had caused and flinched. As gently as possible, he lay the strip down lengthways and rested one of his clawed fingers on the edge. Severus didn't utter a sound in the minute it took to wrap his palm securely. As soon as Remus finished, the potions master turned and stalked out with his shirt tails flapping.

Remus let loose the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He sat down hard onto the mattress and covered his face in his hands. Sirius sat down beside him and hugged him with one arm.

"Alright, Moony?"

Remus nodded and dropped his hands to his lap. He gave Sirius a shaky smile and nodded again. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good."

Meanwhile, back in his room, Severus was hyperventilating at his desk.