Chapter 49:
RemusSmiling with anticipation, Remus Lupin Apparated directly in front of his little house. In his life he had been doing a lot of travelling, but this place had always felt like 'home' to him. The fact that his best friend was here was an added bonus, and Snape's presence, even if it had been brought about by rather sad circumstances, didn't trouble him too much. It might even be a chance for the two Marauders and the Slytherin to make up for former injustice, and to finally come to an understanding after all these years.
Lupin folded his cloak more securely about his body. Autumn temperatures were already pretty chilly this year, promising early snowfall.
With hasty steps he hurried towards the entrance and pushed the door open. Locking and warding it was not necessary in the wilderness, and this was certainly one of the reasons why Remus was thriving here. It was a war-free zone with nothing but peace and quiet waiting for him.
"Sirius?" echoed his voice through the entrance hall as he closed the door. "Where are you, Padfoot?"
Instead of an answer, he heard a clinking sound from the direction of the kitchen.
Taking a left turn, he approached the small room and saw a very upset Sirius picking up the shards of a cup from the stone floor while swearing continuously under his breath. "... was solely his fault. Bloody bastard. To threaten me with the authorities. He'd soon find out who'd hand over whom ..."
"Sirius?"
The Animagus jumped when hearing Remus' anxious voice, and let the broken pieces of crockery drop to the floor again.
"Gosh! Must you scare me out of my mind, Moony?" he said accusingly to his friend. Then, he bent down to pick up the shards a second time.
Remus helped him with the task.
"What happened, Padfoot? You are totally beside yourself," he observed.
Sirius snorted. "Go ask the greasy git. With his bloody arrogance, the slimy bastard always manages to make me hit the roof sooner or later. Imagine, he even had the cheek to threaten me with Azkaban."
Remus slowly shook his head. He had not expected things to go smooth with both Sirius and Severus in the same house, especially not in a situation like this with one totally helpless and the other forced to take care of him. Too bad they did not have a choice here.
"Calm down, Sirius. Albus is going to talk to Fudge this very afternoon. If everything goes well, the Aurors will soon be removed from the school."
"The sooner the better, or I won't be able to guarantee the bastard's life," grumbled Sirius.
Lupin put an arm around his friend's shoulder and steered him towards one of the four wooden chairs surrounding the kitchen table. With an expression between rage and resignation, Sirius let himself be pushed into the chair.
In a soothing gesture, Remus patted his shoulder. He got the teapot and two clean mugs from out of the cupboard and filled them with the steaming liquid. One mug he set down in front of Sirius, and then he walked around the table and dropped into the chair opposite his friend.
When Sirius grabbed his mug with both hands and carefully took some sips, the boiling anger slowly seemed to dissipate.
"Better?" asked Remus.
Sirius nodded, looking the werewolf straight in the eyes. "Why does the blasted Slytherin always do this, Remus? Why on earth can't he behave civilly just once in his life? As if it was my fault that I'm condemned to help him."
Remus smiled faintly. "I guess you haven't been the epitome of friendliness yourself, am I not right?"
Sirius snorted once again. "After all, I'm the one who has to do all the chores and mother him. It's he who should show a bit of gratitude, not I. Can you imagine, Albus even wanted me to spoon-feed Snape."
Remus screwed up his face at the thought. "Bet you weren't exactly over-enthusiastic about it, were you? How did you manage to make him cooperate?"
At this question, Sirius bit his lip and lowered his gaze; a gesture Remus had seen so often when his friend felt guilty about something.
"You did talk him into cooperating, didn't you?" Lupin inquired somewhat sharply.
"It really wasn't my fault. He would only have used it against me."
Remus had to strain his ears to be able to hear the whispered words, however, they were loud enough to make him groan in exasperation. "I'll go see if I can do something about it, then," he sighed. He'd probably manage to keep his calm and convince Snape of the necessity of the procedure better than Sirius.
"Uhm, Remus ..." Sirius said hesitantly, while nervously running a finger around the rim of his mug. "There was a minor accident ... Nothing serious, really, but Snape might not be very happy to see you right now."
"What on earth have the two of you been up to yet again?"
Shaking his head and sighing again, Remus rose from his chair and climbed the stairs to the upper floor. Remus did not know what to expect, but after what he and Minerva had heard from the headmaster, Snape had had to swallow quite a bit and was far from in good shape.
When he reached the door, he stopped for a moment and took in a deep breath. It was not hard to believe that Snape would not be happy to see him, since Severus still carried a grudge against him because of the Shrieking Shack incident back when they were still in school. As a werewolf, he had come close to biting or even killing the Slytherin that night. That the whole thing had been Sirius' idea and that he had not had any part in the planning did not matter to the Slytherin. He was angry beyond reason because his pride had been hurt. Plus, it was James of all people who had rescued him. Snape pictured himself a victim of all four of the Marauders, no matter what the truth.
Reluctantly, Remus opened the door and entered the sickroom, fully expecting Snape to yell at him as soon as he stuck his head through the entrance. However, he was greeted by silence.
"Severus?"
"Sod off."
Remus stopped short. Snape's voice was uncharacteristically hoarse and strained, instead of smooth and silky. Never before had he heard the Slytherin like this.
The view that unfolded before him when approaching the bed made Remus take in a sharp breath. Snape was lying on his right side, dangerously close to the edge of the bed, his left arm limply dangling over, his face pressed into the pillows. The blanket and his hospital-gown that was open in the back for easier handling of the sick were crumpled and had slid sideways, leaving the man only partly covered. Beside a broken glass and a tray, a turned-over plate was lying in a puddle of liquid on the floor.
Remus would have thought the Potions master unconscious had he not heard him speak just a few seconds before.
"Merlin's beard, Severus," he exclaimed, hurrying to the bed. Avoiding the mess on the floor as much as possible, he bent down, carefully grabbed the man by his shoulders and rolled him onto his back.
Snape did not react and his eyes were clenched shut. Only his mouth twisted slightly from the pain as Remus applied pressure to his shoulders.
What in Merlin's name had happened here? Had Sirius just left the food on the bedside table for Snape to eat all by himself, fully aware of that this was absolutely impossible, and the half-starved wizard had tried to manage on his own? However, this scenario hardly explained why Snape's nightgown and all the sheets around his chest were drenched with soup.
"Severus?" Remus asked, trying to get the injured wizard's attention. He was rewarded by a puffy-eyed glare that almost looked as if Snape had cried.
"Get lost, you bloody werewolf," he hissed, but without much force.
"What happened, Severus?" Remus coaxed, ignoring the man's insult.
"Ask the mutt," Snape barked, eyes flashing with rage and lips curling menacingly as he seemed to wake up from his stupor.
For a few seconds, Remus surveyed the Slytherin pensively. Something had happened here, and he started to feel increasingly doubtful about it being solely Severus' fault that the soup had spilled and the glass and plate had dropped to the floor.
"I will," he answered calmly. And that was exactly what he was going to do now.
"That's all right with me," came an angry snarl from the direction of the door. Snape's expression hardened instantly even though he did not look at the new arrival.
Slightly accusingly, Remus gazed at his friend who was casually leaning against the doorframe, wrinkling his nose in disdain and glaring venomously.
"We can talk later. First of all, we better clean you up some, Severus." Again, he scanned the Potions master for any visible reaction, but the man only pressed his mouth into a thin, hard line. "Sirius, please bring some water and a cloth to wipe the floor. I'll take care of Severus."
With a last condescending glance at Snape, Sirius disappeared.
Breathing deeply, Remus put a hand on Severus' shoulder, immediately registering the faint quiver of the man's body. Of course, he would be cold from lying soaked and partly without covers for quite some time; how long he could only guess.
"It'll be easier if I got you out of the bed, Severus. The sheets have to be changed anyway. Do you want me to get a chair for you, or shall I help you to the bathroom?"
Remus knew exactly how thrilled Snape must be about having to accept help from both him and Sirius of all people, and therefore he tried to give the man the opportunity to make a conscious choice.
"Why would I care? As long as it's as far away from the mutt as possible. But you'll hardly do me that favour."
As expected, Severus was totally oblivious to the fact that Remus only tried to make things easier for him. Or he simply refused to notice. Sirius, who was entering the room the very moment, carrying a bucket with water, heard the answer and snorted loudly, but did not comment.
"I really am sorry, Severus," Remus said, "but we cannot leave you lying soaking wet like this until Poppy's coming back. You're already shivering from the cold. Just concentrate on the thought that Albus is going to talk to the Ministry to finally get rid of the Aurors and that Poppy will be able to take over soon, okay?"
The sarcastic retort Remus was waiting for never came. Severus only kept staring at a distinct spot in mid-air as if he had not heard Remus' words at all. The werewolf sighed deeply and looked up at Sirius who, bucket still in hand, stared down at Snape, frowning. "Sirius, please help me take him downstairs to the bathroom, will you?"
Even when Remus removed the drenched blanket and placed one arm beneath his knees and the other one under his shoulders, swinging him into a sitting position at the edge of the bed, Snape still showed no sign of being aware of what was going on. He had only closed his eyes again.
Remus waited a few minutes to give the injured wizard some time to adjust to the upright position while he rearranged the nightshirt to at least preserve some of Snape's dignity. The hospital-gown was a necessity, but Remus was well aware of that it only added to the feeling of humiliation a man like Severus Snape must experience in a situation like this. The Potions Master, however, did not seem to give it a single thought as he was panting heavily, all blood drained from his face.
"The dizziness will soon abate, Severus," Remus tried to console him.
In the meantime, Sirius had put down the bucket and came over to the bed. His face not betraying any emotion, he studied Snape for a while.
"Sirius?" Remus interrupted his scrutiny. The loathing that had been prominent in his friend's eyes only minutes ago had given way to an expression, almost as if Sirius seriously contemplated on something for once. When the Animagus looked at him, Remus arched his eyebrow questioningly, but Sirius waved away the silent question. "Let's get him downstairs," he said instead, plucking the IV bag from its hook above Snape's head.
"Okay, Severus, let's go," encouraged Remus, and together with Sirius, he grabbed the Potions master under his arms and pulled him to his feet.
Snape's eyes shot open and he barely managed to suppress a cry of agony.
"His feet," cautioned Remus, "watch his feet." To keep as much pressure off his burned feet as possible, they lifted Snape's arms around their shoulders only to make him groan even louder when they did so, a thin layer of sweat forming on his brow.
"Severus, what's wrong?" Remus asked with concern.
"Shoulders," Snape gritted out through clenched teeth, struggling for breath.
"Damn." Remus hesitated only for a second, and then lowered Snape's arm from his shoulder. He drew him closer and, without much ado, lifted him into his arms.
Snape was trembling invisibly and his breath still came in strained gasps while he clenched his eyes shut in pain and humiliation. "No ..." he ground out, panting.
"Don't worry, Severus. I'll watch your injuries."
In spite of the reassuring words, the Potions Master began to struggle weakly against the werewolf.
"Damn, stop it, Snape!" Sirius barked and instantly, Severus' movements died down.
"Let's go downstairs at last", said Remus with relief and began to descend the stairs, closely followed by Sirius, who still held the IV bag. He had to concentrate hard to not trip with the unfamiliar burden in his arms. Although Snape had always been on the thin side and now, after his imprisonment, was much too light for a man of his stature, he was still a few inches taller than the Gryffindor, and Remus was not exactly heavily built, either.
Luckily, they made it to the bathroom without accident, and Remus set Snape carefully down on the lid of the toilet. Putting his hands supportively on the Potions master's shoulders, he straightened up. Snape stared angrily straight ahead, clenching his mouth tightly shut in suppressed rage.
"Sorry that I had to carry you, Severus, but that way it was much easier on your injuries," Remus apologized slightly embarrassed. He was painfully aware of how much Snape must hate being carried around by the werewolf like a little child.
"Stop apologizing, Remus," Sirius cut in. "Don't you see how much the arrogant git enjoys having us act as his personal slaves?" The Animagus' voice was dripping with mockery, but while uttering the spiteful words, he watched Snape intently and with seriousness.
Remus glared at him. "Sirius, why don't you stop spouting unhelpful snide remarks for once?"
Sirius, did not react to Remus' warning, but continued watching his childhood enemy. Snape had tensed at Sirius' words, however, it took him a few seconds to swallow and then turn around to the Animagus, whose lips promptly curled into a sneer.
"You're an idiot, Black. Leave me alone," Snape said in a dangerously low voice, his eyes flashing with rage.
"Just cut it out. Can't you act like the adults you are for a change?" Remus interrupted the two opponents. "By the way, what's wrong with your shoulders, Severus? Poppy couldn't detect any injuries there."
Snape hesitated briefly before hissing at Remus, "That's hardly of any interest now, is it?"
Remus forced himself to keep his calm. Between Sirius' and Severus' behaviour, he started to feel like locked up in a lunatic asylum. "Please, Severus. Poppy told me to ask you about it."
"I dislocated them, and they were magically healed," he finally said with an expression of disgust. "The residual pain is, most probably, by courtesy of the curse."
"Don't worry, Albus will find a counter-curse, Severus. Try to be patient."
Remus hesitated for a moment. He did not want to take advantage of the situation, however, he might actually have a chance right now to elicit some detail about his imprisonment and his capturers' methods of torture from Snape without asking directly.
"How did you dislocate your shoulders?"
"That doesn't concern you, werewolf," snarled Snape, closing off the topic effectively.
Remus shook his head in regret. Severus was not someone who would talk about any defeat he had suffered. And certainly not in front of one of the Marauders. Nevertheless, it was not difficult to imagine what had transpired. You could easily dislocate a joint when losing all bodily control under the Cruciatus and falling down somewhere or smashing into something. Only that the residual magic of one single healing spell would cause so much pain seemed hard to believe. They better found a counter-curse soon.
"Why bother, Remus? The git doesn't even notice when someone just wants to help," Sirius threw in, instantly earning himself a death-glare from Severus. "Why don't we get it over with at last. I can think of more enjoyable pastimes than wiping spilled food off of Snape."
T.B.C.
A/N Sorry if this chapter is short, but I had to cut it and make two chapters out of it due to its length.I just had the most wonderful, fun weekend in a long time. I was at a meeting of several Severus Snape-fanfic fans and it was so great. It took place in Switzerland and we were participants from Switzerland, Austria and Germany. There was one girl whose drawings of Severus took everyone's breath away. It's amazing what she is doing. I hope you all will get to see her work sometimes. I'll make sure to post the link, once Angel, (the host and a great friend of mine) will put up some pictures of the meeting, and hopefully of her drawings on her site. Murasaki, the artist has a great talent. Hmm, that reminds me that I still have to write to her tonight, since she will maybe illustrate a later scene of this fic. I have to send her that written part though, because it's not yet in the published parameters:-P I can only tell you that it will have Sirius and Severus in it:-D At the meeting I answered one question about the further plot of 'of killers and traitors' to the other girls. They agreed to the question: "Will Snape be alright in the end of the fic?" If you gals want, I can answer the same question to you. But beware. You may be a bit disappointed by the answer I gave them and will also give you, if you want to know it too.
Translated by Persephone Lupin, betaed by Slytherin's silver snake and Sadistra.