AN: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you see. This is a one shot about the first night that Remus and Severus spent together after Remus was adopted. Set in the As Potter is to Snape universe. First day of summer after 5th year, but SWM didn't happen.
Severus lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, barely hearing the sounds of the people down below him in the kitchen. The smell of the chicken wafting up the stairs was enough to make his mouth water but he refused to come down. He knew it was only a matter of time before either his Mum or Dad came up to try and get him to eat dinner with them, but Severus had made up his mind. He wasn't going to eat with the likes of him and nothing his parents said was going to change his mind.
As if his thoughts alone brought her up, suddenly Minerva McGonagall was knocking on his bedroom door. Just a swift knock to let him know it was her (and he did know it was her because Albus absolutely never knocked), and then the door was opened.
"Dinner's ready," she said as she came fully into the room.
"Not hungry," Severus stated stubbornly, though the sound of his grumbling stomach said otherwise.
Minerva crossed her arms and stared down at her son. "I didn't ask if you were hungry, even though I know you are. I told you that dinner is ready and you will come downstairs now."
Severus shook his head as he sat up in bed, letting one jean-clad leg hang off the side before he said, "No, I'm not-"
"Severus." Minerva's tone was stern and Severus turned his head to look at the wall instead of her. "We are having a family dinner and you, young man, will be joining us."
"He's not my family!" he snapped, his dark eyes narrowing, and though Minerva was taken aback by the tone of his voice, she didn't show it. She'd known full well that today was going to be a long one and she was more than prepared to deal with one petulant teenager.
Minerva took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Severus, you have five minutes to come downstairs and be seated at the dinner table, and if you are not, you will be put in charge of weeding and cleaning up the flower gardens. And that includes de-gnoming them as well."
Severus groaned. "That'll take days!"
"Then I suggest you come for dinner," Minerva said cooly as she turned and walked swiftly out of the room leaving a fuming Severus behind.
Minerva came downstairs and walked into the dining room with a frown on her face. Albus looked up at her from where he sat at the head of the table, but as he opened his mouth to say something to her, she shook her head.
"I'm sure Severus will be down any minute." She took her seat across from Albus and just as she removed her napkin from the table and placed it on her lap, Severus entered the room.
"Sorry I'm late," he said curtly as he pulled out his chair and dropped into it with a huff.
"It's quite alright, my boy," Albus said with a smile as he passed him the mashed potatoes. "Have you finished all your unpacking?"
"Um, not hardly," Severus replied, filling his plate while keeping his head down so that he didn't have to look at anyone. He passed the bowl to Minerva as Albus turned to the other boy at the table.
"What about you, Remus? Are you finished?"
"Yes, sir," Remus replied quietly as he too began to scoop food onto his plate.
Severus rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath that Minerva thought sounded suspiciously like, "Just make yourself at home."
Remus, who had no problems hearing Severus, looked across the table and narrowed
his eyes at him. "I will, thanks."
"No," Minerva said suddenly and she pointed a finger at both of them in turn. "There will be no fighting at my table. Don't even start. That's rule number one. Understood?"
Remus dropped his head slightly and nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Severus nodded but otherwise remained silent, glaring down at his food as if it had personally done something to offend him.
"Right, then," Albus said with a smile, clearly hoping to change the subject and cut through the tension. "Does anyone have plans tomorrow? I know that summer has only just started, but I have a few last minute things to take care of at Hogwarts before my vacation can truly begin."
Minerva nodded. "I do as well. Should we go together in the morning then?"
Albus looked between the two teenagers that he now called sons and replied, "I see no reason why that couldn't work. I'm sure the boys can find something to occupy their time while we are away. Isn't that right, Severus? Remus?"
"Sure, Dad," Severus muttered as he stabbed at a piece of chicken with his fork.
Remus nodded. "I'm going to get a head start on homework anyway."
Severus snorted but said nothing. Remus only glared over at him but also refrained from comment.
"That wouldn't be a bad idea for you to do as well, Severus," Minerva agreed before taking a drink from her water glass.
Severus looked up at her with a frown. "I never said I wasn't going to in the first place." He caught Remus's eye and snapped, "Just because I don't broadcast it so that everyone thinks I'm perfect, doesn't mean I won't do it."
"No one would make that mistake."
"Boys!" Minerva said sternly but they both ignored her in favor of continuing to throw insults at one another. Remus seemed to be only just barely keeping himself seated. As it was, he was gripping his fork so tightly that she felt sure that he would bend it any moment.
"No one wants you here, wolf!"
A low growl suddenly filled the space between them as Remus stood up, his eyes darkening as he glared at Severus.
"You don't know anything about me, you greasy git! So just shut up, Sniv-" Remus caught himself before he finished the name. Breathing heavily, he pushed away from the table and started to storm off. He only got as far as the door leading into the kitchen however before he heard Albus behind him.
"Enough!" Albus tossed his napkin onto the table and stood up, leaning his hands on the edge as he looked at first Severus, and then Remus, who had turned back to look at him. "That is absolutely enough. We are having a nice family dinner and the two of you will behave as such."
"He's not my family!" Severus repeated his words from earlier. "No one even asked me what I thought about you taking him in!"
In truth, that wasn't the case at all and Severus knew it. Albus and Minerva had first brought up to Severus the possibility of adopting Remus some five months ago, directly after Christmas holidays. Remus's only remaining parent, his father Lyall, had suffered a heart attack and passed in November, leaving Remus an orphan. He had stayed at Hogwarts through the holidays but if someone else hadn't stepped in to be his guardian, he would have been sent to a home during the summer.
Severus, at the time, had been totally against it. The very idea of one of James Potter's gang of Gryffindors coming to live with him had been frankly terrifying. There were so many things that could go wrong in this situation.
What if he told everyone that Albus and Minerva had adopted him? That was still a secret and Severus wanted to keep it that way. It was safer for all involved, what with the Dark Lord recruiting students, and especially if one of those students in Slytherin, namely Lucius Malfoy, was to find out. He'd be dead meat in his own House!
Aside from that, the last thing he wanted was for Remus's friends to find out. He felt sure that living with Remus would be a never ending stream of pranks and bullying in the first place where he had ever truly felt safe. He didn't want that to end.
And what about the fact that Remus Lupin was a bloody werewolf?! Just how was this going to work when once a month the boy turned into a mindless beast?! They didn't exactly have a Shrieking Shack in their backyard!
But most terrifying of all, Severus had privately admitted to himself, was the fact that Albus and Minerva wanted to take him in at all. Oh, he understood and even felt bad about Remus's parents. That was something he could at least sympathize with. But why did he need to come in and take his parents? Why couldn't someone else be Remus's guardian? Why couldn't he live with some other great family instead of moving in on his? And what if, after he came, Albus and Minerva realized that they cared more for Remus than they did him? Would he be forced to go back with his father? After all, Severus's biological father was still alive. Remus didn't even have that.
Eventually though, after much talking and assurances from his new-found family, Severus relented and they started the process of becoming first Remus's legal guardians, and then his adoptive parents. The entire thing had gone far more smoothly for Remus than it had for Severus, but he supposed that with no parents to contest the adoption, it would inevitably be easier. And Albus had assured him that Remus's werewolf problem wouldn't be an issue because he was working on a solution even then. Though, he hadn't confided in Severus what exactly that solution would be.
"That is not true and you know it, Severus!" Minerva scolded, bringing Severus back to the present. "We, all of us, have talked about this repeatedly since Christmas."
"He knows, Minerva," Albus said, sternly looking at his son over his half-moon spectacles, making Severus feel uncomfortable at the direct scrutiny. The teenager sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring down and away from everyone.
"Sit down," he directed at Remus who retook his seat immediately. "Let me make something very clear, right now," Albus continued, finally looking away from Severus in order to address them both. "I am perfectly aware that this is new for all of us. Remus has been our adopted son for the last month, but we are really only just now becoming a family in the sense that we all live together and share a home, so I realize that adjustments will have to be made. However, that being said, Remus has been adopted. I could not and would not change that for anything in this world. Just as I would not change our decision to adopt you, Severus. Both of you are my sons and as such, I expect you to act like it. There will be no name calling. None. I will not tolerate it. Not here, nor back at Hogwarts."
He turned his icy blue stare to Severus and sighed. "Severus, you have had five months to get used to the idea that you will be brothers with Remus and frankly, I'm absolutely appalled at the behavior you have shown tonight. I expected better from you. I expected a little compassion or empathy at the very least. Especially considering that you know what it's like to be taken from all you have ever known. You have felt the uncertainty and fear of not knowing what will happen next and yet instead of making him feel welcome in his new home, you have done the exact opposite. You have been rude and insolent, not to mention the way that you've been disrespectful to your mother today."
Severus felt his face heating up at the verbal rebuke he was receiving from his dad. It wasn't often that Severus found himself on the receiving end of Albus's ire but it never failed to make him feel ashamed and this time was no different. Even if it was over the likes of Remus Lupin.
Keeping his head down, Severus glanced over at Remus to see him staring fixedly at his plate. His light brown hair hung down, covering the side of his face, but Severus could see that his cheeks were flushed as well.
He sighed. He knew Albus was expecting him to apologize, at the very least to his mother, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Apologies had never been his strong suit and the last thing he wanted to do now was stumble over his words in front of everyone at the dinner table. So instead, he stubbornly set his jaw and continued to look away. He heard Albus sigh.
"Severus, look at me," Albus demanded, though his tone was soft once more. Severus swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. He wasn't scared of Albus. He hadn't been in a while actually, now that he thought about it properly. But he knew that if he looked up at him now, he would see blue eyes full of disappointment at his actions, and Severus thought that was nearly worse. Still, he mustered every ounce of courage he possessed and turned his head to face him. "I expect better from you, my son." Severus gave a curt nod but remained silent. "I think it would be fair to say that you can clean up after dinner tonight. Without magic, of course."
Severus sighed though he had expected as much. Disrespect was never something that his parents had tolerated and even he could admit that he had at least earned that much.
"Yes, sir," he replied quietly, looking back down to his food. He wasn't surprised to see it still steaming, knowing that one of his parents had likely cast a heating charm over the entire table when he and Remus had first started arguing.
"I'll help," he suddenly heard from the other teen. Severus looked up quickly and caught Remus's eye.
"I don't need-"
"I think it's a wonderful idea," Minerva interrupted. Both boys looked at her and she continued. "Let it be a reminder to you both that I will not tolerate fighting at my table. Insults of any kind will not be thrown at each other. You will behave like the gentlemen I know you each to be. Is that understood now?"
This time, both Severus and Remus replied with a solemn, "Yes, ma'am."
"Good," she said, picking up her fork. "Then if you don't mind, I'd like to finish our meal in peace."
And with that, the issue was settled. The four of them ate in relative silence except for when Albus or Minerva spoke to each other. They stopped trying to bring the boys into the conversation, thinking it best just to let them be and, when everyone was finished, Severus stood and began to gather up their empty plates. Remus was out of his own seat a second later to help.
He followed Severus into the kitchen and over to the sink where Severus turned on the tap, letting the sink fill up with water and soap.
"I'm sorry," Remus said suddenly. He kept his gaze on the water so that he wouldn't have to look at Severus, though he could feel the dark-haired boy's eyes on him as he tried to muddle through his thoughts and find the right words. "I shouldn't have said what I did."
What was he playing at? Severus thought, Was he actually apologizing to him when he had been the one to start in the first place? Severus sighed.
"I'm sorry, too," he mumbled. "I don't...I don't know how to do this."
"Don't know how to do what?" Remus asked.
Severus shut off the water and turned away from the sink to lean back against it, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've never had a brother before."
"Well, neither have I!" Remus said in frustration as he, too, turned away from the sink. Their postures were mirrored now and Severus looked over at him.
"At least you had friends."
Remus wasn't sure what to say to that and so for a while, the two of them just stood there, not looking at one another. When they heard Albus and Minerva leave the table where they had been having a cup of tea, Severus turned back around. "We'd better finish these."
They worked in silence for a few minutes longer until Remus began to rinse the dishes. Severus had looked over and noticed immediately that the sleeves of his t-shirt were not pushed up and would get wet from the water.
"Don't you care that your sleeves are getting wet?" he asked, curiously.
Remus shook his head. "I keep them down," he answered, ignoring the way that Severus was still scrutinizing him. Another minute passed and Severus handed Remus the plate he'd just washed, before he took a deep breath and held his right arm out straight, turning it so that his palm was facing up. There, just below his elbow, was a scar that ran horizontally nearly all the way around his forearm. Remus looked from his arm up to Severus' dark eyes. He had never been told why Severus had been adopted and had just assumed that if anyone wanted him to know, he would. Was Severus telling him what he thought he was?
"We've all got scars," Severus said simply before turning back to the dishwater and letting the subject drop.
Remus waited a moment and then, slowly, he lifted his sleeves, though just enough to keep them from getting any more wet than they already were. A few of the smaller scars were visible around his wrists and he tried not to look at them. He wasn't sure he was quite ready to let all of them be seen yet, and maybe he never would be.
But maybe, Remus thought as he rinsed a glass that Severus handed him and set it in the rack on the counter to dry, just maybe, this would be okay.