A/N: I promise we are a chapter away from coming out of the constant butting heads of Severus/Remus! I'm excited to move on from it, but I do think in terms of Severus's life, the stuff between him and Remus is so important emotionally. And Severus and Minerva will be going slightly back to normal in the chapters ahead!
Unsure if it was the nature of the thing that made him so incredibly angry, or the fact he was coming off a recent transformation, or a lethal combination of both, Remus felt a surge of rage run through him as he opened the door to the Potions Master's office. It slammed against the wall, shaking a few bottles that sat on the shelving that covered the walls. Severus was seated at his desk, surrounded by rolls of parchment. He didn't even look up, which only fueled Remus more.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked, not caring about the doglike growl that bled through his voice.
Slowly, Severus put down his quill and looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Most civilized people knock before they enter someone's office." He snorted. "I suppose it takes some time after your condition wears off to become fully human again."
"Enough!" Remus shouted, slamming the door closed and walking further into the room. "A lesson on werewolves?"
"I just thought the students should be informed in case they encounter something in the night."
"You know I pose no threat to the students," he snapped. "This is about revenge."
Remus could feel his hands shaking, and he tried not to let Severus see. He wasn't backing down. He wasn't going to let Severus expose him. "Oh, contrar. Dementors and werewolves roaming around the castle; if they were in danger any year, it would be this one. It is our duty to teach them these things in Dark Arts."
"I know you hate me, Severus, and frankly, I don't care. But, would you really put the one thing that has made me happy in my life at risk?"
"Your happiness is not my concern; although, I find it almost comedic that you think I would." Severus continued to scribble along the piece of parchment he was grading.
Remus narrowed his eyes, trying and failing to bite back the next thing to come out of his mouth. But, built up anger bled out when he asked, "And how would you feel it I put your relationship with Minerva at risk? Ruined that happiness for you?"
If he hadn't been able to hear him breathe in the silence, Remus would have thought he killed Severus on the spot because the man froze and his face turned a deathly white, even more pale than he normally looked. "Get out," he finally growled.
"No," Remus replied, knowing he was about to put himself in the man's war path. "That pain…the fear I can see on your face at the thought of losing her. That's what you doing this is doing to me!"
"Don't you dare bring Minerva into this," Severus snapped, standing to face him, nose to nose. Remus had struck a nerve. They were on equal footing; he knew he had the upper hand. It felt dirty, playing the one card Severus had to be played with, but Remus wasn't going to let him take away the one home he'd found for himself. It was the only way he thought he could get through to the man.
"I need you to understand…"
"You need to get out," Severus replied, his hand on his wand.
"I'm tired of fighting, Severus!" he exclaimed, becoming more and more exhausted at being head to head.
"And you thought threatening Minerva was the way to end it?"
"All I am asking is you don't expose me," he tried, searching desperately for anything in the man's face that reflected something other than anger. "Try and understand what losing this would do to me…" He knew his voice was desperate, but his anger was fading quickly as physical exhaustion took over him.
"You call me low for doing my job and informing students of what they need to be informed of," Severus snapped. "But you would stoop low enough to drag an innocent woman into your pity party?
Remus was speechless; for the first time, he had to admit, Severus was right. It was unfair to bring Minerva into any of their bad blood, but he couldn't control the anger that hadn't ceased since Severus had had the stack of essays about werewolves to his rooms. He'd been exhausted from transforming back, and the last thing he had wanted to see was the possibility that word was out about his condition. Keeping it secret was tiring enough; he'd just began to grow comfortable being back in the castle. Severus ruining it for him was the last straw. "I'm sorry I brought Minerva and you into this…"
"I said get out," Severus repeated, raising his wand, probing it into his neck.
There was fear in Severus's eyes, the anger was fading, and Remus saw fear for the first time since he'd arrived. Staring into the cold, slightly glazed over eyes, he felt a rush of guilt come over him as his mind cooled down. He'd rushed into confrontation already furious that now he realized he'd gone too far. The fear in Severus's eyes was all too familiar, and Remus backed away. "I'm sorry…" he said softly, knowing an apology was worthless.
"Get out!" Severus finally shouted, wordlessly exploding a shelf full of glasses so violently that a few pieces cut Remus.
Rushing out of the room, Remus heard the door slam shut as he pulled himself up the stairs to the main part of the castle. When he was far enough down the hallway, he leaned against the wall, feeling sweat pool at the back of his neck. "I'm turning into James," he whispered to himself, running a hand through his hair. The fear he had put in Severus's eyes at the mention of losing Minerva- it was a fear he had observed so many times as children. A fear he had done nothing to help, standing helplessly by when he could have defended him. As much as he'd always loathed the man, even as a child, he'd never deserved what James and Sirius did. Remus had always been too scared of losing his friends to do anything. Now, he wasn't simply standing by, he was the one inflicting the pain on Severus.
He was a man now- they both were, clearly still carrying childhood injuries and feelings with them. But, something was very different about both. Severus, clearly without much happiness in his life, was clinging desperately to the few things he felt safe with- Minerva, Hogwarts. He was no longer helpless; he could fend for himself, and he was ruthless. He wasn't the pale and scrawny child Remus had known as a child. Remus, in an equally desperate attempt to hold things dear, had, in some sense, was stooping to the lows his friends once did. A pool of water was on the floor below him, and when Remus looked down, he saw his reflection. He kicked his foot through it, obscuring the image.