Feb 9, 1996
"What are you doing, your highness?" asked Nathee, as Snape busily ground the potion ingredients.
"Brewing," Snape replied without looking up. "Lupin's wolfsbane."
"Why does he need to drink it, your highness? He seems healthy," the young naga continued to ask.
"He's a werewolf. He turns into a raging wolf when the moon is full," Snape explained. "This potion will help him control himself."
"Is it hard to make, your highness?" Nathee asked.
"Extremely hard," Snape said, grumbling to himself. "As if I don't have enough work to do."
"Then why make it, your highness?" Nathee said with a hint of meaning. "When we have a better way."
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Snape dropped the potion and turned to Nathee. "What do you mean?"
Natee smiled slyly. "The venom of the naga has many uses, your highness."
"Venom is venom. It used to kill. What else is there to use?" Snape said.
"You are greatly mistaken. Don't you know that our venom can also remove evil spirits from humans?
? And you've done it. That human boy, you removed the evil spirit from him," Nathee explained at length.
"What does this have to do with Lupin?" Snape wondered.
"That man was possessed by the evil spirit of a wolf. It has power over him on a full moon. You can use your venom to remove it. You should do it on a new moon, when its power is weakest," Nathee said.
"Is it hard?" Severus asked with interest. Right now, anything to reduce his workload. Even just one thing. He had to teach the brainless children, work for the Order and Death Eaters, make potions for the infirmary, and study the history and traditions to become the Crown Prince.
"It's not hard, your highness. The mind is the master; the body is the servant. You just have to think clearly that the wolf came out of the man's body and focus all your power in your eyes before releasing it," his subordinate said.
"Why focus all of them in my eye?" Snape asked.
"Your venom comes out through the eye, so it must be focused in the eye. If the venom is needed to be released elsewhere, then the power must be focused elsewhere," Nathee explained.
"Does it have any side effects?" The potion master asked.
"I'm not sure, Your Highness. A naga bit Nala to get rid of the Glee that possessed him. It had no effect. But the Glee possessed him for only a short while. But that man was possessed for many years. There might be some effects," Natee hesitated. "But you never know until you try, Your Highness. And I've prepared a potion for emergencies. The most I can assume is that he'll pass out and his body will be on fire because you have a venom that causes burns and no human method can help.".
"That sounds scary," Snape said uncertainly.
"The man is the one who makes the decision, not you," Nathee said. "Would you like to write a letter and ask him to talk to you, Your Highness? Tomorrow is the time to visit the village. You can go and discuss the details there, Your Highness."
"Good idea. Lupin is a Gryffindor. He might take the risk. "I won't have to worry about the full moon anymore," Snape said, thinking back to the day his curiosity almost killed him. He didn't trust the wolf to take his potion on time. He couldn't keep reminding him like he used to. The Dark Lord was back. He had a lot of work to do.
He sat down and started writing a letter.
Remus received a strange letter from Severus; the school owl sent it to him.
To Lupin
I have something to talk to you about. Come to the Three Broomsticks tomorrow at ten o'clock if you're free. If possible, come alone. I'll talk to you about your furry problem.
S. Snape
The letter was short. It didn't even have the usual opening and closing words. What on earth did Severus want to talk about? Ever since he was appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher with Sirius as his assistant, Severus had treated them like air. And now he wants to meet him?
"What are you doing?" Sirius' voice snapped him out of his reverie.
Remus turned to look. "Severus sent me a letter, an appointment at 10 o'clock at Three Broomsticks tomorrow. He wants me to go alone."
Sirius snorted disdainfully. "That guy is getting stranger every day. I'm not surprised."
"Should I go?" the werewolf asked.
"You go, I go too," the ex-con said. "I still don't trust him that much." Decades of grudges would be hard to reconcile in less than a month.
"Okay then," Remus said.
February 10, 1996
"When is he coming?" Sirius grumbled, fidgeting with his feet before finishing his Butterbeer in one go.
"Speaking of whom?" Ron asked curiously. The Golden Trio was now sitting at the same table as Sirius and Remus.
"Severus," Remus answered. Ron almost choked on his Butterbeer.
"S-Snape, what are you doing here?" Ron stuttered.
"Ask me," a cold voice said. Ron turned to look. Snape was standing there.
"Didn't I tell you to come alone?" Snape said to Lupin. The more people there were, the more complicated it became.
"I don't trust you to talk to Remus alone," Sirius interjected. "Say whatever you want. Remus will tell me everything anyway."
"Alright," Snape said reluctantly, before sitting down in the empty chair. "I have a way to cure you from being a werewolf. Maybe."
"That's crazy," the whole table exclaimed in unison.
"Impossible," Hermione exclaimed. "There's no cure for werewolves."
Snape ignored Hermione. "I'll do it on the night of the new moon, which is next Saturday."
"What are you planning to do?" Remus was suspicious. "I've never heard of it."
"It's experimental," Snape said. "I'll tell you. It's not 100 percent safe. It's not even 50 percent safe. If you're scared or don't want to take the risk, I don't mind." It worked. Lupin's eyes were glowing with anger.
"I'm not scared," he said. "And if I have the chance, I'd like to try it. I'm sick of being a werewolf."
"You can't do it, Moony," Sirius protested. "You can't use yourself as a guinea pig."
Remus turned to look at his friend before speaking seriously. "Please, Sirius. I'm sick of this life. I want to be free of that demon."
"But…"
"I've made up my mind," Remus said, in a tone that said he wouldn't listen to any objections.
"Then come to me next Saturday at 8," Snape said, before billowing his robe away. Fortunately, the man wasn't too fussy.
February 17, 1996
It was 7:50 pm. Severus was pacing like a mouse in a trap. Would it work? Had he made the right decision? If something went wrong, if… He shook his head hard, trying to get rid of the distracting thoughts, and heard a knock at the door.
"Come in," he said. Lupin opened the door, his eyes sparkling.
"I'm ready, Severus," Remus said, in a tone slightly braver than he really felt.
"It's going to hurt a little. "You may be unconscious for days," Snape warned. He thought Lupin had every right to know. He had every right to withdraw if he wasn't ready.
"I'm ready. I'm willing," Remus said. He prayed Severus wouldn't say anything more. He was afraid he'd get on his nerves at the last second.
"Good," Severus said. He imagined the wolf leaving Lupin's body, concentrating and sending his power to his eyes.
"Ouch!" Lupin cried out in pain. His whole body felt like it was on fire. It felt like something was trying to tear open his chest. The pain was unbearable. He blacked out immediately.
Even though Nathee had warned him about what might happen, seeing it with his own eyes was a different matter. Severus's heart was beating wildly. He slowly knelt down beside Lupin, trying to bring him back to consciousness. He was sure that Lupin's screams would echo throughout the castle. Someone could come here at any moment, and by then, how would he explain himself? He shouldn't have been so impulsive.
"Open the door now, Snape!" Black shouted. "I'm going to break it down and kill you. What have you done to Moony?"
Severus didn't answer. He was too flustered to say anything.
Sirius broke the door open. When he saw Lupin lying unconscious, he turned quickly to Snape, who was standing next to him.
"What did you do to my friend, you snake?" He lunged at Snape and punched him. Severus fell over. Spitting venom had made his body very weak.
"I don't think you'll ever turn on a new leaf." A snake will always be a snake," Sirius said. He picked up Remus. "I'll take him to the infirmary, and I'll deal with you. I'll tell Dumbledore you're not going to make it," he threatened Snape.
He walked away, leaving Snape all alone in shock.
"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked in shock when she saw Sirius carrying the unconscious Remus. "I heard a scream."
"That git hurt Remus. He lured Remus to him," Sirius said emotionally.
"Who?" The nurse was confused. "Never mind. Put him on the bed first. I'll cast a checkup spell."
Sirius did. "I'll tell Dumbledore about this. I won't let Snape get away."
"Snape?" Poppy gasped. "Severus Snape. I thought he had changed."
"Heh, changed," Sirius said disdainfully. "Can I use the fireplace, please?" He asked the nurse for permission.
She could only nod in confusion.
The Animagus grabbed a handful of fluff and threw it at the fireplace. The orange flames turned green.
"Dumbledore, I have an emergency," he shouted into the fireplace.
"Step aside, Sirius," the old man's voice sounded cheerful. "I'm coming in."
Sirius complied. Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace gracefully. He chanted a spell to brush the ashes off his robes.
"What's wrong?" Dumbledore asked, his tone growing serious as he saw Sirius's angry eyes.
"Snape hurt Remus," Sirius said curtly. "He tricked Remus into believing that there was a cure for werewolves, and he believed it. And agree to meet him."
Dumbledore was shocked. "How is Remus doing now?" he asked anxiously. "Take me to see him."
Madame Pomfrey appeared, looking worried. "Headmaster, Remus seems to have a poison in his system. I tried to expel it, but it didn't work."
"Snape really did poison him," Sirius said angrily. "I really can't accept this. You have to deal with this."
The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes was gone; now they were glowing fiercely. How could Severus do this? Did he want the Defense Against the Dark Arts so badly? Perhaps his obsession with the Dark Arts was too deep to be removed. The headmaster cast a Patronus Charm and ordered it to summon Severus.
"Come to my office, Severus," the silver phoenix said in front of Snape before disappearing.
Severus' heart was pounding. What should he do? What was Dumbledore going to do to him? But he had no choice. If he didn't go, he couldn't escape. Unless he fled to the Underworld, which would be the last place he would go. He was already attached to humans. He wasn't ready to live as a naga.
"Dumbledore's office. Chocolate frog." He grabbed a handful of fluff and threw it at the fireplace. The first was his destination; the second was the password to his office. He waited until the light went green before he entered.
Snape had seen Dumbledore furious many times before, furious because he had caused it and for other reasons. But never had the old man looked so fierce.
"Sit down," Dumbledore said. Snape did. The old man had no annoying twinkle in his eyes, nor did he invite him for a lemon drop. Neither of those things were good omens.
"What have you done to Remus? How could you do this? I trusted you, got you out of Azkaban, gave you jobs, and gave you everything. Is this what you repay me?" Dumbledore continued angrily.
"I…" Snape began, but Dumbledore interrupted.
"A snake will always be a snake. No matter how well you take care of it, it will bite," he added angrily. "I should never have trusted you."
That last sentence was like a lightning bolt straight to Severus's heart. He thought Dumbledore knew him best, maybe even better than he knew himself. He thought the old man had forgiven him, but from what he had said earlier, it was clear that Dumbledore had been suspicious of him deep down.
"I will expel you," Dumbledore added without beating around the bush. "I will not put you in prison. You'd be more useful outside, but I can't trust you anymore."
"Don't do this to me," Severus said, his voice shaking. "I have nowhere else to go in the world." Of course, he had a place in the Underworld, but it wouldn't be right to tell Dumbledore right now.
"You should think before you do things like this, poison your colleagues," Dumbledore said. He didn't care about Snape at all.
"I'm just trying to get rid of the werewolf in him," Severus tried to explain. "He'll wake up, trust me. Give me three days. If he doesn't wake up by then, then..."
"Don't lie to me. And don't even mention three days. I won't even give you a day. Get out of here before dawn," Dumbledore interrupted. "I won't let you hurt anyone else. I'll summon you if I need to. Go,"
Snape stood up. He tried to control his legs from shaking, trying to hold back the tears that were about to fall. "Yes sir, thank you for everything," he said before turning and walking out of the room. He had nowhere else to go. He would have to go to the Underworld. Where there's water, there's a connection to the Underworld. He didn't need to pack his things. Everything was ready for him. Severus walked swiftly to the gates of Hogwarts. Dumbledore didn't even provide him with a carriage.The old man must really hate him.
"Prince," Nathee said immediately. Was he a haunted spirit or something? "I ask for your forgiveness, Your Highness. I shouldn't have advised you like that."
"Never mind," Snape interrupted. "Take me to the underworld. I don't want to stay here. I can't live with humans."
"Prince," Nathee said in a trembling voice. It was stupid to advise him like that. The prince had never spit venom at anyone before, and he was still very young (compared to the average lifespan of a naga, which was almost 500 years; the prince was just a hatchling). It was natural to be shocked when something like this happened.
"Let's hurry up and go," said the naga prince. He didn't want to think about anything anymore. He wanted to get away from here.
"Yes, Your Highness," Nathee agreed. "I'll take you to the nearby river, Your Highness." Nathee grabbed Severus's hand, and they were both sucked into a black hole.
What was Snape doing here? Tonks thought curiously. She watched Snape walk to the riverbank. It was late at night. She hurriedly kept out of his doghouse. Even though Snape might not recognize her, she didn't want to risk it.
"It won't hurt, will it?" She heard Snape say. "It'll be nice there, won't it?"
"Yes, your highness, another voice replied. "Jump in."
"Aaah!" The young Auror screamed in shock. She had just seen the Potions Master jump into the water right before her eyes. Why was he thinking of killing himself? What was going on? She ran over, cast a bubble charm, and dived in to look for him, but she couldn't find Snape. Where had the current taken him? She got out of the water, used a drying charm, and the current wasn't too strong. Where had he gone? She had to report to Dumbledore. He had to know about this. She quickly apparated to Hogwarts.