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The Long Road	By : SinisterMe Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Remus Views: 63598 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 18
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, no money is being made from it.

Chapter List
- 55
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- 57
When Remus came back into the room with the tea tray, Severus appeared to be sleeping. He set the tray down on the small table without making a sound. He went to sit in his chair and wait, but Severus lifted an open bottle of scotch, took a drink straight from the neck and then set it on the tray without cracking an eye.
“Are you sure that’s the best idea, Severus?” he tried again, pouring tea for the both of them and putting milk and sugar in each cup. He knew it wasn’t really Severus’ preference, but the other man could likely use fortification from something other than liquor.
“Undeniably, it is not,” Severus said. “I have barely eaten in days and my body is extremely worn down and dehydrated.” All the same, he was leaning over and dosing his cup with a liberal amount.
“The logic is still escaping me,” Remus informed him with an upturn of his lips. This was as much as he would fight on the subject, who wouldn’t need a drink after what his master had just gone through? Also, the bottle was well on its way to empty, so he couldn’t go too far with it.
“I am also in pain,” Severus admitted quietly, “and I doubt that there will be as much rest for me today as I would like. Either Daniel wakes up and we have to tend to him, or he does not, and we have to deal with that. I also need to see Teddy now that the most immediate things have been done.”
“Teddy will just be happy to know you’re home,” Remus offered.
“I promised that I would see him,” Severus insisted, lifting his cup to his lips and taking a long drink. “Someone should go tell Potter that we’re here and let him know what has transpired with Daniel.”
“Lanning poisoned him, why would he do that?” Remus asked, not discounting any possibility when it came to that man.
“Yes, he did. I imagine it was because he somehow knew that he was under suspicion by the Ministry and that WIBNA would not be willing or able to protect him from their investigation. We’re only lucky he chose a particularly slow acting toxin, or we would have been coming home to find a corpse in that closet. That and the Portkey you gave him saved his life.” Severus was rubbing at his leg where the scar for his amputation lay. The tissue there had been cut through and removed so many times, he was surprised to have any feeling left in it at all, but feeling there was, in fucking spades.
“I thought it was those potions and the bezoar,” Remus answered. “Leg bothering you?”
“The muscles keep cramping,” Severus said, trying to sound casual. That really didn’t even begin to cover it. The teacup was shaking in the hand that wasn’t digging into his lower thigh. He drank the remaining liquid in two large gulps in order to avoid spilling and then set the damned thing off to the side and clenching his hand in a fist.
Remus got up and went to the bed, stacking all of the available pillows against the headboard. “Come and stretch it out then,” he said again. “You can still sit up and visit with Teddy.”
“A cheap ploy to get me into bed,” Severus grumbled.
“You caught me,” Remus grinned. “Come on,” he urged.
Severus sighed, not having the will to fight even this smiling, only mildly insistent man. He took the handle of what was for now, his cane, and walked slowly over to the bed. Sitting down stiffly, he lifted his legs onto the mattress and arranged himself against the frankly ridiculous amount of cushions Remus had set out for him. “Happy?” he grated.
“Very,” Remus said, touching his shoulder lightly as if for emphasis. When that didn’t cause distress, his hand moved to hover over the offending leg. “Does that feel any better?” He silently cursed himself – he’d said he wasn’t going to do all of this mothering, knowing that Severus would likely become fed up with it in a right hurry.
“Yes, thank you,” Severus said much more curtly than he would have liked. Remus’ hand withdrew in answer and he couldn’t say that he was pleased with the result of his words.
“I’ll just go get Teddy then,” Lupin said, a look of hurt fluttering across his features.
Severus reminded himself that this ordeal had been difficult for Remus as well, not that it was hard to see the bags under his eyes. The closer he looked, the more he could tell that the other man was at a loss, wanting to do something but unsure of his place. If there was one thing Severus was sure about, that was it, and it wouldn’t do to have either of them doubting it.
Remus turned to go, but Severus grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving, giving the gentle tug that would reel him in nearer, and then another one so that he would sit on the edge of the bed beside him. The slightly troubled look on his face didn’t disappear; Severus found it imperative that it did.
“I will spend a bit of time with your son, and then I will try to rest,” he said, knowing that it wasn’t likely to be of much use. Historically, when his shields were up and blocking this many thoughts, emotions and sensations, they tended to come out any way they could, and his dreams were the easiest outlet. He didn’t foresee a full night of sleep in his future for some time, and the thought made the backs of his eyeballs ache, if such a thing was even possible.
“That’s good, Severus,” Remus smiled. “I can’t imagine how you’re not completely knackered.”
“You should rest as well. Daniel may need attention; at the worst we may need to call that Healer.”
“David?”
“Yes, him. Either way it is likely to be an eventful evening. You slept even less than I did last night,” he pointed out.
“I’ll have a lie down later,” Remus said. “Do you want me to put a cot in here, or sleep in the other room for a while?” Remus asked, looking as if phrasing that aloud to Severus was the last thing he wanted to do. “It’s just, with… everything,” he faltered, summarizing every event with that one, simple word and obviously finding it lacking, “I can’t imagine you would be as… comfortable with anyone being so close.” Remus’ face was etched with concern, as if his last words would be some great undoing.
“Perhaps,” Severus allowed, setting his hand over Remus’ knee, “but you aren’t just anyone, Remus. Without you in it, this piece of furniture loses almost all of its appeal.” Way to go, Severus, really reassure him.
Remus must have heard something different, because his eyes seemed to regain some of their sparkle and his cheeks flushed ever so slightly. “Oh,” he said, as if Severus had given him the grandest of overtures. Lupin’s hand came to rest over his were it still sat on his leg; the rest of his body felt chill in comparison. “Alright,” Remus continued, smiling at him in a terribly genuine fashion before slotting his fingers between Severus’ and giving them a squeeze.
There was so much Severus wanted to say to him, but he was so goddamned tired that he knew he’d fumble through it at best and offend him totally at the worst, so he chose to keep quiet on the whole matter after all. “Why don’t you freshen up a bit when you send Teddy in? Take a few minutes, get Potter up to speed if Draco hasn’t already done it, then have a shower and get into a change of clothes. If no emergencies arise by then, we’ll try to have a short sleep before supper.” As he said it, he knew that he neither felt like sleeping or eating, but he was going to have to try and keep up appearances in order to stave off the worry of everyone around him. What a unique concept, normally he told everyone to bugger off, which they promptly and gratefully did, and that was it.
“That sounds like a plan,” Remus said, “but what about you?” He couldn’t help but worry.
“Me? I believe I spent most of last night in the bath and these clothes are still passable. I’ll be fine until tomorrow.” What he didn’t say was that the thought of having to stand and put weight on his hacked off leg was completely unappealing.
“If you say so,” Remus allowed. “I’ll go get him.” He stood and left the room. He knew that he was going to have to pick his battles with Severus and clothing definitely wasn’t going to be one of them.
While he was gone, Snape lay his head back and closed his eyes. Maybe he needed to suffer through a few disturbed dreams in the sake of regaining some kind of mental clarity. Everything felt wrong, somehow. Unease was still gripping him tightly – he was exhausted, in pain and had a poisoned child who was likely missing from somewhere in his boyhood bedroom. No, there was no sense of rightness in being home at this moment.
“Sir!” Teddy’s exuberant voice interrupted his thoughts. “You’re home!”
Well, perhaps there was one thing that felt correct. He opened his eyes and forced his head to rise off the headboard. “Hello Teddy, sorry I wasn’t able to come home from St Mungo’s with you; they didn’t keep me there as long as we were expecting.”
“That’s okay, sir! I’m just glad that you’re here!” he seemed to hold none of the reservations his father had, climbing up on the unoccupied half of the bed and shuffling up beside him. “Are you feeling better?”
How to answer that? “I’m far from top form, but yes, I do feel better than when I last saw you.”
“Is your eye always going to be blue?” Teddy asked, leaning forward for a closer inspection.
Severus had yet to have a good look in the mirror, so he hadn’t observed what Teddy was talking about. He touched his cheek, “This one?” He was sure the boy was referring to the eye that had been scooped out like an overlarge pomegranate seed. He fought a shiver and pushed his memories farther behind his shields.
Teddy nodded seriously.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “Sometimes magic does interesting things in order to achieve a certain result. It may go back to normal, or this may be the way I appear from now on. Does it look quite silly?” he asked, trying to summon a smile that made his cheek ache but would be worth it if it reassured Teddy.
“No sir,” Teddy told him, “just different. It was under the cover, so I couldn’t see it last time.”
He must be referring to the eye patch. “We’ll just have to keep an eye on it, see if anything changes.”
Teddy giggled, “Sir!”
Snape’s smile came easily this time. “I’m old, I’m allowed to make bad jokes.”
Teddy laughed again. “I really missed you, sir. Everyone was so serious while you were gone.”
Severus could only imagine the atmosphere of the household as it went through the week’s events. “I believe you,” he said. Time to move towards happier subjects, and maybe ones that didn’t require him to talk as much. Conversation was beyond wearying, even if it was with brilliant company. “I hear you became an artist while I was away. Can you show me some of your masterpieces?”
Teddy scoffed, “Well they’re not that good, sir. It was even harder to learn to use the paints than it was the pencils – everything is so wet and messy that it matters how much paint you use and how hard you push on the brush or which brush you use. Part of Draco’s room is set up so we don’t make as much of a mess, Fred said we had to.”
“I bet he did,” Snape smirked.
“I’ll go and get my pages so I can show you!” Teddy said, bouncing off the bed.
When he returned, Severus, fighting the feeling that he was channeling his father, had Teddy bring him the bottle and his teacup. He filled the china basin and leaned back into the pillows to listen.
Severus was taken on a tour of several different pieces of artwork, all based around the house and yard, all things Teddy had done. There was one of a kite flying high in the sky, and that prompted a vigorous discussion about the children of the nearby town. There was even a picture just for Severus, one of the potion’s bench with all of the ingredients of the last potion they’d brewed together depicted on the cutting board, complete with a full jar of starfish thorns. The detail and brushwork were, in Severus opinion, very good for someone Teddy’s age, though he knew little about the technique. He silently commended Draco’s teaching ability too, he would have thought that his godson wouldn’t have any more patience for that particular art than he had himself.
Teddy was content to update him on everything that had happened while he was gone, and he was glad to listen. Sometimes, the boy ran off to his room to get a visual aid, but other than that he was happy to sit and talk. He seemed to want to be as physically close to Severus as he could get without climbing into his lap, and his small hand was never far from touching his arm or shoulder.
Eventually, Remus came back, hair damp and a towel over his shoulder. “Teddy, Harry needs your help down in the kitchen and I think Severus has to rest now,” he told the boy apologetically.
Teddy opened his mouth to protest, then snuck a glance at Severus and shut it again. Now he knew he looked like shite. “Yes dad,” the boy agreed. “I can see you again tonight?” Teddy asked him.
“Yes, I’m sure I’ll be there for supper,” he told Teddy. “If not, I’ll try to come see you before bed.”
“We’re going to try to have a bit of a sleep before then,” Remus cautioned him. “So, if you need anything Harry can help you, okay?”
“I thought you said he needed my help,” Teddy said with a raised eyebrow that Snape suspected he’d picked up from Draco.
Severus laughed outright, “He has you there, Remus.”
“That he does, the cheeky brat,” Lupin said fondly. “Now go help Harry. Or be helped by him. I’m too tired to decide.”
“Yes dad,” Teddy said, collecting his things and standing. “Have a good sleep, sir.”
“I’ll try. Don’t wear Potter completely out.”
“I won’t!” Teddy called from just outside the doorway.
“Lord help us,” Remus muttered under his breath, putting his towel over the back of a chair and going to Snape’s side of the bed. “God, I’m so sorry Severus, the least I could have done is take off your shoes,” Remus admonished himself. He untied the laces and started to pull the first one off, then the other. He set them on the floor and toed them under the bed. His fingers returned to brush lightly over the top of Severus’ foot. “Socks on or off?”
“Off, please.” The alcohol had sufficiently relaxed him for the moment. He watched Remus carefully pull the socks from his feet and toss them into the hamper. They felt chill against the air of the room. His eyes continued to follow Remus movements, finding the mere sight of him soothing. There was exhaustion written in his face, but he didn’t falter as he came up to the head of the bed.
“You can’t want to sleep in that,” Remis said, looking him over, fully dressed except for his feet.
Severus wanted to say that he likely wouldn’t sleep at all but bit his tongue. He had a feeling that Remus needed to take care of him much more than he actually needed taking care of. He’d been in much worse shape, both physically and mentally in his life and he’d always gotten through on his own. The idea of allowing Remus to do things for him sat a little uneasily, because he wasn’t sure how to react or respond without anger at his debility being directed the wrong way. He would try, for Remus.
“Alright,” he agreed placidly. The sight of Remus’ fingers working all of the buttons on his shirt out of their holes momentarily mesmerized him. He tried to watch them and their deft movements rather than look at the skin that was exposed in their wake. The scarring was worse than he’d expected; there was so much of it, startlingly red across his pale flesh. Remus helped him to undress to his pants, and when they were done, he chanced another glance down only to realize that he didn’t recognize his own body. It looked so foreign that it felt like it belonged to someone else.
He knew that Remus must be thinking something equally unpleasant, because his face was somber and for once he was silent. When he was covered back up by the quilt, all he could feel was relief. Remus drew the curtains and dimmed the lights and he liked the thought of that even better. His shields would remain in place for some time yet, he wouldn’t dream of removing them with everything going on. He could feel the emotions behind his barrier seething and writhing, feeling ill at the thought of allowing them free where they could intermingle with everything else inside of him. He knew that maintaining the shields was a constant drain and that he could not do it forever, but they would hold for now and he would manage. He shouldn’t even be thinking about it, he was in no place to deal with the memories and emotions behind his walls.
The bed dipped beside him. He looked over, derailed from his train of thoughts, to find Remus perched nervously on his usual side. He was wearing nothing but his pants as well, one of his knees bent up onto the mattress, the other dangling over the side of the bed. His hands were held tightly on his lap and his face was the absolute picture of uncertainty.
“Lay down, Remus,” Severus suggested.
Remus nodded and slid both of his feet under the blankets, lowering himself until his head was on the pillow. He rolled onto his side and lay so that he was facing Severus but not touching him in any way.
Severus could feel Lupin’s eyes on him in the dim room, and though it was just Remus and he was in his own bed, in his own house and no one here meant him any harm, fear started to build. Even though his barriers were intact, anxiety started to creep in. He felt like he would choke with it, there, peaceful in his bed. Ridiculous. Weak.
Remus’ hand reached out and rested on his arm, popping the bubble of mounting horror as easily as if he had used a pair of scissors on an inflated balloon. He turned his head to fully look at him through the dim light, just able to see the beautiful pair of worried eyes looking back at him. When he didn’t react, the thumb started to trail back and forth against his bicep.
He closed his eyes, letting the simple touch anchor him to reality in a way none of his grounding techniques had so far been able to achieve. He focused on relaxing his muscles, one at a time, and managed to get up to his forearms before he heard a very heavy sigh from his bedmate.
When he looked over at Remus again, the other man was watching him with an expression of concern, sadness written across his face. Snape fought back a groan, wishing that everyone had a small box in their minds in which to cram their emotions. He brought his hand up to cover Remus’ where it still rested on his arm, threading their fingers together and using his grip to urge Remus nearer to him.
“Come here,” he said softly. Honestly, there was nothing he wanted more than that anyway. It went against everything he knew about himself, but he found that he desired closeness with Remus. It was what had kept him going when he was in the basement, scraps of imagination and memory mashed together into something that felt like it was real, like it could be real. Selfishly, he wanted to make it so. It took almost no urging to convince Remus to lay against him, the lycanthrope’s arm embracing his middle, his lips pressing against his shoulder again and again.
“I watched you die,” Remus told him with a broken voice. He knew he’d promised himself strength, that he wouldn’t make this about him, but now, with Severus in his arms, he felt helpless but to express this.
“I’m sorry,” Severus said, not knowing what to do when confronted with the sorrow in Remus’ voice. He’d known he would come home, that the death wouldn’t be permanent – and that even if it was, they’d been provided for in his will, they would have been just fine. He struggled to understand the sentiment attached to this sadness the other man was exuding.
Remus choked. “Don’t you be sorry.” He leaned up on one elbow, looking down at his master, trailing the crescent shaped scar on his cheek tenderly with the tip of his finger. Like he couldn’t stop himself, he brought his lips down to brush chastely against Snape’s. “You don’t need to be sorry for anything.”
Severus felt a shudder run through his body, his eyes falling shut. He was so emotionally raw, and this level of affection was something he wasn’t practiced at receiving on a good day. It required a certain level of surrender: before he could accept this tenderness, he had to admit to himself that he needed it. It wasn’t something he’d been able to do at any point in his life before. His problems had been his own and he had been expected to solve everyone else’s as well, no matter the toll. There had been no one for him to need, no reason for him to even look for such a frivolity in his life. It had always seemed foolish to him, this reliance people put on one another, this sickening need everyone around him was overtaken with – the need to trust one another, to take on dependence as a badge of honor and call it love.
But here he felt it, something stirring in his dead heart. He was speechless, his mouth dry; he could only imagine what unsightly display his face was making. Not wanting to be seen as vulnerable as he felt, he turned on his side, facing away from Remus. The arm around the lower part of his ribcage lifted, allowing him free movement to get comfortable. When he was still it settled again, Lupin’s fingers running back and forth against the scar tissue on his stomach, the rest of their bodies not touching.
Time passed with little other movement, the space between them remaining unbridged by either partner. Severus was just thinking about moving backwards so that he could be completely enclosed in the werewolf’s arms when Remus spoke.
“I’d like to hold you, but I’m afraid I’m going to do something wrong,” his voice came gently through the short distance between them. That didn’t even cover the half of it. He was even more off kilter than before, unsure what might upset Severus. They hadn’t discussed what had gone on in that basement yet, if they ever would. He would just have to act slowly and carefully, to try not do or say anything to make his master uncomfortable, even though he didn’t know what those things may be.
Severus couldn’t say anything back to that, only shifted so that the small chasm between him and Remus was nonexistent. Thankfully, Remus didn’t comment, only tightened the arm around his waist and pressed his forehead against the back of his neck, their bodies now flush with one another. He had thought it might be smothering, to lie like this, encircled in Lupin’s arms, but instead, it felt like something else. For the first time in his life, he experienced the sensation of coming home. The onslaught of emotion that came along with it was so intense, he checked his shields again only to find them intact. This emotion was new, was separate from what he was holding back. He could hardly breathe, or he knew tears would spill from his eyes. He didn’t dare to blink for that same reason.
“Is this alright?” Remus asked. He was almost afraid to speak, he really didn’t want to break the moment. It seemed like Severus was asking him for something without words and he really didn’t want to get it wrong, lest he never be asked again.
“Yes,” Severus answered, it was the best that he could manage. He’d been unworthy his entire life, he couldn’t understand why he felt so affected by it right at this moment. He didn’t deserve this careful treatment, these tender touches and soft words. He belonged in that basement, and it was an absolute miracle that anyone had ever let him out. How could Lupin not see it?
“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” Remus said into his ear, delicate kisses trailing down his neck and ending at his shoulder. “Let’s try and get some sleep, it doesn’t seem like things will be slowing down any time soon, and I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
Severus could hear the fatigue in his voice. He nodded, knowing that Remus would feel it. Remus stroked a hand down his side, allowing it to settle on his hip instead of holding him too tightly. He took a deep breath, mortified at the way it shook on his inhale. Remus pushed his nose into his shoulder, but didn’t press him about it, thank God.
Time passed, and he became less certain than before that he wouldn’t sleep at all, Remus’ closeness causing him to become drowsy in spite of his best intentions. His eyes were only resting for a second, but with Remus’ hand stroking against his side like a metronome of comfort, he had little choice but to relax. He really was so very tired and maybe, just maybe, this time would be different and he could have the reprieve of sleep instead of dreams laced with nightmares.
Remus remained awake after Severus’ eyes closed. He remained alert even when his master’s breathing evened out and everything about his face went slack with slumber. When he was certain that Severus was asleep, he let himself rest. His own eyes drifted closed, even though he was still sponging up the other man’s proximity, the relief of holding him close. He was taking it moment by moment, just glad that his master was allowing them to be so near one another.
He leaned in closer to him, thinking about how his master interacted with Teddy. Even after everything, there was no hint of a change in their relationship, no smoldering resentment. He was just as kind and open as he had been before. Once they had both had a full night’s sleep, and not only this small rest period, he would speak to Severus about his son’s abilities as a Metamorph. He wondered how the other man would take it, as it had come as a great surprise to him when he had come face to face with it in St. Mungo’s for the first time.
The thought tied in with another conversation that he didn’t know how to have, this one with his boy: the one in which he told him that his mother was dead and there was no hope of seeing her again. He wasn’t sure what kind of reaction it would get from Teddy, as he hadn’t asked after her in such a long time and it seemed that a lot of his memories of the time before they were taken were shaky at best. He wanted to do it as tactfully as possible and hoped that there was a way to say what needed to be said and leave Teddy without a large hole in his life that no one could fill. He felt like he wanted to discuss it with Severus first, but it was more important to deal with his immediate needs and the needs of that boy, Daniel, before he stirred up anything else.
One of Severus’ legs was starting to twitch, and there was a tensing of the muscles under Remus’ hand. Under closer inspection, he found a slight sheen of perspiration on his master’s brow. It seemed his sleep wasn’t quite as peaceful as had first been perceived. Remus waited a moment, hoping that things would settle and he would sink back into full sleep.
Severus let out a groan. He was lying on his side and was slowly tightening up so that his knees and his forehead were approaching each other, like he was trying to shield the soft tissues of his stomach and groin.
Remus moved so that his body wasn’t touching his master’s as fully, leaving only the contact of his hand on his hip. This he even moved, so that it was resting on the other man’s back. He soothed it back and forth in long caresses, his voice coming out low and calm. “You’re home, Severus, you’re safe now. It’s me, Remus, and I’m here. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. No one is going to hurt you, I promise. You’re home, Severus, you’re safe now. It’s me, Remus…” he kept up the careful touches and the reassuring whispers until his bedmate relaxed again, breathing finally becoming slow and even again. Severus stretched out of the position he’d been holding, getting comfortable slowly, testing his space.
Remus gave him room to move, only thankful that he had been able to help as he had. It had worked well enough in hospital. He lay back and rested his eyes again, not planning to sleep at all for the moment. He’d try later, once Severus had a chance to get some proper rest. He needed it, that was for sure. He was almost afraid to see the papers the next day – there would likely be some things in there he would rather not see, though he would look anyway. He hoped that Severus would spend a few days recovering before trying anything crazy, but he wasn’t holding his breath. He rested, because he was sure he would need the endurance, but other than that, he just lay there and listened to the sound of Severus breathing in the dark, hoping that he was being any use by doing this.

Severus woke unhurriedly, an unknown amount of time later. The light in the room was still artificially darkened. Remus was awake and watching him intently, his fingers soothing along the skin of his collarbone. If possible, the bags under is eyes were even darker, the lines on his face more pronounced, but he met Severus’ gaze with a smile all the same. “How was your sleep?”
Severus stretched, finding himself not as tense as he was anticipating. His head no longer ached and the pain in his leg was almost bearable. He felt less nauseous and more in control of himself than he did before laying down. Miracles would never cease, apparently. Normally, when this many appalling memories were contained behind a shield, he slept fitfully, either waking many times during his rest in horror or sleeping through it and waking with the images emblazoned in his mind, his body aching from the time it had spent clenched in terror. He rubbed at his eyes and sat up. Maybe he had drank just the correct amount of liquor?
“Has anyone came to give us an update on Daniel?” Severus asked, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbing the sore point on his thigh. It was down to a dull ache now and he hoped that it would support his weight. He had many things to do and little time to do them in, having to lumber around with a cane wouldn’t work in his favor on that front.
“No one has been by since we laid down,” Remus told him, getting up and stretching his back, drawing the curtains and allowing the sun into the room.
“I will want to go and see how he is doing. I will also want to pen some letters and get started on the analysis of Teddy’s blood.” He pushed himself up into a standing position using the nightstand, leaving his weight on his good leg while he steadied himself. With his hand hovering over the handle of the cane, he took a step forward, happy to find that though he limped slightly and there was substantial pain that went along with the movement, he could walk unassisted. Leaving the cane where it sat, he went and dressed in fresh garments. Still feeling like he needed something else to wake up completely, he went in to the en suite to splash some water on his face.
“That sounds like a lot, Severus. I think you should spend some time resting as much as possible,” Remus said, following a few steps behind him. “Even if it’s only for the first day or two.”
Severus entered the room and walked over to the sink, where found himself frozen, still as a statue in front of the mirror. “Bloody buggering fuck,” was all that he could say to his reflection. He was grotesque. There was no other word that entered his mind as he stared blankly back at himself.
His eyes were disproportionate colours, one black as night, the other blue as the sky on a cloudless day. There were reddened scars spiderwebbing out from the blue eye that stood out against the pale skin of his cheek and eyelid in a way he could only describe as unnerving. That alone would be disconcerting, but along with his beak of a nose and the wretchedly pronounced scars branching out from his lips where that pear had torn them open- almost so that he was stuck with a permanent half-smile- it all came together into a very vile picture.
Severus knew he’d never had much to work with in the area of his appearance; he’d always been scrawny and greasy and ugly, but this was on a whole other level. It was almost comical, small children would likely cry and point and ask their mothers what was wrong with him when he went into public. He shook his head slightly in disbelief. Teddy was to be commended for his lack of reaction, the child had tact and restraint that went well beyond his years.
Remus entered the mirror also, Snape watched his reflection walk up behind him and rest his hands on Severus’ hips, his chin coming to perch itself on his shoulder as they looked at the image they made together.
Snape was just beginning to register what his torso now looked like, taking in the long lacerations, the whip marks, the concave sections of skin that had been gouged out and healed over… the list went on and on across his body, and lower to his legs and feet. His memories may have been sealed behind the walls in his mind but with the aftermath laid out so plainly in front of him he felt like gagging all the same. He watched Remus’ reflection ghost his lips over a set of scars on his shoulders that liked like the rungs of a ladder, the work of a red-hot iron rod, by the look of things. He watched his own reflection shudder and was flooded with shame at his own weakness.
“I think we’re going to have to put the bag over your head when we shag,” he said, using dark humor to try and distance himself from his own overpowering emotions. “We could put one on me, but I just don’t think it would improve things enough.” He let out a flood of air that he had meant to be a huff of laughter but just sounded pathetic.
Remus rolled his eyes. “No one is putting a bag on their head,” he said, affectionately, of all things. His hands moved from his hips up and over his chest, where they rested in a loose embrace, palms on his pectorals. Remus was nestled up against him, also clad only in his pants, but the embrace didn’t feel amorous, more like staunch support given in the gentlest way possible. “I will always want you, Severus,” he said near the area of Snape’s ear, “scars or no scars.” He placed the lightest kiss on the side of Severus’ neck, right over the very end of the scar from his throat cut, feeling like he was being foolishly bold.
Severus felt his throat tighten and took a deep breath to combat it. He was a cesspool of emotions that he had no idea what to do with. He felt as though he couldn’t speak for the moment, so in answer, he brought his arm up and moved Remus’ hand so that it was resting directly over his wildly beating heart, before placing his own hand over it and pressing the lycanthrope’s palm to him. The words were obviously a fabrication, a reflexive thing said by Remus to appeal to his ego, but even with that knowledge, he didn’t argue the statement.
Remus’ face crumpled slightly around the edges of his eyes and he pressed his face into the crux of Snape’s neck and shoulder. He couldn’t know for sure what Severus meant with the gesture, but he nodded all the same. He knew what it meant for him, and that was all that mattered. When he looked back to their reflection, he found Severus’ eyes watching him intently. For him, he dredged up a smile.
“I need to get dressed, go and check on Daniel,” Severus told him, making no motion to move away. It was true, but he also needed space. Remus’ acceptance of him, their physical proximity was wonderful, but it was swiftly becoming too much. He needed to retreat a little, into something he could control, something that required his brain more than his heart.
Remus pulled away slowly, obviously not taking offence. “Alright, I’ll lay a change out for us.” He stepped back and exited the room, leaving Severus alone with his unfamiliar reflection. Without Remus in it, the frame of the mirror seemed large and filled only with his pitted flesh. He closed his eyes and turned away, glad that his legs supported him back out into the bedroom.
Remus had to help him dress. He was able to do most everything for himself but needed assistance with his socks and the buttons on the cuffs of his sleeves. It didn’t aggravate him as much as he thought it would, but he still found himself having to bite his tongue not to snap at the other man as he aided with the basic tasks.
When he was done, Snape walked to the room at the end of the hall with singular purpose, perhaps hoping not to be caught going in there by Teddy, who didn’t need to know the whole story at that point. Remus progressed more hesitantly, finding the door to Teddy’s room mostly closed as he went by. No one was in the loo. He peered into Draco’s room as he went by, only to briefly see Draco and Harry standing, facing one another. Draco’s head was downcast, his eyes to the floor and his hand up covering them. Harry stood in front of him, a hand resting on his shoulder that this time he seemed to have no intention of shrugging off. He turned his head and kept walking, trying to give them their privacy. Seeing Severus go through all of that must have taken its toll on Draco, and who was he to judge if Harry was able to help with that?
He followed Severus’ wake into the room where Daniel lay, pale and still as a cadaver. Fred was off to the side, wringing his thin hands, face twisted in guilt.
“His pulse is stronger, steadier than before,” Severus said to the room, making intricate movements with his wand. “His respiration is good; his temperature is elevated, though only slightly.”
“Is the little one going to be waking soon?” Fred asked anxiously.
“I couldn’t say for certain,” Severus finished with his scans. “I’ll want to collect some of his blood for analysis. He may sleep for some time yet, his body has been through quite a trauma. If he hasn’t regained alertness by tomorrow, we will look for alternative sources of help. For now, I feel that my time is best spent in the lab.” He looked to Remus, “When Draco is ready, please ask him to join me. I may need his assistance.” It galled him to say, but his hands were still trembling, and he couldn’t say for sure that he would be able to do what was needed alone.
Remus nodded, trying not to feel brushed off. He understood that Severus would likely want a moment alone and that with a house full of people and a fretting slave watching his every move, the lab was really the only place he could arrange that, even briefly, without telling everyone to sod off for a bit. “I’ll let him know,” Remus said, “he and I will be down shortly.” He bit his tongue to keep himself from asking if Severus would be alright getting down the stairs and setting up equipment in the basement without any help.
“Thank you, Remus,” Severus said. He felt a flood of relief that there had been no argument, no questions of his ability or competency, the fact that both of those things were uncertain even in his own mind didn’t change that. “Fred, where is Teddy?”
“He is being in his room,” the elf said, “practicing his lessons. He was not wanting to be falling behind while you were being gone, sir.”
Severus gave a nod. It would give him some time to move around the house without attracting Teddy’s attention to the other child. That, they would deal with later, once he knew what was going on himself. “Alert me if something changes or you have need of anything,” he said to the elf.
“If sir will be doing the same,” Fred said, his eyes glinting.
Severus rolled his eyes and limped from the room. Remus let him go, taking a deep breath and tearing his eyes away from the sleeping child. Fred went back to his seat by the boy’s side, taking his limp hand in his own and holding it.
“I think I’ll just wait a moment,” Remus said to the elf, “he could probably use a few seconds on his own.”
“Sir is not being very good at being taken care of,” Fred said simply.
“I won’t let that stop me,” Remus said with a half-smile.
“You is looking like you wasn’t getting any sleep,” Fred pointed out.
Remus shrugged. “I won’t let that stop me either,” he said. It kept Severus’ nightmares and his part in soothing them private, just how he imagined his master would have liked it.
“He is being very stubborn sometimes. If you is needing help or to be talking about anything, Fred is being here.”
“Thank you, Fred, I’ll remember that.”
“It is important that you is being taking care of you too,” Fred told him. “You is helping no one if you is being running yourself into the ground.”
Remus gave a nod. “I’ll do my best.”
“You is getting Draco?”
“Yes, I’ll be going down to the lab with him right away.”
“The two of you has been eating something?” Fred asked.
“Not since this morning,” Remus replied. His stomach gave a sharp pang and a low gurgle the second his thoughts turned towards it.
“Potter was making lunch, there is being some left in the kitchen if you is trusting it,” Fred said, still obviously not over his resentment of Harry’s previous destruction.
“Harry has more finesse in the kitchen than he does most other places,” Remus said with a smile. “I’ll take some down to Severus as well, but I won’t tell him who made it.”
“That is being smart, though you is likely earning a lecture by being bringing food into the lab,” the elf cautioned.
“I think I’ll risk it,” Remus said. Privately, he thought that seeing Severus give a lecture would do his heart some good. The other man had been way too complacent at the hospital, going along with what was happening with very little protest, for him anyway.
Fred shrugged, turning his attention back to Daniel. “You is best going,” Fred said, “you is still needing to be collecting Draco.”
Remus turned and went down the hall to Draco’s room, leaving the elf to fuss over the sleeping boy. Walking down the hall, he found the door was still hanging open, so he went up to it and knocked twice on the frame, peeking into the room. He found Harry and Draco both sitting on the edge of the bed. Harry’s hand was resting on Malfoy’s back and he appeared to be giving him his full attention. Draco, who had obviously just been in the middle of saying something, closed his mouth with a click of his teeth and stood as if he had been burned by the bed.
“Hi Remus,” Harry said, giving Draco a quirked eyebrow but otherwise saying nothing
“Hi Harry,”” Remus smiled back. “Everything going well for the two of you?” he asked, second guessing his judgement at voicing the thought aloud the moment the words had left his mouth.
“As well as you could hope,” Harry said immediately. “Neither of us have gotten very much sleep over the last couple of nights.”
Remus could tell instantly that he wasn’t telling the whole truth but decided not to pursue it. “Neither have I,” he admitted ruefully. He turned his attention to Draco, who by this point had managed to rearrange his facial expression into something more neutral. “Severus said that he could use your help down in the lab.”
Draco’s eyes rolled and he made an exasperated sound. “What the hell is he doing in the lab? I thought the two of you were resting.”
“We were resting,” Remus answered. “He didn’t sleep for very long though, and once he was awake he was determined to get moving as soon as possible.”
“I’d better get down there then, there’s no telling what he’s going to try to do by himself.” He was almost out the door when he paused and turned. “Thanks, Potter,” he said, more awkward than Remus had ever heard him sound before.
Harry just flashed him a smile and shrugged. “No problem, Malfoy. Go help Snape before he drops a cauldron on his foot or something.”
Draco was already down the hallway.
“Everything alright?” Remus asked again.
“Yeah,” Harry answered, “it’s just been a lot, you know?”
“I do.”
“You don’t look like you’ve slept at all, is there anything I can do?”
“Just keep an eye on Teddy and make sure that Fred doesn’t need anything. Thank you for being there for Draco.”
“I can do that,” Harry agreed, standing and straightening his glasses. “And… yeah. He’s actually alright once he quits being such a ponce,” he laughed, not explaining any further. “I’m going to go save Teddy from his lessons then, you go do damage control in the basement.”
“Alright,” Remus chuckled. “Thanks for being here, Harry, it means a lot that you’re helping with all of this.”
Harry walked towards the door. “I’m still suspended from work, there’s nowhere else for me to be. Really Remus, I’m glad to help. You’re the only family I have left – I’d do anything for you. …You don’t think Snape minds me staying here, now that he’s back? We don’t really get on the best and I don’t want to intrude while he’s recovering, or whatever.”
Remus reached out and gave him a brief hug. “That means more than you could know. I don’t think he minds, but I can check for you.”
“Thanks, Remus. You better get moving, those two are probably already bickering.”
“I’m going, see you around supper, I hope.”
“Yep,” Harry said, wandering off in the direction of Teddy’s room.
Remus went down into the kitchen. He found some sandwiches stacked on a plate and covered with a stasis spell. He ate one standing, drinking a tall glass of water to wash it down. He put a second sandwich on a plate and filled another glass of cool water, these he took with him downstairs, already biting his tongue to keep the smile off his face at Severus’ probable reprimand.
Draco was just heading up the stairs, three empty vials in his hand. He eyed the food in Remus’ hands and shook his head on the way past, but otherwise kept his mouth shut.
“Where is Draco going?” he asked Severus. “I thought you wanted his help.”
“He is going to collect samples of blood. I’d like to make certain that all traces of the poison have been eliminated from Daniel’s system. Sometimes, even in a short period of time, toxins can accumulate in the liver and then slowly disperse, causing continuing illness and trauma… good lord, Remus, is that food?” Severus interrupted himself to exclaim.
Remus bit down harder on his tongue and tried to keep a straight face.
“You should never bring food into a potions lab! The risk of contamination is so high… do you have any idea what a trace amount of some of the ingredients I use down here could do to you if you consumed them raw? You must, I sat next you in class, for heaven’s sake.”
“Actually, I ate mine in the kitchen,” Remus grinned, “this is for you.”
“I am not going to eat down here, not one time in all my years have I eaten at a potion’s bench and I’m not about to start now.”
“Well, walk a few steps this way then,” Remus said firmly. He had no idea how he was supposed to win a fight against someone who literally had all the power between the two of them, but he was going to try. “Please Severus, eat something.”
Severus let out a frustrated sound, but made a great show of sterilizing his hands and forearms, moving away from the table and closer to Remus, who held the plate out so he could take a piece of the sandwich. Severus reached out, taking the item and eating it with a bit of a sour expression on his face.
When he was finished that piece, Remus held out the water for him to drink and then the plate with the remaining piece of food on it. Severus took this and ate it as well, chewing methodically, as if it tasted of sand. He drank the remaining water and gave Remus a look that clearly asked, “are you happy now?”
Remus just smiled. “I’ll just take these upstairs,” he said, gesturing to the dishes in his hands.
“Remus,” Severus said, stopping him from setting foot on the stairs.
Lupin turned, giving him his attention.
“I’m going to need Draco’s help processing some samples I took from your son earlier. He doesn’t know why, but he is collecting a sample of his blood as well.”
“Alright,” Remus said slowly, trying to fathom why Severus was telling him all of this.
“That means I am going to have to disclose his status as a non-lycanthrope. I wanted your permission before I did that.”
Remus could have laughed, wanting his permission. What a novel concept. Only it wasn’t, not from Severus. “You can tell him,” he said, “I trust both of you.”
Severus gave a solemn nod, moving to the space where he had locked the samples and paperwork related to Teddy’s cure. There was no time to waste, the faster they got ahead of this, the less chances WIBNA had to interfere in any way. His mind was racing with possibilities, almost to the point of overshadowing the pain he was feeling in his leg and hands. The tremors were going to be a problem, he could tell already. He would have to rely heavily on Draco, thank god that his care and attention to detail were almost as great as his own. His knowledge would get them the rest of the way. There was no way they could fail at this, he wouldn’t allow it.
Remus took the cup and plate upstairs, setting them by the sink and turning to go back to the lab when Draco entered the room, two vials in one hand, one in the other. This time they were full of blood. He opened the door, letting Malfoy go down first. They found Severus tinkering with the equipment still spread out over the one work bench. His brows were drawn and he didn’t look pleased, Remus guessed that his hands still weren’t cooperating as much as he would have liked. Judging how much his leg had seemed to improve after only a short rest, he assumed that the rest of him would heal further as well, if he would give himself time to.
“Good, you’re back,” he said to Malfoy. “I’m going to want to run Daniel's blood through here before we do anything else. I need this flame adjusted so that the fluid in this beaker is boiling at one hundred and twenty degrees. Each of the next flames should have their beakers boiling ten degrees hotter for each successive beaker. This will let us know if further action is needed to detox him from the poison Lanning dosed him with.”
Draco set to action, nimbly lighting and adjusting all of the flames to the proper heights. He left them to heat and returned to the other bench where Severus was leaning. Remus was seated across from him on a tall stool, watching what he was doing intently, leaning forward without his elbows on the counter. Snape had brought out a blanket and was using a set of scissors to cut a square of fabric out that was stained with rusty splotches, hands shaking. Remus bit his tongue for a whole different reason this time, fighting to ask to do it for him, which surely wouldn’t be appreciated.
“Done,” Draco told him. “I’ll give them a minute and then double check all of the fluid levels and temperatures before inserting the sample.”
“Thank you,” Severus said, obviously using the sheer force of his will to hold the blades of the shears steady as he snipped away all of the fabric that surrounded the brown stains.
“What are you doing?” Draco asked.
“I’m collecting the only known sample of Teddy’s blood from before his last transformation,” Severus said, setting down the scissors and examining the small scrap of fabric.
“Alright,” Draco said slowly, finally giving in and asking, “and why are you doing that?”
“I am about to tell you something that is in the greatest of confidences. You will keep it to yourself unless I tell you otherwise, is that clear?”
“Yes, very,” Draco answered, looking at him steadily.
“On the last full moon, the variant of Wolfsbane that I brewed for Teddy cured him of his lycanthropy,” Severus said, not beating around the bush.
Both of Draco’s eyebrows rose and his lips dripped open slightly. “Holy shit.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Severus said wryly, apparently finding the piece of cloth acceptable. He banished the rest of the blanket and the trimmings he’d made getting his perfect piece.
“Do you know what caused it?” Draco asked.
“That is what you and I are going to find out. I have several hypotheses, but nothing conclusive so far. We will start by extracting and examining this sample of Teddy’s blood from before he began consuming the Wolfsbane. Then we will compare that to the sample I collected at the time of transformation and after that compare both of those samples to his blood now. That is a good place to start.”
Draco tapped his finger against the tabletop. “I feel like I’m missing something here,” he mused. His hand stilled. “Teddy was born with this condition. We should run the sample of hi pre-transformative blood against a sample of Remus’, try to see if we can find the differences between them.”
“I was thinking this as well,” Severus nodded, approval gleaming in his eyes. “I did calculation after calculation, there was no reason for the potion I brewed him to have that effect. I was under the suspicion that something about Teddy’s blood reacted uniquely with the potion, and I am going to want to isolate that difference and synthesize it.”
“I’ll start heating up the second set of equipment and then check the levels on Daniel’s sample,” Draco said, walking back over to where the maze of interconnecting beakers and tubes sat in two separate lines along the table. “It is really convenient that you have all of this set up already,” he noted as he started lighting fires on the second set of instruments.
“I had to analyze several samples directly after Teddy’s transformation,” Severus explained. “There were conflicting results when I first compared them, it took me some time to realize what had been accomplished.” Severus was setting out a clear glass dish, circular and flat with a short lip around it. he took up a bottle of clear fluid, noting the way that the liquid vibrated in time to the uncontrollable quaking of his hands.
Remus slid closer, holding out his hands with a hopeful expression.
Severus didn’t argue. He knew that what they were doing was too important for him to care about his wounded pride. He handed the bottle and the dropper to Remus. “It’s pure alcohol,” he explained. “I will need four mils of it exactly, emptied into this dish please.”
Remus did as he was asked, double checking that he wasn’t varying the amounts he dropped into the dish.
Severus watched him silently, but with the eyes of a hawk. When Remus was finished and had set the bottle of alcohol aside, he handed him another. “I need one mil of this, plus three drops, added to the four mills of alcohol already in the dish.”
“What is it?” Remus asked in interest as he took the bottle and a clean dropper.
“Extract of hirudo medicinalis, suspended in spring water that has been simmered with three two-gram segments of hematite for no less than forty-five minutes,” Severus answered, focusing on his words and not the fact that someone else was actually doing this.
“Leeches boiled in rock water,” Draco translated from across the room.
“Thank you, Draco,” Severus said with only a small level of irritation.
“Any time,” Draco answered without looking back. He was running his wand in small circles around every beaker in the row he’d started alight first, having finished setting up the second.
“Where did the sample of blood on the blanket come from?” Remus asked, not being able to contain his curious worry at the thought of his bleeding child.
“The first day I brought you here,” Severus said. “You were still unconscious. When I retrieved you from Mendola’s, you were both cuffed, but only you were collared. The cuffs had been on for too long and too tightly around Teddy’s wrists, when I removed them and covered him in this blanket, the wounds must have rubbed against it, thankfully. I thought to check on my way down here from Daniel's room.”
“This solution will extract it from the material?” Remus clarified.
“It will, and then we will run it through that set of equipment and compare it to his blood now and then the sample that was collected at the time of his transformation. We have quite a puzzle on our hands, with quite a few pieces to be determined yet, but I know that it is solvable.”
“How do you know that?” Remus couldn’t help but ask.
“All puzzles of this nature have a solution. It is whether we can find it in time to help us that is the real concern.”
“Daniel's blood has just started,” Draco said, coming over and finding Remus finishing off the last three drops of the leech water.
“It should take a few hours for that to complete,” Severus said to Draco. To Remus he handed the scrap of fabric and a tweezers. “Place it in the liquid and swish it around with these.”
“’Swish it around?’” Remus asked. “No particular direction or number of times?”
“No,” Severus answered, amused. “Just soak it. It needs to sit in the solution for five minutes. After that we will burn off the mixture and enter the remaining material into the first beaker for analysis.” This was almost working, if he held his shields up tightly enough while he was doing and discussing this, he almost managed to feel normal.
Remus agitated the mixture so that the material was saturated with the liquid. He had a thought that instantly humbled him and turned his eyes to Severus. “Am I actually helping you discover the cure for lycanthropy?” he asked, stilling his hand without realizing it.
Severus met his eyes. “If everything goes correctly, then yes, you are.”
Remus gave a shaky nod and set the dish down on the counter, realizing that he didn’t need to hold onto it any longer. He felt more than honored, he felt blessed – that his hands could even sit idle near the place where this happened went beyond his wildest dreams, never mind that they could act, help to bring it to pass. It was too much to dream, too much to dare to even think about - that this could work and he could be cured. It felt impossible to apply to himself, and so he didn’t try. Though he had complete faith in Severus, he didn’t fully believe that this would work, not for everyone, not for him. It was a miracle it had happened for Teddy, if nothing else came of it he would feel grateful for the rest of his days.
“We should involve Granger soon,” Draco said, going against his previous speech about including Hermione due to her pressure points.
“Out of the question,” Severus said with finality.
“I don’t mean openly,” Draco said as if Snape were a halfwit. “It wouldn’t be unusual for anyone watching for Potter to go there, they’ve been friends very publicly since we were in school together.”
“Go on,” Severus said begrudgingly.
“She was the only one better than me at Arithmancy,” Draco pointed out.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Remus asked. He had no idea what kind of puzzle they were talking about. He had only taken the bare minimum for Potions credits while at Hogwarts, too many silver instruments in the upper years.
“It means that she is good at deducing patterns,” Severus said, “and that will be very useful to us in identifying the anomaly that makes your son’s blood receptive to that variety of Wolfsbane in that particular way. There are a startling number of variables.”
“Do you have a sample of the potion remaining?” Draco asked.
Snape cursed and hung his head. How could he be so stupid? The mere thought of having to complete another batch of the potion filled his bones with leaden exhaustion. He was already fighting weariness, having to steady himself against the tabletop and let Draco and Remus do most of the work. There was no other option, however.
“I’ll brew it,” Draco offered, “assuming you have it written down? If not, best get a quill and head somewhere quiet.”
Severus could have kissed him. He knew that the young man before him had the skill and the perseverance to complete the brew flawlessly. He was one of the few people he would trust with the task, especially with the eradication of lycanthropy hanging in the balance. He couldn’t wait to fling that particular piece of excrement directly into WIBNA’s face.
“I’ll get it for you,” Severus said, unlocking the cabinet he’d put everything in after he’d realized what had been done. He handed them over to Draco. “You’ll need to erect the proper wards so that Remus can still be down here while you brew.”
“I’ll go to the furthest workstation and start now.”
“It would be wise to get some proper rest first,” Severus cautioned.
“I’m young, I’ll cope,” Draco flashed a sassy grin to Snape and began to search through the parchments for the recipe.
“I’ll remember that when you’re whining about how tired you are later,” Severus muttered, lighting the dish on fire so that it burned away the material so only the blood pulled out of it by the liquid solution remained.
“I know that I can brew this potion. Potter can help take care of and distract Teddy, Fred can watch Daniel until he wakes up and you and Remus can go to you room and put your feet up until any of those things starts on fire,” Draco dictated.
“Burn down my lab and it will be the very last thing you do. You’re as bossy as your goddamned father,” Severus sniped without ire.
“It’s in the genetics,” Draco snapped back. “Now go. I’ll let you know when these samples are complete and get the Wolfsbane started. You don’t need to worry, I’ve got it all in hand.”
“I know you do,” Severus murmured, for once forgoing a sarcastic retort. “Thank you, Draco.”
“I’m just glad to have something constructive to do, honestly.”
“There will be much more for you to accomplish. Have the papers arrived?”
Draco’s handsome face twisted. “Yes, I spoke with Potter about their contents earlier. Christ, Severus, you didn’t leave anything to the imagination on this one, did you?”
Severus sneered, the expression more exaggerated on his face with the scars. “No, I did not. Let them all see what they are permitting. If they are willing to print it, I am willing to share it. Nothing is off limits.”
“I… I saw that,” Draco said, his voice faltering for the first time since they were down here.
“Are they upstairs? I’d like to read them,” Severus said stiffly.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Draco asked tentatively. “They’re pretty graphic and it hasn’t been that long. I don’t want you to become distressed.”
“I was born distressed,” Severus snarled, before immediately composing himself. “I endured days of it, Draco, I think I can manage looking at a few photographs of the aftermath.”
“You know best,” Draco conceded with obvious doubt. He went to the far bench and began to collect ingredients. He turned his head around slightly to say, “…Sorry, why are you still here?”
“Little sot,” Severus said fondly, but against all odds, turned towards the stairs without another word.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think about where this is heading and what has gone on so far. Your words mean everything to me!
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The Long Road