firefly_quill (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} firefly_quill) wrote,@ 2006-03-07 22:41:00 |
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Snupin Fantasy Fest entry --PG
It turned out twice as long as my next longest story. I am still in shock.
Let's play "See you if you can find the lines firefly shamelessly stole from Pride and Prejudice"!
Title: Trial and Tribulation
Pairing: RL/SS of course
Rating: PG (sorry)
Word Count: 4296
Warnings: HBP spoilers
Summary: Based on the prompt left by the beautifulxochiquetzl -- Post-war, SS in prison. RL realizes SS innocent during trial; springs him. H/C a plus; mainly want R to go to extremes to help S.
Notes: I am so very obliged tocho_sa and vibishan for beta-ing at break-neck speed and catching all my embarrassing plot holes and grammar errors! Thank you both :)
And so it ended, with the chamber strewn with casualties from both sides. Once he regained consciousness, Remus limped his way to a gathering of aurors, where they encircled the figures of Harry, Voldemort, and Severus Snape lying motionless on the floor. Only one of them was no longer breathing. There were splintered shards of antique china in the clenched fists of the once Potions Master, who had grasped them so hard that his palms had begun to bleed.
---
A week later, Remus found himself regarding the same man, from the stadium benches of Courtroom Ten. He was even paler than Remus remembered. Azkaban was never kind to those it sheltered. Remus silently applauded Severus’ gall. Not once had the Death Eater flinched since being raised into the iron cage, not even when the auror overseeing his captivity had “accidentally” wound a spike too tightly. The only other Death Eater who had shown this much poise had been Bellatrix Lestrange, who had sat quietly, as though in mourning, until her sentence had been passed. At that point she had wailed, “Forgive me, My Lord, for I have failed you!” before promptly thrusting her neck upon the nearest iron spear.
Given the offender’s long and complicated history as a Death Eater, the listing of his crimes seemed like it would take up half the trial itself. To pass the time while the judge droned on, Remus mused upon what life might have been like without Severus Snape. Scores of Hogwarts students would have had a greater appreciation for the subject of potions, for example. The Marauders would have had a different scapegoat back at their time in Hogwarts. Albus would not have died (Remus clenched his teeth at that one). Remus would not still be dizzy from the concussion that Snape had inflicted upon him when pushing him out of the way to give Voldemort a clear shot at Harry. And Harry would not be comatose in St. Mungo’s Intensive Care unit.
The more he thought about it, the more ludicrous the ideas became. Sirius would not have died, as no one would have provoked him to so recklessly leave the Order Headquarters. James and Lily would still be alive, as there would be no Snape to suggest to Voldemort that their child was the one he sought. Harry would have lived a normal childhood, complete with loving parents and a healthy dose of ice cream and sunshine. Voldemort would not have risen again. Hell, Voldemort might not have risen to power to begin with. And finally, perhaps most painfully of all, Remus would not be sitting at the trial of the man he had secretly loved for so long, heart shattered and bleeding.
“The Chair recognizes Mr. Remus J. Lupin, member of the Order of the Phoenix, as the first witness. If you would approach the stand, Mr. Lupin?”
Remus started at hearing his own name. Severus’ eyes shifted slightly to connect with his. As Remus met the gaze with a heated anger, what he thought to have been a hint of hope in Snape’s eyes quickly faded into tired resignation. Remus frowned, confused by the change.
“Mr. Lupin?”
He shook off the confusion and walked to the stand, swearing the oath before he took the seat.
“Mr. Lupin, would you kindly recollect for us the happenings the night of July 31, 1998?”
Remus grimaced. “Certainly.”
---
“Crucio!”
Harry screamed and fell to Snape’s feet. Severus grabbed his hair roughly and spoke softly into the boy’s ear, causing Harry’s face to contort in anger.
Remus ran towards the scene but was frozen in place with a flick of Voldemort’s wrist.
Severus slowly rose to his feet.
“I think, My Lord, that it would be fitting if the boy were allowed to drink to his death from the cup.”
A cruel laugh.
“An excellent idea, Severus.” Remus watched as Voldemort glided smoothly to Snape’s side. The Death Eater kept his eyes lowered in reverence. “Oh, but he has made you suffer,” Voldemort whispered. “If not for him, you would might have had what you wanted, no?” His eyes flickered briefly in Remus’ direction.
“I have no want but to serve you, My Lord,” Severus said silkily.
Another laugh. “And you shall prove it. Let them both drink to my victory. The boy first.”
“As you wish.”
Remus might have screamed, but he cannot recall, as Voldemort hit him with another curse, hurling him meters away.
The rest came in fragments.
Severus pouring the contents of a vial into the flowered china cup, lifting it to Harry’s lips forcibly.
Severus smirking, “Horcruxes are hard to come by, aren’t they?”
The china shattering.
Remus stumbling towards the trio, wand in hand.
Severus shoving the man out of the way, before being hit by a hex and falling down screaming. The next hex hitting Harry instead.
Voldemort lifting his wand a final time.
“Avada Kedavra!”
The two wands locking.
Harry falling, falling, as the light from Voldemort’s wand grew dimmer.
“Avada Kedavra!” The last words that Harry Potter spoke before falling into his deep slumber.
After this, Remus saw no more.
---
“So to summarize, Mr. Lupin, you saw with your own eyes the poisoning of Harry Potter, through use of a potion that he was forced to ingest.”
“Yes.” Remus answered without hesitation.
“And is the man who administered this potion in the court room today?”
“Yes.”
“Will you point to him for us, please?”
Remus raised an arm. “That man. Severus Snape.”
The crowd murmured restlessly at this. Remus made the mistake of meeting Severus’ gaze again, and found it filled with an emotion he had not seen grace those gaunt features in a long time, despite the trials and tribulations that the man had faced. He thought he saw pain. Remus quickly averted his eyes, discomforted without quite knowing why.
“Order!” Scrimgeour boomed. The effect was immediate.
“Thank you Mr. Lupin. You may be seated.” Remus obliged.
“To ensure the fairness of the trial, we will now hear comments from the defendant, if he wishes to present himself to the council.”
Angry jeers came from the audience, and Remus couldn’t help but be caught up in them.
“Traitor!”
“Lock him away!”
“He’s already escaped once, you can’t let him off again!”
“Pity you killed the only one who believed in you, isn’t it?”
Severus’ face remained impassive.
“Silence!” Scrimgeour roared. The clamor quieted.
“Severus Snape, you have the floor, if you should desire it.”
Severus did not turn to look at the Minister. A silence filled the Courtroom.
“Confundus.” He finally said, the world echoing clearly through the chamber despite his rasping voice.
“What?” The Minister said sharply, eyes narrowing as though he would be able to decipher the meaning by closer scrutiny of the man.
“The spell that the Dark Lord used against Remus Lupin. It was confundus.”
Another murmur rose from the crowd.
Severus fixed his gaze upon Lupin at this moment, his face once again awash in melancholy resignation.
“It is why Mr. Lupin cannot completely remember the events of that evening.” He continued. “Allow me to refresh his memory.” There was a trace of the familiar derision in that statement, which made Remus’ heart ache. Severus still had his eyes trained on him, and for some reason, he could not make himself break the gaze.
---
“Crucio!”
Harry screamed and fell to Snape’s feet. Severus grabbed his hair roughly and spoke softly into the boy’s ear.
“I will take care of the cup. The last horcrux, unfortunately, is you.”
Harry’s eyes flickered up to meet Snape’s, widening in surprise.
“I will likely die for this. Do me a favour, Potter, and don’t let it be in vain. Draught of Living Death should weaken your life enough to weaken him. Do make a good show of it.”
Harry’s face contorted in anger, not at Snape, but at what he was forced to do.
Remus ran towards the scene but was frozen in place with a flick of Voldemort’s wrist.
Severus slowly rose to his feet.
“I think, My Lord, that it would be fitting if the boy were allowed to drink to his death from the cup.” Severus drawled.
A cruel laugh.
“An excellent idea, Severus.” Voldemort glided smoothly to Snape’s side. The Death Eater kept his eyes lowered in reverence. “Oh, but he has made you suffer,” Voldemort whispered. “If not for him, you would might have had what you wanted, no?” His eyes flickered briefly in Remus’ direction.
“I have no want but to serve you, My Lord.” Severus said silkily.
Another laugh. “And you shall prove it. Let them both drink to my victory. The boy first.”
“As you wish.”
Remus might have screamed, but he cannot recall, as Voldemort hit him with another curse, hurling him meters away.
Severus poured the contents of a vial into the flowered china cup, lifting it to Harry’s lips forcibly.
Harry, complying with the Potion Master’s instructions for the first time in ages, struggled and screamed fitfully.
Severus smirking, “Horcruxes are hard to come by, aren’t they?” He paused. “Luckily, I can help you with that.” Before Voldemort could react, Severus grasped the yellow teacup in his hand and shattered it.
“Traitorous scum!” Voldemort shrieked. He swiftly raised his arm and Severus screamed, falling to the ground.
Remus had taken this time to recover from the curse and stumbled towards the group, wand in hand.
The Dark Lord abruptly turned his head towards the werewolf and snarled venomously. “Only through my benevolence has your pet been allowed to live.” He spat, turning his attention back towards Severus briefly. “Pity that he will now pay for your insolence.”
Severus stiffened. Ignoring the repercussions of the blinding pain that had so recently shot through him, he stood and ran at Remus, knocking the man over before being hit once again by the Cruciatus. Voldemort aimed the next hex at Harry. Harry screamed.
The Dark Lord slowly strode over to where the boy lay. He had regained his composure.
“You turned him. He hated you, and yet you turned him.” The words were quiet, yet dangerous.
Harry moaned, eyes rolling back in his head.
“You are weakening.” Voldemort was practically purring. “What a pity. Fortunately, horcruxes can be remade. It’s simple, really, Harry. All you need to do,” a smile slowly spread across his serpentine features, “is kill. Avada Kedavra!”
Harry’s eyes suddenly refocused. He rolled out of the way of the curse, only barely, and shakily at that, but he was determined. The potion was slowly taking effect.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes. He lifted his wand a final time.
“Avada Kedavra!”
“Expecto patronum!”
The two wands locked.
Voldemort laughed. “An interesting choice, Harry.”
“No,” was the clenched reply. “A right one.”
Harry was falling, falling, as the light from Voldemort’s wand grew dimmer.
The white stag burst from the light connecting the two wands, a symbol of protection, of love.
Voldemort faltered a bit. Harry slowly fell, whispering one final spell that continued to carry through his patronus even as his own eyes closed.
“Avada Kedavra!” The last words that Harry Potter spoke before falling into his deep slumber.
The patronus glowed even brighter as an immense energy was released from the added spell, knocking all things and all people backwards.
After this, Severus saw no more.
---
Remus’ breathing became more erratic as Severus spoke. The memories that had been impeded by the spell suddenly came rushing back, sparked by the man's words. Severus was innocent. Severus was innocent and he loved him!
In their fervor, someone accidentally kneed Remus in the back, which brought him back to the present. The audience was once again angry.
“Liar!”
“Let the Dementors have him!”
“Harry Potter nearly died!”
“Traitor!”
“No.” Remus whispered.
“Silence!” The crowd reluctantly quieted. Rufus Scrimgeour paused to allow for the last mutterings to die down. “The court finds this story to be highly improbable. The only reputable witness has just given his version of the event, and the court finds it to be the valid one.”
The crowd cheered. Some clapped.
“No.” Remus said again, eyes darting around him. Surely someone else could see the logic in it. Surely someone in the council would stop them.
“It is with utmost repulsion, then, that this court condemns Severus Snape to the Dementor’s Kiss, not only for the murder of Albus Dumbledore, the use of several unforgivable curses, the attempted murder of Harry Potter,” Scrimgeour’s voice rose steadily with every additional crime he listed, “but also for the blatantly fictitious tale that he has attempted to weave in this courtroom!”
“No!” Remus screamed, cutting through the crowd’s applause. He jumped over rows of benches, running towards the judges. He had to make them understand!
Three aurors immediately went to restrain him. “He’s right! I was hexed! I remember! Stop!” He punched one of them. Another might have been the victim of a rogue bout of a binding spell.
“Severus!” Their eyes locked once more. Severus frowned, shaking his head.
Go. Remus made out from the man’s lips.
But he refused. He bound another auror who was attempting to pin him down. The last thing Remus saw was a concerned looking Kingsley Shaklebolt, who raised his wand and muttered, “Stupefy”.
---
When he awoke, Remus found more than one concerned face peering into his own. The entire Weasley clan (or those that survived, at least), seemed to be huddled around his bed, along with Hermione, Kingsley and Tonks.
“Are you alright, dear?” Molly asked nervously.
Remus tried to speak but could only manage a groan.
“Sorry, might have been a bit heavy-handed.” Kingsley said sheepishly.
Remus smiled weakly in forgiveness.
“Well, I don’t know how he did it, but that was quite the show, wasn’t it?” Arthur said brightly, after an awkward silence. This earned him a disapproving glare from his wife.
“It’s not every day that a prisoner casts Imperius from inside the Courtroom, is what I mean.” He added indignantly. “I didn’t know Snape had it in him.”
Remus jolted, but was immediately pulled back by a huge headache as he attempted to sit up.
“Oh, do lie back, dear.” Molly said anxiously.
Remus shook his head. “It wasn’t Imperius.” He said insistently. “What he said was true.”
His visitors exchanged nervous glances.
“I’ll call the nurse. Evidently the spell is still in effect.” Tonks offered.
Remus could have bit his tongue off in frustration.
“No! That won’t be necessary, thank you.” Tonks offered him a quizzical look, one much like when he had admitted to her that she was not his type. “I’m feeling better now.” He explained. This seemed to soothe the tension.
“It must have been horrible, seeing that and then having Snape try to twist it around.” Ron added helpfully.
Remus fought the urge to hex the boy. “Quite. Traumatizing.” He smiled stiffly. “I was wondering though, do you think it could be arranged that I see Severus? Before the Dementors get to him? I have a few choice words that I would like him to enjoy while he is still in possession of his mind.”
Molly exchanged an uneasy look with Arthur. “Well, given the way things are, perhaps it would be best—“
“Everyone I’ve ever cared about, he’s taken away.” Remus interrupted firmly. “I think I deserve a chance let him know this, don’t you? He’s destined for something worse than death. I might as well give him something to muse about while he’s there.”
---
Which is how Remus found himself at the gates of Azkaban a week later, welcomed by a beaming Cormac McLaggen. Remembering the boy as a swaggering Gryffindor 4th year, Remus found himself musing that there was no one better for the task of overseeing the prison than the imposing former keeper. The job was mostly administrative and paid well. McLaggen certainly had enough of an ego to manage the publicity of fronting the most closely guarded facility in all of the wizarding world.
“Professor Lupin! A pleasure. Oh, my mistake, Mr. Lupin. Or might I call you Remus now?” Cormac laughed heartily. Remus smiled winningly in return.
“Of course, Cormac.”
“I cannot tell you how pleased we are to receive such a guest! The only one to see the Dark Lord’s fall with his own two eyes! Well, the only one conscious and not locked up, at least.” Remus’ smile was less than winning this time.
“But come, please. Mr. Weasley mentioned that you might be dropping by. And to be frank, I don’t blame you, Remus. Why, if I had gone through what you put up with, well, Severus Snape likely would not have survived to receive his Dementor’s Kiss, let me tell you.” McLaggen was oblivious to the fact that Remus’ smiles were becoming less and less friendly and more and more murderous.
“Here we go. Now between you and me,” McLaggen drew Remus in conspiratorially with a whisper. “If the man were to gain a few bruises before tomorrow morning, well, let’s just say we don’t check them very carefully before setting the Dementors down on them, alright, old chap?” He nudged Remus painfully with his elbow.
“Thank you, Cormac.” The smile was positively ice. “If you would leave me to it, then?”
“Oh, of course, Remus! I’ll make sure no one disturbs you. Just bring the keys back when you’re done.” The younger man winked, and headed up the spiral staircase.
Remus made sure that the metal door had closed behind McLaggen with a click before approaching the cell. Dementors drifted past him listlessly.
“Severus?” He tried timidly, before peering into the small window.
The man, still clad in black, was slumped against one of the walls, head leaning forward, arms, draped over his knees. He did not answer.
Remus opened the cell door, rushing towards him in panic.
“You shouldn’t have come.” The voice stopped him before he could reach out to touch the man.
“I’m sorry.” Remus began. “It’s all my fault.”
“You couldn’t have known.” There was a tinge of impatience in Severus’ voice. “No use apologizing for what you could not have prevented.” He lifted his head slightly. “I suppose that I should tell you I’ve forgiven you for that time you attempted to maul me to death in 7th year as well, while we’re at it. If it would ease your conscience before I left this world, that is.”
“I’m getting you out of here.” Remus touched Severus’ arm gently, and was shocked to find that it felt thin, almost skeletal.
“No.”
“What?”
“No.” The irritation was definitely there now. Severus looked up. Remus drew back slightly in alarm. The face was pale, with the exception of several blackish bruises that marred the marble skin. It was evident that McLaggen’s prison keepers had not treated Severus kindly. The glittering black eyes seemed dull and almost lifeless.
“I have been hiding for most of my life, Lupin,” Severus explained tiredly, “either from the Headmaster or the Dark Lord. Sometimes both. But now that both are dead, I find myself disinclined to engage in such a lifestyle again.”
Remus drew a breath to argue.
“Perhaps, more accurately,” Severus began again. “I had become too accustomed to it. The way I see it, there is no longer a reason for me to live.”
“There’s me.” Remus answered softly.
Severus laughed a hollow laugh. “I didn’t save you to have you waste your life on me. I absolve you from any life-debt that you might feel obliged to fulfill.”
“There is no obligation,” Remus reached out again, lifting Severus’ face gently with his hands so that the other man was facing him, “only...”
Hesitantly, he drew Severus towards him and brushed his lips with his own. He slowly felt the other man collapse into the kiss, and what began with tentativeness soon intensified with passion.
When Remus finally drew back, a bit of the familiar fire had returned to Severus’ eyes.
“We might never be able to return.”
“I know.”
“You might never see them again.”
“So be it.”
“There’s the matter of the Dementors.”
“I ruined three batches of Draught of Living Death before suggesting to Slughorn that I had trouble sleeping. The man likes overdoing it.”
Remus was rewarded with a faint smile.
---
“Help! Guards! Come quickly!”
McLaggen rushed down the stairs with a small army of Dementors and guards.
“What’s wrong?!”
“I’m too late.” Remus choked out in anguish. “When I found him, he had already…”
“Oh, cock. And I just sold the rights to the story to the Daily Prophet. Hopefully they won’t try to pay me less for this news.”
Remus grimaced.
“You’re right, he’s not breathing. That’s unfortunate. Let’s bring in a medic.”
“You don’t think that I’ve done anything, do you?” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, of course not, Remus!” McLaggen said quickly. “I mean, he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. On second thought, I don’t think an investigation will be necessary. Let’s fire up the furnaces.”
“Wait, furnaces?!” Remus paled.
“Well, we don’t exactly have a lot of room here for graves, Remus old chap. I think we did at one point, but too many visitors decided they had to come by and piss on them,” Cormac furrowed his brow in disgust.
“Right. Of course.” Remus swallowed thickly. It was now or never.
---
When Severus opened his eyes again, he was under several layers of blankets in a room he did not know. Remus, who had been peering at him anxiously, sighed in relief.
“Where—“
“Provence. A family home.” Remus explained. “No one knows of it. It belonged to a muggle aunt.”
Severus nodded, but looked away and said nothing more.
“McLaggen’s nose might need repairing.” Remus commented after awhile. “And several of the guards will likely need to be re-transfigured. I doubt that they will ever eat chicken again.”
The corners of Snape’s lips tugged upwards slightly.
“You’ve been asleep for two days now. I was beginning to worry that the potion had been…”
“I’ve lived through worse.” Severus interrupted. There was another silence.
“Would you like some tea? I’ve tried to heal as many of your wounds as possible, but I’ve found that tea works wonders on my nerves after transform…”
“You are babbling, Lupin.” Severus sounded amused. Remus blushed slightly. “But tea would be welcome.”
Remus nodded and quickly left to put the kettle on. Severus was watching the doorway expectantly when he returned.
“Was it worth it?”
Remus sat down again beside the bed, a little confused. “I beg your pardon?”
“Was it worth it?” Severus repeated, a little bitterly. “You’ve tainted your name with mine. You will not be able to return to your friends, your home. Even if we are cleared, they will never regard you in the same way.”
“I would much rather they never regard me again, actually.”
Severus raised an eyebrow at this.
“I’ve never felt quite right,” Remus leaned forward from his chair. “Of course, they care about me, and we go through the motions, but there’s always been a part of me that hasn’t quite found a place there. To be honest, the only time I’ve ever felt completely at ease is with you.”
“That is the most—“
“You are the only one who sees it, Severus. I am the wolf. Molly and Harry believe that it’s simply a creature completely separate from myself, but from the beginning, you’ve known that it’s a part of me. It’s a darkness that I cannot be rid of and it will always haunt me. And you are familiar with that notion as well, I believe?”
Slowly and carefully a smile was forming on Severus’ lips. Remus thought that it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.
“When I thought that you had betrayed us, it hurt. Not only because it made me despair about my own demons, but also because I thought that I had lost the only person who truly understood me, and who I truly understood. I haven’t felt as though I’ve belonged since I left Hogwarts in 7th year,” Remus smiled wistfully. “Given all that has happened, and all that I’ve lost, I’ve realized that you are all that I care to keep from that.”
Remus reached to brush the wetness from Severus’ cheek. No, not tears: they would never admit to that.
“And you ask me if it is worth it?” he asked softly, drawing his face close.
“Then yes.”
A kiss.
“Yes.”
Another.
“A thousand times, yes.”
---
A month later, Harry inexplicably decided to wake up. Severus’ version of the story was verified. The news graced every wizarding newspaper on the continent. Severus Snape was a hero, and Remus Lupin was a hero for realizing it. They pondered this together over breakfast, as the smell of fresh early September sunshine flooded through the windows.
Severus had fallen into a thoughtful silence.
“You’re thinking.”
A smirk.
“Brilliant deduction, Remus,” Came the drawled reply.
Remus grinned. “What of?”
“They are offering us Orders of Merlin, First Class, if we return, as well as a percentage of the ticket sales to the movie they’re making about us.”
“So they are.”
Severus paused, taking a long sip of his tea. “Does this entice you?”
“Not as much as you do, no.” Remus murmured wickedly. “You already know where I stand on the subject. What think you?”
Severus smirked again. “It would be a pity to leave, now that I’m finally beginning to appreciate the French language.”
“Then it’s settled.” Remus put down his tea and pulled his lover from his chair.
“Yes.” Severus said between kisses. “I believe we are.”
It turned out twice as long as my next longest story. I am still in shock.
Let's play "See you if you can find the lines firefly shamelessly stole from Pride and Prejudice"!
Title: Trial and Tribulation
Pairing: RL/SS of course
Rating: PG (sorry)
Word Count: 4296
Warnings: HBP spoilers
Summary: Based on the prompt left by the beautiful
xochiquetzl -- Post-war, SS in prison. RL realizes SS innocent during trial; springs him. H/C a plus; mainly want R to go to extremes to help S. Notes: I am so very obliged to
cho_sa and vibishan for beta-ing at break-neck speed and catching all my embarrassing plot holes and grammar errors! Thank you both :)And so it ended, with the chamber strewn with casualties from both sides. Once he regained consciousness, Remus limped his way to a gathering of aurors, where they encircled the figures of Harry, Voldemort, and Severus Snape lying motionless on the floor. Only one of them was no longer breathing. There were splintered shards of antique china in the clenched fists of the once Potions Master, who had grasped them so hard that his palms had begun to bleed.
---
A week later, Remus found himself regarding the same man, from the stadium benches of Courtroom Ten. He was even paler than Remus remembered. Azkaban was never kind to those it sheltered. Remus silently applauded Severus’ gall. Not once had the Death Eater flinched since being raised into the iron cage, not even when the auror overseeing his captivity had “accidentally” wound a spike too tightly. The only other Death Eater who had shown this much poise had been Bellatrix Lestrange, who had sat quietly, as though in mourning, until her sentence had been passed. At that point she had wailed, “Forgive me, My Lord, for I have failed you!” before promptly thrusting her neck upon the nearest iron spear.
Given the offender’s long and complicated history as a Death Eater, the listing of his crimes seemed like it would take up half the trial itself. To pass the time while the judge droned on, Remus mused upon what life might have been like without Severus Snape. Scores of Hogwarts students would have had a greater appreciation for the subject of potions, for example. The Marauders would have had a different scapegoat back at their time in Hogwarts. Albus would not have died (Remus clenched his teeth at that one). Remus would not still be dizzy from the concussion that Snape had inflicted upon him when pushing him out of the way to give Voldemort a clear shot at Harry. And Harry would not be comatose in St. Mungo’s Intensive Care unit.
The more he thought about it, the more ludicrous the ideas became. Sirius would not have died, as no one would have provoked him to so recklessly leave the Order Headquarters. James and Lily would still be alive, as there would be no Snape to suggest to Voldemort that their child was the one he sought. Harry would have lived a normal childhood, complete with loving parents and a healthy dose of ice cream and sunshine. Voldemort would not have risen again. Hell, Voldemort might not have risen to power to begin with. And finally, perhaps most painfully of all, Remus would not be sitting at the trial of the man he had secretly loved for so long, heart shattered and bleeding.
“The Chair recognizes Mr. Remus J. Lupin, member of the Order of the Phoenix, as the first witness. If you would approach the stand, Mr. Lupin?”
Remus started at hearing his own name. Severus’ eyes shifted slightly to connect with his. As Remus met the gaze with a heated anger, what he thought to have been a hint of hope in Snape’s eyes quickly faded into tired resignation. Remus frowned, confused by the change.
“Mr. Lupin?”
He shook off the confusion and walked to the stand, swearing the oath before he took the seat.
“Mr. Lupin, would you kindly recollect for us the happenings the night of July 31, 1998?”
Remus grimaced. “Certainly.”
---
“Crucio!”
Harry screamed and fell to Snape’s feet. Severus grabbed his hair roughly and spoke softly into the boy’s ear, causing Harry’s face to contort in anger.
Remus ran towards the scene but was frozen in place with a flick of Voldemort’s wrist.
Severus slowly rose to his feet.
“I think, My Lord, that it would be fitting if the boy were allowed to drink to his death from the cup.”
A cruel laugh.
“An excellent idea, Severus.” Remus watched as Voldemort glided smoothly to Snape’s side. The Death Eater kept his eyes lowered in reverence. “Oh, but he has made you suffer,” Voldemort whispered. “If not for him, you would might have had what you wanted, no?” His eyes flickered briefly in Remus’ direction.
“I have no want but to serve you, My Lord,” Severus said silkily.
Another laugh. “And you shall prove it. Let them both drink to my victory. The boy first.”
“As you wish.”
Remus might have screamed, but he cannot recall, as Voldemort hit him with another curse, hurling him meters away.
The rest came in fragments.
Severus pouring the contents of a vial into the flowered china cup, lifting it to Harry’s lips forcibly.
Severus smirking, “Horcruxes are hard to come by, aren’t they?”
The china shattering.
Remus stumbling towards the trio, wand in hand.
Severus shoving the man out of the way, before being hit by a hex and falling down screaming. The next hex hitting Harry instead.
Voldemort lifting his wand a final time.
“Avada Kedavra!”
The two wands locking.
Harry falling, falling, as the light from Voldemort’s wand grew dimmer.
“Avada Kedavra!” The last words that Harry Potter spoke before falling into his deep slumber.
After this, Remus saw no more.
---
“So to summarize, Mr. Lupin, you saw with your own eyes the poisoning of Harry Potter, through use of a potion that he was forced to ingest.”
“Yes.” Remus answered without hesitation.
“And is the man who administered this potion in the court room today?”
“Yes.”
“Will you point to him for us, please?”
Remus raised an arm. “That man. Severus Snape.”
The crowd murmured restlessly at this. Remus made the mistake of meeting Severus’ gaze again, and found it filled with an emotion he had not seen grace those gaunt features in a long time, despite the trials and tribulations that the man had faced. He thought he saw pain. Remus quickly averted his eyes, discomforted without quite knowing why.
“Order!” Scrimgeour boomed. The effect was immediate.
“Thank you Mr. Lupin. You may be seated.” Remus obliged.
“To ensure the fairness of the trial, we will now hear comments from the defendant, if he wishes to present himself to the council.”
Angry jeers came from the audience, and Remus couldn’t help but be caught up in them.
“Traitor!”
“Lock him away!”
“He’s already escaped once, you can’t let him off again!”
“Pity you killed the only one who believed in you, isn’t it?”
Severus’ face remained impassive.
“Silence!” Scrimgeour roared. The clamor quieted.
“Severus Snape, you have the floor, if you should desire it.”
Severus did not turn to look at the Minister. A silence filled the Courtroom.
“Confundus.” He finally said, the world echoing clearly through the chamber despite his rasping voice.
“What?” The Minister said sharply, eyes narrowing as though he would be able to decipher the meaning by closer scrutiny of the man.
“The spell that the Dark Lord used against Remus Lupin. It was confundus.”
Another murmur rose from the crowd.
Severus fixed his gaze upon Lupin at this moment, his face once again awash in melancholy resignation.
“It is why Mr. Lupin cannot completely remember the events of that evening.” He continued. “Allow me to refresh his memory.” There was a trace of the familiar derision in that statement, which made Remus’ heart ache. Severus still had his eyes trained on him, and for some reason, he could not make himself break the gaze.
---
“Crucio!”
Harry screamed and fell to Snape’s feet. Severus grabbed his hair roughly and spoke softly into the boy’s ear.
“I will take care of the cup. The last horcrux, unfortunately, is you.”
Harry’s eyes flickered up to meet Snape’s, widening in surprise.
“I will likely die for this. Do me a favour, Potter, and don’t let it be in vain. Draught of Living Death should weaken your life enough to weaken him. Do make a good show of it.”
Harry’s face contorted in anger, not at Snape, but at what he was forced to do.
Remus ran towards the scene but was frozen in place with a flick of Voldemort’s wrist.
Severus slowly rose to his feet.
“I think, My Lord, that it would be fitting if the boy were allowed to drink to his death from the cup.” Severus drawled.
A cruel laugh.
“An excellent idea, Severus.” Voldemort glided smoothly to Snape’s side. The Death Eater kept his eyes lowered in reverence. “Oh, but he has made you suffer,” Voldemort whispered. “If not for him, you would might have had what you wanted, no?” His eyes flickered briefly in Remus’ direction.
“I have no want but to serve you, My Lord.” Severus said silkily.
Another laugh. “And you shall prove it. Let them both drink to my victory. The boy first.”
“As you wish.”
Remus might have screamed, but he cannot recall, as Voldemort hit him with another curse, hurling him meters away.
Severus poured the contents of a vial into the flowered china cup, lifting it to Harry’s lips forcibly.
Harry, complying with the Potion Master’s instructions for the first time in ages, struggled and screamed fitfully.
Severus smirking, “Horcruxes are hard to come by, aren’t they?” He paused. “Luckily, I can help you with that.” Before Voldemort could react, Severus grasped the yellow teacup in his hand and shattered it.
“Traitorous scum!” Voldemort shrieked. He swiftly raised his arm and Severus screamed, falling to the ground.
Remus had taken this time to recover from the curse and stumbled towards the group, wand in hand.
The Dark Lord abruptly turned his head towards the werewolf and snarled venomously. “Only through my benevolence has your pet been allowed to live.” He spat, turning his attention back towards Severus briefly. “Pity that he will now pay for your insolence.”
Severus stiffened. Ignoring the repercussions of the blinding pain that had so recently shot through him, he stood and ran at Remus, knocking the man over before being hit once again by the Cruciatus. Voldemort aimed the next hex at Harry. Harry screamed.
The Dark Lord slowly strode over to where the boy lay. He had regained his composure.
“You turned him. He hated you, and yet you turned him.” The words were quiet, yet dangerous.
Harry moaned, eyes rolling back in his head.
“You are weakening.” Voldemort was practically purring. “What a pity. Fortunately, horcruxes can be remade. It’s simple, really, Harry. All you need to do,” a smile slowly spread across his serpentine features, “is kill. Avada Kedavra!”
Harry’s eyes suddenly refocused. He rolled out of the way of the curse, only barely, and shakily at that, but he was determined. The potion was slowly taking effect.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes. He lifted his wand a final time.
“Avada Kedavra!”
“Expecto patronum!”
The two wands locked.
Voldemort laughed. “An interesting choice, Harry.”
“No,” was the clenched reply. “A right one.”
Harry was falling, falling, as the light from Voldemort’s wand grew dimmer.
The white stag burst from the light connecting the two wands, a symbol of protection, of love.
Voldemort faltered a bit. Harry slowly fell, whispering one final spell that continued to carry through his patronus even as his own eyes closed.
“Avada Kedavra!” The last words that Harry Potter spoke before falling into his deep slumber.
The patronus glowed even brighter as an immense energy was released from the added spell, knocking all things and all people backwards.
After this, Severus saw no more.
---
Remus’ breathing became more erratic as Severus spoke. The memories that had been impeded by the spell suddenly came rushing back, sparked by the man's words. Severus was innocent. Severus was innocent and he loved him!
In their fervor, someone accidentally kneed Remus in the back, which brought him back to the present. The audience was once again angry.
“Liar!”
“Let the Dementors have him!”
“Harry Potter nearly died!”
“Traitor!”
“No.” Remus whispered.
“Silence!” The crowd reluctantly quieted. Rufus Scrimgeour paused to allow for the last mutterings to die down. “The court finds this story to be highly improbable. The only reputable witness has just given his version of the event, and the court finds it to be the valid one.”
The crowd cheered. Some clapped.
“No.” Remus said again, eyes darting around him. Surely someone else could see the logic in it. Surely someone in the council would stop them.
“It is with utmost repulsion, then, that this court condemns Severus Snape to the Dementor’s Kiss, not only for the murder of Albus Dumbledore, the use of several unforgivable curses, the attempted murder of Harry Potter,” Scrimgeour’s voice rose steadily with every additional crime he listed, “but also for the blatantly fictitious tale that he has attempted to weave in this courtroom!”
“No!” Remus screamed, cutting through the crowd’s applause. He jumped over rows of benches, running towards the judges. He had to make them understand!
Three aurors immediately went to restrain him. “He’s right! I was hexed! I remember! Stop!” He punched one of them. Another might have been the victim of a rogue bout of a binding spell.
“Severus!” Their eyes locked once more. Severus frowned, shaking his head.
Go. Remus made out from the man’s lips.
But he refused. He bound another auror who was attempting to pin him down. The last thing Remus saw was a concerned looking Kingsley Shaklebolt, who raised his wand and muttered, “Stupefy”.
---
When he awoke, Remus found more than one concerned face peering into his own. The entire Weasley clan (or those that survived, at least), seemed to be huddled around his bed, along with Hermione, Kingsley and Tonks.
“Are you alright, dear?” Molly asked nervously.
Remus tried to speak but could only manage a groan.
“Sorry, might have been a bit heavy-handed.” Kingsley said sheepishly.
Remus smiled weakly in forgiveness.
“Well, I don’t know how he did it, but that was quite the show, wasn’t it?” Arthur said brightly, after an awkward silence. This earned him a disapproving glare from his wife.
“It’s not every day that a prisoner casts Imperius from inside the Courtroom, is what I mean.” He added indignantly. “I didn’t know Snape had it in him.”
Remus jolted, but was immediately pulled back by a huge headache as he attempted to sit up.
“Oh, do lie back, dear.” Molly said anxiously.
Remus shook his head. “It wasn’t Imperius.” He said insistently. “What he said was true.”
His visitors exchanged nervous glances.
“I’ll call the nurse. Evidently the spell is still in effect.” Tonks offered.
Remus could have bit his tongue off in frustration.
“No! That won’t be necessary, thank you.” Tonks offered him a quizzical look, one much like when he had admitted to her that she was not his type. “I’m feeling better now.” He explained. This seemed to soothe the tension.
“It must have been horrible, seeing that and then having Snape try to twist it around.” Ron added helpfully.
Remus fought the urge to hex the boy. “Quite. Traumatizing.” He smiled stiffly. “I was wondering though, do you think it could be arranged that I see Severus? Before the Dementors get to him? I have a few choice words that I would like him to enjoy while he is still in possession of his mind.”
Molly exchanged an uneasy look with Arthur. “Well, given the way things are, perhaps it would be best—“
“Everyone I’ve ever cared about, he’s taken away.” Remus interrupted firmly. “I think I deserve a chance let him know this, don’t you? He’s destined for something worse than death. I might as well give him something to muse about while he’s there.”
---
Which is how Remus found himself at the gates of Azkaban a week later, welcomed by a beaming Cormac McLaggen. Remembering the boy as a swaggering Gryffindor 4th year, Remus found himself musing that there was no one better for the task of overseeing the prison than the imposing former keeper. The job was mostly administrative and paid well. McLaggen certainly had enough of an ego to manage the publicity of fronting the most closely guarded facility in all of the wizarding world.
“Professor Lupin! A pleasure. Oh, my mistake, Mr. Lupin. Or might I call you Remus now?” Cormac laughed heartily. Remus smiled winningly in return.
“Of course, Cormac.”
“I cannot tell you how pleased we are to receive such a guest! The only one to see the Dark Lord’s fall with his own two eyes! Well, the only one conscious and not locked up, at least.” Remus’ smile was less than winning this time.
“But come, please. Mr. Weasley mentioned that you might be dropping by. And to be frank, I don’t blame you, Remus. Why, if I had gone through what you put up with, well, Severus Snape likely would not have survived to receive his Dementor’s Kiss, let me tell you.” McLaggen was oblivious to the fact that Remus’ smiles were becoming less and less friendly and more and more murderous.
“Here we go. Now between you and me,” McLaggen drew Remus in conspiratorially with a whisper. “If the man were to gain a few bruises before tomorrow morning, well, let’s just say we don’t check them very carefully before setting the Dementors down on them, alright, old chap?” He nudged Remus painfully with his elbow.
“Thank you, Cormac.” The smile was positively ice. “If you would leave me to it, then?”
“Oh, of course, Remus! I’ll make sure no one disturbs you. Just bring the keys back when you’re done.” The younger man winked, and headed up the spiral staircase.
Remus made sure that the metal door had closed behind McLaggen with a click before approaching the cell. Dementors drifted past him listlessly.
“Severus?” He tried timidly, before peering into the small window.
The man, still clad in black, was slumped against one of the walls, head leaning forward, arms, draped over his knees. He did not answer.
Remus opened the cell door, rushing towards him in panic.
“You shouldn’t have come.” The voice stopped him before he could reach out to touch the man.
“I’m sorry.” Remus began. “It’s all my fault.”
“You couldn’t have known.” There was a tinge of impatience in Severus’ voice. “No use apologizing for what you could not have prevented.” He lifted his head slightly. “I suppose that I should tell you I’ve forgiven you for that time you attempted to maul me to death in 7th year as well, while we’re at it. If it would ease your conscience before I left this world, that is.”
“I’m getting you out of here.” Remus touched Severus’ arm gently, and was shocked to find that it felt thin, almost skeletal.
“No.”
“What?”
“No.” The irritation was definitely there now. Severus looked up. Remus drew back slightly in alarm. The face was pale, with the exception of several blackish bruises that marred the marble skin. It was evident that McLaggen’s prison keepers had not treated Severus kindly. The glittering black eyes seemed dull and almost lifeless.
“I have been hiding for most of my life, Lupin,” Severus explained tiredly, “either from the Headmaster or the Dark Lord. Sometimes both. But now that both are dead, I find myself disinclined to engage in such a lifestyle again.”
Remus drew a breath to argue.
“Perhaps, more accurately,” Severus began again. “I had become too accustomed to it. The way I see it, there is no longer a reason for me to live.”
“There’s me.” Remus answered softly.
Severus laughed a hollow laugh. “I didn’t save you to have you waste your life on me. I absolve you from any life-debt that you might feel obliged to fulfill.”
“There is no obligation,” Remus reached out again, lifting Severus’ face gently with his hands so that the other man was facing him, “only...”
Hesitantly, he drew Severus towards him and brushed his lips with his own. He slowly felt the other man collapse into the kiss, and what began with tentativeness soon intensified with passion.
When Remus finally drew back, a bit of the familiar fire had returned to Severus’ eyes.
“We might never be able to return.”
“I know.”
“You might never see them again.”
“So be it.”
“There’s the matter of the Dementors.”
“I ruined three batches of Draught of Living Death before suggesting to Slughorn that I had trouble sleeping. The man likes overdoing it.”
Remus was rewarded with a faint smile.
---
“Help! Guards! Come quickly!”
McLaggen rushed down the stairs with a small army of Dementors and guards.
“What’s wrong?!”
“I’m too late.” Remus choked out in anguish. “When I found him, he had already…”
“Oh, cock. And I just sold the rights to the story to the Daily Prophet. Hopefully they won’t try to pay me less for this news.”
Remus grimaced.
“You’re right, he’s not breathing. That’s unfortunate. Let’s bring in a medic.”
“You don’t think that I’ve done anything, do you?” Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, of course not, Remus!” McLaggen said quickly. “I mean, he wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. On second thought, I don’t think an investigation will be necessary. Let’s fire up the furnaces.”
“Wait, furnaces?!” Remus paled.
“Well, we don’t exactly have a lot of room here for graves, Remus old chap. I think we did at one point, but too many visitors decided they had to come by and piss on them,” Cormac furrowed his brow in disgust.
“Right. Of course.” Remus swallowed thickly. It was now or never.
---
When Severus opened his eyes again, he was under several layers of blankets in a room he did not know. Remus, who had been peering at him anxiously, sighed in relief.
“Where—“
“Provence. A family home.” Remus explained. “No one knows of it. It belonged to a muggle aunt.”
Severus nodded, but looked away and said nothing more.
“McLaggen’s nose might need repairing.” Remus commented after awhile. “And several of the guards will likely need to be re-transfigured. I doubt that they will ever eat chicken again.”
The corners of Snape’s lips tugged upwards slightly.
“You’ve been asleep for two days now. I was beginning to worry that the potion had been…”
“I’ve lived through worse.” Severus interrupted. There was another silence.
“Would you like some tea? I’ve tried to heal as many of your wounds as possible, but I’ve found that tea works wonders on my nerves after transform…”
“You are babbling, Lupin.” Severus sounded amused. Remus blushed slightly. “But tea would be welcome.”
Remus nodded and quickly left to put the kettle on. Severus was watching the doorway expectantly when he returned.
“Was it worth it?”
Remus sat down again beside the bed, a little confused. “I beg your pardon?”
“Was it worth it?” Severus repeated, a little bitterly. “You’ve tainted your name with mine. You will not be able to return to your friends, your home. Even if we are cleared, they will never regard you in the same way.”
“I would much rather they never regard me again, actually.”
Severus raised an eyebrow at this.
“I’ve never felt quite right,” Remus leaned forward from his chair. “Of course, they care about me, and we go through the motions, but there’s always been a part of me that hasn’t quite found a place there. To be honest, the only time I’ve ever felt completely at ease is with you.”
“That is the most—“
“You are the only one who sees it, Severus. I am the wolf. Molly and Harry believe that it’s simply a creature completely separate from myself, but from the beginning, you’ve known that it’s a part of me. It’s a darkness that I cannot be rid of and it will always haunt me. And you are familiar with that notion as well, I believe?”
Slowly and carefully a smile was forming on Severus’ lips. Remus thought that it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.
“When I thought that you had betrayed us, it hurt. Not only because it made me despair about my own demons, but also because I thought that I had lost the only person who truly understood me, and who I truly understood. I haven’t felt as though I’ve belonged since I left Hogwarts in 7th year,” Remus smiled wistfully. “Given all that has happened, and all that I’ve lost, I’ve realized that you are all that I care to keep from that.”
Remus reached to brush the wetness from Severus’ cheek. No, not tears: they would never admit to that.
“And you ask me if it is worth it?” he asked softly, drawing his face close.
“Then yes.”
A kiss.
“Yes.”
Another.
“A thousand times, yes.”
---
A month later, Harry inexplicably decided to wake up. Severus’ version of the story was verified. The news graced every wizarding newspaper on the continent. Severus Snape was a hero, and Remus Lupin was a hero for realizing it. They pondered this together over breakfast, as the smell of fresh early September sunshine flooded through the windows.
Severus had fallen into a thoughtful silence.
“You’re thinking.”
A smirk.
“Brilliant deduction, Remus,” Came the drawled reply.
Remus grinned. “What of?”
“They are offering us Orders of Merlin, First Class, if we return, as well as a percentage of the ticket sales to the movie they’re making about us.”
“So they are.”
Severus paused, taking a long sip of his tea. “Does this entice you?”
“Not as much as you do, no.” Remus murmured wickedly. “You already know where I stand on the subject. What think you?”
Severus smirked again. “It would be a pity to leave, now that I’m finally beginning to appreciate the French language.”
“Then it’s settled.” Remus put down his tea and pulled his lover from his chair.
“Yes.” Severus said between kisses. “I believe we are.”