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Remus took a glance from behind an unassuming column, doing his utmost to avoid being seen. The residents of Hogwarts Castle had retired to bed a few hours prior. The hallways are empty and deserted, save for the prefects who had the unfortunate duty of conducting night patrols, Remus included.
He was carrying out his assignment as usual, checking from door to door to see if there were any students still wandering around the corridors after the lights were off, seeing if Mr. Filch had something to grumble about; essentially, the usual boring old routine. But a particular sight of a dark, hooded, thin figure caught his eye as he was making his way inspecting the outer corridors.
And now he was there, stuck outside in the freezing cold of November, spying on Severus Snape, drenched, wet, and shivering as he sneaked past a wandering Fifth-year Ravenclaw prefect.
Remus bit his lower lip, feeling like his breath was caught in his throat as he recalled the prank that had ensued earlier that day. Padfoot and Prongs had the grand idea of charming Snape’s satchel so that it would spray him with a burst of aguamenti at a set time, just so that Snape wouldn’t be able to tell it was the Marauders’ work, they said. Remus was in the minority opposing the idea, but he was unable to stop the two, as per usual.
The cold, damp air was terribly unwelcoming at this time of year. Even with the warmth of his woollen romper, thick school robes, and crimson scarf, Remus could still feel the chilling cold seeping through his clothes. His heart squeezed at the way Snape’s thin, lanky body was clearly trembling beneath the thick shadows, hidden away from the bright glow of the moonlight.
Remus wanted to do the right thing and approach the Slytherin, maybe offer to take him to Madam Pomfrey just to make sure that he hasn’t caught a nasty cold, but he knew Snape would just sneer at him and tell him to sod off back to Gryffindor Tower. Snape always had a sense of impenetrable walls enclosing him, keeping everyone out and off of his sight, and Remus hadn't a clue on precisely how to approach him without the chance of getting himself hexed.
“I've had quite enough of you and your little antics for one day, Lupin.”
Remus felt as though his soul momentarily departed from his body at the low, sardonic voice directed at him. With a shaky step, he emerged from the grey-black stone pillar, the moonlight casting its soft glow upon him. Remus is absolutely doomed. Snape probably thought the Gryffindor was stalking him, trying to hex him and humiliate him further— Merlin, he felt like a proper numpty.
“The wolf has finally dared to bare his fangs, I see? It certainly took you a while to gather that Gryffindor courage of yours.” Snape was scowling, seemingly even more peeved at Remus’ lack of response to his jab. “Well, what are you waiting for, then? Pull your wand out. Get on with it already.”
The Gryffindor flinched, instinctively moving his hand away from his wand holster. He quickly shook his head, trying his hardest to diffuse the situation. “No I- I was just around, you know, doing my nightly patrols when I— err… saw you outside, at this time of day…”
Snape’s thin, wrinkled lips turned into a sneer as he folded his arms over his chest. “So you’ve chosen to deduct house points from Slytherin instead, is that it? How very responsible of you to conduct your prefect duties at long last.”
“NO! Merlin Snape, please just let me explain myself properly.”
Snape’s eyes widened at the sudden rise in volume, but he listened and promptly closed his mouth.
“Thankyou— and sorry for raising my voice at you.” Remus rubbed the back of his head, unable to look Snape directly in the eye. “Are you— Aren't you going to change your clothes? It must have been unbearably cold wearing drenched clothing in this weather.”
“And why, pray tell, would you ask such a thing?” Snape raised one eyebrow; his dark, gloomy eyes feel as though they're piercing through him. “Is it because slimy Snivellus smells putrid? I'm sure that's what your mates thought too when they doused me with water, correct?”
“I— N-no, that idea never crossed my mind.” Remus felt like he was hit by a Stupefying Charm as he met Snape’s direct gaze, but he pushed through the discomfort in his chest. "It's just that... you might catch a nasty cold if you go back like that… I can grant you access to the Prefect’s Bathroom if you’d allow me to help. And I assure you, nobody will bother you while you're bathing."
Surprisingly, he was not hit by any hexes or thrown more insults at the proposition. Snape was looking at him with a weird look on his face, seemingly intrigued by the mention of the exclusive lavatory, usually unable to be accessed except for a select few. The Slytherin quietly nodded his head, and Remus took it as a sign to start guiding him towards the hidden chamber.
The walk through the dark, quiet corridor was heavy with awkward, uncomfortable silence. Remus attempted to make conversation with Snape, asking him how his N.E.W.T. exam preparation was going, how N.E.W.T. Potions class was faring— anything that crossed his mind; yet Remus was either met with deafening silence or short, curt answers that promptly silenced him.
In the absence of any dialogue shared between him and the Slytherin trailing behind him, Remus found himself excessively conscious of Snape’s presence. Should he offer his scarf? But it would be rather insulting to tell a proud Slytherin such as Snape to wear Gryffindor-coloured clothing. Maybe a little heating charm to alleviate his chill a bit? No, no, that would certainly land him a hex or two.
“Alright, Lupin?”
“Oh— Hookum!” Remus breathed in relief, finally someone broke the tense atmosphere that had been shrouding him this entire walk. “Good evening.”
Hookum gave him a brief nod before fixing her eyes on the Slytherin beside him. She raised questioning eyebrows at Remus, silently demanding an explanation as to why exactly there’s a lone Slytherin, drenched from wet to toe, out and about at this hour.
“Ah! Err… I was just about to show him where the Prefect Bathroom is. I'll see him back to the dungeons once he’s finished.” He was somewhat certain he could trust her with this piece of information. The girl has always been a rather kind and amiable individual, surely she would understand his sentiment.
Hookum stood still, glancing back and forth between the two. The Hufflepuff’s umber eyes beneath her silver-rimmed glasses twinkled as she blinked rapidly, fluttering her eyelashes at the pair, a knowing smile spread across her face as she blurted, “well, just make sure to drain out all of the water before you both head out, yeah?”
Remus’ face instantly flushed beet red at the implication. But before he could explain himself to the younger prefect, she swiftly left the premises, leaving him and Snape all alone once more. Merlin help him. Remus could only pray that she wouldn’t turn this into gossip.
“Well, err… Let’s just get a move on, shall we?”
Snape regarded him with a weary look as he replied, "certainly."
They continued their silent trek, each passing silent moment more and more agonising and made Remus’ palms damp with cold sweat. Thankfully, he hadn’t run into any other prefects as he finally arrived at his destination. He whispered the password, and the door clicked open, welcoming him into the brightly-lit, lavish chamber.
“Here we are.” Remus stepped away from the entrance, letting Snape glance around the room. The Slytherin’s dark eyes were darting left and right, up and down, scrutinising each and every corner, surely satiating his curiosity. Remus involuntarily broke into a smile, only for it to be swiftly erased as he was brought back to reality once more. He scampered towards the corner of the room, grabbed a few fluffy white towels, and made his way back to Snape.
The Slytherin flinched as Remus offered him the towels. Although Snape’s clear distrust towards him stung a little, he still offered her a small, friendly smile, attempting to reassure Snape that he meant no harm. Still, Snape reluctantly took the bath towels from his grasp and walked further into the spacious marbled bathroom.
Seemingly preoccupied with his own thoughts, Snape almost tripped on one of the golden faucets. Remus almost burst out laughing, but he managed to cover his amusement with a loud cough. Snape thankfully ignored his poor attempt at a cough as he bent down and pulled at the hem of his robes.
For the second time of the day, Remus felt like his face was burning red as he saw a glimpse of bare thighs slowly unravelled beneath dark robes. He quickly averted his gaze toward white marble instead, but it was futile; he could still see Snape’s bare skin through the blurred reflection of the alabaster polished walls.
“I— I-Uh… Err… I-I’ll just… Just go wait outside so that no one will walk in w-while you, err…I— I- I’ll just leave you to it,” Remus managed to stutter before bolted out of the room, leaving Snape to his own devices as he attempted to catch his breath outside, panting heavily.
Remus placed a warm, scarred palm on top of his chest, feeling the loud, hammering thrums of his heartbeat rapping through his rib cage. Merlin, he had truly outdone himself this time. He had caught a glimpse of how soft and thin Snape looked without his shabby, oversized robes and baggy, worn pants. His hair was covering most of his face, and his thin nape was bared open, but he was… he had looked so soft, so thin and small and— Circe forgive him— almost feminine. If anyone were to catch sight of him in such a state, they would mistake Snape for a witch.
A gut wrenching feeling of guilt overcame him as he remembered the prank that James had orchestrated a couple of months back. Remus had averted his gaze from the cheering crowd as James flipped Snape upside down, but he did get a glimpse of pallid white skin—
His back hit the wall and he slid down on the rough, pointed surface, and he landed on the stony floor with a soft thud. Dear Gordic, he really despised himself for even entertaining such an inappropriate thought. But he really couldn’t help himself, couldn’t he? The wolf had indeed reduced him to an animal.
“I’m not a damsel in distress, Lupin. You can scurry back to your pack now,” Snape grumbled, matching his pace with Lupin as the two descended down to the dungeons.
“It’s my duty as a prefect to ensure the safety of all students.”
Snape scoffed at the reply, mumbling to himself, “took you years to finally grow a backbone and do your damned job.” It truly stings, but Snape was right. Had he stopped James and Sirius, he wouldn’t be stuck in this thorny situation in the first place.
Snape suddenly stopped at his tracks in front of an unassuming wall, surely the way into the Slytherin Dormitory must be nearby.
“Thankyou,” Snape’s typically gruff, hostile tone was unexpectedly replaced with an abnormal softness, as if he himself didn't intend to open his mouth to speak out loud. Rather than pointing it out to mock the Slytherin, Remus threw him a lopsided smile.
“You’re welcome, Severus. I apologise that it took me so long to finally do my due diligence as a prefect.”
Snape's eyes widened in surprise, and Remus braced himself for the raven’s nasty tongue to spit venomous words at him. But Snape surprised him for the second time in a row; he simply gave Remus a peculiar look before turning around and walking further into the gloomy, cold dungeon, leaving him all alone in the midst of darkness.
Remus’ heart felt… oddly warm. He placed his hand on top of his heart and felt the loud, steady thumping. He can feel the warmth spreading across his face as well. Remus Lupin had just enjoyed a decent, cordial time with Severus Snape. And he’d taken a glance of Snape robeless, perhaps without the Slytherin’s knowledge at all. How many people had the chance to do such a thing?
“Moony?”
“PETER!! Merlin, you scared me!” Remus’ heart was thundering loudly in his chest. He glanced around, finally taking notice of his surroundings. It seemed like his feet had a mind of their own as he was far too preoccupied with his thoughts, because he had no idea how he ended up outside again.
Peter raised an eyebrow at his reaction. “Are you finished with your patrol? Padfoot and Prongs are already waiting long enough.“
Right. The Three Broomsticks. He was supposed to sneak out of his patrol early so he could celebrate Gryffindor winning the match against Ravenclaw. Prongs would be upset if he were to skip the festivity.
“You alright, mate? If you're feeling unwell, it’s best for you to go to Madam Pomfrey. I can go back and tell them that you won't be joining us tonight.”
“No, no, I’m quite alright, Wormtail. Let’s just hurry along before Filch catches us.”
At the mention of their school’s caretaker, Wormtail shuddered. The two thankfully made their getaway without rousing any suspicion, and before he knew it, Remus was surrounded by reds and golds and cheers and shouts as he entered the inn. James and Sirius were seated in the corner booth, butterbeer in their hands, wearing big, dopey grins on their faces.
Remus swallowed nervously as he joined his group of close friends, the thrumming of music still completely deafened by his own heartbeat.
“Guess who I caught Moony with?” Peter grinned as he took a seat near Sirius, grabbing the half-empty mug on the table.
Sirius promptly perked up, sitting upright and gave him an incredulous look. “My, oh my, Moony. Finally you’ve shed your dull persona and caught up with us, eh? Which bird was it? A Fifth year? Or a Seventh year, perhaps?”
“Wh— N-No— I—”
Peter interrupted him with a hearty laugh. “Actually, Padfoot, it was someone we know very well.” He turned his head around and gave Remus a knowing look. Remus felt blood drain from his face at the dawning realisation.
Peter knew. He knew.
“Don’t tell me… is it—”
“I can assure you it was not her, Prongs.”
James’ shoulders slackened, seemingly satisfied with his swift answer. “Alright then, who was it?”
Remus knitted his brows, staring daggers at Peter. The portly boy stared back at him, a thin, mischievous smile on his lips.
“Daisy Hookum.”
“The four-eyes? Merlin, you could do better than that, Moony,” James said with a laugh.
Sirius grinned. “Boring prefect duties got both of you winded up, a classic tale.”
“Enough about me and her. Let’s just celebrate properly now, shall we?” Remus exclaimed as he grabbed a pint of butterbeer and downed the contents in big, long gulps. The small crowd cheered; James slapped his back and Sirius ruffled his hair as they offered their congratulations.
Remus could only smile anxiously as he met Peter’s sharp gaze.