Chapter Text
Time had passed, but the echoes of the Shrieking Shack still haunted Remus Lupin and Severus Snape. The tension between them had never completely disappeared. However, when Professor Sprout paired them for their final Herbology project, the two were forced to spend more time together than they would have liked.
At first, silence was the only thing they shared. Remus, always cautious, tried not to upset Snape, while Severus kept his usual bitterness and distance. But as the months passed, that initial hostility faded. Afternoons in the greenhouses were no longer just forced labor; there were moments when Remus could sense a slight change in Snape, a more relaxed attitude, although never openly admitted.
Severus would never admit it, but Remus' company started to become less undesirable. Somehow, the young werewolf had a patience that Severus had never experienced before. Slowly, a kind of silent camaraderie developed between them, forged during long hours shared in the solitude of the classroom.
What began as an awkward truce turned into a friendship that went beyond words, one only the two of them could understand. Months had passed since Severus had learned Remus' secret, and yet that truth had never been used as a weapon.
Despite the friendship that had formed, Remus couldn't help but notice changes in Severus. Something darker began to surround the Slytherin, a shadow that wasn’t just the burden of his relationship with the Marauders. Severus often disappeared at night, and when he returned, his expression was more somber and his responses more curt.
One night, while walking through the deserted halls, Remus overheard a conversation between two Slytherin students. What he heard chilled his blood: they were talking about Severus, about how, since Lucius Malfoy's graduation, he had been in contact with him and other young people who were joining the ranks of Voldemort's followers. At first, Remus didn't want to believe it. Severus couldn’t fall into the hands of the dark forces so easily… or could he?
For weeks, Remus watched him in silence, waiting for some sign that would confirm or deny his fears. Until one night, unable to bear it any longer, he decided to confront him.
He found him in the hallway, walking alone toward the dungeons.
“Severus, we need to talk,” Remus said, with an urgency he couldn’t hide.
Severus stopped dead and didn’t turn around. “What do you want, Lupin? Another moral sermon?”
Remus swallowed and stepped forward. “I've heard things about you... about what you're planning. They say Lucius is still in contact with you, that you're considering joining Voldemort.”
The mention of Lucius' name finally made Severus turn around, with a look that exuded contained fury. “So what if it's true? Why do you care what I do or don't do? You and your friends never cared about me. Now you pretend to save me?”
Remus felt a lump in his throat. “It's not just that, Severus. These last few months... we've been friends. And I can't just stand by and watch you fall into something I know you're not. You're not like them.”
The words felt heavy, but Severus only laughed bitterly, a cold, empty laugh. “Friends? Do you really believe that? Do you think a few months of tolerance can erase everything you and your Marauders did? All the times you humiliated me and made me feel worthless?”
Remus tried to interrupt him, but Severus raised his voice and his anger finally erupted. “Every time they insulted me for my appearance, my hair, my nose, and you were there, laughing with them! Do you think I forgot? I will never forget, Lupin! And now you come with your cheap compassion, pretending that everything can be different!”
Severus stepped forward, his face full of pain and fury, and his words came out in a broken tone. “You have no right to ask me for anything. All you and your friends did was ruin me. You destroyed me, and now you come to tell me who I am or what I should do. I don't want your compassion!”
Remus froze when he saw tears in Severus' eyes, tears that Severus was desperately trying to hold back. The Slytherin took a step back, breathing heavily, as if struggling to keep control.
“I don't want anything from you, Lupin,” he said bitterly. “I don’t want anything from anyone.”