Work Text:
- Opening scene: Severus, a Squib and local Vicar, buries his mum,
- Severus laments losing his last tie to the magical world. He grew apart from Lily—she spent most of her youth at Hogwarts, and he later pushed her away by calling her a heretical witch, which he now deeply regrets.,
- Severus spends the night at his church praying—grieving and repenting his unresolved anger toward his father.,
- It’s a full moon. At dawn, there’s a banging on the door, and Severus finds a very injured Remus begging for help.,
- Severus takes him in. The Sunday School teachers arrives to help—Bonny Pettigrew, another Squib and cousin of Peter Pettigrew.,
- Severus realises Remus is a wizard when he finds his wand. Despite his complex feelings about magic users, he still longs for the world he wasn’t able to join.,
- As Remus heals (using potions left by Severus’ mother), they grow close. Severus quickly falls for him. When Remus says he’s ready to leave, Severus insists he stay.,
- Severus realises Remus knows Lily and her husband James. Severus has never met any of Lily’s school friends.,
- Cue some mild religious guilt about homosexuality and magic, but Severus is so swept up with Remus that he begins to peel away those internalised prejudices. Bonny also encourages the budding romance.,
- Remus helps out—removing Doxies from the attic, working in the garden, etc.,
- One evening, they share a tender conversation about good and evil, identity, what makes a man evil, what God created and what comes from the Devil. They broach the subject of their attraction to each other, both agreeing it feels good and right. They share a gentle first kiss.,
- The next day (the day before the full moon), looking sickly, Remus leaves, promising to return soon.,
- He does not return for over a month. Severus is distraught.,
- Two months in—another full moon: Severus hears snarling and sees werewolves fighting. Dawn is near, and it turns out to be Remus fighting two Dark Wizards.,
- Severus rushes out to help despite the danger. A huge black dog attacks the Dark Wizards, then transforms into a wizard and drives them off.,
- Remus and Sirius argue—they were once close, but Remus has been avoiding the group out of mistrust.,
- While Bonny patches him up, Remus agrees to return under the Order’s protection—but wants to speak to Severus first. Sirius leaves, promising to fetch him by nightfall.,
- Severus feels betrayed and aghast that Remus is a Dark Creature; he’s only ever heard that werewolves are evil, abominations. He yells at Remus.,
- Remus, hurt, explains he stayed away to protect Severus: the Dark Lord’s werewolves believe Severus is hiding him. They tracked him to the church. Remus begs him to leave for his own safety. Remus says he'll spend the day at the church until Sirius comes to fetch him.
- That day was Sunday: Severus carries out his Vicar duties, distracted. After a stilted sermon, he prays—and feels compelled to reconcile with Remus.,
- Remus and Severus talk in the garden where Remus spent most of the day: Remus confesses the depth of his feelings. Severus suggests they run away from everything—the magical world, his duties as a Vicar. But Remus says he can’t ever run from his lycanthropy or his friends.,
- Remus convinces him to come to the Potters’ safe house. Severus agrees, wanting to stay with Remus and see Lily again to apologise.,
- Sirius returns and picks up Remus, grudgingly accepting that Severus can come too.,
- They arrive at Godric’s Hollow and reunite—Remus with James and Lily, Severus with Lily. They meet Baby Harry for the first time.,
- As they settle in for the night, Death Eaters attack—Peter Pettigrew has betrayed the Potters’ and Longbottoms’ locations, suspecting something important is hidden there. Voldemort doesn’t come, not knowing about the prophecy.,
- They fend off the attackers. Severus takes Harry and hides under the cloak, and also raids the potion cabinet and concocts an explosion—he was always fascinated by his mother’s potions and knows quite a bit.,
- They realise Peter has betrayed them all. Lily and Severus reconcile fully, and Dumbledore arrives.,
- Lily and Remus convince Dumbledore to let Severus be relocated with the Potters, vouching that they can keep him useful with documentation and potion stock management.,
- The final scene, time skip to several years later: Severus, Lily, and Harry play outside Shell Cottage with James in his Animagus form—it’s clear Severus and James don’t get along well, but they have learned to live with each other.,
- Remus arrives, and Harry and Severus run to greet him. Remus passes some research to Lily and James about Horcruxes, saying that he and Sirius have already destroyed a ring.,
- Remus and Severus get some time alone in Severus’ room, crowded with scrolls, books, and potions. Remus praises how useful Severus has become to the Order, even without using magic.,
- Severus reveals a surprise he’s been working on for years. From a cauldron in the corner, he decants Wolfsbane—he did the research, the correspondence with the inventor, and grew the non-magical plants; Lily handled the brewing. Remus drinks it.,
- Remus cries with gratitude. The story ends with a tender kiss and sweet-nothings, and promises to keep each other safe through the ongoing war.
The end.