Severus licked his lips in response, trying to come up with something decent to say without managing to have anything come to mind. When he looked up again, Remus was still peering at him. He was so intense that Severus had to take a step back, but found he couldn't. His shoes sunk into the mud. That's what he told himself. The suction was keeping him there.

"I'm trying." His voice was thicker than usual, perhaps because he looked ready to bolt, his eyebrows scrunching up on his forehead. The words were telling. He was not going to attempt to try, he was actually doing it. He had been for that week already. The hate was gone. Old habits were hard to break.

Severus did not lay the blame on anyone. He was as much at fault as Remus was in most cases, if only because he did not think his actions through.

He sucked in a deep breath and then looked down again, turning his head slightly to the side as he contemplated his words and actions. His effortlessly long, pale neck caught the moonlight and he gingerly pressed his fingertips to Lupin's chest.

"I'm sorry."