Better Than You

[spinnersending]

"Better Than You"
Who:  Severus Snape & Remus Lupin
When: 6th Year
Chapter One:  Here


A pass to the Restricted Section was even easier than Severus thought it might be.  Dumbledore gave it to him without even glancing up, saying that he was looking forward to the results.  Severus could only imagine that he meant the Wolfsbane Draught paper he was going to submit, but who knew with the old wizard?  Dumbledore was not a man anyone ever underestimated.

When Remus did not show, Severus noticed and wrote it off.  That brief connection and near friendship had been enough to make him even more bitter about the whole idea of friendship and turned him off on it entirely.  Stupid git.  As if he might have actually found things in common with a creature like that!  Good riddance!

Too bad his breakthrough potion was going to help the mangy sod!  Severus groused as he found the book he was looking for and brought it back to the table.  This was not a potions book at all, but one on the animagi.

Comments

[hurleralalune.livejournal.com]

Like hell was he going to show up. He was in a foul mood the previous day. He hexed Peter for making a werewolf joke and then put up the curtains, not wanting to talk to Pads or Prongs.

He managed to ignore Snape the few times he saw him that day. However he was at the library with a Seventh year Ravenclaw. He was tutoring her on Defense against the Dark Arts.

It was then he saw Snape with an old book. He smirked to himself. He knew which book that was. Remus excused himself from Jenny -- or was it Julie?

"Looking in the wrong book." Idiot. He was merely here to tell him that wasn't the book he needed.

[spinnersending.livejournal.com]

When had be become so easily charmed, he wondered, trying to school his face into something less thrilled. Social outing aside, secret meetings like these were for working purposes, not for watching the wolf chase his fox, and then dart back so that the fox could chase him.

Severus's eyes settled on Remus, catching a bit of that silvery glow from their combined magical efforts. He was pleased to see him, even if he didn't want to be. "Your wolf has better taste in company than you," he said almost cryptically. Dig against Black and Potter? Or against himself?

[spinnersending.livejournal.com]

Too much hand holding for one night. Get a friend and act like a poufter, evidently. Severus pulled his hand back and bent finally to get his wand from where he'd dropped it to try and rescue Remus from that snake.

"You're not much of a monster. I've met worse." It was not entirely cryptic now that Remus knew his worst fear. "Even if you are a Gryffindor." It was more light teasing, something that Severus could not manage to get out of his system. He just tried to channel it into lighter fare, like blaming Remus's monster on his House and not the werewolf.

Though it was probably a good idea to head back, Severus didn't want to. What was waiting for him there? A lot of ignorant idiots playing at things they didn't understand?

This might have been more than enough emotion for one night, though. He nodded his head towards the castle. "C'mon. I can try out transfigurations on your clothing tomorrow."

[spinnersending.livejournal.com]

Severus snorted. "Evidently yer mate don't seem to understand there's more tah life then being a right git." Severus didn't even think about his accent, let alone his speech patterns. A poor boy from the north with a father like Tobias Snape, had grown up with all sorts of colorful language. He just had a mask to wear here. Cold. Indifferent. Uncaring... And as posh as possible.

He emulated Lucius, or at least tried to, in everything but personality. And popularity.

He thumbed through another chapter and then glanced up again. This time, he caught Remus looking at him with that silly grin on his face. Up went his eyebrows.

"'Ow's tonight fer a go then?"

[spinnersending.livejournal.com]

Severus was still working on that part. Respect was not always so easily given because he himself had none. It would change one day, he was still so sure of it.

Having never been a tactile creature, having always shied away from prolonged touching, Severus's hand lingered in Remus's. As much as the werewolf liked to touch him, the glowering boy with the deep, staring eyes felt much the same way without even admitting it to himself.

"I...suppose there's hope for Hogwarts solidarity," he murmured. "There's...at least one Gryffindor that isn't an outright git."

[spinnersending.livejournal.com]

He could have kissed Remus for remembering to bring something to eat, though he'd been doing it already and therefore, figured he was off the hook for any sort of reward or a thank you. Conjuring water was a rather simple spell to produce to go along with the food, though having a picnic on the floor of the Shrieking Shack was not entirely the place he really wanted to eat.

Terrible things happened here. There just was no where else to go.

He smirked, picking at the cheese on the sandwich he was eating, and tilted his head to the side as he regarded Lupin. "I'm going to find someplace other than here," he said, looking very nearly attractive with plump apple red lips and mussed hair. All it took was a little color to his face and a bit of teasing to otherwise limp locks to completely change the way he appeared.

That, and it helped that he wasn't screwing up his face sourly all the time around Remus.