innerslytherin (innerslytherin) wrote in viciousmoon, @ 2007-02-16 13:11:00 |
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Current mood: | sore |
Entry tags: | alastor moody, albus dumbledore, poppy pomfrey, remus lupin, severus snape |
Battle in Diurn Alley
Remus swore and ducked another curse. This was not going well, and half of the Order was here. If three Aurors, two Animagi, a hit wizard, and a werewolf couldn't handle a handful of Death Eaters, who bloody could? Protego! Tarantallegra! he cast nonverbally, as another jinx hissed past his ear.
He'd located Malfoy by scent, though he was still desperately trying to find his lover among the enemy. If Severus were even with this raiding party. He'd heard a woman's voice shouting hexes, but he couldn't tell if it was Bellatrix or someone else, and Sirius was at the opposite end of the alley to him. Moody was roaring jinxes and hexes, but so far, at least, Remus hadn't heard any Unforgivables from the Order. He didn't expect that to continue; Sirius, he suspected, liked being able to use them against the people he'd hated all his life. So many of them were his family members.
"Pay attention, Lupin!" someone shouted, and he ducked as a curse sizzled evilly past him. He didn't duck quite fast enough, and the force of it flung him forward, grunting. He caught himself on his hands and knees, then stayed down and rolled behind a vendor's cart. He couldn't believe the Death Eaters had grown bold enough to attack Diurn Alley. True, it was barely a stub off from Diagon Alley, but it was close enough to the Ministry for backup from the Aurors to arrive soon. Provided, at least, that Frank and James had got the messages carried by the Patronuses.
Severus didn't know how in the hell the Death Eaters were managing to hold their own over this many Order members, even with the injuries their side had sustained. He himself had been hit directly in the chest with a curse that had caused some sort of wound--all he could feel was burning pain in the area that had been struck, so he wasn't certain what it had done, besides hurt--and then been surprised when Lucius of all people had cast a shield spell on him when he first fell, which deflected three more curses before one of the Order members had realized what it was that kept rebounding their own spells.
Now he was in a great deal of pain and unable to do much more than block and defend, having given up on offensive spells when he realized that his concentration had been so impaired that he wouldn't have been able to hit the broad side of a dragon.
Though he could recognize all of the Death Eaters present with their masks on, he was having trouble telling what anyone was doing. It all felt like a mad sort of chaos, one he would have liked to Occlude against because it made him want to panic, though he had a feeling that panicking would take too much effort now--because Occluding certainly was.
He heard several distinct cracks and dropped behind a fallen Death Eater who wasn't moving, but realized the noises weren't from curses. The cavalry had arrived.
Remus felt a wave of relief rush through him when he heard the Aurors begin arriving. He threw another Tickling Jinx at a Death Eater, then flinched when he heard Sirius shouting, "Crucio! Crucio!" And more than one of the new arrivals was also throwing the Cruciatus around like it was harmless. Didn't the Ministry even think about how dangerous it was to teach their Auror trainees to mindlessly hate everyone in a Death Eater mask? He saw a Death Eater fallen on the cobblestones and started working his way closer, thinking to protect Severus if it was him. Then he saw another Death Eater moving behind the fallen one.
He ducked into a doorway and cast another shield over himself, then watched as Peter took a direct hit to the temple and toppled over. Shite. Poppy was going to have a full infirmary. He hoped, if Severus were injured, that she would be careful about protecting his identity.
Severus was beginning to think that the fallen Death Eater was a good shield--they were out of the thick of the battle, and no one was paying any notice to anything not moving.
Well, until one of the Aurors spotted him. They were quite a bit more paranoid about any bodies, even unmoving ones. "Over there," the woman shouted, and fired off a curse. Severus blocked and darted out from behind his cover, and then had to rush forward straight into the thick of the fighting to dodge another curse that struck someone behind him instead.
Now things were looking grim for the Death Eaters. With the Aurors, there were simply too many of them. Someone would fire off a curse and then immediately get hexed, or someone else's shield spell would be dismantled and immediately followed by a curse from another. Bugger, he thought, wrenching his arm out of a hand that gripped it in surprise from behind. These twats know how to fight. He spun around, wand raised, but it was just Lucius. Some of his flaxen blonde hair had come loose from its ribbon and was clinging to the side of his mask.
Severus caught sight of a red light just over Lucius' shoulder and cast a blocking charm that very likely saved the git's neck. Lucius saluted him with his wand and turned around to dart away just in time for agonizing pain to strike Severus in the back. He cried out without meaning to, though his voice was lost in the cacophony of battle sounds, and he dropped to the cobbles, thrashing from the strength of it. He lost track of the battle completely, then.
When it finally--finally!--ended, Severus darted back to his feet in a surge of pure adrenaline, striking out at the nearest maskless face--a bloke he didn't recognize. The man toppled over from his curse, and Severus looked up hopefully--
Just in time to see the Death Eaters were retreating. Cracks echoed everywhere, and Severus saw Lucius turn. He was sure he was spotted, but as Lucius Disapparated, he realized the git must've completely missed his being Crucioed. Fabulous. Something unseen bowled him over from behind and Severus dropped again, the paralysing agony washing over him as the short-lived adrenaline rush depleted.
Remus had hoped the Death Eaters would just retreat when the Aurors arrived, but he should have known better. He tried to keep his gaze on Malfoy, wondering if the man would protect Severus or sacrifice him. He lost Malfoy, though, when one of the Death Eaters got a Trip Jinx off at him and he stumbled out into the alley. He managed to shield himself from any further hits, but by the time he'd reached new cover and got his bearings again, he couldn't discern which of the Death Eaters might be Malfoy. Several of them Disapparated just as he looked, and then he saw someone go down under a bolt of purple energy.
No! Remus thought, because at the same time he'd got close enough for the wind to send the Death Eaters scent towards him. Severus, no! He cast a nonverbal Finite and whirled, praying Lily or Dumbledore would be here. All he saw were Aurors and angry Order members, their expressions all equally ugly.
Then his eye was caught by a flash of a tall maroon hat, and he knew Dumbledore had arrived. "Thank you," he breathed, and looked for Sirius. There--kneeling over Peter. And Moody was bearing down on Severus.
Fuck!
Remus darted out and put himself between Moody and Severus, trying to push down a growl that was rising in his chest. Fortunately the movement caught Dumbledore's eye, and in a matter of seconds the headmaster was coming to Remus' side.
"Lupin again!" Moody growled, glaring at him. "What are you doing protecting a Death Eater?"
Remus darted a pleading look at Dumbledore. God, his wolfish part was fighting to launch himself at Moody, to protect his mate, and his hands were shaking with holding himself back. Fortunately the headmaster understood.
"Alastor, I must ask you not to arrest this Death Eater," he said quietly.
Suddenly all was quiet. Or rather, it wasn't; it was more as though Severus was in a wind tunnel. Instead of battle noises, all he could hear was his pulse thundering through his ears and the little noises of pain his body was automatically producing with every inhale and exhale of thready, uneven breath. He heard Dumbledore's voice, anxiety rising instead of abating, watching the showdown before him and wishing he weren't so certain he'd splinch himself if he tried to Apparate now. Severus let out a cough, choking on a sudden excess of fluid, and leaned over though it hurt to spit out a mouthful of blood into the street. Bugger.
"What?" Moody roared, staring at Dumbledore. "You can't be serious, Albus!"
Remus tensed to keep from dropping down to gather his lover into his arms and Disapparate; that would give away everything. He had to control himself, had to bloody focus on keeping his reason in charge, and not his instinct.
"But I am entirely serious, Alastor." Dumbledore's voice and expression were calm. Remus found this maddening; he wanted Dumbledore to care as much as Remus did! But he told himself someone had to be rational here. It certainly wouldn't be Remus or Moody, he thought. "This Death Eater is in my service as well as the Dark Lord's, and I cannot allow you to interfere."
Moody got very red in the face. "Do you know what you're asking me to do?" he snarled, though fortunately his voice was lower than it had been. "You're asking me to withhold evidence!"
Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I know exactly the magnitude of the favour I am asking, Alastor. But be assured that if you do not do me this favour, I will have to resort to preventing you." He glanced down at Remus. "I think it's safe to say I wouldn't be alone in that."
Moody's eyes narrowed. "What the bloody hell has Lupin got to do with all this?" Then his eyes widened again. "Bleeding buggery, is that--"
"Shut up!" Remus hissed. Fuck, he was the one responsible for Moody's guessing. But if he hadn't acted, would Dumbledore have realised it was Severus?
Moody blinked. "You've got a strange way of deciding who to trust, Albus," he growled. "And I could get in trouble for this."
"I know, Alastor." Dumbledore's gaze was steady.
Severus tried to give them all what for, to remind Dumbledore that he had to get healed enough to present himself to the Dark Lord soon before anyone got to wonder why he hadn't come right back. And then after that he wanted a very comfortable bed in Pomfrey's care, and he wanted all of the excruciating pain he was in to go away.
All that came out, however, was a strangled gurgle, and he got a wave of nausea for his trouble.
Remus glanced down at Severus, trying to keep his concern from showing.
"We need to get him away from the others, Alastor," Dumbledore was saying urgently. "And we need to do it without being noticed."
"I can't believe I'm about to do this," Moody grumbled. "Right!" he barked. "Lupin! I'm deputising you to take custody of this slimeball. Get him to St Mungo's for me so we can hopefully keep him from dying on us. I've got others I need to worry about."
Remus' eyes widened, then he blinked as Moody flicked his wand at his chest. He flinched, expecting a curse, but instead a small badge had appeared on his chest. "That way everyone at St Mungo's will know you're working for me," Moody explained, his voice loud enough that anyone could hear it.
Remus saw Sirius' head pop up from where he was still trying to bring Peter around. A strange expression flashed across his face, then he grinned. "Good on you, Remus, got yourself hired by the Ministry."
"It's temporary," Moody barked. "Now get out of here." He lowered his voice. "And don't be stupid enough to do what I just said. Get him to Hogwarts or wherever's safe for him, and then I'll be expecting a full explanation from both of you." He looked hard at Dumbledore.
The headmaster was suddenly twinkling at Moody again. "Thank you, Alastor," he murmured. "Sirius, my boy, is Peter hurt? Let me help you." He glanced quickly back at Remus and nodded slightly, and then Remus was free to kneel over Severus.
"Fuck," Remus breathed. "I'm going to levitate you. Sorry about this." He raised his voice. "Death Eater scum," he snarled, and levitated Severus with an angry slash of his arm, though the levitation itself was smooth. He grabbed Severus' wrist just tightly enough for a Side-along Apparition and then with a crack they were in the basement of Honeydukes.
The instant they arrived his levitation spell broke, but he caught Severus in his arms as gently as he could. "My poor Severus," he breathed, leaning down to nuzzle him very gently. "Is there anything I can do for you before I take you to Poppy?"
Severus felt his stomach lurch and leave the rest of his body very far behind when they arrived in...wherever they were. ""M gonna chuck," he managed, then shoved his mask up his forehead and lurched in Remus' arms to be sick on the floor. He vaguely noted that it was red and gooey and foul, and hoped he had a stomach left.
"God!" Remus exclaimed, horrified. He sent a half-hearted Scourgify at the floor, then carried Severus into the tunnel. He'd got halfway down the tunnel, holding Severus close to his chest, before he remembered he could levitate him again. Embarrassed that he'd probably caused Severus more pain than necessary, he quickly cast another levitation spell and released him.
Severus groaned in pain, but luckily wasn't sick again. "Got to get to the Dark Lord," he managed brokenly, yanking his mask the rest of the way off. "Can't stay too long." After a few tries, he managed to shrink the mask and shove it into a pocket.
"No?" Remus asked, frowning, though he didn't argue. "Don't worry, I'll get you to Poppy as quickly as I can." He clambered up the slide and made certain the passage was empty, then levitated Severus up after him. As soon as they were in the castle proper, he cast a Disillusionment on Severus and himself, and then they were on their way up to the infirmary. If he kept having to sneak into the castle, he was going to have to try to get into Filch's office and try to steal the Marauder's Map back from him.
"Then I can come back," Severus said, knowing Remus would be worried. He coughed again, then added, "Thanks."
"Good," Remus breathed, glancing down at him. He could see Severus if he concentrated. He wanted to touch him, but he didn't know what had hit him, and he wasn't about to make it any worse than he already had. A moment later he burst into the hospital wing, glancing around to make sure there were no students before he lifted the spells and settled Severus on a bed.
Poppy hurried out from her office, frowning. "Remus Lupin, I am seeing too much of you these days," she chided. "And Severus, too. Dear Merlin, what happened?"
Remus sighed. "Battle in Diurn Alley. The Aurors won it for us. Dumbledore and Moody sent us here."
Severus was suddenly hit with another wet coughing fit, spitting blood onto Pomfrey's floor. "Didn't mean to do that," he croaked.
"Good heavens, Severus!" She instantly began running her wand over him, working her way up his chest. "Dear Merlin. Do you have any idea what hit you? No, don't speak, never mind. You'll be here for a while, though Severus. This isn't going to be simple to treat."
"Poppy--" Remus began.
Severus shook his head furiously, then wobbled when that made him dizzy. "Got to do something before you...heal the rest. Just do enough so I stop coughing. Got to go, Dumbledore's orders." It was only partly true, but he didn't want to have to explain the whole situation, and didn't know if he should.
"What?" Poppy cried, horrified. "Send you back out unhealed? Dumbledore will hear from me!" She was working quickly as she spoke, Summoning pain and healing potions. "It's completely irresponsible!" She handed Severus a pain potion. "Drink this."
"He was sick right after we Apparated, too," Remus said. "If there were any other choice..." He shook his head and sank into the chair by Severus' bed. He wanted to curl around Severus protectively and lick him, as if that would do any bloody good at all. Merlin, he was used to feeling this way before the full, but it was nearly three days after the full, and he ought to be pushing his instincts down better now.
"Nausea, hmm?" Poppy said, and handed Severus another vial. "This one, too, then."
Severus downed one and then the other, frowning and holding out his hand. "No time! Another for pain, got to go!"
Poppy frowned. "Severus Snape, you are impossible!" But she handed him two bottles of pain potion. "And one for strength. Only temporary, mind."
Remus swallowed. "Be careful, Severus," he murmured, his voice rough.
Severus downed those, too, and his mind cleared considerably. He stood experimentally and didn't fall, but knew he had to be back as quickly as possible because he'd still be aggravating his injuries, even if he couldn't feel them. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said, and hurried from the infirmary to find a place to Floo out from.
He used another empty classroom on that floor, landing himself back in Knockturn Alley, and then Apparated into the meeting house the Death Eaters were using. He prepared a story about a final flight from an Auror and a duel before he could safely Apparate, and headed for the sound of voices--the debriefing had already begun, and he could hear angry accusations against the background of a calm, deceptively charming voice.
* *
It was several hours later when Severus arrived back in the Infirmary, and the pain potions were wearing off. Severus could tell because he was beginning to want to die again. He supposed that it was a given that he'd only exacerbated his injuries, but at least no one found anything suspicious with his story, as far as he knew.
Severus walked right past Dumbledore and Pomfrey and collapsed onto the bed he'd occupied earlier, shifting onto his back because that hurt less.
Poppy had chivvied Remus into a bed of his own, forcing healing and pain potions down his throat and then telling him to rest while they waited for Severus. Of course he hadn't rested. He'd fretted to himself until Dumbledore arrived, and then he'd fretted at Dumbledore and apologised for his awkward handling of the situation. Dumbledore had assured him it was quite all right, but Remus could sense the headmaster's keen curiosity, wondering perhaps why Remus had developed such a strong protective streak. Remus' hadn't chosen to enlighten him.
He jumped out of bed when Severus appeared, and as soon as Severus collapsed onto the bed, Remus was at his side.
Poppy hurried over. "You've done yourself more of a mischief, I don't doubt," she said with a sniff. "How's the pain, Severus?" She ran her wand over him again, inspecting the visible injuries.
"Getting worse," Severus admitted, reaching out to grab Remus' hand for a squeeze just to reassure himself that Remus was there.
Remus held Severus' hand as tightly as he dared, unwilling to let go. He wanted to call Severus names for hurrying back to Voldemort, but he knew he'd had no choice.
Poppy clucked and held a pain potion to Severus' lips. "Drink," she ordered, and tipped it up, giving him no choice. As soon as he'd obeyed, she set the bottle aside and, without so much as a by-your-leave, began unfastening the front of Severus' robes. "I suppose you realise there's blood soaked through the front of your robe," she said tartly, sparing a sharp glare for Dumbledore. "Sending young men back out on errands when they're injured, I don't know what you were thinking."
"It was important," Severus countered, peering down at his robes.
Remus bit his lower lip hard and watched Poppy undress Severus, fighting down a growl when he saw just how bloody Severus was.
Poppy exclaimed in horror, but she quickly went to work cleaning away the blood so she could diagnose him.
"Mr Snape, did all go well?" Dumbledore asked. "No one suspected you?"
"Everything's fine," Severus agreed. "I made up a viable reason for my being late and answered his questions satisfactorily."
Dumbledore nodded. "I am very sorry you had to leave so quickly. Is there anything I can do to help you?"
"Not pestering him while I'm healing him would be a good start," Poppy pointed out. She swiped at the last of the blood on Severus' chest and ran her wand over his chest again. "Wait here, dear," she said, and bustled over to her potions cabinet. She came back and poured a strong-smelling antiseptic potion over the wound, let it dry, and then used a healing potion.
"Ah, fuck," Severus gasped when the antiseptic potion hit the wound, then hissed in relief when the healing potion did its job.
Poppy made a shocked noise, though her eyes were amused. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" she remarked, leaning down to inspect the results of her work. She frowned. "What on Earth..." Her fingers touched his neck where it joined the shoulder. "This isn't fresh, is it?"
Remus looked at where she was touching and felt a cold chill run through him. Fuck.
Severus jerked under her hand when he realized what she'd noticed, flushing suddenly. "Ah...no," he said carefully.
She narrowed her eyes. "Severus, did something bite you?"
Dumbledore perked up at those words, leaning forward. "What's that? Bite?"
Remus drew in a long breath, trying to fight down the panic. Well, they'd been telling Dumbledore they wouldn't split up, so maybe now the headmaster would believe them. Why did Poppy have to see that?
"Er..." Severus caught Remus' gaze uncertainly. He would tell them, but only if Remus was all right with it.
Remus looked back at him in confusion, trying to figure out what Severus wanted. There wasn't any way to deny it, really--since Poppy and Dumbledore both knew his secret, they'd all too easily figure out he had been the one. "I bit him," he said, lifting his chin defiantly. "I claimed him as my mate."
Poppy's eyes widened, though she didn't speak.
Dumbledore sat back slowly. "Ah." After a moment he said, "That would explain why you bolted in between Severus and Alastor today, then, in full view of a dozen Aurors and Order members."
Remus flushed at the memory of his loss of control, but he didn't reply.
Something about Remus saying that out loud, in front of Dumbledore, made Severus want to grin like an idiot. Fortunately he was injured enough to make grinning unlikely. He wished he could touch more of Remus, suddenly possessed of the urge to hold him.
"Well," Poppy said after a moment. "I suppose I should congratulate you, then." Her voice seemed to waver between amusement and surprise.
"Thank you," Remus said curtly, tightening his hand slightly on Severus'.
Dumbledore gave a small laugh. "Well, I can see I've been foolish. Congratulations, indeed. I do hope you realise the gravity of such an action."
"It certainly isn't one I intend to ever need to do again," Remus said. "It's probably bollocks that werewolves mate for life, but I intend to." His voice was stiff.
Poppy looked down at Severus. "Well, you obviously don't need that treated, then. Where else does it hurt?"
Severus pulled Remus' arm closer so he could rest it on his chest above the wound, feeling incredibly possessive. "My lungs hurt, my...entire body hurts, actually."
Remus felt better when Severus pulled him close. He relaxed against Severus but tried to keep his weight off his lover. "He'll be all right, won't he, Poppy?" he asked anxiously. Then he looked down at Severus without waiting for an answer. "You'll be all right."
Poppy's gaze was warm, even though she was concerned. "Of course he'll be all right, though it didn't do him any good to walk around untreated." She inspected the rest of Severus' chest and arms, dabbing healing ointments on any scratches she found. "Shift over so I can look at your back, dear," she said.
Dumbledore stood. "I imagine Alastor is very nearly ready to explode with impatience," he said mildly. "Severus, now that I know you have returned safely, I must go deal with Alastor. I'll be back to speak with you when you're feeling better." He rested a hand lightly on Severus' head for a moment, then went out of the hospital wing.
Poppy huffed. "He makes it so difficult to treat anyone," she said. "But he was quite worried for you, Severus. I wasn't kind to him about sending you back out, and I think he felt quite badly for it."
Remus didn't want to agree with her assessment, but it was undeniable. Dumbledore had been very worried.
"I'm sure he'll sleep just fine tonight," Severus muttered as he tried to shift as gently as possible, but pain flared even through the healing potion as he rolled onto his stomach. "Ow, fuck," he hissed, and shifted back onto his side. That would have to be good enough.
He was surprised at how bitter he sounded. It was ridiculous to think that Dumbledore had truly been concerned. He decided that Pomfrey just didn't understand the nature of their arrangement, and was rationalizing it to herself. It was expected of Severus to do this. It wasn't even a unique situation, though he didn't think he'd ever been injured this badly.
But it did raise questions. Why wasn't Dumbledore angry that he'd had to ask Moody to help him? What had that pat on the head been for? Why had Dumbledore appeared to take their mating so well? Was he going to get yelled at some time later when Pomfrey and Remus weren't around? They had narrowly avoided disaster back there, and Severus had been no help. If it wasn't for Remus...
Remus reached out to touch Severus' cheek, then brushed his hair away from his face. He wished he could help.
Poppy sniffed and cleaned more blood off his back. "You certainly took a beating. You've no idea what hit you?"
"I know one was the Cruciatus," Severus croaked. It had to be; nothing else hurt like that. "And I know that two other times I got hit with particularly nasty somethings...but not what they were."
"Well, you're certainly going to need a great deal of rest after this," Poppy said, dabbing ointments on his back. "Remus, go fetch a bit of chocolate for Severus. You know where I keep it."
Remus nodded and squeezed Severus' hand briefly before he went into Poppy's office after the chocolate.
Poppy leaned down, resting a hand on Severus' shoulder. "I am glad to hear about you and Remus," she said. "The headmaster may need a bit of time to get used to it, but you obviously make him happy. I do hope you're happy with him."
Severus bit back a sigh and was glad she couldn't see his expression. The last thing he wanted to do at this moment was talk to other people about his relationship with Remus, and he was feeling quite cranky. "Yes," he said curtly, hoping she'd drop it.
"Good." She patted his shoulder lightly and said, "I've finished with your back, dear. Do you want to shift back over?"
Remus arrived with the chocolate then--he'd found a dark chocolate bar for Severus--and heard that last. "D'you want help with that? It might not hurt as much if you don't work as hard at it."
"I can move," Severus insisted, still irritated, and gathered up some energy to flop back over onto his back, wincing from the pain that he tried to ignore.
Remus sighed. "I know that," he said quietly. "I just want to help." He broke off a piece of chocolate and held it out to Severus.
Poppy surveyed him. "Is that pain potion helping at all? You should be practically floating by now. We'll move you down to the end of the ward and pull the curtain so you can take some Dreamless Sleep. Remus can sit with you."
"No," Severus snapped, taking the chocolate from Remus, "I am definitely not floating." He scowled at the ceiling and took a bite of chocolate though he really wasn't in the mood for sweets.
Remus bit his lip, wishing they were at home so he could nuzzle Severus and make him feel better. "Poor Severus, it must hurt dreadfully," he said sympathetically, and slumped back down in the chair next to Severus. He felt so useless.
Poppy went back over to the potions cabinet and came back with another vial. "Drink this, and then you can go back to the last bed in the ward. Under your own power, if you're going to be stubborn and insist on that, or else Remus can help you." Her voice was tart but not unkind.
Severus didn't say anything, but took the vial and drank it all. He handed the empty vial back, then took a deep breath that still twinged with pain and started to sit up--but only a few inches off the bed, his injuries protested so strongly that he let himself fall back down to the bed. Severus wondered why it hurt so bad now when earlier he'd been able to mask it with pain potions--then realized that he'd spent several hours making his injuries worse when he should have been resting. The amount of blood she'd had to clean off him should have made that obvious. He expelled a breath of air in concession. "All right, fine, help me."
Remus had tensed when Severus started to move, ready to catch him and Severus' anger be damned. Now he got to his feet and slid his arms around Severus, nuzzling his temple briefly when he saw that Poppy had turned away. "Will you let me carry you?" he murmured. He gently manoevered Severus into a sitting position, but waited for his answer before doing anything else.
"No I bloody will not," Severus replied, though he couldn't deny that Remus' touch made him feel better. "Just help me walk," he said, tone softer, and shifted to lower his legs to the floor.
Remus sighed inaudibly and took Severus' weight as his feet touched the floor. His chest was tight from watching his lover's pain. He wanted to make it go away, and he was virtually helpless. But helping Severus walk--that he could do. He stepped slowly away from the bed, bearing Severus' weight for him and steadying him.
Severus made the relatively short journey to the last bed with an agonizing slowness, thinking he should've just asked to be levitated. But he needed this contact with Remus; it calmed him, made him feel safe. He nuzzled Remus' ear just before turning to lower himself into a seated position on the bed, then swung his legs over and laid back.
Remus stroked his hair back off his face. "I love you," he whispered. "I wish I could do more for you. I hate seeing you hurt."
Poppy came down the ward to pull the curtains closed around Severus' bed. "Here's a Dreamless Sleep Potion," she said, placing it on the bedside table. "Make certain he drinks that, Remus Lupin, or you'll have me to answer to." She looked at Severus. "I'll have a meal for you when you wake. You shouldn't eat yet, with those healing potions working. Of course, you already know that." She gave him a comforting smile and then left, drawing the curtains closed behind her again.
Severus watched Pomfrey leave, then glanced at the Dreamless Sleep and sighed. "I love you, too. I'll be fine. Banish it somewhere and tell her I took it."
Remus frowned. "Why won't you take it?" he asked softly. "It would probably help you a lot. You know I'll guard you."
"One, I know what's in it," Severus muttered. "Two, I know you will but I still don't like how deeply it makes you sleep. And I don't think it's necessary."
"Yeah, but you're not a Healer," Remus pointed out, trying not to sound too argumentative. "You're a potions maker, yes, but Poppy probably knows more about the human body." He grinned. "Though she probably doesn't know quite as much about the werewolf body as you do." His eyes glimmered with mischief.
"Probably not," Severus said, expression relaxing. "But I'm not taking it."
Remus shook his head, an affectionate expression on his face. "Such a stubborn man," he said softly, leaning down to kiss Severus.
"God, Remus, my breath's got to smell like death," Severus protested, but he was warmed by that kiss.
"As if I care," Remus scoffed. "I could've lost you, Severus, you could've been killed. God." He pressed his cheek to Severus', wanting to hold him but afraid to touch him too much. He knew how badly Cruciatus could hurt, and Severus had said the pain potions weren't helping.
Severus slid a hand into Remus' hair. "You saved me. If you hadn't realized it was me, I'd be under Auror guard in St Mungo's right now." His fingers curled around the soft strands and held Remus there.
Remus shivered. "I'm just glad Dumbledore was there," he said, his voice muffled. "Otherwise I'd probably be in Auror custody too, and about to be branded as a werewolf."
Severus put an arm around Remus' shoulders. "Thank Merlin he still finds us useful."
"Useful?" Seeking more comfort, Remus licked Severus' neck. "He takes care of his people whether they're useful or not."
Footsteps clacked towards them. "I can still hear talking," Poppy called. "If Severus isn't asleep in ten minutes, Remus Lupin, I'm going to put you out of the hospital wing."
"I love you," Severus murmured again, releasing Remus reluctantly. His gaze stayed on Remus' face for a few moments, and then finally he picked up the bottle of Dreamless Sleep. "Don't leave."
Remus smiled and touched Severus' cheek. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised. He checked his wand to make sure he could hex Sirius if he showed up and tried to do anything horrid to Severus.
Severus nodded, then unstoppered the potion and downed it in one gulp, trying to think of anything but its ingredients list. He swallowed several times and then set the empty bottle aside, shifting without moving much and noticing that the final pain potion Pomfrey had given him was starting to kick in.
Remus took a glass off the bedside table and filled it with water, handing it to Severus. "I'll be right here when you wake up," he said, gazing warmly at him.
"Thank you," Severus murmured, both for the water, which he drank eagerly, and the promise. He pulled the covers over himself and relaxed his mind, letting the potion pull him into deep sleep.
Remus stroked Severus' hair for several minutes, then sighed and brushed a kiss against his forehead. He shifted in his chair so he could be prepared for anyone approaching, then settled in to wait.
He'd been listening to Severus breath and Poppy sorting supplies for about half an hour when he heard the infirmary door open. He straightened in his chair, especially when he heard a murmuring voice say something to Poppy, then footsteps began approaching. He was on his feet in an instant and glanced at Severus, who was still sleeping deeply. He stepped out from behind the curtain and saw Dumbledore.
"Hello, sir," he said politely. "Severus is sleeping."
Dumbledore nodded. "I'd like you to come speak with Alastor, if you would."
Remus clenched his teeth, then forced himself to relax. "I'm sorry, sir. I promised Severus I would stay here. I'll be glad to speak to him if he comes down here and promises not to wake Severus."
"Ah." Dumbledore surveyed Remus for a moment. "You aren't going to compromise on this, are you?" he asked mildly, his blue eyes sharp.
"No, sir. I've failed Severus before, and I don't intend to do it again. I want to deserve the faith he has in me."
Dumbledore smiled. "I can hardly fault you for that. I'll ask Alastor if he would like to come down here, or if he would rather wait for another time."
Remus nodded. "Thank you, sir."
Dumbledore turned to go, then hesitated and turned back. "I would like to speak to Severus before you go home, Remus." His expression was pensive. "I feel I owe him an apology."
Remus raised his eyebrows. Just one? But he only nodded.
"Thank you, Remus." Dumbledore patted his shoulder and left the infirmary. Remus turned and took up his post next to Severus' bed again.
continued here...