Of all the things Remus had expected from Severus, understanding hadn't made the list. He'd expected to be told he was an idiot, to be mocked or laughed at, to be criticised for being so weak and pathetic. To hear Severus say that he understood...he didn't know how to react. The concept was just so unexpected and so foreign to him that it took him a while to figure out what to say. After all, aside from his mother and James and Sirius, nobody had ever really shown him concern.
"I mean...I shouldn't have said what I did," he said softly, looking down at his hands. "It was my own fault that...I mean...Sirius...he's very touchy about his family...the things they did and the way they treated him...and I shouldn't have said he was like them...I didn't even mean it...not really. I was just so angry and...he had every right to..." To what? Hit him? Hurt him? React like an utter twat? "...to be upset."
He looked up, shocked by the offer. "No...no, it's all right. Thank you but I'm...I'll be fine. It's really not as bad as it looks." And wasn't he just a font of clichés today? What was next? Sirius didn't mean it? He would never hurt him? Well, he just had. "Can you just..." He looked down again, obviously embarrassed. "Can you help me up?"