Summary: "This isn’t magic — it’s logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven’t got an ounce of logic; they’d be stuck in here forever." What if Remus, who has being trying and failing to befriend Severus for several years, learned of Severus’ affinity for logic puzzles? What if after befriending him, he fell in love and decided that maybe the only way to Severus’ heart was through his brain?
Timeline: Post war, both lived, the Tonks train wreak never happened and thus no Teddy.
Pairings: Friendship and eventual Snape/Lupin Pre-slash so far, but it might eventually become full blown slash. Background Harry/Hermione.
Disclaimer: If you think any of these characters are mine please tell me what world you live in so I can move there posthaste! Also all of the puzzles in this story are real and actual logic puzzles that I have solved in various computer games with the obvious exception of the Rubik’s cube which I played in reality. None of the puzzles mentioned hereafter are my intellectual property and at the end I will give credit where credit is due for each in order of appearance. The painting mentioned is based on a character from a completely different game which is also not mine. I swiped his name, but I made up his "title" though the title is a clue. Bonus points if anyone guesses where I swiped it from! :D
Rating: pg?
Warnings/kinks: none yet unless mind games, both literal and metaphorical, count. Sneaky Remus, sneaky Severus, courtship, drama. Also I switch POV between the boys; hopefully it will be simple to tell whose head you’re in. This is a WIP, but I have most of the beginning and about half of the end done, I just need to do the middle and the very end. I suspect I will post a section a month without any real breaks as I've quite the backlog. :)
AN: I am not going to post next month as I feel the focus should be on SnuSa and the hard work everyone has put into the fest, but I shall start back up in January. Happy Holidays! :D
“If you insist on being difficult, Lupin, I will start.”
“Seems fair,” I responded magnanimously.
“‘The man who invented it, doesn't want it for himself. The man who bought it, doesn't need it for himself. The man who needs it, doesn't know it when he needs it.’ What is it?” Severus smirked to himself as he recounted his riddle; apparently he had decided to continue our game despite my earlier evasion.
My brow furrowed and I muttered the riddle to myself several times, eventually asking for Severus to repeat it for me. He did so and almost immediately my expression cleared as the answer presented itself to me.
“In a morbid mood tonight Severus? I would say the answer is a coffin.”
“After the day I had, you’d be less than cheerful as well.”
“Care to enlighten me?”
Severus waved the question off like it was nothing special before giving an off-hand answer. “The Ministry is meddling again. You’d think they would have learned better after their utter cock-up several years back, but if anything they are more inclined to stick their nose in than before.”
“Yes, well I think they were afraid of Dumbledore’s reaction if they pushed too far before. Minerva is trying her best I imagine, but they haven’t truly learned to fear her displeasure yet.”
“Exactly the point I tried to make at the last meeting. Apparently such a view is less than welcome from me.”
“She still blames you then?”
“No, I don’t think so. The problem is some of the others view any disagreement from me as an attempt to reclaim my position as Headmaster. Because I truly miss the never ending headache that year gave me.”
“I can imagine you were given plenty of fodder to maintain an absolutely putrid mood triggered by the paperwork alone!” I smiled slightly, hoping against hope that Severus’ sarcasm was permission to infuse some humor into our talk. I panicked when I saw Severus’ expression freeze. Did I push too far too fast?
“You have no idea! I once had to fill out twenty pages of paperwork to get an ancient water-damaged painting in the Dungeons fixed. I had to explain, in great detail, how a painting in the darkest, dankest part of this castle developed mold.” Severus wasn’t quite smiling, but his eyes seemed to dance with amusement and I swore the left corner of his mouth was twitching like it wanted to curl upwards.
“You’re joking!”
“I wish I was! Apparently reporting the location of the painting and the issue wasn’t sufficient for the paper-pushers, they needed to ask me twenty pages of questions to establish if a three thousand and fourty-seven year old painting of Kristof the Bloody was damaged due to ‘gross negligence’ or ‘extreme old age’. Funnily enough I figured the answer out to that one before I even saw it.”
“Well you are clearly a genius of the highest order then! How else would you have ever worked that out on your own?”
Severus hmphed, but he sounded pleased. “Yes, well Minerva is welcome to that particular headache as far as I’m concerned.”
“Can’t say I blame you there. Shall I take my turn now?”
“You might as well.”
“‘Of all your possessions, I am the hardest to guard. If you have me, you will want to share me. If you share me, you no longer have me.’ What am I?”
Watching Severus try to solve my riddle was rather entertaining. He closed his eyes to help himself focus and I could almost see his thoughts flitting across his face as he pondered the riddle. I knew each time he thought he had the solution, only to realize it didn’t quite fit the clues given. After a few minutes a triumphant gleam appeared in his newly opened eyes and I knew before he said anything he’d solved it.
“A secret Lupin? How appropriate!”
“It seemed fitting given the circumstances.”
“Indeed. I suppose that means you intend to try to keep yours after all.”
“Well if I do tell you, I won’t have it anymore, will I?”
“Apparently not. Ah, well I shall work it out sooner or later.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second Severus.”
“What do you make of this one? ‘I have holes throughout, from back to front and top to bottom to core. More nothing than something within, and yet I still hold water.’”
I will freely admit that one threw me for a while. A holey container with more nothing than something, but still holds water? What in the world does that? Severus was starting to smirk smugly at me by the time I had my epiphany.
“That is a good one! A sponge of course!”
“Thought I’d stumped you for a bit there.” Severus seemed both pleased and disappointed I’d solved his riddle. Not truly surprising, he always was rather competitive.
“You did, but eventually it occurred to me I was thinking too hard. Just for that here is yours: ‘It runs as it will, but never does it walk. There is a mouth to see, but never does it talk. A bed it surely owns, but never does it sleep. Possesses it a head, but not a one that weeps.’”
Apparently I chose my challenge well; Severus turned my riddle over in his mind for quite a while, his brow furrowed in thought. As I waited for him to discover the solution I took to watching him as he deliberated.
I’d never really watched Severus just for the sake of watching him before. Sure I’d looked at him during Order meetings and the like, but I had always watched him with a purpose; to defend myself or others from his remarks, to prepare for his next verbal assault on the current plan whether it was mine or not, to watch for his signal to indicate whether or not we could speak freely.
It was odd. I was the monster according to legend, yet Severus kept me on the defensive, acting as prey. Except now. I smiled to myself. I think I like Severus when he’s off-balance. He’s oddly approachable, like he can’t help but try to figure out what is going on around him. Severus looks almost vulnerable lost in thought.
I felt guilty as that thought occurred. I was hardly the first person to use his innate curiosity against him, Sirius and James immediately came to mind. I told myself it was different because I meant Severus no harm, I just wanted to be his friend, but doubt hovered regardless.