Research and Development Part I; Hunger
Research and Development Part VII: On the Road Again
TITLE: Research and Development Part VI; On the Road Again
AUTHOR: StarryGazer
EMAIL: foppagal@yahoo.com
PAIRING: Remus/Harry
RATING: R
FEEDBACK: Always appreciated, feel free to send to the above
address
DISCLAIMER: Belongs to JKR. No profit. No infringement etc.
SUMMARY: Harry wants Remus. Remus wants Harry. It should be
simple, right? Still on the run, and on the move once again, Remus puzzles over
a mystery for the Order, while Harry fights to prove to everyone—including
himself—that he’s not a child.
CATEGORY: (Drama / Humor / Hurt-Comfort / Romance)
BETAS: The Slick ShadowPhoenix
NOTES:
The song ‘Ask’ is by The Smiths; thanks to Adele for sending it to me, along
with the rest of the fabulous fanfic soundtrack. It was a lot of fun, but ‘Ask
Me’ fit Harry and Remus so darn well that I just had to laugh. The other songs
included belong to Coldplay, Willie Nelson, and Elton John. Now there’s
a variety for you. Bonus points to whomever really gets the Coldplay
song. Okay, so one of you asked me
to read something you wrote. As far as I can recall, it maybe had the word ‘up’
or ‘until’ in the title. I went to check it out, but cannot find the email.
Yes, I am an idiot, thanks for pointing that out. If any of this sounds like
something you may have done, please let me know, so I can go and read it,
because it’s driving me crazy. Brain work not good. Good not brain work. You
know? Thanks!
Part VII: On the Road
Again
“I bought
it myself,” Harry announced proudly, and it took every ounce of Remus’s
willpower to keep from smacking his hand to his forehead. Dammit, he’d told the
boy to put the sex toys away.
Snape, of
course, just stared.
“They’re
all the rage. Everyone who knows what’s ‘in’ has one—in the Muggle world,
anyhow. I’m going to start a trend at Hogwarts. Just wait ‘till Ron and
Hermione see it; they’ll be dead jealous. Isn’t it wicked?”
“Wicked. Yes. If your fashion needs
dictate humiliation and ownership, I can always give you right over to the Dark
Lord. I’m sure he’d fulfill your every degrading whim most satisfactorily.”
Twisting his lip in disgust, Severus shook his head.
Harry smiled his perfectly innocent
smile up at the Potions Master, as Remus quickly tried to dress himself. Seeing
the look of complete guilelessness on the boy’s face, the werewolf mused, By
Merlin, he’s good. He’s damn good. We may actually get away with this. “You
just wish you had one,” Harry informed the man sweetly.
Snape snorted. “Five minutes. Keep
your heads down.” He Disapparated with a noise like a whip crack.
Remus couldn’t spare a look of
reproach for the boy, as they raced around gathering their belongings. Before
any time had seemed to pass, a honk sounded outside, and Remus gathered what he
could with one arm and grabbed Harry with the other. “I’ll count to three, open
the door, and then we’ll make a run for it.”
On ‘three’ he threw the door back,
hauling the boy out behind him. A blast of green light came from their left,
and they ran toward a mini that was idling at the curb. Another burst of
magical light shot their way, and Remus used his body to shield Harry as much
as possible. The back door of the mini flew open as they approached, and Remus
hurled the packages in before lifting Harry and tossing him bodily inside as
well.
He threw himself in after the boy
and shouted to Mundungus, who’d been waiting to be certain everyone was in,
“Go! Go, go, go!” The car had obviously been magically altered, because it
rocketed down the street at a speed no Muggle mini could approach. A black
figure was quickly advancing on the left, and Remus hollered, “You’re going to
pass Severus! Stop!”
Mundungus slammed on the breaks,
and Harry and Remus were thrown against the backs of the front seats. Harry
landed on the floor with a yelp, and the werewolf helped him up, anxiously
saying, “Oh, my poor little Green Eyes. Are you all right?” Mundugus shot him a
strange look as he crawled out of the car. Remus scrambled into the front seat,
getting behind the wheel.
“Red lever,” Mundungus told the
werewolf. “Watch your backs.”
Snape threw open the door and leapt
into the car beside Remus, snarling, “Get a move on it, you migraine-inducing
cur!” The car rocked as a curse hit it broadside. “They’re almost on top of
us!”
“Um. It’s been an awfully long time
since I’ve done this. Here, I think I’m supposed to step down on this—” The car
gave a grumble and died. “Oh. Sorry.”
“You’ve—you’ve murdered the
engine!” Snape growled. “Get out of my way, you louse-infested buffoon! I’ll
drive the damn thing.”
“It’s ‘killed,’” Harry noted from
the back seat, sotto voce, his voice only slightly hysterical. “Not
‘murdered.’ ‘Killed.’” As if it matters, because in a few seconds, they’ll
be able to use the words interchangeably to describe US! Remus obviously
had no idea what he was doing, and Snape didn’t even know the words for
the tools being used. They were so, incredibly fucked.
“Snape,” Remus was saying
patiently, even as he made way for the spy, “You don’t know how to drive. At
least I have driven, although it’s been a while. It will come back to
me.”
“Yes, everything is about to
come back to you,” Snape retorted, starting the car up without problem. “It’s
called your life flashing before your eyes.” He reached down to what looked
like the emergency brake, only red, and pulled it back. Immediately, the car
began spinning rapidly, and colored lights streamed along the windows.
Harry couldn’t look for long before
clapping a hand over his mouth. “Ugh,” he said in a muffled voice, “I think I’m
going to be ill.”
“Don’t you dare, don’t you dare!”
Snape yelled, snapping the lever down again. The car stopped rotating. Scenery
popped up outside the windows, then suddenly vanished again and was replaced
with something else. This happened several times, and Harry boggled at it. It looked
as though they were simply arriving quite abruptly amidst the scenery, but
nothing moved, so it felt as though the scenery was arriving
around them.
The Potions Master took a couple of
deep breaths. re. re. Now. We’ve arrived at our…destination.” He peered at the
dashboard, where the round protuberance of a globe bobbled. “We’re…a few miles
east of where we need to be. So. All we have to do is…aim the car in the proper
direction, and…propel it.” He licked his lips several times, as Harry and Remus
watched in silence. “So. Yes. I just…push down—” The car died again.
Remus’s mild smile bordered
suspiciously on a smirk. “Now you’ve slain the engine,” he pointed out
with quiet glee.
“Killed the engine,” Harry
corrected.
“Shut up,” Snape told both of them.
“Never mind,” Remus sighed,
becoming sober once more. “Do we need to keep on running, or have we lost them?
Because if we’ve got time, I can probably figure out how to get it running.”
Snape’s shoulders slumped a little.
“Oh, very well,” he testily acquiesced. “We’ve lost them. The car is Arthur’s.
He did show me what to do with it—several times, in fact. The idea that I might
actually have to work the contraption never occurred to me. The Spatial
Alteration Lever still worked, at any rate. The Charmed Chart is that little
jiggling sphere on the dash. You see that red spot? That’s what we’re heading
for. Now, if you think you can control this machine so much better then I can,
I beg you to prove it.” He got out of the mini, stretching hong ong legs, and
walked around to the other door, and Remus scooted into the driver’s seat
again.
“Yes. You turn the key to start
it.” The engine sputtered, and did not start. “Oh, yes. You have to press down
on the pedal at the same time!” This time, the car started up, but shuddered to
a halt after only a few feet. “Oh, that’s right. You see here, Harry?”
he said, making the task into a learning experience. “You have to push this
down, too, and then…”
They eventually crawled through the
heart of a small town, the farmers watching with interest as Remus refused to
make the mini go faster than a man could walk, and proceeded to cause the car
to die at every light, stop sign, and crossroads. Harry sank down in the back
seat, mortally embarrassed. “Sorry, kiddo,” he saw the werewolf’s eyes flashing
at him in the rearview mirror. “Apparating is much easier. We’ll be there
shortly.”
The Potions Master snorted. “If by
‘shortly’ you mean, ‘hopefully within the next decade and if we get there at
all.’”
The bobbling globe directed them to
a little cottage, and Harry was dismayed to find that it had three beds. It
wasn’t about the sex, really. After all, last night had been rougher than he
was used to, and he could probably stand to wait a while before doing it again.
No, what he’d miss was the closeness, the intimacy of waking up with his head
tucked in Remus’s arm, and feeling the steady rise and fall of the man’s chest.
He’d miss the way Remus would growl softly in his sleep and pull Harry back against
him whenever the boy rolled away.
This was not going to be easy.
Remus turned to Snape. “While we’re here, I want to teach you and Harry how to
drive the car as well. We can’t have a repeat performance of this morning, can
we?”
“If I must,” Snape capitulated
sourly. Harry hid a grin. Snape and Lupin, stuck in a mini together, with Lupin
telling Snape what to do. He made a mental note to bring some bandages along to
patch them up. Oh, well. If nothing else, it’d probably be a good show.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“So how did
they find us?” Harry demanded once their things had been unpacked.
“The
Headmaster will tell you when he feels you should be informed,” Snape
replied smoothly. “Go to your room and practice clearing your mind while I
speak privately with your ‘guardian,’ if you want to call him that.”
“I will
not!” Harry responded. “I deserve to be informed. I need
year! That never would have happened if someone had told me what was going on.”
understand why you feel this way. But there are some things it is better you
don’t know. Let me speak with Professor Snape alone, and I will decide what you
need to be told.”
“Stop treating me like one. Don’t you trust me?”
“Yes, I do. But you are not fully trained as a wizard, and right now I need
slammed the door, as Severus scowled and Remus grimaced at his back. Harry
threw himself down on the bed, seething. How dare he? How DARE he? Acting as though I’m some ninny-headed first
year that would babble a secret away at a drop of the Sorting Hat. He should
know me better! Haven’t I kept HIS secret? OUR secret? THE secret? I’m better
at lying about it than HE is. And then he has the gall to just—just—order me to
my room like a little kid who’s thrown a tantrum! Well, yeah, I like bossiness
SOMETIMES, but not when it’s my life that hangs in the balance!
that the room’s light went dim for a moment. Damn wandless magic. Been repressed too long—in THAT sense,
anyhow…Stupid werewolf. Who does he think he is, anyway? I don’t mind if he’s
domineering in the bedroom, but this!
shut. He should have known that wouldn’t work. It was one thing to be
domineering in the bedroom, but this!
things never change,” Snape spoke in a suspiciously sweet voice. “Birds will
always fly, nations will forever rise and fall, and Potter will never cease to
be a disgustingly selfish brat.”
nose. “That’s enough, Severus. Can we get down to business?” He folded himself
into a chair from titchitchen, thinking wistfully about how nice it would be to
summon a hot cup of tea. “How did they find us?”
technically, Mundungus
when the follower saw you and Potter, you were followed back to the hotel.”
Snape remained standing, looking cold and imposing, particularly against the
homey backdrop of the cottage.
attacked immediately upon arriving? Why did they wait until morning?” Remus
puzzled.
parody of a smile. “To answer that, we must start with the object Mundungus
bequeathed to you.”
He patted his pockets a bit before remembering it was in his trunk. Retrievint, ht, he said, “Fletcher said I had to give it to you. What is it? Why on earth
is it important, and what am I expected to do with it?”
looking exasperated. “How do you function without someone to explain every
little detail of life to you? Just hand me the damn thing, would you?”
it smartly with his wand, chanting, “Refigofixum!” The handkerchief melted away
to reveal a small, tattered scrap of silk. The Potions Master immediately held
it up before Remus’s nose, saying, “Well, Canidae of inferior
lineage, do your duty and play bloodhound!”
The
werewolf wrinkled his nose at this, plucking the scrap meticulously from the
man’s long fingertips. “Merlin, Severus, what kind of potions have you been
brewing? Your hands smell of goat urine,” he complained.
“Love
Per
Personal remarks from someone who has canine halitosis on a good day?”
“Shut up,
I’m trying to—to sniff, here.” Gingerly, he lifted the cloth to his
nose. “Hmm. Now that’s—huh.” He shut his eyes and took another whiff.
“It’s…familiar. I’d almost say I’ve smelled it somewhat recently, but there’s
something off about it…” He opened his eyes, but let them stay unfocused. “Oh,
there’s vetiver there, definitely vetiver; but is it being used on its own or
to cover something up? Because it’s a strong scent…one that someone might use
if they were trying to mask any other odors. Bergamot? But I couldn’t swear to
it…”
“Well,”
Remus countered, trying to keep his temper in check, “Why don’t you tell me
what I’m supposed to be looking for?”
Severus
glared and seated himself across from the man. “Bill Weasley tore that off the
Death Eater that destroyed Grimmauld Place. The Death Eater had managed to
break free of Arthur’s spell, and young Mister Weasley foolishly attempted to
confine him with mere brute strength, rather than magic. For his troubles, he
received nothing more than a black eye and that lousy bit of silk. So. We’d
like to know, in fact, which Death Eater was the one that got away.”
Remus
blinked. “But what difference does it make? There isn’t a new one that we don’t
know of, is there?”
“No,
Lupin.” Severus shut his eyes, giving the impression of extreme frustration.
“Whoever demolished your ex-partner-in-bestiality’s home did so…before the Dark
Lord could be apprised of your presence there. That particular Death Eater
acted prematurely and, as punishment, has been given the assignment of finding
Potter—whatever the consequences. If he should fail, then he shall die. So you
see, that scrap is the—the signature, if you would, of the person you most need
to beware of, at this moment. And, should we be able to identify him—or her, I
suppose; I really can’t rule out Bellatrix—we may plan our counter moves
accordingly.”
“I see.”
Remus pondered this for a few moments. “You don’t know the Death Eater in
question?”
“Doubtlessly
I have met them, but I have not been told the name of the person involved. When
the alarm went off that indicated Potter had ingested the potion, the Dark Lord
was…otherwise occupied. In the scramble to bring the good news to him, someone
slipped away. That is all I know. Well, that, and it wasn’t Crabbe. He was with
me at the time. So. There you have it. Do try to be of some use, and
dredge up the name of the person you connect the scent to, if you would. Now.
I’m Apparating back to the school to let them know of our progress. Since
you’re the complete cretin that let yourself get chased away from your stores,
I suggest you buy more food.” Without so much as a ‘Good day,’ or even a ‘Have
a thoroughly unpleasant day,’ Snape Disapparated.
Biting his
lip in apprehension, Remus went to visit his mate. The lights were off in the
bedroom, and Harry’s slender form was curled rather tensely on the bed, his
back turned resolutely to the door. Remus knew perfectly well the boy wasn’t asleep—they’d
only gotten up a few hours ago—but he felt uncertain about whether or not he
should simply let his lover be, and let him think he had the werewolf fooled.
Harry heard
the door swing in, and his whole body tensed up. He didn’t want to face Remus
right now. Remus still thought he was a little boy. Old enough to fuck, but not
old enough to be informed of things that had a direct bearing on whether he’d
live or die. Shit. He could pretend to sleep, but he wasn’t sure it would fool
the werewolf. With a loud sigh, he rolled over to face his lover.
“What do
you want?” he grated.
“Harry…I’m
sorry. I need to be cautious. One of us should be, right?” Harry didn’t
respond, and Remus faltered. After some hesitation, he recounted everything the
Potions Master had told him. “…So I’ll need you to be extra careful, all right?
You can’t go running off the way you tend to do. You need to think things
through before acting, and I want you to stick as close to me as possible. When
I’m not here, you shouldn’t leave the house. Understand?” He looked at the boy
anxiously.
Harry
stared back coldly. You’re my pet, and I’ll do with you what I please, and
you’ll do NOTHING without my permission, was the way Remus’ lecture
translated to his ears. “I understand perfectly well,” he replied levelly. “Now
if you don’t mind, I’d like some privacy. Please leave.”
Remus sat
down beside him. “Harry, I know you’re upset with me,” he began, reaching out,
but when he touched the boy’s arm, he felt Harry go rigid. A sudden hollow fear
formed in his chest, and he quickly withdrew his hand. “I am sorry. Please try
to be mature a thi this, won’t you? Just because I cannot divulge every secret
of the universe to you, does not mean that I don’t care for you.”
Harry
nodded slowly. “I told you that I understand. I’m not as immature as you seem
to think. I’d just…I think I’d like a little space, for a while.” Oh, it was
eating him up inside. He didn’t want space, really; he wanted love, and faith,
but his sixteen-year-old brain could not encompass that, so he settled for
something less—his pride. Let him view me as a tool to be used when he
likes. We’ll just see what happens when the tool stops doing its job, then.
of anger couldn’t take away the sharp pains slashing through his soul.
Remus
twisted his hands in his lap. They were lovers, but he and Harry were
not yet equals, and Harry needed to learn when to listen to Remus’s wisdom and
experience. At the same time, Remus had never enjoyed arguing, and hated it
whenever someone was angry with him, and it twisted his heart to have the youth
acting so frigid towards him. He rose slowly, saying, “I’m going to walk to the
village and pick up some food. Are you sure you don’t want to come along?”
Harry shook
his head firmly. “No, thanks though. I’ve got some things I need to think
about.” He rolled over again, and did not respond when Remus softly kissed his
shoulder.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Remus was
making supper by the time Harry finally came out of his room. “Smells nasty out
here,” the youth commented casually, and Remus winced.
“Eggs,” he
tried to explain. “I’m not great shakes at Muggle cooking, and Snape isn’t back
yet. But I bought some bread and eggs in town, and we have mayonnaise, and I
thought; anyone can boil an egg. Sandwiches for supper, see?” Harry
peered around him at the pan, in which several eggs were hopping vigorously in
the boiling water.
“Um. How
long have those been in there?” he asked. The whole place really stank.
There was a damp feeling to the air as well, as though the steam had been
coming off for some time.
“A while,
now,” Remus said carelessly. “I undercooked the last batch, so this time I
figured I’d better be really sure they were completely done. Don’t want
to run out of eggs before we’ve even eaten any,” he explained.
They heard
a sound in the other room, and Severus’ voice came floating into the kitchen.
“Merlin’s balls! What is that revolting smell?”
They sat at
the kitchen table, Severus staring as Harry and Remus tried to choke down their
sandwiches. “How can you eat that?” the Potions Master asked at length.
“It smells rancid. And I’ve got a normal nose; I can’t imagine
how you can stand it, Lupin.”
“I’m sorry
to point this out, Severus, but no one in their right mind would ever claim
that you have a ‘normal’ nose,” Remus replied, rankled.
“It tastes
kind of…burnt,” Harry said eventually. “I didn’t even know you could
burn a hardboiled egg.” The werewolf shot him a hurt look, and Harry wriggled
in his seat. “Maybe you ought to let me handle the cooking, if we’re doing it
the Muggle way.”
“Yes, but…”
Remus looked at his plate. “Muggle cooking is very different from Wizard
cooking. I don’t want you to hurt yourself on the stove or something. I think
you ought to leave it to me. I’m bound to get better at it.”
Harry
glared at the man, but Remus was looking at his plate and missed it completely.
“Well, I have absolutely no experience with Wizard cooking, aside from
watching Mrs. Weasley,” Harry pointed out, “But I’ve got loads of
experience doing Muggle cooking and cleaning. I practically did all the
day-to-day stuff at the Dursleys’. I know damn well how to work a stove,
Lupin,” he added.
“Mouth,
Potter,” Snape grunted, although he sounded amused. “Although you may be…not
wholly incorrect. After all, I am going to have to eat here as well, sometimes.
I refuse to ingest anything prepared by a man who cannot surmise how to boil an
egg. I thought even Longbottom would have been capable of that
much.”
Remus
pinched his lips together, which made it difficult to take another bite of his
sandwich. Not that he wanted to; it truly was nasty.
“Well,
Potter, if you are…content with your sustenance for the evening, perhaps we
ought to turn our sites to the unreachable goal of rendering you adequate at
Occlumency.”
Harry
glanced down at the rest of his sandwich. Oh, well. He’d skipped meals before,
and it hadn’t killed him. “All right,” he said agreeably. They left Lupin to
clean up.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Remus lay
awake in bed that night, worrying. He hated leaving Harry alone with Snape for
any length of time, but when he’d asked, Harry insisted that he would be fine
on his own. It was just that Severus hated Harry, as though Harry had
simply been put on this earth to be some sort of permanent reminder of James,
and torment Severus with his very existence. Remus was sure Snape didn’t quite have
Harry’s best interests at heart, although he did bve tve the man was on the
side of the light. Severus was simply so immature sometimes, and that temper of
his…
He rolled
over and sat up, hearing footsteps quietly crossing the hall. A creak of a door
told Remus that Harry was finally back in his own room. The lesson had ended
for the night. Was the boy all right? He couldn’t help but recall that the last
time Harry had attempted to learn Occlumency from the Potions Master, neither
one of them had come out unscathed. He slipped his legs out from under the
sheets and stood up. Using his animal grace, he silently glided out of his
room, down the hall, and into Harry’s.
When Harry
felt the weight suddenly shift the mattress beside him, he sat up gasping. He
scrambled for his glasses and turned to Remus, wide eyed. “Good grief!
You scared me half to death! Don’t sneak up on me like that, would you?” He
fell back against his pillows, heart still beating frantically.
Remus
smirked uncharacteristically. “I was trying to be quiet. Sorry I frightened
you, Bright Eyes.” He swiftly pressed a kiss to the boy’s lips, and felt Harry
freeze again. He pulled back a little in confusion.
Harry took
a deep breath. “Don’t, Remus,” he eventually managed. “Please. I’m just. I’m
really not in the mood, all right? I’m completely exhausted; I’d just like a
good night’s rest. Just once. Please?”
Remus
twisted uneasily. “Sure, Harry. I didn’t necessarily come in here oundound you
into the mattress, you know,” he murmured. “I know you don’t like these lessons
with Snape, and I wanted…to offer what comfort I could.”
Harry
nodded, swallowing. Pound me into the mattress…Jesus! He isn’t going to make
keeping this particular resolution easy, is he? “That’s all right.
Everything went…okay. Snape was Snape, and there was nothing I could do about
that, but…I think I’ve gotten just a little better at it. It’s just…really
draining, is all.” Nothing like having someone root through your mind, while
you prayed they wouldn’t find that one thing, and trying to fight them
off and mentally shove them away to really wear you out. He couldn’t contain a
huge yawn, and Remus grinned down at him. “You ought to leave before Snape
figures out you’re here.”
“I could
stay for just a little while,” Remus offered. He brushed the dark hair back
from the youth’s face. “I could hold you until you fall asleep.”
“You don’t
have to,” Harry replied. Holding could lead to other things. He’d made a
promise that there wouldn’t be other things until…well…until he was sure
he would be treated more like an equal. “I’m fine, Remus.”
“All
right,” the werewolf consented sadly, but continued to sit, and held Harry’s
hand for a long time before going back to his own room.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next
day dawned sunny and clear, with a sky so blue that it seemed to elicit a song
even in Snape’s black heart, although Remus and Harry both could have done
without hearing the man humming ‘Tears on my Pillow’ for most of the morning.
Taking the initiative, Harry appropriated the kitchen and began preparing
breakfast. By the time Remus wandered in to ask what he was doing, Harry was
almost finished.
The
werewolf frowned seriously as the boy began carrying dishes to the table.
“Harry. I thought I told you not to mess about in here. There are Muggle
appliances that can be dangerous. Why didn’t you listen to me?”
Harry
opened his mouth to reply, “Sod off,” but thought better of it. Taking several
deep breaths and counting to a hundred, he sat at the table and looked at the
man steadily before replying. “I am perfectly capable of operating an oven.
It’s not a mystery to me; I’ve done it many times before. I am familiar with
all of the Muggles’ modern conveniences, and can easily slap together something
edible. Stop making a big deal out of this, please.”
Remus
frowned and began to reply, but was interrupted by Snape. “Well.” He’d just
finished a bite of omelet, and was staring at the youth meditatively. “I never
thought I’d see the day, but there appears to be something that Potter is less
than hopeless at. Now, if foodstuffs were any sort of weapon against the Dark
Lord, I might actually be pleased about this. As it is, this is one more
useless trait in the boy’s arsenal, along with Quidditch, insolence, and making
an ass of himself. Still, I suppose I ought to enjoy it for the moment.” He
lapsed into silence, tucking into the meal with something like approval, as
Harry and Remus stared at him in utter disbelief.
“That was
as close to a compliment as you’ve ever come to paying me,” Harrinteinted out.
“Hmph. I
should have known it would go straight to your already overly large head.
You’re a repulsive simpleton with an arrogance rivaling Lucifer’s. There, have
I evened out again?” He sneered at the boy, and took a sip of his orange juice.
Harry felt
unaccountably relieved. He faced enough changes in his life lately, without
Snape suddenly becoming pleasant. “So. What’s going to happen today?” he asked,
pushing his food around on his plate. After last night, he felt he should
be hungry, but he was still upset with Remus, and still didn’t have any idea
about how to make the man understand that hs nos no longer a child.
“I thought
we might start some driving lessons,” Remus said airily. “Professor Snape isn’t
likely to be needed until tomorrow, and this might provide a welcome
distraction. Not to mention I received an owl from Dumbledore instructing us
that we will have tive ive the car back to Arthur’s. We’re going to have to
become proficient with it.”
“Why can’t
the two of you become proficient, and leave me out of it?” Snape
growled. “I fail to see why I should waste my precious time learning to do
something both difficult and stupid, simply because you and Potter refuse to
pay attention to what you place in your mouths. I could Apparate to the
Weasleys’ in moments, while the two of you can creep your tacky way through the
countryside, watching grandmothers hurtle past you.”
“And what
would happen if Harry and I were attacked?” Remus asked patiently. “Surely you
wouldn’t expect us to pull out our wands and draw the rest of the Death
Eaters to u/p>
/p>
Severus
scowled. “Fine,” he spat. “But I want it on record that the two of you are
miserable imbeciles with the brains of sardines. And no good will come of
this!” he added ominously.
So the
three of them found themselves buzzing along a backcountry road, Snape glaring,
and Remus beaming. “You see?” he crowed triumphantly. “I knew it would
come back to me! Are you ready for a try, Severus?”
n stn style='mso-tab-count:1'> “Be still,
my heart,” Snape rolled his eyes. Remus pulled the car over, and they switched
places.
“Now, be
sure to put it in gear,” the werewolf instructed, and the Potions Master
gritted his teeth. “Gooo-oood,” Remus said in a singsong tone, as though
he were speaking to a five-year-old. “Now ease your foot onto—”
“Bloody
hell!” Snape finally growled. “I watched you do it for the last hour; I think I
can handle it! Would you kindly shut your mouth and let me think?”
After an
hour, Snape seemed to have the hang of it, and Harry was getting desperately
bored. “Turn on the radio, would you?” Remus was too busy playing teacheo
Ho
Harry leaned over the back seat and turned the knob on the dashboard.
“…and honey, you should know
that I could never go on without you…” floated from the speakers. Snape
growled. “What utter rubbish,” he remarked. “And how am I supposed to
concentrate with that schmaltz oozing out?”
“We can turn it down, I think,”
Remus replied diplomatically. He began fiddling with the buttons, but only
succeeded in switching stations. “…so if there’s something you’d like to try; ask me—I won’t say no, how could I?…”
Harry grinned a little, humming along as he watched the countryside roll by.
“More nauseating romance,”
Severus remarked, bravely taking his hand off the wheel long enough to snap the
radio off. “There. Blessed peace.”
“Hey, I like that song!”
Harry protested.
“I’m sure we can find some music we
all agree on,” Remus remarked, flipping the tuner back on. He flicked through
the stations. “Oh…Here, what about this one?”
“I refuse to listen to Elton
John,” Harry said flatly.
f !sf !supportEmptyParas]>
“For perhaps the first time ever, I
agree with Mister Potter,” Snape seconded. Harry leaned over and twisted the
dial.
“But that’s a good song!” Remus
pushed Harry away and switched the radio back to ‘Your Song,’ while Harry
groaned. “…I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind …” Remus sang happily,
as Snape’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel.
“Remus…” Harry began, flinching a
little. “Snape isn’t liking this anymore than I am. You’ve been voted down, so
switch the station.” Remus ignored him, so Harry reached over the seat again.
Remus switched right back, and Harry, grinning, leaned over again.
“Stop that, both of you!” Snape
ordered. “Do you want to end up dead in a ditch?” Harry laughed, and
Remus went back to Elton. Slyly, the youth edged forward and darted a hand
toward the knob, but Remus batted his hand away and shoved him back. “Would
you—you both—stop—” the Potions Master stuttered as Harry punched Remus lightly
in the arm, and was wrestled into the front sea ret retaliation. His legs now
crossed Snape, and one was hanging out the window. “DO NOT MAKE ME PULL THIS
CAR OVER!” Severus finally roared, and Harry and Remus cringed.
“I’m sorry, Severus,” Remus
apologized. “That was neither mature nor productive.”
“Nor out of character for either
one of you childish Gryffindors,” Snape grunted. “You’re driving me mad, both
of you.”
Now Willy Nelson belted music
happily from the speakers. “Oh, lord. Turn the station, would you,
Remus?” Harry begged.
“…The life I love is making music
with my friends, and I can’t wait to get on the road again!” Remus crooned. An
hour was much too long a time to be stuck in a mini with a werewolf who
had this level of bad taste in music.
“Snape…Voldemort doesn’t sing, does
he?” Harry groaned, sticking his head out of the window.
“Thankfully not,” Snape replied
grimly. “Lupin, if you don’t shut up, I am aiming us at the next large tree I
see, and accelerating to the best of my ability.”
Remus merely grinned, and shut his
mouth. It didn’t stop him humming.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Thanks to: Queen of the Slash, Marshes to Banks –Aw, I wouldn’t leave out a great scene like prlrocks—(She was behind him on the stairs, but he shooed her out Immortal Memories—K, now I want a dirty fanfic with multiple Kireina1—yeah…maybe eventually I’ll write one with Remus on the ssparsparkles—I’d be willing to give up my entire salary to have C. LaBella—Then my insidious plot to convert you all to Remarry GryffRavHuffSlythendor—I still think I’m better with Sev than color:black'>Poicale—Do you believe I didn’t even know what ‘recalcitrant’ mean Adele Sparks—We are not a bunch of perverts! The only color:black'>Hakkai - Gojyo - Goku – Sanzo—Now Remus has to figure out how to silver-sunn101—I wish this chapter were as hot, but I needed plot. Jemma Blackwell—It was hard to write, last time, because I
/p>
Cat, Maria, Dracula5555, Sweet Mercy , Eric2, WeasleyTwinsLover1112,
Kyoko (fabulous to know you’re on board, as always!),
that! You know, a leash is almost better than a wand! There’s sooo much
potential for fun! Oh, well about the Sirius thinltholthough, I had considered
having Alexander out of the country almost all the time, and not really up on
current events. Worth a shot? Jade! That’s quite a compliment! She does some
great stuff. I’ll have to keep the club in mind, although my next bits are all
Hogwartscentric. Soooo much potential for tension, there.
the door first, so Molly’s okay. I did that intentionally so no one would
worry. Didn’t make it clear enough, did I? And you don’t come off as a perv
just from that. Spankings are practically mundane in fanfic.)
Res. es. Remusi? Hmm. Are there any like that out there? If not, I demand you
write one! (cracks whip!) More Remus! I can’t produce them all myself!
other end of the leaHmm…Hmm…I like new ideas…
Harry’s leash scene written into canon. Wouldn’t that be great?
lovers is working? Actually with the real Remus, I wouldn’t be too into it, but
at the Remus Lupin shrine which has Ralph Fiennes, and let’s face it, you can’t
go wrong with that kind of hotness!
anyone else…which is too bad, when he’s not even a main character in the
current fic!
exactly? I’ve read it a million times, and I just started to type it in without
really thinking. But I misspelled it, so I had to look it up. And I was
like, ‘Yup. That’s the word I wanted.’ My brain knows things I don’t. Isn’t
that scary? I can’t answer your question, though, without giving a juicy plot
point away. Katte—Ha ha! I love the idea of Snape ‘catching’ them. Maybe I’ll
try that near the end or something. That could be fun to write.
normal people are the ones you don’t know very well. And we’re so tame
compared to some of the others. And anyway, we’re so good at being
perverts. Hee hee. I’m surprised anylikeliked Alexander, he was just thrown in
to be a minor plot point. I just went, ‘Need Harry jealous. Bring hot guy from
Remus’ past. Need a hot name. Yo, Matt! What’s a name you’d be envious of?
–huh?—You know; if you heard it, you’d be all, ‘That’s a cool name. I wish I
had that name.’ And he tells me some weird shit. Decklin Ross. And I was like, what?
Eventually he goes, ‘…Well, I always liked the name Alexander…’ And that was
all the thought I put into it. Thanks for the muse/music, btw. Good stuff.
walk the line between sexily commanding and respectfully hands-off, as he is
dealing with a mood-swinging adolescent. I think that adds obstacality. Did you
notice how much fun I’ve had playing with the English language in lastlast few
sentences?
Sigh. And yes, I do feel the love. I wonder if those plans were for the
Department of Mysteries. But why would they need them, if they had people
working there? Hmm. Darn it, stop making me think! I’m a writer, not a…wait, I
have to think for that, too…I’m glad heerheer you up; anytime! (I love Apple
Flavored Werewolves, btw!)
had to dream up a plot! You’d think I’d have done it before then, but oh,
nooooo. I have to be contrary and stick the plot in last-minute! I have been meaning
to write back to you; I got the challenge at wisthemthemoon from the
fantabulous Godless Harlot. Some of my fav. fanfic authors/stories are
!ShadowPho! (w! (well, spluh) Um. Bracken’s Remarry…shit. Hard to do
this off the top of my head. Aspen, for the rather dirty stuff, of course
Rhysenn and Maya, two awesome Harry/Draco authors (as I’m sure you know),
Stinkybubbles, Adele Sparks who needs a computer so somebody please buy her
one, oooh, Daegar and Louise Lux for GO fics in particular, Switchknife is
damn good, Debchan is hysterical…I’ll think of others, I’m sure. I think I’ll
put a different one up every time I post, how’s that? And thanks for asking.
Oh, oh yeah! For Remarrys, Anise is one of my favorites. Dirty, sweet, and
altogether slick. And Drworm and Dented Sky are good for that. Magelin Yedi is
another good author. Rough stuff, and well done. But rough, so be warned.