nny | A simple enough thing. Snape/Lupin

In answer to

copperbadge's challenge, here. Snupin, set after chapter 10 of his Lupin/McGonagall.

Not nearly enough action, but you didn't give me much to work with, here. *g*

Call it PG-13.

A simple enough thing.

All the magic, in all the world, and they still hadn't found a way to get rid of the damned pigeons. The younger students, particularly girls, paticularly Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, for some reason, would always become upset were a pigeon to become stuck in one of the nooks or crannies of the castle. Netting had been strung up across some of the narrow alcoves in a bid to prevent this; giving rise, naturally, to problems of a different nature.

"Stop it! Give it back!"

"You'll have to catch it!" Harshly laughing voices. Gryffindor, most likely- though he had no illusions about the students of his *own* house, he liked to believe they had more subtlety than to bully another student directly outside the staffroom window.

He looked up, distracted from his work, and saw that a glove had been thrown into the netting, the fine waxed cotton almost invisible in the evening light, making it seem as though the lone glove were floating unsupported. A Ravenclaw student, one of the quieter ones, was jumping about on the grass below, trying in vain to retrieve it.

He scowled, and gestured impatiently with his wand. A small tear opened in the netting, dropping the glove at the student's feet.

"That was uncommonly charitable, Severus."

Blast Lupin. The man was far quieter than most of the faculty- except for Minerva, to whom he had often been tempted to attach a bell. He'd thought himself alone in the staffroom, and had been quite satisfied with that state of affairs.

"Merely removing an annoyance." He dipped his quill back in the ink, and made ready to continue writing. "Speaking of which- was there anything you wanted?"

Lupin's voice was amused as he answered.

"I had hoped to speak to you, but I can see that you're busy."

Snape sighed, and lay down his quill, turning to face the other man.

"Anything to get you out of here more quickly, Lupin. Out with it."

"You saw me with Minerva-"

"-and you wondered if I would be informing the school? Don't be ridiculous. Should I wish to stain your reputation, I have far more damning information to hand, wouldn't you say?" Anger crossed Lupin's face for an instant, but his voice was calm enough as he answered.

"Then I am indebted to you on two counts, Severus. If there's ever any way I can repay you...?" Snape turned back to his work.

"You can leave."

"My apologies for disturbing you. I'll speak to you later."

Snape sneered and stood up suddenly, turning to face Lupin in a swirl of black robes. He advanced on him slowly, anger building.

"Not the room, Lupin. The school. Your position here. Your... *fling* with Minerva. My life. Leave. Now."

The anger on his face was more visible, this time; heightened colour, clenched teeth. Snape revelled in the power that came with provoking one so phlegmatic.

"You're being ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?" Snape hissed into Lupin's face, silently crowing as he flinched, "ridulous is expecting me to be civil to you. Expecting me to sit and eat with you. Expecting me to play nice with the werewolf and make his potion each month with no gratitude, so he doesn't hurt anyone the way he nearly did ME!" His voice had risen until he was shouting.

"And you don't think I have tortured myself about that night? You don't think I would take it back if I could?"

"What you would do and what you can are entirely different matters, Lupin." His voice was softer now, seductively dangerous, and he saw Lupin's nostrils flare and a shocked look cross the other man's face.

"What...?"

"Call it reparation." He leaned forward and pressed his mouth against the other man's, his tongue flickering out to taste the unresponsive lips, wondering if he tasted Minerva there. He pulled away and smiled slightly. "I will see justice done," he whispered, then turned and walked away.

He suspected that Lupin's eyes followed him out of the room. But he didn't turn.