𝙳𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝙿𝙾𝙽𝚄𝙼 » 𝚂𝚂/𝚁𝙻

𝚇𝚇𝙸 >> 𝚆𝙾𝙻𝙵𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃

< 2 MONTHS, 1 WEEK, 2 DAYS >

A cauldron lathers in the dark spur of air in the room, a small flame sleeping bedraggledly beneath it. A hand drops a collection of leaves onto the thin liquid surface, and its eyes watch them sink to the bottom of the iron bowl. Panic seeps from the ingredients. Immediacy is impelled as they are stirred in.

"I've always thought at why one would take the entire nail," Minerva comments, hushed as she watches the potion being contrived before her very observation. "Why do you think, Severus, that they wouldn't just simply take a corner of it off? Grab a hair?"

The liquid begins to steam. Snape stops the mixing, occluding a few jars and placing them back on his shelves.

"A larger amount of substance guarantees multifarious avails when divided," he replies. "Additionally, substantial amount of body material, especially when potentially connected to flesh such as fragments of a nailbed, offer more potency than a mere corner."

"Potency of flesh along with the potency of dragonfly thorax," McGonagall replies. "And we wonder why the polyjuice antidote had no effect."

Severus slips deep black gloves off from his hands, tossing them at his desk and removing the cauldron from its flame. "If it isn't confounded in the next two days during its steeping evolution, this one will." He crosses the room and grabs his outer robes, clipping them around his neck. "It's the full moon, Minerva. Keep the building company. I have untimely onuses to attend to."

"He isn't an encumbrance to you, Severus. Don't pretend I'm that easy to fool," McGonagall shoots back. "You can trick the rest of the world, but you cannot move me."

Severus sneers as he opens the door of his classroom and exposes it to the outer light of the hall. "You're far too insightful for my own good."

He receives a smug smile in return. "Tell him hello for me, will you?" she asks. "Have a nice time."

She considers saying something else regarding the potion bubbling before her, but her words fall short. As she turns back to the doorway, she finds it characteristically empty, and she knows that Severus Snape is already long gone.

The early January air is soft on Snape's nose as he powers through it, the usual number of notes and books tucked in his arm as he walks. He finds the shack through Hogsmeade this time, as there's nobody around and he'd much rather just use its front door than walk for however long it is underground. He doesn't like that tunnel. It brings back memories of which he is not fond.

The buildings are unostentatious, closely-nestled and outmoded as always. He finds himself to be one of the only individuals on the paved cobblestone of this street, which comes in handy as he reaches his required destination with relief that nobody is around to watch him enter it.

He glides into the shack to find that Remus is already there, waiting on the bottom of the stairwell in silence. He looks up as Severus walks in, closing the door behind him and veering beneath his own robes. Snape entertains a warm smile from Lupin as if it is a contrived visitant.

"Severus!" Remus exclaims, jumping to his feet and walking over in his direction. Because he knows that the action is now allowed, he leans over and gives him a kiss on the cheek, which is both entirely startling and completely and beautifully warm. Severus freezes, taken aback by the gesture, and he doesn't know what to say. Sensing this with his quintessential adeptness, Lupin talks instead.

"Happy birthday," he says softly, smiling down at him.

Severus sounds as if he is whispering. He isn't sure how that happened. "How did you know?"