Something Like a Hero

Part 4

It took Severus a couple of days to decide whether he should talk to Lupin or not. He had tried to find out more about Harry's nightmares without having to ask Lupin, but Harry was very good at hiding things from him. Besides, Harry didn't even remember that he had talked to Severus the night he had that nightmare about Sirius. It could have just been a bad dream, but a strange voice convincing you to join a dead man was never a good thing.

He didn't want to ask Harry, because if he did, it would seem as if Severus cared. He did care. Harry didn't need to know that, though.

Lupin wasn't a good choice, either, but Severus had the impression that the werewolf knew what was going on. Because something was wrong; Severus could always tell. He always knew when Harry was in trouble. It was like Severus had a sixth sense when it came to Harry Potter. He didn't know how he had acquired it, but it had been with him since the first time Harry had stepped onto Hogwarts' grounds.

It was annoying and quite unsettling, and yet, he couldn't help feeling that way.

So, against the voice in his head that told him to mind his own business, he entered Lupin's office.

"Severus?" Remus sounded curious. It wasn't every day that Severus dropped by his office unless it was the full moon.

Severus stared at him intensely. He hated when Lupin called him that. It seemed as if they were friends, not mortal enemies. Although Severus didn't think about Lupin as much as he did before, it was hard to meet with him. Lupin's presence was a constant reminder of a past he longed to forget.

"I need to ask you something," Severus said dryly, trying to dissipate the past from his mind.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"What's going on with Potter? He's in trouble, isn't he?"

Silence. Severus could feel Lupin's tension. He was right then. There was something going on.

"Why?" Remus asked.

"What's with you Gryffindors; instead of answering a simple question, you always have to ask another one?"

Remus crossed his arms. "It isn't a simple question, and I don't know why Harry is any of your concern."

Severus wished he could punch Lupin in the nose. How dare he talk to him like that? Harry was of Severus' concern more than anyone else's. He was the one who had watched out for Harry ever since his first year in Hogwarts. He was the one who had saved the stupid boy so many times. Had anyone bothered to thank him? No. While poor Remus Lupin had stayed out of most of Harry's life, Severus had always been there for the boy. Maybe he was a little cold, and his methods weren't exactly the ones of a typical hero, but he cared for Harry. He had the right to know what was going on with him, what mess he had gotten himself into.

Severus smirked. "You forget that I was the one who protected him all these years."

"Yeah, sure," Remus replied coldly. "That was probably why Harry faced Voldemort at the age of eleven, and that was why he fought a Basilisk when he was twelve. Oh, and let's not forget what you screwed up for him when you appeared like a madman in the Shrieking Shack when he was thirteen. Should I go on? I've got plenty of wonderful stories about how you've protected him all these years."

Severus fumed. "I've tried my best to keep him out of trouble! It isn't my fault that danger follows him everywhere! I have the feeling that he's in trouble, which is why I'm here. Do you forget that I was the one who saved him after the last battle against The Dark Lord? Well, of course you don't. It's so bloody convenient for you! He doesn't know anything, does he? You were the first person he saw next to him when he got out of the coma, and you were suddenly his hero." Severus' words were full of bitterness. "Remus Lupin, one of James' best friends, the only one who could have watched out for Harry, and yet coward Remus Lupin decided to go away, to escape, to–"