My Brother is a Teenage Werewolf

Chapter 2

Summer after 6th year

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Severus woke with a start. He lay there on his bed as he tried to place the sound that had pulled him from his dreams. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was just after six in the morning, and then suddenly, he was wide awake.

Remus was back, and it sounded as if he were in the kitchen. 

Severus jumped out of bed in a flash and sprinted down the stairs. He turned the corner in the living room, skidding to a halt outside the kitchen door, to find Remus standing at the sink. He was supporting himself with his elbows resting on the basin as he held a glass in his shaking hands underneath a stream of water.

"I'll get it," Severus said quietly, not wanting to startle the other teen when he didn't know that Severus was behind him.

Remus slowly turned his head to look at him, and Severus saw a new cut leading from his temple down to his chin; blood was still slowly oozing from the deep wound.

"Don't look at me like that," Remus muttered. "I'm fine."

"Oh, yes, I can tell by the way the blood is dripping down onto your arm," Severus sarcastically replied as he moved further into the kitchen and took the glass from Remus. "Sit down, will you?"

Remus rolled his eyes, but it was clear that he wasn't going to argue with him. Aside from the cut on his face, there were more, plenty more, smaller cuts and scratches along his arms, and Severus knew that when he took his shirt off, his chest would be littered with them as well. His face was pale, and his skin seemed to be pulled tight across his cheekbones, making his features seem to stand out more than usual. His eyes, usually so bright, appeared hollow and lifeless.

Remus moved away from the sink and took a step towards the dining room chair, only to have his knees buckle before he made it halfway.

"Merlin, Remus!" Severus exclaimed as he dropped the glass into the sink and tried to catch his brother. It was a useless attempt, however, and Remus landed hard on the tile floor. 

Severus reached down to put his hands under each of Remus's arms, carefully lifting him and helping him to stand. He pulled one of Remus's arms around his neck and supported him by holding on to his waist with his free hand. 

Remus hissed out a pained breath at the contact. 

"Sorry," Severus said and quickly loosened his grip a bit while still trying to hold him up. "Alright, let's get you to the couch at least."

Remus nodded while gritting his teeth, and slowly they made their way into the living room. 

Severus helped Remus lie down on the couch before going back to the kitchen to get him the glass of water he wanted. He brought it back to him and sat in the chair across from the couch as Remus slowly sipped it until he had only a bit left. When he finished, Severus put the glass on the end table and went upstairs to the bathroom where Minerva kept the first aid kit. 

Unlike a muggle kit, this one held potions for cleaning and healing wounds. Severus noticed that it was clear of any pain-relieving potions, though, and thought she must have forgotten to refill it after the last full moon. He wished she were here right now, but last night she and Albus had been called away for an emergency. So now here he was, left to patch up Remus alone.

Severus sighed as he came back downstairs and found Remus dozing off. He knelt in front of the couch and opened the kit. "Alright," he said as he pulled out first a vial of blue potion and then one that was clear. "Let's get you cleaned up." He took a cloth from the kit and soaked it in the clear potion before he swiped it carefully along the cut on Remus's face. Remus flinched at the contact but otherwise said nothing. Severus knew that the antibiotic potion stung severely, but he had to clean it before he could heal it.

They remained silent as Severus worked his way down Remus's arms, first cleaning and then healing the various cuts and scrapes. When he was satisfied that they had healed as much as he could make them, he stood up, ignoring the way his knees protested at the movement.

"Do you need help sitting up?" he asked. "We need to get your shirt off."

Remus bit back a groan as he let Severus help him up. When Severus moved to raise his shirt, though, he hissed once more in pain. Blood had dried, sticking his shirt to his skin.

"I'm fine," Remus assured him, though his voice sounded strained and weak. He took hold of the hem of his t-shirt and swiftly pulled it over his head, effectively ripping it away from his side where it had gotten stuck to the deep cut. The pain from that bit of movement had cost Remus, though, and he found himself feeling nauseous.

"I'm going to be sick!" he rushed to say as he tried to stand.

Severus pushed him back and said, "Accio bucket," then held out his hand to take the small, black rubbish bin that had soared through the air. He pushed it into Remus's hands just in time for Remus to lose everything he had eaten the day before. 

Remus moaned and dropped heavily back onto the cushions of the couch as Severus banished the pail.

"Thanks," Remus breathed, his eyes closing slowly.

Severus didn't comment, just set to work cleaning the wounds on his chest and side before he healed them as gently as he could. 

"Ever thought about being a healer after Hogwarts?" Remus asked softly a few minutes later. 

Severus glanced up at him. Remus's eyes were still closed, but his eyebrows were at least no longer creased in pain as they had been. That was something he supposed he could be grateful for at least. He looked back down at the cloth in his hand and sighed. When he'd started, it had been white, and now it was a dark crimson color.

"I don't think I'd have much of a bedside manner," he answered, continuing his work. He only had a few more until he was finished. He tried to imagine Remus in his wolf form, clawing at his own skin over and over. The thought alone turned Severus's stomach.

Remus huffed lightly. "Probably not, but I'd still consider it anyway. You're doing pretty good tonight." 

Severus found that he didn't know what to say to that, so he simply said nothing at all. When he had finally finished, he sighed before rolling his shoulders to stretch out the tense muscles there.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" he asked, swiping the back of his hand across his forehead to mop up the sweat that had formed there. Remus shook his head. "You're feeling alright, then?"

"I feel like I spent the night as a werewolf, Sev," Remus said drily but with a small chuckle that turned into a cough. "I'm just tired. Thank you. You didn't have to do all this."

"Yeah, well, I suppose that's what brothers are for." Severus stood and walked into the kitchen and to the first cabinet on the right. Opening it, he pulled out a small vial of pain-relieving potion and a slightly larger one of calming draught. He could have gone for a sleeping one but didn't think Remus would have any problems going to sleep, but he might have issues staying asleep if nightmares plagued him as they so often did. So, calming draught it would be.

He brought them both back into the living room and handed them to Remus, who took them without question. It was a testament to how close the two of them had become over the last three months that he didn't even consider that Severus could be giving him something entirely wrong. Severus took the vials when he finished and then set about cleaning up his mess.

By the time he had finished, Remus was sleeping as peacefully as could be expected, and Severus was unsure of what to do next. Was he just supposed to leave him down here? But that didn't seem right. What if he got sick again or needed something?

Ultimately, Severus conjured another bucket and placed it beside Remus on the floor before pulling down an extra blanket from the hall closet and spreading it out over him. Then, he went upstairs to wash up a bit before retrieving a book from his room and taking it to the living room to read, just in case.

When Albus and Minerva were finally able to floo home a few hours later, they found them both asleep with Severus's book lying open on the floor beside him. 

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AN: I hope you guys like this chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments!