My Brother is a Teenage Werewolf

A Quest for Chocolate

Remus froze on the last few steps of the Grand Staircase. He had just heard movement from behind him and though he knew that while under the cloak, no one could see him, it didn't mean that he couldn't be heard.

He slowly turned, careful not to make any noise, and peered through the darkness to see who was there.

Mrs. Norris stood near the top of the landing, her yellow, lamp-like eyes seeming to see straight through the cloak as she stared at him.

Remus swallowed hard before tentatively taking another step down the stairs. Mrs. Norris let out a loud "meow," and Remus stopped once more. He pulled his wand from the sleeve of his robes and slid it through the front of the cloak before muttering a spell that caused a small red light to erupt from the tip of his wand. The light danced towards Mrs. Norris, pausing for a second on the wall or on the floor. It had the immediate effect of catching her attention, and soon she was leaping around like a kitten after the light. 

Without giving Mrs. Norris another glance, Remus bolted the rest of the way down the stairs and turned left at the end of the corridor.

His only thought was that he could not get caught tonight. He'd already been warned twice now by his newly adopted parents that if he were caught sneaking out after curfew again, he would be grounded. With the summer holidays only two short weeks away, that was the last thing he wanted. Normally, that would be enough to deter him, and really it had been for the last few weeks. He'd toed the line and kept out of trouble, or at least any trouble that could get traced back to him and the Marauders.

But when Sirius had bet him ten galleons that he couldn't sneak out of the passageway that lay behind the mirror on the fourth floor in order to get into Honeydukes' without the use of the Map, he just couldn't make himself say "no." 

Besides, he was out of chocolate and needed to restock.

Remus turned another corner and was brought up short once again. At the end of the hallway, directly in front of the door he needed, stood Professor Slughorn. Remus cursed his bad luck and tried to think of a way to get past him without being caught. He felt in his pocket where he had a handful of dungbombs, but he hadn't wanted to use them unless it was absolutely necessary. If he set them off, they were sure to alert the professors that there was a student out of bed and then, even if he managed to get out of the castle, he would have a much harder time getting past them on the way back.

Before Remus could give his predicament much more thought, Filch appeared from the other end of the hallway and headed straight for Slughorn. Remus moved quietly along the wall towards them, hoping to catch whatever they were saying.

"It was Peeves that told me, Professor," Filch said, his voice hysterical. "He said he saw a student out of bed just a few moments ago. Said they were on the third floor!"

Remus held his breath as he pressed his back against the wall. He hadn't passed Peeves anywhere since he'd left Gryffindor Tower.

"Yes, yes, alright, Mr. Filch," Slughorn said with a smile that made Remus think he was only indulging the other man. "Let's go and see then, shall we?"

Remus let out the breath he'd been holding and crept towards the spot that Slughorn had just vacated.

He pulled out his wand and tapped the doorknob, uttering, "Alohomora." He looked around once more before opening the door and hurrying inside.

As soon as he shut the door behind him, Remus ripped off the cloak and moved over to the mirror to begin moving it off to the side so that he could get inside the passageway. Movement in the reflection of the mirror caught his eye and he whirled around, his wand raised before he had even had time to think it through.

"Easy," Severus said as he stepped into the light so that Remus could see that it was him.

"What are you doing here?!" Remus asked, lowering his wand.

"I could ask you the same thing, but I already know the answer."

Remus narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.

"Dad's going to be pretty upset if he finds out you were sneaking out again."

"Are you going to tell him?" Remus asked, his tone sharp.

"No," Severus replied, walking over to him. "That would just get me in trouble too."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because believe it or not, I don't actually want you to get caught. I've got plans for this summer, and Mum and Dad will be much more agreeable towards them if they're not already upset with you."

"So you're just looking out for yourself, then?"

"Obviously," Severus said drily.

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here."

Severus rolled his eyes. "I overheard you and Black talking about the bet yesterday in the library. I figured the best way to keep you from getting caught would be to help you out, so I snuck out myself using an invisibility potion." Severus reached into the pocket of his robes and pulled out a bottle of silver liquid. "I found Peeves filling the keyholes of the classroom doors with gum and told him that I was going to get the Bloody Baron if he didn't find Filch and tell him he'd spotted students out of bed on the third floor. Then I came to wait for you, but Professor Slughorn was out making his rounds and I think he spotted the door closing behind me. That's why he was standing guard out there. He came inside but the potion hadn't worn off yet so he didn't see me."

Remus thought about it and really couldn't see any reason that Severus would be lying. He'd already admitted that getting him in trouble would only end badly for him as well.

Remus nodded. "Do you have enough of that to get back to your Common Room?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "'Course I do. Are you going to be able to get back on your own or will you need help?"

"I'll be fine."

"Good," Severus said, before raising the small vial to his mouth and downing it in one swallow. Immediately he disappeared. "Bring me back a Chocolate Frog. I'm still looking for that Alberic Grunnion one."

A few seconds later, the door opened and then closed behind Severus, and Remus was left alone. He wasted no time in climbing through the passageway and heading to Hogsmeade, already deciding that he would bring Severus back a whole bag full of Chocolate Frogs.

***

AN: This one is pretty short, but I like it. I hope you do too!