The Secret's In The Telling by Sakuri

chapter 24

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Chapter 24: The Power of Observation

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Remus had been increasingly aware of the concept of werewolf mates. His own wavering loyalty and confused feelings about Severus had pushed the idea to the forefront of his mind – unfortunate, considering the Potions Master had taken seconds to seize the thoughts, scrutinise them mercilessly and laugh at his insecurities.

"You needn't worry, Lupin," he'd sneered at the time. "It would never happen. You can remain perfectly faithful to the late Sirius Black." He'd spat the name like poison.

Remus had to wonder what on earth could be wrong with him that he found himself both despising and attracted to Severus and his cruelty. The last session between them had gotten entirely out of hand, resulting in childish hexes being hailed across the other man's rooms. The wolf had, for once, even come to his aid, eager for the chance to get at the Potions Master, who was the cause of what it saw as Remus's betrayal of his mate. Its fury had given him the burst of speed and strength that had landed Severus on his back with Remus straddling him, snarling, his wand forgotten.

Black eyes had widened in fear for a split second, and then quickly glazed over with contempt. "You're going to take what you want by force now, Lupin?" he'd spat, and Remus, disgusted by the mere implication, and a little with himself, had left without another word.

There was no logical explanation. It wasn't like it was real attraction, anyway, he told himself. It was the lingering remnants of a deluded adolescent fantasy, from a time when the other man had been just a little less jaded and abrasive. It was a morbid fascination for something he could never have, and maybe a side effect of the horrible intimacy they shared these days.

Thinking this, he huffed and raised his eyes to the moon, using a hind paw to scratch idly behind an ear. Nearby, Harry and Draco tussled and chased each other, tumbling in and out of his peripheral vision.

In that moment, he was glad he wasn't in human form. His expression would have shown too much. He wanted to smile, but from the heart of him, sorrow bloomed and blossomed.

Never had he been so certain that he was watching another werewolf and his mate.

Neither of them knew it yet, of course, but Harry had always been slow on the uptake, and Draco submerged in denial. Remus saw it. He'd seen it since the first time he'd taken the pair running. In fact, it had been so like a flashback to his own sixth year, with Sirius, that he'd lost himself in memory more than once. Merlin, the strange beauty and familiarity of the situation astounded him. How could this possibly be happening twice, even in the nexus of magic that was Hogwarts…? Especially between these two, of all people – Harry, Sirius's godson and so eerily like the man on occasion, and Draco, who was, for all intents and purposes, his own responsibility. The reflection was impossible to ignore and painful to watch.

So while the two teenagers danced around each other, fighting against the connection he could see was already drawing them together, his own mind was in turmoil. He felt obligated to watch out for them, to guide them if he could, particularly Draco. It surprised him to realise he was growing protective of the younger werewolf, who had few adult allies right now. Lucius Malfoy was a joke of a father, in Remus's opinion, if he could encourage his son to a life in the Dark, and then walk away when the boy declined. Narcissa had evidently chosen her husband's side, and with Severus in his current mood for whatever inexplicable reason, Draco had to be feeling somewhat abandoned. And as a result, Remus could feel every mother-wolf instinct in him rally in response. The boy was part of his pack, as was Harry. He'd treat them as such.