Never Surrender [ Snape x Lupin ]

Chapter Thirteen

A couple of full moons passed and it was noticeable how Remus seemed more cheerful on a daily basis. It was the very first time he had actually forgotten to be worried all the time. There was no prospect of physical or sensorial pain on his horizon, giving him the privilege to live more in the present.

Of course, in days such as today, hours away from becoming a werewolf, Remus was his usual apprehensive self. Once again, Severus managed to bargain his way into spending the night with Remus. It was fair enough since they already knew the crystals didn't influence the effect of the Wolfsbane.

They were giving each other some time to focus on work on the previous days, hardly meeting on their break hours. There was much to be done for Remus since he knew he wouldn't be able to work for at least one or two days after the full moon. He could manage to teach, but once the classes are over, he'd crawl back to bed. Severus could always pull a night with almost no sleep from under his sleeves when he needed to. However, being the systematic person he had always been, he felt most comfortable having everything planned and on time.

That day, the rumors around the castle about Sirius Black were unstoppable. They had been increasing and for Remus, it was good not spending extra time with Severus with everybody whispering Sirius' name in the corridors. Maybe his lycanthropy was giving him a break once in his life, but this entire issue regarding Sirius kept him awake at night quite often.

Remus couldn't keep up with his denial anymore, he was dying to know if his friend was ok. So he bought all the newspapers he could find to read if anyone had a clue of the matter. It was frustrating to see so many incomplete articles on him. He seemed to be close to Hogwarts, which wasn't good at all with all the Dementors surrounding the castle.

Every single time Remus saw Sirius' moving picture on the papers, it would make him feel a pinch of pain in his chest. He couldn't have done all those things, couldn't be guilty. He couldn't be a spy. And even if he was, Remus still would have a hard time not helping him if requested. How could he deny him shelter, food, clothes, or even his company, after all they have been through? Spending more than a decade in Azkaban was possibly as close as hell as anyone could get.

"I have to go outside and find him, he'd be searching for me if I were in trouble", Remus thought to himself.

"But... what if I'm wrong? What if he betrayed James and Lily? What if he killed Petter and now wants Harry?" He thought back to himself

Remus couldn't save his friends before from all this tragedy, but he could keep Harry safe. And staying inside the castle keeping an eye on him and teaching him how to produce a Patronus was the best he could do, right?

No. It wasn't. By far. Because Dumbledore didn't know Sirius, James and Petter were Animagi. In fact, no one did. And although Remus had been trying to convince himself Sirius' scape was due to his use of Dark Arts, learned with Voldemort's associates, he knew in his heart Black could have used his ability to turn into a black dog to escape Azkaban. And he certainly could do the same to enter Hogwarts. Putting not only Harry but everyone in danger.

And still, all this overthinking carried another layer of guilt for Remus. Severus, of course. They were lovers now. How could he possibly look at him straight in the eyes if he ever helped Sirius? Especially after feeling Severus' emotions first hand when he entered his mind briefly.

Remus had three different newspapers spread on his desk, touching them with his long fingers and brows frowned in frustration. There was a drawer in which he secretly kept all he could find on the matter. It started out unintentionally, but the papers accumulated over the months.