the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 41 - Feral

"Severus Snape!" Dumbledore's voice snapped him out of his rage for a brief moment, shocking him with the force of power behind the words. "Sit down and drink this!" He held out a small glass bottle - not tea but a potion.

Momentarily under control and shocked at his own behavior, Severus took the bottle from him, opening it and giving it a careful sniff. Calming Draught, he noticed. He quickly downed the potion, feeling it settle the itching rage racing through his blood. He sank gratefully down into one of the cushioned chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk, relief washing through him.

"Albus," Severus asked in shock. "What's wrong with me?"

"Severus," Albus asked very carefully, but his voice brooked no argument. "Is Harry injured or harmed in anyway?"

Horrified Severus looked up at him. "No, of course not!"

"You said you attacked him. Touched him," Albus reminded him.

Severus felt himself flush red with humiliation. "I grabbed his arms, yelled at him. And last night, I . . .I kissed him, but he was asleep. He doesn't even know."

"You kissed him," Albus repeated and then sank down into his seat, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Oh, good grief, Severus. You made it sound like-"

"He's sixteen years old, Albus!" Severus protested in outrage, surprised Albus wasn't more upset.

"And a month ago I found three fourth-year Hufflepuffs going at it hot and heavy in the Room of Requirement - together! All three of them! I think Mr. Potter will survive a kiss! Especially one he slept through."

Severus blanched at his words. "Hufflepuffs?"

"It's always the quiet ones," Albus just shook his head.

"Albus, you don't understand," Severus protested.

"I do understand, Severus," Albus said with a tired sigh. "And I am sorry I didn't warn you. I should have realized that this might happen. You're not the only one affected." He held up his left hand, which had a rather nasty series of scratches running down the back of it. "I actually had to break up a cat fight between Minerva and Mrs. Norris last night," he explained. "And Arthur Weasley called me this morning in a panic when he found his wife outside in the back yard blowing up snowdrifts with her wand - apparently she was convinced the Garden Gnomes were plotting against her."

Severus' eyes widened in realization. "It's Lupin, isn't it? He's doing it? Somehow he's affecting all of us."

Albus nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"But why! Does he blame me for -"

"Oh, Severus, he's not doing it on purpose!" Albus quickly cut that train of thought off. "He can't help himself. It is just the nature of werewolves. Their moods can affect everyone around them."

"You knew?" Severus asked in disbelief.

"Of course I knew, Severus," Albus replied. "Why do you think I was always so lenient with the Marauders?"

"Are you saying Lupin was feral even back then?"

"Of course not!" Albus snapped in exasperation, slamming one fist down on the surface of his desk in a display of temper. He caught himself then, and sighed, opening up his desk drawer and pulling out a tin of lemon drops. Severus recognized them as the ones he made special for the Headmaster - laced liberally with Calming Draught. The old man popped one into his mouth before continuing with what he'd been about to say. "Remus Lupin is one of the kindest, most controlled men I have ever met. And no, he was not feral back then."

"But you just said-"

"You, like a lot of people, have a great many misconceptions about werewolves," Albus interrupted again. He rubbed at his eyes from beneath his glasses, looking for once his age. "Remus is a good man, and what has happened is most unfortunate, and unexpected. And we must find a way to protect him while we try to straighten all this out. I've been reading through the Black Family Cognatus Conscriptus to see if there is a loophole somewhere - though I rather suspect Lucius Malfoy has already done so as well."