TITLE: Under a Waxing Moon
AUTHOR: summerborn
CHARACTERS: Severus Snape, Remus Lupin
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: A misplaced prank (no, not that one) and unrequited attraction bring together two boys at Hogwarts in 1976 or so. Some queer themes.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: 1881 words. Originally written for Snupin Santa 2006.
"You what?!" Severus Snape stared in horror at the boy in front of him.
"Come on, Severus!" Regulus dropped his bag on the floor of the common room and looked up at Severus. "They're always playing pranks on you. I just thought--I thought it would be nice to give them a taste of their own medicine."
"But--" Severus ran a hand through his hair. This was bad. This was very, very bad. "But didn't you consider..." What was he saying? Of course, Regulus Black never stopped to consider all the consequences. And he could hardly confess that he did, in fact, care what Remus Lupin thought of him. Because he didn't. Of course not.
"I thought you'd be pleased, Severus. I mean, what could go wrong? If Lupin falls for it, he'll be waiting out by the lake all night. If he doesn't, then no harm done."
No harm done. Right. "The problem," he growled, clenching his hands into fists, "is that you made it sound like I would actually want to meet him!"
Regulus frowned. "So what? He's the poof. Everyone knows that you're not queer."
And that was the problem, of course. Severus had done a good job playing the nice, normal, heterosexual Slytherin in his attempts to fit in--too good. Regulus knew him better than anyone, and even he didn't suspect that Severus wasn't straight. Because of that, Remus was going to be standing outside in January, possibly for hours--and he'd blame Severus for it, no doubt about it. That is, if he even showed up at all.
With a last snarl at Regulus, Severus swirled and stormed out of the Slytherin common room. Surely he wouldn't stay out there too long? He knows enough to come in out of the cold, an anxious little voice whispered in Severus' mind.
Or maybe he won't show up at all. Maybe he's having a good laugh over Regulus' message with Potter and Black, right now. This was the voice Severus hated--the bitter, insulting voice that hexed first and asked questions later. He stopped in the empty corridor, halfway to the stairs that led to the main level.
What would Remus Lupin do, if told that Severus was going to come meet him at the lake late at night? He'd never shown the slightest bit of interest in Severus, but he tended to fade into the background whenever Potter and Black were around. The unnoticeable one, that was Lupin--except that Severus had noticed him, and wondered what the boy was like away from his Gryffindor pack.
Tonight could be his chance to find out. All he had to do was take the chance that Lupin had shared the message with his friends, and that they were all there waiting to ambush him when he showed up, believing the lie that Severus wanted to meet Remus alone. Of course, he wasn't so sure that was a lie any more. The question was, did he dare?
His steps echoed softly down the corridor as he began moving toward the stairs, more purposefully than before.
-:-
There was a figure standing down by the lake, apparently alone.
Severus, several meters away, could just make out the shape of a single person against the faint reflections of moonlight on the lake's surface. He thought it was just one person, but all the other three Gryffindors would need to do was sit or lie down, and they'd be invisible in the darkness. And they did have a habit of seeming invisible at just the right moments, Severus thought darkly.
