The Malfoy Principle (On Hiatus)

The Werewolf

"This is a secret you must never breathe to anyone," Severus remarked as Saphira smiled and wide-eyed look of hopefulness spread across her features. 

"I won't! Now tell me!" She exclaimed in child-like excitement. Severus sighed as he sat Saphira down in a nearby plush chair. Saphira looked up at him with confused blue eyes and he sighed again. 

"Lupin is a werewolf." Saphira snorted before bursting out into fullblown laughter at Severus's admittance. Saphira's laughter lessened when she noticed the firm frown embedded on her friend's face.  

"You are joking right?" Saphira scoffed as she frowned. Severus shook his head and repeated the words.  

He watched confusion, disbelief, and realization flit across his companion's features all in a span of a few seconds. Finally her features settled into an angry scowl. 

"How long have you known?" Saphira growled as she climbed to her feet. 

"Since he was hired on." Severus answered honestly. Saphira glared at him before storming past him. 

"Where are you going, Saphira?" Snape questioned as he turned to follow her. Saphira scoffed. 

"Where do you think? I'm going to ask Lupin directly," she replied resolutely. Severus's office door slammed shut in between the two adults. Severus groaned before opening the door and following after the blonde. 

Saphira stood in the middle of Remus's empty classroom as she confronted the confused man. Remus Lupin straightened up the papers that were strewn across his desk as he looked up at the blonde. 

"Professor Black, can I help you?" 

"Are you a werewolf, Lupin?" Remus stared at Saphira as if she had grown two heads. Saphira folded her arms across her chest. Remus opened his mouth but no words came out. He just continued to stare at her. 

"It's a very simple question, Lupin. It's either yes or no. Are you a werewolf or not?" Saphira growled as she stomped closer to Remus who back away and pressed himself against his chalkboard. 

"Professor, I..."

"Either you tell me the truth, Lupin or I gut you," Saphira threatened as she pulled out her wand from her robe pocket. Remus's eyes widened before he gulped.

"Yes." The answer slipped from between his lips and Saphira frowned as she separated herself from the uncomfortable confirmed werewolf.

"Are you insane? What would happen if one of the students happened upon you in your transformed state?" Saphira questioned as she tucked her wand back into her pocket. Remus was silent as he stared at his feet.

"I wouldn't let that happen."

"Ah, well, I'll just take your word for it then. At least you are taking precautions with the Wolfbane Potion,"Saphira mumbled as Remus looked up in surprise at her calmness.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Are you insane? Of course not! As much as I hate to admit it, you are a brilliant teacher and I'm not going to hold being a werewolf against you," Saphira admitted as she brushed invisible dirt off of her dress. Remus could only stand there stunned.

"You're not even going to tell your brother?"

"Oi, you have gone insane. I know exactly how Lucius would react to this. He'd act the same way he did when I told him about Draco's scratch; next week you'd be dead." Saphira replied as she used her hand to brush her bangs away from her face. Remus would've laughed if he didn't agree with her. Lucius Malfoy was not a man to be trifled with.  

"Who told you?" Remus asked after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. Saphira chuckled.  

"Severus. I'd been bugging him for weeks because I knew something was wonky," Saphira responded flippantly. Remus joined her chuckling until the two of them were full-out laughing in the middle of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.  

"Lea!" Severus barked as he opened the door, half expecting Saphira to have Remus pinned to the wall. He was stunned to find the two professors laughing. Their laughter stopped as Saphira turned to face her dearest friend.  

"Oh,  Severus. Lupin and I were just discussing how you refused to tell me his secret until I pried it out of you," Saphira remarked with a smirk as Severus frowned. Remus chuckled lowly as he went back to gathering his notes and preparing for his next class.  

"You are satisfied now?" Severus asked as he folded his arms across his chest. Saphira's smirk widened before she nodded.  

"Yes, very," she answered. Remus shook his head as the blonde followed the Potions Master out of the classroom. Severus was silent as he led Saphira back to the dungeons.  

"You thought I would kill him, didn't you?" Saphira questioned after a few minutes of silence. Severus paused for a brief moment before he shook his head.  

"No," he replied curtly. Saphira giggled softly.  

"You thought I would do something," Saphira rebutted easily. She skirted around a few scurrying first-years before she and Severus stopped at the entrance of the courtyard where they would separate to go to their respective classes.  

"But you didn't."  

"And you worried for nothing." Saphira smiled softly. Severus shook his head as he turned to return to the dungeons. Saphira turned to head down to Hagrid's Hut, mentally patting herself on the back for keeping her cool.  

** 

After dinner, Saphira sat curled up in a green plush chair with her students' homework stacked up on the floor around her feet. Severus sat at his desk in a similar situation. Dozens of smoking and (still) bubbling vials of the day's potion were stack in several vial racks as he picked each one up and examined the contents.

"If I hadn't met his father, Mr. Goyle's idiocy might astonish me." She remarked aloud as Severus chuckled.

"Will you be visiting your family for Christmas?" Severus asked before he sneered at one particularly rancid potion.

"Maybe. I haven't fully decided yet. Why?" Saphira shrugged as she frowned at the essay in her hand.

Severus glanced up to study the woman. Saphira sat with her feet tucked beneath her. When her quill wasn't scratching at the students' essays, it was locked between her teeth. It was a habit she had picked up in school. Severus remembered the first time he had seen her do it. Lucius and the Black sisters had all thrown a fit at one time or another, saying it was "uncouth" and a "horrid habit." He smirked at the fact she hadn't lost it. It was one of the many "uncouth and horrid" traits that she hadn't dropped since school.

"I was just curious," Severus answered her earlier question as Saphira scoffed.

"Your curiosity is as rare as a unicorn, Severus. There must be a reason," Saphira responded as she smiled at her oldest friend. Severus chuckled.

"I overheard Draco mention that he and his parents were going to Germany over the holidays," he commented as Saphira nodded. She scratched her quill across another essay, still less than pleased.

"Yes, Lucius did say something to me, but I think I'm going to stay here at Hogwarts over the holidays. After all, my brother is still at odds with me over this entire hippogriff debacle," she replied with a shrug. Severus watched her for a moment and mulled over her answer in his mind. Saphira glanced up toward her companion and found him lost in thought. She sighed and turned back to her work.

"Besides it'll be the first Christmas we've spent together in over ten years," she remarked in an off-hand tone. Severus looked surprised for a moment before he shook his head and smirked.

"Indeed."