Little Teddy had settled quickly. Lin left Ron's dirty dishes on the floor; she'd clean them in the morning. She climbed the stairs while softly singing a lullaby to Teddy. She entered her bedroom and laid her precious cargo in his bassinet and gently covered him with his little yellow blanket. She turned and checked Nikki, who was sleeping. She stood upright and immediately rounded on Severus, who was already in his nightshirt and was swallowing a noxious-smelling potion. Lin's voice was low, but her tone was vicious.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I couldn't help myself. I was overcome with rage when I saw Potter and Niketas."
"You owe Harry an apology."
"I'll do nothing of the sort." What you did to Harry was rude as hell, but what you did to Teddy was horribly cruel."
Severus looked bewildered. "I did nothing to Lupin's child."
"You frightened him and made him cry."
"Is that all?" said Severus with a shrug.
"Is that all?" repeated Lin. "He's a baby, Severus."
"So he'll get over it. He's probably already forgotten it."
"Early childhood trauma can stay for life and can manifest in debilitating ways."
Severus rolled his eyes. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."
"Or," replied Lin tartly as she gathered her nightclothes and headed for the bathroom to freshen up and change for bed, "you could make a concerted effort not to frighten infants because of a simple grudge."
"Grudge?" spat Severus. His face turned an ugly shade of red and the veins in his neck and temples bulged. "Potter ruined my life!"
"That was James, not Harry," said Lin from the bathroom. "And lower your voice, you'll wake the babies."
"Shall I use sign language, or will that upset the precious little tots too?"
"No one likes a smart-ass, Severus, including me," said Lin as she exited the bathroom and headed for her bed. "It's late. Come to bed. You can brood over Harry tomorrow."
Severus' temper cooled as fast as it had flared. The potion he'd taken had settled his stomach, but had no effect on the wine he'd drunk, and he was feeling quite sleepy. His hatred for Potter could rest until morning. Severus slept heavily and didn't have any disturbing dreams despite having seen Potter holding his son. It was late morning when he woke. Lin had risen before him. He rose slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. There was a try on the table near the center of the room; it was charmed to stay warm and contained a light breakfast. He checked the bassinets and both were empty. Lin must've taken both babies to visit Mama Sophia, which suited Severus. He had no interest in looking after Lupin's child. He went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face before sitting down to breakfast. He had no trouble eating as he wasn't the slightest bit hungover despite drinking more than he normally would have. Despite being naturally very thin and pale, he had a hearty constitution that was difficult to perturb.
His behavior the night before played through his mind, and he felt a little ashamed of himself, though not enough to apologize to Potter. It was a rare event for Severus to lose control of his temper, and he blamed his outburst on the wine. But, to be honest, Potter had a way of bringing the worst out of Severus without even trying. When he finished eating, he dressed and descended into his study. He pulled a large sheet of parchment from his desk drawer and drew a huge stick figure on it. He wrote a description in red letters accompanied by red arrows all the places on the figure's body that were not to be touched while in the company of others. The figure's shoulders, arms, and hands had words written in green ink accompanied by green arrows detailing the parts that were permissible to touch. He placed the parchment in Niketas' bassinet as he knew Lin would see it.
Severus became concerned as afternoon began to turn to evening. He'd just decided to go searching for Lin when an owl arrived carrying a letter from her.
Dearest Severus,
Met Molly and went shopping for baby things. I'll be home by dinner time.
Love you, Lin.
How many things do babies really need? Severus balled the letter up, threw it the air, and used wandless non-verbal magic to set it alight. He went back to scribbling notes on the anti-lycanthropy formula he was still working on. A few hours later, more owls arrived and dropped four little boxes on his desk from a shop called Toddlin' Tots. Severus opened the card on one of the boxes and the voice of what sounded like an older woman told him that they were charmed to hold large items and warned that the boxes not be opened in a crowded space. Severus had no interest in baby things and let the boxes rest where they were. Moments later a ward going off told him that Lin had arrived home. Not long after that, Lin entered his study laughing and carrying the parchment he'd left for her.
"I see you found my note."
"Yes, thank you for the very clear instructional." She moved to stand next to his desk and moved his hair from in front of his face, which he promptly shook back into place. "I guess you haven't eaten dinner?"
"You've guessed correctly."
"You didn't open the boxes."
"Why would I?"
"I bought some things for Nikki. I thought you'd want to see them."
"Not really." Severus turned his attention back to his potion formula.
"I thought it was time Nikki had his own room. I think the one across the hall will do. I don't want him too far from us. Any thoughts?"
"No."
"I didn't think so," said Lin. "Molly helped me pick out furniture, and she's going to help decorate later in the week."
Severus heard Lin, but didn't respond. He didn't care at all where Niketas slept, and he was much too busy with his potion to blather about pointless things. Lin leaned down and kissed his cheek.
"What was that for?
"For helping Remus."
"I've done nothing for Lupin," replied Severus and went back to scribbling.
"But you're trying, and I know you're doing it for me. So thank you." Severus nodded, but didn't look up from his work. "Sophia sent a care package for you." Severus grumbled and rolled his eyes. "I'll put it away for now. Is there something you'd like me to make?"
"As long as it's hot and not Italian, I'll be satisfied."
~~~
Remus and Tonks extended their mini-vacation for an extra day, and Remus came to pick up Teddy on Tuesday morning. He and Lin sat at the kitchen table with their cups of tea and biscuits, and Lin listened while Remus happily chatted about his romantic long weekend with Tonks. The two babies where just through the doorway happily swinging in charmed swings in the dining room.
"We had a fantastic time. It was so relaxing, just the two of us," said Remus as he plunked a biscuit into his tea.
"Will there be pictures?" said Lin.
"I don't think that would be appropriate."
"Didn't you leave the hotel room at all?"
"A couple of times...I think."
After the laughter subsided, Lin decided to turn the conversation to something more grave. She knew her timing was off, but there was no gentle way to discuss the matter. "I hope I won't put a damper on your good mood, but there's something serious I need to discuss with you."
Remus' expression showed no sign of his inner thoughts. He appeared as jovial as he did a second ago. His voice was soft when he spoke, no doubt to keep Severus from hearing him. "You and Severus having problems?"
"Strange as it may seem—no." Lin took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, there's no easy way to say it, so I'll just blurt it: Severus' anti-lycanthropy potion is ready for human testing." Remus sat stock still. If Lin didn't know better, she'd have thought he was having a petit-mal seizure, everything just stopped. He even stopped blinking. The pleasant smile fled from Remus' face leaving him expressionless. "Remus? Are you okay?"
Remus blinked and cleared his throat. "Yes...yes, I'm fine." His smile returned, but Lin knew him well enough to know that it was forced. "I'd thought you'd given up on finding a cure."
"Severus is more tenacious than me and far more skilled at potions-making."
"So how soon do you want me?"
Lin was a little taken aback. "I haven't asked you to test it yet."
"Why else would you bring it up?"
"There are things we need to discuss."
"I can be ready by the weekend," said Remus as he casually took a sip of tea.
"Slow down," said Lin. "You have to understand the risks."
"I would do anything to break this curse, Lin."
"But you can't rush into this, Remus."
Severus had a talent for appearing just when he was needed, his dark form graced the doorway to the cellar and he stepped into the kitchen.
"Severus, please tell him not to jump into this."
"I'll not mince words, Lupin. This potion is unproven and the chance for death is high. It's important that you fully understand the risks involved."
"Don't hold back, Severus."
Severus rattled off the potential side effects without a hint of emotion in his voice, and no appearance of concern on his face. "Aside from death, the potential side effects are extreme nausea, fever, bone pain, and tachycardia. More severe side effects are likely to be brain damage from uncontrolled fever and cardiac arrest from an unstable heart rate.
Some of the color drained from Remus' face as he listened. "That wasn't very reassuring, Severus."
"Those were the facts," replied Severus.
"Severus, you really need to work on your bedside manner," said Lin, who reached across the table to take Remus' hand. "Mull it over, talk to Tonks, and then get back to us. We're in no hurry."
"But I am," said Remus. "The full moon is only eight days away, and I'm tired of the pain."
"There is no guarantee of a cure, Lupin, and no guarantee that you'll even survive."
"What are the odds of survival, Severus? Give me your best guess."
"I don't guess," said Severus emphatically. "I theorize based on facts and figures."
"Even so," replied Remus.
"At best, there may be an eighty percent chance of survival."
"That's excellent!"
"Those are theoretical odds," said Severus, "and they are for survival only. They don't include the potential for permanent damage."
"And the odds for disability?"
"Difficult to say due to the potion's volatility," replied Severus. "The potential for disability, and its severity, will be highly dependent on your body's response to the potion."
"So, you're saying each person who takes this potion will react differently?" said Remus.
"Precisely," said Severus. "The odds of survival with disability could be as high as fifty percent."
"Fifty-fifty isn't exactly confidence-inducing, but it's better than nothing."
"Remus, please be rational about this—"
"I'm always rational, Lin."
"No one is always rational. Talk to Tonks first and get back to us."
"This isn't Tonks' decision, it's mine."
"This will affect her too."
"It's my decision, Lin," said Remus firmly, "and mine only. Tonks is resilient, and Teddy is young enough that he won't remember me." Lin's jaw almost dropped at that statement. Severus moved to stand next to her, and he placed his hand lightly on her shoulder.
"We've asked Lupin to assist us, and he has agreed. The matter is closed," Severus' voice was soft, low, and gently silky; the coldness returned to it as he addressed Lupin. "I'll need time to prepare for the experiment and to clear the property of Lin's Muggle friends. Is next week acceptable?"
"Yes, perfectly."
"I'll owl you when I'm ready."
Remus rose and kissed Lin's cheek. He whispered a 'thank you' in her ear. His hands were shaking with excitement, but he otherwise appeared in total control of his feelings. He gathered Teddy quickly and was gone. Severus sat in the chair Remus had just vacated and gently took hold of Lin's hands.
"I wasn't trying to talk Remus out of this, I just think Tonks should have a say."
"It's Lupin's life at stake, the decision is ultimately his," said Severus.
"Tonks is my friend. How can I look her in the eyes after keeping this from her?"
"It's not our place to insert ourselves into Lupin's relationship with his wife."
"I suppose, but I'd be devastated if you did something like this without me."
"Which is precisely why I wouldn't tell you about it."
~~~