Bitter Medicine
Title: Bitter Medicine
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Severus Snape, Remus Lupin
Genre: Gen
Word Count: 500
Summary: Time cannot heal some wounds.
Written for Round 2, Week 5 of genhp_ldws. Prompts=Forgiving; from the points of view of two enemies.
*~*
As Severus added the last of the ingredients to his cauldron, he smiled at the blue smoke that plumed from potion's shimmering surface. While he worked, he had been able to focus his mind on the delicate construction of the potion, but no longer. He scowled as he remembered the reason for brewing it.
Severus had warned Dumbledore about the dangers of having a werewolf in the school, particularly a werewolf with close ties to an escaped mass murderer, but the headmaster had dismissed his concerns, reducing them to a mere schoolboy spat.
"Can you not put the past behind you?" Dumbledore had asked exasperatedly. "It is unhealthy to hold onto grudges."
Severus had been annoyed and angry that Dumbledore had wanted him to forgive him. Clearly, he had forgotten that Lupin and his friends had tried to kill him. Eventually he had agreed to make the potion, knowing that, at least, it would keep them all safe from harm.
He measured out a precise dose of the potion and went up to Lupin's office.
"Ah, Severus, thank you very much for this." Lupin hesitated for a moment. "Listen, I know we were never friends in school, but now that we're working together I thought we could put it behind us."
Severus clenched his jaw. "You must drink the potion while warm, and nothing else can be added to it or it will not work properly."
He turned on his heel and strode from the room without a backward glance.
---
Remus sighed heavily as he watched Snape walk out the door. He had hoped that enough time had passed to let old grudges die, but perhaps he had underestimated the depth of Snape's anger and resentment.
When he had first heard that Dumbledore had given Snape a teaching position at Hogwarts, Remus had been concerned and surprised. The Severus Snape he had known in school, while incredibly intelligent, had been poised to follow his friends down a dark path. Nearly all the people with whom he had socialized went on to become Death Eaters.
However, Remus knew that a lot could have changed over the years. He hadn't heard much about Snape in the years since the war. He also knew that Dumbledore trusted him. While he hadn't told this to Remus explicitly, the fact that he allowed Snape to teach in his school, spoke volumes.
Remus glanced at the smoking goblet on his desk. It took nearly five straight hours of work to brew Wolfsbane Potion. Although he knew Dumbledore had influenced Snape to brew the complicated potion for him, he couldn't help but feel grateful to the man. Perhaps he would never forgive Remus for the part he played in making his time at Hogwarts unpleasant, but he thought perhaps they could, in time, be civil toward each other.
He reached for the goblet and took a careful sip, nearly gagging on the bitter taste. He took a deep breath and gulped the rest of the potion down.
Rating: PG
Pairing/Characters: Severus Snape, Remus Lupin
Genre: Gen
Word Count: 500
Summary: Time cannot heal some wounds.
Written for Round 2, Week 5 of genhp_ldws. Prompts=Forgiving; from the points of view of two enemies.
*~*
As Severus added the last of the ingredients to his cauldron, he smiled at the blue smoke that plumed from potion's shimmering surface. While he worked, he had been able to focus his mind on the delicate construction of the potion, but no longer. He scowled as he remembered the reason for brewing it.
Severus had warned Dumbledore about the dangers of having a werewolf in the school, particularly a werewolf with close ties to an escaped mass murderer, but the headmaster had dismissed his concerns, reducing them to a mere schoolboy spat.
"Can you not put the past behind you?" Dumbledore had asked exasperatedly. "It is unhealthy to hold onto grudges."
Severus had been annoyed and angry that Dumbledore had wanted him to forgive him. Clearly, he had forgotten that Lupin and his friends had tried to kill him. Eventually he had agreed to make the potion, knowing that, at least, it would keep them all safe from harm.
He measured out a precise dose of the potion and went up to Lupin's office.
"Ah, Severus, thank you very much for this." Lupin hesitated for a moment. "Listen, I know we were never friends in school, but now that we're working together I thought we could put it behind us."
Severus clenched his jaw. "You must drink the potion while warm, and nothing else can be added to it or it will not work properly."
He turned on his heel and strode from the room without a backward glance.
---
Remus sighed heavily as he watched Snape walk out the door. He had hoped that enough time had passed to let old grudges die, but perhaps he had underestimated the depth of Snape's anger and resentment.
When he had first heard that Dumbledore had given Snape a teaching position at Hogwarts, Remus had been concerned and surprised. The Severus Snape he had known in school, while incredibly intelligent, had been poised to follow his friends down a dark path. Nearly all the people with whom he had socialized went on to become Death Eaters.
However, Remus knew that a lot could have changed over the years. He hadn't heard much about Snape in the years since the war. He also knew that Dumbledore trusted him. While he hadn't told this to Remus explicitly, the fact that he allowed Snape to teach in his school, spoke volumes.
Remus glanced at the smoking goblet on his desk. It took nearly five straight hours of work to brew Wolfsbane Potion. Although he knew Dumbledore had influenced Snape to brew the complicated potion for him, he couldn't help but feel grateful to the man. Perhaps he would never forgive Remus for the part he played in making his time at Hogwarts unpleasant, but he thought perhaps they could, in time, be civil toward each other.
He reached for the goblet and took a careful sip, nearly gagging on the bitter taste. He took a deep breath and gulped the rest of the potion down.