fic for serpenscript: The Greater Good (Snape, Remus, PG)
Title: The Greater Good
Author: alexajohnson
Recipient: serpenscript
Rating: PG
Characters: Snape and Remus, with appearances by Lily, Dumbledore, and Sirius
Warnings: None
Author's Note: Okay, well, I had originally wanted this to be a lot longer and more fleshed out-like, novella length-but real life interfered in a big way this semester. Maybe I'll come back and add to this, because I had a lot of fun writing this prompt (actually, all of your prompts were fun--it was hard choosing just one!) and I'll certainly let you know if I do! Anyway, hope you enjoy, this mystery giftee!
--
"Silence!"
Albus hardly ever raises his voice, so when he does this time it has an immediate effect, and deadly quiet descends upon the room in just a few seconds. Remus messed up. He knows it-he'd let Sirius's prejudices cloud his judgment, and because of that, innocent people had died. He'd been in charge of the mission, and the blood is on his hands alone.
"I want one person and one person only to tell me what happened."
Taking a deep breath, Remus steps forward. "I accept complete responsibility for the losses. I chose not to act upon information in the end, and that is why the mission failed. The house was dark and it really did look as though no one was home, and I thought we were walking into a trap. But that is no excuse."
He can feel Severus's eyes boring holes into his chest, but he refuses to make eye contact.
Albus is looking so severe that Remus only feels more ashamed.
"Remus was only being smart if you ask me. I respect you Albus, but I don't know how you trust information from that Death Eater scum-"
"That is enough, Alastor." Moody steps back into the circle reluctantly, and Albus's voice is ice as he continues, "Severus is as much of an Order member as you are, and his job is the most dangerous of all. This is not the first time this has happened, and if this fighting does not stop, Voldemort has already won."
An involuntary shudder passes through the room at the name, but Albus ignores it and adds, "Yet I've said this before, and it seems to have had no effect."
"Well, there's an easy solution to your problem, Albus," Sirius pipes up, and Remus closes his eyes, wishing his friend would learn when to hold his tongue. "Just get rid of old Snape there, and all the problems will go away."
"And all this time, I never suspected you to be a tactical mastermind, Black," Severus sneers, and Sirius's face reddens in anger at the soft snickers.
Remus sighs. Although they are no longer students, in many ways it feels as though things haven't really changed all that much.
"I know this is your house, Mr. Black, so please do not force me to have to ask you to leave this room."
Albus is looking at Sirius with his I-am-disappointed-in-you expression, and Remus hopes he takes the words to heart and shuts up. His lips are pursed and he's glaring fiercely at the ground, and although it's not what Remus would call repentant, at least he's quiet.
"It seems drastic measures are in order." The silence becomes uneasy and tense, because nobody likes it when Albus says that.
"Remus, Severus, come with me," Albus commands, motioning them to follow him. "This meeting is adjourned."
The whispers resume and Remus feels eyes on him as he follows Severus and Albus, and he can't help but wonder why he's been singled out. He knows he screwed up, that he shouldn't have let Sirius mess with him, but he also knows he's not the only one who's let Albus down.
But he knows protesting isn't going to help his case any, and Albus doesn't stop until they're outside, turning around to face them with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe.
"I do not want to do this, but I'm left with no choice. I cannot change the way people think, and I'm afraid this is the only way to get people working together."
Severus's back is rigid, and Remus opens his mouth to say something but then thinks better of it.
"The magic will not take effect until you wake up tomorrow, and when you do, you will find that you've switched bodies and are first years again. But you will not be able to control the other person-think of it as watching someone's memories in a Pensieve, except you'll be in their mind, feeling everything they are."
"Albus, are you sure this is really-"
"It is, Severus," Albus interrupts sternly, "and I am convinced this will bring results."
Remus is uneasy. While he doesn't hate Severus to the extent with which Sirius does, even after he cost him his job, he's not sure he wants to know what goes on in his mind.
"To you both it will feel as though half a year has passed, but to everyone else it will only be a day. And Remus, if you're wondering why I picked you and not Mr. Black or even Mr. Moody, I hope you're able to find the answer."
Well, there's nothing for it.
Remus is just going to have to trust that Albus knows what he's doing.
When Severus wakes up, it takes him a minute to remember where he is, because the body is unfamiliar and the sheets on his bed are red and gold.
And then it comes to him in a rush.
He is in Lupin's mind, experiencing everything that Lupin does.
Bloody fantastic.
"Lupin!" calls a voice from beyond the curtains, and it's a voice Severus never thought he'd hear again, although Lupin doesn't seem to be too happy about it either.
James Potter pokes his face in the curtains and Severus really wishes he could punch it, but of course Lupin would never do that.
"Come on mate, it's time for breakfast! Don't want to be late on the first day!"
Lupin manages a smile, but it's forced. "I'm coming. You guys don't have to wait for me."
"Whatever you say, Lupin," Potter calls, dashing off. He can hear laughter in the background, and it sounds like Black and Pettigrew.
With a sigh, Lupin lets his head fall back onto the pillow, and Snape wonders why Lupin didn't just go off with them when he remembers he can see it.
Ahhh.
So Lupin's not used to having friends either and isn't sure how to handle and interact with them, is afraid it's too good to be true. He's not sympathetic by any means, but the information is certainly interesting, and he stores it away for later.
Remus had actually known about Lily's friendship with Severus, even as a first year.
Once she'd confessed that to him, she would even talk about him, would say how much she worried about him, and Remus had wondered if Severus had really known the extent to which Lily cared about him.
That aside, he is not surprised when Lily finds Severus a few days after the Sorting, pulling him into a deserted corridor to talk to him.
"Lily, what are you-"
"I just needed to talk to you."
"Look, Lily, it's okay that you were sorted into Gryffindor. I still want to be friends."
Remus can't help but feel a little sad. Severus may be brilliant, but it's clear even now that he doesn't really know how to read people, that when it really matters, he always jumps to the wrong conclusion.
"That's sweet, Sev, but that's not why I found you. I saw the way Lucius Malfoy patted your back when you sat down at the Slytherin table last night, like he was adding another admirer to his collection. He had this look in his eyes that I really didn't like, and…"
"I can take care of myself Lily, you know that."
"I know, Sev," she says earnestly, "but he already creeps me out. Just promise me you'll be careful?"
Severus nods. "If anyone knows how to be careful, it's me."
But Remus has a feeling this isn't the last time he'll hear this.
"We promised we'd look after you, keep you from harming anyone and yourself as much as possible, and we've found a place you can go to when you transform," Dumbledore explains, his twinkling kindly down at Lupin.
"Really?" Lupin exclaims, eyes wide.
Dumbledore nods. "Madam Pomfrey will take you there a few days before the full moon to show you, and she'll make sure to get you after dinner, and will come for you in the morning."
"And does-does anyone else know? About what I am?"
"Only myself, Nurse Pomfrey, and Minerva," Dumbledore says, although his smile looks a little sad. "We won't let any harm come to you, my boy."
Lupin's eyes are bright with unshed tears, and Severus can feel relief and gratitude, but also doubt and a little bit of self-loathing. I'm a monster. How could anyone show me so much kindness?
As if sensing his thoughts, Dumbledore puts a comforting hand on Lupin's shoulder, and says, "You only turn into the werewolf, and that is something over which you have no control. But that is not who you are."
Lupin smiles, and a couple tears escape his eyes. "Thank you, Headmaster."
"I am only speaking the truth, my boy," Dumbledore smiles, the twinkle back in full force. "Now run along to dinner…I do believe the house elves have something extra special for dessert tonight."
As Lupin leaves Dumbledore's office, Severus thinks that Lupin's burden of transformation is almost similar to his burden of spying on the Dark Lord.
Except he'd had a choice, all those years ago.
And Lupin had just been exceptionally unlucky.
"Hey look, it's Snivellus!"
Severus groans softly as they're approaching and Remus can feel the anger already heating up within him.
He turns around and whips out his wand, but James and Sirius are faster, and James comes up from behind him and pulls his arms back, taking his wand from him. James, meanwhile, picks up Severus's bag and starts going through it, pulling out a piece of parchment full of Severus's cramped handwriting.
Severus is struggling in Sirius's grip, but Severus is far smaller so all he can really do is kick at Sirius's legs.
"What's that, James?"
After looking at it more closely, James exclaims, "Why it looks like the Potions essay that's due tomorrow. It only took me five minutes, so I'm sure it wouldn't take you too long to do it over again."
And James starts tearing the paper up just as Severus kicks Sirius in the groin, making Sirius let go with a yell. "You dirty little-"
"Don't worry, if it's permanently damaged, I just did the world a favor," Severus says, sneering, and with a growl, Sirius throws him to the floor and starts punching him in the face.
Remus notes that Severus doesn't even flinch so he's obviously used to this kind of treatment, but before he can see why, James is pulling Sirius off him.
"Come on, Sirius, we've got to get out of here before a teacher comes!"
"You haven't seen the last of us, Snivellus," Sirius cries as the two of them run down the empty corridor, leaving Severus standing surrounded by the torn pieces of his essay.
"You'll pay for this!" Severus screams, but underneath the defiance, Lupin can feel his humiliation burning as strongly as his anger. "I'll make all of you regret the day you met me!"
They'd certainly done crueler things to him in later years-although Severus had hardly been the victim all the time-but Remus had had no idea this had been going on this early. Or maybe he'd had, and he'd just chosen not to see it because he'd been so grateful to have friends.
But James had ended up dead, Sirius imprisoned for crimes he hadn't committed, and Peter had turned traitor, and Remus wonders how much pleasure Severus finds in that as an adult.
Soon I'll make it so that no one will be able to hurt me, ever again.
The thought is so strong that Remus flinches, and he wonders if that had been why Severus had decided to become a Death Eater. He knows Severus won't want his pity, but he cannot help the feeling.
Severus doesn't scare easily-he's spying on the bloody Dark Lord, for Merlin's sake-but Lupin's fear and agony during the transformation had been overwhelming, and losing his mind completely had been terrifying.
Pomfrey has to carry him up to the Infirmary when she comes to get him in the Shrieking Shack, and he is confined to a few days of bed rest before he can go back to class.
Severus experiences every bit of Lupin's exhaustion and pain, and he's feeling much like he does after a particularly bad meeting with the Dark Lord.
He'd known transformation was painful, but he supposes he hadn't given Lupin enough credit for dealing with it every month.
At least one day the Dark Lord will be dead, and even though he'll have to live with his past for the rest of his life, at least he will no longer have to serve.
And Lupin must deal with this until he dies.
Perhaps the man is strong after all.
"Are you staying here for the holidays, Sev?"
He and Lily are sitting in a corner tucked far away in a deserted part of the library doing some studying for finals, and Severus's eyes darken.
"I wouldn't even be going home for the summer if the school were open."
"Hey." Lily puts a hand over his. "It'll be all right. I wish you weren't going to be alone, though."
"I'm used to my own company. But Avery's going to be around too, so it won't be completely boring."
Lily frowns, and Severus sighs. "What, you don't like Avery either?"
"Well, I've only heard rumors, but it's been nothing good…"
Severus glares. "No better than what Potter and Black get up to."
"But what I've heard about Avery is downright evil-"
"So it's evil when you're a Slytherin, but not if you're a Gryffindor?" Severus asks hotly.
"I don't like James Potter and Sirius Black either, and that's not what I meant at all." She sighs. "Look, can we just-talk about something else? I don't want us to spend our last day before the holidays together bickering."
"You're right," Severus agrees, but Remus senses he's only said that because Lily spoke badly of James and Sirius as well.
Even now, Severus has feelings for Lily, and even though he expresses them poorly, Remus can see how much he loves her, and this is the only way he knows how.
If Snape had been capable of this much love once, in spite of how horrible his parents had been-something Remus has only seen in thoughts, but it is enough-he knows there's good in him somewhere.
He doesn't pity him because he knows Severus wouldn't want that, but even now, he can see why Albus trusts him so much.
And Remus thinks he can, too.
When Severus wakes up in his own body, the memories of Lupin feel like a dream, a very strange one. But he hasn't forgotten any of it, and even though he'd questioned Albus's methods, he can see why the old man did this.
Severus doesn't necessarily like Lupin any more than he did, but he thinks he respects him now.
Well, a little bit anyway.
They're never going to be good friends or anything else that disgustingly saccharine, but even he knows he needs another ally besides Albus.
Who knows what he could be asked to do, and if anything were to happen to the Headmaster-
Hard to imagine, but it's an outcome he needs to start preparing for.
And if this has helped, than it really had been for the best.
Remus never wants to be in Snape's mind again, although he is oddly grateful he got to see a little bit of what he keeps hidden and buried.
He had wondered why Albus had chosen him in the beginning, but now Remus understands and sees what he must do.
Albus's word on Severus doesn't mean much to people because Albus always tries to see the good in people, but Remus and Severus have a past, and if they can begin to work together and trust each other, Order members will come around.
He'll be put in charge of more missions, won't be persuaded by Sirius's hatred, and eventually, the inside bickering will fade away.
Sirius will see it as betrayal, and though it pains Remus to even think about that, he knows it is necessary for the greater good.
And right now, nothing is more important than that.
Author: alexajohnson
Recipient: serpenscript
Rating: PG
Characters: Snape and Remus, with appearances by Lily, Dumbledore, and Sirius
Warnings: None
Author's Note: Okay, well, I had originally wanted this to be a lot longer and more fleshed out-like, novella length-but real life interfered in a big way this semester. Maybe I'll come back and add to this, because I had a lot of fun writing this prompt (actually, all of your prompts were fun--it was hard choosing just one!) and I'll certainly let you know if I do! Anyway, hope you enjoy, this mystery giftee!
--
"Silence!"
Albus hardly ever raises his voice, so when he does this time it has an immediate effect, and deadly quiet descends upon the room in just a few seconds. Remus messed up. He knows it-he'd let Sirius's prejudices cloud his judgment, and because of that, innocent people had died. He'd been in charge of the mission, and the blood is on his hands alone.
"I want one person and one person only to tell me what happened."
Taking a deep breath, Remus steps forward. "I accept complete responsibility for the losses. I chose not to act upon information in the end, and that is why the mission failed. The house was dark and it really did look as though no one was home, and I thought we were walking into a trap. But that is no excuse."
He can feel Severus's eyes boring holes into his chest, but he refuses to make eye contact.
Albus is looking so severe that Remus only feels more ashamed.
"Remus was only being smart if you ask me. I respect you Albus, but I don't know how you trust information from that Death Eater scum-"
"That is enough, Alastor." Moody steps back into the circle reluctantly, and Albus's voice is ice as he continues, "Severus is as much of an Order member as you are, and his job is the most dangerous of all. This is not the first time this has happened, and if this fighting does not stop, Voldemort has already won."
An involuntary shudder passes through the room at the name, but Albus ignores it and adds, "Yet I've said this before, and it seems to have had no effect."
"Well, there's an easy solution to your problem, Albus," Sirius pipes up, and Remus closes his eyes, wishing his friend would learn when to hold his tongue. "Just get rid of old Snape there, and all the problems will go away."
"And all this time, I never suspected you to be a tactical mastermind, Black," Severus sneers, and Sirius's face reddens in anger at the soft snickers.
Remus sighs. Although they are no longer students, in many ways it feels as though things haven't really changed all that much.
"I know this is your house, Mr. Black, so please do not force me to have to ask you to leave this room."
Albus is looking at Sirius with his I-am-disappointed-in-you expression, and Remus hopes he takes the words to heart and shuts up. His lips are pursed and he's glaring fiercely at the ground, and although it's not what Remus would call repentant, at least he's quiet.
"It seems drastic measures are in order." The silence becomes uneasy and tense, because nobody likes it when Albus says that.
"Remus, Severus, come with me," Albus commands, motioning them to follow him. "This meeting is adjourned."
The whispers resume and Remus feels eyes on him as he follows Severus and Albus, and he can't help but wonder why he's been singled out. He knows he screwed up, that he shouldn't have let Sirius mess with him, but he also knows he's not the only one who's let Albus down.
But he knows protesting isn't going to help his case any, and Albus doesn't stop until they're outside, turning around to face them with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe.
"I do not want to do this, but I'm left with no choice. I cannot change the way people think, and I'm afraid this is the only way to get people working together."
Severus's back is rigid, and Remus opens his mouth to say something but then thinks better of it.
"The magic will not take effect until you wake up tomorrow, and when you do, you will find that you've switched bodies and are first years again. But you will not be able to control the other person-think of it as watching someone's memories in a Pensieve, except you'll be in their mind, feeling everything they are."
"Albus, are you sure this is really-"
"It is, Severus," Albus interrupts sternly, "and I am convinced this will bring results."
Remus is uneasy. While he doesn't hate Severus to the extent with which Sirius does, even after he cost him his job, he's not sure he wants to know what goes on in his mind.
"To you both it will feel as though half a year has passed, but to everyone else it will only be a day. And Remus, if you're wondering why I picked you and not Mr. Black or even Mr. Moody, I hope you're able to find the answer."
Well, there's nothing for it.
Remus is just going to have to trust that Albus knows what he's doing.
When Severus wakes up, it takes him a minute to remember where he is, because the body is unfamiliar and the sheets on his bed are red and gold.
And then it comes to him in a rush.
He is in Lupin's mind, experiencing everything that Lupin does.
Bloody fantastic.
"Lupin!" calls a voice from beyond the curtains, and it's a voice Severus never thought he'd hear again, although Lupin doesn't seem to be too happy about it either.
James Potter pokes his face in the curtains and Severus really wishes he could punch it, but of course Lupin would never do that.
"Come on mate, it's time for breakfast! Don't want to be late on the first day!"
Lupin manages a smile, but it's forced. "I'm coming. You guys don't have to wait for me."
"Whatever you say, Lupin," Potter calls, dashing off. He can hear laughter in the background, and it sounds like Black and Pettigrew.
With a sigh, Lupin lets his head fall back onto the pillow, and Snape wonders why Lupin didn't just go off with them when he remembers he can see it.
Ahhh.
So Lupin's not used to having friends either and isn't sure how to handle and interact with them, is afraid it's too good to be true. He's not sympathetic by any means, but the information is certainly interesting, and he stores it away for later.
Remus had actually known about Lily's friendship with Severus, even as a first year.
Once she'd confessed that to him, she would even talk about him, would say how much she worried about him, and Remus had wondered if Severus had really known the extent to which Lily cared about him.
That aside, he is not surprised when Lily finds Severus a few days after the Sorting, pulling him into a deserted corridor to talk to him.
"Lily, what are you-"
"I just needed to talk to you."
"Look, Lily, it's okay that you were sorted into Gryffindor. I still want to be friends."
Remus can't help but feel a little sad. Severus may be brilliant, but it's clear even now that he doesn't really know how to read people, that when it really matters, he always jumps to the wrong conclusion.
"That's sweet, Sev, but that's not why I found you. I saw the way Lucius Malfoy patted your back when you sat down at the Slytherin table last night, like he was adding another admirer to his collection. He had this look in his eyes that I really didn't like, and…"
"I can take care of myself Lily, you know that."
"I know, Sev," she says earnestly, "but he already creeps me out. Just promise me you'll be careful?"
Severus nods. "If anyone knows how to be careful, it's me."
But Remus has a feeling this isn't the last time he'll hear this.
"We promised we'd look after you, keep you from harming anyone and yourself as much as possible, and we've found a place you can go to when you transform," Dumbledore explains, his twinkling kindly down at Lupin.
"Really?" Lupin exclaims, eyes wide.
Dumbledore nods. "Madam Pomfrey will take you there a few days before the full moon to show you, and she'll make sure to get you after dinner, and will come for you in the morning."
"And does-does anyone else know? About what I am?"
"Only myself, Nurse Pomfrey, and Minerva," Dumbledore says, although his smile looks a little sad. "We won't let any harm come to you, my boy."
Lupin's eyes are bright with unshed tears, and Severus can feel relief and gratitude, but also doubt and a little bit of self-loathing. I'm a monster. How could anyone show me so much kindness?
As if sensing his thoughts, Dumbledore puts a comforting hand on Lupin's shoulder, and says, "You only turn into the werewolf, and that is something over which you have no control. But that is not who you are."
Lupin smiles, and a couple tears escape his eyes. "Thank you, Headmaster."
"I am only speaking the truth, my boy," Dumbledore smiles, the twinkle back in full force. "Now run along to dinner…I do believe the house elves have something extra special for dessert tonight."
As Lupin leaves Dumbledore's office, Severus thinks that Lupin's burden of transformation is almost similar to his burden of spying on the Dark Lord.
Except he'd had a choice, all those years ago.
And Lupin had just been exceptionally unlucky.
"Hey look, it's Snivellus!"
Severus groans softly as they're approaching and Remus can feel the anger already heating up within him.
He turns around and whips out his wand, but James and Sirius are faster, and James comes up from behind him and pulls his arms back, taking his wand from him. James, meanwhile, picks up Severus's bag and starts going through it, pulling out a piece of parchment full of Severus's cramped handwriting.
Severus is struggling in Sirius's grip, but Severus is far smaller so all he can really do is kick at Sirius's legs.
"What's that, James?"
After looking at it more closely, James exclaims, "Why it looks like the Potions essay that's due tomorrow. It only took me five minutes, so I'm sure it wouldn't take you too long to do it over again."
And James starts tearing the paper up just as Severus kicks Sirius in the groin, making Sirius let go with a yell. "You dirty little-"
"Don't worry, if it's permanently damaged, I just did the world a favor," Severus says, sneering, and with a growl, Sirius throws him to the floor and starts punching him in the face.
Remus notes that Severus doesn't even flinch so he's obviously used to this kind of treatment, but before he can see why, James is pulling Sirius off him.
"Come on, Sirius, we've got to get out of here before a teacher comes!"
"You haven't seen the last of us, Snivellus," Sirius cries as the two of them run down the empty corridor, leaving Severus standing surrounded by the torn pieces of his essay.
"You'll pay for this!" Severus screams, but underneath the defiance, Lupin can feel his humiliation burning as strongly as his anger. "I'll make all of you regret the day you met me!"
They'd certainly done crueler things to him in later years-although Severus had hardly been the victim all the time-but Remus had had no idea this had been going on this early. Or maybe he'd had, and he'd just chosen not to see it because he'd been so grateful to have friends.
But James had ended up dead, Sirius imprisoned for crimes he hadn't committed, and Peter had turned traitor, and Remus wonders how much pleasure Severus finds in that as an adult.
Soon I'll make it so that no one will be able to hurt me, ever again.
The thought is so strong that Remus flinches, and he wonders if that had been why Severus had decided to become a Death Eater. He knows Severus won't want his pity, but he cannot help the feeling.
Severus doesn't scare easily-he's spying on the bloody Dark Lord, for Merlin's sake-but Lupin's fear and agony during the transformation had been overwhelming, and losing his mind completely had been terrifying.
Pomfrey has to carry him up to the Infirmary when she comes to get him in the Shrieking Shack, and he is confined to a few days of bed rest before he can go back to class.
Severus experiences every bit of Lupin's exhaustion and pain, and he's feeling much like he does after a particularly bad meeting with the Dark Lord.
He'd known transformation was painful, but he supposes he hadn't given Lupin enough credit for dealing with it every month.
At least one day the Dark Lord will be dead, and even though he'll have to live with his past for the rest of his life, at least he will no longer have to serve.
And Lupin must deal with this until he dies.
Perhaps the man is strong after all.
"Are you staying here for the holidays, Sev?"
He and Lily are sitting in a corner tucked far away in a deserted part of the library doing some studying for finals, and Severus's eyes darken.
"I wouldn't even be going home for the summer if the school were open."
"Hey." Lily puts a hand over his. "It'll be all right. I wish you weren't going to be alone, though."
"I'm used to my own company. But Avery's going to be around too, so it won't be completely boring."
Lily frowns, and Severus sighs. "What, you don't like Avery either?"
"Well, I've only heard rumors, but it's been nothing good…"
Severus glares. "No better than what Potter and Black get up to."
"But what I've heard about Avery is downright evil-"
"So it's evil when you're a Slytherin, but not if you're a Gryffindor?" Severus asks hotly.
"I don't like James Potter and Sirius Black either, and that's not what I meant at all." She sighs. "Look, can we just-talk about something else? I don't want us to spend our last day before the holidays together bickering."
"You're right," Severus agrees, but Remus senses he's only said that because Lily spoke badly of James and Sirius as well.
Even now, Severus has feelings for Lily, and even though he expresses them poorly, Remus can see how much he loves her, and this is the only way he knows how.
If Snape had been capable of this much love once, in spite of how horrible his parents had been-something Remus has only seen in thoughts, but it is enough-he knows there's good in him somewhere.
He doesn't pity him because he knows Severus wouldn't want that, but even now, he can see why Albus trusts him so much.
And Remus thinks he can, too.
When Severus wakes up in his own body, the memories of Lupin feel like a dream, a very strange one. But he hasn't forgotten any of it, and even though he'd questioned Albus's methods, he can see why the old man did this.
Severus doesn't necessarily like Lupin any more than he did, but he thinks he respects him now.
Well, a little bit anyway.
They're never going to be good friends or anything else that disgustingly saccharine, but even he knows he needs another ally besides Albus.
Who knows what he could be asked to do, and if anything were to happen to the Headmaster-
Hard to imagine, but it's an outcome he needs to start preparing for.
And if this has helped, than it really had been for the best.
Remus never wants to be in Snape's mind again, although he is oddly grateful he got to see a little bit of what he keeps hidden and buried.
He had wondered why Albus had chosen him in the beginning, but now Remus understands and sees what he must do.
Albus's word on Severus doesn't mean much to people because Albus always tries to see the good in people, but Remus and Severus have a past, and if they can begin to work together and trust each other, Order members will come around.
He'll be put in charge of more missions, won't be persuaded by Sirius's hatred, and eventually, the inside bickering will fade away.
Sirius will see it as betrayal, and though it pains Remus to even think about that, he knows it is necessary for the greater good.
And right now, nothing is more important than that.