In Progress, Pt. 2
Title: In Progress… (Part 2)
Author: in_motu_proprio aka Lisa
Era: Post second war, the boys have survived, but everything else is DH compliant
Rating: PG
Warnings: Temper tantrum, and it’s not Severus.
Author’s Notes: This is a work in progress.
Thanks: To my wonderful beta carentan
Summary: Severus has survived the bite in The Shack and has, essentially, become a hermit running his own owl-order potions business. He ends up being so successful at it that he needs to hire an assistant. Enter Remus Lupin… cue snark, drama, fun, angst, smut.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling and whomever she sold them to. (The WB, Scholastic, et al.)
The moment Lupin left with promises to gather his child and his things, Severus regretted it. How in the world was he going to be able to concentrate with a brat around? Not to mention the fact that Remus’ alter-ego had once tried to EAT him!
He sat alone at the dinner table, slowly chewing a bit of slightly too old roast. Usually he brought a book to dinner, but he was far too exhausted, not to mention distracted, to concentrate on reading. It was almost half ten anyway. He’d gotten behind on his work today, well even further behind than he was. Tomorrow Lupin would come back and bring his spawn. He didn’t have time for a child underfoot. He needed an unencumbered assistant.
“Stupid,” he chastised himself as he scraped the plate off into the bin. He still needed to fill about ten more orders tonight, but he could barely keep his eyes open. The state of his house right now bothered Severus. There were books out of place, a tea cup by his chair in the living room, and the horror that was his bedroom was better off not even being discussed.
Severus tried not to look at the four robes thrown over the chair or the laundry basket that was currently spilling its contents over the floor in the corner. He just walked past a crumpled Daily Prophet right to his bed, stripping down as he went. He’d have time to clean up later, he told himself. It wasn’t as though anyone came in here anyway. He’d clean up the rest of the house tomorrow morning before Lupin and his brat showed up. Falling onto his back, in his undershirt and boxers, Severus passed out directly in the center of the bed. It was pretty much the only clean spot in the room anyway. He’d been so bloody tired he hadn’t even reset the charm on his clock before he drifted off.
When next he opened his eyes, it was full daylight and someone was knocking at his door. Severus jumped up, glancing at the clock. “Fuck.” It was nearly one! He could not remember having slept this late in his life, and to do it today…. Well, it was just his luck, really. He grabbed a pair of pants and hurried down the stairs as he hopped into them.
Severus wouldn’t have been so quick to whip open the door if he’d known that he still had a crease on his cheek from the pillow case or that his hair stood out at the strangest angles. Then there was the fact that the sunken-in, still totally discolored remainders of his snakebite were quite clearly visible.
“Severus,” Remus greeted the man with a look of concern immediately falling over his face.
“Lupin,” He returned as a gust of early spring air ruffled his hair and made gooseflesh rise on his bare arms.
“Um….” Remus stood there with his trunks, a young orange-haired boy sitting on the furthest one in the back, pouting. It finally registered with Severus what was going on. It was moving day.
“Well, get in then. It’s cold outside.” Severus drew his wand from his pocket and started apperating trunks upstairs. The last one was the one with the child seated on it. “Boy,” he called, getting no response.
“Teddy,” Remus called, getting the boy to look up. “Severus would like to put that away for us. Please stand up.” The child followed directions, but didn’t speak or even look at his father. Severus got rid of the trunk and ushered them inside, trying to ignore how the boy’s hair flashed at him.
“Got his mother’s gift, then,” Severus asked.
“He does.” Remus looked a little tight at the mention of Tonks, but otherwise showed no feelings on the matter. “Severus, this is Teddy. Teddy, this is Severus. He’s the man I will be working for.” Teddy looked up and shrugged then went back to looking out the window.
“He misses his grandmother,” Remus informed Severus. “We’ve been living with Andromeda,” he continued. “They’re very close.”
Severus didn’t really care, but he attempted to be polite and simply nodded. So that was where Lupin had been staying. It figured. Andromeda had lost everyone, but she still had Teddy, and if putting up with a half-breed under her roof was what she had to do to get close to him, she’d do it. She might have loved Ted Tonks, but Andromeda was still a Black deep down.
“What’s that,” Teddy asked his father, pointing at Severus’ very apparent Dark Mark.
“It’s impolite to point,” Remus reminded his son, not entirely sure how to explain the Mark.
“A tattoo, surely he’s seen one,” Severus snapped as he grabbed for his traveling robes near the door and yanked them on. He wanted no part of discussing that era of his life with anyone, let alone a child.
Great start,, Remus thought as he shooed Teddy upstairs. “We’ll just unpack,” a very embarrassed Remus told Snape. He wanted to sink through the floor boards in mortification. The first thing that Teddy had thought to say to him had been about his bloody Mark? Good going, kid, Remus thought as he put a hand on his son’s shoulder and guided him to the stairs.
“Yes, well don’t get too comfortable,” Severus told Lupin. He watched them head upstairs and realized that he would have to follow. He needed to change.
“Damn.”
*************************
“We’ll visit your grandmother soon. I promise, Teddy.”
Severus didn’t mean to over hear, but old habits died hard. Besides, he was an intensely curious man. He simply went about changing into clothes suitable for brewing, but did it quietly enough that he could still eavesdrop.
“I don’t want to live here. It smells weird,” Teddy whined. “I want to go back to grandma’s!” The boy’s voice nearly shrieked at the last word, and Severus decided that if that kept up, he would summarily dismiss Lupin. He valued his peace and quiet above a successful business.
“Teddy, we talked about this.” It was clear that Lupin was getting annoyed, and yet he didn’t raise his voice. Interesting.
“I don’t care,” Teddy shouted back. “I want my room and my cat and MY HOUSE!” He heard a body hit the floor and could only assume that either Remus had had it and killed the child or that he was about to have a full blown tantrum. It wasn’t until Severus suddenly heard nothing, though, that he realized the man had put up a silencing charm.
Smart, he thought as he fastened the last button on a moderately clean set of brewing robes. Keep it that way and I might not fire you out of hand. Without another thought, he headed down to the lab knowing it was going to be a tremendously long day.
*************************
When Lupin finally made it down to the lab, sans appendage, Severus noted the time. It had been nearly two hours. What in the world did he have to unpack that took two hours, or had it all been devoted to the brat?
“Your list is there,” Severus told him, pointing a long finger in the direction of a small station in the corner that Severus used for his more mundane potions.
“Thanks.” Lupin looked beleaguered and exhausted. He wondered if the boy had been tantruming the whole time he’d been up there. They didn’t speak for the next two hours and it was actually Teddy who broke the silence.
“Daddy,” he said as he slowly walked across the room to Remus. “I’m sorry.” Severus watched Lupin kneel down and forgive his son with a hug. He nearly spun around when Remus caught him watching the exchange, embarrassed that he’d gotten caught.
“I understand how sad you are, Teddy, but this is where we live now.” Remus ran a hand through his son’s hair, giving him a soft smile that nearly made a person forget about the scars on his face.
The boy nodded, though he was clearly not convinced. “I’m hungry.” Severus glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly six. His own stomach was growling and he realized that he hadn’t eaten since last night. Damn.
“Ok. Severus,” Remus said softly. “Do you mind if I take a dinner break now?”
Severus just waved a flippant hand at the man, not looking up from his work. He listened as the two Lupins walked up the stairs and into the kitchen. He listened as Remus told Teddy what he’d been working on and then to the boy ask Remus a million questions. He listened as they clanged and banged their way through making dinner, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure why he was listening.
The smells started to waft down and it wasn’t until his stomach actually began to hurt that the decided it was time to give up and go eat something. After wrapping things up to a good stopping point, he headed upstairs to find Teddy and Remus doing dishes the muggle way. “There’s a plate in the oven for you,” Remus told Severus with a slight smile.
Severus expected to throw something together as usual. Never had he thought the man would include him in his dinner plans. It was disconcerting.
“Thank you.” It felt strange to say, but he was thankful as he sat down to the first meal in over a year that hadn’t just been bits and bobs thrown together on a plate and called food. He had to admit that it was actually really nice.
“I made the green beans,” Teddy informed Severus as he walked over from the sink to sit at the table with him.
“Yes, well, thank you,” Severus told him, not quite sure why the child was speaking to him.
“Are they good?” the boy asked expectantly. Severus caught the look Remus shot him and simply nodded. Teddy grinned at him, watching him eat his creation. It was more than a bit strange and he was terribly grateful to Lupin when he told Teddy it was time for a bath.
“I should be back down in about an hour,” Remus told Severus as he ushered Teddy from the room. Lupin was going to be up brewing all night at this rate. Children certainly took up a great deal of time.
************TBC*************
Author: in_motu_proprio aka Lisa
Era: Post second war, the boys have survived, but everything else is DH compliant
Rating: PG
Warnings: Temper tantrum, and it’s not Severus.
Author’s Notes: This is a work in progress.
Thanks: To my wonderful beta carentan
Summary: Severus has survived the bite in The Shack and has, essentially, become a hermit running his own owl-order potions business. He ends up being so successful at it that he needs to hire an assistant. Enter Remus Lupin… cue snark, drama, fun, angst, smut.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling and whomever she sold them to. (The WB, Scholastic, et al.)
The moment Lupin left with promises to gather his child and his things, Severus regretted it. How in the world was he going to be able to concentrate with a brat around? Not to mention the fact that Remus’ alter-ego had once tried to EAT him!
He sat alone at the dinner table, slowly chewing a bit of slightly too old roast. Usually he brought a book to dinner, but he was far too exhausted, not to mention distracted, to concentrate on reading. It was almost half ten anyway. He’d gotten behind on his work today, well even further behind than he was. Tomorrow Lupin would come back and bring his spawn. He didn’t have time for a child underfoot. He needed an unencumbered assistant.
“Stupid,” he chastised himself as he scraped the plate off into the bin. He still needed to fill about ten more orders tonight, but he could barely keep his eyes open. The state of his house right now bothered Severus. There were books out of place, a tea cup by his chair in the living room, and the horror that was his bedroom was better off not even being discussed.
Severus tried not to look at the four robes thrown over the chair or the laundry basket that was currently spilling its contents over the floor in the corner. He just walked past a crumpled Daily Prophet right to his bed, stripping down as he went. He’d have time to clean up later, he told himself. It wasn’t as though anyone came in here anyway. He’d clean up the rest of the house tomorrow morning before Lupin and his brat showed up. Falling onto his back, in his undershirt and boxers, Severus passed out directly in the center of the bed. It was pretty much the only clean spot in the room anyway. He’d been so bloody tired he hadn’t even reset the charm on his clock before he drifted off.
When next he opened his eyes, it was full daylight and someone was knocking at his door. Severus jumped up, glancing at the clock. “Fuck.” It was nearly one! He could not remember having slept this late in his life, and to do it today…. Well, it was just his luck, really. He grabbed a pair of pants and hurried down the stairs as he hopped into them.
Severus wouldn’t have been so quick to whip open the door if he’d known that he still had a crease on his cheek from the pillow case or that his hair stood out at the strangest angles. Then there was the fact that the sunken-in, still totally discolored remainders of his snakebite were quite clearly visible.
“Severus,” Remus greeted the man with a look of concern immediately falling over his face.
“Lupin,” He returned as a gust of early spring air ruffled his hair and made gooseflesh rise on his bare arms.
“Um….” Remus stood there with his trunks, a young orange-haired boy sitting on the furthest one in the back, pouting. It finally registered with Severus what was going on. It was moving day.
“Well, get in then. It’s cold outside.” Severus drew his wand from his pocket and started apperating trunks upstairs. The last one was the one with the child seated on it. “Boy,” he called, getting no response.
“Teddy,” Remus called, getting the boy to look up. “Severus would like to put that away for us. Please stand up.” The child followed directions, but didn’t speak or even look at his father. Severus got rid of the trunk and ushered them inside, trying to ignore how the boy’s hair flashed at him.
“Got his mother’s gift, then,” Severus asked.
“He does.” Remus looked a little tight at the mention of Tonks, but otherwise showed no feelings on the matter. “Severus, this is Teddy. Teddy, this is Severus. He’s the man I will be working for.” Teddy looked up and shrugged then went back to looking out the window.
“He misses his grandmother,” Remus informed Severus. “We’ve been living with Andromeda,” he continued. “They’re very close.”
Severus didn’t really care, but he attempted to be polite and simply nodded. So that was where Lupin had been staying. It figured. Andromeda had lost everyone, but she still had Teddy, and if putting up with a half-breed under her roof was what she had to do to get close to him, she’d do it. She might have loved Ted Tonks, but Andromeda was still a Black deep down.
“What’s that,” Teddy asked his father, pointing at Severus’ very apparent Dark Mark.
“It’s impolite to point,” Remus reminded his son, not entirely sure how to explain the Mark.
“A tattoo, surely he’s seen one,” Severus snapped as he grabbed for his traveling robes near the door and yanked them on. He wanted no part of discussing that era of his life with anyone, let alone a child.
Great start,, Remus thought as he shooed Teddy upstairs. “We’ll just unpack,” a very embarrassed Remus told Snape. He wanted to sink through the floor boards in mortification. The first thing that Teddy had thought to say to him had been about his bloody Mark? Good going, kid, Remus thought as he put a hand on his son’s shoulder and guided him to the stairs.
“Yes, well don’t get too comfortable,” Severus told Lupin. He watched them head upstairs and realized that he would have to follow. He needed to change.
“Damn.”
*************************
“We’ll visit your grandmother soon. I promise, Teddy.”
Severus didn’t mean to over hear, but old habits died hard. Besides, he was an intensely curious man. He simply went about changing into clothes suitable for brewing, but did it quietly enough that he could still eavesdrop.
“I don’t want to live here. It smells weird,” Teddy whined. “I want to go back to grandma’s!” The boy’s voice nearly shrieked at the last word, and Severus decided that if that kept up, he would summarily dismiss Lupin. He valued his peace and quiet above a successful business.
“Teddy, we talked about this.” It was clear that Lupin was getting annoyed, and yet he didn’t raise his voice. Interesting.
“I don’t care,” Teddy shouted back. “I want my room and my cat and MY HOUSE!” He heard a body hit the floor and could only assume that either Remus had had it and killed the child or that he was about to have a full blown tantrum. It wasn’t until Severus suddenly heard nothing, though, that he realized the man had put up a silencing charm.
Smart, he thought as he fastened the last button on a moderately clean set of brewing robes. Keep it that way and I might not fire you out of hand. Without another thought, he headed down to the lab knowing it was going to be a tremendously long day.
*************************
When Lupin finally made it down to the lab, sans appendage, Severus noted the time. It had been nearly two hours. What in the world did he have to unpack that took two hours, or had it all been devoted to the brat?
“Your list is there,” Severus told him, pointing a long finger in the direction of a small station in the corner that Severus used for his more mundane potions.
“Thanks.” Lupin looked beleaguered and exhausted. He wondered if the boy had been tantruming the whole time he’d been up there. They didn’t speak for the next two hours and it was actually Teddy who broke the silence.
“Daddy,” he said as he slowly walked across the room to Remus. “I’m sorry.” Severus watched Lupin kneel down and forgive his son with a hug. He nearly spun around when Remus caught him watching the exchange, embarrassed that he’d gotten caught.
“I understand how sad you are, Teddy, but this is where we live now.” Remus ran a hand through his son’s hair, giving him a soft smile that nearly made a person forget about the scars on his face.
The boy nodded, though he was clearly not convinced. “I’m hungry.” Severus glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly six. His own stomach was growling and he realized that he hadn’t eaten since last night. Damn.
“Ok. Severus,” Remus said softly. “Do you mind if I take a dinner break now?”
Severus just waved a flippant hand at the man, not looking up from his work. He listened as the two Lupins walked up the stairs and into the kitchen. He listened as Remus told Teddy what he’d been working on and then to the boy ask Remus a million questions. He listened as they clanged and banged their way through making dinner, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure why he was listening.
The smells started to waft down and it wasn’t until his stomach actually began to hurt that the decided it was time to give up and go eat something. After wrapping things up to a good stopping point, he headed upstairs to find Teddy and Remus doing dishes the muggle way. “There’s a plate in the oven for you,” Remus told Severus with a slight smile.
Severus expected to throw something together as usual. Never had he thought the man would include him in his dinner plans. It was disconcerting.
“Thank you.” It felt strange to say, but he was thankful as he sat down to the first meal in over a year that hadn’t just been bits and bobs thrown together on a plate and called food. He had to admit that it was actually really nice.
“I made the green beans,” Teddy informed Severus as he walked over from the sink to sit at the table with him.
“Yes, well, thank you,” Severus told him, not quite sure why the child was speaking to him.
“Are they good?” the boy asked expectantly. Severus caught the look Remus shot him and simply nodded. Teddy grinned at him, watching him eat his creation. It was more than a bit strange and he was terribly grateful to Lupin when he told Teddy it was time for a bath.
“I should be back down in about an hour,” Remus told Severus as he ushered Teddy from the room. Lupin was going to be up brewing all night at this rate. Children certainly took up a great deal of time.
************TBC*************