The Runaway

Remus watched as his parents and James’ parents sat at a separate table with Snape, talking quietly as his mother tried to get him to eat.

He didn’t. Snape didn’t really do anything. He just stared into nothing as the adults tried to talk to him. He might have nodded, but Remus was too far away to really tell.

“Moony, for real, why is Snivellus here?” Sirius asked in between bites of his food. He and James were also watching, but the open hostility came from Sirius. Perhaps he was still mad that he got into serious trouble last year.

As he should have. A dark thought filtered through Remus’s mind. What kind of person does something like that? He shook his head, both to clear the thoughts away and to respond to the question.

“I don’t know, Sirius. I found him across the street from the Station, just looking at it.”

“He lives in Cokesworth, near Evans, right?” James inquired, sipping from his soda. Remus found himself shrugging. He didn’t know too much about Snape. He was a Slytherin, gifted in potions, and one of his friends hated him enough to try and use Remus to kill him. “Why would he be here if he lives that far north?”

“It’s not that far north, James. Just about three hours from here, give or take.” He watched Snape flinch away from his father’s hand as it reached for a napkin. The movement was also noticed by the adults who seemed to glance at one another. “Anyway, how is it at the Potter’s, Sirius? You just got settled there, right?” Remus wanted to move the conversation away from Snape. Though for what reason, he couldn’t say.

Sirius frowned a bit at the lack of nickname, but replaced it quickly with a grin. “Oh, its great. They’re so nice and the house is really homey, ya know?” He nudged James’ arm. “Plus the food is a million times better.”

“Come off it, Pads.” James laughed, finally looking away from Snape, “It’s just mum’s food.”

“Mine doesn’t cook, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s an upgrade.” They chuckled at the thought of Sirius’s mother cooking before falling quiet again. The allure of the dark boy sitting with their parents too great a distraction for small talk.

“Ugh, what a little creep.” Sirius muttered, taking another bite. James shrugged but said nothing.

Remus took in Snape’s appearance closely this time. His shirt didn’t fit right and was covered in dirt, mostly on the left shoulder as though he had landed on it recently. His trousers were torn and very old, like they were hand-me-downs. Remus was well acquainted with secondhand clothes. With his growth being faster than his mother could keep up with, he tended to just inherit his father’s clothes. But with Snape’s case, they looked really worn, as though the person he got them from didn’t care about them. His shoes were tattered to near destruction and almost seemed too small.

Remus’s eyes went back to Snape’s face. He had a hard time looking at him, ever since that night in the Shrieking Shack it had been hard to look at anyone really. But as he forced himself to really look at the boy looking at his mother, Remus saw the mark on his face.

He didn’t know if Snape knew it was there. The one thing that made his mother concerned in the first place. There was a bruise on Snape’s face, right on his cheekbone. Could he have fallen? Perhaps. But if it was just the result of a typical boy getting hurt while doing whatever it was Snape did in his free time, then why did he flinch from his father?

Lyall Lupin was tall and certainly lean in muscle. Something he had developed after years of restraining Remus when the Moon got to its fullest. But he was kind and carried himself so. He always wore knit and corduroy and spoke in a quiet voice. Yes, Lyall had a temper that could come out, but it was only when something was going to threaten his family.

When Snape flinched, Remus wasn’t the only one who caught it. His parents and the Potters did as well. He glanced at the other two to see if they caught it as well. Sirius seemed determined to only look at his lunch while James met his gaze. Before either could speak, Mrs. Potter stood up and came over to them.

“James, your father and I are going to be right back. If we aren’t back in thirty minutes, then just go with Lyall and Hope alright?” Mrs. Potter patted Sirius on the shoulder, “You too, young man. go with them and we’ll meet you at the motel.” She left after James and Sirius muttered their confirmation, her husband right behind her. The three of them looked at each other and shrugged.

“Alright boys.” Remus’s father had pulled up a chair and sat down with them. “How’s your visit been? All good?” He looked at all of them expectantly.

“Yessir,” Remus spoke, still distracted by Snape and his mother, who was now talking to him directly.

“Good, good. Is there anything you three want to do before Remus heads home tomorrow? One last summer adventure, so to speak?”

**

Severus moved some chips away as Mrs. Lupin spoke to him now that the others were gone.

“We’ll be going back to Wales after today. Bright and early in the morning. You’ll have your own room, it was the guest room, but all it needs is a personal touch. Does that sound alright?” She always asking if he was alright or if he liked the idea of something. It was strange, were Lupin's parents kind like this naturally or did they develop the skill after Lupin? How did Lupin become a werewolf? Was it recent?

Oh, she was looking at him for an answer.

“Uhm, yes. That's fine.” Severus gave a half smile that didn't even convince himself before looking away. He caught James Potter’s eyes and immediately looked somewhere else.

Salazar and fuck all. Where Potter was, Black was always trailing behind.

“Do you have anything else you wanted to pick up? Some more clothes or some books?” Mrs. Lupin spoke up again. Severus looked back at her, looking confused.

“Why would I have anything else to pick up?” Severus was going to leave right after this and try to find someplace to sleep until school starts up. If he was really lucky he would find an entrance to Diagon Alley and then loiter in the Leaky Cauldron.

“We’ll be leaving for Wales in the morning, and we don’t have too much in our neighborhood. So if there was something you wanted to get here in London, today would be the day to get it.” She looked at her watch and nodded as if pleased at the time. “Most of the shops are still open too, so there will be no rush.”

“I’ll get what I need as I need it, thank you though.” He tried not to snap, and was fairly confident he didn’t. “I’ll be here in London until school starts, so accessibility isn’t an issue.”

Mrs. Lupin looked at him for a such a long time that Severus began to fidget under her gaze. “Severus, we’re taking you home.”

Panic shot through him so quickly that a ringing had begun in his head. Did he really zone out during that decision? Is that what they adult were talking about? “Uhm, no. No. That’s fine, I’ll be- I’ll be fine.” He grabbed his bag and held it close like a life line. “Everything that I need is right here, so don’t you worry.” ”Severus I asked you if you were okay back at the station, and you told me no.” Her voice was so soft, as to not bring any attention to the two of them. “I’m not going to take you back to Cokesworth, I promise you that, but you need to be in a safe environment so that you can properly plan your next steps.”

And I would be safe in Remus’s home? “As I said before, everything I need is right here.” He shook the bag for emphasis only to stop when soft jingling was heard from inside. He and Mrs. Lupin looked at his bag, the confusion painted on her face surely matched his own. He opened his bag to peer inside. There a small pouch rested on top of his clothes with a small letter folded and tied to it. Reaching in, Severus tugged at the letter, causing the bag to open slightly.

Galleons caught the light from overhead. There wasn’t a lot, probably only 8 or 9 in total. Shillings and pounds were the rest of the contents. Spare change at the end of the day, but someone had taken the time to try and hide them underneath the Gringotts Money. Glancing at the letter for some kind of answer, Severus caught the jagged lettering of his mother’s handwriting.

He shoved the letter and coins at the bottom of his bag, not wanting to deal with whatever the letter said in the middle of the sandwich shop, in London, in front of Mrs. Lupin. Looking around pretending to be calm to perhaps fool himself in to actually feeling calm, Severus took several breaths before speaking with a shaky voice.

“What’s the weather like in Wales?”

The weather was misty, a vast difference to the sunny streets of London. No less humid, but the sun was trying its best to break through the thick blanket of clouds.

Severus stood in the doorway of a decent sized cottage with the Lupin family bustling to put away their holiday luggage. The home from what he could see was covered in memorabilia and small knickknacks that whispered of stories waiting to be told. He glanced back outside, down the front cobbled walkway and past the old wooden fence. There weren’t any neighbors in the immediate area, all of the other houses were at least a lot or two away rather than everyone being stacked on top of each other like they were in Cokesworth. There was breathing room. Something that prompted Severus into taking a deep breath himself, inhaling the damp mist that carried the scent of moss.

Looking back into the house, he saw Hope Lupin smile at him and gesture for him to come closer. He tensed, not realizing that he had been relaxed at some point. He shuffled closer, making it a point to not have any part of his body touch Remus who was hanging his coat on a coat rack made out of antique doorknobs.

“Down here is the kitchen, the boys aren’t really allowed to be in there on account that they just make a mess, but you’re welcome to it.” She led him down the hall into an eclectic looking kitchen, Pots and pans hung from racks on the ceiling next to herb bundles and woven baskets. The oven was cast iron, an observation that left him breathless. Eileen would have done anything to get an oven like the one Hope had. “Just through the doors to the left is the sitting room, Lyall is usually there after work staring at the paper.” He glanced through the doorway to said room to see soft looking couches that didn’t match in a way that was pleasing to look at as well as more knickknacks. “These are the stairs for the bedrooms up top. Downstairs is the basement, but you don’t have to worry about that room.” The spiral stairs were a sturdy iron and was littered with scuffs and dents from years of use. He looked down the stairs to see the just the outline of a door. No doubt that’s where Remus goes to shift.

“I’ll give you a tour of upstairs, that way you can put your things down. Remus, don’t go digging through the pantry I’ll be making lunch in a bit.” Severus looked over in time to see Remus closing a yellow door looking guilty. “This way, dear, and be careful as the stairs tend to be a bit steep.” He turned back to Hope to follow her.

The stairs were steep as promised, but the railing was helpful enough. At the top of the stairs was another hallway. Floral wallpaper covered the bottom half of the walls while the top was adorned with a pale green color. Three doors, all with a dark stain was all that the hallway revealed. There were less personal pictures up here, paintings had taken their place. “This door right there is Remus’s room.” She gestured to the door to his immediate left. “That room is ours.” She pointed to the closed door further down and to the right. “And this one will be yours.” She had walked to the last door and opened it for him to see inside.

The room was indeed lacking personal touches as she stated in London, but it was wrapped in warm browns and beiges making it welcoming nonetheless. The neutral tones included elements of a dark green that reminded him of the only place he had thought of as home, the Slytherin Common room. It was admittedly an odd combination, but somehow it made Severus feel welcomed and not out of place.

He was looking around when Hope spoke again, “Just needs some personal touches. We can look out for a bookshelf and a desk to put in here. Maybe some posters.” She went to the bed, smoothing a hand down the duvet. “Is that enough pillows, dear? I’m sure I have more stashed somewhere.”

Severus looked at the three very soft looking pillows artfully placed at the headboard. “I’m not sure, I’ve only had one.”

She nodded, “Well, just let me know. You go ahead and get settled, I’ll be downstairs getting lunch together.” She patted his shoulder as she passed him. He stood still even after the door had closed, waiting until he heard her footsteps go down the stairs before deflating completely.

He put his bags on the bed and sank to his knees, burying his face into the beige duvet. He just sat there, not really moving for a few minutes. He could hear the bustling downstairs through the radiator beneath the window. There was no yelling, no slamming of cabinet doors or screaming television.

It was so quiet.

**

“Remus, I need to ask you some questions about Severus.”

He had wondered when his dad would start asking about Snape. He had taken Remus, James, and Sirius to some stores and sights while his mom had taken Snape by the arm and whisked him away to the closest shopping center. The rest of that afternoon was filled with Sirius making not so subtle jabs at Snape and James wondering why the boy was in London to begin with.

“Sure thing. Though, I have admit, I don’t know too much about him other than the obvious.” He and his dad had moved form the kitchen to the sitting room. His dad sitting in his favorite spot on the loveseat while Remus took his on the longer couch.

“And what would the obvious be?”

Remus thought for a moment, picking at a loose string on the couch. “He’s the same age; in Slytherin; gets good grades in Potions, Herbology, and Defense; Lily Evans is a friend of his,” He listed the things he knew as they came to him. His dad nodded, looking thoughtful before speaking himself.

“Sirius and James don’t like him; he seems very uncomfortable near older men; he has a bruise on his face that looks suspiciously like a hand; he only has one pair of clothes and a bag.”

The more his dad spoke, the more Remus sank into the couch. He couldn’t stop the feeling that all of that was his fault. What was Snape’s home life like? Was it ruined by what happened last year? Was it always bad? Did he really run away? “I don’t know, dad. Whatever was going on at his home, I don’t know about.” He sighed heavily, “With James and Sirius, I wish I knew the exact reason why they’re antagonistic with him. He didn’t do anything to him other than get sorted into Slytherin his first year. Over the years, yeah Snape began to retaliate, but he never started anything.” His dad looked as though he wanted to say something, but Remus kept talking, “Maybe its because he was really good at Dark Arts things? James doesn’t like the Dark Arts and Sirius’s family is, well, you know. Maybe they just lashed out instinctively? I keep telling them to leave him alone, and they do for a while. They’ve really left him alone, especially after last year, but-”

“What happened last year?” The sharp edge to his father’s voice made Remus’s stomach twist violently, making him want to vomit. He tried to not reveal his feelings and simply stated, “Sirius went too far with what he thought was a prank. He got into trouble with the head master and Prof. McGonagall about it. I wasn’t really a part of the whole planning thing, so I’m not too sure what he wanted to accomplish.” Not entirely a lie. He didn’t know what Sirius was trying to do by telling Snape about the Shack. He didn’t want his parents to know that Sirius had practically used Remus to get to Snape and almost kill him.

He didn’t want his parents to start thinking they housed a true monster.

His father looked at him for a very long time, making Remus feel worse and worse, before nodding slowly. “Well, if he’s going to be here, then he’s going to be given the same amount of respect that we give everyone else, you understand?”

Remus nodded, “Yessir, I know. I don’t have a problem with him personally. In fact, I think it’s really impressive he’s so good at potions. I think he’s even editing our textbooks in his spare time.” He wanted to move this conversation somewhere else before he stumbles into uncomfortable territory.

“Well, that’s certainly impressive.” His mum came into the doorway, drying her hands. “He’s only 16 and rewriting textbooks, that’s skill there. I wonder if he’d be good help in the kitchen and garden.” She looked wistful at the thought of competent help.

Remus and his dad were absolutely useless beyond the ‘get the dish’ or ‘hand me the bread’. Not that they didn’t try. It just ended terribly every time. So they stuck to other ways to help out. Dad was great at fixing doors and appliances while Remus had a real talent for general cleaning. So while they couldn’t help with the kitchen, the Lupin household was always clean and put together.

“Well, either way, lunch is ready. Sandwiches and tea, figured it be good on our stomachs after travelling.” She turned to go back into the kitchen, “Remus, go tell Severus lunch is ready while I plate everything up.” He didn’t want to tell her that it was probably a bad idea for him to do just that, so he swallowed the anxiety and made his way upstairs.

The door to the guest bedroom was closed, and no noise came form the other side. He knocked softly and waited. When nothing happened, he knocked again. Nothing again.

“Severus? Hello?” This time, shuffling was heard through the door and the knob turned.

There was Snape, looking confused again. It was almost as if he couldn’t remember how he got here.

“Uhm, lunch is ready. Mum made sandwiches.” He sounded stupid in his own ears, but thankfully Snape just looked at him for minute before nodding. They were so close that Remus could see the red around Snape’s eyes. Either from lack of sleep, as he knew the boy had forced himself to stay awake in their London motel room, or from crying, which Remus wouldn’t be surprised even if he didn’t know exactly what was going on with Snape. He took a step back to let Snape out of the room, watching him.

What did he say? Did he say anything? Should he apologize? Try to explain? Did Snape even care to hear his apologies?

“We have a garden out back.” He blurted instead, earning him an incredulous look.

“What?”

“We- that is- mum grows her own herbs, so there’s a garden. Out back. If you’d like to see it, that is.” Remus tried his stupid attempt at conversation.

“Lupin, we’re not friends. I don’t think we’ll ever be friends, nor am I inclined to try to be friends with you. So do us both a favor and don’t try to talk to me like we’re going to be best friends by the end of summer.”

“Well, it would be pretty weird if we didn’t at least talk while we’re in the same space some of the time. Mum and dad might ask what’s going on. I think dad really wants to ask what’s going on, but I keep trying to throw him off.”

“What do you mean he wants to ask questions? Besides the obvious ‘What’s this weird kid doing in my house?’” Snape scoffed closing his door, but not making his way downstairs just yet. They stood there in the hallway facing each other, speaking in hushed tones, as if telling secrets.

“He mainly wants to ask about that bruise on your face.”

The flinch that wracked through Snape’s body was so violent, Remus heard some of his joints pop in response. “Why would he care? It’s not like it bothers his life, and he’s not the one who did it.” He tried to cover it with a hand, the discoloration was too big to hid completely.

“He might ask who did do it though.” Remus tried to keep his voice calm, to let Snape know he wasn’t pushing for information just letting Snape know what might be coming.

“It just happens sometimes. They won’t be on the Isles for much longer anyway so it doesn’t matter.”

“Sever-”

“Shut. Up. Lupin.” The tone was final and Remus didn’t want to push it. He sighed and gestured for Snape to go first down the stairs to the kitchen.

Once they reached the kitchen, it was almost like a switched had been flipped in Snape. The irritation and stress was slammed behind doors and locked, leaving a typical shy teenage boy in its wake. If Remus wasn’t watching him so closely, he would have missed it. If Remus didn’t do the same thing at school everyday, he would have missed it.

As they sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen, Remus kept looking at Snape. Watching as he performed for his parents. It was nearly flawless if he ignored the fact that his hands were trembling every time his dad got a little too close to ether pass a napkin or pick up his drink. He knew his dad picked up on it too. His whole job was to know when people were afraid and to stop what ever it was that made them scared. Granted it was mainly boggarts, but still Lyall Lupin picked up superior people observation skills over the years.

He and Remus had made eye contact at some point, and Remus knew that his father saw what he saw too. Severus Snape was masking. Hiding his emotions to please the people around him.

His mother seemed oblivious. Or she could be better at hiding her face than him and his dad. “We need to go shopping for furniture and some clothes, Lyall. I’d say give Severus your old clothes, but he’d just swim in them, you’re too big.” Snape paused in drinking his tea, his façade fracturing just a bit before he fixed it. Remus was almost expecting him to fight his mother on it, but he had remained silent. Perhaps he knew a losing battle when he saw it.

“I can take him today or tomorrow, Hope. We’ll get it sorted.” There, right there. Snape’s shoulders were starting to tense and his grip on the cup was getting tighter.

“Nonsense, you have the fashion sense of a patch of soil, all browns and patches. I’ll take him tomorrow morning. How does that sound, Severus?” Snape’s shoulders dropped slowly as he nodded. “In the mean time, you can wear Remus’s clothes. It’ll just be for tonight and the day tomorrow.”

From the look in Snape’s eyes, he was trying to convince himself that it would be alright even as he offered his mom a small smile.