My first HP fic and it's not slash. TT Okay then this is for my lover, Severus Snape.

Also for those of you who umm are waiting for that final chapter on Knightly Treats... I might make you wait an extra day b/c I lost my beta. MysteryLady-Tx you should e-mail me if you're available! I need you.

warning: none

I do not own Harry Potter books nor movies. If I ever do I'll rename it all to "Severus Snape".

Severus Snape was pacing. His boots clicked on the stone floor. The sharp repetitive sounds echoed off of the empty walls. He had walked the length of the mahogany table in the teachers' meeting room so many times he'd lost count. Severus was a patient man on most days. He was also punctual, and today he refused to check the time because he was always early to this single reoccurring event. Severus could only pace to keep himself from sighing while he continued to wait.

For him it was one more month and one more potion. Wolfsbane wasn't an easy potion to make, but if it wasn't administered before every full moon he knew the consequences first hand. So, instead of walking out and seeking solitude in his chambers, he waited. He walked and waited for the wolf to show up. The only thing Severus could hope for would be that Remus would come alone and not with his mutt of a companion, but half the time he didn't even think of that anymore. It was useless to hope. It would only lead to disappointment in the end.

Severus wasn't quite lost in his thoughts just yet. At the sound of the mechanical turning of the door handle and a barely audible sigh Severus turned to watch his patient enter. Quietly and with obvious discomfort Remus pushed the door gently to a close and approached the table where his remedy would be given to him.

Severus noted that the door had closed with a soft click and yet didn't cease his pacing. He wanted Remus to know just how much trouble this was for him. Not only did he spend hours in front of a work table with ingredients he so loved, but hated to mix for any Marauder, he also had to wait and personally administer the potion every time. Severus finally stopped when he heard the approaching footsteps come to a halt. From his elaborate, black robes Severus produced a vial and placed it firmly on the table with a resounding thud. He crossed his arms over his chest and with a simple lift of his eyebrow signaled for his companion to drink. It was routine. It was mundane. It was, sadly, his responsibility according to the headmaster.

Remus nodded and picked up the vial. It looked thick, grey and lumpy, just like last month's. Sometimes Remus wondered if Severus made it taste particularly like rotten fish heads just because he could. Remus uncorked the vial, careful not to spill any, and tried to down it as quickly as he could. He hated waiting for the sludge to slide down the glass walls until it reached the opening and then his mouth. The look was horrible and the smell was always bad, but holding it over his mouth while Severus watched was worse.

Remus kept a careful eye on Severus while he waited for the potion to drop into his mouth. If Remus hadn't know any better, by the look on Severus' face, he would have thought Severus was the one swallowing the foul potion instead. After three very difficult gulps Remus dared to breath. He had asked on more than one occasion, at the beginning of the arrangement, if he could have a glass of water after the potion, but Severus had said it would dilute the effect. Now, Remus had never dared to drink the glass for fear of the repercussions, but sometimes he had to ask himself if Severus was really only having some payback for his days as a student.

The look of disgust was still there. "Must you wear such an expression, Severus?" Remus asked quietly after putting the vial back in the exact spot where he had picked it up.

"My apologies. Which expression would you rather I wear? I have millions you know." Severus' lips parted only as much as was necessary to allow his words to reach the other person in the room. With a wave of his hand over the vial and cork they vanished. He wouldn't be using that again. The obvious irritation was still there even though they were almost done.

Remus frowned, but got the point. He was breaking their routine by talking more than he had to. He turned to leave the quiet room. His steps weren't quite as loud as when he had stepped in. He carefully opened the door, but the same creaking hinges broke the silence. Remus had one foot out of the door when he stopped to look back at Severus. "Thank you for making the potion for me yet again, Severus."

Severus walked out behind Remus. "I don't make it for you, Lupin." He closed the door and took a moment to stand outside of the room with Remus at his side. "I make it for all the other people that might have the bad luck to encounter you without it." Before Remus could respond Severus turned his back on him. His robes fluttered and hovered, spread out behind him as his boots sped him away.

It was over. Severus was done. Finally, he was making his way down to his cold dungeons, under the lake, where he felt most at home.

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