Disclaimer: I don't own them. If I did I'd live somewhere where there's actually summer outside. Well, J.K.R. does own them and still lives in England, so guess to each their own..

Personal Disclaimer: Highest Rating possible on. I am somewhat of a slash writer, sometimes, and this will go into this direction. Please note also that this is a dark fic, although it will have it's funny moments (we've got some hysterical laughter ahead of us, I assure you). It's also important to mention that I do ignore all the movies and everything after PoA. I just don't like the way things turned out, and as I'm already writing my own version of everything I take the privilege to make things happen in a different way. This might also be quite a bit out of character. If you don't like it, you shouldn't read it. No flames, please. Reviews appreciated.

Also note that this is a translation of a german multiple chapter story I wrote since August 2009. It's approximately nine chapters long. Originally I intended to update much more often, but as things turned out I only manage to do so randomly. I promise to try harder, though. Especially if people decide to actually read this. (Ha! Fishing for reviews, are we..) "Smoke" is part one of a trilogy, and I'm currently writing the third part in german. The second one is called "Earl Gray".

And now onto the fun.

Help is coming

There were still a few days left until the next full moon, but Remus Lupin already felt the coming violence in his bones. Carefully he slipped into his seat next to Sirius at the big table in the Great Hall, trying not to pull a face as the pain spilled through his body. It was summer, and a very long and hot summer at that. Vacations had started a week ago, and it had taken everybody a while to adjust to a life in calm and peace. Without the students the castle lay silent and empty, a building much too big for the few souls left, with long hallways in which the heat could gather and sit like a fat and lazy animal. Most teachers had left for the summer, traveling or on research in all parts of the earth.

Only the heads of the houses, Remus and Sirius and of course Albus Dumbledore were still there and enjoyed the freedom that summer meant. No responsibilities, no plans, just the days that were slowly passing by. But in the distance there was always the dark cloud named Voldemort, like a far away thunderstorm that might break out soon and bring thunder and lightning, destruction and death, but could also pass by in the distance, leaving everybody with a scare and nothing more. The days were filled with strolls on the grounds, swimming in the lake, long meals, talk, and laughter. Sirius enjoyed every moment in his human form. There where month of this freedom ahead of them until the students would come back for the new term, and nobody thought about timetables and examinations.

"Remus, is everything all right?" Sirius turned towards him and examined his best friend. The sun had done him some favours, Remus thought. Sirius looked relaxed, had put some weight onto his bones and gained a healthy glow on his skin.

"I'm not sure. My bones hurt a bit, but it's not full moon yet. Maybe something has gone wrong with the potion last time?"

A worried look appeared on Sirius face. "You think the potion was spoiled? I'll kill that damn bat and - " But Remus cut him off. "You will do nothing, Sirius Black. Remember where I'd be if it wasn't for Severus." Sirius stayed silent, but it was visible on his face that he didn't quite agree. Mumbling he turned his attention towards his lunch.

A few days later Sirius found himself running towards the hospital wing, where Poppy was busy writing lists for her annual storage check. She looked up in surprise at his rather sudden entrance.

"Sirius! Did something happen?" Slightly out of breath Sirius stopped in front of her. "Something is wrong with Remus. Full moon is over, but he is too weak to get up. He says the pain during the transformation was much worse than usual, and it didn't go away when he returned to his human form. Can you have a look at him?" Together they hasted towards Remus private chambers.

They found Remus in bed, curled up underneath the blankets, shaking from pain spasms. Poppy started her examinations immediately. After a few minutes she stepped away from the bed and turned to Sirius.

"I can't find anything. I'd like to give him a good pain killer, but the wolfsbane is a highly complex potion, and it's still in his system. If we mess with it on the wrong side we might kill him accidentally. I need to get Severus and find out what potions wouldn't react with the wolfsbane. Stay with him, make sure he drinks something, and try to get him to stay calm." Without a word Sirius took his place at the bed and carefully touched Remus face while Poppy hurried away.

The mediwitch found Severus Snape in his private laboratory, a set of clinically empty but highly functional rooms tucked away in one of the towers. For a second she stayed in the door frame, watching Snape working in his horribly stained and torn laboratory robes. He was carefully stirring a thick green liquid with a golden spoon clockwise, silently staring down at it. Suddenly a yellow bubble formed on the surface of the liquid, and started to make its way towards the high ceiling. Poppy and Snape followed its way with their eyes, until it reached the ceiling, where it exploded with a quiet "pop" and left an ugly brown stain.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Snape took a look at the parchment that was placed next to cauldron, observed the notes in his almost unreadable writing, and shock his head. "I fear not. How can I help you?" Poppy smiled at him. Knowing that Severus was fallible made his precision and brilliance much more bearable. Over the years the mediwitch had managed to developed a surprisingly friendly working relationship with the usually withdrawn and sour potions master. She enjoyed working together with him on the medical potions she needed, knowing that his works were of much higher quality than everything she got on the market.

She also knew things about him no one else knew, knew his scars and broken ribs, bruises and torn ligaments. She couldn't remember how often she had patched him up again after he returned from Him-she-would-kill-if-she-had-the-chance, how often Albus had dragged him into the hospital wing and forced him to allow her a glance at his battered body. After a while he had gotten used to it, and so had she. They were on amicable terms, although she would never tell him how much it hurt her every time she had to wash his blood from her hands. Now she looked at the frown on Severus face as he examined the stain on his ceiling and smiled.

With a few words she told him everything about Remus condition. He listened while he cleaned his working table, took the cauldron from the fire and froze the remaining green liquid with a wave of his hand. Then he just stood for a minute and stared into the cauldron. Poppy tried to be patient. She knew that pressure wouldn't help her. The wolfesbane was highly complex, and thinking it through would simply take some time. Then he came towards her. "I have never tested the potion in combination with pain killers, and we could easily kill him. Give him willow bark, that's the only thing I can find now that I'm sure won't react. It won't do much, but help him to get some sleep. I'll accompany you, I need to know when the pain started to see if it's indeed something to do with the wolfsbane."

They met Albus halfway. Sirius had informed him, and he just came back from visiting Remus. "Severus, Poppy - I have to admit that I haven't seen something like this before. It's a very unusual reaction for the lycanthrophy that I can't explain. Severus, what kind of pain killers can Remus take? Does willow bark work?" Severus nodded. "Hm. Nothing else? I thought so." Poppy looked at both. "Isn't there anything we can do? What causes this pain?"

Albus shock his head. "I don't know. But we need to find out." He looked at Severus, who stared straight back and after minute sighed. "I'll see what I can do." Then he turned on his heel and disappeared, still in his tattered lab robe, his mind already running through everything that could have even remotely gone wrong. Poppy was surprised. "And he's going where?" Albus placed a soft hand on her shoulder and smiled. "The library, my dear. Let's go and see what we can do for Remus. Do you have some willow bark? Excellent."

Three days later Remus Lupin was back on his feet, although those feet felt rather weak. The willow bark had helped him to sleep most of the pain off, and he hadn't left his bed for almost all of these days. Only a heavy headache and a tingle in his hands and feet were left from three days of pain spasms, and an intense fear of the next full moon. The pain would return then, he was sure of it. Sirius hadn't left his side for the last days, and now Remus had sent his friend off to bed so he could get some rest himself, not without telling him how grateful he was. Now he was strolling around the castle, hoping that some movement and air could chase the headache away, and looking forward to get some breakfast. In the Great Hall he met Albus Dumbledore.

"Remus, what a pleasure. How are you feeling today?" The headmaster beamed at the tired young man. "Better, thank you." Albus smiled. "Wonderful! Will you join me for breakfast? I'm waiting for Severus to report about his research. I'm sure he found a solution for your problem." And Remus really hoped that too. Carefully he took a seat next to Dumbledore, and took to the steaming bowl of porridge and applesauce that appeared in front of him. It tasted heavenly, and he enjoyed the first food in days.

While Remus finished his bowl Albus talked about the weather in Ireland and the last 'Daily Prophet' scandals to keep him amused. As soon as Remus put his bowl down and exchanged it for a cup of tea Snape appeared. He didn't look much better than Remus himself, dark circles under his eyes speaking of the sleepless nights spent at his desk and in the library. Without any unnecessary polite phrases he took a seat at the table and accepted the cup of strong black tea Albus handed him. His long hands wrapped around the cup he informed them of his findings.

"I am pretty sure that Lupins' problems come indeed from a double reaction between the wolfsbane and the lycanthrophy. I'll explain it the easy way so you'll understand."

Remus gulped down the scathing remark that was on his tongue with a sip of strong black tea. Kicking the only man who was likely to help him wasn't working in his currenty situation. But the temptation was full on. Snape, no caring in the least, simply continued.

"The potion blocks certain receptor cells inside the wolf's' brain. Those cells can't react towards the stimulus satiation that overwhelms the wolf and makes him run amok. It works: The wolf has less stimulation and the areas in the brain that make him rational stay active. This is exactly what we're trying to achive. But this also leads to our current problem. The blocking cell leaves the receptor cell after the wolfsbane looses its effect, but in some cases the remaining cell just doesn't react anymore. Usually this would lead to a general paralysis. But with Lupin the opposite happened: the nervous system keeps sending information, but the cell doesn't react. The brain realizes that this information is missing and finds other receptor cells to be able to read them. Lupin's brain picked the receptor cells that transmit pain. His brain thinks he's in pain, although there is no physical reason, which is why we cannot simply administer painkillers. After a few days the inactive receptor cells gain their activity back, and everything goes back to normal."

Remus needed a few moments to progress that information. Albus spoke first. "Is it progressive?" Severus nodded. "It is." Suddenly panic spilled trough Remus veins and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. Again it was Albus who spoke first. "And?"

Severus had the decency not to grin. "I think it can be stopped, yes."

Remus nearly lost his temper. "How?" Severus put the cup down and raised his hands, using them to paint his next words into the air, his voice fully dropping into teaching mode. "We can train the receptor cells to react normally again, using something that docks exactly against the same receptor cells as the wolfesbane does. If we manage to get a substance like this into Lupin's system, and have the cells react to something else than the wolfsbane, they should be able to process the wolfesbane again. It's like training a soldier, or quidditch player." Albus clapped his hands. "Excellent. What kind of substance do we need?" Now Severus did grin, although only a bit.

"There is a substance. It's highly illegal, almost, well, anywhere. It's also a high potential pain-killer, which is good, as reactivating those cells will cause pain. Furthermore it is also highly addictive, which is the reason for it's ban."

Remus only heard "Yes, there is something to help you", and his heart rate seemed to call down a bit. He couldn't stop himself from babbling. "And you can get this stuff? I mean, you're a spy and everything, and do all that illegal stuff anyway, and - " Snapes' deadly glance silenced him. Albus placed a hand on Remus shoulder to calm him down.

"Severus, can you help him?" With an irritated look on his face Snape nodded. "There might be an option." Remus felt like the wold had him back again. "And will you get that stuff for me? Please?" Severus stood.

"I can't get it for you. But you can accompany me. If you'll know excuse me. I've spent three nights at my desk and in various libraries, and I got potions to tend to." He nodded towards Dumbledore, and turned. Remus was still processing everything he had learned in the past minutes, when he realized something. He rose from his chair.

"Uhm, Severus?"

Already near the door the potions master turned around. His gaze examined Remus flushed face and Albus' proud smile, and then he simply grinned, and there was just a tiny bit malice visible.

"You have smoked before, Lupin?"

Lupin shock his head. "No, why?"

Severus raised an eyebrow and grinned even wider.

"Better get used to it, then. Practice makes perfect."

Remus was utterly confused. He had to smoke something? He quickly looked at Albus, but there was only confusion on his face as well. Snape, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the moment.

"It's Opium, Lupin."

Then he turned on his heel and stalked through the opened portal, leaving Remus and Albus in the Great Hall, still utterly confused.

(c) Fayet, written August 2009. [English Version, Chap. I: June 19th 2010, edited August 2014]

And now that we know we're talking about opium here I can tell you that the german original was named thus: "Opium". Didn't want to mention it earlier, felt a bit like a spoiler, you know?