Author: Lipstickcat
E-mail: [email protected]
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Lupin/Snape, Snape/Lockhart implied
Rating: G
Warning: Manipulative Lupin
Disclaimer: Can I have Lupin? Pretty please? *makes puppy eyes at Rowling* No? Awww. *sighs* They�re not mine then.
Notes: Sequel to �Shark� (Snape/Lockhart).
***
The nurse�s heels clattered against the stone floor as she lead the professor through the ward. Pitiful faces glanced up at him expectantly as they passed, waiting to see if it was them he was visiting, shooting him disappointed looks that made him feel guilty as he kept on walking. Eventually, they stopped at the foot of a hospital cot near the far end of the room.
The nurse, who had been speaking quite efficiently until this point, suddenly dropped her voice so that she was almost cooing softly to her charge.
�Professor Lockhart, you have a visitor. Your colleague, Professor Lupin.�
Lockhart beamed amicably at Lupin.
�Do I know you?�
�From Hogwarts. We both teach there.� At least he hadn�t told an outright lie.
�Don�t be upset if he doesn�t recognise you,� the nurse took Lupin�s elbow and pulled him close, talking in a whisper that the man in the bed could hear regardless. �His memory is pretty much gone, he can barely remember who he is. Pity,� the last word came out as a sigh. Remus couldn�t help but notice as the nurse�s chest rose and fell with heave of regretful breath.
He looked back around at Lockhart, who was now smiling sheepishly at him. Despite of the wave of sympathy he felt for the fop of a man, he still didn�t feel the urge to admit that he wouldn�t have known him anyway.
�Talk to him, it might help to bring something back. He�s not had many visitors, not friends anyway. Plenty of adoring fans who quote chapter after chapter of his books at him. That�s no help, he�s read them all several times himself, he says he can�t remember doing any of those things. Don�t know how they found out he�s here though, the public�s not even supposed to know about his illness��
Lupin gave her a pleading look; pale brown eyes wide and doleful. The nurse halted abruptly, gave a self conscious smile and then nodded in the direction of the seat beside the bed before walking off.
�Professor Lupin, eh?�
�Remus,� the lycanthrope replied as he sat down, �Remus J. Lupin.� He smiled warmly.
There was a prolonged uncomfortable silence before Gilderoy Lockhart spoke.
�So� How is�. Everybody?�
He shrugged to show that he really didn�t have a clue who �everybody� might be.
�Fine, fine,� Remus returned the small talk and then took the opportunity to breach the subject that he had come here to talk about. �Severus sends his regards.�
It was not only a complete lie, but it was also highly improbable that Snape would send anyone �his regards�. But he needed to see Lockhart�s reaction.
Which was: �Ah. That�s nice.�
And, really, that didn�t tell him anything one way or the other.
�Do you remember Professor Snape at all?�
�Is he the one with the beard?�
Lupin couldn�t suppress the smile.
�No, that�s Dumbledore. Severus Snape � tall, pale, big nose, likes to wear black.�
Lockhart gave an expression of complete non-plussment.
�Do you � Do you have any recollection of being in any kind of � of relationship with him?�
Gilderoy�s face lit up with the sort of genuine boyish glee that hadn�t graced his features since he had begun the charade that had become his life up until this summer. He raised an eye brow and leaned forward conspiratorially, as if he did know the other professor after all.
�If I did, would I want to admit to it? Is he worth it?�
Lupin bit the inside of his lip and glanced around. None of the other hospital residents were paying any attention and the nurse was no where to be seen.
He leaned in close to Lockhart. �I think so.�
�Then I wish that I could remember,� he replied as he sat back upright against his pillows.
Lupin swallowed the swelling growl of frustration that was beginning to vibrate at the back of his throat. Why was he here? Why was he pretending to be this poor, ill, man�s friend? What was the point?
Snape, that was the point, he told himself as he fished around the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a folded item and began to carefully unfold it. He�d been fine until he�d found this. At first he�d been amused, but then he found himself obsessing over it, keeping it on his person, fondling it in his pocket thoughtlessly. And the more he thought about it, the more he thought about the subject of it, the more he wondered. He had to know where the ground lay before he could do anything else about it. It didn�t help that it was nearly the full moon and the wolf in him was getting terribly possessive about something that wasn�t even his.
A photograph. He passed it into curious hands and watched the bright expression of recognition on the other�s face. His stomach rolled over in his guts.
�Its me!� Gilderoy pointed at the figure waving back at them and Remus� stomach settled a little. Not the kind of recognition he�d both hoped for and dreaded.
�My� what a charming smile,� the two Gilderoy�s beamed at each other.
�Turn it over,� Professor Lupin guided the other man�s hand and sat back to continue talking as Lockhart read the verses scribbled on the reverse side. �I moved into your old office after you left, I found this behind the bookcase. Do you remember writing it at all?�
Lockhart�s mouth moved, whispering the poem to himself, trying his hardest to jog his foggy memory. Lupin knew the verses by heart; he had pondered over each line himself so many times. He had begun to believe them, begun to search out their truth. He�d begun to see and want things that he hadn�t seen nor wanted before. He tried not to watch Lockhart�s lips giving shape to those words now, his eyes drifting to the still beaming figure in the photo, to the flourish of signature and that single �x�, the scratch that had mocked him the most during his private moments.
Lockhart chuckled. ��Your alabaster skin, smooth as velvet against mine�, �petal soft lips�, �raven hair�!� he was becoming increasingly hysterical. � �Brew me a potion of your love�!� He took a deep breath and gave Remus a smile that shone in his sky coloured eyes. �I�m a bloody awful poet!�
�Yes,� he returned the smile wryly and choked on the hidden venom he�d kept out of his voice, �but do you remember writing it? Do you remember why you wrote it? Any events, even the smallest flash of a memory?�
Gilderoy shook his head sadly.
�I�m afraid not. Shame,� his gaze scanned over the words one last time before handing the picture back. Remus grabbed at it a little more compulsively than he would have liked, �I must have been besotted with him.�
Lupin faked a yawn, ignoring the last statement. �I must be going now.�
�Do come again. It was nice seeing you.�
Professor Lupin turned away from the guilt pangs that his predecessor�s genuine gratitude inspired. It would have been easier to hate him if he had still been the self absorbed character that graced the fronts of so many books and magazines. As he walked back down the rows of beds he found that the nurse had suddenly joined his side again.
�Any progress?�
He shook his head.
�Well, maybe the next time you visit. These things take time. Its not entirely irreversible, you know.�
He couldn�t help jerking his head up and looking at her. There was a horrible constriction in his chest, clammy and icy.
�You will be coming back won�t you?�
He let out a thoughtful �Hmmm�. Would it be best to come back? If he called in too often, he might actually bring back some of Lockhart�s memories. Would he tell him what he wanted to hear? Would it be better to leave things as they were? But his memory could come back even without his interference.
�I�ll come back to see him. Could you do me a favour?� he gave the nurse a sincere, charming smile of his own. �It can get awfully busy, especially with the children�s exams looming. I�d hate to miss any progress. Would you send me regular owls and let me know of his how he�s doing?� The nurse nodded. �You can reach me at Hogwarts.�
He was no expert at memory charms, but Lockhart�s recollection would only come back a bit at a time. If he kept on top of it, it shouldn�t take much skill to suppress unnecessary memories.
***End***