“Sure.” Snape sniffled, wiping his reddened nose.

“I’ll meet you in the living room.” Remus got up and headed down to the kitchen. A few minutes later, Snape grabbed the tissues, wrapped the blanket around himself, and went into the living room as Remus entered, carrying two cups of tea. Remus sat in the armchair and instructed Severus to lay on the couch.

“So, where do we begind?” Snape asked.

“I don’t know. I wish Ash was here; she was always good at this sort of thing.” Remus took a thoughtful sip of his tea. “I should have been a Hufflepuff.” He said finally. “All I showed was loyalty to my friends, not bravery.”

“Living as a lycanthrope shows bravery.”

“Still, I should have stood up to James and Sirius, especially when I became a prefect….and I’m sorry.”

“For what? You…heh-CHEHH…you never did anything.”

“For exactly that, Severus. I. Never. Did. Anything. Ash used to yell and scream at me for that all the time. She made me realize, as bad as their cruelty was, my indifference was worse. I was just afraid of losing my friends. I should have stood up to them, told them to stop.”

“Agreed. And I understand. I probably, at least initially, wouldn’t have hexed James and Sirius as much if I’d have stood up to Lucius.” His eyes narrowed. “How much did you know about the weeping willow incident?”

“Honestly, Snape, and you don’t have to believe me, but I knew nothing. I would have put a stop to it somehow, otherwise. I caught a glimpse of you as I started transforming. I started running as fast as I could, and I smelt James come in. I remember hoping he’d get you out before it was too late. I didn’t really know anything else until afterwards.”

“How much did Potter know?”

“Nothing. Sirius told him when you were almost already there.”

“An…An-CHESHHOOO….ad why should I believe you? Heh-CHOO.”

“Bless. It’s the truth. I didn’t believe them either. Ash found out - she read their minds. James didn’t know anything until it was almost too late. And he risked his life, as well as revealing his animagus to save you.”

“So it was all Black. Het-CHISHH.”

“No.”

“Then who?” The Slytherin demanded.

“It was Pettigrew’s idea. Sirius carried it out.”

“And how do you know this?”

“Ash. She read all of their minds. She found out the truth for me. You know none of them had the patience to learn enough occlumency to block against her. James told her what happened. When I found out, I wouldn’t even speak to him. She wanted Peter and Sirius expelled. She even went to Dumbledore on that one. I’ve never seen her so mad.”

“I’ll bet. So you knew nothing about it.”

“Not until afterwards. You can use legilimency on me if you want. You know I’m not strong enough to block you. Like I said, I remember seeing you as I was transforming, and I ran like hell. The next day I was so afraid I had attacked you. And it wasn’t because I would have been killed, but because I don’t want anyone to have to go through this. And if Sirius had thought it through, he wouldn’t have done it. But he never thought things through. And he’s dead now because of that.”

Remus’s eyes looked so full of pain at this that Snape dared not press it, except for one final thought. “I tried to save Sirius, Remus. I really did, even though I hated him. When Harry told me what he had seen, I tried to warn him, tried to get him to stay behind. I wish Harry and the others had stayed out and let us handle it. I tried, Remus, I really did.”

Remus looked at him. “That’s the first time you’ve used my name since before first year. And I know you did. But, Harry and Sirius, well, there was never any convincing those two of anything. It was all I could do to keep Sirius away from you when you stopped teaching him occlumency. I promised him, if anyone was going to talk to you, it’d be me, but Dumbledore took over, and I never got the chance.”

“And to you know why I stopped teaching him?” Snape’s voice shook with barely controlled anger. “Hert-SHAH. Eck-SHOO.”

“I do. He never should have gone into your pensieve. Sirius and I were the only ones he talked to about what he had seen. And I am, in a way, glad he saw it, saw that side of his father. We all glamorized James and left out the bad bits. Harry was horrified at what his father did to you. And he felt bad for you. He knew what it was like to feel like that.”

Snape opened his mouth to question but was, instead, struck by a small fit of sneezes. “Hheh-CHOO, eh-ISHOO, hah-CHOOO, kuh-SHHH, huh-HUTXCHOO. How?” He sniffled.

Remus waited for Snape to blow his nose. “The Dursley’s were pretty horrible to him. I don’t know all the details, but I know that until he got his Hogwarts letter, he lived in a cupboard under the stairs, he was treated like a slave, starved. He never had clothes that fit him; their son was at least twice the size of Harry, and Harry got his old clothes. I know he was beaten a few times, and the verbal and emotional abuse was a lot. But he never talked about it much. Believe me, Severus, he wasn’t laughing at you. James, Peter and Sirius were gits to you, and I was every bit as bad. And I’m sorry.”

“I never knew about Harry’s life. I assumed he was spoiled as James was. And I accept your apology. And I’m sorry for always trying to find out your secret.”

“Accepted. So, friends?”

“Let’s just start with tolerating each other’s company. Har-ASHOO, eh-CHOO, HARAHSHOO. Thed, we’ll see what happeds. We are pretty buch the odly two left dow. Ad, it’s prob’ly bakig Ash happy.”

“Yeah. I just wish she could have seen it.”