Little Ficlet that I may or may not be pursuing once Trophy and Wolves are done:
Post-War, back to Harry Potter Universe, but an AU for obvious reasons.
XxX
Remus doesn't know why he saved Albus's murderer.
He saw Harry and followed him, and he could smell the blood and sour rotting flesh from a venom infection from the doorway. Severus Snape was choking on his own blood and he acted before he could stop himself. Spells flew, one right after the other. Over and over again he casted even though he could see that Snape had already given up on his life. He released his memories for Harry to scramble to pick up, but Remus didn't let him go.
It's probably vindictive; he wants Snape to have to see his trial. He wants him to face what he's done and pay for it. Death is too good for him, too unfair for the man he had once trusted. He had felt personally betrayed by the news of Severus defecting to the dark side, because he had vouched for him far longer than anyone else. Everyone had given up on him, but Remus couldn't. Not until Albus died.
Keeping him alive is like a form of torture, but Remus doesn't stop to think about that. He stabilised him as much as he could before he aparated them away. He didn't think much about where he was going, just that he needed a place with a bed and a healer. Myrradin's Town would have to be good enough.
He startled the poor healer terribly when he demanded her strongest antivenin, but he refused to tell her who the patient was. Thankfully he had enough change in his pocket to pay her. The room above the bookstore used to be his, and the owner told him he was always welcome there. He couldn't take advantage of the owner's generosity for longer than a half a year, so he ended up leaving even though they urged him to stay. He was grateful that the offer still stood firm, otherwise he'd have no where to bring the half-dead Death Eater.
What was he doing? He should be back on the battlefield, helping the other order members. Instead he was playing nursemaid to someone whom anyone else would have left for dead. He should have contacted Dora and let her know, but he didn't want to risk it. If he took Snape to St. Mungo's, there was a chance they'd let him die. He wasn't about to harbour a fugitive for nothing.
He had to run out twice more for healing potions, and the healer was highly suspicious by the end of his second transaction. By the third she insisted she come with him to check on the patient. He told her it wasn't safe and she could get in a lot of trouble. He admitted it was a schoolmate of his, at least to garner some sympathy from her, before she stepped in the room and took stock of the pale, barely breathing, body of the Potion's Master.
"We need more than this." She looked shell shocked, but her training kicked in and she started to move as if on instinct.
"Please." Remus grabbed her arm as gently as he dared. "Don't tell anyone."
"I am a healer. I will not do anything to jeopardize the ill." She assured him, and then left to gather some more supplies.
Remus didn't even tell his wife where he disappeared to on most days. The war was over and no one knew he had left the battlefield. Only Harry, and he was too busy coming to terms with the fact that he'd finally killed Voldemort to really focus on anything else. It wasn't until Remus was called into an emergency meeting of the Order that his extracurricular activities came to light.
"The body of Severus Snape was never located." Kingsley admitted solemnly. "Given what we know now, it is difficult to know what to do with his trial."
Remus’s head had snapped up at the mention of the Potion Master's name. "'Given what we know now'?" He repeated cautiously.
"He gave his memories to Harry." Minerva spoke up with a brittle voice, looking hollowed out by the news. "He was loyal up until the very end. Albus knew he was dying and asked Severus to be the one to kill him. It was to trick the Death Eaters into thinking he was on their side."
Remus blinked at her rather stupidly, voice faint and echoing in his skull like it was coming from the end of a tunnel. "What are they going to do if they find him?"
"He's in grave danger." Kingsley confessed. "Both sides will probably want him dead. If he isn't already."
Remus was thankful his wife wasn't there, because he knew she was already losing trust in him. He didn't know why he was so willing to destroy his marriage for someone who probably would have never lifted a finger to help him if the tides were reversed. Was it remaining guilt from their childhood? Was it because they were the only two left alive from back then? Did he still have pathetic hopes to become friends, despite his epic failure during his time teaching at Hogwarts?
"I know it's a shock to hear." Minerva announced to the room at large. "It is… an unfortunate circumstance in a long line of problems we must now sort through. Any information you hear would be welcome."
Remus trusted a lot of these people with his life, but he only trusted Minerva McGonagall with this. He caught her after the meeting and immediately sequestered her away to a place they wouldn't be overheard. Harry hadn't attended this meeting, and Remus was concerned about him, too. He should be checking in on him; he was the last of his remaining guardian figures. He really was cocking this all up, wasn't he?
"I know where he is." He explained in a rush. "He's at-"
"-Show me." She cut him off gravely.
He nodded, mouth and throat dry as they left Grimmauld Place and he apparated her to Myrradin's Town.
"He's in a bad state." Remus warned her. "He has yet to regain consciousness."
"You've been looking after him yourself?" Minerva was in her Headmistress mode; tone firm and looking only to extract pertinent information.
"No. There's a healer here who I trust. Her name is Vervania Towry."
They ascended the stairs to the top of the library, the hum of magic and potions thick in the air. Minerva only hesitated for a moment to collect herself before she swung the door open to find Vervania hovering over Severus, who was very much awake, trying to kick and wriggle out of the restraints she'd placed him in.
"He's confused and combative." She looked at Remus with frustration in her eyes. He must have hit her hard in the cheek; it was red and bruised. "I don't know what he's trying to say. His throat still needs to heal more and he's making his wounds worse."
Minerva flew into motion, moving up to his side and grabbing hold of his face so he would look at her. "Severus! Calm yourself!"
He froze, but it was only for a moment before he wrenched his face away and glared into the wall away from all of them.
"Is he always this difficult?" Vervania asked in exasperation.
"Yes." Minerva and Remus agreed simultaneously.
"My name is Vervania Tawry." The healer introduced herself to Minerva, and then turned to Remus. "Do you trust her? Does he trust her?"
"I do." Remus nodded, and gave Severus a disapproving frown when he continued to ignore the three of them. "And he should."
"Then, I need to make you both aware of something very important and extremely delicate." She stepped back towards Severus and started to undo the buttons visible that she could get to under the magical restraints. He didn't do anything to stop her, but he turned to give her a particularly nasty glare.
She stepped back to reveal a large wound in his shoulder that was covered in gauze and taped onto him. That should have been his first clue; the wound wasn't healing. The second clue was the smell that had been hidden under the potent acrid scent of poison and infected flesh. The third, and most telling, was the fact that she carefully pulled back the bandages and showed them that the wound was a bite mark.
"The only reason why I think he survived is because of this." She told them seriously. "It must have been very shortly before his attempted murder. I fear he will turn on the next full moon, and if that happens I have no idea how his other wounds will fair…"
If Remus were holding something, it would have fallen from his frozen fingertips.
Severus Snape was a werewolf.