Remus, Severus, Hope and Lyall found a compartment on the train to Devon with just one other person in it, an elderly muggle woman. 

"Enjoyed this year, you two?" Lyall asked, smiling warmly.

Severus looked at Remus.

"It's been less hectic than usual, that I can say."

Remus laughed.

"Sev has tried to minimise the chaos this time round."

"That's good," Lyall replied, looking amused.

"But what about the really exciting news, Sev?" Remus asked eagerly, turning to his friend.

Lyall and Hope looked intrigued. Severus actually seemed shy for once.

"Well, Lily and I are now a couple," Severus said hesitantly with a rare smile.

The muggle woman beamed at Severus.

"So sweet," she cooed.

Severus gave the woman a tentative smile in return.

"That's wonderful!" Hope gushed. "What about you Remus?" She asked, with motherly tenderness. "Have you found anyone?"

Remus looked embarrassed.

"No," he replied awkwardly.

"Not yet," his mother corrected him. "You will, just you wait and see," she continued, patting him on the knee.

"You're too young to find your long-time partner now," the muggle woman said authoritatively, tapping her nose.

One would almost think that she knew everything there was to know about relationships. And, after all, maybe she did.

"Perhaps," Remus answered but he still looked sad and they all knew why.

It would be virtually impossible for Remus to find somebody who would embrace his being a werewolf every full moon. Nymphadora Tonks had been a rare find, Severus knew. Hopefully there would be somebody in the not so distant future very like Nymphadora, if not the bubbly witch herself.

*

After a long and decidedly uneventful train journey, the Lupins and Severus reached Devon late at night and immediately called it a day.

"Goodnight boys!" Hope called, heading upstairs with Lyall.

"'Night!" Remus answered, flopping onto the sofa.

"Tired but not tired enough for sleep?" Severus questioned astutely.

"How on earth would you know?" Responded Remus.

"I am, after all, an expert on all things sleep-related," Severus replied, amused.

"True," Remus yawned.

"But perhaps I am not quite an expert," Severus mused. "Come on, bedtime, Remus. You'll thank me tomorrow."

"Will I?" Remus asked rhetorically.

"Yes," Severus said firmly. "Now move. Warm blankets await."

Grumbling discontentedly, Remus eventually moved, and they traipsed slowly upstairs.

*

The next morning, Severus was up before Remus and sat at the kitchen table staring out of the window. 

"When did you get up?" Remus asked, yawning, padding down the creaky stairs.

It was scarcely half past eight but Remus had been rudely awakened by the cat which had jumped on him a mere ten minutes prior.

Severus glanced disinterestedly at the clock.

"Quarter to eight? I was just thinking."

"As always," Remus commented. "Where's my mum?"

Lyall had already left for work at the Ministry.

"I think she went to speak to a neighbour," Severus replied. "Something about trading eggs for bread or some such trivial cooking matter."

"I hope it's not that woman from yesterday," Remus chuckled.

Severus groaned.

"She cared a lot more about my social life than I do."

"That isn't hard, Sev," Remus pointed out, amused. "But, anyway, what did you want to do today?"

"Anything but work," Severus answered, looking tired.

"Alright then. How about chess?"

"Only if you promise not to beat me."

"I can't promise that."

"You'd better!"

"... Fine."

*

The boys invariably got bored of chess within the hour. Remus and Severus had both won their fair share of games and having no clear winner, after all, is often tedious.

"It's a nice day," Remus commented, looking at the sun shining outside. "We could go for a walk."

"Sure," Severus agreed, not minding either way if they stayed indoors or not.

"I'll just write Mum a note."

After Remus scribbled a note saying what they were doing, he and Severus set off, meandering around the sand dunes and grassy verges that bordered the beach where the Lupins lived. They walked a fair way and the sun was only getting increasingly hotter, so they decided to turn back.

"It's time for lunch," Remus said, pleased, looking at his watch.

"About time, too," Severus grumbled. "Your stomach has been making inhumane noises for centuries. You and George should have a competition as to whose stomach can complain louder. Or who can eat more, I suppose."

"That's a tad unfair, Severus," Remus remarked. "I still don't understand why you don't need food the same as us mere mortals."

"If you'd ever studied the biology of the human body, you would know that it is down to an individual's unique metabolism," Severus said with a snobbish air.

"Yeah, right," Remus scoffed.

"I'm not lying!"

"Well I don't believe you!"

"Remus!"

Hope met them five minutes away from the cottage.

"Mrs Abbott was talking for simply ages," she said, marginally irritated. "I thought she would never stop. It's time for lunch."

"Thank goodness," Remus whispered to Severus.

Severus only smiled and followed Hope inside.

*

Since it was such a nice day, the three decided, after an extremely heavy lunch of mouth-watering cheese and pickle sandwiches and homemade brownies, to shake off the calories by simply lazing about on the sand just metres away from the soothing aquamarine water.

"The water looks so refreshing," Remus sighed, shading his eyes as he squinted at the sparkling sea. "And it's so hot on the sand."

"Well, in that case, Remus John Lupin, stop grumbling and start paddling!" Hope exclaimed.

"Or we could swim!" Remus grinned. "What do you say, Severus?"

Severus hadn't engaged in the conversation at all, wary of what answer he would have to give if Remus asked this precise question. While the water did look cool and inviting, he was still apprehensive when it came to other people seeing his scars. For all he knew, Remus had told Hope of his disastrous upbringing, but, no matter who knew, it was still a subject of uneasiness for him.

"I think I'd rather not," Severus said hesitantly, fidgeting with his long sleeves.

Instead of his face falling as Severus might have expected, a look of total understanding graced Remus' face and he shared a look, which went unnoticed by Severus, with his mother.

"I think I'll go and do some washing," Hope declared. "The sun will dry it out in no time."

She left, and Remus, standing before Severus, shifted position.

"Severus," he said gently, "I don't care about what's on your back. I don't give a damn about the scars you have. Your father may have done a lot of things_"

Here Severus winced.

"_ But don't let him take away the fun and enjoyment in your life. There's no-one here watching, no-one who is going to say anything. You can do this, Severus, for yourself. Not for me, not for him - for yourself."

As Remus watched, Severus took a shuddering breath.

"You can do this, Severus Dumbledore."

No Snape remained in his life any more. He just had to prove it.

And, as he slowly removed his shirt, he realised that maybe, just maybe, he could.

*****

A.N. Sooooooo it's been a while :)

I thought you wonderful people deserved an update to keep you going until the summer. Or maybe you don't need my writing to keep you going (you probably don't xD). Either way, I wanted this to be a little chapter to say thank you for staying with me on this insanely long journey and to show you guys that I haven't left for no reason - I shall be coming back to this in a few months. 

More importantly, let this be my Christmas gift from me to all of you incredible readers. Merry Christmas! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, have a very happy holiday and stay safe. :)

Anybody notice the Abbott reference? As Ottery St. Catchpole is in Devon, let's imagine that Remus and his family live near there too.

Thank you so much for reading and please comment!!!!!