Snape strode into the bedroom, his face dark as he fixed a frightening glare on Lupin, who lay in bed.
The atmosphere in the room froze. Even the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees.
"Severus," Dumbledore said, breaking the silence. "Have you come to see Remus too?"
Snape narrowed his eyes. "Ah... of course. Dumbledore, tell me that isn't Lupin in the bed. Someone's taken Polyjuice Potion, hasn't he?"
"Severus—" Lupin began, but Snape cut him off.
"Tell me the potion Potter and the others just gave him was Polyjuice Potion. Wasn't it, Dumbledore?" Snape turned to him.
"No, Severus. You know perfectly well that he is Remus." Dumbledore shook his head.
"So he's no longer a werewolf?"
"That's right, Severus. Lupin is no longer a werewolf."
Snape drew several deep, ragged breaths. His whole body trembled. How was he supposed to accept this?
At first, Snape had thought the same thing as Umbridge: someone must have taken Polyjuice Potion to look like Lupin. But back in the Dining Room, the more he thought about it, the less it made sense.
Harry and Cedric had seemed happy enough when they returned to the Dining Room. That struck him as stranger still, so he decided to investigate.
On the way from the Dining Room to Lupin's quarters, an answer Snape hated had already taken shape in his mind: Lupin truly was no longer a werewolf.
But he kept telling himself it was impossible. There had never been a precedent. No one had even proposed the idea. Everyone treated werewolf venom as an incurable, irreversible affliction.
Lupin couldn't become a normal person! Snape had held fast to that thought. He admitted that he hated Lupin, and he did not want to see someone he hated given a new life.
He had