Bound in Leather

so... we find ourselves here again. not over there. here. and hopefully, no one wants to be over there. cos i don\'t know how to get from here to there. not without a road map. and i don\'t have one. not for over there. so i guess we\'re staying here. and, since we\'re here, let me just get down to it. i, unfortunately, don\'t own what you recognize in this. i only own the characters i created. you know who i mean. anything that you do recognize is taken from the talented miss j.k. rowling. her world. i\'m simply borrowing it. i make no money from this. just the pittance of reviews you wonderful people so kindly leave me. have i mentioned lately that i love you all very much?

as usual... smut may happen. it may not. i\'m not sure, but i\'m going to be thorough and let you know ahead of time. so you an prepare. chocolate and all that. just thought i\'d let you know.

and, as always, i would love to hear from you. what you think and all that. please, no nasty comments. be considerate if you find a problem with the story. i\'ll do my best to change it.

Chapter Eighteen: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
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\'Honestly, Severus. A Muggle?\' Lucius sneered at him, his face a mask that clearly said he was so much better than everyone else. \' I never thought to see you stooping so low. Could you not do any better?\'

Severus sighed, holding his temper in check with little effort. He was, however, glad he\'d sent Alasdair off to keep her mother company. He was also thankful that Remus had chosen this night to pay a visit to Harry Fucking Potter. He\'d never hear the end of it if Malfoy found out he had forged an uneasy friendship with the shape-shifting Gryffindor. He simply cocked a brow at his unwelcome guest, silently prompting him to go on. \' Its quite obvious to me that you\'ve been too long away from our world. From our kind.\'

\'Our kind?\' Severus had to ask.

\'Yes. Our kind. Pureblood Wizards,\' Lucius confirmed his suspicions. \' I cannot imagine what you could possibly see in such a person. She\'s obviously a nobody, Severus.\'

\'She treats me as nothing more than what I am. A mere man,\' Severus told him evenly.

\'Next to her, you\'re a god!\' Lucius declared, staring at Severus with a determined glint in his eyes. Severus stood and moved to the sideboard, pouring himself a glass of brandy. He turned to look at Lucius and offered the blonde a faint smirk.

\'Where I live, Lucius, I am treated as a god. Women and men scream themselves hoarse. Throw themselves at me. Want to warm my bed so that they can tell their friends they fucked Severus Snape,\' he told the other man, carefully keeping his real feelings hidden away. It wouldn\'t do for Lucius to know that the glory and fame that came with stardom was as hollow as Malfoy\'s walking stick. By the look in Lucius\' eye, Severus knew that the blonde was of a mind to disbelieve what he\'d been told.

Holding back the sigh that was dangerously close to spilling out, he turned his head in such a manner that it swung his hair, bringing Lucius\' attention to the length. Then Severus faced him yet again and gestured to the clothing he wore. It was all so unlike him. And yet it was perfectly him, in some perverse manner. To preen before someone like Malfoy. A man who could have any woman he wanted by simply looking at them and smiling. A quirk of one finger usually saw them running to him in droves. Severus had never been as popular with the women. Until he\'d become the singing sensation he was. Now, it was him that the women flocked to at the crook of a finger.

\'Now, now, Severus. We know that you aren\'t handsome. Not by any stretch of the imagination,\' Lucius chided, his tone spiteful. Severus didn\'t let it bother him. He simply allowed the all too familiar scowl to settle back in place once more.

\'And not by any stretch of the imagination are we to say that you are of a pleasant demeanor, Lucius. We both know who and what we are. No need beating a dead hippogriff to make your point,\' Severus replied easily. \'But, these people that worship me care nothing for my looks. They care nothing for what you consider beauty. My hair drives them mad. The clothing I wear sends them to the brink of distraction. I am their god and they offer themselves to me in supplication. They give themselves to me in a manner similar to that of an ancient pagan priest offering a sacrifice to his gods. To me. And I think I very much like being the fools\' Dionysus.\'

\'My word,\' Lucius lifted a single brow. \'Still as snarky as ever, I see. I wonder what your little Muggle will think when she meets this side of you. Do you suppose she\'ll stick around, or will she run back to America and find someone pleasant to settle down with?\'

\'Alasdair is under no misconceptions as to what kind of relationship we have. I no doubt will grow tired of her and send her packing eventually,\' his tone came out sounding bored, which was how Severus wanted it to sound.

\'What do you do when she finds out you\'re a Wizard? You haven\'t told her yet, have you?\' Lucius smirked as he asked the question. \'Do you suppose she will want to hang about then? Or perhaps she will wonder if the feelings she has for you are entirely her own. Maybe she will...\'

\'Why are you here, Lucius?\' Severus finally asked, tired of the other man\'s games. He watched the smile curl up the corners of the blonde\'s lips. Lucius strolled across the floor to pull out the chair Alasdair had been sitting in. He sat, leaning back against the chair back before turning and inspecting the place setting that had been left. Some of the mousse still clung to the sides of the bowl and Lucius idly spooned it out with his finger. He slipped the chocolate coated digit into his mouth and watched Severus. After several long moments, he took the finger out of his mouth.

\'I had heard you were back in the country and decided to visit and pay my respects to an old friend. Is there something wrong with that?\' Lucius asked, putting the right inflection into his words to make it sound as if he was wounded by Severus\' inhospitable nature.

\'Seeing as you never do anything without an ulterior motive, Lucius,\' Severus replied, taking a sip of his brandy. \'I find that terribly hard to believe. Perhaps you should just state your real reasons for disturbing my evening and be on your way. I have other matters to attend to this evening. Matters that are pressing and important.\'

\'Matters such as shagging your little Muggle until she begs you to stop,\' Lucius said, his tone clearly implying that Alasdair would not be begging him to stop for the intense pleasure that would be derived from said shagging. Severus scowled, lifting his brow at Lucius. He wasn\'t about to let the blonde prat know that she was here to regain her strength and recover from the loss she suffered. That they had both suffered.

\'For your information, Lucius,\' Severus intoned in a low voice. \'Alasdair is the one who initiated our relationship. She knows all about my less than pleasant disposition and she does not mind it. So, unless you wish to discuss my sexual proclivities, I fail to see what we have to speak about.\'

Lucius narrowed his gaze on Severus in what the dark man knew was his considering look. Lucius was about to make some sort of enlightening statement that Severus was sure he wouldn\'t like. \'Perhaps we should speak upon the things that make you eager to take that charming little Muggle woman to bed and drive yourself into her. So eagerly and willingly. Does she grow excited by foul language? Does she find herself turned on by pain? Does she ask you to punish her for imagined misdeeds. Does she ask to play the naughty schoolgirl being punished by her teacher? Tell me, Severus. What is it about her that turns you on? What is it about her that makes you hard?\'

\'Really, Lucius. Is your sex life so lacking that you must live vicariously through mine?\' Severus lifted a single brow at the other man. The faint smirk on his face brought a frown to the blonde\'s face. \'Has Narcissa finally come to her senses and left you for someone with a heart?\'

\'Such a comedian, Severus. Honestly, tell me what it is about her that turns you on. I should like to know what the draw to her is. Perhaps I shall go out and find myself a Muggle mistress,\' Lucius sneered at him.

\'Should you do such a thing, I am quite certain that Narcissa would relieve you of the need by pocketing your manhood,\' Severus informed him. Lucius snorted at this. \'Frankly, Lucius. I see no reason to tell you anything about any aspect of my life. It is, after all, my life. Perhaps now you will inform me as to the reasons for disturbing the pleasant dinner I was sharing with my guest. If not, I know you can find your own way out.\'

\'Very well, Severus,\' Lucius sighed and stood up. He took up pacing, moving back and forth along the table. The ever present cane was clutched tightly in one of his hands, a sure sign that Severus was really pissing him off. \' I shall tell you why I\'ve come. I had hoped, upon hearing that you were back in England, that you had finally realized that you\'ve gone mental and were working at righting the mistakes you\'ve made.\'

\'Meaning you thought I was going to rejoin the Wizarding World and once more become the whipping boy of former Death Eaters and Hogwarts students alike. You must think me deviod of rational thought, Lucius. I believed you to have better sense than that,\' Severus actually grinned at this.

\'Damn it, Snape!\' Lucius spat at him, halting in mid-step. \'You have no more business in the Muggle world than I do. I fail to understand how you can live in their world without magic. You are so far above them.\'

\'What I chose to do with my life, Lucius, is none of your business. Nor is it any of your concern, so kindly get your fucking nose out of it,\' Severus snapped at him.

\'You happen to have been a friend of mine at one time, Severus. I find it to be deplorable that you would lower yourself to living some far-fetched, middle aged, mid-life crisis fantasy that will only be your downfall! Can you not see that I am trying to save you from yourself? And now,\' Lucius snorted, rounding on Snape to glare at him. \'Now I find you involved with a Muggle girl. Perhaps there is a bed open for you at St. Mungo\'s.\'

\' Is it so difficult for you to believe that I am content with how I have chosen to live my life? Why should I come back to a world that never appreciated me for who I am? Now,\' Severus pushed himself away from the sideboard where he\'d been lounging, one hip propped against the antique piece. He stood straighter, allowing Lucius to feel the weight of disapproval in his stare. \' If you have nothing more to say to me, I suggest you take your leave. I find this conversation to be tedious and painful in the highest degree.\'

\'You\'ve not changed a bit, have you?\' Lucius snarled as he strode for the door that would take him out of the room. Severus stalked after him to ensure he left. He followed Lucius all the way to the main entrance of the house, holding the door open for him. Just before shutting the heavy wooden panel, he called after the other man.

\'No, Malfoy, I have not. Good evening to you,\' Severus\' words echoed up the walkway even as the door to the house thudded shut with finality.

~*~*~*~*~

Al sighed and moved to sit in the window, pushing the sheer curtain aside to stare out at the estate\'s grounds. Thought it had grown dark out while she and Severus had enjoyed their meal together, the cobblestoned path that wandered aimlessly amidst the grass was well lit. Old fashioned lamp posts of black wrought iron followed the walkway, creating flickering candle light over stones worn smooth and glossy by generations of feet padding and running across them. She didn\'t actually want to sit in the window, staring down at the beauty of the English countryside. She didn\'t really want to be confined to her room. But Severus has practically ordered her to leave. So here she sat.

She shuddered when she thought of the reason she had been banished here in the first place. The arrogant blonde that had interrupted their dessert. Lucius Malfoy. Even his name sounded pretentious. Al could admit, if only to herself that he was a handsome man. She supposed that he was better looking than Severus was. Aristocratic features, obvious upper class breeding, flowing blonde hair and elegant clothing that proudly proclaimed his station in life. He was a very attractive man. Until it came to his eyes and mouth. His eyes were cold and calculating, completely devoid of any pleasant emotion. And while his mouth was one that looked kissable, the set of it bespoke a nature full of cruelty and malice. He was a man she wanted nothing to do with.

Al rested her head against the glass. She couldn\'t explain it. Not even to herself. Lucius Malfoy was by far the better looking of the two. But Alasdair found herself attracted to Severus. There was something in his eyes that drew her. A look that said he\'d seen it all, that he\'d been to hell and back, and he\'d survived with his sanity and his soul just barely intact. She didn\'t know how, but she knew that he was not a man who suffered emotions. Oh, she\'d seen him angry and aroused. But he never actually became impassioned about anything. With possible exception of when the two of them had slipped between the sheets.

Still, something pulled her toward the dark man. She had no words for it, perhaps didn\'t even understand it. But it was there just the same. She was, for lack of better terminology, ensnared by him. She supposed that it was entirely possible that she was fully in love with him. He was the first thing she thought of before bed. He invaded her dreams each and every night. And his name rolled of her lips when she awoke in the morning. If she didn\'t love him, she lusted after him like no one she\'d ever encountered before.

He would never love her. She knew that and accepted it. Grudgingly. Even now, after everything that had happened, she understood that it just wasn\'t his way. She knew he cared for her on some level. But Severus Snape was a man for whom love was something from a fairy tale. Something to scoff at. And she could handle that. Because he did care for her. It was there in his touch and the look in his eye. The way he fought to keep from smiling at her when she did something silly. For her, itwas enough to simply be allowed this time to love him unconditionally.

She knew in her heart that he was the better of the two men. Lucius Malfoy could never hold a candle to Severus. Severus was simply too kind and generous while Malfoy was obviously a cold-hearted monster. The blonde felt that it was his right to be handed every thing life had to offer based solely on the fact that he was terribly handsome and he knew it. Al sighed, shaking herself from her musings. She glanced out at the grounds once again, not at all surprised to find her mother strolling along the cobblestone path, arm in arm with Remus. The sight brought a brief smile to her face before she indulged in a moment of sorrow for herself.

~*~*~*~*~

Aletha stared up at Remus, the soft smile playing about her lips. He was staring off at the line of trees before them, obviously lost in concentration. Some memory played at the edges of his conscious thought if the slightly pained expression was anything to go by. She tugged gently at the arm that circled her waist, brinning his gaze down to her face. \'Penny for your thoughts?\' she offered.

\' I was just thinking on how lonely I\'ve been. For so long, I\'ve been without benefit of companionship. True companionship. For many years, Severus hated my very existence. He still does in some ways. But he tolerates me more than he used to. I think, in his older age and his new experiences, he\'s finding out what is real and what isn\'t,\' Remus told her. She nodded silently, her gaze moving to the house for a moment.

\' I understand what you mean completely,\' she sighed. \' I never realized what an evil man Kevin was until recently. I could accept the abuse he heaped upon me. But to know that he was hurting my baby... \' she paused long enough to draw a shaky breath. \'Had I had the strength, I\'d have killed him myself.\'

\'That wouldn\'t have solved anything,\' Remus drew her closer, hugging her to him tightly. Aletha nodded sadly, knowing that he was right about that. \'Besides, I happen to know that Alasdair blames herself for not protecting you as much as you blame yourself for not protecting her.\'

\'She shouldn\'t have to protect me. I\'m the mother. Protecting is my job,\' Aletha declared heatedly. Remus said nothing, merely kept walking until she calmed herself down once more. He was glad he had come back from his visit to Harry\'s flat early. He\'d found Aletha in her room, crying softly. He\'d known before he\'d entered the room that she was crying, had heard it through the door. So he\'d knocked and waited for her to pull herself together. When she\'d answered the door, he\'d made no comment about her swollen eyes. Instead, he\'d asked her if she\'d wanted to walk out in the fresh air with him. She\'d happily accepted.

So now they stood out in the night air, her body pulled tightly into his. He wouldn\'t likely admit it to anyone, but he was content to stand here with this very extraordinary Muggle woman wrapped in his arms. She was one of the few people in all his years who cared about him. Even though she didn\'t know him. She simply cared. About him. Remus J. Lupin. He wondered, and not for the first time, how she would react when she discovered his secret.

It was inevitable that she learn of his lycanthropy. He knew that he was developing feelings for her. Feelings he shouldn\'t be developing. She was a Muggle. She was human. She was normal. And yet, he couldn\'t help himself. Couldn\'t stop himself from caring for her in a manner beyond friendship. He\'d never thought to actually feel like this for anyone. And yet, here he was. Falling for a woman who\'d been through her own personal hell. It was simply too astounding to completely comprehend.

\'You did as well as could be expected, my girl,\' Remus told her, putting emphasis on his words to let her know she wasn\'t to blame. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she realized what he\'d said.

\'Did you just call me your girl?\' she asked him. He stopped walking a moment, gifting her with a rare look of total confusion, then nodded and smiled down at her.

\' I believe I did. Do you have a problem with that?\'

\'Oh no. None at all. So long as you mean it,\' she shook her head.

\' I\'m certain that others would say I\'m moving too fast, as its only been a few weeks since you\'ve more or less become a single woman again. And after all that\'s been done to you by that ill-mannered bastard. But I feel that there is a connection between us,\' Remus shook his head, then urged her to walk with him again. \' I can\'t say that I will be able to offer you everything you could ever want. I\'m as poor as a flea on a dog. But I can offer you the honesty of my feelings. And my companionship. That is,\' he added hastily. \' If you\'ll have me.\'

Aletha smiled and turned fully to face him. He\'d known she was an attractive woman before, but never had he seen her true beauty. It shone in her eyes and was present in the softly upturned corners of her lips. The look on her face was radiant, bringing a hesitant, hopeful smile to Remus\' face. It seemed as if he could, perhaps, have a woman of his own. \'You are the only thing I want for me. Money is a lonely bed companion. And to hell with what anyone else thinks.\'

\'Even your own daughter?\' Remus asked, just to be sure. He didn\'t want to be the one who created a rift between Aletha and Alasdair. He knew they needed one another intensely and he refused to be the one to come between them.

\'Alasdair is the one that\'s practically shoving me into your arms. She thinks you\'re perfect for me,\' Aletha chuckled. \'Though I have to believe that she thinks I won\'t see how unhappy she is if I\'m blindly following you around.\'

\'Severus won\'t let her suffer in silence,\' Remus assured her. \'No matter what his outward appearance may be, I believe he cared deeply for your daughter.\'

\'Do you think so?\' Aletha asked hopefully. The man beside her could hear the sadness in her voice. It was painful to hear the doubt in her words, to know that she thought she had failed her only child.

\' I have known Severus for a very long time. He is a difficult and stubborn man. But he\'s also very set in his ways. That is something that works to our advantage. He has never, to my knowledge, brought anyone here to his home. Ever. And certainly not a woman. Any softness he may have ever held died with his mother. To see him concerned about Alasdair is a good sign. And he is concerned about her. He cares for her.\'

\'That\'s so good to hear,\' Aletha sighed, then gave in to her urges and threw her arms around Remus\' neck, hugging him close to her. He stood stiffly, hesitantly, a moment then lifts his arms and wrapped them around her. He softened in her embrace, relaxing until the feel of her soft curves pressed against him was the only thing he felt. A more wonderful feeling he\'d never had.

They pulled back from one another at the same time, their eyes catching. Their gazes locked and the two of them simply stood and stared at one another. Then Remus smiled so very briefly and lowered his head to hers. Aletha met him halfway, going up on tiptoes to press her lips to his. It was a soft and gentle kiss, thier lips only meeting and touching for a few short moments. Then they broke away to stare at one another again.

This time, it was Aletha who instigated their intimate embrace. She went back up on her tiptoes, her lips pursed and seeking his own. He met them, covering her mouth with his. She was so soft and pliable in his arms and he had to warn himself to be careful. To not squeeze so hard that he crushed her. Her arms wound their way up around his neck, her body pressing closer to his. Her lips were soft beneath his as he kissed her.

When his mouth opened over hers, she followed his lead. Her lips parted, their kiss heating up. He slipped his tongue in between their opened lips, licking at the curve of her lower lip before delving into the velvety softness of her opened mouth. She moaned, a sound so soft it was barely audible. He heard it and his body responded. His tongue stabbed deeper, with more intensity. Her arms tightened further, her tongue sliding along his as she dueled him for control.

It wasn\'t until they were both gasping for air that they broke apart. They stared at one another, their eyes locked. His lips turned up in a beatific smile. \'By the gods, you\'re beautiful,\' he breathed at her. His words were rewarded with a deep blush rising to stain her cheeks. But she smiled at him and his words.

\'Sweet talker,\' she whispered up at him, then dragged his head down to hers once more. Her hands slipped up to cup the back of his head, wanting to hold him there for the rest of eternity. His own hands crept up until they could twine in the length of her silken hair, his fingers wrapping themselves in her honeyed tresses while his tongue dipped deeper and deeper into her mouth. The night around them slowly faded away, leaving only the two of them together with the tidal wave of emotions that filled them, threated to wash over them and leave both of them floundering in it\'s wake.

~*~*~*~*~

Severus found Alasdair curled up in the window seat, staring blindly out into the night. He watched as her shoulders shook, letting him know she was silently weeping. He moved over to her, his feet making no noise as he padded across the carpeting, and glanced out the window. Remus and Aletha stood in the middle of the pathway, wrapped around each other and kissing heatedly. The two of them stood below Alasdair\'s window. Whether it was intentional or not, he didn\'t know. But he was certain her fresh round of tears was brought on by the sight of them together. Their visual display as to the depths of their emotions for one another had fed the fire of Alasdair\'s sorrow.

Gently, he laid a hand on her shoulder. She didn\'t move for some time. When she did, she simply dropped her forehead against the pane of glass before her. He noted with a faint smile that she was intelligent enough to not bother wiping the evidence of her sadness from her face. The two of them stood there in silence for quite a while. Severus wondered what she\'d been thinking that had brought about the tears. He knew, though, that she would likely tell him in time, when she was ready, so he generously left them to her.

He thought that he might know what it was that troubled her. She had a direct view of her mother wrapped in Remus\' arms. He suspected that she felt as if her mother had the one thing she wanted and could never have. The love of a man. The thought that she wanted his love was startling. He\'d never given her any reason to feel that he was worthy of such an emotion from her. He hadn\'t even been a very nice person. He hadn\'t lied to Malfoy. He didn\'t love her. But he could admit to himself that he cared very much about her.

He supposed, given that she was still young, she still believed in the idea that there was someone out there made just for her. And perhaps there was. But he knew it wasn\'t him. She deserved someone who could fully express his feelings for her. Who could love her as she deserved to be loved. Someone who was human. Someone not him.

Severus didn\'t know why that idea made him feel the slightest bit unhappy about that. But it did. He felt a distinct tightening somewhere in the region where his heart would be, if he had one. As if his heart, were it there, was unhappy with the thought that he would simply let her go to find someone else. Pushing aside the idea that he wanted to keep Alasdair for himself, he reached for her chin, turning her face to look at him. she met his gaze steadily, her cheeks still wet with tears.

Gently he cupped her cheek with his hand, then brought the other one down to cup the other side of her face. She managed a watery smile, allowing him to draw her to her feet. Hands still on her cheeks, he tilted her face up so that he could lay a gentle kiss on her lips. Her eyes were closed before he covered his mouth with her own. Her arms slipped up around his neck, her body angling closer to his. She felt his hands slip lower, working their way to her hips. They settled just above the curve of her bottom

He heard her sigh even as it filled his mouth, then he was tracing her lips gently with his tongue. The kiss was short. But it was full of raw emotion. When they broke apart, Alasdair laid her head on his chest, her arms dropping to slip around his waist so that she could simply hold him close. Seveurs stood there for a moment longer, enjoying the feel of her body leaning against his, before drawing back to look down at her. \'Come along. I believe it is time for bed.\'

\' I\'m not sleepy,\' she said through a yawn. He smirked at her answer, moving toward the dresser that held her clothing. He pulled open a drawer, digging into it to find something suitable for her to wear to bed. She didn\'t argue as he helped her from her clothing, watching him as he folded each shed item neatly before placing it on a nearby chair. Then he helped her into the nightgown, pulling it down over her bare body before

\"As I said. It is time for bed,\' he repeated. She stuck her tongue out at him, allowing him to help her into the bed. She settled into the softness of the thick mattress, watching as he pulled slowly shed his own clothing. He took off his shirt, taking care with folding it and laying it over her own clothes before turning to his trousers. She watched him peel off the leather, only to be disappointed to find he was actually wearing underwear. He gave her a look, one of his brows lifting, before he climbed in beside her. One hand reached for the covers while the other reached for her. As he settled the covers over them both, his arm dragged her body closer to him.

They fell asleep, Alasdair snuggled into Severus\' embrace. Both of them wore a smile of contentment on their faces.

end chapter eighteen.
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as always, thanks go to my wonderful support group who keep prodding me in the arse when i want to give up. they all know who they are. big hugs and smoochies to them all. i love you guys so much, i can\'t tell you.

as always, please let me know what you think. i do so enjoy hearing what you feel and think as you read. and if you find something blaringly out of place, feel free to let me know. i can either fix it or explain it away.

and finally....

to Minerva Ann McGonagall: i am soooooooo glad that you\'re enjoying this. i have had a fun time writing it. as for Lucius, i would imagine that his name, prestige and money went along way toward getting him out of any kind of trouble he gets into. he may show up again in the story. he may not. we\'ll just have to wait and see, won\'t we? i do hope you continue reading.

to Red Writing Hood: Alasdair will find out eventually about the magical realm and then i guess we\'ll see what kind of person she is. i hope you feel better soon, too. and i hope this chapter doesn\'t disappoint.

to Cathy N: i think Dumbledore is one of those well rounded people.and i think he\'d enjoy knowing what his former students and teachers do with their lives. as for length of time... i\'m working on it. i really am. hope you like.

to RoyalMidnight: if i was a guy, you\'d have sex with me. wow! i\'m flattered! thanks so much. and i\'m glad you\'re enjoying it.

to star: glad you liked. here\'s the next helping.

to Celticdewin: captivating? really? thank you. ~blushes~ well, here\'s some more Remus for you. i hope i can continue to bring him deeper into the story and a relationship. and as for liking Snape, that is so cool. i do try to make all my characters believable. and to keep those that are from the stories directly in canon. to know that other people find them believable and full of depth is just so wonderful to know. thank you so much for telling me that.

to Joey: glad you like the fic. and i think i can honestly say i\'ve never tasted a Charleston Chew. it was just the first thing that came to mind. i was looking for something sweet that could work as a password that few people would know about.