The Supposed Tale Of Unrequited Love

Then There Were Two

Remus/Sirius, Remus/Severus

NC-17

Author’s Notes: This is the second installment of the Marauder Se. Th. Three and a half years after they graduate from Hogwarts, Sirius, Remus, James, Lilylily and the rest have moved on with their lives. Will Remus forgive and forget or will he decide some things are worth holding a grudge.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, the characters herein. However, if they decide to commit mutiny and run from their creator to reside with me for all eternity, I will have no problems with that, whatsoever…..

A grinning James had his hand on Lily’s swollen abdomen. “Remus! Sirius! Come feel, the baby is kicking!”

He was so overjoyed that his wife was pregnant and could not believe they had waited even this long to become parents. They hadn’t even been married a year yet, and their first child was already on its way. Being members of the Order, and being at the top of Voldemort’s hit list, they were in a very odd situation. Therefore, they were prepared to take every precaution. Very few people knew where they were, and that only included Order members and their closest friends.

“I’m sure Lily’s tired of being pawed, Jamie” Remus said as he walked over, Sirius at his elbow and eager to feel the movement of his unborn godchild.

“Yeah, Jamie. I’m sure Lily is tired of all of us having our h on on her constantly.” Of course, saying that didn’t stop Sirius from placing his hand near his friend’s on the redhead’s abdomen. “Come on, Moony, you feel too!” The tall dark Gryffindor said to his lover.

Remus resignedly placed his hand near theirs as he rolled his eyes, smiling apologetically at Lily. He had always liked her even though in his younger days he had accused her of stealing James away from them. Of course, it had turned out to be a prank that Severus had played on them, but he still couldn’t bring himself to hate the Slytherin. Well, he hadn’t tried much in their last year at Hogwarts, even though Severus had done all he could to make Remus hate him. This had shocked the werewolf because after the ‘incident’ as he liked to call it, he and Snape had become friends. It was most odd that he had left the boy at the train station with a hug and a heartfelt farewell, then the minute they had seen each other, Severus had practically thrown a hex at him.

He snapped back as Sirius elbowed him. “Sorry, Padfoot. I was remembering our school days at Hogwarts.” He tried to paste a reminiscent grin on his face and that seemed to satisfy his lover and it earned him a quick peck on the cheek.

James watched the two with a distant look of longing that he couldn’t quite place and Lily smiled sweetly. She was used to their displays of affection and it had never really bothered her that her husband’s best friends were gay. One drunken night, they had all told her stories of when the three of them had been an item. Since that day she hadn’t questioned his longing looks. She sighed as she stood up, her hand on her lower back to support the weight.

“You boys may want to sit here and remember the old days, but I want to lien. In. I’m getting tired sooner late

She waddled over to the couch and lay down, falling into a semi deep sleep as the three men chatted about the ‘old days’ when they were students.

Sirius kept going on about all his ‘great pranks’ while James talked about Quidditch. Remus just sat there, as he always did, and let them blab on about things he couldn’t care less about. His mind began to wander back to Snape. For the life of him he couldn’t understand why the man had pushed him away the way he had. They had been so close when they left the summer before their final year, with promises of what they were going to do when they saw each other again. Of course, being the prick he was, Sirius had nothing better to say to his lover than ‘I told you that you couldn’t trust that greasy bastard to want to be your friend’ He had almost knocked his boyfriend out for saying that. He began to remember their first day back….

Remus was getting off the train; he hadn’t seen Severus the whole trip. They had planned to sit in the same compartment for the trip, but the Slytherin had been nowhere in sight. The werewolf was worried that something had happened to his friend. He hadn’t received one owl and all of his letters had gone *somewhere*. Sighing, he lugged his possessions off the train after his friends. Lily and James were being all kissy face, and Sirius was trying to latch onto him romantically. More so than before. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Sirius; he just didn’t love him like *that*.

He spotted Severus with a group of Slytherins and began to walk toward him, ignoring his friends’ protesthe dhe dark haired Slytherin saw him approach and he sneered.

“What do you think you’re doing, Gryffindor? Lost your friends?”

Remus stood there, stock still, trying to figure out why his friend was treating him like this. It took him a moment to realize he hadn’t said anything in response and that people were staring. He mustered as much courage as he could manage and spoke clearly.

“It would seem I *have* lost a friend. Hmm, he must have wandered into the dark abyss that is ignorance.”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked back to his Gryffindor friends, grateful for the hand James put on Sirius’s arm that prevented him from saying something stupid. Of course, it was inevitable. Sirius would say something stupid eventually. Whether it was now, fifteen minutes from now, or later on when they were getting ready for bed. Remus knew he was in for it with the Marauders. Peter was standing off to the side, watching everyone warily. His eyes kept shifting to the Slytherins then back to the Gryffindors. He seemed to not know what to think about anyone anymore.

As he rode up to the castle, he couldn’t help but remember the look on Severus’s face. It held so much loathing and disgust. Shaking his head, he tried not to think about it at all. As he walked into the Great Hall and saw Snape at the Slytherin table, he swore he would forget they ever almost had anything…

Back in the present, his two friends had forgotten he was there, as usual. They were *talking* to *him* but they were *actually* having a conversation with each other. He would be insulted if it weren’t the perfect situation for him to think. Damn, he knew he ld bld be nicer to Sirius, but he just couldn’t bring himself to fall in love with him.

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Severus had returned to Hogwarts after spending the whole summer thinking of ways to make him forget Remus. In fact, he had used the excuse of trying to think up ways to make the werewolf’s life miserable as an excuse to think about him at all. After graduating, he had joined Voldemort as his father and Lucius Malfoy had wanted. Shortly thereafter, he had gone to Albus Dumbledore for help. He had made a mistake and he knew it. From that day forward, he had been spying for the Order.

He hadn’t seen Remus or the rest of the Marauders since he had left Hogwarts. Everything he did was carefully planned to avoid them at all costs. On this particular evening, he was sitting in his rooms in the dungeons of Hogwarts. Somehow the old man had talked him into teaching potions. He loved potions, it was his life’s dream to research, create and produce every potion he could think of, but his father had thwarted his attempts at becoming a Potions Master. Having known this, Dumbledore offered him the position as a sort of bribe in exchange for spying.

Severus held a crystal glass filled with amber liquid up to the fire, swirling the contents then lifting it to his lips and sipping. Ahh, his good scotch. He only ever broke it out when he was depressed. Usually settling for utter crap every other night of the week that he drank. Just a glass or five before bed… This evening he was particularly worried. He had been notified that there was someone in the Order that couldn’t be trusted, but he had no idea who it was. Little did he know that he should be spending more time figuring out who it is, he could prevent some very horrible things from happening, and some very important people from dying...

As he sipped his scotch, he thought back to his last year at Hogwarts as a student. He had been such a prick to Remus the night they had returned for school. But he couldn’t let the Gryffindor know what was going on. He had decided during the summer that it would just be better if Remus thought he hated him. That way there was no chance of them slipping up and his father finding out.

Thankfully, his father had given up trying to get him to marry some wretch when he had joined the Death Eaters. Lucky for him. Instead of making his father happy by marrying some gold digging bitch and living out the rest of his miserable life having a chain of male lovers, he chose to take the hard way out and risk his life every day to a dark lord who only kept people around while they were useful to him. He did everything in his power to make sure Voldemort found him useful until the end of the bastard’s days.

The lovers he had so far were nothing short of unsatisfying. They didn’t have the intellect or smarts to carry a conversation with him or know when to leave him be. The only thing they had been good for was satisfying him in the bedroom, and even that was questionable. He sighed and laid down his drink then walked to his bedchamber to dbe abe and sleep. As he climbed into bed, a flickering image of Remus crossed through his mind.

Severus snaked his hand down his chest and in between his legs then and caressed his growing member gently. His eyes closed as he let himself be caught up in the passion and his other hand found its way to a nipple, gently pinching just the way he liked it. He let it roam further down, cupping his balls lightly as his other hand sped up a bit. Every night he would repress thoughts of the werewolf and just fall asleep, unsatisfied and grumpy, only to awake in an even fouler mood. Tonight would be different. He would indulge in his memories of those amber eyes. The gentle touches to his arm. The warm smile Remus would give him when they had a conversation about something they were both passionate about.

As the images formed in his mind’s eye, the hand cupping his balls went lower, gently probhis his tight opening. He slid a finger in, gasping at the image of the Gryffindor kneeling between his legs and preparing him. Squeezing his eyes tighter, he could almost pretend the hands on his body weren’t his own. It was his fantasy, to have Remus control and dominate him.

Of course, he had let a few other men top before, but he was always in control. Never letting himself go, never giving over to anyone else. He worked the finger in deeper, stroking his hard cock and rubbing his thumb over the head on every up stroke. Gods, it famazamazing. Usually when he tossed off, he would imagine anyone besides Remus, but he couldn’t deny himself any longer.

The pulses of pleasure that ran through him were stronger than they had been since his daysa sta student in his sixth year, when he had frequently fantasized about Lupin. All but a distant memory. He didn’t even know what the man looked like now; he hadn’t seen him since the leaving feast the day they had graduated. But he couldn’t look much different tin sin school. It had only been three years…

Focusing on what his hands were doing, he pushed that thought out of his mind. It didn’t matter what Remus looked like, it was the thought of him, his essence, the way he moved, thought, spoke, and carried himself that had drawn Severus to him in the first place. Not his looks.

He could feel the pressure building in his balls. He sped up his stroking once more, the finger probing deeper to find the little knot deep inside. He stroked over it with his finger aparkparks flashed before his eyes. Without realizing it, he had been moaning and gasping the whole time... ‘Remus…Gods, yes. Right there. Ahh, faster!’ As he noticed what the words spilling from his mouth were, his climax shot through him like wildfire, his seed shooting from his cock in thick spurts all over his stomach and hand with a shout of pleasure. “R!” !”

It was a damn good thing no one could hear him, he would have been most embarrassed had anyone heard who his nighttime activities were centered around. With a flick of his wand he was clean and pulling up the bedclothes. He fell asleep smiling. Little did he know that the object of his desire was thinking of him as well at that exact moment.

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Remus fell to the bed panting. He had just had mind blowing sex with Sirius, but as usual, it was never enough to sate him. He had bitten his lip during his climax, not because of how intense it was, but because he was struggling with himself not to scream Severus’s name. He turned over and kissed Sirius, then put an arm around him and tried to sleep.

“Why don’t you make noise anymore when we make love?”

Damn the man for not just being able to go to sleep after sex. He always had to talk.

“Um, because I got so used to not making noise that it just became habit.”

There, maybe that will satisfy his curiosity.

“But, when we were at school, we used to put up a silencing charm and you would scream,”.” His lover smirked,. “I miss those days. Hearing you pant my name and howl when you came.”

Sirius was tracing lazy circles over his chest. He wasn’t going to get away with not saying something. The truth was, ever since he had become friends with Severus, he had fantasized about him every night. His lover just wouldn’t understand. He couldn’t make nobecabecause he was afraid of what he would say.

“Well, I grew up. When I was younger, I made noise. As a man, I prefer to be quiet.”

There, maybe that would be sufficient. Sirius seemed to be thinking about it, then he turned to Remus and smiled.

“Afraid you’ll say someone else’s name?”

Remus froze for a second then calmed himself before the man noticed, he had been joking with him. He let out a relieved sigh.

“Of course not, Siri. I just…grew up.”

He kissed his lover’s forehead and pulled him close, snuggling him into slumber. As he finally drifted off, the last thing he thought was that he wished Severus were thinking of him. But somehow he knew it was only wishful thinking.

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About 5 months later….

Lily was screaming profanities from the room behind the door. Remus and Sirius were pacing outside as if it were their wife in there giving birth. James had been *required* to be present in the delivery room, against protest. He was convinced there was nothing he could possibly accomplish by being in there with Lily, but she had insisted. Finally, hours after she had first gone into labor, they heard a baby cry. Grinning, with tears in their eyes, they waited for their friend to emerge and tell them how Lily and the baby were.

When the door opened, they look up and saw James standing in the doorway holding a gorgeous baby with dark hair and green eyes.

“It’s a boy, and we’ve named him Harry James.”

He was grinning ear to ear. James had always wanted to be a father and they both knew he would be excellent at it. No matter what he did, if he wanted to succeed, he did. Walking over to them, he wiped a few stray tears off his face.

“You wanna hold him?”

He offered Harry to Sirius who took him and looked down at him with tears in his eyes.

“Gods, James. He’s gorgeous.” He looked up and grinned. “You sure he’s yours?”

James would have hit him if he hadn’t been holding his newborn b Rem Remus decided it was his turn and pried the baby out of his lover’s arms.

“Well, Harry James. You are very loved and you will be very important in this world one day.”

Boy, if Remus only knew how right he had been when he said that. James smiled andiredired female voice called from the other room.

“I have no problem letting you monopoliy soy son, but can I have him so I ceed eed him before we have to go to sleep?”

Laughing, Remus carried the baby in to Lily and placed him in her arms.

“Here you go, mum.”

He pushed some hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear then leaned down to kiss her forehead.

“You are very lucky, Mrs. Lily Evans Potter.”

She smiled. “I know Remus, I know.”

She fed him and fell asleep Jam James in the chair next to her bed. Remus and Sirius snuck out after watching them for ile ile then retired to their own bed. They were too tired to engage in any extracurricular activities. But it’s not like Sirius didn’t try. Remus just pushed him off gently and fell asleep. He had a long day and a lot to think about.

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Severus had been called to Dumbledore’s office. He had no idea what he was needed for, but he had some idea that it had to do with Potter and the rest of the Order. He sat stiffly, grumbling to himself about having to be there when there were most certainly more important things he could be doing. Dumbledore cleared his throat and Severus looked up.

“Yes, Albus? And what can I do for you this fine evening?”

His tone was dry and full of sarcasm. It was obvious that he didn’t want to be there. He sighed as the man behind the desk twinkled irritatingly and dove into his explanation.

“Well, Lily and James welcomed their son into the world today. I know they’re two of the people Voldemort would most like dead. And you know of the prophecy.”

He looked at the younger wizard over the top of his half moon spectacles. Severus flinched then grimaced.

“And your point is?”

He really needed to work on getting this man to leave him be and get someone else to carry out his ridiculously moronic plans.

“As you know, Harry will one day grow up to be most important to us all. I need you to try and find out if there are going to be any attacks on them. I would like to notify them before hand, if at all possible.”

Severus scowled and shook his head. Oh no, the man wasn’t asking for much. Just for him to risk his life and try to find out things Voldemort didn’t tell anyone until five minuteforefore they were supposed to happen. How on earth was he supposed to find something like that out if all he was to the Dark Lord was a glorified potions maker who was at his disposal to make whatever his little black heart desired? He nodded curtly and stood.

“Will that be all, then? I really must get back to my work.”

Dumbledore dismissed him with a ‘Thank you, my dear boy’ and a wave of his hand. Gods the man infuriated him. He couldn’t help but mumble and mutter to himself about very interesting ways to inflict pain on the headmaster, scaring many students in the corridors as he made his way to his rooms.

Over the next year, Severus tried to find out as much as he possibly could about Voldemort’s plans for the Potters. It was sheer dumb luck that he found out what he did, and it was too late by the time he relayed the information to Dumbledore, something he would regret for a very long time.

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After the birth of Harry, Remus began to pull back from Sirius more. He didn’t know what was happening, but for some reason he just didn’t feel comfortable with his lover anymore. It was as if something was amiss. Something just wasn’t right. Every time there was an attack, the Death Eaters seemed to know exactly where the Potters or other Order members were going to be. It was as though someone from their side was feeding Voldemort information.

As the year drew on, and Lily and James asked Sirius to be their secret keeper, Remus began to suspect that his lover was the mole. He couldn’t throw the feeling that Sirius was hiding something from him. One night, as it was inevitable, they had a fight.

“I can’t tell you where they are, Remus!”

The werewolf was exasperated. That wasn’t the point he was trying to make, and he definitely didn’t want to know where his friends were. It was dangerous to their safety.

“Sirius Black, for Merlin’s sake! I don’t want to know where they are! I just want to know that they’re safe! Can you at least tell me that?”

Remus was drawing near the end of his patience and Sirius wasn’t helping one bit.

“Of course they’re safe. Don’t you trust me?”

There was the slightest hint of hurt in his lover’s voice, but if he had to answer the question honestly, he would have to say no. He hadn’t trusted Sirius for a very long time. Not since the Shrieking Shack incident in their sixth year.

“It’s not that I don’t Siri, but what about Harry? Where is he going to go if something happens to James and Lily?”

The look on his lover’s face was enough to make him even more irritated. Everything was always about Sirius. No one else was ever allowed to have doubts or pain in their lives. He was the only one.

“He would come with me. Or is that the problem? You don’t think I can take care of him, do you?”

Remus growled and sat down hard in a chair. He didn’t want to be doing this, now or ever. Not to mention the fact that he really didn’t think Sirius would be able to take care of Harry if he had to. This would be so much easier if Lily and James weren’t in trouble.

“Sirius, what do you know about raising a child? You can’t even change his nappy or feed him without getting frustrated or needing help!”

He was fuming and he couldn’t care less if he hurt the other man’s feelings. These were valid points he was making and they couldn’t be left unsaid. Leaning his head back on the chair and closing his eyes, he readied himself for the onslaught of profanities Sirius was about to shout at him.

“You fucking asshole! And who do you think would be better suited to take care of him? You? Oh, that’s real rich Remus. A fucking werewolf who can’t even support himself, taking care of a child. I see how it is now. You’re jealous because James and Lily are happy.”

Suddenly something dawned on Sirius. A night over a year ago when he had been in bed with Remus and he had jokingly asked him if he didn’t make noise in bed because he was thinking of someone else.

“You’re in love with someone else...”

He sat down in a chair. This couldn’t be happening to him. After all they had been through, Remus didn’t love him. He couldn’t handle this any longer.

“You…Remus?”

The werewolf was quickly coming to his wits end. Sirius had a way of making everything more than it was. Even though the man had a point, he wasn’t about to admit it now.

“Sirius, don’t you think I would have said something by now? We’ve been together for almost 6 years and nou’rou’re starting to think that? I haven’t made noise in bed for four years!”

He was really beginning to wonder why he continuously put up with this man’s behavior. Nothing, no friendship or love affair, was worth being put through what he dealt with every damn day of his life. The features of Sirius’s face changed and he said in a small voice.

“You know I worry. I’ve always thought you had a thing for that slimy bastard Snape and I’m afraid I’m not good enough for you.”

Remus rubbed his temples. He couldn’t deal with this shit anymore. Instead of blowing up at him, he spoke calmly.

“Siri, it’s not that I don’t think you could take care of Harry, but you have to realize that things are bad. No one but you knows where James and Lily are. We have no idea how Harry is getting along and if they’re all ok. Peter’s gone missing. And you’re acting very strange lately. What do you expect me to think?”

He carefully bypassed the topic of Severus, hoping everything else he said would satisfy his lover’s curiosity. Sirius nodded and sat back.

“I know. And I think everything will be….fine in the end.”

All Remus could do was shake his head and pat Sirius on the shoulder.

“I sure hope so, Siri. I hope so.”

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A few days later Dumbledore was informed that there would be an attack on the Potters. He couldn’t get the information to them in time and James and Lily were killed. Baby Harry was left in the charge of Dumbledore, seeing as Sirius was being labeled a traitor. According to everyone, he was their secret keeper. Only he, the Potters, and Peter knew that he had switched with Pettigrew.

As Albus made arrangements for young Harry to reside with his mother’s sister and her husband until he was old enough to attend Hogwarts, Sirius and Remus had their last encounter and Severus sat in his rooms in the dungeons of the castle crying.

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Lupin was sitting in his living room. The fire was lit and he had downed about half a bottle of scotch by the time Sirius walked in. He looked ragged and bloody. Remus looked up and made gestures with the hand that held the glass of amber liquid.

“You…betrayed our friends. They’re *dead* Sirius. DEAD!”

He was almost sobbing, but the tears just wouldn’t fall. In all the years he had known this man, he had never thought him a traitor or a backstabber.

“You prick! You sold them to Voldemort! What did he give you for their lives? Hmm? Did he promise you Harry? Well, I hate to break it to you, but he tried to kill Harry as well!”

Remus was swaying and slurring his words. He knew he sounded like shit and he was babbling, but at this point, he couldn’t care less. Finally, Sirius found his voice.

“Remmy, I wasn’t their secret keeper. Peter and I switched at the last moment. I couldn’t bring myself to be the one who knew where they were. It was too obvious. And Peconvconvinced me to let him do it. He always felt left out and…”

Sirius ducked as a glass flew toward his head and shattered on the wall behind him. He knew that even if he wasn’t sent to Azkaban, he and Remus were over for good. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling apart. He was hoping he would at least have the thought of his lover while in prison. Obviously he wasn’t going to have anything left. The only people who knew he was innocent were dead.

“Moony, I didn’t do it.”

He sank to his knees in front of Remus, hoping for anything. For a gentle touch before he fled. Even if the other man punched him, at least he would know that Remus touched him before his life ended completely.

“Don’t you *dare* talk to me. Get out! OUT! You’re no longer welcome here and I never want to see you again.” Remus looked up with a look of pure loathing in his eyes. “Of course, you’re going to go to prison so I’ll never have to look at your disgusting face ever again. You make me sick.”

He reached back and swung, knocking Sirius to the ground with a thud. Instead of getting another glass, he just resigned himself to drinking the scotch straight from the bottle. It may not be elegant and proper, but all he wanted was to get drunk and drown his sorrows. Not win over the judges in an etiquette contest. Slowly, Sirius stood and walked to the door. He looked back briefly to speak.

“Remus, know I love you. I always have and I will until the day I die. Whatever I do next, please don’t hate me odge dge me.”

He walked out and left his life behind, searching out and finding Peter in muggle London in the middle of a street. The slimy little bastard got away with his little act by pretending to killkilling himself and blameblaming Sirius. The aurors swooped in and arrested him, bringing him to Azkaban without a trial and letting him rot there for what everyone assumed would be the rest of his miserable life.

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For some reason unknown to him, Severus Snape felt guilty. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t told the headmaster the instant he had heard the news, but he felt as though he could have done something to prevent it from happening. Maybe he could have delayed Voldemort or the Death Eaters who had gone along with him to Godric Hollow. Or maybe he could have offered to go in their places then hid the Pottersm som so everyone could presume them dead, then kill himself. Anything would have been better than what he was experiencing.

One thing he knew for sure was this was Albus’s fault. At least Severus feeling guilty was, he couldn’t quite blame him for James and Lily’s deaths but if he could, he’d find a way. Of course, thinking about James and Lily made him think of Sirius, who was at fault for the Potters dying. He was the one who led Voldemort to them. But thinking of Sirius, that traitorous bastard, reminded him of Remus. He couldn’t imagine what it was like for the man. He had never really lost anyone he cared for, he had no friends. Except Remus himself, and that had been painful enough. Snape didn’t want to think about how much it would hurt if he had lost Remus to death. At least he was still alive, he could see Lupin, he just couldn’t tell him how he felt.

Severus decided to bury himself in his work. It was the only thing that kept him from thinking about the werewolf and he needed something to take the pain away. His students suffered more than anything. His reputation as a snarky, mean, greasy bastard was well in place. No one, not even students would dare cross hiow, ow, if he could just get Albus to follow suit.

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After his friends’ deaths and Sirius was safely put away in Azkaban, Remus paid a visit to the headmaster. He was at a loss. Everyone he had, were either dead or in jail and he had nowhere to go. He could go back to his parents’ cottage in the country, but he would be isolated from the world with no one to talk to or keep him company. Harry was ‘safe’ with is muggle relatives. But how safe he was in *that* environment, Remus wasn’t quite sure. Then again, it really wasn’t any of his concern. James and Lily had appointed Sirius as Harry’s godfather and Remus had no say.

Sitting in a chair in Dumbledore’s office brought back memories from when he was at school. The time when they were there after the ‘incident’ and the few times he had been called there during his seventh year because of something that had gone on with Severus. It never ceased to amaze him; he had never really been called to the headmaster’s office much until his seventh year. Up till that point, Severus and the other Slytherins seemed content to leave him alone. But once they came back from summer hols, the other Marauders were left alone unless they tried to defend Remus.

The sound of a house elf popping out of the office brought him back to the present. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, twinkling. How in Merlin’s name did the man do that all the time? He shook his head and smiled. May as well enjoy this visit. Albus wasn’t out to get him, the man just wanted to help.

“Well, Remus. I know you don’t have much to do, now that all of this has happened. Tea? Lemon Drop?”

As uneasy as he felt, he couldn’t begrudge the man one of his few weaknesses; thinking tea and candy solved everything. So, he decided to indulge the headmaster.

“Tea would be wonderful. And a lemon drop while it cools slightly.”

He smiled and took the offered candy and mug of tea. After all these years, Albus still knew how he liked it. Strong with a touch of milk and two sugars. He set it aside and sucked on the candy, which just brought back even more memories of being in this office.

“Alright, my boy. What is it that you came to see me about?”

Remus was quite sure the man knew. He knew everything. The omnipotent bastard. He shuddered; his inner voice was beginning to sound a lot like Severus. A small smile formed on his lips. He didn’t quite hate that idea. Which brought him to another reason why he had ventured out to Hogwarts; he was hoping he would catch a glimpse of Severus. He knew the Slytherin was working here as the potions professor and head of Slytherin house, he just needed to think of an excuse to go down to the dungeons to see him. As if reading his mind the headmaster interrupted his thoughts.

“I’m sure Severus would love some company. He’s fine, but lately he’s been a tad bit depressed.”

The werewolf looked up. How did he do that?!

“Albus, I’m sure Severus can find someone to entertain him. He wouldn’t want a werewolf, and a Gryffindor to boot, sniffing around his private rooms.”

He paused for aent ent then continued.

“I’m here because I really have nowhere else to go. I could reside at the cottage my parents left me, but I would prefer not to be isolated. All my friends are either dead or in jail, and I would just….I can’t get a job. The ministry is preventing werewolves from finding work. I have no source of income and I wouldn’t have any way to live.”

He felt defeated, but if he was going to admit all this to anyone, it would be Dumbledore. For some reason, he trusted the man with everything. Dumbledore sat for a moment, seemingly thinking about what he could possibly do to help this young man. Finally, he spoke as if what he was saying were obvious.

“The way I see it, is you have three options. You can live in the cottage, be cut off from society and scrounge for money and jobs. You could live as a muggle where no one would know you and get a flat in London. Or, you could come live here and work for me. I’m sure we could find *something* for you to do.”

That damn twinkle again. He heaved a sigh and sank into his chair, reaching for the now cool mug of tea. Remus didn’t know what to think. He could take Albus up on his offer, but what would he do? Teach? Ha! That was amusing to no end. He could disappear and live as a muggle, but what would he, could he, actually do in the muggle world? There weren’t many jobs he could take that would allow him to leave work for three days a month without his employer being suspicious. And the last, he really didn’t want to live out in that cottage by himself. There were too many things from his childhood that lingered there. He hadn’t been back there since before his parents had died and he didn’t think he would be able to survive going back alone.

“Albus, I don’t know what I could possibly do here. Going back to the cottage really isn’t an option I’d like to explore, and I know nothing of muggle London. I’m really at a loss. What am I going to do?”

He really didn’t want to ask for help, but you have to know when to be proud and when not to be. His pride could get him killed and all he wanted was a warm place to live and some food in his stomach. Gods, Sirius really did fuck up his life like Severus always told him he would. Maybe he should begin listening to Slytherin logic….

“Remus, my boy, I’m sure it won’t be hard for us to find something for you to do. Until then, or until you decide what you’re going to do, you’re welcome to stay here at the castle. Just make sure you don’t disrupt classes or cause any trouble.”

Dumbledore was twinkling more than usual, as if that were possible. He thought this over in his head for a moment. It wasn’t a bad idea. He could stay at Hogwarts until he got himself a job and a place to live. The flat he had with Sirius had been practically destroyed and he had been thrown out. Fat lot of good that does him. He was literally homeless. Thank Merlin for ex headmasters who thought of the students as his own children.

“That would be lovely, and very appreciated Albus. I don’t want to be a bother; perhaps you could put me in a room far from any classes or students so I don’t bother anyone?”

He was determined to not overstay his welcome. As long as he behaved and stayed out of everyone’s way, he would have a place to live for a good while. But oh…

“And don’t you worry about your transformations. You can use the shack like you did when you were here at school. And no one has to know you’re here, if you prefer.”

The man read minds. That was the only conclusion Remus could come to. Sighing he nodded his head; he didn’t have anything else to say. Dumbledore stood and walked around the desk.

“Now, I’ve taken the liberty of having your things sent here. They’re already in your rooms. I’ll g yog you there and you can look around and get settled. Dinner is at the normal tim the the Great Hall, if you would like to join us. You, of course, may sit at the staff table with the professors and I. Or if you choose, you may take dinner in your rooms.”

He followed the man down a dark corridor, somewhere in the dungeons. Well, he’d be near Severus. He wondered how the Slytherin would take it when he found out his most loathed enemy was living just down the hall from him. For some reason he didn’t care what Snape thought, he was just happy to be so near him.

“Are sur sure I should be in the dungeons? I mean, won’t that disrupt the students down here? I don’t want to be anywhere where I’ll cause a problem.”

And for some reason, he had a feeling him being there at all would cause enough of a problem, but being so close to Severus…he knew they were in for a lot of trouble and shouting.

“I wouldn’t worry about Severus. He’ll get over it. Sometimes he can be such a big baby.”

Dumbledore was actually smirking. Remus couldn’t help but laugh. He walked into his room and settled in. The headmaster left him to himself after showing him around briefly and returned to his office. He was just about to decide whether or not he wanted to go down to the Great Hall or call for a house elf to serve him dinner in his rooms when there wasnocknock at his door. Shite, who knew he was here besides Dumbledore? He steeled himself and opened the door, to find one very hostile looking potions master, who managed to look even more foreboding once he realized who opened the door.

“Lupin.”

Remus smirked. Obviously Severus hadn’t lost his touch for making a single word sound like a million knives piercing ones defenses.

“Severus. Do come in and have a drink. I have scotch.”

Severus quirked an eyebrow and stepped just inside the room. He may as well play nice with the resident werewolf, even though he would prefer that Remus just went somewhere else. He took the offered glass filled with amber liquid and sniffed at it.

“Very nice, Lupin, but I’m not here to socialize. Albus told me we had a guest in the dungeon and that it would be proper for me to welcome them. Obviously the man had an ulterior motive, as per usual.”

Snape was scowling. Remus loved when the Slytherin scowled. He had missed it. The way the man’s brow furrowed and the nasty sneer that accompanied his voice and features. The fact that Severus was being civil told him something. Maybe Snape didhatehate him after all. He was brought back to the one time the Slytherin hadn’t been mean to him in their seventh year. They had been alone and he had gotten a drunken synopsis ahallas to why he was being treated like the plague…

A half empty bottle of Hagrid’s fire whiskey sat in between them nto ato an empty bottle. The dark haired Slytherin was blinking rapidly and slurring everything he said.

“Severus, why are you so drunk and why haven’t any of your *friends* helped you?”

Remus had helped him back to his room, which was private because his father had requested it. Now the two of them were sitting on the floor in Snape’s room, sharing the rest of the bottle of fire whiskey and generally trying to stay awake.

“Well, my friends….wait. I don’t have any friends. You were my only friend. But we’re not friends anymore.”

He seemed upset about that fact. The werewolf was barely buzzed, seeing as his heightened metabolism allowed for him to drink just about anyone except Hagrid under the table. Remus took a hint and attempted to probe further.

“And why aren’t we friends anymore, Severus?”

He was hoping the dark haired boy would answer him, but it was too much to ask for.

“Because you’re a Gryffindor and I’m a Slytherin. My father….”

He was about to continue when Remus cut him off.

“That never bothered you before. And what about your father? Did he tell you that you couldn’t be friends with me anymore?”

At that Severus looked up, seeing for the first time who was with him and realized what was going on.

“Get out. You can’t be here. Leave and never come back. We’re not friends, and we never will be. You disgust me, werewolf!”

The look of hurt on Lupin’s face was enough to stop anyone dead in their tracks, but Snape was too drunk to notice anything but how fast the room was spinning. The Gryffindor stood and opened the door, looking back over his shoulder before he left.

“Sev…if you ever need a friend, you know where to find me.”

After the door closed, Severus had cried himself to sleep. That had been too close. His father could never hear about this and he knew if he ever did, his mother’s life would be at stake.

Remus walked back to Gryffindor Tower in a daze. And it wasn’t from the alcohol. He couldn’t help but think that his closest friend beside the Marauders wasn’t choosing to alienate him of his own volition. When he entered his dorm, he ignored Sirius and went straight to bed, drawing the curtains and locking out the rest of the world. The werewolf was in no mood to indulge in extracurricular activities with his boyfriend or talk to his other friends.

When he snapped out of his flashback, he saw Snape staring at him. The other man, though unknown to Remus, had been having the same flashback. Severus deeply regretted all those years of telling him to sod off, and even though his father was dead, he couldn’t bring himself to just drop the act and profess his undying love.

“Um. Would you like to sit?”

He took a seat in an armchair near the fire and motioned to the one across from him. Snape looked from the glass, to the chair, to Lupin and shook his head. He hadn’t planned on staying. At all. But it would seem that he wasn’t going to get away that easily. Albus had probably told him to go down there so he would forgive and forget. The man was insufferable and he wouldn’t get his way. This time. Unfortunately for him, Remus was also having the same inner battle. Eventually he sat down, but he looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Lupin, I don’t know what you’re doing here, nor do I care, but Albus seems to think I ld *ld *befriend* you. Although why is beyond the realm of sanity that my mind can grasp.”

He sipped his scotch and avoided looking at the werewolf at all costs. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his chair beforespokspoke.

“Well, Sirius is in prison. James, Lily and Peter are dead. I have no one. The flat I was sharing with Sirius was almost destroyed and I was thrown out. My parents left me a cottage when they passed, but I don’t feel like going back there on my own. There are too many memories, not happy ones, from my childhood that I would rather not relive at this point in time. Albus offered to let me stay here until he can either find a job for me in the castle or until I can get on my feet again.” He paused and sipped then looked up at Severus. “How have you been? You look like hell.”

That last comment made the Slytherin scowl once more, causing Remus to hide a smirk with his glass of scotch. Severus reminded himself that he had to come off as someone who didn’t care. Don’t care. Don’t care. Damnit, Severus. Don’t care!

“Lupin, not only don’t I care about your life story, I was almost bored to tears listening to it. Pleasefraifrain frhinkhinking I care at all. I don’t. And further more, I’m sure we’ll both be happy when you finally leave here. Merlin knows you don’t want to be near me any more than I want to be near you.”

To avoid seeing the hurt, which he knew would be in those amber eyes, he rose and poured himself another scotch.

“Severus, you don’t have to be such an arsehole.”

The Slytherirnedrned with a look of shock momentarily gracing his features. It quickly faded into the shuttered mask he always wore as Remus continued.

“We both know it was that arsehole father of yours that forced you to stop being friends with me and I forgive you. He must have threatened you with something very important for you to put up such a convincing act.”

He smirked and sipped his drink, wondering howg itg it would take him to break theer mer man down. Apparently, Severus was furious. Which was a clear sign that Remus had struck a note of truth in what he had said.

“I stopped being friends with you because I realized what you were. My father had nothing to do with it and I would prefer if you wouldn’t talk about me or my family as if you know us.”

His voice was curt and Lupin would have backed off if he *didn’t* know Snape. Being as he did, he kept on.

“Severus, you and I would both be better off if you would just drop that charade and be friends. I really do miss you, you know. And it’s been a hard four and half years without you.”

He added a hopeful note to the tone in his voice so his former friend would hear how sincere he was. It was his only hope and he had no other options in getting his dearest friend back. Finally, as if a veil fell, Severus turned back to him with what seemed to be tears in his eyes.

“Lup…Remus. It’s been too long. I don’t remember how I was. I can’t go back to being who I was back then. And there’s no possible way for us to pick up where we left off. We’re both grown men and we’ve changed a lot. There’s a good chance we wouldn’t like each other anymore.”

He heaved a sigh and walked to the door.

“I’ll see you around, Remus. You should get some sleep. You look like hell too.”

All his eloquent words had left him and he was left with the bare facts. He couldn’t just be friends with Remus again. It wouldn’t work. He waited for the other man to stop him from leaving, but no sound was heard as he opened the door and walked out, shutting it with a soft click behind him.

On the other side of the door, Remus was staring at the spot where Severus had just been standing. He couldn’t believe that he had just gotten a confession from the Slytherin. ‘Damn, Severus.’ He thought. ‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’ Sighing and walking to his bedchamber, he stripped down and climbed into bed. This was too much to process right now and he just didn’t have the energy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in his own room, Severus drank himself into oblivion then passed out. He was ashamed with himself for revealing that much to his former friend. He swore he would never let it happen again. There was no way Remus would want to be his friend after hearing all those things and after all these years.

He spent as much as he could of the next week trying to avoid Lupin. Apparently, Lupin was also trying to avoid him. Albus was twinkling more than usual and seemed to know more than he was letting on. Which was nothing out of the ordinary. The air around the castle was so tense you could have cut through it with a knife. No one, save Dumbledore, could have ever possibly foreseen what came next.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. Severus was headed down the corridor that led from his private rooms to Remus’s. As he stopped in front of the door to the other man’s room, hangeanged his mind and turned to go as the door opened.

“Severus, what on earth are you doing here? But more importantly, why are you leaving now that you *are* here?”

Flinching, he turned back and held out the bottle of scotch he had been carrying.

“Here, Lupin. For drinking all your scotch last week. Of course, this is of better quality than that swill you had, but we can’t all be perfect.”

The biting remarks and acidic tone was almost more than the Gryffindor could handle. It was one of the things that turned him on about Severus. Remus tried his hardest not to pounce on Severus in the corridor and take him right there. He steeled himself and pulled the other man into the room.

“You’re not getting away that easily this time.”

He took the bottle and opened it, pouring them each a drink then handing a glass to Severus.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said the last time you were here. And I want you to know, we don’t have to pick up where we left off. We can have something else, something different. Or we could start over completely. Either is fine with me. But I will not settle for not being youiendiend at all.”

He tossed back his drink and poured another, waiting for the dark haired man to speak. Snape was floored. No one had ever demanded his friendship before. Especially someone who he had feelings for and cared about. He finished off his drink in two large swallows and poured himself another before collapsing in the same chair he had occupied the previous time he had been there.

“Lupin,” changing his mind about how to address the man when he saw the stern look on his face, “Remus, I don’t know what to say. But…if you would like to start over, or be…” he gulped for breath that didn’t want to fill his lungs, “more than that. Then I suppose that we could work this out.”

A genuine smile that hadn’t graced the other man’s lips in years formed. He was so happy that he found his friend again and he would never let him go again.

“Something more? I would like that very much, Sev.”

He moved closer and sat reached for the Slytherin’s hand, pulling him to stand and wrapping his arms about him.

“I think I could handle that.”

Remus leaned in and pressed his lips against Snape’s, brushing his tongue over the other man’s lips while grinding against him slightly. Severus allowed the entrance of the other tongue and deepened the kiss, wondering why he hadn’t thought to do this sooner. Shite, he had wanted the man practically since the day he first saw him! Lupin pulled back and looked at Severus like he hadn’t seen him in ages, even though they lived down the hall from each other and had seen each other on a daily basis.

“Gods, Sev. I’ve wanted you for so long, and now…Please don’t tell me you’re going to change your mind.”

For split second Snape almost left just because Lupin had said such an absurd thing, but the sound of hisce ace and the look in his eyes made the Slytherin stop. Pain. Lupin had lost everyone and everything. They had all left him, and he was just looking for a little reassurance that he wouldn’t lose anyone again. Severus smiled and placed a soft kiss on the other man’s lips.

“Of course I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve suffered for too long, you have as well. We deserve to be happy and I don’t think anything short of….no, not even death. Nothing can come between us now.”

Tears fell from Remus’s eyes as they embraced and kissed passionately again. It was more than he could have hoped for, and everything he had ever wanted. They retired to the bedroom and made gentle love. The kind of act that both of them had always been worthy of but had never experienced.

With Sirius, everything had always been ‘right here, right now, hard, deep and to the point.’ There were never any soft caresses or gentle lovemaking. No. And every lover Severus had taken over the few years had just been there to take care of his basic sexual needs. He may have climaxed, yes. And he spilled his seed, for sure. But there had never been an ‘orgasm’ per se. No passion or ecstasy.

He had never been to that place where the earth stops revolving and the only thing you can see and feel is the bright, heady feeling of pleasure just before you fall over the edge of bliss. They fell asleep in each other’s arms, each praying that the other wouldn’t have changed his mind by the time morning came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The same night, Dumbledore sat in his office with a smug look on his face. He may not have been able to directly get them together, but then again, when did Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore ever do something directly? He had been overjoyed when Remus had asked for a place to stay. That saved him from trying to get them together outside the castle, which would have proved a difficult task. Then, placing the werewolf in the dungeons where Severus was bound to run into him anyhow, but then asking the potions master to welcome the new guest.

Of course, Dumbledore would have to find something for Remus to do. Temporarily until he could get his own place and a job outside Hogwarts. The whole wizarding world was suffering because of the death of the Potters, but Remus was suffering more than anyone, save poor little Harry.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. The position of DADA professor was never filled for more than a year or two at a time. And he knew he’d have to find a professor for the upcoming school year seeing as the current one was retiring at the end of the year. It would be the perfect job for Remus. Being a werewolf and having been in the Order, he was well versed in the happenings of the Dark Arts. And he was wonderful with children. No doubt he’d be a natural at teaching.

At that moment Dumbledore made up his mind. He would offer the position of Defense Against The Dark Arts professor to one Remus J. Lupin, and pray to the Gods above that the werewolf would accept.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A very confused Remus found himself holding a teacup and sitting in front of the headmaster’s desk. He had just been offered at teaching position and was speechless. oursourse, it was perfect. He could stay in the castle with Severus. Over the past few weeks since Severus had come to his room with a bottle of scotch, they had gotten closer and formed a unique relationship.

Snape would snipe and bitch and Remus would just sit there and smirk, knowing that was just how his lover expressed himself. It amused him to no end that Severus could be snarky one minute and passionately kissing him the next. And anyway, he wasn’t going to complain, Lupin loved Sev’s snarky, greasy haired, potions professor attitude. It was what had drawn him to Severus in the first place.

He looked up from the depths of the teacup to see the blue eyes of Albus twinkling at him. Remus hadn’t realized that he had been in his own little world while the headmaster was speaking.

“Well, my boy? Do you accept? I do believe that we could use someone of your expertise as the new Defense professor. Of course, if you turn the job down no one will hold it against you.”

Dumbledore gave him a look that said ‘you won’t turn me down because you need the job and a place to live, not to mention the fact that you’re buggering my potions professor’. Remus crumbled and felt like he was once again a student who was in the headmaster’s office. He heaved a put on sigh and nodded.

“Thank you, Albus. It is much appreciated. I would love to take the job. But I have one question.”

Albus nodded, “Ask away, my boy.”

He took a deep breath and watched the older wizard’s face as he spoke.

“As you know, the Weasleys have a few children. Erm, 7 to be exact. I know they’re not yet ready to attend, but I think it would be better that I’m not here when their oldest joins Hogwarts,” he paused, took another deep breath, then continued, “I know that you are aware of the fact that Severus and I have…rekindled our previous relationship. We would like nothing more than to tell people, but we can’t. Anyhow, it would be too difficult once the Weasleys enter school.”

The headmaster just nodded. Apparently he had seen this coming.

“So, I’ll teach here until the year Bill enters school. Two years should give me enough time to sort everything out and find other employment. Would that be acceptable?”

Dumbledore smiled, “Yes, and I’m sure I can help scrounge something up for you when the time comes. Until then, you can reside in Severus’s chambers during the holidays if you both agree. And of course, you will still have your own private rooms for during the school year.”

The man was insufferable. It was as if he knew everything. Then again, he probably did. Lupin smiled and nodded once more, rising from his seat.

“I look forward to it.”

Which wasn’t a lie. He couldn’t wait to get back to his rooms so he could tell Sev when his last class ended. There was only one week left to the term, then summer would begin. The castle would be free of all the students and they could spend some long awaited quality time together.

Noticing the time, he decided a walk would be in order. There was still a bit of time before his lover would return and he knew he was too excited to just sit in his room. Burning off his energy seemed like the best way to occupy his time. He leisurely strolled around the edge of the lake, breathing in the fresh air deeply. It was such a beautiful time of year, and being at Hogwarts made it even more enjoyable. Eventually he found his way back to the castle.

When he opened the door to their rooms, he found Severus sitting by the fire with a glass of scotch in his hand. He had a sour look on his face and the bottle sitting on the table next to the armchair was near to half empty. Lupin cautiously walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Without looking from the fire, Snape spoke in a voice so soft that Remus wouldn’t have heard him if it weren’t for his heightened hearing.

“When the summer’s over, you’ll have to leave. And I’ll lose you again. I...”

He swallowed the rest of his drink and poured another as the werewolf just watched his lover drowning himself in his sorrows. As Severus lifted the glass to his lips, Remus grabbed it out of his hand and knelt in front of him. The Slytherin gave him a nasty death glare.

“What did you do that for, you imbecile!?”

Remus chuckled and leaned in closer and whispered, “You’re not going to lose me, Sev,” he said as he nipped at the dark haired man’s neck.

Snape shivered and said in a slightly lust filled voice, “Lupin, you can’t stay here forever. Even Albus has his limits as to how long someone can stay in the castle without working here.”

The Gryffindor smirked against his lover’s neck, “I won’t be leaving at the end of the summer. Albus offered me the position of Defense professor,” pausing to suck on a sensitive pulse point, “I’ve accepted.”

Severus pulled back from Remus and looked at him with disbelief and hope in his eyes.

“Albus offered…? And you accepted…?”

The man was at a loss for words. Snape had hoped his lover wouldn’t have to leave, but he never thought it would come true. Lupin just nodded and leaned in for another kiss.

As the men became more wrapped up in the moment, the world around them dissolved and there was only the passion of the kiss and the heat of their bodies. Remus stood and pulled Severus to his feet, leading him to the bedchamber as they discarded clothing in a trail from the fireplace to their bed.

Severus lay on the bed as the Gryffindor looked down at him with lust filled eyes, “Gods, Severus. You’re so beautiful.”

He sat down then crawled seductively up the bed to where his lover was laying while placing light nips, licks and kisses on every inch of skin. The man below him moaned and writhed as Remus touched every part of his body, save his swollen cock which was straining with need. As a smirk played across his face, the werewleanleaned in and captured his lover’s lips in a passionate, need-filled kiss, his hand softly caressing the inside of Snape’s thighs.

Severus bucked his hips when Lupin’s arm brushed up against his hard cock, sending shivers through his body. He pulled away from the kiss and growled, “Damnit, Remus. You’re such a tease.”

With a feral look in his eyes Remus grinned and latched onto Sev’s neck, his hand reaching down to lightly fondle his lover’s balls. Severus moaned louder, writhing under the intimate touch. He reached to tightightstand and grabbed the vile sitting there then shoved it into Lupin’s hand, “Please…I need…”

Lupin grinned once more and opened the vile, slicking one of his fingers. As slowly and teasingly as possible, he lowered his hand once more, tracing below Snape’s balls and circling the tight pucker. Groaning, he slid a finger in and began nibbling on his neck again. The Slytherin bucked up, a growl catching in the back of his throat as the finger probed deeper and found the knot of pleasure hidden deep within.

“Gods, Lupin! I’m going to cum if you don’t fuck me soon.”

His lover worked in another finger, stretching him gently while brushing over the knot sporadically. It was almost too much to take and he was painfully hard. Despite the fact that his prick hadn’t even been touched yet, he was drawing near his climax and he couldn’t hold out much longer.

“Shit Sev, you’re so fucking tight.”

Remus was mumbling and groaning just from the thought of being buried deep within the tight heat. After working another finger in briefly and scissoring for a few moments, Sev growled, “Hurry up. I need you in me. I want to cum with you in me.”

That was all Remus needed. He pulled his fingers out and slicked his hard cock, pressing it against his lover’s loosened opening. Without another w he he began to slowly inch in, not wanting to hurt the other man. Snape bu his his hips and drove Lupin in deeper, eliciting a groan from his slightly parted lips.

The werewolf waited a moment for Severus to adjust to being filled, then started to move at a steady, slow pace. He knew it would drive his lover insane with passion. Snape wrapped his legs around Lupin’s waist and pulled him deeper, setting a faster, harder rhythm.

They both drew nearer to climaxing. Their bodies sweaty and glistening in the flickering candlelight showing the contours of their muscles every time they thrusted. Remus began to thrust faster, his slicked hand reaching between them to stroke Severus’s hard cock in time with his thrusts.

Finally, as Remus’s hand sped up, Sev’s body tensed below him and he groaned his release, “Remus!”

Without being able to hold back a smirk, he pumped into his lover harder, then stilled and spilled his seed with a breathy “Sev…” Remus collapsed beside Severus on the bed panting and sweaty while the other man turned over and performed a quick cleaning spell.

“Well, that certainly was amazing,” Snape breathed then snuggled close to the Gryffindor, draping his arm over the other’s abdomen while resting his head on Lupin’s chest.

“Mmm,” Lupin responded then pulled the other man closer, closing his eyes and letting sleep claim him. He was happy to finally have a lover that enjoyed silence after making love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the first day of summer, after all the students had left the castle, Severus and Remus walked through the corridors holding hands. It had been a privilege they hadn’t been able to indulge in whilst there were students there. After all, word couldn’t get out that the greasy potion’s master was buggering a werewolf.

Dumbledore watched them with glee as they took pride in no longer hiding their relationship. At first the other professors had been wary of it, but they had eventually come around when they saw how much love there was between the two men.

Severus helped Remus prepare his lesson plans and syllabus for the upcoming year. It was a commonly misconstrued notion that he had always wanted the position, and he planned to keep up the façade of people thinking he wanted it for many years to come. It made his snarky, greasy haired, potions master, Death Eater persona more believable anyhow. The two men knew there would be little time for them to spend together once the new term began and they were taking full advantage of the closeness the summer allowed.

They had decided that for appearance purposes, Remus would retire to his own chambers, which were down the hall from Severus’s, each night. But Dumbledore agreed to allow a private floo connection between the two chambers so they could spend their nights in the same bed without arousing suspicion. Snape and Lupin were thrilled that the Headmaster was supporting them and even encouraging the romance. They couldn’t have hoped for more. Holidays would be spent locked up in one of the private quarters as much as possible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the summer drew to an end, the two professors lay in bed together after making love. Remus was snuggled up to Severus, his head on the other man’s chest as he drew lazy circles with his fingertips over the man’s abdomen.

“I can only teach here for two years. Then I have to leave the castle. The oldest of the Weasley clan will be entering Hogwarts and I can’t chance them getting to know me.”

Severus’s body tensed beside him as the man searched for words. Finally, his voice strained, he spoke in what he hoped was a calm tone, “Remus, we can figure something out. I know you want to disappear from the wizarding world and make it like you never taught here. And there’s a good chance we’ll be able to pull that off. But you can’t expect me to live without seeing you.”

Remus sighed as tears threatened to fall. What his lover had just said was more than he had hoped for. He knew, deep down, even though Severus had never said it, that the Slytherin loved him. And although just knowing it was enough, hearing it, but not in the exact words, was even better. He lifted his head from Sev’s chest and stared into the dark orbs.

“We can try to have something similar to what we have planned during the school year. A private floo between here and wherever I am. But I do need to get out and disappear from everyone’s radar. At least the general public’s.”

Snape nodded and pulled his lover close. This was something they would have to discuss with Dumbledore. He mentally sighed. Another thinr thr the meddling man to get involved with. He was sure Albus would absolutely love the chance to have a hand in keeping his two favorite students, now lovers, together.

Although unbeknownst to each other, the two men lay awake for some time thinking the same thoughts. How were they going to pull this off and how long would their love survive this weak plan theye tre trying to erect? All they knew was; it better work. Neither of them would be able to survive very long without the other, and they both knew it.

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Remus enjoyed teaching Defense and was well accepted by his students. Little did he know that he would be in this teaching position once again years later. His days were filled with teaching the children and his nights were filled with passion from Severus.

Looking back he couldn’t honestly remember what life had been like before he and Snape had become lovers, but he knew he didn’t want to find out. He was happy with his current relationship and he would do anything to keep it.

Severus grew worried as the days progressed; he didn’t want Remus to leave but he knew his lover had to. Dumbledore had been trying to find new things for the werewolf to do once he left the castle, but none of them really appealed to Lupin. One night, while Severus was up late grading papers and Remus was locked up in the shack for his change, the Slytherin had one of his most wonderful ideas to date. Lupin could live in Snape Manor.

All of Severus’s relatives had, thankfully, passed on and the estate had been lefthim.him. It was the perfect place for his lover to get away to. No one knew its location and it was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There were woods which surrounded it and no one for miles. Remus could run around during the full moon and not have to worry about injuring anyone.

Beside where the manor was, there was a small village close by. Remus could always apparate to the edge of it and find some work. He wouldn’t have to live off Severus, but there would be house elfs there to serve him if he pleased.

In a rush of excitement, Sev practically ran to the headmaster’s office to tell him of his plan. Albus nodded and twinkled, as he always did, but in the end he agreed. Snape Manor was the best choice for Remus if he wanted to escape from the outside world. And because of the fact that it was Severus’s private estate, there was already a private floo connection between there and his chambers at the castle, so that problem was already solved.

Now the only thing left to do was tell Remus and convince him that it was the best opportunity for his escape. Snape knew it would take some time; his lover hated to be taken care of like that and didn’t want to feel like he owed anyone anything. Oh well, Lupin would just have to get used to Severus taking care of him. Things would happen between them in the future that neither one of them could ever guess.

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When they finally told Remus about their plan he took it better than they thought he would. It comforted him that he could still be with Severus in a way. After all, he would be residing in his lover’s house, even if Snape wasn’t there with him. And he knew that he would be able to see him on certain weekends as well as holidays.

Albus had made it perfectly clear that he wanted Severus to go home as much as possible, but if Remus were to venture into the castle, he had to stay locked within the confines of Severus’s private chambers. He was not to be seen by anyone save Dumbledore and his lover. As far as everyone else would be concerned, he had disappeared from the face of the earth.

The lovers spent as much free time together as they could manage, what with teaching the students gradgrading papers. As a young man, Severus really was a much more laid back teacher then he would come to be as age weathered his soul. And Remus, surprisingly enough, was a lot harder in his younger years. Both knew their time together would be limited once Lupin left, and they struggled to keep their heads above the water that was their hopelessly romantic predicament.

On the day Remus left for his new home, the last day before the start of term after his second year teaching, Severus went with him. The Slytherin had decided he was staying the first night there with his lover. And he knew he could be back in time for the Welcoming Feast the next night, seeing as all he had to do was floo back to his chambers at Hogwarts then walk through the corridors to the Great Hall.

Albus had allowed it only because Snape had shot him a death glare that told the headmaster that no one would be stopping him. Besides, what did it hurt as long as he was back in time to resume his duties as Head of Slytherin and Potions Professor?

That night they lay in bed, murmuring sweet nothings as they drifted off. Remus was the first one for sleep to claim, and as Snape grew even more drowsy, his eyelids drooping sleepily, he mumbled a whispered ‘I love you’ which he was sure his lover hadn’t heard. Lupin smiled wide in his sleep and snuggled closer.

As they both drifted deeper, they found themselves surrounded by a light, misty fog. Together in the dream realm, they saw visions of themselves, older and still together. The only difference than now besides their age was the people surrounding them.

Albus was still there, along with Minerva and a few other professors they knew as well as some they had yet to meet. They also saw a few curious figures they would one day come to know quite well. A tall white blonde whom Severus thought looked shockingly like Lucius Malfoy, a muscular dark haired man with green eyes who was sitting close to the blonde and looking at him lovingly. Other than them, there was an extremely tall, irritating looking redhead and a bushy brunette who seemed to be trying to fend him off.

The scene they were watching was one where they were the center of everyone’s attention. The men stood before an altar and smiled at each other as Albus spoke to them while everyone watched. It was most obviously a bonding ceremony. Remus and Severus turned to each other after witnessing their future selves and embraced.

What a shame they wouldn’t remember anything of this vision until the exact moment of their bonding. Funny how things work out; especially when a meddling, century and a half year old wizard with twinkling blue eyes interfered.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and watched the ‘dream’ in a pool of liquid. He smiled and his future self looked up, as if he knew he was watching, and winked. Without hesitation, Albus waved his hand and the image disappeared. Now all he needed to do was keep the two men together for the next 10 years. Merlin knew it would be difficult, but someone had to ensure the vision he had just witnessed would come to pass. It was most important, for everyone involved.


To Be Continued….