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Much Ado About Nothing	By : goblet Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2534 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
by The Goblet

Chapter 38

Albus was sitting at his desk in his office. He had escorted Severus to the Hufflepuff Common Room, and had been amused to see the young man attacked by three concerned females before he had even made it two steps into the room.

As he watched Lily and Arabella fuss over his spy, Albus pulled Minerva aside, and quietly informed her of Severus' new position in the Dark Lord's ranks, warning her not to speak Voldemort's name out loud and enlightening her on his plans to wed Remus and Severus.

He had then returned to his office as the women started to drag Severus towards one of the large sofas in the room, promising to arrange for some lunch to be sent up.

After eating his own meal, the Headmaster had sent an owl to Remus, asking him to meet with him late that afternoon.

As Albus was double checking the list of new first-year students for the up-coming school year, he was interrupted by a soft knock on his door.

Putting aside his quill, Albus stood from his desk and crossed the room. He opened the door revealing the pale werewolf who was waiting behind it.

"Come in, Remus," he instructed, guiding his former student to sit in the armchair Severus had relaxed in earlier that day. Albus waited for Remus to show any signs of recognising Severus' scent.

Remus didn't say a word.

"Are you ill?" Albus asked, perplexed that Remus had not commented, or even reacted subtly to the presence of Severus's scent.

Remus shrugged. "The wolf is restless. He misses Severus. Everything itches. My nose and eyes are running. It feels as though I have hay fever, but it's worse. I can't describe it accurately enough."

"Your wolf bonded with Severus." It was a statement, not a question.

Remus nodded, tears beginning to gather in his eyes once more. He hoped that Albus would dismiss them as a symptom of his illness, and not recognize that they were tears of grief.

"I take it that the wedding ceremony was merely a formality?" The Headmaster asked softly as he sat in the other armchair.

"I suppose so."

Albus sighed quietly, upset at the so-called 'prank' that the Slytherins had played on two of his favourite students.

"Remus, you know that the itching won't go away."

"I know." Remus sighed.

"There is something that might be done," Albus told him, resisting the urge to hug the young man. He had never seen Remus so depressed and miserable before.

"I very much doubt that the Obliviate charm would help," Remus answered quietly. "You cannot erase something that a person knows on a subconscious level."

Albus smiled, amused that Remus had thought of the charm. "I wasn't referring to the Obliviate charm; no memory charm would be able to affect your wolf.

"I was referring to a substitution of sorts."

"A substitution?" Remus asked, puzzled and the slightest bit worried. He had thoughts of Albus forcing young Polyjuiced men onto him: each looking exactly like Severus, and yet never, ever being able to live up to his memory. He began to panic.

"Usually a werewolf can survive the death of its mate if it bonds with a close blood-relative of their chosen. Typically, a parental bond to their children allows the wolf to still feel close to its mate," Albus explained.

Remus calmed as the concept of Polyjuiced men was quashed. But he didn't quite understand what Albus was on about. "Severus and I don't have any children," he reminded the Headmaster.

"I never said you did, I said that a bond to one of Severus' blood-relatives may help."

"Severus was an only child. His mother is dead and his father is in Azkaban. Are you telling me he is a dad?"

Albus leant forward and hit Remus on the back of the head. "Have you learnt nothing of Severus over the past few days? I know that he told you that he had only slept with you. How do you think he could have become a father?"

"I don't know," Remus replied, rubbing the back of his head. "You were going on about blood-relatives. What was I supposed to think?! With all that has been going on I feel as though I don't know him anymore."

"Calm down, Remus. Of course you know Severus. Your perception of him was altered in a ghastly manner, now you need to separate the Severus you know from the Severus you saw on Friday night."

"The Severus I knew…" the werewolf murmured.

"The Severus you know," Albus repeated.

"Alas, we have gotten off-track. I was explaining to you that I have found a substitution for your wolf."

"Fine," Remus mumbled. "Who is this substitution? Are you asking me to bond with his father?"

Albus snorted – it wasn't a particularly polite snort for a Headmaster. "Bonding you to that sadist would defeat the purpose of trying to calm the wolf, don't you think?" he asked rhetorically.

"It is a cousin, the child of his mother's cousin," Albus replied. He had chosen not to reveal Severus' actual survival to Remus at this point in time. He wanted to ensure that Remus was not against bonding with a man who carried the Dark Mark for the sake of the Order.

"I would rather not bond with Severus' cousin. I can not bond with anyone but him," Remus answered meekly.

Albus mentally cursed the Dark Lord once more for being the ultimate instigator of the entire mess. "If you do not, you would be better off dead, the itching will only get worse."

"Albus…"

"Trust me, Remus, your wolf will feel calmer. And you will not need to be on intimate terms with your bonded, if you feel that you cannot be.

"I have already lost Severus this week; I cannot lose you as well," Albus added appealing, rather slyly, to the werewolf's conscience.

Remus was quiet as he went over all the possibilities in his head. Severus was dead. The man his wolf had bonded to was dead. Now his wolf was going stir crazy. It wanted its mate: its Severus. Remus knew that if he could not soothe his wolf before the full moon next week, it would tear itself apart without its mate.

Albus had located Severus' mother's cousin's child. Bonding with this person would calm the wolf down. Severus would surely berate him if he died from not bonding with his cousin, Remus could almost see his lover's temper tantrum if you were to let that happen. And then there were the Marauder's; he could not let his friends and the Order down by dying from a lack of bond mate.

Eventually, the werewolf nodded his consent.

Albus let out a sigh of relief when Remus finally agreed to his plan. Now for the tricky bit: telling Remus that 'Severus' cousin' bore the Dark Mark. If Remus accepted him, Mark and all, he would accept Severus. If he refused the bond on learning about the Mark, then they would have to find some way of hiding Severus' forearm from view. A bandage could not be kept on forever.

"There is one more thing before you agree," Albus told his guest. "Severus' cousin is a member of the Order. One who is quite deeply undercover and working to infiltrate Voldemort's Inner Circle.

"I have not requested their presence here as yet, although they know of Severus' death and your predicament, as I wished to discuss the matter with you first."

Remus nodded and waited for Albus to continue. He wondered exactly what the old man was up to. Severus had been undercover in the same manner. He understood the risks.

Albus paused for a moment. "Severus' cousin bears the Dark Mark."

Remus' eyes opened wide.

"It was not their choice. To have refused the Mark would have resulted in their exposure as a spy, or even the mistaken assumption that they wished to challenge Voldemort.

"I assure you that Severus' cousin is on our side in the same capacity, yet slightly deeper, than Severus himself was. They are a spy for the Light, and I swear upon my mother's grave that they are loyal to our cause." Severus' speech that morning, and his obvious disgust at the Dark Lord's activities left no doubt in Albus' mind that Severus was truly against Voldemort.

"Do you have any objection to bonding with Severus' cousin?"

"Your only concern is that they bear the Dark Mark?" Remus asked.

"Yes."

"Then I have no objection. If Severus had lived he may have been asked to accept the Mark. It would be hypercritical of me to refuse his cousin's help for that reason."

Albus' face lit up. This was one moment that he was happy that Severus was wrong. Remus would accept Severus back, complete with the Mark burnt into his arm.

"May I ask a question?"

"Of course you may."

"You refer to Severus' cousin in the form of 'they'. Am I to bond with two of them?"

Albus chuckled. "Of course not. I'm afraid the use of a gender neutral pronoun is a force of habit. I am reluctant to let anyone know even the smallest possible details of my spies. Even the small detail of their gender would be giving too much away."

"I understand," replied Remus, although still slightly puzzled as why Albus would not tell him the gender of his betrothed. "When will I meet his cousin?"

"Tomorrow. I will arrange for them to travel via floo to my office. Wear your Wedding Robes and wait for us in the garden. I will owl you with the details.

"Severus' cousin can only spare us a few days before the weekend, and you will need to bond before the full moon. It is on Monday, is it not?"

"It is. But tomorrow? Is it truly that time critical?" Remus felt that Albus was rushing things a little too much.

"I'm afraid so, my boy. Now I suggest you go and tell your friends that you are getting married."

"Yes, sir," Remus replied, feeling rather bewildered over the entire situation. Why were Albus' eyes twinkling like that? Why did he have that niggling little feeling that he had just been duped?

Albus escorted him to the door. "Good-bye, Remus," he told his former student as he opened the door. "Wait for my owl and I will see you tomorrow."

"Thank you sir, I will. Goodbye."

Albus watched as the werewolf approached the gargoyle guarding his office. "Oh, Remus," he called out.

Remus turned.

"I'll have none of your temper tantrums tomorrow."

Remus turned red. "Yes, sir," he replied as he disappeared down the stairs.

tbc...

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Much Ado About Nothing