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The Long Road	By : SinisterMe Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Remus Views: 63598 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 18
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, no money is being made from it.

Chapter List
- 47
- 48
- 49
Teddy and Draco went first, followed by Remus and then Snape himself. They walked the long path down through the garden and out into the modest orchard. Teddy would run a few steps ahead and then wait for the rest of them to catch up before running ahead again. When they reached the small grove of fruit trees, Severus took long strides to get ahead of Teddy, pulling the shrunken blanket out if his pocket.
“I’m about to use my wand, Teddy,” Severus informed him before even moving to extract it from his pocket.
Teddy nodded and moved back a step.
Snape pulled out his wand and returned the quilt to its normal size. He spread it out on the grass and gestured towards it. Teddy and Draco both sat down, leaving a large portion free for the other two. Severus helped Remus down onto it and then sat down himself.
Teddy didn’t last long before he was up and walking around under the canopy of trees. He went to one not too far away and began to slowly and very cautiously climb it with his dragon.
“It’s lovely out here,” Remus commented, leaning back against his elbows and looking up at the sky through the rustling leaves.
“This might not be the largest or most refined property,” Draco said, “but I always thought it had more charm than most places.”
“Thank you Draco,” Snape said, rolling his eyes.
“What? I meant it!”
Remus let out a huff of laughter.
Draco took a swig of the bottle, passing it to Remus, who did the same.
“What is your son to make of us?” Severus asked. “A bunch of ne’er-do-wells sitting around drinking from the bottle in the middle of the day.”
“We’ll make it up to him,” Remus smiled. “Besides, I don’t think he’s even paying attention to us.”
Teddy did seem rather preoccupied, climbing up some of the larger, stronger branches and talking to his dragon. Snape saw what he was doing and discreetly cast a cushioning charm on the ground under the tree.
“Thanks,” Remus smiled.
Severus’ eyebrows twitched in answer. “It’s peaceful out here,” he stated, drinking from the bottle Remus handed him.
Draco sighed, holding his hand out for the bottle.
“…Or at least it could be if you would just tell me what is going on between you and Lucius, Draco,” Snape said casually, passing the bottle over.
“I-”Draco started. He took the bottle and looked at Remus for a flash second before taking a long swig.
Severus set his hand on Remus’ arm. “You can speak in front of him, Draco. He has my complete trust.”
Draco appeared struck speechless for a moment. Then he nodded once sharply. “Alright,” he accepted.
Remus sat there, awed, as Draco started to speak. One word from Severus and suddenly he was considered worthy of hearing this young man’s greatest troubles.
“You already know that I met someone while I was in France - Gerard. I’d met him last time I was there with father – we’d corresponded ever since – it was why I went back there last year. I have to admit that I wasn’t completely truthful with him about everything…”
“What, exactly, does ‘everything’ encompass?” Severus asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
Draco put his face in his hands, speaking through his palms. “I gave him a false name; left out my dodgy past and all that. I didn’t expect it to get serious, but it did all the same,” he admitted, lifting his head and wincing as if saying it out loud caused him physical pain. “I fell in love with him, and I felt confident that he felt the same, and that he would continue to even once I told him the truth. I was foolish, thoughtless and rash.”
“In other words you told your father,” Snape supplied, not sure if he was going to like the outcome of this story.
“Not only that! I told him I was going to ask Gerard to be my partner. He was almost angrier than I’d ever seen him, at me anyway. He told me that I was nothing more than a waste of over two decades of grooming if I was going to be selfish enough to do that.” Draco took another long drink from the bottle and handed it back to Severus, whose hand was outstretched.
“You mean he had a problem with you being homosexual?” Remus asked, perplexed. From what he’d heard Lucius Malfoy had bedded most anyone he’d wanted while they were in school.
“No, that was fine as long as it was kept under the table. I was still expected to get married, have an heir, all that good Malfoy heritage nonsense, however. The one thing that was made clear when I spoke with my father was that the worst thing I could do for my family was to live my life openly as myself.” Draco’s face pinched as he spoke, ending his thought with a drink so long that made the bottle bubble.
Remus had several things he would have liked to have said in answer to that, but he decided in the end that he would allow Severus the first opportunity to say something. Draco was his godson after all and he’d known him and the circumstances of his life better than Remus did.
“I’m sorry Draco,” Severus started. “Lucius is…”
“Not that any of it matters,” Draco interrupted dismissively, looking at a tree on the far side of the orchard with keen interest. “I recklessly told father of my intentions before I was completely honest with Gerard. I listened to what he had to say and I told him right to his face that he was wrong. I could and would live however I wanted. I told him that I deserved to be happy and left.
“That night, I went to see Gerard. I sat him down and I told him all of it, Severus, even the parts that I was allowed to leave out of my official Ministry testimony. I was honest about it all, even the parts I can’t be completely honest about day after day in the quiet of my own head…” Draco trailed off, his breath shortening slightly, his arms cramping closer and closer to his torso.
“And?” Severus asked gently, already knowing the answer.
“And he spit in my face!” Draco said in a strained voice. “I mean literally, he stood up and spit directly in my face. Said he knew there was something wrong with me from the beginning and he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it the entire time we’d known each other. Most of his family had lived in England during Riddle’s first reign, his uncle was tortured to death by Bellatrix, for Merlin’s sake! How was I supposed to know any of that? It happened before I was even born!”
“Oh Draco,” Severus said. His face showed more emotion than usual, sorrow was clear in his voice.
“He told me that by not telling him in the first place I, at the very least, had raped him mentally and emotionally. He wouldn’t have pissed on me if I was on fire, let alone have shared my bed, his heart, our lives… That what was left inside of me couldn’t satiate even a Dementor, let alone an actual human being… That I should rot for the rest of my life in a Ministry prison, and even after that an eternity of Hell would be more than I deserved. And you know what? I wasn’t even able to argue with him. I just sat there silently with nothing to say in return except that I was sorry, because I ultimately agree with him.”
When it became obvious that Severus was struggling with something and was unable to respond immediately, Remus felt he had to jump in; the young man looked like he was torn between tears or completely destroying something.
He reached over and set his hand on Draco’s arm. “You didn’t deserve that,” he said firmly.
“I lied to him,” Draco hissed, pulling his arm sharply out of Lupin’s reach.
Remus shrugged. “Did you lie about who you are?”
“Yes, I just said that you idiot!”
Severus looked like he was about to interject at Draco’s rudeness, so Remus just barreled onwards. “Not about your name or your family crest,” he said, “but about who you are, in here, for real.” He tapped the open palm of his hand across his chest.
Draco blinked fiercely, shaking his head as if by making a sound all of his grief would pour out of him at once.
Remus reached out and set his hand on Draco’s arm in the exact same manner he had a moment ago. “Then I stand by my statement. I don’t know if you truly lied to this man, so much as you postponed telling him the truth about your past to give yourself a real chance with him. Was that the best decision? Likely not. However, those things you told him that day, you said that you wouldn’t admit them aloud to anyone, hardly even yourself. It sounds to me like in the end you were more honest with him than you are with most people in your life. You opened up and he rejected you in the cruelest possible fashion. Did he have the right to be angry, to walk away? Yes. Could he have chosen to do it like a man since he was so open to handing out judgment about your actions? Yes. You didn’t deserve that, Draco; I’m sorry it happened, that he wasn’t brave enough to stay and see if you could work past it together.”
Draco was now staring at the blanket in front of himself with some intensity but didn’t seem inclined to say anything back. After a moment he muttered, “Excuse me,” and stood up with the bottle, striding away from them at a furious speed.
Severus was looking at him with one of those patently unreadable expressions he was so famous for. “I’m sorry,” Remus said immediately, “I didn’t mean to offend him. Where did I get off saying any of that? I barely know him!”
Snape shrugged. “I don’t think you offended him,” he said pensively to Draco’s retreating form. “He’s just not used to having things summed up so… openly is all. He’ll be back.”
Remus didn’t have much to say to that. He just hoped that Severus was right.
“It’s been years since I’ve seen him so distraught. At least he can stay here while he sorts through it so he doesn’t feel pressured to run back to Lucius.”
“You don’t approve of him getting along with his father?” Remus asked. He didn’t personally know Lucius, but he didn’t seem like a man that would be easy to be close to.
“To a point; unfortunately ‘getting along’ with Lucius usually means making yourself comfortable under his boot heel.”
“Even when you’re his son?”
“Perhaps especially then,” Severus said quietly.
It turned out that Snape had been correct. By the time Teddy had climbed out of the tree and came over to sit by them, Draco could be seen ambling slowly back up the path that led to where they were all sitting.
“Hey kiddo,” Draco said to Teddy, plopping unceremoniously onto the blanket beside them.
“Hey,” Teddy smiled shyly.
Draco was looking at Teddy and to all appearances was ignoring Remus and Severus.
Lupin felt awkward because he thought that this shift in demeanor was due to his monologue from earlier. He just bit his tongue and sat there looking at his knees.
“Did you have fun climbing that tree?” Draco asked.
“I did but dad said not to go too high,” Teddy informed him.
“Your father seems like a pretty smart guy,” Draco said to Teddy while shooting Remus a sidelong look.
Teddy nodded, oblivious of the sub context. “He is,” he agreed happily.

Back at the house, Snape brought a paper out from the top cupboard and set it on the counter.
“Think you can follow a simple set of instructions?” he asked Draco.
“It’s rumored to have happened once or twice before,” Draco replied, “but the witnesses’ accounts were shaky and there was no physical evidence of it.”
Severus sighed. “Well don’t put yourself out. I have a few things to do in the lab and I thought that this might be a good opportunity for the three of you to get to know each other better.”
Draco took the parchment from him. “You want us to make pizza dough?” he asked skeptically.
“I want you to make pizza,” Severus corrected. “Nothing much has changed in here, you should still know where everything is.”
“Pizza,” Draco stated again as if waiting for Snape to catch up and see the absurdity of it also.
“It might be a fun way to lighten the atmosphere of the day a little,” Snape said, sneaking a glance at Teddy and then giving Draco a pointed look.
“Alright then,” Draco said with more enthusiasm. “Pizza it is.”
“Thank you,” Severus said, glad that was all the argument he was going to get. He wanted to put Teddy at ease, the boy had been quiet ever since their discussion about him going away. “I should be back up shortly.”
“What would you like me to do?” Remus asked, feeling like he wouldn’t be much use for anything at all. The sun, liquor and walk had worn him out substantially.
Severus looked him over once before pulling the shrunken armchair out of his pocket and setting it on the floor.
“Wand,” he warned Teddy, bringing it out and returning the chair to its rightful size. “I want you to relax, help if you feel like it but otherwise sit and be good conversation. Make Draco prepare you tea.”
Draco snorted, “On it,” he muttered, setting about fetching the pot from the table to refresh it.
Snape gave Remus a ghost of a smile. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“I’ll be helping make pizza,” Teddy declared. He looked at Draco uncertainly, whispering, “What is pizza?”
“I’ll show you,” Draco smiled handsomely.
That was the last thing Severus heard as the door to the lab swung closed behind him.
Once downstairs he set to work immediately. He went to the closet past the brewing stations, browsing through the top three shelves to make sure he had everything he needed already brewed. Finding everything to be exactly as he knew it would be, he selected three bottles and carried them over to one of the main stations. He dampened a cloth in the sink, wrung it out and proceeded to wipe what felt like a decade of dust off of the glass bottles.
Of these, he would take a dose tonight and again in the morning before breakfast. One would help him remain hydrated, another would increase his endurance and energy levels and the last would loosen his muscles, preventing many injuries from being made worse by having them tensed too badly. He had no delusions, these would only last for about seventy two hours, but he knew they would be better than nothing.
There was one more thing he wanted to do while he was down here. He pulled out three largish sealer jars and set them on the counter. He cast unbreakable Charms on both of them and then reinforced that with a little extra Magic so that the Charm would stick longer. Then he pulled up a stool and took a seat, unscrewing the lid of the jar and saying another incantation. He paused, trying to straighten his thoughts. This would take a little longer than he’d hoped, but there really would be no other time to do it and it wasn’t something he wanted to neglect. There might only be so much he could do to ease Teddy’s anxiety at his absence and the reasons for it, but he figured that this would go quite a bit farther than anything else he could manage on such short notice.
When he was done, he went against his better judgment and made one for Remus out of the third jar. He closed a different lid on this one so that there would be no possibility of getting the jars confused, breathing heavily and feeling foolish. What had seemed like a good idea before now felt more than ridiculous, but he wouldn't turn back now.
When he arose from the lab, a box containing the three vials of potions and the three reclosed sealer jars, Teddy and Draco were already flattening the dough. A small saucepan of sauce steamed happily away on the stove. Remus was still sitting in his chair, steaming cup of tea in his hands as he watched the two boys bustle about the kitchen.
“All finished?” he asked to Snape.
“I am.” Severus set the box down on the table, placing the potions high up in a cupboard where they would be easy to get to in the morning but out of sight for the present. He came back and sat at the table, Summoning a cup and pouring some tea for himself, sipping it almost immediately, not minding the heat one bit.
“We’re almost done too!” Teddy turned and informed them. He was covered in flour and had pizza sauce smeared across his cheek and stuck in the fringes of his hair. Snape couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s back when he turned to redirect his attention to the dough before him.
“I couldn’t find anything proper for sauce, so we’ve improvised one,” Draco told him, stirring it once and tasting the results, nodding absently. “I think it’ll do.”
“We cut up things to put on it,” Teddy told him. “Draco let me grate the cheese and slice the pepperoni!” He pointed to a plate of cut ingredients set off to one side.
“I’m certain that you were more than up to the task,” Snape told him before sipping his tea.
“He did well,” Draco told him. “I could tell he’d been doing some practicing. He’s probably better than I was at his age, those pepperoni pieces are pretty uniform.”
Teddy fidgeted at the praise. “What now?” he asked Draco.
“Now we get to put it all together and bake it in the oven.”
Snape and Remus sat and watched the assembly process with no small amusement. The two of them seemed to get along well at least. Draco instructed and assisted where needed, eventually helping Teddy to cover it with a light sprinkle of cheese and sliding it into the oven. He’d seemed to have caught some of the boy’s excitement and when they closed the oven door and he looked back to them, his face appeared less tight than before and his eyes were shining.
“Now?” Teddy asked Draco, looking up at him from where he was still crouched in front of the oven door.
“Now we wait,” Draco told him.
“I think I’d rather see this newfound Malfoy work ethic for myself,” Severus said, one elegant eyebrow raised.
“Huh?” Teddy asked.
“I think he wants the two of you to do the dishes,” Remus interpreted with a grin.
“Ok! Can I dry?” he asked Draco.
Malfoy rolled his eyes. “Sure can, kid.”

When they were finished cleaning the kitchen, Severus sent them both upstairs to get washed up for supper. Teddy smiled and agreed while Draco complained about being more than old enough to know when his hands were clean. In the end they both left to do as they were told.
“Race you,” Draco said.
“What?” Teddy asked in momentary confusion.
They heard one set of feet running up the first landing of stairs.
“Hey, no fair!” Teddy’s voice was heard just before then the noisy clamor of his feet joined Draco’s.
Remus laughed. “Things I thought I’d never see in my life.”
“That list must be getting fairly long since you came here, hmm?” Snape asked in a teasing manor, hiding his smirk with his teacup.
“Too true,” Remus said with one final chuckle.
Snape ended up taking the pizza out of the oven. It had even had a moment to cool by the time Draco and Teddy came back downstairs. There was little preamble before they cut and devoured it.
Overall, it couldn’t have been a greater success in Snape’s mind. All three of them were smiling and laughing, thoughts drawn for the moment away from tomorrow’s uncertainty. Though not completely absent from the goings on, he was watching, soaking their joy up like a dry sponge eventually becoming sodden when thrown into a sink of water. He took it, drew it deep within himself, stored it safely away in the dark, nebulous reaches of his mind – it would be the place he would hide the parts of himself that he was able, for as long as he was able. At least this time he would have the echo of something pleasant waiting for him there, something that was for him, to make his survival of whatever came next have meaning.
When they were done stuffing themselves, Severus and Remus retired into the other room to digest, leaving Draco and Teddy to finish the washing up for a second time. He pretended to read while listening to them splash and talk in the other room. Remus sat beside him and fell asleep almost immediately. Judging by the splashing and giggling the other two would have to clean up from the cleanup, Severus resettled Remus so his head was leaning at a more reasonable angle against his own shoulder and continued not to read.
When the other two entered the room, Draco stopped and observed them briefly before following Teddy upstairs to look at some of his pictures and show off some of the art supplies he’d brought with him. Severus wondered what was going on behind those blue eyes of his, but doubted he’d ever fully know.
When Remus startled awake just over an hour later, Severus told him he was going to go get Teddy into the tub and ready for bed. Remus headed off into the kitchen for a spot of tea while he went upstairs to see what was keeping them so quiet up there.
He found Teddy’s room vacant, so he checked Draco’s next. He found them sitting beside an open trunk with painting supplies and equipment spread across the floor around them. Draco was explaining different kinds of brush strokes and Teddy was mimicking him with rapt interest. All in all it wasn’t nearly as large of a mess as Snape had been anticipating.
“Sir!” Teddy exclaimed excitedly. “Do you see all of this stuff? Draco is showing me how to mix colours! It’s kind of like potions – you take two colours and mix them together and you get a whole different colour!”
“I do see it,” Snape said not bothering to hide his amusement. “Art can be quite fascinating,” he agreed. “I’m sure Draco can show you further techniques tomorrow – as for now it is time for a bath and then to get ready for bed.”
“Alright,” Teddy agreed without a fight. “Will you help me with it?” he asked openly.
“I was planning on it.”
“Okay,” Teddy approved more happily. He turned to Draco. “Did you want me to help you clean this up, Draco?”
“No thanks, Teddy. You go on ahead, this will take me no time at all,” Draco told him.
“You’re not going to as much as touch it, are you?” Snape asked, helping Teddy to tiptoe through all of the supplies.
“Not even a chance. I’ll just be pulling it all out again tomorrow anyway, right Teddy?”
“Right!”
Severus shook his head. “It’s your room, keep it as you like. Come along, Teddy.”
He ran a tub, keeping Teddy company while he was in there more than anything else. All the same, the boy appeared glad to spend the time with him. They talked about nothing and everything as children Teddy’s age seemed to prefer. Teddy was toweled off and in his night clothes, returning to Snape in the hall with the worn copy of “The Wind in the Willows”.
“I know you missed the last couple of chapters, but would you read me tonight’s?” he asked, no longer afraid to do so.
“I’d love to,” Snape assured him all the same. “It’s a bit early for you to get into bed, should we go read it downstairs?”
“Draco won’t mind?”
“Whatever he is doing, I guarantee he won’t mind one bit. I used to read him stories before bed when he was little too.”
“You did?”
“More nights than I could count. His father even firecalled me more than once while I was teaching at Hogwarts so I could floo over and tuck him in.”
Teddy giggled. “Okay, sounds good.”
They went downstairs to find the living room empty, the sound of chatter floating in from the kitchen. The two of them sat down on the couch and Severus began to read. Teddy snuggled progressively closer to him as the pages flipped. He just enfolded him in an arm and kept reading. Sometime during the first chapter of the night, Remus and Draco drifted in from the kitchen. Lupin sat beside them on the couch while Draco selected an armchair and plunked himself into it sideways. He stayed quiet, drinking the remainder of the bottle from earlier in one unbelievably long gulp, then let his head fall back and his eyes close as he listened to the velvety gait of Snape’s voice traverse the words of the story.
He made it through two chapters before realizing that Teddy had fallen asleep against him. He marked his page and set the book on the table, lifting the boy up and into his arms in one deft movement through which Teddy barely stirred.
“I’ll be right back down,” he told Remus and Draco in a low voice before walking evenly to the stairs.
He laid Teddy carefully in his bed, tucking him in and then sitting beside him. He took one long moment to watch him sleep, brushing the hair from his face, letting the backs of his fingers whisper across his cheek. Any anxiety he was feeling about the next day fled his body. This boy would continue to sleep soundly for the next two weeks and on into the rest of his life. That was worth far more than his old hide was, no matter how you tanned and stretched it.
“Sir?” Teddy asked groggily.
“I’m right here, Teddy.”
“Good, I’thought you were gone,” the child said sleepily.
“Not tonight I’m not. Tonight I’m all yours. Did you have a good day today?”
“Mm’mhmm,” Teddy sounded, his eyes struggling to stay open as his body shifted more comfortably under the blankets. “Today was great, sir.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I want you to have a good sleep tonight, Teddy, but if you need me you know where to find me.”
“Okay sir, thank you.” Teddy seemed to wake up a little more. “What am I going to do while you’re gone?”
Snape made a shushing sound and stroked the boy’s hair again though this time it was all in place. “You are going to be just fine while I am gone. You are going to paint with Draco and bake with Fred, spend time with your father doing anything and everything. You’ll be so busy you’ll hardly know I’m somewhere else,” he assured him. “I love you Teddy, and I’ll always come back for you.”
That appeared to placate the child. “I love you too, sir. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“I wouldn’t leave without it,” Snape told him. “Goodnight, Teddy.”

He paused on the stairs, only briefly this time, to hear what was being said in the living room.
“…And so my parents would bring me to all of these social functions that were designed to go on until all hours of the night. Eventually, I’d tire out and get whiny and they’d want to send me back home with one of the elves, and of course I’d hate that even more. If Severus was there, he’d just scoop me up and smirk at my father’s disapproval. Once Lucius asked him how he was supposed to network and meet potential allies if he had a disheveled child on his hip. And how did he put it?”
Severs went down a couple of steps, making sure to hit the squeaky stair so they would hear him coming. “Something along the lines of, ‘we both know that on my own I have little to offer in the way of charisma or charm… I rather think this young gentleman here greatly improves my chances.’” Snape quipped as he sat next to Remus on the sofa.
Draco laughed outright. “You should have seen the look he wore as Snape held me up and put the most ridiculous grin I’ve ever seen on his face!”
“Once you were off your feet you were usually fine, but you were too young to stand around all night at those things anyway. Your father brought you to be a prop but in my opinion failed to correctly utilize you as one.”
“You mean play the family card? I don’t think his deck came with one of those that didn’t have the family crest on it.”
“There’s where you’re wrong Draco. He may not have had any idea how to play it at all properly, but he had the card. One of the true things I know about your father is that with his heart he loves you unconditionally, but his fat head gets in the way of it more often than not.”
Draco laughed at that. “You might be right, I’m not sure.”
“Trust me, I was as close as anyone to your father for many years – it was one of the few things I never doubted about him. He’ll come around, Draco.”
“Not that it matters, there’s nothing for him to come around to. It’s over.”
“Between you and this particular nitwit, yes, but there will be someone else, you can trust me on that too. You’re young, intelligent, handsome and rich – hell, apparently you’re willing to work once in a while too, though that’s yet to be seen. Someone out there should be so lucky to have you turn your attentions to them. You come from a war torn generation, many people have to live with the things they’ve done just as you do, and from both sides, too. Don’t give up hope just yet, my sparrow.”
Draco laughed and for a moment Snape wasn’t sure if he was going to cry again. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Yeah, you’re probably right – I’m told you usually are. All the travelling I’ve done in the last day coupled with that bottle might have done me in; I think I’m going to retire. If my sorry arse isn’t up by the time you’re all moving, come and get me.”
Draco stood and sent over to Snape, who stood as well, hugging the slightly shorter man. Draco returned the embrace and then pulled back. “Goodnight, Remus,” he said and waited only long enough to hear Lupin’s reply before going up the stairs.
“Oh my,” Remus said sadly.
“He’ll be alright,” Snape said. “Resilient as they come, that child is.”
“Sparrow?”
Snape smirked and sat down. “I used to call him that to drive him mad. Someone told him his name means Dragon in Latin and he got a bit full of himself, I’ve been getting under his skin with that ever since. Or more like until he was thirteen and too suave to care what I called him, but it hasn’t deterred me yet.”
“He’s lucky to have you,” Remus said with a fond smile.
“I’m lucky to have him,” Severus quipped. “I like to think that we’ve had a mutually beneficial relationship.”
“Is that what you’re going to call it?” Remus asked, entertained.
“Calling it something else doesn’t change its parameters.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Remus agreed, thinking that Draco would likely have a similar response if he spoke with him about the matter, and that maybe that just reinforced his point even more. “Should we head upstairs?”
“Likely for the best; I’m going to have one of those medicated baths before turning in, try and limber myself up as much as possible.”
Remus nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Upstairs, he sat in a chair by the dead fireplace and watched Severus bustle about the room. He realized that his master was cleaning up after himself, stacking books neatly away, re-rolling and tying loose parchments and moving them to a shelf. He was preparing the room for his absence. Remus felt his stomach clench, wishing there was something so tangible he could do to prepare himself for the same eventuality.
“I’d invite you along, but some of the potions I’m putting in there definitely are not Lycanthrope safe,” Severus informed him. “There would be skin irritation at best, possible all out allergic reactions at worst, so as much as I would enjoy your company, I think it’s best if you sit this one out.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Remus said.
“I’ll assist you with one in the morning and Fred can help you while I am away,” Snape said. He hadn’t thought about that practicality and felt suddenly guilty for not engineering something that would help Remus with such difficulties while he was gone.
“I was thinking I might just move one of the kitchen chairs into the wash room in the main hall. That way I can just sit on it in the shower and not worry about slipping to my certain doom. I should be able to manage all of that with the help of the cane.”
“Fred will be able to assist you,” Snape repeated. “Or get Ackerley to help, Merlin knows he’s being paid enough to do ten different jobs already.”
“I don’t think we’re going to stay with your solicitor,” Remus told him.
“You’d rather stay here with Draco?” Snape asked. He hadn’t imagined that would happen.
Remus sighed. “You trust him and I trust you, so yes. It will be more affordable, keep Teddy from having to move and deal with new people and surroundings and I’m not entirely sure it would be healthy for Draco to stay here by himself.”
“He’ll be busy trying to collect old houses to support the freeing of the lycanthropes. I doubt he’ll have much time for self-pity.”
“We’ll stay,” Remus said more resolutely. He didn’t think it was the best idea to leave Draco to his own devices, no matter what he was doing. He hoped that he was making the correct decision, but after everything he’d witnessed and experienced since his arrival here, he seriously doubted that Severus would leave them with anyone who would do less than their best by them.
“Alright,” Severus acquiesced. “I’ll arrange for Ackerley to stop by every few days to see how you’re managing; at any point feel free to change your mind and to go with him. How does that sound?”
“More than perfect,” Remus said. “Go have your bath.”
“Yes, sir,” Severus said sarcastically and turned heel to head for the other room.

An hour later when he emerged wreathed in steam, he found Remus sitting by a small fire reading his book. The cover was immediately closed and the tome set off to the side as the werewolf gave him his full attention.
“Good?” he asked.
“Divine,” Snape answered. He felt like overstretched elastic. In nothing but his underpants he went over and collapsed on the bed face first, not even bothering to get under any of the blankets. The room was warm enough, surely he could sleep just like this?
He heard sounds from behind him, barely noting the dimming of the lights. The bed dipped as Remus climbed into it, and then more as he moved closer and closer to him. Snape jerked in surprise as he felt Remus suddenly straddling his bottom and then just as promptly relaxed as he felt him sit back on his heels. He knew that there was nothing to fear from Remus and was melted enough to let him do as he wished.
“Are you comfortable?” the lycanthrope’s voice was heard above him.
He made an incoherent sound of ascent.
There was a wiggle of movement before cool, slippery hands slid tentatively down his shoulder blades, parallel to his spine, down to where the curve of his arse began. Those same nimble hands repeated the motion more firmly and then began to work their way into his neck and on down his shoulders. Fingertips pressed and caressed him, digging into places he barely thought of, finding knots he hadn’t even known he was carrying around. He sighed in appreciation and tried valiantly not to fall asleep. Remus found a tender place in his lower back and he groaned.
“Too hard?” Remus asked, easing up instantly.
“Not at all, you’re quite good at this.”
“I’ve had some practice,” Remus alluded, increasing the pressure again.
“If I’d know I’d had such a talented masseuse in my employment, I would have been taking advantage of it long before now,” Snape said snootily.
Remus recognized the jest for what it was. “I’m definitely not a masseuse, but I guess in the last half of my life I’ve been a lot of things to a lot of people.” He was working his way back up Snape’s back when he felt him tense up more rigidly than before he’d even began. “What’s wrong?”
There were many things on the tip of Snape’s tongue ready to be spit out in answer to that question. Instead he said without anger, “You do not need to be anyone but yourself when you’re with me. I do not require acts of service from you or desire for you to do or say anything but what comes naturally to you.”
Remus felt his mouth go dry. “I am always myself with you, to the best of my abilities anyway. I’m sorry if I implied otherwise,” he said softly, moving in to press his lips to Severus’ neck. He felt Snape relax underneath him again. “Besides, you seem to like me too much for me to cheat you of the actual article,” he joked, knowing he could get away with it.
“Good,” Snape said, his arm muffling the word while it was cradling his head.
Remus re-oiled his hands and went in for another round, taking up where he had left off, wringing as much tension as possible from his master’s body. After maybe another ten minutes or so, he heard those appreciative sighs turn into soft snores. He carefully rolled off of his master and debated about ways to get him properly into bed so that he didn’t sleep in such a strange position and undo all of his work. Not that he considered it work, being able to freely touch Severus and revel in the feel and sight of his body.
He was just deciding to try to use his wand (likely to no end but futility), when there came a tapping at the window. He wondered who was crazy enough to be sending mail at such an hour, but all the same he stood with the help of his cane and went to the window undoing the fastening and opening it so the bird could come in.
The plain looking owl came in and without preamble offered his leg to Remus, who untied the letter and patted the bird on the head. The owl was off again without even bothering to beg for treats.
He saw the ministry seal on the parchment and debated for all of thirty seconds before cracking it and perusing the letter. It was a simple missive telling Snape to bring his solicitor, his wand, the clothes on his back and nothing else to WIBNA’s headquarters at one pm sharply.
Remus felt a wave of nausea, quashing it the best he was able. He closed the window and set the opened parchment on the small table. He hoped Severus wasn’t irritated that he’d read it.
He went back to the bed, pulled his wand and tried to use his magic to move Snape the short distance to the head of the bed where he’d be more comfortable. Nothing happened except that the blankets rustled and tried to move forward. He set his wand aside and gently shook Snape. The man woke just enough to get into his place in the bed and get under the blankets.
Remus climbed in beside him; even in sleep, Severus curled around him. An arm went around his waist and pulled him nearer. Snape’s even breath gusted across the back of his neck. Out of nowhere, things seemed to catch up to him and reality set in. All of this was going to happen and there was nothing he or Harry or Draco could do to stop it. Emotions boiled within him and he found hot tears pouring from his eyes before he even realized he was crying. He tried to be silent and still so as not to disturb Snape, who likely needed this night’s sleep more desperately than he would ever let on.
Severus did little more than stir at first. He woke slightly, lifting his hand to wipe the tears from Remus’ cheek before returning it to where it was and giving a little squeeze.
“It’s going to be alright,” his tired voice slurred to Lupin.
Remus nodded mutely and took a deep breath. He felt Snape drift off again. At some point he must have followed him, because morning came all too soon.

When he awoke the next morning, Snape was just coming out of the wash room. This time he was fully dressed and it took Remus a moment to put his finger on exactly what was different.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear something like that before,” he observed, sitting up in bed and stretching.
The outfit was loose at the neck, wrists and ankles. The only visible closures were ties, but the buckles appeared mostly for show. The lacking set of exterior robes was glaringly obvious as well.
Snape shrugged. “I didn’t think it would do to give Lanning the satisfaction of breaking open my outer shell.”
Remus didn’t reply.
“I wish they’d tell me when I’m to bloody be there,” Snape muttered.
Lupin froze and then fluttered to action, taking hold of his cane and walking to the table he’d left the letter on. “They did,” he admitted sheepishly, “Last night. You were sleeping and I didn’t wish to wake you.”
Snape nodded. “I think I appreciate that. What time?”
“One this afternoon.”
“At least they gave me some time. I’m going to go see if Teddy and Draco are moving about yet. How about you get ready and meet me in the kitchen?”
“Sure,” Remus agreed, setting the letter back down and trying to summon some inner strength. He wasn’t in the least bit ready for today and wondered how Severus appeared so calm and composed as he strode surely from the room.

Snape found Teddy’s bed made and his room empty. He’d likely be in the kitchen keeping busy or helping Fred. That left Draco. He knocked lightly on the boy’s door. No answer. He tried again more loudly. He heard something inside the room fall over and then a muffled curse. He opened the door and found Draco with a pillow over his head and that a stack of books beside the bed had been knocked over.
“Good morning,” he called loudly into the room.
Draco made a sound of protest from under the blankets.
“Get your arse up and moving,” Snape told him. “I'm only going to wake you once, next time I’m sending Toddy to come and jump on your bed.”
“You wouldn’t,” Draco said in a voice that didn’t sound one hundred per cent awake yet.
“We’ll just have to see, won’t we? Breakfast will likely be ready in short order. If you want to jump in the shower before going to this farce at the Ministry, I suggest getting moving.”
That seemed to catch Draco’s attention. “Right,” He said more assertively. The lump of blankets on the bed stirred and Draco’s torso popped out of it as he sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes.
“We’ll meet you downstairs when you’re done,” Snape told him, turning heel and walking down the hall, letting Draco’s door swing mostly shut.
In the kitchen, Teddy was sitting at the table with his dragon and chattering away to Fred. His face broke into a sunny smile when Snape rounded the corner. “Sir!” he called happily.
“Good morning, Teddy.” Severus took a seat at the table and Fred brought him a steaming cup of coffee. Teddy pulled his chair closer to his.
“Fred told me you were still here,” Teddy informed him.
“Well then he informed you correctly. I told you that I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
Teddy shrugged and said sheepishly, “I know.”
Fred served them breakfast, and then Remus when he appeared in the doorway soon after. Severus had already eaten all his nerves would allow, taken his potions for an additional time and was working his way through a second cup of coffee when there came the sound of a knock on the front door and then the echo of footfalls through the dining and then living rooms.
“Hello?” came Harry’s voice as he stuck his head around the corner.
Remus and Teddy both greeted him cheerfully.
Snape grumbled, “What did you want, Potter?”
Harry stepped fully into the room. He was dressed in his Auror’s robes and his hair almost appeared to be under control for once.
“I’m here as your escort,” Harry told him with a cheeky grin.
“I don’t believe that I ordered one of those. Do I get the full package, so to speak; handcuffs, buttless chaps and all that? My, my, I’m certainly flattered.”
Harry’s face turned the colour of an over ripe tomato. “I’m here as your Auror escort, you know, from the Ministry?”
“I told them that I’d go willingly, there’s no need to put a wand at my back,” Severus said bitterly.
“It isn’t like that,” Harry said indignantly. “I’m coming to give a show of support. I told my superior about the statement I’d made to the press at your behest and that I put my full support behind ending this farce. She told me that while for obvious reasons she could not overtly endorse my motives for being there, but she would allow me to be present as long as I kept her out of it and the interests of the Department in the forefront of my mind.”
“I don’t need your ‘support’, Potter,” Severus snarled, setting his coffee down on the table possibly harder than necessary.
“Before you’re so quick to cast me aside, I’d like you to know that I thought about this for quite some time before deciding to do it,” Harry said.
“To say you have the attention span of a goldfish would be to insult goldfish everywhere,” Severus said with a roll of his eyes.
Harry continued as if he’d never spoken. “Our animosity is well known; if people see me publicly standing beside you in full Auror garb, it sends two messages: that both myself and at least part of the MLE is standing with you. Couple that with the now ‘historic’ fact of you and my father being so at odds and your well known history with my mother… I think it would send a pretty strong message to the public, is all.”
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. “Potter,” he said reluctantly, about to tell him to piss right off. If only he could think of something so cutting that he didn’t need to repeat himself.
“I think you should listen to him, Severus,” Draco’s voice was heard from the doorway dividing the kitchen and living room. “He sounds like he’s making sense from this side of the room, at least.”
Severus turned towards the voice, finding Draco standing in the doorway much as he had been the night before. His hair was damp and tousled, his long sleeved cream shirt was unbuttoned and trousers slung low over his waist.
“Malfoy?” Harry asked, agog. He appeared to have to collect his chin from the tabletop before asking, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to be the person to unite the old houses in the politically correct mission of freeing the werewolves, of course,” he said arrogantly. Some of the dramatic effect was lost by him pausing to button his shirt, however.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Harry said flatly.
“Yep, this is all an elaborate prank set up just for you, Potter,” Draco said, strolling casually into the kitchen and grabbing a buttered slice of toast from the counter, which he leaned against like he hadn’t a care in the world as he noisily took a bite. “The streamers and confetti will be bursting from the ceiling at any second.”
“You two know each other?” Teddy asked, looking up from his book with curiosity.
“They went to school together,” Remus explained. It seemed the simplest answer.
“You went to school together? Were you friends?” Teddy continued excitedly.
Neither Draco nor Harry appeared interested in telling Teddy that they’d been mortal enemies. Or what passed for mortal enemies for fourteen year olds.
“No, they were idiots, just like your father and I were when we were their age. I’m positive they they’re going to get along just fine now though,” Snape said with a steel in his eye that brooked no arguments.
“Right,” Harry said firmly as if he were trying to convince himself to agree with that statement. “You’re sure you’re the, erm, right person for the job?” He asked, attempting to be more diplomatic.
“Absolutely not,” Draco said candidly, “but Severus and Remus are, and it seemed fruitless to argue with them separately, much less as a united front.”
Harry looked to Remus silently for his agreement.
Remus smiled and nodded, keeping his posture and body language as open as he was able.
“Okay,” Harry agreed slowly. His eyes darted to Teddy, likely figuring out how to say what he wanted without disturbing things. “Would you be willing to speak with me about all of this privately? I wouldn’t want to be out of the loop on this one, so to speak.”
Draco frowned, but it lasted only a split second. “Of course, Potter; the more minds the merrier. I agree that conversation in private would likely be the best as well,” his eyes also flickered to Teddy but also lingered momentarily on Severus just after he spoke.
“Hermione would also like to be involved, but for reasons best discussed at another time, she wants to keep her name completely out of it,” Harry offered, seeming more reluctant to say this than he was to agree to work with Draco.
Severus waited a moment while the room waited in silence. “Teddy,” he began.
“Go colour upstairs?” the boy asked helpfully.
“For just a moment,” Severus agreed.
“You’ll come see me before you go?” the boy checked again.
“There are a few hours before I must depart. You and I will read one more chapter of The Wind in the Willows before I go, how does that sound?” If he was to be late for his own funeral, who would mind?
“Perfect, sir,” Teddy smiled genuinely. He stood and tucked his dragon under his arm, the book he’d been leafing through held securely in his hand. “See you later,” he said as cheerfully to Harry, Draco and Remus before turning from the room. He could be heard clumping his way up the stairs while all of the adults in the room seemed to hold their breath.
“What is this about Miss Granger?” Severus asked as soon as the sound of Teddy’s door was heard loudly swinging shut upstairs. “I got the impression earlier that it would be… disadvantageous for her to get involved in this, but the reasons why remain unclear to me at this moment.” This wasn’t completely true; it had been obvious to him that she possessed something she didn’t want the Ministry to take away – that coupled with her eagerness and enthusiasm for his lycanthrope safe potions instructions led him to believe she was tangled up in this enslavement mess in some way that remained precarious to her in some way.
“This stays between us,” Harry said, eyes locked on Draco as he spoke.
“I’ve been keeping secrets my entire life, Potter. One more isn’t about to overload me.”
“Yes, well… I’ll still fry you in oil if you let any of this slip to anyone,” Harry threatened.
Draco rolled his eyes. “Don’t forget to salt and pepper me first. Granger has nothing to fear from me - the likelihood of me even caring about this enough to repeat it to anyone is so small you wouldn’t even believe it.”
Harry damn near growled and opened his mouth to retort before Snape interrupted. “Enough! Either spit it out or don’t but some of us are on limited time here,” he pointed out with irritation.
Harry took a deep breath. “She already tried to start a movement against WIBNA, years ago when they were just lobbying for support from within the Ministry. It didn’t get far off the ground before she was threatened in a very personal and very frightening way.”
“What did they do?” Severus glowered.
“They threatened to take away her daughter,” Harry said, face souring.
“Hermione has a daughter?” Remus asked, perking up.
“Some would say so,” Harry said darkly. “Her and Charlie adopted her about eight months before WIBNA’s slavery laws came into effect. Because of what she and Bill’s family did and sacrificed during the war, they gave her a special grant to… keep her. When the laws came into effect, she was allowed to obtain mastery over her child and therefore to keep her in their custody.”
“They allowed her to enslave her own daughter?” Remus asked, horrified in ways none of the others present could totally understand.
“Yes, and when what she was trying to do got out, they threatened to ‘permanently terminate her right to own’.”
“Effectively putting her daughter up for the next open auction, to be held in the pens until that time,” Severus filled in for everyone sourly. It sounded like the type of game these people would play.
“Exactly,” Harry said. “Now that the fight has someone else’s face, she wants to be involved behind the scenes – advising and gathering data – that sort of thing. We all know she’d be bloody excellent at it.”
“Absolutely not,” and “No way,” came from Severus and Draco at the same time respectively.
“Why not?” Harry asked, clearly frustrated.
“It’s too dangerous,” Draco said instantly.
“I didn’t know you cared, Malfoy,” Harry attempted to sneer.
“Anyone with that obvious and that exploitable of a weakness cannot be privy to any of our plans or information, Potter. The reasons why should be obvious even to you.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Severus said.
“She’s a smart girl, she knows the risks,” Remus said suddenly and surprisingly.
“Surely you can’t agree to this,” Severus said.
“If it were my son, I would want to fight for his freedom,” Remus said, “whatever the dangers.”
“She said that you might say all of this,” Harry admitted to Snape. “She told me to give you this and tell you to look at it carefully. If it means anything to you, she said you’d have to let her help. It’s a picture of her daughter on the day she adopted her. I don’t know why she thinks it would be relevant, but she does. She said that WIBNA has expressed interest in Elizabeth and she's afraid that if they aren’t stopped they’ll remove her from their home regardless of her actions. Something about them trying to get information about what happened to her before she was brought to the adoption agency…” Harry pulled a photo from his pocket and handed it to Severus.
Snape took the paper and looked at it closely. He froze, picture in hand and the look of a man who had just seen a ghost on his face.
“This is her daughter?” Severus asked, his voice strained.
“You know her?” Harry asked, shocked. “’Mione had one of those looks on her face when she told me to give you this picture that led me to believe that somehow you just might.”
Severus’ fingers touched the picture gingerly, as one afraid that it would vanish under his fingertips. He didn’t think he would be able to speak – his heart and lungs and brain were constricted as if in the tight coils of Nagini herself.
“’Beth?” he asked, as if to himself. “This is her daughter?” he repeated.
“Yes, why is it such a big deal?” Harry asked.
Remus and Draco were looking to Snape, taking their next cues from him.
“I knew this girl years ago,” Severus said, appearing momentarily to be in a distant place himself. “I…” he collected himself and looked up at Harry in outrage. “You couldn’t have possibly come to me with this any sooner?”
“What?” Harry asked. “She just told me about this last night! I don’t know what this is all about, but she’s been calling in favors from people I’m pretty sure I don’t even know. I’m positive that she found something out, but she isn’t saying mum to me, I’m just the delivery boy.”
“Severus?” Remus asked. Snape had appeared more disturbed by the photo of the girl than he did by having to sin his freedom over to a lunatic in a few hours, and it left him more than a little curious.
“Suffice it to say that Beth and I have history together. To say more than that at this point is… well it isn’t advisable with the time constraints I am facing today. It sounds like Granger is already involved whether we like it or not and to refuse her help at this point would be both daft of us and perilous for her.”
“What are you saying?” Draco asked, a neutral expression on his face. “I think we should all be informed of everything before we go into this, Severus.”
“I’m saying that she is an invaluable asset and if she knows what is at risk and still wishes to help, we would be stupid to turn her away. Also, that if we turn her away, she will likely continue onward by herself and with no assistance or resources outside of what she already has at her disposal and that that could be very dangerous. In a fight like this, people need allies,” he said, avoiding most of Draco’s last comment.
“You want us to work with her?” Draco asked.
“Is that going to be a problem for you, Malfoy?” Harry asked sarcastically.
Draco shrugged. “Shouldn’t be,” he said easily. “I’ll likely not have much in the way of contact with her anyway.”
“You’re already refusing to work with her?” Harry asked, incredulous.
Malfoy made a face. “No, but don’t you think it would look a little odd to anyone paying attention if Granger and I just started meeting for tea? If she started coming over here on a regular basis? Or how about if I started showing up to her house? The only one of us that has any plausible excuse for seeing her is you, Potter.”
“What are you saying, Malfoy?”
“Get used to being the delivery boy, because you’re the link between us and her if you truly want to keep her out of the spotlight.”
“Are the two of you done yet?” Severus snapped. He’d found their showboating aggravating when they were in school and it hadn’t grown on him since.
Draco and Harry remained silent.
“Good. Granger and her daughter are to be kept out of this by any means necessary. If I return to find out it has been otherwise I will hold the two of you responsible and you will find yourselves more than sorry. Not that it will matter one iota because in the end the ultimate penalty will be paid by Granger, Weasley and Beth, as WIBNA will likely have removed the child from their home permanently.”
“We’ll be careful,” Draco assured him, “nobody wants that.”
“Damn right nobody wants that,” Harry said more emphatically.
“Then I think it best that Potter here ferries any information or communication back and forth between us and her. I wouldn’t suggest that she do much more than research for the time being, but I believe she has the potential to aid you with gathering the support of the houses, Draco, she’s nothing if not clever.”
“I’ll take all of the help I can get,” Draco muttered.
“Glad to hear it,” Snape said. “Now, if there are no more startling revelations, there’s a boy upstairs waiting to hear another chapter of his novel. I trust you can stay out of trouble until it is time to depart?” He stood without waiting for a reply. “Remus?”
“I’ll come along,” Remus said. “You boys will be alright?”
“Everyone seems to think we’re going to wreck the place the moment they’re out of sight,” Draco pointed out shaking his head.
“I’ve already had to put this room back together once, I’ll not be impressed if I have to do it again,” Severus told him.
“Again?” Draco questioned.
“Ask Potter about it sometime,” Severus told him, turning and walking from the room. Remus stood and followed chuckling softly to himself.
Severus stopped silently at the top of the stairs, directing Remus into their bedroom and quietly closing the door.
“Everything okay?” Remus asked, knowing that it wasn’t and that he’d just voiced a very stupid question.
“As much as it can be,” Severus said, turning to face him straight on. “I just wanted a moment to speak with you privately before I go, this seemed like the opportune time.”
Remus nodded as if he knew what Snape was talking about.
“Remus, while I am gone there are some things I need you to do for me,” he started, moving a step closer to him.
Lupin nodded again, feeling like the resident idiot.
Severus had no idea how to have this conversation, so he just dove right into it. “Firstly and most importantly, I need to know that you are taking care of yourself while I am away. I don’t want you to be hard on yourself for what is happening, to spend the entire time mired in guilt and obligation. I want you to be good to yourself, and although it is not an order, I wish for you to make the most of this time.”
“Make the most of it? Severus, you can’t be serious.”
“I am. Get to know your son again, putt around the garden, strengthen yourself, pleasure yourself, do whatever you feel like doing. Do nothing! I don’t care, just do your best to be happy. You will have some much needed time alone, to be and to find yourself without my hovering. I’m just saying that you have my blessing and encouragement to enjoy yourself; to be kind and forgiving to yourself. Get comfortable here and in your own skin, on your own terms. Be generous with yourself. Treat this house as if it belonged completely and only to you and treat yourself…” Severus finally stumbled over his words, though he thought he’d done shockingly well up to that point.
Remus took another step forward and filled in, “Treat myself like you would treat me?”
“Yes,” Severus answered emphatically, “and better.”
“I’ll do my best, but I’m not sure I know what better looks like,” Remus told him, leaning in and touching their lips together softly.
Severus put his arms around him and fell completely into the kiss. He felt Remus’ weight in his arms as the other man’s hands went up to his neck and shoulder, forgoing their grip on the cane. He soaked this in too, the warmth, the feeling of Remus’ body so close to his own. There was little time for more, so he reluctantly pulled back, holding Lupin’s weight against himself until his hand found the handle of the cane again.
Remus hummed in delight, slightly out of breath and more than a little aroused. He steadied himself with the cane and smiled. “Secondly?” he prompted.
The lovely moment had come to an end. “Elizabeth,” Severus said as if that explained it all.
“How do you know her, Severus?” Remus asked seriously, though he was sure he already knew the answer.
“She’s one of Greyback’s,” he said, “or I should say that she’s one of mine? She’s one of the children I got out of there, anyway, of that there’s no doubt.”
Remus’ eyebrows rose although that was exactly what he’d expected to hear. “Why does WIBNA want her?”
“What I was doing during those months was a top secret among the ranks of the Death Eaters. Once the Ministry found out what was going on there, they felt it was best kept that way. Information about it isn’t openly found in any file, and what is out there isn’t available to anyone without the proper rank. I think that WIBNA wants to know what we were ’trying’ to do there, and they feel that the children are the only way to do that since the Ministry isn’t talking. With the number of lycanthropes they have in holding, it could be devastating if they somehow managed it.”
“You think they… want to achieve what Riddle wanted you to? To find a way of keeping us transformed so they can what, form an army of us? Overthrow the Ministry?” Remus asked in horror.
“It’s what Riddle wanted,” Snape answered simply.
“Merlin. Are you going to tell Draco and Harry?”
“I don’t think there is time to go into it in the depth it requires at this moment,” Severus told him. “Secondly…”
“You want me to tell them?” Remus asked, a small smile on his face.
“Just enough so that they understand what we might be dealing with here, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Remus said.
“Thank you. It is either I go and discuss it with them at length now, or I go and read your son more Wind in the Willows.”
“Well then by all means, let’s go see him.”

Severus reluctantly closed the hard cover book and set it on the bedside table.
“Is it time, do you have to go now?” Teddy asked plaintively.
“Very soon,” Severus said. All three of them were sitting sideways on Teddy’s bed with the boy in the middle, the older men’s feet hanging off the edge.
“Okay,” the boy said despondently.
Severus curled his arm around Teddy’s shoulders. “You and your father will be just fine,” he assured him again. “Remember to have fun while I’m gone, and that your father and Fred and Draco are all here for you.”
“I’ll remember, sir,” Teddy sniffled.
“I love you and I will always come back for you, Teddy.”
Teddy nodded and turned to wrap his arms around Snape’s middle. Severus leaned his head down onto the boy’s and tightened the arm around his shoulders. They sat like that a moment before Snape turned his head to look at Remus, who had a bit of a lost look on his face. Snape lifted the arm from Teddy’s shoulders and held it open to Lupin, who immediately leaned in and entangled himself in the awkward embrace.
They eventually leaned back against the wall again, both Severus’ and Remus arms slung over the child’s shoulders, one of his small hands holding each of their own as he snuggled between them. This was how Draco found them moments later.
“Severus, Potter says it’s almost time; are you ready?”
Finally he appeared in the doorway. He seemed to turn to stone when he saw them, save for his eyes which immediately found the floor. Remus recognized the look as one almost identical to an expression Severus wore often, when he was watching himself and Teddy together. He was suddenly glad he had chosen to stay here; perhaps he could find himself useful after all.
“We’ll be right down,” Severus told him.
Draco nodded sharply, turned on heel and was down the hallway in a flash.
Snape separated himself from the other two, standing and doing a bit of wandless magic that Summoned two jars straight into his open hands. He set them on the nightstand beside the book but apart from the jar that was designed to be the nightlight.
“What are those, sir?” Teddy asked, sliding to the edge of the bed and peering into the glass of the jars.
“Those are for you. If you are feeling sad or lonely or frightened I want you to open one of them. They will work a few times each before the magic fades. I hope that they will make you feel better and will keep me close to you until I come back.”
“What do they do, sir?” Teddy asked in wonder, looking more closely into the jars as if he could see what was contained in them.
“You’ll see when the time comes,” Severus smiled, ruffling Teddy’s hair. “Let’s go find Fred, he’ll stay with you while we go off to the Ministry. Draco and your father will be returning as soon as we are done, so don’t fret.”
“Okay sir, I’ll try,” Teddy promised.

Downstairs he found Harry and Draco sitting over a table covered in parchments, ink pots and unsealed envelopes.
“The two of you are…?” Severus asked.
“We thought it best to get started,” Draco informed him, scratching his quill across his page and not looking up until its movements had stilled.
“So we’re contacting some of the families already,” Harry finished the explanation. “Draco’s signing them, I’m just helping him individualize each letter and getting them into properly addressed envelopes. Although I can’t say I ever thought I’d be stamping anything with the Malfoy seal.” He looked down in disbelief at his hands, which were holding a stamp with the Malfoy insignia and a stick of dark green wax.
“Best put out that candle, you’re running behind anyway with all of this chit-chat,” Draco told him, setting down his quill and waiting for his ink to dry before folding his parchment and placing it in an envelope.
Harry licked his index finger, butting out the candle flame between it and his thumb while giving Malfoy an unimpressed look.
Severus rolled his eyes and called for Fred, who appeared instantly at his side.
“It is time for sir to be going?” Fred asked.
“Yes it is. Have some fun with Teddy until Remus and Draco return.”
“Should Fred be letting Harry Potter be returning with them, sir?” Fred asked, shooting Harry a dirty look while Draco snickered.
“I suppose,” Snape sighed. “Take care of Teddy and Remus while I am away; Draco as well if he will let you.”
“If sir will be taking care of himself while he is away it is not being a problem. Sir isn’t to be going and making this worse with his smart mouth,” Fred instructed.
“Don’t worry, it hasn’t been so long since I’ve licked someone’s boots that I’ve forgotten the taste of muddy leather,” Snape assured him ominously.
Oddly Fred seemed settled by this statement. “Come on little one, we is going to the pond this afternoon.”
‘Okay,” Teddy said suddenly, darting in and giving Snape one last hug. “Take care, sir. I’ll miss you and I love you!” he said in the open way children often have.
Snape loosened the boy’s hold and slowly knelt to return the hug properly. “I will, don’t you worry. I love you too. Now run along with Fred. I’ll be back before you know it.” In what condition, he wasn’t able to say.
The two of them ambled out the back door leaving the kitchen wreathed in silence as Severus returned to his feet. “Well, what are we all waiting for?” he snapped and turned to the front door.

A/N: Thanks for your patience! Here’s another one for you, I hope you continue to enjoy this stupidly long story. Draco definitely likes to hijack every scene he’s in, or so it seems. It’s my first time writing him, so I hope he stays in character and is to your liking. Let me know if you’re still out there, your thoughts and comments keep me going! More to come as soon as I’m able.
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The Long Road