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You Will Not Kiss Me	By : Prosperosdaughter Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Snape/Remus Views: 22836 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: JK Rowling & her associates own the Harry Potter universe and I make no money from my stories.

Chapter List
- 63
- 64
- 65
Direct quotes in bold from Chapter 24 & 25 of OotP are © J.K. Rowling

Chapter 64: Gathering Strength

As quickly as Snape could, he hurriedly said he loved him, and promised he would stay safe and then said good-bye to the helpless and stricken man in the mirror, who had just felt the blood brand burn for the first time through the Wolf's Kiss. Snape deeply resented such Dark pollution of that connection they used for their love-making; resented how the Dark Lord tainted everything that Snape held dear.

Snape was alarmed to have been called yet again in term time and on the very evening he had given Potter his first Occlumency lesson. The Dark Lord must be so very keen to have access to Harry Potter's mind, he would brook no delaying tactics. Snape needed to prepare himself for the very worst. Snape then cleansed and dressed himself as he sent his Patronus to Dumbledore and he set out for the Apparition point. He did not run for he needed to ensure he was completely Occluded, but he strode purposefully, breathing as deeply as he could and Disapparated to the Dark Mark.

He Apparated, not to the derelict manor house of the past months as he expected, but surprisingly into the great dining room of Malfoy Manor, at the Dark Lord's right hand side.

"Severus!" the Dark Lord sang. "We shall talk shortly, but stand and watch now: see a great victory!"

The crack of Apparition introduced the last few Death Eaters into their places. Snape kept still, noting that none were felled by the Cruciatus Curse. The Dark Lord must indeed be pleased. The atmosphere was charged with the Dark Lord's reverberating magic.

"My followers! Today is a great day. Today sees the consolidation of our pact with our friends in the North Sea and the return to me of my faithful – and so we gather our strength," the Dark Lord proclaimed.

Snape felt a pulse of magic, and knew the Dark Lord had given a cue. The huge mahogany double doors swung open, and ten robed and masked Death Eaters entered the grand room.

New initiates? wondered Snape, with some disquiet. The inner circle was always involved in initiations. He felt panic fluttering in his gut that in some unknown way he had lost favour, but if his Occlusion was thick and impenetrable, and he knew that it was, how could it have happened? His Occluded mind began to race when he heard:

"Unmask and take your places, my faithful ones!"

The first to unmask took Snape's breath away, and many of the others gasped loudly as maniacal laughter rang out ... jubilant, ecstatic, triumphant laughter from the Dark Lord.

She glared up at Snape through heavily lidded eyes, her arrogant, disdainful smile playing around her thin mouth. There she stood, so clearly – completely and utterly – deranged: Bellatrix Lestrange.

How very like Black she was to look at – even down to the same loss of their aristocratic beauty through their years of imprisonment and deprivation – and how clear the family psychosis, strongest in her, but so readily apparent in the erratic behaviour of Sirius Black from the generations of consanguineous alliances. Really, it was a surprise that Regulus, Andromeda and Narcissa had escaped the manifestation of this mental unbalance. That wasn't to say it wouldn't rear its head with the next generations.

And who were the next generations? Nymphadora Tonks and Draco Malfoy. And it wasn't outside the realms of possibility that Black himself still might breed. If he was ever let out of the house, Snape smirked at the thought. He was forever grateful that Bellatrix had not produced progeny, especially since the object of her rapacious sexual appetite had ceased to be her husband long before her incarceration.

Snape's lips pursed. Well, Miss Tonks at least had the sturdy Muggle-born stock of her father to dilute the damaged lineage. If he recalled correctly, her mate, David, was a half-blood before his Turning. But Draco ... poor Draco ... was yet a further generation of consanguinity, for Lucius Malfoy was also a cousin of the Black family. Draco would marry a pureblood and, if that pureblood were British, they would be related also. Really, thought Snape, it was too appalling.

Bellatrix seemed to sway, as if buffeted by a light wind, as she glowered at all the assembled company. When she blinked, it was the slow blink of a basking, satiated predator. She sneered at all but the Dark Lord, but reserved her most scornful appraisal for Snape.

"Bellatrix," Snape nodded towards her, without an attempt at a smile. She had always made her disgust of his half-blood lineage clear and despised any favour he gained with the Dark Lord. He saw her nostrils flare at his place at the Dark Lord's right hand side and knew she would dedicate herself to divesting him of that position of trust. Her return could only signify a ratchet on the levels of violence and cruelty that would now hold sway over Death Eater plans and a hastening of the Dark Lord's plans to come to dominance.

His eyes slid away from hers, now knowing what they would see as he scanned the others: Dolohov, the despised brothers, Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange, Mulciber, Rookwood, Travers, Miles, Courtney and Markham.

'Our friends in the North Sea' had released ten Death Eaters. How could the Ministry now deny the return of the Dark Lord? Dumbledore would be disappointed this was not known to him in advance. Whilst it was always known the Dementors would give the Dark Lord their allegiance, Dumbledore and the Order would dearly love to have postponed this fateful day. It was a severe setback.

The Dark Lord continued to laugh maniacally, delighted to augment his inner circle, but eventually he calmed. "Now I have my inner circle restored, we must consolidate our recruitment. Our dear restored friends, I expect to make inroads with their own ... very special skills. While our Minister of Magic proves himself so very amenable to being duped, we can continue to enlarge our numbers without interference. I applaud you, Lucius, for keeping our dear Minister so focused on the deteriorating mental health of Harry Potter and the senility of the old man." Malfoy stood straighter still, preening at the accolade.

"Now I have need to speak to certain of you privately. Bellatrix, follow me." The Dark Lord turned and the emaciated Bellatrix followed him, her eyes adoring, from the dining room, and the other Death Eaters unmasked and began to talk to each other.

Snape could see Malfoy turning towards him and moving with the grace of one confident that others would move out of his way, and if they didn't, his cane top would be applied viciously. He walked slowly, his expensive and hefty robes cut to drape in a regal dash as he moved, turning the cane by its silver serpent top in his hand with each step as he drew level with Snape.

"My dear Severus," Malfoy purred and placed his unwelcome, manicured finger tips on Snape's shoulder, "as you can see, I have offered our family home to the Dark Lord. It was so ... ah ... unpleasant - was it not? - to have to meet in the squalor of that rundown shack in the middle of," Malfoy shrugged, shoulders and hands, "who-knows-where. So dilapidated and dirty." His full lips crimped into a small smile that wasn't reflected in his eyes. "How awful it must have been for you to have been left in the dirt on Christmas Day." Malfoy clicked his tongue and turned his supercilious sneer away from Snape as he surveyed his own grand dining room with a self-satisfied air.

"One can only imagine the degradation of waking there – quite alone," Malfoy almost chuckled as his crimped smirk deepened, clearly relishing the thought. So Narcissa had not told Lucius that she returned for me. Snape would remember that when the time came for reckonings. "I suppose you could have offered your family home in ... where is it? Somewhere up north, isn't it?" He gave a soft snort of derision. "But then, I suppose, it really would have been ... too ... shall we say kindly ... cosy?"

"Indeed, Lucius, we should each play to our strengths: your inherited wealth and undoubted largesse to the appropriately powerful," Snape said softly, his chin held high against the pointless insults as he looked down his nose at the hand on his shoulder, "and my magical talent." He heard Malfoy's sharp intake of breath, felt his fingers bite his shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me ... the Dark Lord requires my service."

Fortuitously (for the purposes of one upmanship at least), the Dark Lord had chosen that very moment to return and look towards Snape and beckon him imperiously. Snape gave Malfoy a curt nod and went straight to the Dark Lord, feeling relatively confident that Malfoy would come to regret handing over his domicile to the Dark Lord.

"Come, Severus," the Dark Lord said, as he turned glided out of the dining room towards Malfoy's study. As he entered the opulent room, he dimmed the light with a lazy wave of his hand and sat in the high-backed chair as Severus stood before him. He waved his wand downwards. As with the emperors of old, the Dark Lord would not countenance anyone's head being higher than his own, and Snape knelt. He didn't drop his eyes. He knew the Dark Lord would expect access to his mind and he had to be ready to provide it without demur.

"The old man has strengthened his wards," the Dark Lord spat.

"Yes, my Lord, he told me before the first lesson with the boy," Snape confirmed.

"Why did you not prevent it?" said the Dark Lord, dangerously.

"He had already done it when he told me, my Lord," Snape tried to reason.

"So, he doesn't trust you!" the Dark Lord accused.

"I don't believe that is the case, my Lord. The old man always takes care of the castle's wards himself. I have never been involved with them." Snape said, his tone calm and measured but hidden in his Occluded mind was his rising panic at the irrationality of the accusation.

The Dark Lord continued to stare at Snape with something akin to disgust, and Snape felt the Dark Lord's magic charge but then be pulled back and he felt it focus sharply as the Dark Lord raised his wand to Snape's face and his red eyes sharpened.

Legilimens!

Snape's breath was whipped away by the pain as the Dark Lord tore into his mind, slicing through it until he found what he did not realise Snape had proffered. He found the memory Snape and Dumbledore had concocted of Snape attacking Potter's mind unprepared, hurting and distressing the child the process.

"Excellent. Excellent," the Dark Lord whispered sibilantly and then he snorted sharply. "The boy's memories are as dull as his magic." He continued to rifle through what Snape provided making noises of approval and interest and then he suddenly released his spell and Snape fell forward, stopping his fall with the palms of his hands, gasping for breath at the pain in his head. Despite it all, he managed to clamber back to his knees, all the while his head was hammering from the violent intrusion.

"You have done well, Severus. Well done for increasing the number of lessons. That was a clever ploy. It will be much more difficult now that old man has interfered with the wards and will probably take longer, but you must keep that up. Well done." He patted Snape's head, who wanted to exhale with relief, but didn't dare, didn't dare relax until he was clear of Malfoy Manor.

"Now, you will tell Dumbledore that I kept from all of my followers the return of the favoured. You will not let him know that this was discussed whilst you," he smirked nastily, "slept off your last ... correction. I don't want the old man thinking you are not useful." The Dark Lord tilted his head to look at Snape. "Does he not check how you behave with Harry Potter? With the Boy who Lived?" he sneered.

"He is, my Lord, remarkably unconcerned," Snape managed to say lightly, although all he wanted to do was to crush his pounding head between his hands.

"Yes ... yes ..." the Dark Lord had now stood, considering. "His disdain for those who are subject to his machinations are legend. Use his negligence well, Severus."

oooOOOooo

Snape took the Floo from Malfoy Manor to Dumbledore's office, and found Dumbledore and Lupin waiting for him.

Lupin grasped his arm as soon as he came through the Floo.

"I am unhurt, I am unhurt – well, a headache – but no, no injuries ..." he said quickly taking in Lupin's worry.

"He Legilimised you?" Dumbledore asked quickly.

"Yes," Snape whispered, deliberately refraining from nodding.

"Did he get more than we intended?" Dumbledore asked urgently.

"No. No," Snape gasped as Lupin shot Dumbledore an angry look.

Dumbledore sat heavily in the chair opposite and passed a hand over his face.

"Shall I heal it?" Dumbledore offered, "or would you prefer …?"

"I have much to tell you both. Please heal it now." Snape was aware there was an edge to his voice that sounded like desperation, but he needed to tell them both what he had learnt so Dumbledore could act quickly and he didn't have the luxury of time for Lupin's healing, although he yearned for it, without doubt. He gave Lupin's hand a quick squeeze of reassurance as Dumbledore cast Legilimens and gently entered Snape's mind to cast healing and soothing charms to the ravages of the Dark Lord.

oooOOOooo

Once Snape had finished recounting the escape of the ten Death Eaters, Dumbledore listening to every word, he stood to see them out of the office with the intention of calling an Order meeting as soon as possible.

"It's best not to use the Floo. Dolores Umbridge has the Floo network monitored, even within the castle. Remus, Disillusion yourself and walk back to Severus's rooms. Please think about what I said earlier."

With that, Dumbledore turned to his desk and began to write out a parchment, as Fawkes shed a feather onto the desk.

"Thank you, my friend," they heard him say softly as they left his office.

They walked in silence back to the dungeons, though to any onlookers, it looked as if Severus Snape bestrode the corridors alone.

As they entered Snape's quarters, Lupin removed the Disillusionment Charm and they summoned Tippy for some tea.

"What does Dumbledore want you to think about?" Snape asked as they sat down together, Lupin drawing Snape to his chest and stroking his hair.

"When you were called, I came straight here by Floo to wait for you. That call ... God, Severus, it's horrific! I was so scared for you after Christmas Day. I couldn't just sit and wait - I just couldn't." Lupin's voice had dropped to a whisper as he stroked Snape's hair and kissed the crown of his head. "Albus told me off. Said I was forgetting our secrecy – jeopardising everything because if Umbridge caught me using the Floo, she'd launch some kind of enquiry. He asked me to, in his words, 'restrain myself'." Snape looked up into Lupin's eyes. "I don't know that I can, not now I've felt that ... that thing," he said, gesturing with his head to Snape's forearm.

"But he is right," Snape said softly. "Umbridge, if she found you here – you know what she's like about werewolves ..."

"As if I needed reminding - she is the very reason why I sometimes couldn't afford to eat," Lupin quipped bitterly.

"Exactly. We can't give her ammunition, any more than we can risk being revealed to the Dark Lord." Snape sat back so he could look at Lupin's face and cupped it in his hands. "But I still thank Merlin that you're here."

They slept, Lupin spooning around Snape and holding him close and safe.

Snape had awoken not long after dawn, still with Lupin curled behind him, to Lupin stroking his hand down the length of his flank and gently nipping at his ear and just behind it, his other hand holding Snape's own hand above their heads on the pillow. This is the way he wanted to wake every morning, what he had hoped for when they bonded. The deep delight of this warmed him in ways that weren't just sexual, although he certainly couldn't deny he was very aroused even by just the feather light gentleness of Lupin's touch, such a sweet counterpoint to the brutality of last night.

He closed his eyes to just feel the brushes that sparked deliciously against his skin as Lupin's nips became deeper kisses on his neck and shoulders, humming into his skin, and his hand and fingers became more insistent against Snape's rib cage and hips, his fingers splayed as he pulled his hand down Snape's side, the tingling thrill shooting to Snape's groin and making him arch and moan as his own hand now felt behind him to stroke Lupin's thigh as his other hand held Lupin's tighter still, his desire burning brightly as his mind fogged: only the touch of Lupin registering now. Lupin's hand stroked back to smooth over the curve of Snape's butt, caressing it and smoothing his hand to the cleft between making Snape gasp and turn his face to the skin of Lupin's outstretched arm and mouth at the soft skin, moaning as Lupin traced his opening lightly. It was too light; he wanted more and he murmured the word over and over as Lupin, now sucking deeply on his shoulder, pushed in his fingers, one by one rhythmically, Snape groaning more loudly into Lupin's upper arm with each addition as they found his prostate and played on it, making him moan loudly with each potent touch and stopping his own mouth on the skin of Lupin's arm.

Lupin pushed his hips against Snape, as he gently removed his fingers and then guided his cock in slowly, his hand now grasping Snape's hip as Snape mouthed silently against Lupin's arm, until Lupin, moaning himself into Snape's neck, sheathed fully inside him making Snape's head tip back with the sharp, full heat of it, as he exhaled one word: "Please!"

Lupin gently thrust, Snape moaning that each thrust deep into him sent such a hot flare through his body that made him push back for more. Lupin pushed forward Snape's upper leg for deeper entrance, himself now groaning deeply with each thrust as he moved his hand from Snape's hip to wrap around his cock, and stroking him in time with his thrusts, now deeper and harder, both men now incessantly moaning at the heated friction. Snape pushed back harder now, his eyes squeezed shut, as his orgasm built more and more strongly, and his breathing now erratic until it burst over him in waves.

"Oh my love!" Snape cried, his orgasm too unbridled as he dug his fingers deeply into the muscle of Lupin's thigh as he heard Lupin murmur in his ear, "My Severus," and release powerfully into him, pumping himself and Snape of the last of their orgasm then holding Snape to himself closely once more as they both gasped deeply for breath.

oooOOOooo

Tippy had served them breakfast in bed, and they now lay discussing all that Snape had told Dumbledore last night before Lupin was due to sneak out of the castle.

"It is a dreadful set-back," Snape said. "The only Death Eaters of the Dark Lord's inner circle now not reunited with him are those who are dead. Dumbledore knows that the Dark Lord will feel more confident in making his return known shortly – probably not even a year. He has the Dementors, all the vampires and I'll try to get an update on how Greyback's doing with the werewolves."

"I'll be lucky if I can get half, and then only if I have time," Lupin sighed.

"The disappearances will start when the Dark Lord's ready to show himself, and then the enforced recruitment of witches and wizards. When it comes to enforcement, there's no-one more compelling than our dear Bellatrix. There aren't many who refuse her who live to tell the tale," Snape's lip curled.

Lupin snorted, "I can imagine. Merlin, can you imagine what a fright she'd be in the sack!"

"She only needs to get in the vicinity of the sack to be frightening, believe me."

Lupin regarded Snape with a smile that gradually broadened into a grin. "Do you have a story to tell me, Severus? Is she one of the 'couple' you mentioned? Bellatrix? No! Merlin, I'm not surprised you're off women! Hell's bells, Severus, tell me!" Lupin laughed with astonishment.

"You really want to know this?" Snape asked, a smile quirking the corners of his mouth. "It is not at all what you may think."

"If it were any other woman, then no. But it's Bellatrix – since when did she earn any respect for her reputation or maidenhood?" Lupin reasoned.

"Your logic is infallible." Snape smirked. Lupin sat up, plumped his pillow, and the turned on his side to listen to Snape, an amused expression on his face.

"As I recall, I was nineteen. It was after our duel with the Order in Chancery Lane …" Snape started.

"That one you taunted Sirius about?"

"The very same."

"I duelled Bellatrix that night – vicious bint!" Lupin snapped. "She took on me, Gideon and Fabian – and it was still a close thing!"

"It's a credit to you that you're still standing then. She is a formidable witch – powerful, without conscience or feeling and truly sadistic, but would you like to know this story ..."

Lupin apologised meekly, and settled back again.

"We fell back to our headquarters, job well done, and celebrated our haul of ceremonial daggers that the Dark Lord had wanted ... "

"So that's what you were after at the Silver Vaults?" Lupin interrupted. Snape pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, Severus. It's just ... we didn't know. We were just sent to stop you. Sorry," Lupin said in a small voice as Snape looked annoyed for his interrupting yet again.

"So, quite a lot of elf-made wine and Firewhiskey was had. Those who weren't already attached were pairing off, and I tried to leave quietly to get to my room and I found Bellatrix already there."

"Hmmm – that was nice for you ..." Lupin started to chuckle.

"In no magical dimension of space or time or beyond any veil would that be nice for me. I can't imagine that I would ever be tempted to allow a maniac like Bellatrix near me, amorously or otherwise," Snape stated. "I politely asked her to leave."

"Bet that didn't work ..." Lupin chuckled again.

"On the instant, she bound me! She cast Incarcerous to bind me in leather straps." Snape grimaced. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that there was nothing sexual about that for me. I can assure you, a half-blood such as I would never wish to be bound for a woman with the depredations of Bellatrix Lestrange. She married that husband of hers for a reason – they were like-for-like in more than just blood purity. But I digress. So I am bound and then she kissed me. Not a tender kiss or even a passionate kiss, but the true pureblood entitled, dominant kiss – a weapon with which to hurt me and humiliate me – biting until she drew blood." Snape gave a small shudder.

"I turned my head away from her, and she grabbed my hair as tightly as she could. It hurt, and I made the mistake of letting it show. And that's what she wanted. I should have known: it's not as if her enjoyment of violence was ever a secret. Seeing the sadistic delight in her eyes - that galvanised me and I managed to cast my way out of the bindings and repel her with a shield charm until I retrieved my wand from my robe." Snape sighed heavily.

"What the hell do you do with a powerful witch like Bellatrix who decides that 'no' and fighting back are her idea of a good time?" Snape shook his head philosophically. "She advanced on me then, her wand down and she struck me around the face, and I struck her back." He turned quickly to Lupin,. "It is the only time I have struck a woman," he added quickly, apologetically.

"It's Bellatrix, why should I care?" Lupin shrugged. "She not a woman; she's a murderous hag."

"Quite. But, my retaliation only fed her madness. I struck her across the face and her head snapped back. I was convinced I would be duelling for my life for retaliating but as soon as she looked back, at that moment, her face was open, attentive and needy. That was what she wanted, from me, a man she loathed and only saw as fodder for humiliation! She wanted to be degraded. I won't even pretend I understood it then, or now. I always knew the woman to be a sadist, but had no idea she had any masochistic tendencies too. She grabbed me and begged me to hit her again." Snape grimaced.

"Come on, Snape! You'll never get another chance to have at me!" She jutted out her chin, gestured with the tips of her fingers where she wanted him to hit her again. "Then we'll fuck. You'll have the set then – all the Lestranges!" Her shout was full and throaty, anything less sexy, Snape didn't think he had ever heard. She advanced as he backed away, her eyes wide and wild, his hand print red on her cheek. "Come on! This isn't just something for the boys, is it? I've got an arse too! I can do things for you that none of your nancy boy friends could ever do."

"Whether I'm interested or not, eh Bellatrix," Snape sneered.

"Oh, I can make you interested, all right ..." she purred, her twisted wand dancing in her hand now. The game was on. She smiled superciliously and made to grab for his crotch in an ugly gesture that revolted him, and Snape sent a Stinging Hex to her hand, rather than give any more ground.

"You filthy half-blood!" she roared. "Do you think you can turn me down any more than you were able to turn down my husband and his brother?"

"Enough Bella!" Snape spat, instantly casting a violent Repulsion Hex in his fury that sent her flying over the room and through the door, which he then warded.

"It's not as if I could ever let down my guard around her anyway. Physically throwing her out of my room really made no difference to our animosity for each other," Snape commented.

"Ugh. Everything about that woman is wrong," Lupin said. "You can't imagine her and Rodolphus ever being love's young dream, can you?"

"She'd stopped sharing her husband's bed long before her imprisonment in Azkaban," Snape said. "The sole object of her passion by then was the Dark Lord."

Lupin's eyes widened. "And did he ...?"

"No-one was ever allowed to touch the Dark Lord. I don't know how long he'd been celibate but by the time I took the Dark Mark he decried, and still does, carnality as a deviation from the purity of purpose of achieving great magic. But Bellatrix, she lolled about before him like a bitch on heat, but he would never touch her. However, and really this is too foul, he would use magic to – how shall I describe it to you - relieve her, when she became too overwrought."

"No!" Lupin exhaled. "In front of everyone?"

Snape nodded. "It was like watching a puppy hump a chair – really – it was too appalling."

"And what of her husband? What did he do? How did he feel?" The sheer wrongness of allowing another to touch one's mate was written across Lupin's features.

"What could he do?" Snape shrugged. "Duel the Dark Lord for his wife, who clearly didn't want him anymore?"

"No, I suppose not. So ... out of interest ... what magic did he use?"

Snape narrowed his eyes at Lupin. "I think it best I don't tell you."

Lupin smiled shrewdly in a way that made Snape's stomach flip.

oooOOOooo

The next Order meeting was depressing.

The news of the escape of the ten Death Eaters was a major blow for the Order, most of whom were well-versed with the depredations of most of those – vicious and violent and determined in the service of the Dark Lord. And yet, still Fudge refused to acknowledge the renaissance of the Dark Lord. The breakout was reported by The Daily Prophet to be masterminded by Black, compounding his criminal status, and depressing him even further. He now loomed over the Order meetings as if he himself had become a mournful spectre of Grimmauld Place.

Fudge's hysterical wilful ignorance had even extended its malign influence to Hogwarts and the news reported by Minerva that Umbridge was doing her level best to suppress news of the escape by enacting a decree to prevent teachers discussing anything outside their own subjects with the students and monitoring any discussions in the staffroom was most unwelcome.

Arthur Weasley reported that Broderick Bode, his friend from the Ministry (who worked as an Unspeakable and had been Imperiused into attempting to steal the Prophecy and had of course become mad and had been hospitalised in St. Mungo's) had been strangled by Devil's Snare disguised as a pot plant on the same evening as the escape of the ten. No wonder, Snape thought, the Dark Lord had been so happy.

Snape reported that he had obtained further information from Wilkes. Another two werewolf packs had pledged their allegiance to the Dark Lord. The packs were from the Midlands and were quite feral and bloodthirsty. They would be vicious allies for Greyback to marshal in the Dark Lord's service. However, a large pack in Sussex had turned Greyback away. Two large colonies of vampires in London had now pledged to him also.

"Rather than talking politics of anti-werewolf legislation or historical rights and wrongs of how vampires have been treated, the Dark Lord's promise has become a very simple one to both the vampires and the werewolves: as much Muggle blood as they want with access to that of Muggle-borns or blood traitors at the Dark Lord's discretion," said Snape, without emotion, to the muttering of horror around the table.

"We have to accept that there are those we will never be able to attract to our cause," Dumbledore said sadly. "Those who, as Remus so aptly put it, are too far down the Dark path. We must concentrate our efforts on those whose allegiance we have a chance of winning."

"It is a lot to put on Remus's shoulders, don't you think?" Black said challengingly. Despite its originator, Snape was grateful for the comment. It seemed that Lupin was expected to win the allegiance of the whole population of British werewolves. It was too much to ask.

"I think I can help," said Tonks.

The Order members turned as one at the unexpected interruption.

"My ... friend ... David is a werewolf. He works for Gringotts. He knows of our work – well – he has asked to be included – he'd like to join the Order and help Remus with the packs. He'll take a sabbatical to work on it full-time if you agree."

"Does he realise how dangerous this work is?" Dumbledore asked, to Snape's anger. He caught Lupin's eyes.

See how he takes you for granted – throwing you in the way of danger and distress! Any other, and he's all concerns and paternal smiles, he fumed.

What? And he doesn't take you for granted? Lupin retorted. Then he spoke aloud:

"I've met David. I can certainly vouch for him. I don't think it would be wise to let David strike out on his own just yet. He's young, and never run with a werewolf pack ..."

"... Oh, and you had when you were twenty?" Black snapped. "Who taught you to interact with the packs back then?"

"That's not the point, Sirius," Lupin said firmly. "I know now, and I was going to suggest, if we all agree, David travels with me. He can learn from me and – well – it will be safety in numbers for me too. I leave for the pack in Sussex as soon as possible."

Snape wanted to disagree, to force him to stay at home, to be safe, but Lupin's eyes caught his and Lupin echoed Snape's farewell when he was last called to the Dark Lord.

I love you. I promise I will stay safe.
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You Will Not Kiss Me