Desperate Times

Dinner that evening was a tense affair. Mercifully, the sarcastic comments were kept to a bare minimum, but the tension could have been cut with a knife. Upon sitting down at the table, Sirius had made no attempt to hide the fact that he was checking the food over for traces of poison. Severus looked at him darkly. "If I wanted to poison you, Black, I'd have thought of a better way to do it than to put it in the meal that I'm eating too," he snapped.

Remus pointedly said nothing and began eating. Sirius watched him suspiciously for a few moments, obviously expecting to have to clean up his destroyed remains while Severus looked on in sadistic amusement. When he saw that Remus appeared to still be in one piece, he grudgingly ate a mouthful.

"When are we going to meet this creature we're here to see, then, Lupin?" asked Severus, looking coldly at Remus.

"I'm not sure," admitted Remus, choosing to ignore the dig. There was enough hostility as it was without him adding to it. "Albus said we'd most likely hear from him first. If not, I'm sure we'll find him."

Severus looked more than a bit irritated. "You mean you have no idea how to get in contact with him?"

"That's what he said, Snape," Sirius growled. "He'll get in touch with us."

Severus sneered. "I was unaware that you needed a spokesperson, Lupin. Perhaps you could tell him to keep his idiotic comments to himself in future."

Remus sighed. This is not how I want to spend the next few weeks. "I'll ask around Brasov tomorrow."

Satisfied, Severus went back to his meal. A few minutes passed in deafening silence before Severus stood up.

"By the way, Lupin, I prepared the Wolfsbane Potion earlier. You'll need to take it tonight."

"Yes, I know." Only too well. "Thanks, Severus."

Snape nodded curtly and left the room. Sirius glared after him. "I don't trust him," he said flatly.

"Sirius, I know you two have had your differences, but you are on the same side, and surely the future of light magic is more important than some childhood prank?"

"He's the one who won't let that go," grumbled Sirius. "I don't trust him for entirely different reasons."

Remus groaned inwardly. He really didn't want to get involved in an anti-Severus tirade. "Well, I'll let you keep them to yourself."

They carried the dishes through to the kitchen where, with a flick of Remus's wand, they were sparklingly clean again. "You realise this means we're going to have to cook at some point, don't you?" he said, grinning at the expression that crossed Sirius's face as he put the plates away.

"Cook for him?"

"Yes. He cooked tonight. It's only fair, Padfoot."

"Since when do Slytherins play fair?" muttered Sirius. "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be cooking a candlelit meal for Snape."

Remus laughed out loud at that. Me neither, Sirius. The only involvement that Sirius had had in Snape's meals in the past was the furtive addition of some powder or potion or other, with the sole idea of Slytherin humiliation in mind. Bubble potions and suchlike... "I take it your culinary skills haven't improved any, and I know mine haven't. I think if anyone's going to be poisoning anyone it will be us inadvertently poisoning him."

"Inadvertent or not, it'd cheer me up."

"Sirius," Remus said in his patented Professorial voice. "I forbid you to go putting anything...unseemly in Severus's food."

Sirius grinned. "Unseemly? Moi?"

"Vous."

Sirius laughed. "I won't, I won't. But, tell me, Prof. During your time as his fellow teacher did you happen to notice any food he really hated? Any horrible allergies...?"

Remus shook his head, amused. He was amazed that Sirius was able to joke as he used to. And if Snape-bashing was keeping him afloat, then...who was he to stop him? Not that he wanted to encourage more animosity, but he was more concerned for his friend's welfare than Severus's pride. "Not to my knowledge," he answered truthfully. "If you remember, though, he used to drink his own potions when we were at school. If he could manage those it isn't likely that food is going to upset his stomach much." Indeed, he had fond memories of watching a pint-sized Snape skulk, scowling into the Great Hall, or watching him walk into walls with apparently no idea of who or where he was. A particular favourite was a Rhyming Potion that he had made and drank to test it. Apparently he hadn't realised it was his potion that had been the cause of his bizarre poetry for the rest of the day and had decided to blame Sirius for it. A spat between the two that day had made for an extremely entertaining breakfast show.

"Remus?"

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry," Remus said, seeing the odd look Sirius was giving him.

"What were you thinking about?" asked Sirius, looking half amused, half worried. "You were smiling to yourself."

"Oh, nothing much," he said, unable to suppress a smile.

"Okay." Sirius looked disbelieving but let it go. "Well, I was just asking if you knew what the werewolves around here do for the full moon?"

Sirius frowned. "What if they're in the forest there?" he asked, jerking his thumb towards the kitchen window through which they should see the dim outlines of trees swaying in the wind, "You'll be fine, I'll...probably be fine, but Snape won't. He's scared enough of you."

"Oh, I'd imagine Severus has plenty of silver on hand, should I have the sudden urge to eat him," Remus said dryly.

"I'm not worried, you understand," Sirius added hurriedly. "About him, anyway. But if they can smell him won't they try to get in here?"

"Well, maybe, assuming they are in the forest, but it's nothing a few strong locking charms won't prevent," answered Remus, hoping he was right. "I'd better go get the potion, actually. Don't want to forget again."

He started towards the door, but Sirius grabbed his arm. "Listen, I hope you aren't still beating yourself up over that. It worked out fine in the end."

Remus snorted. "Yes, it did. You're still a convict who's name causes fear second only to that of Voldemort, Harry's still living with Lily's awful sister and Peter's still on the lose, having just helped resurrect his old Master. You know, the one who caused all this in the first place..."

Sirius looked at him steadily. "I don't know how to make you believe me that no one thinks it's your fault. Hell, it never even occurred to me that it could be. You're the only one who thinks that."

Remus shook his head, not wanting to prolong the conversation. The fact that Sirius was being so forgiving, that he was so willing to forget that he had almost been given the Dementor's Kiss because of a stupid mistake made by his so-called 'friend', was eating him up. Hadn't he, Remus, been completely willing to believe that Sirius had indeed committed the crimes that had got him put into Azkaban in the first place? Had he even thought to question the Ministry's decision to lock him away? A brief few hours of disbelief, yes, but when he realised through the haze of misery and pain that Harry was now an orphan, he whole-heartedly agreed with their decision. He would have fed the key to a Manticore and thought nothing of it except a vague, grim satisfaction...

He sighed. "I'd best get the potion now, anyway, or I really will forget."

With that, he left the room. Sirius stared after his friend. Why was he so insistent that he was to blame? Remus had never come right out and said it in so many words, but Sirius knew what he was thinking. Remus had saved his life that night, though. If he hadn't been there, Snape would have brought him straight up to the Ministry, if not the Dementors, no questions asked. And Sirius would have been worse than dead without anyone ever finding out that he was innocent...

He resolved himself to make sure Moony knew he wasn't to blame, and with a sigh, continued putting the plates away.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"You cannot be thinking of leaving the house dressed like that, Lupin."

"Why not?" asked Remus, looking down at his robes.

"Well, forgive me if I managed to pick up the wrong end of the stick somewhere along the line, but I was under the impression that we were attempting inconspicuousness. Need I remind you that Black," Severus spat the name disgustedly, "is a world-famous Azkaban escapee? We're lucky he wasn't recognised yesterday."

"He won't be recognised here, Severus. This is a Muggle town, anyway. But you're right about the robes." With a flick of his wand the robes were gone and he was wearing trousers and a shirt.

Severus raised his eyebrows. "You're powers of logic astound me, Lupin. And what about Black? Is he accompanying you?"

To Severus's surprise, Remus started laughing. "Yes, he is. As a dog, of course."

Severus didn't bother asking what the insipid joke was. Undoubtedly something extremely idiotic and extremely Gryffinor. He found out, though, when Sirius wandered into the kitchen with a cheerful "Morning!" for Remus and a dark look for Severus. Remus smiled and held up a cheerful red collar. Severus looked at the look of disgust on Sirius's face and found himself fighting to keep looking disdainful. Ah. Well, it's no less than he deserves. Damn menace should be kept on a leash all the time.

The rain lashed against the windows, and a strong wind howled. All in all, a thoroughly miserable day. It was, in fact, rather fitting of Severus's mood, although he did suspect that bright, cheerful sunshine would worsen it further. On the contrary, though, the place was wet and grey, making Brasov in the distance look even more like a ghost town that it had the day before.

Sirius looked at Severus. "Are you coming?" The look of distaste on his face was almost enough to make Severus say yes, but the urge passed quickly enough.

"No, Black, I'm not. I'm staying here in case the creature turns up on the doorstep." With a cold look at the two other men, he turned and swept away.

Severus stomped up the stairs. He planned to do a bit more research into defence against werewolves. If he was to be stuck in a house with one with a colony of them in the area, he refused to be unprepared. Albus has outdone himself this time, he thought sourly as he walked upstairs. He had found something of interest in the extensive library at the top of the house the night before. The Caveo Lupus charm supposedly issued a small jet of liquid silver from the caster's wand. It was just briefly mentioned in one of the books he had found, however, so he wasn't sure of the exact incantation, or, indeed, if it even really existed.

Severus would never have admitted it out loud, but he sincerely hoped Lupin was around when Comaneci did put in an appearance. Not only was he one of his kind, but he had an annoying ability to put people at ease. That, Severus had to admit, was not one of his own strongest suits. Added to the fact that the monsters put him on edge, and therefore made him irritable, the meeting with Comaneci probably wouldn't be overly successful without Lupin nearby.

As he settled down at a small table in the library with a pile of ancient, dusty tomes, he heard the front door slam downstairs. Good, he thought, lighting a single candle. He could get some peace for his research without those irritating canines getting in the way.

He read through the books for hours. Some of them were positively ancient. There were ones in obscure languages that he had never seen before (odd-looking, flowing, cursive scripts, jagged prints...) and ones that he knew to have gone out of use centuries ago and couldn't read. The pages were faded and yellowed with age in many, and in some had gone brittle enough to break if not handled with extreme care. The shelves upon shelves of books, parchments and scrolls hid secrets that he didn't doubt hadn't been read in centuries. Books on the arcane arts were in abundance in this candle-lit treasure-trove of knowledge and information, and he found a good number of spells and potions that had been the stuff of rumours when he was a child.

Severus was always at his most relaxed when he was either making a potion or researching, and he jumped when the doorbell rang. It took him a while to place just what the jarring ding-dong sound was. It could barely be heard above the miserable weather outside. Annoyed at the interruption, he picked up his wand and went downstairs, lighting candles on the way to counter the growing darkness. He got to the front door and stood up straight, dignified, then pulled it open.

On the doorstep stood a tall man with black hair pulled back into a slick ponytail. His skin was pale and he was thin and angular looking. His prominent cheekbones were set of by a long, pointed nose. His thin lips pressed together as the ice-blue eyes took in Severus's expression of suspicion. He wore a set of black robes, quite different to Severus's own. "Expelliarmus!" he snapped, and Severus was unable to stop his wand flying from his own hand into that of the stranger before him.

Then he pointed his own wand directly at a completely unarmed Severus's face.

Severus stared at the man before him, not daring to move.

"I know why you are here," the man said, his crisp Romanian accent set off by the coldness of his voice. "Your people have caused enough trouble for me. My name is Vladimir Comaneci."

He broke off abruptly when Comaneci seized Severus's left arm and yanked the sleeve up, exposing the Dark Mark. "You lie," he spat, looking disgustedly at it. He pushed Severus back into the house with his free hand, his wand still trained on Severus's face. "You are one of them."

Snape gritted his teeth. Dammit! "Listen--"

Comaneci slammed him hard up against the wall next to the living room door, his slightly shorter height seemingly irrelevant. "No. You listen. I want nothing to do with you people. I know what you are here for."

"What's going on?" asked a mild voice. To Severus's immense relief, it was Lupin. He was standing just inside the front door.

Comaneci let go of Severus's throat and whipped round. "Another one?" he snarled. "You won't take us."

"Mr. Comaneci, I presume?"

"You assume correctly," answered the creature coldly. Severus rubbed his throat, wishing fervently that he'd been wearing some Slytherin silver. Mangy creatures. Both of them. Nevertheless, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to be the one to deal with the rabid monster. He'd leave that to the other one.

Comaneci was not looking perturbed in the slightest that he was standing in between two wizards whom he clearly thought wanted to harm him. Instead, Severus noticed, he was looking closely at Lupin.

Lupin took a step forward and spoke again. "Well, I'm--"

"You are one of us."

Lupin looked surprised. Never seen one of your own before, have you? Severus thought maliciously. "Yes, that's right," answered Lupin pleasantly. "We were asked to come here by Albus Dumbledore--"

Comaneci was apparently intent on preventing anyone from managing a complete sentence in his presence, because he interrupted again. "I saw the Mark on his arm." He jerked his head towards Severus, who sneered in return. "He is one of them. And I suppose they have already taken you?"

Lupin's slightly confused expression had cleared upon mention of the Dark Mark. He shook his head. "No one has taken me. Severus is no longer on the Dark Side. He is a spy for our side now."

Comaneci sneered and pointed his wand at Lupin. "You lie."

Lupin gave a small sigh. "No, it's the truth. If you like, we can use the fire to contact Dumbledore."

Comaneci regarded Lupin with a mixture of anger and suspicion. "Very well," he answered.

Lupin made towards the living room, but before he could get there Black burst in through the open front door, wand raised. Severus groaned inwardly. I always knew you were an imbecile, Black, but this is just the icing on the cake. He restrained himself from casting an Unforgivable on him for his awful timing.

"What's going on?" Black demanded loudly. "I heard--"

Comaneci's eyes widened in recognition. "I knew it!" he roared, looking enraged. "You are all with him! The snake man!"

Black looked furious. "What the hell are you--"

"Stupefy!" shouted Comaneci, and he tossed Severus's wand down onto the floor and stepped over Black's prone body into the night, cloak billowing behind him.

***

Remus stared after him. What on Earth was that all about? He hurried over to Sirius and turned him over onto his back. "Enervate," he said, while Severus picked up his wand, scowling, and dusted it off.

"--talking about?" roared Sirius, catapulting up.

Remus heard a snort behind him, which may or may not have been muffled laughter. Sirius looked around, a confused expression on his face.

"Too late, Black," said Severus. "If it wasn't for your horrendous timing for one of your ridiculous acts of Gryffindor heroism, Comaneci wouldn't have gone. Although," he added, smirking, "seeing you hit your head on the floor rather made up for it."

Sirius snarled and got to his feet. "Is that so? Tell me, Snape. What was it that caused him to have his wand out in the first place? I always knew you were an unpleasant bastard, but I thought even you'd know not to go starting arguments with the very people we're trying to get on side!"

Remus placed himself between the two when Severus started towards Sirius. "I'll talk to him tomorrow, see if we can gain his trust. I think that we have a bit more of a problem now, though."

"What?" asked Sirius. "Why was he so angry? I mean, I know you have that effect on people, Snape, but I doubt even you would provoke a reaction that bad."

"Perhaps if you hadn't come barrelling in here like some kind of idiot, Black, you'd have found out," snapped Severus.

"It seems that the Death Eaters have been trying to recruit them, and from the way Vladimir reacted, they've been using force," Remus explained. "That's why he got so angry: he saw Severus's arm. And he must have recognised you."

Sirius's face paled. "You don't think he'll turn me in, do you?"

Remus shook his head, ignoring the muttered comments coming from Severus's direction. "I doubt it. I don't know what the Romanian Ministry's like, but if it's anything like ours, they probably won't believe him. Plus, I'm not sure how much they know about Voldemort." He fervently hoped that he was right. Their first meeting hadn't exactly gone as planned.

"Crime doesn't pay, does it, Black?" sneered Snape.

"No, it doesn't," replied Sirius airily, although his eyes were blazing. "As I'm sure you realised when that thing on your arm caused Comaneci to start stunning people. Blown it now, haven't you?"

They both drew their wands at the same time, their faces showing equal burning hatred and contempt. Remus sighed impatiently and drew his own. "Expelliarmus."

The looks of surprise on Sirius and Severus's faces would have been comical under other circumstances. Remus pushed the front door shut and looked sternly at them both. "If you think that cursing each other is going to help, you're wrong. Clearly, there are, or were, Death Eaters in the area. If they aren't here now, it's pretty certain that they'll come back. Voldemort isn't just going to give up. I know Albus said that at a push, if we could persuade them to remain neutral, that would be enough, but obviously we're going to have to get them on side now. Squabbling amongst ourselves isn't the best way to make Vladimir trust us. And there's the added fact that you," he nodded towards Severus, "are in no position to be seen helping Sirius and I. Who knows what Voldemort will do if he finds out? We need to be inconspicuous."

Severus nodded grudgingly and stomped up the stairs, muttering. Sirius looked abashed. "You're right," he said. "If the Death Eaters are taking them by force it's going to make them pretty vicious when the full moon comes round..."

Remus nodded. "I'll tell Albus, see what he says."

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

"What did the Headmaster say, Lupin?" asked Severus an hour later. He was feeling slightly calmer, having done a bit more research in the library.

Lupin sighed. "He's going to try to find out if any known Death Eaters who work for the Ministry are away at the moment. It will give us an idea of who to look out for. And he told us just to keep him posted on what's going on and to keep a low profile, if we can. Easier said than done, though. The main Death Eaters would recognise any one of us."

Black nodded. "Then again," he said, "I'd rather the Death Eaters recognised me than a Ministry employee." He shuddered and Severus rolled his eyes. One wrong move, Black, and I'll see to it that the Minister of Magic himself is banging on the door before you know what's happening. He, personally, wouldn't stop them hauling him back to his Azkaban cell. It would give him immense satisfaction to see Black's smug grin wiped off that murdering face...every time he saw him he was itching to hit him, or curse him, or...something.

Severus clenched his fists and looked away. He owed too much to Albus to give vent to his feelings towards Black. Dammit!

He was jolted out of his thoughts by the sudden appearance of a searing, burning heat on his left forearm. A screaming pain that felt like it was tearing off the skin of his arm. He gasped and gritted his teeth. No, God, no... But wishing it away didn't help, cooling solutions didn't help, even stunning himself hadn't worked. He had also once found out, the hard way, that trying to cut it off didn't help, either. The only way to relieve the pain was to go. Through the haze of pain, he wondered where his wand was so he could Apparate. The pain was worsening...all-consuming...

Lupin was watching him worriedly. "Severus?" he asked, taking a step towards him.

Severus jerked away. "Get my wand," he gritted out. "It's in the library. Go!"

Lupin disappeared. Black was looking at him oddly. It wasn't worry, it wasn't sympathy...but it wasn't satisfaction or malice, either...

Thumping footsteps...

Something being pressed into his hand...

And through sheer will to end the pain Severus was able to summon the presence of mind to Apparate to wherever the Mark took him.