Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

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The Hogwarts library was not used by many students on Saturday. In fact, there were mostly Ravenclaws there, and an odd Slytherin or two. The only Gryffindor to be seen was Remus Lupin, who was just trying to finish his Transfiguration essay. When a group of people stopped in front of him, however, he looked up to see a bunch of Slytherins, none looking too pleasant.

"Really, Lupin," one of them said nastily. "I never thought you would be this desperate. Don't you have any self-respect at all?"

Remus met his gaze steadily. "I fail to see what you are talking about," he said calmly before turning back to his homework. He really had to get the Transfiguration essay done.

Of course, this only served to annoy the Slytherins further. "Oh, but I think you do know what it is we are talking about," drawled another one of them, stepping closer.

"But I do not," the werewolf replied levelly. "So humour me and tell me what it is you're referring to." Inside he was shivering with fear. However, he trusted that fact that not even Hufflepuffs would be stupid enough to mention the rape or to bodily attack him in front of other people, and certainly not Slytherins. They were too clever for that.

"What's wrong with you, Lupin?" asked yet another Slytherin -- Anthony Bullstrode this time. "You seem so depressed. Doesn't your little boyfriend want you anymore?"

All Slytherins laughed at this. Remus's eyes, however, flashed with fury. He was just about to snap back, even if it meant giving them just what they wanted, when somebody else spoke up.

"Let him be." At these words, every Slytherin spun around, no doubt to see who dared to confront them. To their great shock, however, one of their own House was standing next to a nearby bookshelf, watching them with cool and calculating onyx eyes.

"Snape," said Michael Avery, sounding surprised. "What's wrong with you, Battie? Are you maybe trying to keep Lupin all to yourself? Really, I thought more of you!"

"Oh, no," replied the darkhaired teen calmly. "It's just that it took me far too long time to find company with at least something resembling human intelligence, as I am in the House of imbeciles. I'd rather that you don't spoil that intelligence with forcing him to suffer through all your mindless attempts at nasty insults. I have to put up with your blabber anyway, but I don't see why Lupin would have to lower himself to your level of intelligence -- or the lack thereof."

"Are you trying to insult us?" demanded Bullstrode, stomping towards Snape. His rather sizeous frame would have made anybody else shiver. However, Snape didn't bat an eyelid.

"Glad you caught on so soon," he said calmly. "I was wholly prepared to repeat it at least a couple of times in case you didn't understand the first time."

"Listen now, Snape," Avery said. "I don't know what game you're playing, but I'm going to --"

"Shut up," finished Snape calmly. To everybody's shock, Avery's mouth snapped shut as if on its own accord. "Oh, stuff it," he then sighed as he saw the dumbstruck expressions on his housemates' faces. "Did you really think that you are the only ones capable of brewing that potion and slipping it to somebody's drink? Oh, no -- you are merely the only ones stupid enough to leave your magical imprint into it so that it can be traced back to you."

Suddenly the Slytherin's weren't as arrogant as before. "You didn't," Narcissa Black gasped. All her former happiness about her cousin's so-called falling was immediately wiped away.

"I didn't do anything," said Snape. "However, Black indeed allowed Madam Pomfrey to take a blood sample of him the next day. The results came back this morning. The potion had almost wholly disappeared, but there were well enough traces still left in it."

"Enough traces for what?" Remus asked curiously. Snape wasn't just trying to bluff, the werewolf could see it as well as he could smell it. This was true.

"Enough traces to get certain young gentlemen and one miss arrested," said a calm voice behind them. Turning around, the teens saw a few men in Auror uniforms standing nearby, observing them coolly. "Michael Avery, Anthony Bullstrode, Jeremiah Crabbe, Timothy Goyle, and Narcissa Black, you are all now officially arrested. You're all accused of brewing liquid Imperio Curse, slipping it into a fellow student's drink, and making them commit a grave crime."

"It was not us!" whined Bullstrode. "It's Snape, he forced us to it! It was all his idea!"

"There wasn't a single trace of young Mister Snape's magic in that potion," another Auror said calmly. "Instead, he has aided us a lot in this case. Also, we found rather clear traces of you five, and you've been seen in the kitchen the day of the crime. So, please do follow us now."

At first, the Slytherins looked like they might protest. However, with five stone-faced Aurors pointing wands at them, they soon became more cooperative.

Remus watched silently as the fuming teens were led away. Then he moved to Severus's side so they could talk without anybody hearing. "Did you know about this?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, I did," replied the dark-haired boy calmly. "But like I said, the results didn't come until this morning. We didn't tell you in case there were no traces and you'd been disappointed."

"'We?'" echoed the werewolf. "Do you mean that you and Sirius planned this together?"

"Exactly." He got a brief nod in confirmation. "Right after I'd told him, we went to the Infirmary so Pomfrey could get as fresh sample of his blood as possible. Then, we came to you." At Remus's still questioning expression, he sighed, "Let's discuss this later, okay? If I do recall right, the Headmaster told me to tell you that he'd like to see you in his office right away."

"Thank you." And with that and a small smile, Remus left the library to go to see Dumbledore.

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"I don't know how I'll ever be able to apologize enough," sighed Dumbledore, looking at the boy sitting in front of him. "None of this should have ever happened. But I do assure you that all wrongdoers will get exactly what they deserve for their hideous crime."

"You do not need to apologize, Sir," said Remus quietly. "You are not at fault for anything some Slytherins decide to do on their free time to their twisted amusement."

"It is maybe not my fault, but my responsibility," replied the old wizard gravely. "Your safety, like everybody else's in this school, is my responsibility. Your parents send you here, thinking that you will be kept safe from anything or anyone. Now I've failed that trust."

"It doesn't matter, really. In fact," Remus said, smiling weakly, "I most probably would have mated with Sirius eventually anyway, given the choice."

"But that's just it. You weren't given the choice, even though you should have been," Dumbledore said. "I think these Slytherins are in for a nasty surprise indeed. If you force someone to do something under the Imperio curse, you're also responsible for whatever they do under your control. The one who was handling the curse will get the sentence he would have got for directly raping you, and maybe even more -- using your boyfriend to further his own ends calls for a greater punishment. The others who participated in this crime will get a few years in Azkaban each, I'm sure."

Remus nodded slowly, understanding. Then he asked very quietly, "Sirius... What about him? Will he be punished, too? It wasn't his fault!"

"Of course not," the Headmaster reassured him. "Like I said, the ones who fed him the potion are responsible for anything he did under its effect. You needn't worry for your mate's sake."

"Good," sighed Remus, relieved. "We still haven't managed to make James and Peter understand that he didn't do it, not the real him. I don't want any more troubles to him."

"I understand that." Dumbledore nodded. "You do not hold ill will against him, do you?"

"Why should I?" asked the young werewolf. "He would never have done it if he'd been in his right mind. Moreover, he is my mate now, and I still love him. I see no reasons to be mad at him."

"You truly are a forgiving character, Remus, my boy." Dumbledore gave him a sad smile, then sighed. "Very well. Now, we will tell everyone that these young Slytherins were expelled and arrested because of their use of liquid Imperio. Nobody will be told that it was Sirius they used it on, nor will anybody know what and to whom they made him do. Sure, some will count two and two together and guess that it's Sirius, but I do not think that anybody will guess just what he did, or that he did it to you."

"Because if they did guess, they'd never believe I've forgiven him," said Remus at that. "You are right, Sir. Then again, you very often are." Just then, he felt the mating bond nagging at him. "Merlin," he muttered. "James and Peter are seemingly giving Sirius a hard time... Will you please excuse me, Headmaster?" he asked politely.

"You are free to go, my boy." And so, he went.

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