Silver Snake

Silver Snake

*

Chapter 3:

Imperio

*

When Severus came in, the whole Order was busy talking. By the little he could catch in the middle of all the noise, they were mostly talking about Lupin and his disappearance.

"Silence!" Snape snapped. Letting his gaze go around the meeting room, he said, "I have found out where Lupin is." At this, the voices roared up again, but he silenced them rather effectively by raising his hand. "I said it already, silence!" he yelled. "I have indeed found Lupin, but I have a suspicion you won't like what I've found out."

Everyone fell silent immediately, chewing on this little piece of information. At last, Nymphadora Tonks dared to speak, voicing the question on top of all their minds. "Is -- is he alive?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, he is alive," replied Snape grimly. "In fact, he's perfectly healthy. Not a hair has been cut from his head. However, should he return, it would not be so." Hasting to continue before anybody had time to ask what he meant, he said, "Voldemort has, in his seek of immortality, set his first goal to be having his young body back. He has now accomplished that -- by creating a bond between himself and Lupin. Neither of them can hurt the other in any way, nor make anybody hurt the other, but Lupin cannot leave, or he will die."

The silence stretched into an almost enraging length. Then somebody spoke again, this time Mad-Eye Moody. "So, is Remus a Death Eater now?" he asked bluntly. The others shivered at this question, but Severus had no doubt that they would have asked the same, had they only been able to. However, only Moody would dare to ask something like that.

"No," Snape said briefly. "In fact, he begged me to brew him a mind-strengthening potion so he won't give in to the temptation of the bond and become one."

"Thank Merlin for at least that," breathed Molly Weasley. "We certainly do not need any more traitors."

"However, even though he's useless to the Dark Side, he's also useless to us," reminded Snape. "He cannot do anything that would harm the Dark Lord -- and therefore, I don't believe he could even pass us any information. He's as good as dead, unless we find a way to destroy the bond between him and the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore nodded with a grim expression. "That is indeed true," he said slowly. "Very well, Severus. I thank you for this information. It's indeed valuable to us." Then, the ancient wizard sighed. "I just hope Remus won't collide with Peter Pettigrew and his silver hand."

"Have no fear of that, Albus," snorted Snape dryly. "The Death Eaters take Voldemort's new appearance as a strong evidence of his ever-growing power. If he lost that, the image would be lost also, and some Death Eaters might become doubtful. Voldemort will not let any harm come to Lupin, not in the form of Pettigrew's hand nor anything else."

"So, if we destroyed the bond, we'd also have that advantage of it," mused Moody aloud. "That could be good for us."

"The same effect we'll have if we kill Lupin," said Snape in his usual dry manner. As the others gave him disbelieving glances, he snapped, "What? I didn't suggest that we'd kill Lupin. I merely pointed out that killing him would have the same effect on Voldemort as destroying the bond. He wouldn't necessarily weaken, but his follower's faith in him would."

"How can you discuss it so cold-bloodedly?" asked Nymphadora Tonks, her hair rapidly changing colour from pink to poison green. "I know you and Remus have never been the best friends, but you could at least show some sympathy for him!"

"Describing I and Lupin's relationship as 'Not best friends' must be the most underestimating comment I've had the misfortune to hear in a long time," huffed the Potions Master. He noticed Kingsley's warning glance, but chose to ignore it. "However, it doesn't surprise me that this nonsense came from you, Nymphadora." Usually, he called everyone but Albus, Minerva, Filius, and Kingsley by their surnames. He knew, however, that the witch hated being called Nymphadora, and that was exactly why he made a point of calling her just that.

"No need to be nasty," said Molly Weasley, frowning disapprovingly. "Look, Severus, I understand that you are just as nervous as the rest of us, and that the situation is making us all strained, but --"

"Nervous? For what?" Severus spat. "Listen to me now, Weasley, since --"

This time, however, Severus himself was interrupted. "Severus," said Kingsley simply. Then he fell silent. However, as the Slytherin turned to look at him, he caught the other wizard's message wholly.

The others maybe couldn't have told it apart from Kingsley's usual indifference, but Snape recognized the unspoken message very well. That halfly raised eyebrow, small downward curl of lips and slight shake of head were all familiar gestures to him. And all combined, they meant, 'Shut up right now, if you don't really want celibacy for a fortnight.' And Kingsley would keep his threat, too.

So, to everyone's great surprise, Severus indeed closed his mouth, even though he did glare at Kingsley rather viciously. Kingsley, however, merely allowed his lips to curl into a small smile.

"Merlin," breathed Mundungus Fletcher, now awake for once. "Did you use the Imperius curse telepathically or what, Kingsley?"

"No, he didn't," said Moody. "Rather, he used the only threat every man is bound to fear."

"And that is?" Tonks inquired in her familiar never-ending curiosity.

"Nice talk means sex, nasty talk means no sex," said the ex-Auror bluntly, purposefully oblivious to the "Shut up, you prick"-glances Severus kept giving to his direction.

For a moment, everybody was deadly silent. At last, Fletcher, who was the only one but Moody who was even more daring with his words than Tonks, managed to speak. "Did I understand right?" he asked very slowly. "Are Kingsley and Snape having sex -- and in regular basis on top of that?"

"That's what I've figured, yes," replied Moody dryly. "And I don't think either of them is going to deny it. Are you?" he then asked directly from the couple under discussion.

Kingsley smiled slightly and shrugged, while Severus put on his best cool mask. "Elaborate, please," he said coolly. "Do you mean, are we having sex in regular basis, or, are we going to deny it?"

"An answer to either would be fine," said Moony with a harsh laugh. "As long as you mention which question you are answering."

However, before Severus could say anything, Kingsley again abandoned his usual silence. "Yes, we are having sex quite regularly, and no, we're not denying it," he said calmly. "And do close your mouth, Molly dear. We're all just humans, after all."

"But -- you and Snape?" blurted Tonks. "That's just disgusting!"

Severus suppressed the strong urge to say childishly, "Why is she allowed to be nasty, but I am not?" Instead, he said aloud, "Well, thank you for having such a confidence in my taste of lovers, but I really don't think Kingsley is that bad."

Once again, a silence fell. At last, Tonks broke it. "You made a joke," she said with a very weak voice. "Severus Snape made a joke. Is it absolutely certain that the world hasn't come to its end already?"

"Oh, come off it," sighed Severus annoyedly. "It's all this blasted Gryffindor influence that caused my little mistake."

"And a good influence it seemingly is," said Albus, his eyes twinkling in their usual cheerful manner. "Maybe I should double the amount of the Gryffindors' Potions lessons?"

"Only if you want them dead," said Severus dryly. "It's bad enough that I have to stand them as much as nowadays. One lesson more, and you'll have corpses, not students."

"And that's not a joke, for anything I know him," added Kingsley with a perfectly straight face.

"I didn't think so," replied the Headmaster. Then he turned serious again. "Now, it is truly unfortunate that Remus isn't here, with us. However, as Severus said, he won't be harmed even though he is in the middle of the Death Eaters, will he?" As Severus nodded in confirmation, Albus went on, "Now, I do believe we have other pressing things to pay attention to..."