Can Love Survive...

"You said they'd be here woman, so where are they?" Severus said pacing the small room in which he and Remus had been led to by the woman and Godric Gryffindor, though Godric had disappeared soon after they had arrived, and hadn't returned.

"Patience dark one, patience. They will return." Perrine said and tilting her head as if listening for something.

"Stop calling me that will you? I'm not what you think I am you know." Severus said with a growl, pacing the room.

Perrine turned and looked at him for a moment as he paced. "Even when the dark is lit Severus Snape, it always has it's edges. You may not practise what you are, but it will always be a part of you. It is instinct, survival even. You're wolf knows that all too well." she said softly.

Remus turned to the woman with an odd look, then looked away, as if he was ashamed. Severus saw this, and walked over to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Remus only sighed.

"She's right Sev, we are what we are. We can fight it, suppress it, even try to outrun it...but we were created by the dark." Remus said softly.

"If it hadn't been for you Remus I would still be lost you know. So much time we spent denying each other, wondring bout each other faults and demeons...but you always could see past that side of me, you brought me back..." Severus said in a saddened voice.

Remus turned round then to face his lover, his lifemate. "As you could see past the wolf in me Severus. The killer that I could have been, even at your own risks you stayed by me. When the Ministry imposed the rules on my kind, you stuck by my side, never letting me go down into the despair of what had happened to my kind. And you've had no regrets." Remus said gazing into Severus's eyes.

"But you have my dear Remus. It has eaten away at you for all these years, forging a rift between the two of you that even you couldn't see. Regret that holds you back from fully giving yourself to the one you love..." Perrine said softly.

"Regrets? What regrets do you have with me Remus? Because I was a death eater? Because I had to kill innocents and have their blood on my hands? Because I am a Slytherin?" Severus asked now, his tone becoming laced with anger.

Remus looked back at him wideeyed now, the shook his head. "Gods no Sev, not because of that! I knew what you were from the start, and I still wanted you, even back at Hogwarts days I didn't care you were in Slytherin did I."

"Then what? I've given you everything Remus Lupin...my heart and soul to wear on your sleeve...yet now I'm hearing you haven't done the same with me? What do you expect me to think?" Severus said looking into Remus's eyes, his anger growing.

"You really want to know Severus? Why I've never been able to 100% give you what I wish I could? I've always wanted you heart, I've always needed it....but I can never give you something in return you deserve to have...my one true hearts desire..." Remus said turning from him with his tears in his eyes.

"What more do you think I want from you Remus? Or that I could possibly give you in return to make you think like this?" Severus said, anger replaced by despair.

"Tell him Remus, tell him the truth. Let no more secrets, no more lies come between you now. If you are to fight on the side of good, together...you must give your hearts completely to each other, without reservations and restrictions." Perrine said softly to Remus.

Remus gave a long drawn out sigh that came from his very depths. Turning back to face his lifemate, tears still flowing from his eyes, he said softly. "A child Severus. A child. Something that I cannot give you. A part of you that I can hold and cherish if anything ever happened to you. That is why I havent been able to give you all of myself...because I cannot. I cannot give you a child." he said slumping down to the floor as a new wave of tears began.

Severus stood there as he looked down at his lifemate, realization beginning to dawn on him. His mind for a moment flashed back to the day in the courtroom when the rules of Remus's kind were read. Through all of them Remus sat quite, saying little to nothing. He knew for a while after that day Remus had become slightly depressed and maudlin even, but he attributed it to the blasted new rules...all of them. But now he was it wasn't all of the rules, it had only been one...one rule that had caused it all. He sank down to the floor and pulled Remus into his arms, holding him until the shaking of his sobs were stilled.

When Remus stopped his tears, Severus brought his face round with his hand to meet his own, and looked deep into Remus's brown eyes, how lost and hopeless they looked. "No Remmy, no more tears. No more regrets. I dont care what the blasted Ministry says, we will fight them Remus. We'll find a way round it, I dont care how, but we will."

Remus's eyes lit up, hope beginning to restore itself. "Really? You...you would do that for me?"

Severus gave him a little grin. "Mind you I make no promises Remus Lupin. I cant say it's something I ever planned on, having a child that is, and I can honestly say I have no clue what kind of father I'd be...probably a lousy one at best....but..." he was cut off however.

"Oh Sev, I think you would make a wondrful father...if not a bit strict and grouchy..." he grinned. "But to me it would be a part of us...something we did together..." and he found another wave a tears flowed from his eyes, but this time in happiness and Severus leaned in kissing away the tears, everything else round them completely forgotten for the moment.

Perrine slid back into the shadows using her magic, a smile upon her face. She turned and left the room silently as not to disturb the two men, everything would work out now. She made her way now to another room, although a slightly surprized gargoyle wondred how it was able to get opened without a password, grunting and returning to sleep when he saw noone about.

She saw the man at the desk gazing thoughtfully at some papers. He seemed even older then when she had last seen him just that early morning, as if the entire weight of the world were on his shoulders. Suddenly he picked his head up from the papers, a questioning look in his eyes.

"It went well?" he said to the apparently empty room.

Perrine gave a little chuckle then appeared, nodding at him. "I never could keep myself unknown from you could I Albus." she grinned at him.

He chuckled, "As if you had need to. I sensed Godric and Salazar's presences here earlier, the boys?"

"Taken care of, they're in Salazar's old study, and should be returned about now, memories in tact."

"Remus and Severus?"

"In Harric Gryffindor's old room. I believe shortly you will be approached Albus." she said sitting on the edge of Albus's desk and seeing a paper that he had on there. Picking it up she gave a laugh. "You knew allready didn't you."

"Of course. It was my own request. When Arthur Weasley became Minister of Magic over the summer, I approached him in ernest. There was no chance while Cornelius Fudge was still minister, but Arthur...he always did have a better view on things."

"Why haven't you told them then? They deserved to know before now Albus." Perrine said, a sharpness in her voice.

"For starters, I know Remus J. Lupin. Even if he had known, I seriously doubted he would have ever approached Severus on the issue. Ever since what happened to Severus last year Remus has been keeping things a bit bottled up from him, and to tell him that there might be hope, might have sent him over the edge. Torn between what he desired, and what he knew he knew he could have." Albus said thoughtfully.

"Perhaps. I did sense great sorrow within both of them. They have much to overcome before they will be ready to accept another into their lives yet, but it is possible." she said reflectively. "What is the other reason?"

"Because it has taken until now to get it revised. Laws are easy to be written, but to undo them is another matter. In point of fact this request of me only came last night, and it still isn't a guarantee that they will allow it. Arthur is more lenient however, and atleast is willing to hear the circumstances."

"Then everything shall work for the best Albus. As long as you remain hopeful, I shall. Are you sure what you're going to do is wise?" she said peering at him now.

"I have served my purposes Perrine. I have more faith now then I have before in that they can do what must be done." he said with a sigh.

"You have spent far too much time in the human's world Albus. You've grown soft." Perrine said with a chuckle.

Albus grinned. "And would you really have me any other way?"

Perrine laughed. "Of course not my brother, of course not. You are you, and none other. I return back home now, dawn will come soon. Unlike you, I have not been given special rites to stay here too long. I shall see you soon then?" she said getting off the desk and heading towards the door.

"I will let you know." he said nodding at her, and with that she was gone.

Albus sighed, thinking back into the past. He remembered what this world had been like when he was younger, how it had fascinated him...how it still did. Ever changing, yet always in a way the same. People loved, people fought, good and evil still needed each other to survive. Humankind was like that though. It needed as much pain as it did pleasure, as much hate as there was love. That's what made humans so durable, so intriguing.

Humans would survive, with or without him. For the first time in the 150 some years since he first felt that urge to see what it would be like to experience all the wondrful if not complicated emotions of men, he felt now was the right time to do what he planned. Harry and Draco were strong boys, Remus and Severus strong men. His 'team' of friends and companions would carry on the legacy that had been in existence far longer then even he had been alive. And good would still always triumph over evil.

The side of good would win, and then Albus Dumbledore would be free. Free to return to the life he cast aside, free to return to a home he hadn't seen in over 150 years, but that waited for him nevertheless. He was prepared for this though, he had known for quite some time that he couldn't stay forever in this place, there was still enough left in this world to want to see it for a while longer, even if he could only observe in it and not actually take part, so he had made his plans.

He knew he was making the right choice for a successor. Minerva wouldn't be too happy bout it, but he felt under the circumstances, it was the best decision to make especially now. It was time to get the man away from his past, and to begin his future, and Albus had no reasons to doubt that the responsibility of what he planned would be taken lightly by his choice. Yes, things would work out allright in the end, and indeed it would be good to return to his birthplace...even if only for a little while.

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Okay before you all say yes I did go so OOC here :sniffs: I know I'm giving too much license to meself perhaps....especially with Albus, but honestly he always has made me wonder why and how he got such incredible powers like he has. Being able to turn invisible like he can without potions or spells...knowing what goes on without even being there....and it is said that even Voldemort does fear him most likely because he knows Dumbledore is more powerful then him, yet for some reason Albus cant bring himself to kill off Voldie...anyway I've confused you enough, wont do more :chuckle: Does make you wonder though doesn't it? :)

2002-03-16 5:43:36 PM