Blood Lines

"I missed you at dinner."

Snape looked toward the voice that came from the shadow of his open class room door. "Headmaster, I heard that you were back. Did everything go well?"

Albus stepped into the hall with a sigh. "I managed to get the time extension. Minerva and I have worked out something that I think will be acceptable to everyone involved, Remus co-heads Gryffindor and Sinistra will be rejoining Ravenclaw. If you had come to the staff meeting tonight you would have known. It looks as though we are going to need to interview applicants for Hufflepuff and Slytherin, only." He gave Snape his best tell-me-what's-wrong look, but the dark professor remained silent. Sighing again, Albus acknowledged his silence for what it was, a big red stop orb. "Were you going to check in on Remus? I heard from Sirius that he had quite the ordeal last night."

"Yes, to both, and before you ask it was my fault." They passed through the false wall that hid the corridor to Lupin and Black's rooms. "So you had the time to stop in and chat with Black as soon as you got back, but you sent Longbottom to my class without even a notice of transfer?"

Albus inadvertently flinched at the accusatory tone. "If I had given you notice, would you have accepted it?"

"It, or him?" Snape countered.

Albus stopped walking and Snape turned to face him. "You have never told me all that happened that night."

Coldly, Severus turned and resumed his brisk pace down the hall; "I obey your commands, for now that is all I can give you."

Instead of following him, Albus' feet turned toward the door of Minerva McGonagall. Somehow she always seemed to know the words that would allay his concerns for the cynical professor.

As the Headmaster ascended the stairs to the main hallway, Snape felt the cloud of worry and fears that he was emanating withdraw from the dungeons. He did not slow until he was opposite the door to Lupin's chambers and then he came to a sudden stop. He stepped back just in time to avoid being trampled when Lupin and Black suddenly burst through the seemingly solid wall. Smoke billowed into the hall and was only cut off when the door closed itself.

Coughing and leaning against each other for support, it was several minutes before either was able to speak. Lupin, due to his enhanced healing factor, was the first to regain his voice. With smoke induced tears he explained that Black had managed to blowup an entire case of crushed Ridgeback bones. (They had been intended for an in-class demonstration on the totality of a magical animal's magical properties. A dragon is not just a fire-breathing lizard, magic infused all aspects of it.)

"Well at least I don't have to ring that chime to get you out here." Snape had taken a great dislike to the tiny bells that announced Lupin's guests and anything that prevented him from needing to use it was a boon.

With a final cough, Lupin wiped his eyes and straightened. "What did you want Snape? I'm sure you aren't coming to check up on me."

"Black has no doubt told you that I require another blood sample from you to complete the tests I am trying to run. I came to escort you to my lab."

Shoulders sagging, Remus asked Sirius if he could keep his wand in his quarters until he returned. "I can't very well go back into my rooms right now."

"I'm coming too," Black announced.

Remus looked to Snape for a refusal but Snape had once again started walking away, leaving them to decide on their own whether they would both be coming. He was a little surprised to find that Snape had waited for them in the hall between his classroom and the passage.

"The students are still running around. I thought it would be better if Black went first." He motioned them forward.

"Why should I go first?" Sirius questioned.

"No one is coming out of the dungeons, but someone might come down the stairs. If they see me first I doubt that they will even notice Lupin, let alone you."

It made sense so, reluctantly, Sirius led the small procession to the alcove that doubled as the door to Snape's lab. Not sure what he should do when they reached it, he stepped into the cubby-hole. The door swung out to meet him and he continued forward. When the door closed, the stairwell was as dark as he remembered it being and the steps were as steep as ever. But knowing what was at the bottom of the stairs took away some of the Gothic-mystery feel of it all.

The stairs kept coming. 'I should have reached the bottom of this stupid staircase by now.' Having failed to count the steps down on his first trip, Sirius could only guess, but it felt as though they had gone much further than they should have.

"Uh, Snape," Remus quietly voiced. "This is the way to the lab, right?" He too had noticed that it was taking a long time to reach the lab door.

"No, not really," he sounded disturbingly unconcerned.

"What do you mean not really?" Sirius stopped his descent. In the total darkness Lupin walked into him.

Too frightened and surprised to cry out, Sirius felt the edge of the step he was on let go of him. The cool air took a fretting, snatching sort of grip on his hair and clothes as he fell into the well-like center of the spiral-stairs.

The last thing he saw was a slight glow, like the flash of a cat's eyes. Blue and with slit-like pupils. 'Like Aunt Beth's old Siamese. What a thing to remember now.' There was a sharp impact.

~

For the second time that night Remus found himself out of breath, tears in his eyes and bursting through a doorway. This time however, he was rushing into the Headmaster's office followed immediately by Snape.

"Remus?" Albus stood and started to come from behind his desk.

"He's dead!" Lupin gasped. "He fell- I killed him! He fell! It was an accident- we were just going to the lab- I-"

"Shut up Lupin." Snape made as though to hit him but turned to Dumbledore. "I don't know what happened but it has him. I'm sure."

"He just stopped and I bumped him I didn't even see him- I couldn't it was-"

"Lupin I'm warning you..." Snape took a step toward the hysterical man.

"Hold," Albus said the one word firmly and raised one hand to add emphasis.

Both men froze.

"What happened," Albus asked of Snape, choosing the more coherent of the two.

Relaxing his ridged posture somewhat, Snape huffed a breath between his teeth. "I do not know what happened. I stopped at the entrance to the staircase, the door opened and Lupin was there." He took a step away from Remus before continuing. "He started raving like this and took off running. I followed him here and have been trying to piece together what happened."

As the Headmaster slowly approached Remus, Snape continued to back away until he reached the door.

"Now Remus," Dumbledore placed a steadying hand on his shoulder, "tell me exactly what happened." Though his eyes were solemn and his hand was steady, Albus felt as though his world had just been dropped and broken into a million tiny shards. 'Severus said that It had gone after him, I only pray he got to Sirius in time. But if he did go after Sirius, why doesn't he remember it? What does this mean for our chances now?'

With a shuddering gasp, Remus tried to regain control of himself. "Snape said he needed more blood, so w- we were going to the la- lab." He wiped at fresh tears and wrapped his arms around Albus. "I didn't mean to- I cu- couldn't see-" He began to sob again.

Rubbing small comforting circles on Remus', back Dumbledore turned to Snape again. "I left you in the passage not far from... their... rooms..." His words trailed off as Snape began to shake his head in an emphatic no.

"I have not seen you at all tonight." Snape lost what little color he had. "It got loose, that's the only explanation."

Gently, Albus steered Remus to a sofa and urged him to sit. Drawing his wand, he summoned a pot of chamomile tea and poured three cups of the steaming liquid. Without a word he handed one to Remus, placed one on the end table beside the sofa, and took the last for himself.

Making sure that Lupin drank all of his tea first, Albus allowed him to speak as he refilled their cups.

"I don't understand." He looked to Snape. "what do you mean? Are you saying you weren't there, at all?"

"What happened Lupin? What did you see?" Snape's curt questions only confused him more and Remus looked to Albus for help.

With a rarely seen warning in his eye, Dumbledore glanced at Snape then softened his expression as he turned to the werewolf at his side. "Remus maybe you could start with what happened at, erm..."

"Seven-thirty," Snape offered from the door.

With his head resting in his hands, Lupin recounted stumbling into the hallway and nearly colliding with Snape, his insistence that they go to the lab, with Sirius in the lead. And the stairs seeming longer than they had been on his previous trips to the lab. Numbly holding out his cup for more tea, which Albus quickly provided, Remus looked around. "Where is Snape?" There was still a tremor in his voice.

@---,--'--------

Cradling his left arm with his right, Snape hurried to the dungeon stairs. 'I haven't got time to look for Black, I don't even have time to tell the Headmaster.'

Searing pain shot through his arm and he stumbled. 'Potter?' The hall appeared to be deserted, but he had learned to trust his sixth sense. "Potter, go tell the Headmaster that I have been summoned."

Gritting his teeth as another white-hot flair stabbed through him. 'What could be so urgent that he needs to yank on me like I'm a bleeding bell rope?' Taking up his cloak and mask he threaded his way down a maze of narrow side passages.

~

Apparating to the Dark Lord's chosen meeting place was done blindly. No one knew where they would find themselves once they Disapparated. It could be a fog enshrouded clearing in a forest, or a dimly lit and spacious dining hall.

Snape cautiously looked first left, then right. He was in a fairly comfortable hallway. There were oil paintings with gilt frames, which contrasted nicely with the dark wood panelling, and a few widely spaced doors on either wall.

Holding his breath for a moment, he strained to catch any sound that might betray some one else's presence. He seemed to be alone. A slight noise to his left drew his attention. A door handle several paces down from where he stood was slowly being turned. The stooping figure of Wormtail scurried into the hall and motioned that he should enter.

'Looks like another private audience,' flashes of the disaster that had been his last meeting with Voldemort flashed up in his mind. A knot formed in his stomach as he remembered throwing up and passing out, 'At least I've already thrown up once today.'

As he brushed past Pettigrew, he saw a mix of hate and envy in the withered half-mad man's eyes. 'Pettigrew envying me? Not a good sign.' Snape registered the look and promptly filed it away.

Two steps into the room and the door closed behind him. There were heavy shades on the few lamps, the Dark Lord did not like bright light. The air was warm, almost stiflingly close, the Dark Lord also did not like cool drafts. Images of his nightmarish meeting earlier in the week were replaced with more recent memories. Finding Lupin in the stairwell, deciphering enough of his ramblings to understand that Black had fallen.

Sinking to his knees in front of Voldemort, he did not notice the tears that began to slide from the corners of his eyes. It was not torture or violence but too much stress and not enough food or sleep which finally crushed him.

He felt the pressure of a hand on his head, but Snape did not respond.

"Rise."

It was the expected command, yet still he could not bring himself to move.

Worry tinged the voice of the Dark Lord as he again called for Snape to stand. Slowly, Voldemort knelt and drew back Snape's hood. Carefully, he lifted Snape's chin and removed his mask. "Did you get the test results?" He noticed the tears and his heart leapt into his throat. "Severus, what is wrong?"

He gave up trying to hold himself together. It was too painful. He tried to lower his face to hide his tears. But could not find the will to fight the slight resistance under his chin, and closed his eyes instead.

"Come." Placing his hands on Severus' shoulders, Voldemort drew the broken man to his feet and helped him to move across the room to a wide couch. 'Oh Severus, how could that fool Dumbledore allow you to destroy yourself so? Your strength is a paper-thin façade, and your fear has only grown.' He bitterly resented the time that had been lost.

Vaguely, Snape remembered Albus going through the same motions with Lupin. 'The werewolf was out of his mind then. Am I?' "It got loose."

Waiting for him to continue, Voldemort decided on a course of action.

Looking into the fire in the stone hearth before the couch, Snape released a pent-up breath. "I have not been sleeping. I think it's the Plastijuice. I haven't been holding down more than half the meals I eat, and I haven't been tying to eat more than, maybe a few times a week." A soothingly cool hand brushed through his hair and pushed the black locks out of his eyes. "I was tired, I went to sleep. It got loose and took Lupin and Black." He stopped.

Touching his shoulder, Voldemort murmured, "The werewolf and the one whom Pettigrew framed for the Potters?" He asked for clarification only.

Snape noticed that he did not ask why he had not been told that they were both at the school. "Master I-"

With a slight shake of his head, he silenced Snape's panicked confession. "Continue Severus. I wish to know what has so disturbed you. I wish to help you, if you will allow me." He raised a hand to touch the tear-dampened cheek. "You mean a great deal to me, Severus."

Voldemort had always treated him like this, but in the back of his mind something registered as different about the touch. "Master, it must have broken free while I was asleep. It was taking them somewhere- I don't even know what it was trying to accomplish!" His voice shook and the hand on his cheek responded by rubbing slow circles on his left temple. He closed his eyes and accepted the comfort. With his eyes closed, Snape did not see the slight frown that tugged at Voldemort's mouth. "It was guarding their backs. I think Black was in the lead and in the dark, Lupin must have st-stumbled into him." The hitch in his voice was not for Black and they both knew it. "Lupin was alone when I found him in the stairwell. I think it went after Black." Tears of failure beaded on his lashes. "I could not keep it locked away. Master I have fai-"

Tentatively, he placed a hand on either side of Snape's face and dried the tears with his thumbs. "You have done all that you could Severus." Silently, he waited until Snape looked up. "If you will allow me, I can help you to drive it away forever."

His entire being trembled. "How?"

In answer, the Master leaned forward and brushed his lips against his servant's forehead. "You are no longer a child Severus," he murmured. The silk cape whispered a warning as it fell to the richly carpeted floor. He could hear Snape's breath quicken.

Snape felt the small voice of discord that had urged him to fight, draw back and fall silent. "I have never-" His uncertain protest ended in a gasp as the Dark Lord moved to kiss his mouth.

It took a great deal of self-control, but Voldemort did not take advantage of the slightly parted lips beneath his own. With a practiced hand he removed Snape's Frock coat then vest and shirt baring his chest. "If you had, you would not be worthy." The compact muscle he discovered beneath the pale skin was a surprise. Snape was a good deal stronger than his slight frame let on. 'Perhaps he swims?'

Recruiting him had been a strategic move. Rather than foolishly trying to keep track of, which-goblet-held-the-poison, the rising Dark Lord had boldly taken up the cup that he knew was intended for him. At the time it had caused enough confusion in the ministry and among Albus' pathetic, Order of the Phoenix, to work in his favor. Now however, the temptation to drink of that heady, lethal draught was nearly overpowering.

Somewhere, though, he found the strength to pull back before he undid all that he had done. Through the Dark Mark he had felt the creature draw back at his touch. The link it had with Snape was temporarily abandoned. Severus was once again his willing tool. "You must return to the school soon." He wanted to feel the warm smooth chest again, but settled for a long look into eyes as empty as oblivion. "I spoke to you before, of that which Dumbledore betrayed you over, and a task that I had for you."

Snape felt the words rattle through him as though his body were hollow. The words had no real meaning, but he nodded as expected.

"She is going to seek to attain the position of female head of Slytherin. Your bond with her will enable you to cage It forever." 'Then I will not need to hold back.' Visions of finally tasting the one thing that he had denied himself before his exile (as he preferred to think of that time) blinded him to the vacancy in Snape's gaze.

@--'---,-----------------

Harry froze when Snape suddenly walked around the corner. He was obviously on his way to the dungeons, and up to no good. So when Snape stopped and, clutching his left arm to his chest, and called Harry's name, he was certain that he was in very big trouble. The mere question of how Snape had known he was even there, vanished from his mind when Snape ordered him to tell the Headmaster that he had been summoned. Instantly, Harry's mind was drawn back to the previous year. When Snape had pulled back his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark high on his left forearm, he had revealed to everyone present that he had been aligned with the Death Eaters. Obviously he had been summoned by Voldemort and trusted Harry enough to have him relay that message to Albus.

Moving quickly while covered by the invisibility-cloak was difficult, so Harry took a moment to stuff it into his robe before running in the direction of the Headmaster's office.

The Gargoyle at the door to the Headmaster's office was not co-operating. Harry had begun to lose patience with the charmed stone figure, having gone through every candy he could think of at the moment. Footsteps pounded in the still hall behind him but with classical Gryffindor courage (or stubbornness) he again rattled off the name of every sweet he could think of. Whoever was coming was either in more trouble than he, or had something more important on their mind than taking points from Gryffindor. At least he hoped so.

The figure of a robed man lurched into the hall and made for the Gargoyle. Labored breathing and a stitch in his side ate away at his stride but he continued onward.

So focused on his task, he did not notice Harry, who had stepped into the shadow of the Gargoyle. Leaning forward on his knees, the man softly cursed the long flight of stairs to the dungeon. He managed to catch his breath to speak the password. "Incandescent-Glow-Pops."

Harry recognized the voice, stepped away from the shadows. "Sirius!" he cried.

The Gargoyle grudgingly moved aside, it had been enjoying the rare attention it had been getting.

"Harry?" Sirius gaped for a moment at the teen before him. His godson had grown since the last time he had seen him.

Sirius took the time to wrap Harry in a fiercely loving hug, then told the youth that he had to hurry to Albus' chambers.

"I was going there too," Harry said following Black up the rotating spiral stairwell. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. " Sirius had been muttering about the ill luck of being on another spiral stair. "I hope you can find time between your studies and Quidditch to come down and visit me," he changed the subject.

It was said with a light air but Harry caught the look Sirius darted from the corner of his eye. "Wait." Harry stopped and grabbed for Sirius' sleeve. He flinched back but Harry failed to notice. "Are you staying here?!"

"Yes, in the dungeons."

"Great! But, oh man. Do you have to spend time with Snape too?" They resumed their dash up the stairs.

"I have been seeing entirely too much of that git for my own good."

Harry was going to ask what he meant but then they reached the door and-

Sirius did not bother knocking. It had said he would be expected. It was right, there was even a cup of tea already poured and waiting for him.

"What happened to you?!" Remus demanded. Once he was satisfied that Sirius had in fact survived his fall he tried, and failed, to give his friend some space as Dumbledore suggested.

Ignoring Remus' questions, Sirius demanded of Dumbledore, "What happened to Snape?"

Remus watched dazedly as Albus retrieved the teacup from the end table and handed it to Sirius, who was stuck on the sofa between Harry and himself. "You knew he was alright the whole time?!" He couldn't believe it.

With a slight twinkle in his eye, Albus sat on a rather hideously floral-patterned love seat across from the threesome. "Both Professor Snape and I tried to tell you that he had gone after Sirius."

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry jumped in suddenly remembering why he had come. "Professor Snape, he asked me to tell you that he had 'been summoned'."

"Snape," Sirius repeated under his breath.

Albus looked to the floor for a moment. "Thank you Harry." He sent out a silent prayer for Severus' protection and tried to cheer somewhat, for Harry's sake. "I had not expected you to be coming also, Harry, would you care for a cup of tea, or cocoa?"

Harry accepted a mug of the warm chocolate drink and sat back to try and eavesdrop on what was going on.

"You know about It?" Sirius impatiently tried to steer/force the conversation back to a more important topic than hot beverages. He passed his empty cup to Harry (who put it back on the table) and leaned forward "And Snape knows about it too?"

"Yes," Albus cautiously acknowledged.

"What It are you two talking about?" Lupin asked.

Sirius looked to Albus.

"Snape was not the one who was leading you to the lab tonight," Albus told them. Harry was only confused, Sirius and Remus were speechless.

"But I saw him," Lupin objected.

"You saw him," the Headmaster raised a white brow. "You saw him clearly?"

Suddenly doubtful, Remus hesitated. "Well no, there was smoke. Then he walked ahead of us down the hall to the intersection with the main corridor."

"And then he stayed behind us and let me lead the way down the stairs," Black added.

Albus nodded. "I thought as much. He has lived in secret too long to make a mistake that any but the few who know of him could detect." Seeing the confusion on the faces before him, Albus took pity on them. "It appears that I know more of what happened in the dungeons tonight than you do." He conjured a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of chilled pumpkin juice. "This explanation may take some time."

"You're saying that, that wasn't Snape, not at all?" Black persisted, "because when-"

"It will take longer if you keep interrupting me." He smiled. "He looks enough like our Professor Snape that, in the poor lighting of the dungeon, I would have been very surprised had you been able to tell them apart. Both are roughly the same height and weight. They both have black hair and-"

"But Its eyes glow in the dark!" Sirius jerked to his feet nearly upsetting the sandwich tray. "Smoke and bad lighting can't add up to enough to hide that."

"And," Albus continued, "he has the ability to dim or extinguish the glow of his eyes. I think it has to do with the dilation and contraction of his pupils"

Albus explained that he had the ability to open the door to the stairwell and could also open doors off of the stairwell. "He was only telling you the truth when he said that the stairs led nowhere, they don't. In fact they don't even exist unless he opens the door in the hall first."

Suspicion was easy to read in Remus' face and guarded posture. Albus spoke reassuringly. "You do not need to be afraid of him. After all he risked his life to save Sirius. "

Eventually Harry began to doze. Hearing that his godfather had nearly died was not as troubling as it would have been, had Sirius not been right there beside him and obviously healthy. When he fell asleep Albus changed the subject of conversation to a very delicate topic.

"What I really need to speak with the both of you about is why I placed you in the dungeons. You see my intention was to force a situation like the one that developed tonight." Before either could interrupt again Albus hurried on. "Over the many years that they have shared the dungeons, he has bonded with Professor Snape. I am hoping that the bond is not fully set. I believe that making the effort to save you," he turned to Sirius, "is a sign that he has begun to take the two of you on as Charges." He looked toward the clock on the mantle. "I think we should put off further discussion until a more appropriate hour. Perhaps you should ask him to explain when you see him next." Albus banished the tray as Sirius took one last triangle of chicken salad on whole wheat.

"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Remus hated to ask Sirius, but knew that he had to ask, how could he not?

Sirius nearly choked on his sandwich in shock. "No."

"I think it is the wolf in him," Albus quietly gently intervened. "We are just one night past the full moon. Perhaps the three of you would care to stay here for the night?"

Sofas were made up as improvised beds and arranged into a horseshoe around the fireplace. Remus took the end opposite the fire so that Sirius could lay and watch Harry sleep.

~

As the sun sneaked a first peak at the school grounds, Sirius blinked and rolled to his side. Harry was on a burgundy and bronze embroidered couch that looked more like a daybed. He watched Harry sleep for a few minutes before the boy began to stir from his own slumber.

"Sirius?" he mumbled, still very groggy and fumbling for his glasses.

"Pst, Harry," he called softly.

That snapped him wide-awake. He flung back the light blanket that had been tucked in around him and was about to jump up.

"Shh!" Sirius pointed to the floor next to his own sofa/bed.

Harry almost laughed. On the floor next to his godfather lay Professor Lupin. He had, at some point in the night, left his own couch and curled up on the rug beside Sirius.

"He was like this in school," Sirius whispered. "Whenever one of us got hurt or he was worried about us, or anything, he would end up on the floor beside our beds," he chuckled softly. "One really cold winter, I woke up with him on the foot of my bed."

~

It was decided that Harry would go back to his dorm and try to act as though he hadn't been away all night, and that Sirius should return to the dungeons during breakfast. The halls would be empty and the odds of discovery lower.

Harry reluctantly closed the Headmasters door and, with his Invisibility-cloak on, made his way to Gryffindor tower. Albus had left nearly an hour earlier to give Sirius and Harry time together, and Remus had quietly read a book while sitting on one of the wide windowsills.

When Harry had gone he put down the book. "You didn't betray him," Remus commented.

Turning to face him Sirius shrugged. "What are you talking about?"

Remus slanted him a who-do-you-think-you're-talking-to look. "You've always blamed yourself for James and Lilly's deaths." He walked to the door. "You did what you thought was the smartest thing to do. If you hadn't said anything they would still be dead and you would be too." He was about to shut the door, when he stepped back into the room and grabbed Sirius' shoulder. "I'm not sure what I would have done if you had died back then. When I thought you had died last night..." He shook his head and quickly exited, closing the door behind.