Philomena

***The Alpha***

Grimmauld Place was, as Sirius used to joke, grim and old. Fortunately, not many people could see it, for it was not a pretty sight even with the work that had been done. It now lacked an owner but nothing had been done about that. Nothing had been done about that the last time it had been left without an owner, some fourteen years ago.

Therefore, the Order of the Phoenix continued to use it as their headquarters. It was safest, they agreed. Some would have said that staying in the house of a dead man was unlucky. The Order members, however were by and large a pragmatic lot, and would not be swayed by such arguments. If they were uncomfortable, they gritted their teeth and kept on.

On a particularly foggy October night, they had called yet another meeting. The news was the same as it had always been; Voldemort was getting stronger, his main goal was to kill Harry Potter and there was no way of attacking or getting rid of him at present.

"But, surely," said Mrs. Weasley, "you must have some idea of where he is, Severus."

Snape sighed. "I've told you once, twice, a thousand times. I don't know where the Dark Lord is, and I'm not likely to find out. All I can tell you is that it's somewhere with stone walls, and that could be anywhere."

"Can't you judge the distance," asked Kingsley hopefully, "when you Apparate?"

"It isn't normal Apparition," snapped Snape, "The Dark Lord Calls us. If we answer the Call, we are transported instantaneously to him. The usual knowledge of destination isn't required."

"And if you don't answer the Call?" asked Moody.

"Pain," answered Snape shortly. "What did you think? That he sends us a map when we're tardy?"

Moody was about to retort, when the unmistakable sound of the front door opening was heard. Several people leapt to their feet. Dumbledore raised a hand for silence. "It can't be," whispered Tonks. "We're all here, except for the children..."

There was a terrible silence, as all drew their wands, and waited. Surely the intruder would make the first move.

A voice called out, "You cannot hide, Moony! I have searched too long to lose you now!"

Remus sprang up, ran and silently to the door, and turned to his comrades. Expressions ranging from fear to confusion marked their faces.

"No time to explain," Remus said. "Stay here. Don't follow me."

Lupin slipped quickly through the door, gripping his wand tightly. He shut the door behind him, with a snap. For a fraction of a second, all were frozen in shock, with the exception of Snape, who was used to hiding emotions much deeper than surprise.

Snape drew his wand over his head in a wide ark, bringing it down with a swish, then to the left with a flick. "Shadrach," he whispered, and the concentration required for the spell was evident, even through his mask.

The entire wall before him shimmered and became transparent.

Through it, the Order saw a very tall, thin, man was standing at the far end of the next room. His hair was a shade of reddish brown, streaked with gray, but the rest of his features were hidden, as he was bundled up against the cold, a black scarf across the lower half of his face.

"The spell is only one way," explained Severus. "I don't know what Lupin thinks he's doing, but we can interfere if necessary. I don't think our guest realizes we're here. Let's keep it that way."

Remus advanced towards him. The man seemed about to say something, but Remus held up a hand to stop him and spun round to face the door. He began casting various complex Warding Spells, to prevent anybody from following him out, or the mysterious stranger from entering.

A Silencing Charm followed. It was a one-way Charm, so that the Order could not hear Remus, but allowing Remus to hear the Order. Snape reversed it, quickly, quietly, and without detection.

Satisfied, Remus then turned to face the intruder. To the amazement of the Order, he knelt to the floor, and laid his wand on the ground, before walking up, unarmed, towards the stranger. The stranger pulled out a dagger and laid it on the floor in the same manner, before advancing towards Remus.

The two met in the middle of the room, and began to stare steadily at each other. Suddenly Remus arched his neck and sank to the floor.

"Why do you hide from me?" asked the stranger, harshly pulling Remus back to his feet. "Why do you run?"

"Please," said Remus, not even attempting to struggle. "Ralf... I did not mean to hide myself from you. I know my duty."

"I have not been able to hear you for many months," snapped the man. He pulled Remus closer, and barred his teeth.

"I had not realized," said Remus, sounding desperate, "that the protections on the house were that strong."

The man pushed Remus away from him. Remus fell backwards into the wall, and sank to the floor. "You have not sought me in many years, Ralf," he snapped. "I did not think I would ever see you again."

Ralf's answer was short. "She's alive."

Remus blanched and appeared to be frightened for the first time.

"Philomena?" he breathed, "but I thought..."

Ralf's expression changed from one of anger, to a soft concern. He walked towards Remus, and helped him to his feet. "Yes," he said softly, "I know what you thought. I... I..."

"You didn't want me to get to know her," finished Remus, with a look of one who is trying to take in too much at once. "You didn't trust me."

"No," contradicted Ralf, "I was afraid."

Comprehension dawned on Remus' face. "The law?" he asked, sounding faintly amused. "You? Afraid of the law?"

"Yes," admitted Ralf, "I could explain, or bribe my way out of everything else. Perhaps I could even have got myself out of even this, but the Ministry would have killed her and you for it."

Remus nodded, once. "So why now?" he asked quietly, his expression unreadable.

"Now," said Ralf, "I can no longer take care of her. You must know that the forces of the Dark One are rising, and what that means. I cannot leave the country with her legally, for legally she does not exist. I no longer have the connections I used to."

"Why not?" asked Remus, his face still carefully blank. "Have you given up your little... hobby?"

"I had to," answered Ralf, "for Philomena. I... I couldn't have her grow up seeing that."

"And so you must leave her in England," said Remus slowly. "What do you want with me? You must know that I will not join you."

The other man's frustration became apparent. "No, no, Moony, love," he said. "I need you to take care of her!"

For the first time, the Order saw Remus Lupin give in to anger. Violently, he struck the man across the face, knocking him to the ground. Shocked, the man lay still, as Remus stood over him.

"How dare you!" shouted Remus. "How you dare ask that of me! For years you have hidden my daughter from me! What do you expect? For the two of us to automatically form some sort of trust? For me to thank you? For years I thought she was dead! For years I thought I had killed her! For years I lived in guilt and fear. How dare you?"

For a moment, the silence rang, as Remus stood over the man with clenched fists.

Slowly the man scrambled to his feet and faced Remus. "What do you want?" he snapped, "For me to say I'm sorry? Even if I did, you wouldn't accept it and I wouldn't expect you to. You have every right to be angry with me."

For another long stretch, the two stared at each other again. Finally, Remus dropped his eyes. "I'm sorry," said Remus. "I ... forgot my duty."

"I will have the girl sent to your home," said the man quietly. "She has grown into a sweet, well tempered thing. She takes after you. I know it will be hard, but I have explained things to her, and she knows her place with you. She's twelve."

"Twelve," repeated Remus. "Has it really been twelve years?"

Ralf nodded. Remus wrapped his arms about himself and stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry, love," said Ralf, "for what I did, and for what I failed to do. In a way, I'm trying to make it up to both of you. I... I must go. I will write."

To the amazement of the watchers, Ralf kissed Remus tenderly on the forehead.

Remus looked up, startled, and gave a wan smile. "Tread safely, my heart," he said.

Ralf turned and took his dagger and started to leave quickly. He stopped suddenly at the door turning back towards Remus. "Tread safely, my heart," he repeated, before stepping out into the night.

For a moment, Remus stared at the door, lost in thought. He then gathered himself together and picked up his wand. With a sudden movement he removed the wards and re-entered the room.

Lupin looked from the faces of his comrades to the transparent wall, comprehension dawning. He stared at Snape, who still had his wand drawn, and Snape stared resolutely back.

Realizing that they had seen and perhaps heard everything, Remus suddenly looked very run down, tired and sick. He sank into the nearest chair, putting his head into his hands.

For a moment nobody spoke. Finally, it was Dumbledore who broke the silence. "Remus," he said sternly. "Explain yourself."

Remus looked up. "I didn't betray your trust," he said, correctly interpreting the angry stares of some. "I didn't tell him where to find us."

"Then how did he find us?" barked Moody. "There's no way to break a Fidelius."

"I couldn't have even if I wanted to," protested Remus. "I'm not the Secret Keeper."

"Who was he?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes showing confusion, betrayal, and just a hint of anger. "Explain."

"Yes," chorused the others. "Explain."

Remus stood, and looked Dumbledore in the eye. "He was my Alpha," he said shortly. "And a connection like that is stronger Magic than any Charm. Even a Fidelius only deadens the link."

Only Dumbledore looked as though what Remus had said made any sense. "I didn't know you knew him," he answered slowly. "You told me that you never knew."

Remus looked defeated. "I lied," he admitted. "I had to. His claim for my silence was stronger than your claim for my trust."

The silence was terrible. The smell of hostility, anger, and confusion assaulted Remus. At long last, he said quietly, "I'm sorry," before Disapparating.

In an explosion of sound, everybody began to talk at once. In the ensuing chaos nobody noticed Dumbledore and Snape disappear to a far corner of the room.

Albus talked quickly. "Severus," he said, "I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure Remus is trustworthy."

"I know he's trustworthy, Albus," interrupted Snape. "I was reading him."

"Never mind that, now," said Dumbledore. "You need to find him, and ascertain what happened. He's too useful to us to lose. I'll take care of things here, and cover for you. Take as long as needed, use your judgment, and for heaven's sake keep anyone from finding out."

Snape nodded and Disapparated. He may not have liked the situation, but he did know how to distance himself from a situation in order to handle it. If he hadn't been skilled at swiftly doing what needed to be done he'd have been dead long before.

Albus turned to the room full of angrily arguing wizards. "Quiet, all of you," he commanded, his voice radiating power.

All conversations stopped, as they turned to him, hoping for some form of explanation. Instead, Dumbledore swished his wand with surgical precision. "Obliviate!"

***Explanations***

In the meantime, Snape Apparated to Remus' cottage. He knew where it was quite well, having had to deliver the Wolfsbane Potion to it monthly. Dumbledore had insisted he continue to supply Remus, to recompense revealing his secret to the school.

He saw that the lights were on, and nodded to himself in satisfaction. Gryffindors were predictable. A Slytherin would never have returned home, at least not in as obvious a way as that.

Severus breathed the crisp cold air as he walked up the path to the door. It was too cold for October and he sincerely hoped that the thin layer of snow on the ground was not going to stay until morning.

He knocked on the door, and waited. It didn't take long for Remus to answer. Snape felt the magic surround him as Remus' Wards examined him. Why they didn't have a system like this at Grimauld Place was clear; they didn't think they needed one.

For precisely that reason Snape had known they would need it sometime. He knew his point was proven and that somebody would have the 'grand idea,' the next meeting, conveniently forgetting his former arguments.

Remus opened the door and looked at Snape, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Would you let me in, Lupin," Snape said, "it is rather cold out here."

Remus stepped aside, and Snape walked in, taking off his cloak as he went. Surprisingly, he realized, Lupin wasn't packing. In fact, it looked as though Remus wasn't worried at all; there was a kettle on the stove, a mug and a box of biscuits on the table.

"Will you join me for tea, Severus?" asked Remus, taking Snape's cloak and hanging it on a hook beside his own, "I just put the kettle on."

"It's none of my business, really, Lupin," said Snape, with a heavy dose of sarcasm, "but after a scene like that, I don't think you have time for an evening cuppa."

Remus smiled. "I thought Dumbledore would send you," he said, "and I wasn't interested in MadEye or Kingsley hexing me six ways past Sunday when they realized what was going on. Besides, I figured the last place anybody would look for me would be here."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "A plotting Gryffindor," he sneered, "very unusual. I do admit though, that you were right. I wouldn't like to be caught betraying the Order with Moody and Kingsley around. And those idiots would search England up and down before thinking that you actually might have gone home. As one master of misdirection to another, well done."

Remus shook his head. "My world has fallen apart," he said, "my Alpha's returned, my daughter's alive, half the Order will be after my blood, and Severus Snape is sitting in my kitchen, complementing my deviousness. I ought to wake up from this dream any minute, and find Poppy forcing fever medication down my throat."

"Damnit, Lupin," said Severus, "we don't have time for this. Dumbledore is taking care of the Order. I've been sent to take care of you. Quickly, now, an explanation, so I can take care of this mess."

Remus sighed. "I... Ralf is my Alpha," he said, quietly, "and if you ever read an accurate text on werewolves, you'd know what that means."

"It means he's the wolf that bit you," said Severus, all business, "or the leader of a pack of hereditary Werewolves."

Remus shuffled about the kitchen, finding a cup for Snape in the disorder that he loved. "It's not that simple," he said. "When a Wolf is bitten, as was my case, there's a bond formed. Rather like... rather like a traditional Wizarding marriage, only about twenty times stronger."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "That's... interesting," he said at last. "I didn't know. Continue."

"An Alpha always knows where his Cub is, and how it is doing emotionally. The Alpha controls the link, controls the amount it can sense of the Cub, and how much the Cub can sense of him. Ralf cut my awareness of him off many, many years ago. It was quite a shock to me when the link opened up a few weeks ago."

"You didn't do anything about it?" Snape asked. "It would have been sensible to get a confrontation like that over with, before it can happen in a disastrous setting, like the meeting."

Remus sighed again, and opened the box of biscuits. "He didn't open the link enough for me to be able to find him," he said quietly, "but I knew he was looking for me. I did try to keep my emotions neutral so that he would know it was safe to approach. That was all I could do."

"The Order heard your entire conversation," Snape remarked, taking a biscuit without bothering to ask, "and I'm sure some of the conclusions they drew were rather odd."

"It has nothing to do with the Order, Voldemort, or anybody else," said Remus, "if it had, I would have said something. I don't want to talk about it."

Snape sighed. "Lupin," he said carefully, "I don't know what Albus is doing to 'take care of,' the Order, but they will want a damn good explanation when you get back. If I don't know the truth, I won't be able to lie convincingly enough to hide it."

Remus ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. "What makes you think I'm coming back?" he asked. "After all that's happened I..."

"Do you want to face a vengeful Albus armed with sherbet lemons?" asked Snape acidly.

Remus smiled in that vague, gallows humor way of his and shook his head no. "It's not that complicated," he said, after a moment. "It's just hard to understand."

"I won't be able to understand at all if you don't start talking," snapped Snape. "The sooner we get back with a good story, the better."

"Philomena was born while in our last year of school," said Remus. "For many reasons I thought I had killed her. That's when Ralf cut off our connection. I thought that was why. He wants me to take care of her now, while he gets out of England before He Who Must Not be Named gets too strong for that to be an option."

"Understandable," said Snape quietly, "but who is Philomena?"

Remus dropped his eyes, and refused to meet Severus' gaze. "My daughter," he said, at last.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Your daughter?" he repeated. "And in our last year of Hogwarts? I had no idea you were involved with anybody then."

"And I had no idea you were monitoring my involvement," countered Remus.

"At the time," said Snape coolly, "I was already in charge of gathering information. I had to know who was what to whom."

The kettle perked, and Remus busied himself with getting the tea ready. Snape knew a play for time when he saw one, and wisely kept quiet to give the werewolf time to think.

"That would be," said Remus at last, "because I wasn't."

"Weren't what?" asked Snape, in confusion.

"Wasn't involved," explained Remus. "Philomena... she's..."

Remus broke off his story, unsure of how to proceed. Snape stirred sugar and milk into his tea and waited.

"You know," said Remus at last, "one's Wolf form isn't like an Animagus form, which is fitted to your personality. Your Wolf gets slapped on to you at random. It's like a universal roulette. Some people think it's influenced by the intention of the Wolf that bites, but I never put the theory to test."

Remus fell silent again, and ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to go on. Finally, he decided to skip explaining things and just state facts, point blank. "My Wolf is female."

Snape hid his surprise with his training, and the fact that he had nearly spilled his tea with his dexterity. Remus sipped his tea and waited for a reaction from Snape.

"I had no idea," Severus said carefully, "that that was possible."

"It is," said Remus simply, "and an Alpha has that connection with his Cub for a reason."

Remus' words slowly sank into Severus. Surely, Lupin couldn't be implying that...

"I don't understand," Snape said. "If you're his Cub, wouldn't that be..."

"For a human, perhaps, yes," said Remus, "but for a Wolf, perfectly acceptable, and perfectly normal. There is a reason I've kept this secret so long."

"You... had this child in our last year of school," said Snape, outwardly calm but inwardly reeling, "and your friends didn't notice."

"They couldn't," said Remus. "They never saw me that way."

"You used concealing charms?" Snape asked perplexed. "That's not only extremely complex Magic, but requires constant concentration to uphold."

"No," said Remus, "you don't understand. You see, Moony was pregnant. I was not. So the fact was only apparent in my wolf form."

"That doesn't explain why they didn't know," protested Snape. "You were always running with that pack of yours, terrorizing Hogsmead, attacking innocent students..."

"After your attack," said Remus softly, "I never let them stay with me again."

Snape didn't reply but took another biscuit. Remus, in turn, noticed a ploy for time and decided to continue his explanation.

"Like I said," he went on, "Moony was the one that was pregnant. And Moony only existed for a few days a month. It took nearly twelve years for Philomena to be born."

Snape's eyes widened in shock. "You mean that you... when you were..."

"I was twelve, yes," said Remus. "I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"You never said anything?" asked Snape. "To anybody? That-"

"Would have gotten me killed," answered Remus. "Werewolves aren't legally allowed to have children. Not to mention the fact that Ralf had forbidden it."

"But he was the one that..."

"Yes, he bit me," snapped Remus. "Yes he... did that. But he is my Alpha. A Wolf cannot act against the will of their Alpha. This extends to human form only so far as those things that concern the Wolf."

Silence. Snape wasn't sure what to say as thoughts chased around in his head.

"After she was born," said Remus quietly, "I couldn't remember a thing. After my transformation, I woke up in the Shack with the taste of blood in my mouth, and no sign of her. I received a note, which said merely that the child had been a girl and was dead, that I had killed her. Ralf had cut off the connection completely."

Nobody said anything for a while. "So that's why you were so distant from your friends during that year," said Snape quietly, almost to himself, "why you kept leaving without an explanation. We all thought..."

"You all thought I was a greasy double agent," snapped Remus, "who betrayed all of his friends."

Snape nodded.

"All right," said Remus coldly, "you have your explanation, you've drunk your tea, and you've eaten your biscuits. Run along and report."

Snape sighed. "This is more difficult than I thought it would be," he said. "We can't possibly tell anybody the truth. You'd end up being killed, and so would she."

"Merlin, Snape," said Remus, "I didn't know you cared."

"Not personally," said Snape, "but I know that we can't afford to lose you, now, and I wouldn't have an innocent girl killed for no fault of her own."

Remus dropped his eyes again, and took a sip out of his empty teacup. Snape raised an eyebrow and wondered how people that bad at acting survived. "We have to find some explanation of Ralf's presence, how he found the place without your betraying the lot of us."

"I seriously doubt they'll believe anything we tell them," said Remus, resignedly, "because they all know no charm can break a Fidelius. Although Dumbledore being Secret Keaper, I couldn't have betrayed our location."

"Ah," said Snape, "Aurors won't stay for technicalities. They'll be wanting somebody to blame, and it can't be Dumbledore. The least we can do is give them somebody else to suspect. Let's see now. Dumbledore has been looking for a good reason to cut off Mundungus for a while. If we explain that he... let something slip, in some pub somewhere, under the influence of his seventh beer, they might just believe us."

"Maybe," said Remus, "but that doesn't explain why this supposed eavesdropper in a bar just happened to be looking for me."

"That is a problem," admitted Snape. "We'll have to..."

The roar of flames and pop that could only mean a Floo call interrupted him. Remus got to his feet, and went into the next room, beckoning Snape to follow him. Albus Dumbledore's head floated merrily in the flames.

"Thank goodness," said Dumbledore. "I was running out of fireplaces to check."

Remus said nothing, but merely nodded. Snape, however, lost no time in falling to his knees next to the fireplace to better talk with Dumbledore. "What happened?" he asked quickly, "has the Order calmed down?"

"Oh," said Dumbledore carelessly, "the Order has been successfully Obliviated, and thinks that the two of you went on a mission in Muggle London."

Snape sighed, and exchanged a look with Lupin that said, quite clearly, that they could have both made up a better story while drunk on Ogden's Old, with one arm hexed, and a Necromancer after their blood.

"Now for your explanation, Remus," said Dumbledore, suddenly serious. "I want an explanation."

Remus put his head in his hands.

"You aren't going to get an explanation, Albus," said Snape shortly. "There are some things people's employers simply do not need to know. The incident concerns nobody but Remus."

Remus looked up in surprise and stared at Snape in shock.

Dumbledore merely blinked. "I trust you both," he said, "Merlin only knows why. However, if something like that happens again, I wouldn't bet on things going as smoothly."

"Thank you, sir," said Remus, finding his voice. "It most definitely will not happen again."

Dumbledore disappeared and Snape found himself being stared at by a rather grateful Werewolf.

"Contrary to popular belief," said Snape, getting to his feet, "I can keep secrets that need to be kept."

"I... thank you," said Remus, "I..."

"Spare me that," snapped Snape. "I have more to do than listen to a Gryffindor's stuttering thanks. We still need to think up a good way to explain to the Order how you got yourself a daughter overnight. That is, if you take her in."

Remus' eyes flashed. "Of course I'll take her in," he said. "I have to."

"Well then," said Snape, "we need a story and a good one. Dumbledore might put two and two together, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that."

***The Plan***

Remus ran his hand through his hair. "I admit that explaining will be a problem, but there's no need for you to stay, really there isn't. You've done a lot just by getting rid of Albus for me, and I'm grateful. I'm sure you have things to do, and besides, the girl isn't even here yet. I'll take care of explanations and the like when she's arrived."

"Oh, do be reasonable, Lupin," snapped Snape. "Albus will be dying to know what happened and trying his best to get the story from me. If he knows I've come back to you before our monthly date, it will only convince him that something happened and he'll start scheming to understand it all. Add the appearance of a mysterious girl..."

Remus sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry for snapping. It's just..."

"You've been through a lot and had to relive something you'd rather you'd forgotten," finished Snape shortly. "Is there more tea?"

Remus led the way back into the kitchen and refilled Severus' cup. "What do you suggest?" he asked, as he poured. "They all know very well that I haven't any relatives to speak of."

"Which rules out your claiming she's your cousin, or your niece," said Snape thoughtfully. "A daughter of a friend?"

"We're getting ahead of ourselves," said Remus. "I never met her, you remember, and I have no idea how much she'd be willing to play along. Any story we tell anybody else, we'll have to tell her, too."

Snape frowned. "What about your connection?" he asked. "Can't you simply forbid her to speak of the fact that she's your daughter?"

Remus shook his head. "I'm not her Alpha, I'm her Dam. Ralf is her Alpha and he has the connection. If I were her Alpha, nothing in the world could have fooled me into believing she was dead."

An owl knocked on the window. Remus smiled apologetically, and went to let it in. The owl flew through the window, and landed on the table. Remus untied the scroll, and gave the owl a biscuit.

Lupin unrolled the letter, and read. He knitted his eyebrows in concentration. "Oh good God," he whispered, before letting the message fall to the table, leaving the room.

Snape, of course, lost no time in reading the message himself.

Moony,

Some friends of mine will deliver Philomena to you tomorrow evening. She is a well-mannered, quiet little thing, and far wiser than a normal twelve-year-old. Like I said, I believe she takes after you. Who she takes after in looks, I have no idea. She reminds me of no one I have ever known, except for her mouth, which is yours.

I have educated her at home, for, as you know, she does not exist legally and therefore could never go to a normal school. I have taught her all I know. She does have magic, and you will have to guide her with that, for, as you know, I have not the gift.

And, Remus, I am cutting off the bond once more. Rest assured, however, that with Philomena it will be firmly in place, and if I get so much as a hint of discomfort, you will not be happy. By the time you read this, I will already be out of the country. You know me, get in, get on with it, get it over with, and get out.

Of course, there is one thing I haven't told you. You remember when you first realized what was going on, and you were so frightened? And I told you the statistics? Nearly one hundred percent certainty that the child inherits the Curse? You've always been the different one, Remus J Lupin, always.

Tread safely, my heart,

Grizz

Snape frowned, and got up to find Lupin. He was in the next room, staring unseeingly into the fire. Snape wondered whether he had been crying. Snape watched him for a few minutes. Remus simply sat there, staring, as though he had been hit over the head with a broomstick.

"I don't understand," said Snape at last. "From what I understood, he implied the girl was not a Werewolf. Most would consider that news for rejoicing, but you look as though someone had died."

"I... I don't know, Severus," Remus answered finally. "I don't know what to do. I don't know her; I've never met her. I have nothing at all in common with her. I don't know who she is. I... I can't do this."

"You said so yourself, Lupin," said Snape, "that you must do this. The child will be scared and confused when she arrives, that is certain. After all, the only ... father she has ever known has just left her life. She knows no more about you, than you do about her. Whatever you tell her, she will probably accept. Treat her kindly, and the rest will take care of itself."

Remus wondered whether Snape realized the irony involved when he talked about treating people kindly.

"How am I going to explain it?" asked Remus softly, "so that she understands? So that... so that the Order doesn't ask? So that Albus doesn't get to the bottom of it? So that I'm not dragged before the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?"

Snape pondered for a minute. "What we need," he said abruptly, "is a red herring, and a rather large one, too. We'll put up so much smoke and mirrors, they'll never know where to look."

Remus blinked. "A red herring?" he repeated. "Just what do you have in mind?"

Snape hesitated. "You will have to trust me," he said, "and frankly, I don't know why I'm even doing this."

Remus nodded. "I trust you," he said, thinking of all the times Severus could have poisoned him for revenge. "I have for a very long time."

Snape allowed a slow smile to spread across his face. "We will simply have to let them believe," he said silkily, "that she's related to the wrong Order member."

Remus was stunned. Was Snape really offering to pretend to be related his daughter? His confusion must have shown, because Snape chuckled.

"Merlin," he said, gleefully rubbing his hands together, "this will be my masterpiece. I will deceive everyone at once! Albus, the Order, everyone. It will require quite a bit of acting, and a lot of finesse."

Remus stared at the man. To be sure, he knew that Snape had been treated unfairly by his fellow Order members. They had always had a lingering distrust of him, blamed him for nearly all failures, and sometimes deliberately didn't tell him vital information. Even Albus had always taken Snape for granted. He never asked Snape his opinion before sending him on a mission, and hadn't even bothered to thank him.

What Remus hadn't realized, until now, was just how personally Snape took this. Most people would scoff at the thought of Snape taking anything personally. Snape didn't allow anybody to see that anything affected him. True, he made a great show of anger, when he wanted to, but he would never admit to hurt.

Snape had built his façade, masking all emotions with indifference, scorn, or anger. It only stood to reason that he would welcome an opportunity to get revenge on all these people, assured that they would never know.

"Are you saying you'll pretend to - " started Remus.

"I have it," crowed Snape, glowing with the same eagerness he displayed when discovering a new apothecary, or when coming close to the final stage of some volatile potion. "You tell them she is your daughter, and simply refuse to give any details."

"Are you mad?" protested Remus. "That wouldn't get us anywhere!"

"On the contrary, Lupin," said Snape silkily. "It will get us everywhere. Think like a Slytherin, for once. Picture it. An ally of yours suddenly has a child they claim is their daughter, but refuses to tell you anything about her mother's whereabouts, or how the child came into their care. What do you think?"

Remus considered it. "I would think," he said at last, "that they had something to hide."

Snape smirked and waited for him to continue.

"And I DO have something to hide," Remus burst out in confusion. "We would be hiding behind a banner saying, 'don't look here.' Very clever."

"You haven't seen it yet," Snape went on smoothly. "Think. Your ally has a child, in a time of war, which obviously cannot be his own. What do you suspect?"

Slowly, Remus answered. "That he was covering up for somebody else. That the child was in danger, or would put its parents in danger."

"Exactly," said Severus, "the last thing you would think would be that the man, who is so obviously pretending, is exactly what he is pretending to be. Now, take it a step further. What would you think if another ally took the greatest pains to disassociate himself from the child, but occasionally... let slip that he cared for it?"

Comprehension dawned, at last. "They'd think she was yours! They wouldn't know, but they would suspect she was yours! They'd spend all their time trying to prove it, trying to connect the two of you. I suspect Albus will even force the two of you to spend time together!"

Severus nodded. "My plan exactly. They will be so busy looking for treachery, that they won't be able to believe the simple truth under their noses."

"As though," scoffed Remus, "the truth were ever simple."

Another silence fell. Remus began to feel uncomfortably as though he was missing something. He looked at Severus, who was watching him with a rather expectant look on his face. Lupin drew his eyebrows together in thought, trying to determine what was behind it, what part of the puzzle he wasn't seeing. Severus began his slow smile again, and Remus understood.

"You are willing to do all this for me, and for the girl. What is it that you want in return?"

Snape grinned. "I knew you'd see that," he said. "After all, I am a Slytherin, and I must have an ulterior motive."

Remus stared the man into the eye. "All right," he said, "what are your terms?"

Snape continued to grin. It was unnerving, as Remus couldn't recall having seen the man grin for some time. It looked oddly predatory, and Remus didn't like it at all.

"I don't think," he said, in a terribly calm, cool voice, "that you have anything I want."

Remus' face fell. "You've spent all this time dangling a chance at safety in front of my nose only to tell me I couldn't afford it. How very Slytherin of you. I should have known you could never forgive me."

Snape shook his head. "No, Lupin," he said softly, "I'm not going to leave such a golden opportunity."

"Then tell me," begged Remus desperately. "Tell me what it is you want!"

"Your word as a Wizard," demanded Snape, "that at any time in the future, when I am in need of a favor, that is in your power to give, you grant it to me."

"In effect," said Remus, "carte blanche for a future favor to repay this one?"

"Yes," confirmed Severus, "exactly."

Remus thought about it for a moment. He was sure Snape had made that offer with some particular favor in mind, and he didn't like the idea. Still, he knew he was no good as a liar on his own. Without Snape, people would ask uncomfortable questions, questions that could prove deadly to him.

He dropped his eyes to the floor. "I accept."