Warnings and disclaimers are all listed in the first chapter but it doesn't hurt to remind you all that this is a slash fic, where I'm making use of characters that do not belong to me and with whom I make no money whatsoever. They will be involved in activities such as multiple partner sex, a modicum of BDSM, mention of psychological torture and suffering plus a less than stable mind in some cases. I do not follow JK Rowling's storyline because I stopped worshiping her once she killed Severus so those of you who are cannon freaks be very afraid of my AU and slightly OOC story.

I would also like to remind you all that you're not obligated to read this, so if you don't like any of the stuff mentioned above, don't read it. Yes, the stuff I write is nasty but the only difference between you and me is that I admit to my thoughts and write them down. No hard feelings.

For my lovely readers who have reviewed me (or not), thank you for your support and I'm sorry it took so long for this to be posted. I know it's short but don't be discouraged, the next chapter is almost finished and shall be posted soon. Thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoy!

Stalling… or, setting things right

Severus stood in front of the bathroom mirror despite all the pain looking at it brought to him and stared at his neck in amazement. The collar around it befit him like he was born to wear it and, in his mind, in many ways he had been born to wear it. Thinking back on his previous master he felt immensely lucky that not only had he been claimed one more time, but this time it was by a decent wizard. Somebody who had no hidden agenda, no megalomaniac plans to rule the world and kill half its population, somebody who had promised not to abuse him. His hands shook and he tore his eyes away from the reflection before they could wander up to his face, he was too glad to let the sight ruin his day. He sat on the toilet lid and spread his legs to examine between his legs, he pulled the rune from between them and immediately felt overwhelmed by hunger. Glancing up to check that Remus was still sleeping in the bedroom Severus lowered the glamour spell over jewel and revealed an appetite suppressant rune instead of the protection rune it appeared to be. Working fast he renewed the maintenance spell on it and carefully placed it back behind his sac, placing the glamour back in place, the hunger subsided and he sighed relieved.

From the age six, when his father had first made him swallow his come right after he'd abused his mother in front of him, Severus had developed a growing aversion for food. After his first case of malnutrition followed by a severe beating and a prolonged stay at the hospital, which then led to his mother's death, Severus had looked for alternative ways of disguising his lack of interest for food, together with the impairing effects not eating had on the body. Decades of study had led him to this particular rune which, coupled with a few of his best nutrient potions kept him alive and well for years, before he collapsed and was forced to eat something. Funny enough, most of the potions he'd developed for his personal use tended to look clear and viscous always reminding him of his father's bitter seed.

Thinking back he knew that many of his queerer habits had developed from that time, such as his liking of women's underwear, his father had made him dress in some of his late mother's pieces and that was the only time when he'd get a modicum of appreciation from him. Ultimately he knew that his need for a master, for somebody to guide him had come from that time as well, back then it had been so much easier to let everything go and put the responsibility on his father's back. The years Severus had spent as Voldemort's slave had been horrible, but the thought of being owned, even by a psycho such as him, had been a respite when faced with the bitterness around his life.

After all that, being without a master for so long had been torture to him. Now, the mere thought of being owned by Remus, a wizard he had secretly desired for a long time, was enough to make him forget caution and in his haste to start running a bath turn around facing the full length of the mirror. The image of himself, of his scrawny body and his gaunt face caused him to gasp. When shaving, he usually avoided looking at the whole reflexion, choosing to focus on small parts instead, for years never facing the reality of his utter ugliness. Now it was like a cold water bucket had fallen over his head and he stood there, frozen, his eyes staring in revulsion at his hollow stomach, his yellowed skin, his protruding bones. Severus sobbed,

Looking away he decided the bath water was ready, last night's activities had left him tired and pleasantly aching but behind it all he could still smell piss on his skin, even if it was faint. The water was divine and the relaxing potion he'd diluted on it was working miracles on his stiff and swollen neck. He took great care not to wet his left arm, holding it outside the tub rim to clean the wound and redress the bandage after he was done with the rest of his body.

He clenched his butt a bit and moaned, still feeling the butt plug Remus had pressed there after… after claiming him. He did not remove it. Remus had not given him specific orders about it and he didn't want to displease the man so soon in the game. Rinsing his hair one handed took longer than he expected but with a bit of magic he managed to leave the bathtub and dry himself with no mishaps. Changing the bandages was a different matter entirely, since there was a limit to how much healing magic one could direct at their own wound he was struggling to clean the bite one handed when Remus entered the room, yawning and blinking sleepily, saving him from the embarrassing predicament. With bed hair and still a bit groggy from sleep he looked positively endearing to Severus who hid a smile.

"What are you doing?" he asked, blinking a few more times and focusing on Severus, "Merlin Severus, couldn't you just have asked for help?" He muttered and wordlessly aciod his wand from the bedroom. He had the wound dressed in no time, but the string of complaints didn't stop once he was finished.

Severus was weary at first, thinking maybe he'd done something to displease his new Master, but after a moments observation he noticed telltale signs of a chronicle case of morning grouchiness. "Who'd have thought" he mused out loud, "That the cheery werewolf was not much of a morning person?"

Remus stopped abusing the toothpaste tube and glared at the amused man, "Shut up pet, get dressed and go fetch me some coffee"

Severus smiled at the lack of sting in the sleep roughed voice, "Yes Master" he turned to leave the toilet but stopped when the other man reached for him. His hand shot unerringly between Severus' arsecheeks and prodded around until it got hold of the plug, pulling it out without warning and causing Severus to moan low in his throat and spread his legs hopefully. "Slut" Remus muttered, aiming a spell to clean his insides, but doing nothing further but give him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Morning breath" he lifted the toothpaste apologetic.

Severus nodded, needy but not offended at being teased. He went back into the room and found a fresh change of clothes Remus had put on the bed for him. He felt his heart fill with warmth at the caring gesture and fought to hold back a goofy smile he knew didn't become him. Once dressed, he went to the kitchen to prepare Remus some much needed coffee, leaving the rest to the castle's house elves. Nursing a cup of tea in his hands he tried not to think of the upcoming stages necessary to complete the Rites, he hoped Remus would show as much level headedness as he expected of him, but examining the odds, Severus decided not to complain, after all what were his chances of being claimed again by a wizard as decent as Remus?

"Woolgathering pet?" Remus lifted an eyebrow and made a beeline for the coffee pot, pouring a generous amount in a large mug and gulping it down black and bitter. It was Severus' turn to lift an eyebrow, "Not a very British habit is it?" he teased and watched closely as the minutes went by and the caffeine started taking effect on Remus' body, his expression relaxing, hands loosening their strong grip on the mug.

"Blame it on werewolf metabolism" he said, "And this magical coffee the blasted elves supply all over the school"

Severus nodded, he was well acquainted with the elves' "improvements", especially on the enhancement of food properties they thought beneficial. The Hogwarts brand of magical coffee was well known all over Britain as one of the strongest and purest coffees around. "Wait until they hear about the benefits of decaf" He said, thinking about something he'd heard from a muggle-born student once.

"Merlin forbid!" Remus exclaimed horrified, winking at Severus. He looked much more relaxed now and started looking around for the food tray the elves had left, finding a plate and filling it with much more food than Severus thought he ate per month. "Werewolf metabolism" Remus explained once he saw his disapproving look.

"Indeed" he muttered, deciding to forego breakfast altogether, Remus could eat for the both of them for all he cared, he'd just had a vitamin potion the day before yesterday anyhow.

"Not hungry?" Remus lifted a piece of toast in offer.

"I've already eaten" he lied and turned around to avoid being caught gagging. He had no problem lying to people, but he soon found out that lying to Lupin filled him with regret and guilt and it had nothing to do with the Rites either, he was sure and speaking of the Rites, "Actually, I was thinking about the Consummation Circle…"

Remus lowered his piece of toast and nodded, "Yes, I thought you might want to talk about it as soon as possible"

"I… talk?" he blinked, confused.

"Sure, we have to decide on the seven people after all" Remus shrugged and picked his toast up again.

Severus was taken aback for a while then he said, "You're going to… discuss these things with me?" he sounded scandalized.

"Unless you'd rather not…?" The werewolf took a tentative bite of his toast and raised his eyes to better observe Severus reaction, he had not expected this.

"No I…" Severus cleared his throat, "Of course I'd rather talk about it! I'd just assumed you'd take all the decisions"

"I will if you don't want to participate, but I'd rather you be comfortable with every choice. I am your master Severus, not a sadistic torturer"

"What a coincidence, my previous master was a sadistic torturer" he muttered quietly.

Remus put his toast down again and took on a commanding voice, "I told you I would not tolerate comparisons. I understand you need to adapt to new rules and new orders, but I will not hear you call that man your master again, do you hear me? I am your Master now, the only one you'll ever have!" Remus said, not angrily but with such seriousness Severus felt humbled and warmed by his words at the same time.

"Yes Master, I'm sorry"

Golden eyes observed Severus' for a long time, assessing the situation. "Come here pet", he said finally, patting his lap indicating Severus should sit there. The tall wizard stood and lowered himself gingerly over Remus' legs, amazed for a moment when the kitchen chair didn't give under their weight.

Remus reached forward and pulled Severus' head down, claiming his lips on a bruising kiss. His tongue probed and demanded entrance into his pet's pliant mouth at the same time as he flicked his wand arm and spelled Severus free of his clothing still letting the wounded arm be, resting on its sling as it'd been before.

Holding onto Severus' right wrist he started licking the tattooed arm, closely admiring how the wild roses shivered magically under an imaginary wind. "Tell me about this" he ordered, between licks, indicating to Severus that he wanted to know about how the tattoo had come to be.

Severus moaned low on his throat and rubbed his naked body against Remus' scruffy clothes, "I… it was after the Dark Lor… after Voldemort" He corrected under Remus' stern look, "fell. The mark had burnt itself away with him and I thought… I wanted to be marked with something… nice… something… not dark and gruesome" He sighed in pleasure as Remus started licking the little nook in the junction between his forearm and elbow, the soft skin sensitive there. He tried again, "I know roses are supposed to be feminine… but… it was hard to find a pattern that didn't… that didn't bring me any bad memories or feelings when I looked at it…"

Remus nodded and kept to his exploration, until he reached the end of the design at Severus' right shoulder. "What about the jewelry?"

"I… did them myself… I needed the pain, when it became too much, the need to… would overwhelm me and I… I didn't want to do anything drastic like start cutting myself so… Albus suggested it. He gave me that idea and introduced me to a BM-wizard, after he taught me the basics, I bought a needle and did the rest myself…"

"And how do you manage it now?" Remus asked.

"Manage what?"

"The need for pain"

"Oh… I don't… I…" Severus couldn't answer this. He knew that if he wanted this to work he'd have to tell Remus about his eating disorder, but he was just too ashamed of it to bring it up so soon. "Master… please, I can't, not now" he decided that pleading was better than lying and was relieved to see that Remus didn't push it, for now.

"I want you to remove the one in your ear" He said instead, "Leave the rest"

Severus felt a pang at that, to be denied something so simple as an earring, but at the same time he knew he was being tested; tested to trust Remus with his care and he knew that a small gesture like this spoke volumes, so he obeyed, leaving the discarded jewel on the table under Remus' indication.

"Now, come sit with me in the living room and help me think who should be our first choice…" He said, spelling Severus clothes back on in the process.

"Well, in fact… I mean…" Severus rubbed the back of his neck, touching his claiming mark self-consciously, "I have someone I'd like to be part of the Consummation Circle"

"And who might that be?" Remus asked curiously pleased at Severus forwardness. He sat down on one of the large chaise longs in the living room and indicated that the other man should sit beside him. Making Severus recline against the cushions he pulled his bare feet up and started rubbing them gently.

"The Headmaster" He answered quietly and tried in vain to hold back a moan at the delicious contact with his feet.

Remus said nothing for a while; he just nodded at Severus request, seeming to think about it. "I had thought you might want that" he said after a while and Severus flushed, looking down as if ashamed, "Don't worry pet, I understand your admiration for Albus and I know how much you'd like to please him…"

"Master… I… feel nothing for…"

Remus smiled and touched Severus ankles, rubbing his hands against them in soothing motions, "Relax Severus, this is part of the ritual, you don't have to be afraid I'll become suspicious every time you give a suggestion about the Consummation, there are six wizards to pick yet…"

"Six?" Severus lifted his head from the cushions to observe Remus' strong hands on his legs.

"Yes well, I agree with you. Not choosing Albus for this would be stupid, not to mention he always liked to keep some of the most obscure wizard traditions."

Severus nodded, "Yes. I discussed it with him once, when… when I came to my senses about… the Dark I mean, about Voldemort. He was saddened that dark wizards would use tradition to bind their followers and sully it with their bad intent."

Remus rode Severus' robes up to his hips in a sudden motion, revealing a semi-hard cock trapped under white silk knickers, "Then it's settled, I'll fire-call Albus this afternoon and schedule a meeting" he said, pulling Severus legs up to his shoulders and holding the knickers away from the still loosened arsehole. "I am going to fuck you raw now" he said, freeing his own hard cock from inside his trousers. "I want you to lift your hands above your head, away from your body, you're not allowed to touch any part of yourself under any circumstances. You will focus on my pleasure and my pleasure only. You will not come"

His stern rough voice resounded inside Severus' head and he nodded, lifting his hands up and holding onto the chaise for dear life as Remus forced his cock inside of him, his body lowering over his and pushing Severus legs up to his chest, the knees almost touching the shoulders. They both grunted and Remus started pounding away, ordering Severus to clench his arse this way and that.

Remus was not aiming for his pleasure, he knew that but the other man couldn't help touching his prostate now and then, making Severus cock grow completely hard inside the constricting lingerie. His hands shook with the effort of holding into the chaise and not roaming down his body to pump fiercely at his needy cock.

At last Remus gave a final snap of his hips and started coming inside of Severus, causing him to lose his control and bring his hands down, desperately. They never reached his cock though, since Remus growled and held them back in place brutally. "Stay pet" he ordered again, his voice betraying anger and disappointment at Severus lack of control.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes more, Remus' bulky body crashing Severus down on the chaise, until the werewolf pulled his flagging cock out of his arse with a slick pop. Spelling it clean he closed his pants and looked into Severus eyes, saying nothing until the other man broke down crying and begging, "I'm sorry Master, please, please punish me!"

Remus grabbed his wand from his trouser pocket and spelled a ball gag in Severus mouth, shutting him up immediately. Standing up he pulled Severus by the hair, dragging him from the chaise and shoving him down on the floor, kneeling. "You shame me Severus, what is this mockery of obedience? Do you think I'll fire-call Albus now, after I've seen how undisciplined you've become?" He spoke in low dangerous tones, circling Severus like a preying wolf circled a scared rabbit. "I think it's time you remembered how to behave but don't worry I'll help you remember" That said, he banished Severus robes and conjured an arm cuff and bound his good arm stretched painfully behind his back, completely unable to move in that position. Looking down he noticed Severus cock still trapped inside the white knickers, but did nothing about it. "Stay" he said, "and don't move until I come back for you. I'll give you some time, a few hours maybe, to think about if you really want to behave properly from now on, or not"

Remus left Severus kneeling on the carpet, full of objects around him to rub his cock against, and a free, if hurt hand, but he knew that that was the appeal of it all. That was his true test of restraint. Severus' attempt at lowering his hands had been nothing, but this, this was trying, this would show him if he was willing to go to the end with the Ritual, to commit himself to Remus fully, completely. He decided to wait until the evening to go back to the room but during that time he started writing the list of names of those wizards that might accept the invitation to enter the Animal Rites as their Consummation Circle.

Truth be told, Remus had had to think twice that night before offering Severus place the collar around his neck. For him, as a werewolf at least, the claiming he'd done before had been enough to ensure Severus' was his, but the other man had needed more, he'd needed to be stripped of everything that made him a wizard before society, that's what the Rites consisted of. In the past, when social rules had been stricter, they were usually a way to ensure a rich and pureblooded wizard could bond with a lower level wizard, a half-blood or even a magical creature, dark or otherwise, without both of them losing their acceptance (as little as that word might apply to some of the people involved) in society.

The wizard with the better standing would create a magical sign of obedience for the other, usually a collar that would after become the legal sign for such unions. The Supplicant, as they were usually called, became then little more than a pet, not even a familiar (thus the name Animal Rites) and was stripped from all their rights (had they had any before the bond) and depended solely on the Giver's will. Most of the time though, due to the nature of the bond, the lower party would be abused and explored as a legalized slave and as time went by the Ministry started to impose restrictions on the nature of the Rites that lowered their abusive appeal so much that soon pure blooded wizards forgot all about them and chose other, subtler forms of abusing their peers.

Remus and Severus had entered the modern Rites though and to make everything legal and recognized by the Ministry they had to comply with some of the stipulations they'd set up so long ago. First and foremost, seven male wizards had to be witnesses and to some degree, participants on the first stage of the Rites, which meant that both, the Supplicant and the Giver were expected to share their intended relationship with all third parties. The good side was that apart from being male, there were no restrictions on the wizards to be called for the Consummation Circle. This was probably how Voldemort got his idea for a Death Eater inner and outer circle, he'd bond his followers with differing degrees of Animal Rites, forming a web that in the end was so deeply involved with the others, they had no way to escape, either the Rites, or their obligations as Consummators.

Remus sighed, jotting down the last name he'd thought about and bringing the list with him to discuss with Severus, once the man was able to discuss matters that is, since right now he was a sobbing racket practically lying on the living room carpet. Severus' knees had probably given out long ago and he lay stretched on the floor, his shoulders shaking with sobs and the effort not to rub himself raw against the rough carpet threads. So lost was he in his despair, he barely noticed when Remus entered the room. The werewolf sat on the chaise again and spoke to Severus in low tones, "Stand up pet"

Severus startled and, still crying, struggled to stand up without the helping balance of his hands. Once on his feet he listened to Remus' next order, "You have behaved well, I hope this little reminder has helped you to reacquaint yourself with your place"

Severus nodded vigorously anxious not to anger Remus again.

"I will let you come now, but you'll have to do it without touching your cock. I will lend you my mouth. You're allowed to thrust against it until you come" that said, Remus reached for Severus' franticly thrusting hips and removed the sodden underwear carefully, delighting in the pained cries coming out of his pet's gagged mouth.

He adjusted himself on the sofa, so Severus would be able to access his mouth without much acrobatics, and opened it, waiting for his pet to make use of him. In a moment Severus was thrusting his cock against Remus' relaxed mouth, his hips snapping faster than Remus' thought possible and his frustrated sounds at the lack of sucking on Remus part filling the room, until finally, finally, Severus gave his load up, more out of exhaustion than of pleasure, and slid to the floor, chest heaving, eyes still wet with tears.

Remus smiled at the beautiful image he made there, on the floor, crying and broken, humiliated and still, somehow so dignified in his pain and punishment his demeanor seemed to scream for more. He pulled the lax body up removing the gag and proceeding to make Severus swallow his own seed through Remus' lips. The man obeyed, moaning in a mix of pleasure and shame, too good to be true. Remus pulled him up flush against his body and releasing his swollen reddened lips murmured into the sweaty neck, "Are you ready to submit to me now pet?"

"Yes master" he answered, his voice rough. "I need to".

"Good. Having a werewolf master is hard Severus, there's a reason deeper than social standing for the Rites to traditionally hold Dark Creatures as the Supplicants"

"I… I know master" Severus buried his face against Remus neck to hide his tears.

"We get drunk on power very easily, very easily indeed… I, I don't want anything bad to happen to you, I want you to tell me if… if someday I become abusive" Remus pulled his chin up and made a point of looking straight at the black pair of eyes, "You will tell me Severus, I won't have you suffering more than you need to with this and that is an order"

In that moment, despite all the pain and humiliation that filled his afternoon, Severus was reminded of the hurt and despair in Remus' eyes the night after the shackle incident and was faced with the reality that Remus also fought against an inner violence, something he'd be hard pressed to get rid of, instead of cherishing it and turning it against himself like Severus had always done. In that moment he truly understood the sacrifice Remus had made, entering the Rites with him and giving in to his inner beast to an extend he had not until that moment in his life. "Thank you master" he said, not aware that Remus couldn't have known exactly what he was thanking him for.

Remus only nodded, and pulled the other man closer to him, caressing his sweaty body, loosening the cuffs on his arms and rubbing blood back into them.

"A… about the Circle…" Severus started, but Remus shut him up with a gentle kiss over bruised lips, "It's fine pet, we have enough to think about as it is, let's talk about it tomorrow"

For once Severus agreed wholeheartedly and decided to enjoy the caring hands roaming over his skin, soothing his pains and fears, his inner turmoil calmed down for the day he let himself be lulled to sleep in his master's powerful arms.