Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. I used to. I sold them. To that bitch, J.K. Rowling. I'm making no profit of it, you know.
Chapter Four
Percy Weasley showed Draco to the bathroom on the second floor; Draco sneered down at the cracked linoleum tile and dusty mirror.
"Is there any hot water?" Draco snarled. Percy threw him a towel and flicked his wand at the tub, water poured out of the faucet, steam rising from the liquid.
"See you later," said Percy.
"Is the tub even clean?" Draco called back. "What if I get diseases!"
Percy closed the bedroom door and changed into his work clothes, fluffing his hair with his fingers and grabbing a suitcase full of his documents. On his way toward the stairs, he paused outside the bathroom and listened—he could hear the light splash of the tub water, presumably Draco lowering his body into the tub. Percy received a fleeting image of Draco naked—his tone legs blushing with the heat of the water, his strong back glistening. He shook the image from his head and continued downstairs.
"Bye," he said, but the room was empty. "Fine then," he muttered, and apparated out of the house.
---
Draco Malfoy splashed hot water in his face and hair, rubbing his head hard to rid it of hair gel. The tub wasn't dirty, but it certainly wasn't what was used to at the Malfoy Manor. The thought of home tore at Draco's heart and a tear escaped from his crystal-gray eyes. The thought of his father suffering in Azkaban, just for following a different path and leader than these goody crackpots he was housing with. And his beautiful mother, all alone now with no idea of where he only son was.
He leaned back and settled into the water, tears streaming down his face.
There was a knock on the door.
"Draco?" Snape said through the door. Draco sat up in the tub, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Can't I have one bit of privacy?" Draco said to himself. "Come in!" he called, pulling the curtain over. He heard the door open and saw Snape's silhouette through the thin fabric of the curtain.
"My apologies," his Professor said, "But I do have to use the facilities."
Draco scrubbed his body with soap, trying to distract himself from the strangeness of Professor Snape urinating only two feet away from him.
---
When the doorbell rang, Remus was in the cluttered basement, pulling his pants back on. Just minutes ago, right after breakfast, he and Severus had kissed for the first time since they were 16. He felt his heart flutter at the thought. On pulling their lips apart, both of them already breathless and heated, Severus had taken Remus's face in his hands and looked him in the eyes, Severus's so darkly filled with passion.
"I have to have you, Remus," he had whispered. "Now."
"Yes," Remus said, gently removing Severus's hands. "But not here."
"Percy is going to work," breathes Severus in Remus's ear. His hands moved down Remus's side, warm against the thin cotton of his pajamas. "And Draco is taking a bath. He'll be in their for ages."
Remus considered this. They probably did have time, and the way Severus was looking at him with such longing only heightened Remus's arousal.
"Okay," he said. "I think there's a basement."
He took Severus by the hand, Severus gripping it in a way that made Remus smile, and opened a door in the living room that did, in fact, lead to a very dark, dark crowded basement.
"Where's the light?" Remus said, fumbling around at the top of the basement stairs.
"No time," hissed Severus, nudging Remus in the back. They hurried down the stairs and fell with each other to the floor, their bodies pressed together, Remus's arms around Severus's neck, his lips and tongue hungrily massaging Remus's. Severus put his hand under the loose waistband of Remus's pajama pants and Remus felt the cool touch of his soft, plump fingers grazing his erection. He groaned softly and tightened his grip on Severus's hair as his lover pulled the pants off and began to move his hand more aggressively up and down Remus's shaft.
There was a sudden movement upstairs and the pair froze.
"Bye," they heard Percy say. Remus pushed Severus off and scrambled to his feet, listened. After a moment of hearing nothing but silence, Remus let out a sigh of relief.
"I think he's gone," Remus said, looking down at Severus. Severus stood up and cleared his throat.
"I have to…go upstairs for a moment. If you could wait here…" But both of their eyes had traveled down to Remus's manhood, which rested limply beside his left leg, and looked back up at each other. "Nevermind." And Severus trotted back upstairs.
---
Severus was in the midst of urinating when the doorbell rang, and his heart nearly stopped. He heard Draco splash I the bathtub, his silhouette jumping in surprise, and he moved the curtain aside and peered up at Snape, his face white with fear. Severus zipped up and raised a finger to silence Draco.
"You stay here," he said in a low voice. "Don't. Move."
Severus ran downstairs, meeting a worry-stricken Remus in the foyer. Severus raised his wand at the door and Remus stepped forward.
"Who is it?" he said.
"Pro…Professor Lupin?" a young man's voice said quizzically from the other side.
"Harry Potter?" Remus said. He started to unfasten the lock but Severus rushed forward, grabbing Remus's hand.
"That's exactly what a Death Eater wants you to think," he snarled. "Ask him a question."
"Right," said Remus. Severus watched Remus crinkle his brow for a moment.
"All right," he said. "What did I give to you third year when I trained you against the Dementors?"
"Chocolate," Harry answered immediately. "Can I come in now?"
"Wait!" a young female said. "Ask him a question, too."
"Hermione," Remus asked.
"All right," Harry said, "What is the name of the map that you and Sirius and my father made when you were at Hogwarts?"
Remus sighed. "I certainly never used that map Harry, but it's called the Marauder's Map."
Severus nodded, his wand still at the ready, and Remus opened the door. In front of them stood Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
"Remus!" Harry said, rushing inside. "What's going on?" That's when Harry turned his head toward Severus and rage filled his eyes, his hands reaching immediately for his own wand.
"No need, Potter," Severus said, lowering his wand, "just making sure you weren't a Death Eater."
"Me!" Harry yelled. "You're the Death Eater! You're the one who--!"
Remus closed the front door, locked it, and stepped between the two wizards.
"This is pointless." He turned a sympathetic eye toward Harry. "Everything will be explained to you, Harry, I promise." Harry slowly lowered his wand, his eyes locked on Snape.
"Fine," he said, his voice low and torn with anger. "Then you'd better start explaining, right now."