Remus was a whirlwind of activity. He had been given a lot of duties that involved doing the preparation work for other groups, and he found himself thanking Albus, knowing that he would never have been able to teach or be a diplomat in his current state of mind. Instead, Remus was only limited by his own abilities. Potion supplies were harvested and prepared as fast as quality would allow. Wards were created, research made, equipment gathered faster than anyone could believe. He didn't stop for lunch and only reluctantly accepted a sandwich from an insistent house elf in passing. He drove his assistants into the ground and finally Albus had to approach him to get him to stop. But the list which was supposed to be his duties for a week was halfway done. Remus staggered back into Severus' room and fell onto the bed. The next day, he began early again and while some of the activities left on his list just couldn't be rushed, by the time night fell, he had again done a stunning amount of work. He left the list on Albus' desk and raised an eyebrow at Albus, daring him to assign him something else. Albus looked up and sighed.

"Remus, I thank you for completing your list. We needed those supplies and now the teams will be well prepared."

"To be ineffectual."

"Remus, there is more at work here than your desire to find Severus. Voldemort's network is very large and we must attack it at all points."

"Albus, I am not Fudge. You do not need to speak to me as if I were two."

"Then please treat me as if I were not two as well Remus. It must be obvious to you that there are reasons why you cannot go out on any of the searches."

"Please Albus, tell me why."

Albus remained silent and Remus tried his last means of persuading him. For a moment, the pain and terror that he'd been feeling since Severus had disappeared showed in his eyes. Albus flinched and turned aside.

"Tell me Albus."

Albus' shoulders slumped, but his voice was still firm. "I can't tell you, but you are welcome to watch."

Remus looked and saw a small pensieve sitting almost out of sight on the edge of the desk. Then within two steps he was into the pensieve.

Images bombarded him. Meeting after meeting, rescue after rescue, Severues drinking tea, Severus administering potions, Severus limping back to the school. So many images of Severus doing his work as a spy. Remus instantly recognized this as one of the pensieves that Albus made to prove the innocence of the order operatives should the ministry capture them. Remus felt like screaming at the number of times he saw Severus in so much pain from his spying. There were so many injuries that he had never known of, so much pain and so much loyalty. Remus was crying when the pensieve suddenly threw a memory at him that remained for more than a second.

"… something that I would like for you to do. If something were to happen to me, you must promise me that you will look after Lupin. To not allow him to throw away his life on Voldemort."

The words echoed in Remus' mind as he tore himself back to reality. He turned to find Albus, but the room was empty. Remus screamed anyway.

"That's not a reason to do this to me. Albus! Albus!"

Remus ranted for a while longer, making an absolute mess of the room. When his rage finally calmed down, he was impressed at the extent of the damage, but not ashamed of it. He left and stormed down to Severus' rooms, taking the pensieve with him. Any memory of Severus was his. And if Albus wanted to assign him any more menial mess, he could come and get him.

Remus stormed down to the rooms and threw himself into one of the chairs, which creaked alarmingly, but held his weight. Then he plaunged back into the pensieve, not caring that the memories were sad, needing to hear Severus' voice again.

When Remus tumbled out again, he was starving and needed to go to the bathroom in the worst way. There was another tray of food beside him and once he had taken care of the other need returned. The food was good, but cold, obviously having sat for some time while he was busy. A quick warming spell took care of the coldness, but the food still went down like lead. Remus ate enough to keep himself going, then gave up.

He had intended to go back to the pensieve after he ate, but found himself to restless. So he roamed the rooms, looking for something to distract himself. The collections of potions in the lab distracted him with their colors and Remus found himself perusing them, trying to remember what each of them did. There were hundreds of different potions and Remus couldn't identify more than half of them. But the amount of skill and power that was sitting in bottles on the wall, waiting to be used, was awe inspiring.

When Remus stumbled back into the room, he still wasn't calm enough to use the pensieve. Instead, he found himself drawn to the desk. He immediately sorted through the papers, returning research and journals to their proper places, putting personal correspondence in a basket, and correcting student work. According to the candles, he had been at it for quite some time when he finally finished, but he felt like he had accomplished something for Severus by the time he finished. The only remaining paper on the desk was Severus' letter and Remus at last turned his tired eyes on it.

So I went to the Shrieking Shack and had my first real experience with fear. Thank you for that, because knowing what fear truly was taught me how to overcome it when I needed to later. So I had my fear, my injuries and the humiliation of having to be saved by one of the people who had tormented me so much. For all of that I would have hated Sirius. But what I truly hated him for was showing me how much more important he was to you than me.

"What?" Remus' shriek was loud and it echoed, scaring the house elf who had just brought him another meal. The elf immediately began to apologize and berate himself. Remus had to stop what he was doing and comfort the elf. It took some time before he could return to the letter, but when he did, he was only slightly calmer.

You followed the decree that punished me and saved him. And how much I hated him for showing me that. Because it killed any hope that I had for you feeling what I felt for you. I truly was worthless at that point, and when I succumbed to the peer pressure for Voldemort I took that feeling with me.

Remus again dropped the letter and ran into the bathrrom, kneeling before the toilet. This time when he finished, he didn't pass out. He had always known that what had happened sixth year had driven Severus into Voldemort's arms. Knowing the true extent of it was not enough to make him dishonor Severus any more. He rinsed his mouth and returned to the letter, still ignoring the food, despite the fact that the scent made his stomach churn unhappily.

But it was that feeling for you that eventually dragged me back out of that darkness as well. Even if Sirius had proved that I wasn't enough for you, I couldn't keep following a man who wanted to treat your kind as pets. So I left and became what I could to help you. Because if I couldn't be worthy of you, I could still protect you. Merlin knows you needed it. Between your condition and the foolish things that Albus kept throwing you into, it was amazing you managed to escape. Albus kept throwing you into situations that would have killed a man with twice Merlin's powers, but you have Salazaar's own luck. Luck can't hold everywhere, so I decided to do what I could to protect you, so that you could survive with your normal abilities. I created the Wolfsbane to deal with the condition, and if you're reading this, I will have convinced Albus about the rest. I have done all I can to allow

{Oh Severus! I love you so much. I'm so glad you followed me away from Voldemort. But why protect me? I should have been the one protecting you!} Remus sat back, his mind racing with confusion. Severus was a brilliant man, widely read in many things other than the potions he worked with as his life-blood. His reading had to have included werewolf physiology and legends in order to create the Wolfsbane. So the fact that Severus felt he needed protecting was incomprehensible.

Werewolves had long been feared. But this fear had not only come from the fact that when they were in wolf form they ate human flesh. No, werewolves were also feared because the virus, in an effort to perpetuate the virus, strengthened the host in physical and, if they weren't muggles, magical ways. A werewolf's magical abilities after being infected made them among the top wizards and witches in power. They were able to do more than anyone for far less effort.

This ability made them prized and feared by those in power. Prized, because if they could be controlled they were powerhouses of potential. Their bodies were factories for potent ingredients that could make potions to do wonders. But they were feared more. They were feared more than they were prized, because they could force others into subjection. They had been captured right after the full moon, killed during the one time they were vulnerable. But among those who knew, they were killed due to their power. But Severus didn't know.

{How could Severus not know? How could he not know? He's had to have read it?}

Remus sat in disbelief. His mind could not process it. He sat back, tilting the chair, and looked around him, searching for an answer, as if an answer would pop out of nowhere. And in a way it did. Severus obviously never tilted his chair, because when Remus did, he jarred the shelf behind him and a fairly substantial tome fell on his head.

Remus swore and rubbed at his head, feeling a lump already rising. He glared at the book before turning to put it back on the shelf. Then he stopped and did a double take and looked at the tome again. {DeMorilian? Why does Severus have a copy of that old fool?} DeMorilian had been a very abundant writer, but he had been more along the lines of Gilderoy Lockhart in that he never actually did any of the research that he wrote about.

{But his writing was so much better than Lockhart's. If Severus didn't know any better, he might have taken DeMorilian for real. And he wasn't so far off… there were only a couple of things that he fantasized… but if Severus took DeMorilian for real, then he might have disregarded anyone else's… the man was a genius, who had managed to produce an effective and brilliant potion knowing less than half of the actual fact of the creature he was dosing. But he couldn't have known any better. The ministry regulates all access to that information, all of them do, and Severus was complaining that he still couldn't get the access he needed. They wouldn't give it to him because he was a former Death Eater… but Albus said that he had found a new source in Romania… where DeMorilian is still gospel.}

Remus began shaking with semi-hysterical laughter at the amazing damage that could have happened. The laughter turned into shaking and Remus grabbed the tea off of the tray of food. It was cold, but the liquid was still soothing. So much so that Remus actually continued eating and drinking, relishing the distraction. Finally he calmed and returned to the letter.

So the final thing that I can do to protect you. I do not do this for you to be obligated to me, or care for me or some other sentimental nonsense like this. I do this because no matter how much Albus vouches for you, it will be hard for you to get work after this war.

{That is true. Prejudice still runs rampant as people fear what they know about me. I cannot expect them to be willing to hire me. But what is he talking about?}

You may or may not know this, but I am the last of the Snapes. As such, what remains of the family assets have fallen to me. I have little use for it except for funding parts of my research that Hogwarts. So it remains pretty much intact. I have named you heir and successor to the Snape family estates and fortune. Unless you desire to live more extravagantly than the Malfoys, it should be enough to provide for you and any offspring you may have.

Much has passed between us, Remus. I have not enjoyed it all, but I have enjoyed knowing you. If I have passed peacefully, then I am much surprised. If my actions have caught up with me, do not feel sorrow for them. I and only I am responsible for my actions.

May Merlin guide your steps.

Severus Snape

{He made me his heir. To an estate that has priceless artifacts. And you know, trite as it sounds, I would give it all to have him back.} Remus sighed and wiped at his eyes. Then he carefully folded the letter and placed it near his heart. He wasn't about to let this scrap of Severus go. Remus then turned to the pensieve. It was getting late, but every memory that he could get of Severus would be his before he rested. Though one thought kept popping in and out of Remus' mind. {Offspring?}

"he's not getting better."

"i know.

"are you sure we're doing the right thing?"

"what do you mean?"

"he was one of them once."

"people make mistakes"

"yes, but his mistakes killed people"

"he's still one of us"

"maybe we should let him go. Just let the pain take him away."

"no. We can't. If we do that, we're no better than they are."

"very well. I'll help you."

"thank you."

The familiar sound of an owl scratching was insistent and it finally penetrated Remus' sleep fogged mind. He woke up grudgingly and looked for the owl. When he realized that he was in Severus' rooms, he woke up more. He had stumbled from the sitting room to the bedroom extremely late the night before and it took him a moment to figure out what was wrong. There were no windows in the chambers. They were in the dungeon. So where was the owl?

Remus groped for his wand and cast a locating spell. He scratched his head when the arrow indicated a painting on the wall, but he obligingly lifted it. There was a hatch covered with wards that allowed him to open it and the owl tumbled through. The owl bore the distinctive tags that marked it as a Gringotts owl and Remus was unsurprised to have a letter and a key tumble out of the mail pouch. He looked around for a treat to give the owl, but the owl had already hopped to the bureau and was pecking at the drawer. Remus opened the drawer and gave the owl some of the pellets in the drawer.

Remus had been expecting the letter and therefore was unsurprised that the thick letter was the official notice of his inheritance. He barely glanced at it before heading out to the sitting room. He went to the bathroom, then dressed in another of Severus' robes. He tucked the thick packet into his pocket, then left. If he couldn't be a part of the official search because of Albus' promise to Severus, then he could search on his own.

The day was extremely frustrating. He had very little leverage on his own, and there were very few places to go where the official team hadn't already been. When he returned to the room he was tired, dirty, and hungry. He took the tray of food to the bathroom, drew a bath, and settled in to read the letter from Gringotts. The letter was extremely dry and it took him quite some time to work his way through it, but the general gist was the same as Severus had told him. He was the heir to the Snape estate and all of the artifacts that went with it.

Remus hauled himself from the bath, perusing the items that were listed specifically, desperately trying to find something that could help find Voldemort. He already knew from interrogating an acquaintance in the Aurors that all of the people taken during the critical night were somehow being shielded from every known locating spell or potion. But there had to be something that they hadn't tried. The list was long and Remus couldn't identify half of the items, but he marked those to look at later and continued.

When the list turned to potions, Remus knew that he was probably over his head and he massaged his temples, which ached. He needed someone who was more knowledgeable about potions than he was, who was trustworthy, and who wouldn't betray him. This pretty much narrowed it down to someone from the order, but who wouldn't be busy? Remus paced, thinking for a moment, then he whirled and left. It was time to find Harry's friend, Hermione.

The tower was a bust, but Remus found Hermione in the second place he looked, the library. Hermione was elbows deep in books at the small table in the restricted section. Remus approached her, careful to make enough noise to warn her he was coming without making enough noise to truly disturb her if she was working on something important. Hermione glanced up for a moment, then waved him to a chair. Remus sat in the chair and waited patiently for a few moments till Hermione finished the page she was reading and closed the book with a sigh.

"Professor Lupin, is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Please Hermione, I keep telling you to call me Remus.

"Remus then. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Are you working on something for the order? If so, I can come back another time or ask someone else."

"No, this is just for my curiousity. I've already done what I was assigned. What can I do for you?"

"I must confess that potions and I have always had a less than favorable footing. I was wondering if you would mind researching a list of potions and writing down what they do for me."

"Certainly. Do you need it right away?"

"As soon as you can, but please don't overwork yourself over this. It's just for my own benefit."

"No problem. Do you have the list with you?"

Remus handed over the stack over papers that concerned the potions and Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"That's quite a list. It may take me some time."

"That's fine. Just send me whatever parts you have done whenever you get a chance."

Hermione nodded and Remus left. He was going to go talk to Albus. There had to be more that he could do officially in between his own research.