AN: Hi everyone who's still reading this story! Thank you so much for your lovely reviews and your patience with my updates. I have a lot going on at the moment (including my other WIP) so updates are few and far between. Hopefully I'll pick up the pace a bit once summer starts.

Chapter 21: Cry Wolf

Full moon on Friday… full moon on Friday… The phrase kept going through Sasha's head, a mantra that distracted her from academics and social activities and left her staring at windows and walls. There was nothing to take her mind off the plan – or Plan, as it seemed to her – as Jas was still not speaking to her and not even the most interesting book held her attention for more than a few minutes. Mealtimes were hell; it took every ounce of self-control she had not to stare at either Severus or Lupin. Only in Potions could she focus at all, using Severus' proximity to boost her determination.

In this manner, the week dragged by until finally it was Friday. Lupin wasn't in class that day, which made her heart soar, although it shot her concentration all to hell, resulting in her getting hexed several times. After dinner, she sat in the common room, pretending to read until the room had emptied. Severus had sworn that he wouldn't leave until she arrived, but it was still agonizing to sit and wait for the room to empty.

When the last couple of third years trailed off to bed, Sasha couldn't help but do a little jig of happiness even as she Disillusioned herself and shot through the door at top speed. It was hard not to run, but she knew that she couldn't risk Filch hearing her footsteps, so she took off her shoes and padded along as quietly as she could.

She doubted if any student had ever been as happy as she was to reach the door to Severus' classroom, nor as elated when he yanked it open and glared at her (or, rather, at the area where he suspected she was).

"What took you so long?" he complained as she swiftly moved inside and took off the spell. The door clicked shut behind her and she turned to find him leaning against it, arms folded.

"There were stupid third years playing Gobstones in the common room," she replied. "I got here as quickly as I could."

He snorted softly, but it didn't seem to have much malice behind it. Besides, she had learned not to take most of what he said to her personally. It was just how he was.

He was also incredibly sexy, and she was reminded that they hadn't so much as held gazes since Sunday. Apparently, Severus was thinking the same thing, for he moved towards her exactly when she moved towards him; they met in the middle in a lip-bruising kiss, hands roaming over each other's bodies in a frenzy. As usual, it was he who broke away first, firmly removing her hands from where they had ended up. A whimper of disappointment and frustration escaped her lips, making him smirk.

"Later, little succubus. I need my blood to be in my brain for this job." She glared at him, which only got her a reproving stare before he swept toward the door that led to his rooms. Still a little weak-kneed from their kiss, she followed.

Severus was in the sitting-room when she entered, and Sasha noticed with some amusement that he had placed himself behind the couch, ensuring that it remained between her and him. Had the situation been less serious, she probably would have simply climbed over it to get at him, but now was not the time, so she found a spot across from him to stand.

"Now," he began, "I am simply going to walk to Lupin's office, get the map, and come back. It should take no longer than twenty minutes. However, should it take longer than that, you are to remain here unless I Floo you for assistance. Is that clear, Sasha?"

It was because he cared; she knew that, but it didn't stop the commands from grating at her a bit. To cover her irritation, she decided to nod rather than speak, since she would probably end up snapping at him and arousing his suspicions. From the line that appeared between his eyebrows, he didn't like her silence, but he did not press her for a verbal affirmation of obedience. "Good," was all he said in response, before he turned and headed back towards the door. Sasha unconsciously took a step towards him, one hand reaching out as she opened her mouth to say something supportive, but he cut her off before she could start.

"And if you even think the phrase 'Be careful,' I will come back here when this task is complete and give you cause to regret it." Black eyes with a wicked glint in them looked back at her over his shoulder, raking up and down her body as he stepped outside and shut the door.

Sasha had to sit down after that.

Once safely in the corridor, out of reach of seductive hands and plush curves, Severus leaned against the door for a minute, centering himself. He needed to focus on the task at hand; of course, he was taking every precaution and they had planned every detail, but it was still a delicate mission. Closing his eyes, he used his Occlumency training to block out images of Sasha, building mental walls around them until his mind was free of her intoxicating presence. It wasn't easy – their earlier embrace had left traces of her perfume on his clothes; every time it reached his nostrils, he had to work twice as hard against the visions of her that appeared. When his mind was finally clear, he cast a Disillusionment charm on himself and set off through the halls to Lupin's office, silently reviewing the plan in his mind.

All told, it was fairly straightforward. He had given Lupin the altered Wolfsbane, telling him that he had made some adjustments to ease the pain of transformation, and adding that he might feel a little drowsy. The werewolf hadn't so much as blinked at that news. Now, all Severus had to do was get into Lupin's office, acquire the map, and get out, all without waking the werewolf. Sasha had pressed him to Floo her at the first sign of trouble, but he was disinclined to obey that command, as he had no intention of putting her in danger. Come to that, he had little intention of putting himself in danger.

He reached Lupin's door unnoticed, although there had been a tense moment when Peeves swooped out of nowhere and stared directly at the area where Severus was, tossing a cream pie from hand to hand. A flick of his wand created murmuring voices down a nearby corridor; the poltergeist had sped off to see what mischief he could make, leaving Severus to quickly flee the area before the devilish specter caught on. However, no further incidents had occurred.

Now the plan began in earnest. To ensure that Lupin didn't hear anything Severus did, he slid his wand through the keyhole and murmured, "Muffliato." He waited a moment, and then set to work disarming the wards that were set on the door during every full moon. They were not difficult; after all, they only had to block a werewolf from getting out and students from getting in, so they presented little challenge to Severus. When the last one dissipated, he quietly opened the door and slid inside, quickly scanning the room to get his bearings.

The desk and chair had not moved from their usual positions, nor had the cages of creatures shifted at all. Curled up on a shag rug in front of a roaring fire was a large wolf with a tufted tail, sound asleep: Lupin. Carefully, Severus eased the door shut, watching the wolf intently for the slightest sign of wakefulness.

Not an ear twitched, even when the latch clicked softly.

Excellent. That worked. Now, where does he keep that blasted map? There seemed to be only one logical answer to that question: the desk. Unfortunately, he would have to pass by the wolf in order to access the drawers of the desk. Moving as slowly as possible, Severus edged across the room, never taking his eyes off Lupin. As he passed the fire, he realized that it was very warm in the office; he felt the gentle tickle of perspiration forming on his brow. All the more reason to get out quickly.

There were six drawers in the desk, three on each side of the chair. All of them were locked. Glaring at them, Severus lifted his wand and prepared to Alohomora his way to success when he heard… snuffling. Shifting. Coming from the fireplace.

Hardly daring to breathe, Severus turned and saw Lupin raising his head drowsily, sniffing the air as he got to his paws. A few more sniffs and a pair of brown eyes were glaring in his direction and he heard the beginnings of a growl as the hair on Lupin's back went up.

As he stared at the now-snarling werewolf, a phrase borrowed from Sasha ran through Severus' head.

Oh, bugger.

Swirling chocolate filled Sasha's vision as she stirred feverishly. She had Flooed the kitchens and ordered the makings for chocolate fondue – a reward for when Severus came back. The dark liquid was now steaming in a cauldron, with the smallest of flames beneath it. On the table was a plate of strawberries, pound cake, and sliced bananas (she had debated leaving the bananas whole, but decided that might be a little too vulgar for Severus' tastes). In the center of the treats was a pomegranate, split in two to reveal all its blood red seeds.

Idly, she wiped some sweat off her upper lip, smiling as she smelled her perfume. Severus loved the rich scent of it, and she would have to ask Tristan to get his friend to make more of it. That large, strong nose was very discerning, and he had named many of the undertones in the scent one day as he nuzzled her wrists and neck.

Scent… nose… Something about those words was nagging at her, like a word that she couldn't quite find. She stopped stirring for a minute, staring at the chocolate as she thought.

Perfume… smell…werewolf…WEREWOLF!

In a rush, their mistake came to her and she swore a blue streak in the air as she dropped the ladle into the chocolate and fled to the fireplace. With a flick of her wand, she Disillusioned herself again, figuring it wouldn't hurt. The small bowl of Floo powder tipped over when she frantically grabbed a handful of the stuff; green powder spilled over the mantel, but she didn't care at the moment. She flung the powder into the fire, watched as the flames roared green before stepping in and yelling, "Lupin's office!" Suddenly, she was spinning very fast; it felt like she was being sucked into a drain, except that it was a drain that went up. Sooty stone walls flashed past her eyes and she caught glimpses of various fireplaces, including one that looked like the Ravenclaw common room.

Just as she was starting to think that she had made some dreadful mistake, she came to an abrupt stop and toppled forward onto what felt like a shag rug. Quickly, she scrambled to her feet and then looked at her surroundings.

The first thing that caught her eye was a large wolf that was looking towards her over his shoulder, ears pricked and hackles up. She couldn't see Severus, but from the way the wolf's body was aligned, she could guess he was near the desk.

She blurted out, "Perfume-!" a second before she heard Severus' voice do the same. Silently, she cursed their stupidity. This one bloody oversight could unravel the entire plan.

"Lupin can't hear us – only smell us." Hearing her lover's disembodied voice coming from behind the desk was unnerving, but the steady tone assured her that he was unhurt. Slowly, she eased herself along the wall, moving towards the door, since Lupin was between Severus and the fireplace. A rattling sound came from the desk, and she saw what looked like a piece of ratty parchment appear from behind it, floating in midair at the right height for Severus to be holding it.

The problem was, Lupin noticed it, too. His ears went flat against his skull and he snarled; Sasha saw the muscles in his legs tense, like he was preparing to leap. The parchment stopped moving abruptly. There the three of them stood, each one waiting for one of the others to make a move and start some chain reaction from the other two.

"Go! Now! I will take care of this." Severus' voice was sharp and curt as he snapped out his commands; accompanying them was his wand, appearing in midair, leveled at Lupin. The werewolf snarled, but didn't move, eyes fixed on the wand.

It would be so easy to leave and just let Severus handle Lupin, probably with a Stunner followed by a Memory Charm. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor need never know that a colleague and a student had burgled his office, and she and Severus would be free of watchful eyes.

She couldn't bring herself to move. It wasn't the way Ravenclaws did things. You learned from your mistakes, but you didn't take them out on other people in the process. She and Severus had messed up, but that wasn't Lupin's fault. They were the ones breaking innumerable rules, not him.

"No," she said, as clearly as she could. The parchment and the wand jerked slightly, as though their bearer had tensed in surprise, and then shifted position slightly.

"What do you mean, no? Don't you want to walk the halls knowing that no one watches your movements? Are we not both being threatened by a werewolf?" Confusion and annoyance laced his tone, and she winced a little. She knew it wasn't entirely the plan that made Severus say that; he hated Lupin, for whatever reason, and an excuse to hex the hell out of him was like an early Christmas.

Well, that was the difference between a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin.

"No. There's another way. Accio Map!" The roll of parchment was yanked from the invisible hand that held it; she caught it in midair and then looked up to see Lupin gazing at her fixedly. No longer did the snarl curl his lips; rather, he looked at her with the steady, penetrating gaze she associated with her professor. Slowly, Sasha reached behind her and groped until she found the doorknob, turning it carefully until she felt it click. Rather than opening it immediately, she stood quietly and said, "Come on, love. Let's leave Professor Lupin alone. We got what we came for."

There was another long moment of silence, and then she heard the familiar tap of Severus' boots on flagstones, coming towards her. The edges of his robes brushed her side as he passed; she heard him stop just outside the door. Throughout this, Lupin had not moved, only watched her intently with those intense brown eyes. They continued to bore into her as she sidled through the door and shut it firmly.

She stood there for a moment, hand still on the doorknob, trembling as she regained enough sense for fear to take over. I was just in a room with a fully transformed werewolf… Bloody hell.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder, roughly pushing her aside. Muttered words in Severus' voice emanated from a point in front of the door; the air shimmered a little, waves of light coming from the tip of his wand and seeping into the wood. There was another pause before she heard his booted footsteps begin again, heading towards the dungeons. Sasha quickly followed, trying not to fall too far behind.

The walk back to Severus' quarters seemed to take forever. She felt like she was following some phantom to her doom in a Muggle horror movie.

Finally, finally, they reached the door that led directly to his rooms, rather than going through the classroom. The air shook for a moment, becoming blurred, and then Severus appeared in front of the door, looking very tense and irritated. Sasha followed suit, removing the charm. He didn't look at her once she was visible, only opened the door and swept through ahead of her.

After entering, Sasha looked to see Severus standing in the center of the room, back to her, arms folded. He turned when the latch clicked, and Sasha had to resist the urge to retreat a few steps; he looked furious.

"You little fool." His voice was dangerously quiet, the last word little more than a hiss. Slowly, he advanced on her, glaring into her eyes as though he was trying to read something printed on the back of her skull.

"You idiot. You brazen, foolhardy, devil-may-care idiot." He was right in front of her at this point, forcing her to crane her neck back to look at him. She was more frightened of him right then than she had ever been. Suddenly, he grabbed her shoulders in a viselike grip, fingers digging into her flesh so hard that she was positive there would be bruises. For a second he stood there, staring at her with an almost wild look in his eyes, holding on to her shoulders like they were lifelines.

And then he pulled her against his chest in an embrace so tight she could barely breathe.