A/N : deSevera - why don't you stop beating around the bush and express yourself as to how you really feel about Sirius Black? *snerk* ;)

Desdemona- Welcome to the chapter of the big decision. Yes, I said decision.

Telani - *smiles at the sparkles* Sirius seconds the flag and thinks it's about damn time someone got around to it.

Draco-luver - I must ask that you pass out earplugs if you intend to light that thing off again. Sirius does seem rather fond of the dramatic display, though.

Nightdweller - your review speaks in silken tones. "As if brewed by the Fabulous Severus himself..." my, my, my. But don't you think Mr. Potter might have something to say about the Charlieboy and Ginny flag?

Jig - Remus has expressed sincere *ahem* academic interest in this bizarre muggle custom of sitting in a tree and kissing, and wonders if there is anyone out there *RJL looks pointedly at Jig* that might enlighten him further on the subject? For academic purposes of course.



*** Special thanks to Antinua, aka Mistress of Constructive Criticism for beta-reading this very important chapter for me.







Ok gang. I just decided to try something for a bit of different entertainment now that it's getting too cold in Maine for enchanted volleyball, and soon to be too cold for 3 on 3 Quidditch. (During which I stay decidedly on the sidelines with Lorien and Hermione) We needed something else with all these people coming and going. Alas, I made the mistake of introducing Remus and Sirius to the DVD player.

Like most men, the remote control amuses them to no end, although they have charmed it somehow to summon butterbeer from the fridge as well as control the DVD player, the tv, and the surround sound system (not mine, and I still haven't gotten a straight answer as to where they acquired it).

The real challenge has been taking them to the video store and trying to find something that everyone will watch. Especially if Severus gets involved. You know how had it is to get him to agree with anything Sirius wants?

Friday we went to find something for a rainy night, and things went down hill the moment Sirius suggested Dracula with a smirk. Severus is sick of all the vampire insinuations and proceeded to pull The Fugitive off the shelf, and toss it at the dynamic duo along with The Howling. Nosferatu went sailing back across the aisle and we then had airborne copies of Escape from Alcatraz and Am Werewolf in London, and I barely managed to get there in time to keep wands from being drawn.

You've got to be downright tough with these wizards to keep them in line, and I had to threaten them all that I would make them sit through several episodes of Barney if they didn't stop it.

It worked. It usually does.









Rumor's Aftermath ~*~





Lorien was exhausted and couldn't have been happier that it was the weekend. Not that it ever made much difference in the number of cases she had to see, but at least the Care of Magical Creatures segment on dragon care was over.

She must have hit the dirt twenty times over the course of the week and her back and shoulders ached in weird places from flapping her wings so much when she struggled.

She did have to admit that Marlina looked very happy and that the classes had all gone very well, at least from everyone else's point of view. And of course, Marlina was thrilled with how Remus had helped save the day.

Lorien laughed at herself as she sat in her rooms, for the slightly jealous feelings that she was experiencing, and thought of what Remus had been through on her account. How jealous had he felt? How hurt? Lorien had to admit he had been through a lot, and felt guilt welling up inside her for the fiftieth time when she considered it. More and more when she thought of Remus she felt intense guilt. She knew she had put Severus through the same ordeal, but somehow the guilt concerning Remus was greater.

Lorien considered her feelings for Remus, and wondered about the things that she found difficult to cope with. Wasn't he was a little overprotective for her liking?

She frowned. If Severus killing Ian Fincastle didn't count as being overprotective, she didn't know what did.

Lorien disliked the fact that Remus had acted so possessive the night he confronted Severus, but she wondered if they couldn't work through that. The man had a good reason, after all, and she realized she couldn't really blame him since he cared so much about her. How could she fault him for that? Besides, didn't she feel the same about him? She loved being with him. She always was laughing when she was with him, and she always felt cared for. Whenever she was with him she felt secure, and he always made her feel as if everything was going to be alright.

Could she say the same about Severus? He didn't seem like the type to take care of someone if they needed it, and she had the sneaking suspicion that the man could be more than a little possessive himself. And as far as feeling secure? That was the last thing she ever felt with him. She was always on edge when he was near her, a little wary, a little afraid. She had to face it - she thought the man was downright dangerous.

'In more than one way.' She reminded herself, thinking of how he'd nearly seduced her before Halloween. Lorien remembered that night in her rooms when she'd nearly given in.

No. She had given in. It was Severus that walked away.

She'd been so confused, so frustrated, so guilty after the confrontation with Remus in the hospital wing, and then there was Severus, lying in wait for her at her door. He'd had the audacity to follow her into her own rooms and then throw the obvious attraction between them in her face, and then he'd had the nerve the next moment to make that attraction apparent. Very apparent.

Lorien closed her eyes as she remembered how frightened she'd felt with him that close to her. How nervous, how vulnerable, and how helpless he'd made her feel. She'd felt like everything was out of her control and it made her feel .....Merlin's wand!

She'd liked it, hadn't she?

Realization threw her into turmoil as she saw that she'd also felt enthralled, thrilled....excited. Damn! She began to wonder if she didn't like the fact that he was dangerous. Did she? Maybe she did. Maybe she liked the fact that he was difficult, unpredictable, complex......not safe.

It occurred to Lorien why she wasn't able to sum up the way she felt when she was with Severus in one word for Perth. There was no way. It was just too complicated. He made her feel too many things all at once. He made her feel too many things, period.

The fact that he'd been a Death Eater, a dark wizard, certainly scared her, but almost losing him that night of the ambush had scared her more. She'd thought she'd lost him a second time on Halloween, and as she searched her heart in that moment, remembering how she'd felt when she'd found out he was alive, she realized she didn't want to lose him again. She couldn't.









Lorien knocked quietly at the door to Remus's rooms and heard him answer for her to come in. She glanced around the room as she entered and saw that he was thankfully alone.

"Hi." She said quietly. She went to stand close to where he was seated on the couch, a book about dealing with the undead in one hand.

Remus closed the book he was holding, and smiled up at her. "Hi. Recovered from class yet?" He asked.

Lorien scowled at him. "Very funny. You got a real kick out of watching that last class, didn't you?" She said, hands on hips. She hoped she didn't look half as nervous as she felt.

He set the book down and laughed a little. "I'll admit it was kind of fun to see you gagged and bound." Remus teased her.

Lorien smiled a bit uneasily at Remus, wondering how she was ever going to say what she had come to tell him. "Marlina was happy with the way things worked out?" She asked. She could feel how rapid her own pulse was, and she chewed her lip nervously as she stood there.

"Thrilled." Remus replied. "She thinks Sirius and I walk on water now." The smile he wore was slowly being replaced by a look of concern. He knew her well enough to know that something was wrong.

"Good." Lorien became very quiet.

It only took Remus a moment to realize what she had come to talk to him about. He patted the couch next to him. "Here. Sit while we talk." He said quietly.

She sat next to him and looked into his soft gray eyes for a long moment, struggling to find a way to begin. She was already fighting back tears.

He took her hands in his, and could feel her fingers trembling. "It's ok, Lorien. I already know." He said gently.

"What?" She asked, quietly surprised.

"Your decision. I know." He repeated.

She could see in his eyes that what he said was true. He knew.

"How could you? I didn't know myself until today." She was obviously surprised at what he'd just said.

He smiled bravely at her. "I've known for a while." He said quietly. "I guess when I saw the look in your eyes that night in the hospital the moment you saw he was alive, I knew you loved him." He hesitated for a moment and then swallowed hard. "I guess up to now I was just hoping it wouldn't really be true."

Lorien broke down at that moment and started crying. "Remus, I never ever meant to hurt you. You know I love you too."

He reached out and pulled her to him. "I know, and I love you, Lorien." He wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly with tears in his own eyes as well.

Lorien was overwhelmed with emotion at that moment. Sadness and guilt washed over her as the tears streamed down her face, and she leaned into him as he held her. "Remus, I'm so sorry." It came out in a choked whisper. "I'm so sorry I hurt you." She sobbed.

"Shhh.....it's alright." He said gently as he pulled her head against his shoulder and stroked her hair. "It's going to be alright." He said, voice soft but unsteady, and tears on his own cheeks unseen by Lorien as she sobbed against his robes. His heart had been breaking a little at a time since his realization of her feelings for the other man, and the remnants were falling apart now that she'd said the words - now that he saw what it was doing to her as well. He held her tighter, trying desperately to make one of them, at least, feel the tiniest bit better.

Lorien felt even guiltier for relying on him now, but it had taken all the courage she had to be able to come to him this night, and now she needed his to help them get through what she knew had to come next. Desperately she clung to him, wanting to feel the safety of his arms around her for one moment longer.

Remus, at long last, when he felt her shaking lessen, took a deep breath and held her away from him a little. "Lorien." He finally spoke.

"Yes?" She sobbed, wiping tears away.

"You know I'll never hate you." He said softly.

"I know, Remus." She said hoarsely. It was just like him to be worried about her even at a time like this. It took her a minute to be able to speak again. "Are you going to be ok?" She looked up at him.

"Yes, in a while." He said, and then hesitated a bit. "Will we still be friends, Lorien? I need a little time to get used to the idea of us not being together, but I.....I don't want to lose you completely."

She knew he must be wondering if she'd turn away from him altogether once in a relationship with the dark Slytherin, and she promised herself it would never happen. "Always." She said solemnly. "Remus?"

"What, Lorien?" He asked, sounding as tired as he ever did after the night of the full moon.

"Thank you." She said gratefully.

"For what?" He asked with a weak smile.

"For making what I had to tell you easier." She replied. "Thank you for caring about me so much," she said sincerely, "and for just being you."

"I'm good at it." He joked, even as he wiped a last tear away, and she couldn't help but laugh a little even then. When could Remus not make her laugh?

She wiped her eyes again and hugged him once more. "Good night, Remus." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Good night, Lorien." He gave her a brave smile before she left, and then she crossed the room to the door, opened it, and was gone.



Remus watched her go and part of him felt a degree of relief. It was awful to see her leave, but the wait had been difficult and part of him was just glad it was over. The rest of him, however sat where he was on the couch until dawn, privately mourning the loss of the witch he had come to love.

Lorien went back to her rooms that night. She was relieved as well and now part of her wanted nothing more than to go to find Severus, but she knew that she needed at least a little time for part of her to grieve for what she had just left behind. It just felt right to her to wait at least one night, and she sat in the dark by herself crying until she fell asleep alone in her sitting room.







It was that very same evening that Ariel Sinistra found the opportunity had presented itself for her to strike up a conversation that she'd been meaning to have with Severus Snape. It was late and she was on her way down from an evening in the tower, when she heard his voice in the hallway up ahead. He was speaking sternly to a couple of students that had been out of their dormitory after hours and she listened to him snatch house points away from the unlucky Ravenclaws before he sent them scurrying frantically for their common room.

He looked up at her as she rounded the corner.

"Severus. I see you're being your usual charming self with those ladies." Sinistra said smoothly.

"Ariel." He acknowledged her curtly and headed for the staircase to the dungeon. She fell in beside him.

He looked sideways at her as she kept pace with him. "Something, you need, Professor?"

"Now, Severus. Why do you assume that I want something FROM you?" She didn't give him a chance to reply. "Actually, there's something I have FOR you. If you're interested, that is."

He glanced at her again. "I'm not in the mood for games, Ariel. Get to the point."

They now stood outside his office.

"Let's just say I have some news that you might be interested in." She said casually.

"What news?" He asked in an irritated way.

Sinistra looked at his office door and back at him. "Somewhere a little more private than the hallway?"

"Fine." He opened the door and let her in. "Make it quick." He indicated the chair in front of his desk as he flung himself into the one behind it.

She waited just a moment until she knew he was listening. "It's about your Ravenclaw witch." She began slowly, wanting to enjoy breaking the news to him.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh please, Severus. I'm not as blind as some of the others to what's been happening. You know me well enough to know better." She said in her own silky voice.

"Fine, so you know. What news do you have?" He asked evenly.

"I know that she's been having a grand time playing you and Lupin for fools." She smiled sweetly at him.

Snape scowled at her but then his expression neutralized. "What would make you say that?" He asked, with mild disinterest.

Sinistra smiled again. She knew in reality she had his full attention now. "Oh, just a little encounter I happened across the other evening."

"Encounter?" He asked impatiently.

She looked him steadily in the eye and spoke in a low even voice. "I don't believe that little blonde bitch intends to pick either one of you. I think she has a third option that looks more appealing to her at this point."

Snape snorted. "What would make you think that?"

"I KNOW that because I saw her with him the other night in the astronomy tower." She still spoke in silken tones, and knew that even though Snape kept his facial expression under control, something had darkened in his eyes.

"And who would that be?" He asked.

"Well, I was absolutely shocked when I walked into the tower." Sinistra savored the moment as long as she could while she got up from her chair. "Can you imagine how it felt when I got there and found her in the arms of Sirius Black?"

Her own dark eyes glinted as she told him, and she could see the fire starting to burn in his. She placed both of her hands on his desk and leaned forward to speak to him in her most sincere voice.

"Of course, I was stunned to see them together, and even more shocked when I heard what he said. Something like 'you know it's what's best for you and for both of them.' 'You should just get it over with' and 'you know I'll be with you, sweetheart'." Sinistra leaned back off his desk almost triumphantly as she delivered the final blow.

Snape said nothing for a long moment, but his voice was low and dangerous when he did speak. "Thank you for the news, Ariel." He remained sitting at his desk.

"I just thought you should know." She said sweetly.

Sinistra closed the door behind her but hesitated outside for just another moment. Her patience was rewarded a minute later when the air was shattered by the sound of breaking glass. She smiled to herself in a most satisfied way and casually walked out of the dungeon.









Lorien was speaking to Poppy in the hospital wing the next morning when the sudden noise caused them to jump and look up. Both witches were surprised to see Snape nearly slam the door open and watched as he quickly crossed to where they were standing.

Lorien looked at him in a concerned way. "Severus, what's wrong?"

He looked at her in a way that almost scared her. "A word, Ms. Desjardins?" He spoke to her coldly and she felt his hand close on her arm near her elbow tightly as he ushered her somewhat roughly toward the door.

When they were in the hall headed for her rooms, Lorien spoke up again. "Severus, what on earth is wrong with...ow!" She yelped a little as his grip suddenly tightened on her arm. "You're hurting me." She protested as he steered her to her door.

"Inside!" He commanded as he flung her arm away from him.

She glared back at him but opened the door with a word and started to go through. Evidently she didn't do so fast enough and he dragged her by the elbow once again into her sitting room and flung her arm away one more time.

She whirled on him, furious at his behavior. "Just what do you think..."

"Shut up." He advanced on her angrily.

"What?" She gasped, unable to believe what he had just said.

"You heard me. I said shut up." He said as he glared at her.

Lorien found herself backpedaling at the next onslaught as the black robed figure loomed over her like a shadow and advanced on her.

"I don't know exactly what it is you're playing at, Lorien, but I will tell you that I won't have it!" He had her cornered near the wine rack, cowering slightly as he raised his voice at her. "What kind of an idiot do you think I am?" He snarled at her and grabbed her.

Lorien heard a small startled cry escape from her own lips as Severus grabbed her and his fingers dug into her arms mercilessly.

"You think it's all a game? Is that it?" He yanked her off the wall again toward him. "Well, let me tell you something. You have made a very big mistake by toying with me." He snarled at her an inch from her face as she started to cry.

"Don't even waste that on me, you lying bitch. I have no patience for your tears." He growled.

Lorien was so shocked she stopped crying, but she was shaking badly now and Snape noticed.

"Trembling are we? Scared? You ought to be after what you did!" He hissed as he pushed her away in disgust.

Lorien tried to choke out a reply. "Severus, I don't know....."

He turned on her again. "You know what you did! You're not an idiot, Lorien. How long did you think you were going to play me the way you did?"

"What?" She asked incredulously.

Snape continued on his rampage. "It was bad enough that I tolerated that bloody werewolf, idiot that I am, but this? Intolerable! I will not be taken for a fool any longer, Lorien. I promise you'll regret the moment you ever decided to include Sirius Black in this ridiculous mess!"

"What are you talking about?" She asked in a desperate manner.

"YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Snape struggled to stay in control. "I know about your little romance in the tower." He sneered.

"Romance? With Sirius?" Lorien was astounded.

He stared at her with fire blazing in his eyes at the thought.

"What on earth ever gave you that idea?" She asked slowly, as she struggled to calm herself.

"You deny being with him the other night?" Snape asked defiantly. "You deny being in his arms?"

Lorien's mind raced to the hug Sirius had given her the other night. "No. I don't. I was with him." She said quietly. "You want to know why?"

"Yes. Why don't you explain it for me?" Snape sneered at her again.

"He was helping me get up the nerve to jump out of the tower." Lorien replied. "I told you that he's been helping me with the animagus transformation. I was practicing flying and I was afraid at first because of what happened at Halloween. He simply gave me a reassuring hug when I hesitated."

Snape's voice lost a little of its edge. "Tell me he didn't call you 'sweetheart'."

"He always does. Even in front of Remus. It's just his way of being affectionate, since we're friends." Lorien now peered closely at Snape. "How is it you know that Sirius called me sweetheart when he hugged me in the tower the other night, Severus?" She folded her arms across her chest.

"Ariel saw you and came to tell me." He was starting to realize he was in deep trouble with the woman standing before him as he saw the way she was drumming her fingers on her elbow.

Lorien watched him for a minute. "I see how little faith you have in me." She said very softly, throwing his own words back at him. She might as well have slapped him.

Severus spoke very quietly to her. "I believe I owe you a great apology, Lorien."

"Really? You think?" She asked sarcastically. "I mean just because you blew in here and nearly scared me to death? Just because you never gave a second thought to believing Sinistra? Just because you never bothered to ask me about it before you went insane about Sirius? Or because you called me a 'lying bitch'? You really think so?"

"Lorien....." He started.

"Get out, Severus." She said in a low, hollow voice. She looked away.

"Now, Lorien....." Severus tried once more.

When she looked back at him it was with tears of hurt and anger stinging her eyes. "Go!" She said hoarsely. "Just go.... just go." The tears were coming faster now.

He stood there knowing he should do something, say something, but with no idea what, and so he finally decided that all he could do was what she asked of him. He turned away and was gone in the faintest rustle of black robes.



Lorien leaned her back against the wall again, sliding down until she was sitting on the floor. She sat there until her tears and her ragged breathing came under control.

'Five minutes.' She thought. 'Five minutes ago I was planning on telling him tonight. Five minutes ago everything felt like it was falling into place, and now, everything couldn't be more wrong.'

She sat there wounded, not knowing if these were injuries that would heal.





Students scattered in sheer terror, trying to get out of the enraged potions master's path as Severus left the medical wing and returned to his own rooms, furious with himself.. He should have known better than to trust anything Sinistra had told him, but in this case he had been blinded by the thought of Lorien choosing that damn Black over himself. He might even have been able to stand it if she ended up with the werewolf, but not Black. He slammed the door closed as he realized his own blind rage had probably just cost him the very thing that he had been so upset about losing a few moments ago.







A/N: About Lorien's decision - half of you knew it was coming, and the other half, like Remus, knew but were just hoping it wasn't really true.

And did you think that I'd make things easy for Lorien just because she's finally decided? You should know me better than that by now. ;)

**Challenge update - LadyCatBailey is the latest to offer her reply to the fiction challenge called "Moony, Padfoot, and Sevvi?" A most unwilling Severus is stuck going on a mission with Moony and Padfoot to hunt down Wormtail. Hop on over and read it! http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1025528