J K Rowling wrote the books, this is just a fanfic.
The line "The decade that good taste forgot," is a direct quote from my brother.
Double R: This is the chapter I asked for advice on. You were the only one who responded to my question. So chapter twenty-five is dedicated to you.
Chapter Twenty-five:
"I missed you at dinner."
Snape looked toward the voice that came from the shadow of his open class room door. "Headmaster, I heard that you were back. Did everything go well?"
Albus stepped into the hall with a sigh; "I managed to get the time extension. Minerva and I have worked out something that I think will be acceptable to everyone involved, Remus co-heads Gryffindor and Sinistra will be rejoining Ravenclaw. If you had come to the staff meeting tonight you would have known. It looks as though we are going to need to interview applicants for Huffelpuff and Slytherin, only." He gave Snape his best tell-me–what's-wrong look, but the dark professor remained silent. Sighing again Albus acknowledged his silence for what it was, a big red stop sign, "Were you going to check in on Remus? I heard from Sirius that he had quite the ordeal last night."
"Yes, to both. And before you ask it was my fault." They passed through the false wall that hid the corridor to Lupin and Black's rooms, "So you had the time to stop in and chat with Black as soon as you got back, but you sent Longbottom to my class without even a notice of transfer?"
Albus inadvertently flinched at the accusatory tone, "If I had given you notice, would you have accepted it?"
"It, or him?" Snape countered.
Albus stopped walking and Snape turned to face him, "You have never told me all that happened that night."
Coldly Snape turned and resumed his brisk pace down the hall; "I obey your commands, for now that is all I can give you."
Instead of following him, Albus' feet turned toward the door of Minerva McGonagall. Somehow she always seemed to know the words that would allay his concerns for the cynical professor.
As the Headmaster ascended the stairs to the main hallway, Snape felt the cloud of worry and fears that he was emanating withdraw from the dungeons. He did not slow until he was opposite the door to Lupin's chambers and then he came to a sudden stop. He stepped back just in time to avoid being trampled when Lupin and Black suddenly burst through the seemingly solid wall. Smoke billowed into the hall and was only cut off when the door closed itself.
Coughing and leaning against each other for support it was several minutes before either was able to speak. Lupin, due to his enhanced healing factor, was the first to regain his voice. With smoke induced tears he explained that Black had managed to blowup an entire case of crushed Ridgeback bones. (They had been intended for an in class demonstration on the totality of a magical animals magical properties. A Dragon is not just a fire breathing lizard magic infuses all aspects of it.)
"Well at least I don't have to ring that chime to get you out here." Snape had taken a great dislike to the tiny bells that announced Lupin's guests and anything that prevented him from needing to use it was a boon.
With a final cough Lupin wiped his eyes and straitened, "What did you want Snape? I'm sure you aren't coming to check up on me."
"Black has no doubt told you that I require another blood sample from you to complete the tests I am trying to run. I came to escort you to my lab."
Shoulders sagging, Remus asked Sirius if he could keep his wand in his quarters until he returned, "I can't very well go back into my rooms right now."
"I'm coming too." Black announced.
Remus looked to Snape for a refusal but Snape had once again started walking away. Leaving them to decide on their own whether they would both be coming. He was a little surprised to find that Snape had waited for them in the hall between his classroom and the passage.
"The students are still running around. I thought it would be better if Black went first," he motioned them forward.
"Why should I go first?" Sirius questioned.
"No one is coming out of the dungeons, but someone might come down the stairs. If they see me first I doubt that they will even notice Lupin, let alone you."
It made sense so, reluctantly Sirius led the small procession to the alcove that doubled as the door to Snape's lab. Not sure what he should do when they reached it, he stepped into the cubbyhole. The door swung out to meet him and so he continued forward. When the door closed the stairwell was as dark as he remembered it being and the steps were as steep as ever. But knowing what was at the bottom of the stairs took away some of the Gothic-mystery feel of it all.
The stairs kept coming. 'I should have reached the bottom of this stupid staircase by now.' having failed to count the steps down on his first trip Sirius could only guess, but it felt as though they had gone much further than they should have.
"Uh, Snape," Remus quietly voiced, "This is the way to the lab, Right?" he too had noticed that it was taking a long time to reach the lab door.
"No not really," he sounded disturbingly unconcerned.
"What do you mean not really," Sirius stopped his descent. In the total darkness Lupin walked into him.
Too frightened and surprised to cry out Sirius felt the edge of the step he was on let go of him. The cool air took a fretting, snatching sort of grip on his hair and clothes as he fell into the well like center of the spiral-stairs.
The last thing he saw was a slight glow, like the flash of a cat's eyes. Blue and with slit-like pupils, 'Like Aunt Beth's old Siamese. What a thing to remember now.' There was a sharp impact and the blackness was again complete.
Chapter Twenty-six:
For the second time that night Remus found himself, out of breath, tears in his eyes and bursting through a doorway. This time however he was rushing into the Headmaster's office followed immediately by Snape.
"Remus?" Albus stood and started to come from behind his desk.
"He's dead!" Lupin gasped, "He fell- I killed him! He fell! It was an accident- We were just going to the lab- I-"
"Shut up Lupin." Snape would have hexed him, but turned to Dumbledore instead. "I don't know what happened but It has Black now. That is all I'm sure of."
"He just stopped and I bumped him I didn't even see him- I couldn't it was-"
"Lupin I'm warning you…" Snape took a step toward the hysterical man.
"Hold," Albus said the one word firmly and raised one hand to add emphasis.
Both men froze.
"What happened," Albus asked of Snape, choosing the more coherent of the two.
Relaxing his ridged posture somewhat Snape huffed a breath between his teeth, "I do not know what happened. I stopped at the entrance to the staircase, the door was just closing and Lupin was standing there." He took step away from Remus before continuing, "He started raving like this and took off running. I followed him here and have been trying to piece together what happened."
As the Headmaster slowly approached Remus, Snape continued to back away until he reached the door.
"Now Remus," Dumbledore placed a steadying hand on his shoulder, "Tell me exactly what happened."
Though his eyes were solemn and his touch was steady, Albus felt as though his world had just been dropped and broken into a million tiny shards. 'Severus said that he had gotten to Sirius, I only pray he got Sirius in time. But if he did, why doesn't he remember what he did with Sirius? What does this mean for our chances now?'
With a shuddering gasp, Remus tried to regain control of himself, "Snape said he needed more blood, so w- we were going to the la- lab," he wiped at fresh tears and wrapped his arms around Albus. "I didn't mean to- I cu- couldn't see-" he began to sob again.
Rubbing small comforting circles on Remus' back Dumbledore turned to Snape again, "I left you in the passage not far from… their… rooms…" his words trailed off as Snape began to shake his head in an emphatic no.
"I have not seen you at all tonight," He lost what little color he had, "It got loose, that's the only explanation."
Gently Albus steered Remus to a sofa and urged him to sit. Drawing his wand he summoned a pot of chamomile tea and poured three cups of the steaming liquid. Without a word he handed one to Remus, placed one on the end table beside the sofa, and took the last for himself.
Making sure that Lupin drank all of his tea first, Albus allowed him to speak as he refilled their cups.
Remus whipped at his eyes. "I don't understand," he looked to Snape, "What do you mean? Are you saying you weren't there, at all?"
"What happened Lupin? What did you see," Snape's curt questions only confused him more and Remus looked to Albus for help.
With a rarely seen warning in his eye, Dumbledore glanced at Snape then softened his expression as he turned to the WereWolf at his side. "Remus maybe you could start with what happened at, erm…"
"Seven-thirty," Snape offered from the door.
With his head resting in his hands Lupin recounted stumbling into the hallway and nearly colliding with Snape, his insistence that they go to the lab, with Sirius in the lead. And the stairs, seeming longer than they had been on his previous trips to the lab.
Numbly holding out his cup for more tea, which Albus quickly provided, Remus looked around, "Where is Snape?" there was still a tremor in his voice.
@---,--'--------
Cradling his left arm with his right Snape hurried to the dungeon stairs. 'I haven't got time to look for Black, I don't even have time to tell the Headmaster.'
Searing pain shot through his arm and he stumbled, 'Potter?' The hall appeared to be deserted, but he had learned to trust his sixth sense. "Potter, go, tell the Headmaster that I have been summoned."
Gritting his teeth as another white-hot flair stabbed through him, 'What could be so urgent that he needs to yank on me like I'm a bleeding bell rope?' Taking up his cloak and mask he threaded his way down a maze of narrow side passages.
~
Apparating to the Dark Lord's chosen meeting place was done blindly. No one knew where they would find themselves once they disapparated. It could be a fog enshrouded clearing in a forest, or a dimly lit and spacious dining hall.
Snape cautiously looked first left, then right. He was in a fairly comfortable hallway. There were oil paintings with gilt frames, which contrasted nicely with the dark wood paneling, and a few widely spaced doors on either wall.
Holding his breath for a moment he strained to catch any sound that might betray someone else's presence. He seemed to be alone. A slight noise to his left drew his attention. A door handle several paces down from where he stood was slowly being turned. The stooping figure of Wormtail scurried into the hall and motioned that he should enter.
'Looks like another private audience,' flashes of the disaster that had been his last meeting with Voldemort flashed up in his mind. A knot formed in his stomach as he remembered throwing up and passing out, 'At least I've already thrown up once today.'
As he brushed past Pettigrew he saw a mix of hate and envy in the withered half-mad man's eyes. 'Pettigrew envying me? Not a good sign,' Snape registered the look and promptly filed it away.
Two steps into the room and the door closed behind him. There were heavy shades on the few lamps; the Dark Lord did not like bright light. The air was warm, almost stiflingly close, the Dark Lord also did not like cool drafts. Images of his nightmarish meeting earlier in the week were replaced with more recent memories. Finding Lupin in the stairwell, deciphering enough of his ramblings to understand that Black had fallen.
Sinking to his knees in front of Voldemort he did not notice the tears that began to slide from the corners of his eyes. It was not torture or violence but too much stress and not enough food or sleep, which finally crushed him.