A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. Please note that I've sort of turned Snape into an extra-snarky SOB in this chapter, but I don't really think he's all that bad. Ah well.
Chapter Four
The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione had all gone to visit some of Arthur's relatives in Scotland for the week, and the other Order members had returned to their own homes for the time being, so Remus was left alone at Grimmauld Place. Remus groaned as he got up from the kitchen table where he'd been working, hearing the doorbell ringing.He struggled up from the chair, wondering who on earth would be coming here at two in the morning.
Remus rubbed his lower back gently with his left hand as he made his way out of the kitchen. Ithad been hurting all day long, and he had no idea why. Now, after having spent several hours sitting in an uncomfortable chair, it was more painful than ever. Remus decided it must be because the full moon was barely three days away. As he reached the entrance hall, Remus put a silencing charm on Mrs. Black's portrait, to stop her screeching.
When he pulled open the heavy front door, Remus was confronted with the sight of a scowling Severus Snape. It was raining outside, so Remus stepped aside to let the Potions Master in. "Hello, Severus. How are you? Can I get you some tea?" Remus asked with false cheer.
"Cut the crap, Lupin. I've just come to pick up a few reports for Dumbledore and give you your potion," Snape said, snarling slightly. He followed Remus into the kitchen. Snape watched as the shorter man went about making a pot of tea. He could tell that Lupin was still grieving for Black, though Snape didn't know why. Sure, he knew they'd been lovers, and eventually mates, but he didn't understand how anyone could possibly feel so bad about that idiot's death. Granted, Snape couldn't say that he'd actually wanted the man to die, but he wasn't all that upset about it either. He also couldn't understand how in the world Black had gotten Lupin to fall in love with him. In Snape's opinion, Lupin was too good for Black. But then, Snape had lusted after Remus since he was fifteen. The fact that Lupin and Black had started dating at about the same time he realized his feelings for the werewolf had only made Snape hate Black even more.
Snape collected the papers that had been left on the table as he waited for Lupin to finish with the tea. A few minutes later, the other man returned to the table, carrying two cups of tea.
They sat in silence for a while, each taking occasional sips, before Snape did something he'd been dying todo for a long time. He reached across the table and took Remus' hand in his, while pulling out theWolfsbane potion. Remus looked up from his tea, surprised atthe contact.
"I've got your potion," Snape said again.
Remus took his hand back gently, and reached for the potion, saying, "Thank you. I can'ttell you how much I-"
"I'll give it to you," Snape interrupted,as he stood up and crossed to Remus' side of thetable. "But only on one condition."
"What sort of'condition'?" Remus asked warily. He didn't fail to notice the almost predatorygleem in Snapes eyes.
"You know how I feel about you, Remus," Snape said, genlty touching Remus' face. "I think you know what I want."
Remus stood up and backed away, saying, "Severus, I-"
"Black is dead, Lupin," Snape said harshly. "Don't try and say you can't let me fuck you, because you can."
"Sirius may be dead," Remus responded. "But he's still my mate! I'm not going to betray his memory by sleeping with someone - anyone - just because he isn't here!" He continued toput distance between himself andSnape, pulling out his wand as he went.
"If you don't," Snape snarled, as he to took out his wand, "you won't be getting your potion. Think how it'll be Lupin. Your first full moon in years without it, and just after your mate's death. You don't want to go through unnecessary pain, do you? I'm sure dear Sirius wouldn't want that."
"I'm not sleeping with you just to get a potion, Snape! Sirius wouldn't want me to do that, either." Remus said, his breathing heavy.
Suddenly, Snape shot a curse at Lupin that threw him to the floor. He droppedhis wand as he hit the ground with a thud. In an instant Snape was on him, trying to get his clothes off as Remus struggled. He managed to get Remus' shirt unbuttoned before the entire house started to shake.
Snape paused in his actions, wondering what was going on. It felt like an earthquake almost, except something wasn't right. Remus took advantage of Snape's inattention, and threw the other man off of him. Standing up, Remus grabbed his wand before the kitchen was filled with a blinding bright light. As the light faded, Remus disappeared.
Remus reappeared seconds later in another part of the house. Looking around, he realized that he was in the drawing room. But something wasn't right. The room was filthy. It looked as though no one had been inside it in years, which didn't make any sense at all. Remus inspected the room closely, and noticed that the topdrawer in the desk was shaking, as it had done before they'd taken care of that Boggart. It was almost as if the Order had never even been there. Remus decided to take a look at the rest of the house, though he had a feeling it wouldn't be much different.
A few hours later, Remus knew he was right. This was Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, the house Sirius had grown up in until the day he ran away. But it clearly was not the house the Order had used as Headquarters for over a year. Deciding that the best place to go for answers was Hogwarts, the werewolf made his way into the kitchen. He used his wand to start a fire before taking what little floo powder there was in the pot beside the fireplace and tossing it into the flames. As they turned a bright green, Remus yelled, "Hogwarts, Headmaster's office!" and stepped into the flames.
After nearly a minute of spinning around, Remus stumbled out of the fireplace in Professor Dumbledore's office. He struggled to his feet, saying, "Headmaster, something-" But he broke off immediately when he saw who was sitting in the chair in front of Professor Dumbledore's desk. Remus barely registered seeing the others in the room turn to stare at him, before falling to the ground in a faint.
Sirius sighed as he crawled into the large, comfortable bed in the set of rooms he'd been given. It had been weeks since he'd slept in a real bed, though it felt like longer. He hoped that whatever it was Dumbledore planned to do to get Remus here worked. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to go without so much as seeing his Remus. Sirius wished he could be with his beloved werewolf right now, for the simple reason that his favorite place in the world was wherever Remus happened to be. Closing his eyes, Sirius felt sleep take him almost immediately.
What felt like only seconds later, Sirius was woken up by a harsh knock on his door. He looked at the clock that had been placed beside his bed and saw that it was just after three in the morning. Grumbling, Sirius threw himself back into bed, hoping that if he just ignored whoever was pounding on the door, they would go away. Trying to recover the wonderful dream he'd been having about his Remus prooved fruitless, and the pounding on the door didn't cease, so Sirius stumbled out of bed and threw on the bathrobe he'd used earlier - he slept in the nude, and didn't think whoever was at the door would appreciate seeing him like that. Before he could reach the door, however, it flew open on its own.
In the doorway stood a very angry Severus Snape.The Headmaster hadinformed the staff about theidentity of their current guest, and Snape wasn't happy aboutit. One Black was bad enough, but two? Snape didn't knowhow he'd be able to stand it. Not bothering with any greatings, Snape snarled at him, "Dumbledore wants to speak with you in his office, Black. But I suggest you change before you go,"he added,eying the pink bathrobe with a sneer.
Ignoring that, Sirius asked, "Did he say what he wanted?"
"No." Snape said, before leaving.
A few minutes later, Sirius was standing inside the Headmaster's office, waiting for Professor Dumbledore to explain why he'd been woken up bythe sight ofSeverus Snape so early in the morning.
"Thank you for coming, Sirius." The old man said, as he gestured for Sirius to take a seat. "I know it is unusually early."
Sirius snorted.
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "However, I have some news for you that I'm sure will make getting up so early quite worth it."
"What news?" Sirius asked, leaning forward with interest. What could have happened since the last time he'd spoken with the Headmaster that was so important for him to be up so early? He could only think of one thing, but Sirius knew from experience that it was best not to get your hopes up. But still, he couldn't help hoping that Dumbledore was about to tell him that his Remus was here right now.
The Professor's smile covered his entire face, and his eyes began to twinkle more than ever. "I told you earlier that I was going to attempt to bring the Remus Lupin from your universe to this one, correct?"
Sirius nodded, his eyes gleaming with hope. "And...?" He prompted.
"I expected the process to take much longer than it did, but nonetheless, it worked," Dumbledore said. "Your Remus Lupin is now here, at Hogwarts."
"YES!" Sirius shouted, jumping up from his chair in his excitement. "Where is he! Can I see him?"
"You will be able to see him soon enough," the white-haired man said with a small chuckle. "However, there is something I must tell you first. He is currently in the Hospital Wing being examined by Madame Pomfrey-"
"What? What's wrong with him?" Sirius asked, now incredibly worried.
"We're not sure there's anything wrong, but he fainted as soon as he flooed to my office," Dumbledore said.
"Passed out?" Sirius asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore said in confirmation. "Please, calm down, Sirius. I'm sure that Remus is fine."
Sirius nodded and returned to his seat. "So, when can I see him?" He asked again.
"I asked Madame Pomfrey to inform me as soon as he wakes up," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his seat. "I would like to explain the current situation to Remus, before you see him, however."
Seeing that Sirius was about to protest, Dumbledore raised a hand and said, "Sirius, you must not forget that as far as he knows, you are dead. Even with the mating bond, Remus is likely to believe that you are a Death Eater, sent to trick him. As soon as I have finished explaining everything, I will bring you into the room."
As much as he hated to admit it, Sirius had to concede that the man was right. Remus wasn't so foolish that he would see someone who looked exactly like his supposedly dead mate, and naturally assume that it was real. "Okay," Sirius said with a sigh. Before he could say anything more, however, there was a light knock on the door. Seconds later, it opened to reveal the same house-elf Sirius had seen earlier.
He bowed to both wizards before saying to Professor Dumbledore, "Begging your pardon, sir, but Madame Pomfrey asked Dinky to inform you that her patient is awake."
Remus looked blankly around the Hospital Ward, trying to remember how he'd gotten here. Like a flash, it all came back to him. The encounter with Snape at Grimmauld Place, suddenly disappearing and then reappearing in a house that both was and wasn't Grimmauld Place, and flooing to Hogwarts. He froze when he remembered who had been in the office with Dumbledore - Snape. Remus didn't know how he'd gotten to Hogwarts before him, but decided that he didn't care. Just so long as he didn't have to deal with the man who'd tried to rape him, Remus was okay. He couldn't help wishing that Siris were here. Padfoot would have killed Snape for trying to do what he did.
His thoughts were interrupted by Madame Pomfrey, as she saw that he was awake and came hurrying over. He greated her politely, not particularly in the mood for a conversation. The nurse peformed a few tests on him with various spells, them went off muttering to herself when she saw what the results were. Remus frowned in confusion. Why didn't she tell him why he was here?
A few minutes later, Professor Dumbledore stepped into the ward. The man was smiling, his eyes twinkling madly as usual. "Hello, Remus. How are you?"
Remus raised an eyebrow. There was something off about this man..."As well as I can be, I suppose," he said with a sad look on his face.
"I understand," Dumbledore said with a nod. "I believe you came here to ask me something?"
"Well, now," Dumbledore said as he stood up. He'd just finished explaining to Remus about how he was in an alternate universe, and that he himself had brought the werewolf here. "I think that's it. Oh, wait. I just remembered something that is rather crucial actually...don't know how I forgot that part, as it's the reason I brought you here in the first place..."
"Sir?" Remus said, trying to bring the other man out of the trance-like state he'd fallen into. "Sir, what else is there to tell me? Why did you bring me here?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Well, to be honest, I think it would be best to let someone else explain it to you. But, I must warn you before I send him in - he is exactly who he appears to be. It may seen difficult to believe, but trust me, Remus the man I am about to bring in here is absolutely real. And, more importantly, he's also from your universe." And without offering any more explanation, Dumbledore left.
Now Remus was really confused. It was hard enough to believe that he was in an alternate universe - he wasn't sure he would have believed it, if Albus hadn't shown him several wedding pictures of the Headmaster and Professor Sprout that had been taken three years ago. Remus knew with absolute certainty that the Albus Dumbledore of his universe wasn't married to anyone, much less the Herbology teacher. But who could Dumbledore be talking about? He knew who he wanted it to be, of course, and if what the Headmaster had said about the Veil was true, then it had to be him. However, Remus didn't dare to get his hopes up - he was certain that they would only be crushed as they were every morning when he woke up alone.
Remus looked up as he heard footsteps coming down the ward. He couldn't believe it. This can't be real, he thought, it just can't be him! Sirius is dead! But then, Remus remembered what the Headmaster had just told him. He searched inside himself, and felt the bond of a mate once again.
Sirius waited impatiently outside the Hospital Wing for what felt like hours, beforethedoorsfinally opened to reveal the aged Headmaster. He jumped forward from his spot against the wall. "Well? Is he all right? Can I go in?" Sirius promptly questioned the man.
"He seems to be physically all right. But Madame Pomfrey hasn't informed me of the results of her tests, so I still don't know exactly what she seems to think is wrong," Dumbledore said, smiling at Sirius' enthusiasm. "And I have explained everything to him - except how you came to be here. I thought he would rather hear it from you, Sirius."
"So I can go see him?" Sirius asked, his eyes lighting up.
Dumbledore nodded, saying, "Yes, but I would go slow. Give him time to accept that you are who you appear to be."
Sirius nodded before pulling open the door to the Hospital Wing and bounding inside, a spring in his step that hadn't been there for ages. He spotted Remus immediately in the bed at the far end of the ward. Slowing down as Dumbledore had instructed, Sirius approached his mate with as much calm as he could muster. It was difficult - Sirius really wanted to pull his beautiful lover into his arms and never let him go.
Sirius froze as Remus looked up, hearing his approach. Pain shot through him at the look of disbelief and then anger that flashed across Remus' face. For a second, Sirius worried that Remus would think this was all an elaborate hoax, despite what the Headmaster had told him. But then the werewolf smiled his amazing smile, his entire face lighting up as he said in awe, "Sirius!"
The Animagus grinned as he hurried over to his mate's side. He immediately swept his werewolf into his arms, burying his face in the crook of Remus' pale neck. "God, I've missed you, Moony. I love you so much..." Sirius breathed.
Remus wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck and whispered, "I can't believe it...I thought you were dead...But you're real..." He could feel tears coming to his eyes, and for once, didn't bother to stop them.
Sirius slid them back onto the bed, Remus sitting in his lap cradled against his chest. "Yes I am real, love. And I'll never leave you again, I promise. I don't plan on ever letting you go," he said, rubbing circles on Remus' back.
A/N: YAY! They're finally back together! Just so you know, I don't really think Snape would do what I had him do. That's just what the plot bunnies made me write. Anyway, please review!