Chapter 16

To everyone's surprise, Snape healed very quickly. He was up and walking only three days after he had woken up, his wounds were clearing up shortly after that as well, all but that one on his shoulder which he tried to keep hidden from the rest of the people in the house especially Ron. He was happy that the rest of the house wasn't asking him a hundred questions about what happened, cause, frankly, he didn't want to talk about it until he had to tell his young lover everything that had happened.

"Severus." McGonagall asked one afternoon when she had finally cornered Snape alone in the library of the old house.

"Yes, Minerva?" He asked keeping his eyes on the floor in front of him. He knew why she had come to find him, knew she was about to ask him about what happened.

"I know you have been avoiding us because you don't want to say anything, but you know you have to tell someone what happened." She paused for a moment to walk to his side and place a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't have to be me, it doesn't have to be now, but you have to tell someone."

The potions master lowered his eyes to the hand on his shoulder and felt strangely compelled to tell her everything, so he did. "I have you word not to repeat anything I say until I am ready for them to hear it?" Minerva nodded. "Remus Lupin sold me out to the Dark Lord in return for something he has wanted for a very long time. You noticed my missing during the full moon?" She nodded once more then he pulled the shirt from his left shoulder to expose the gruesome mark there. "My master locked me in a room then let Lupin in to bite me." Quickly he covered his shoulder again. "Why do you think I've recovered so quickly? I'm going to have to leave, Minerva, then Ron is going to hate me all over again." It's then that Snape happened to turn around and see the red head standing in the doorway with a tear running down his cheek. "I thought you were out with the others…."

"We just got back." He said completely ignoring everything he had just heard as he entered the room, digging through one of his bags as he did. "I bought you something." He continued as he pulled out a small, black, leather bound book. "I don't really know what it's all about but Hermione said you'd like it."

"Where'd you find this? I've looked all over for a copy of it…..Thank you." Snape finally managed to get out.

"I think I'll leave you tow to talk then." She gave the Slytherin a quick hug. "Mind his emotions, Severus, the boy's very found of you." She whispered so that only he could hear then left the room, closing the door behind her.

"We need to talk, Ron."

"Obviously. Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I was. As a matter of fact, you were going to be the only person I told but Minerva is quite persuasive when she wishes to be. How much did you hear?"

"You told her you have to leave. Why?" Ron asked as another tear ran down his cheek.

"It will only be for a week or so. I need to talk to the headmaster and find somewhere I can hide for during the week of the full moon."

"What does the moon have to do with…..Is this about Lupin again?"

The older man nodded not wanting to tell Ron the entire truth, but knew he had to. "I knew it was him shortly after I had been captured. I saw him, well, not him exactly…."

"How could it have not been him exactly and you know it was him? You're confusing me, Sev, just tell me what you told her."

"Very well, but you need to sit down." Severus told him as they both took a seat. He then went on to tell him everything that had happened to him, not just the small part he had told McGonagall.

When he had finished Ron just stared for a moment. "I'm going to kill him, but I don't see why you have to leave."

"If I'm anywhere I can be found during the full moon Lupin will find me. And, if he does, you can only assume what will happen if he does."

"Then we can call the Aurors….have him taken away…he'll never touch you again, not as long as I'm alive." As he spoke he pulled the older man to his feet then hugged him as if he were hanging on for dear life.

As Severus happened to glance up he saw the man they were just discussing standing in the door way. He caught his eyes for a moment before lifting Ron's chin and kissing him deeply. "I'll never belong to you."

"What?" Ron said before following the Slytherin's eyes to the door where the werewolf stood. "Oh, you."

"The headmaster would like a word with you, Severus." He said bitterly, glaring at Ron. "Alone." He added before leaving the room.

"Are you going to tell him what Lupin did to you?"

"No."

"What? Why the bloody hell not?" Ron asked feeling the anger build in his stomach.

"Because, Remus is a good man who made a bad decision because he thought it would get him what he wanted."

"But no one else will see it that way."

"Ron, look at my life for a moment and tell me how what he did is any different than what I did twenty years ago when I joined the Dark Lord."

"I….well….it's different now! He's old enough to know that what he did was wrong." The Gryffindor said nearly in tears. "He hurt you and from the way you talk he's going to try it again. I just don't understand. Do you want to die?"

"Sometimes."

"Sometime? What do you mean by that?"

"It means that there were points in my life that I wanted to die."

"How can you be so calm about all of this? I can barely keep control over my ability to talk and you're just standing there without any type of emotion whatsoever."

"What do you want from me? You want me to cry, you think that if I shed a few tears it will make me feel better about the years I spent hurting others?"

"What about after we happened? Did you still think about dying?"

"Once."

"Once? When?"

"You ask far too many questions, has anyone ever told you that?"

This comment was only met with a slight glare that said 'answer my question or you'll never get to touch me again'.

"When you told me you never wanted anything to do with me again." Severus said rather quietly. "I have to go now, the Headmaster is not always a patient man and I have a feeling, right now, he is eager to see me."

"You're not really going to leave me alone in this house with Remus hating me as much as he does, are you?" Ron asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

"I…No, of course not. You can come to the castle with me but you will have to wait in the hall while I speak to the Headmaster." The older man said as he left the room, Ron following right behind him, and headed to the fireplace in the kitchen. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Weasley."

"Severus, dear, you can call me, Molly. How are you feeling?"

"As well as can be for my condition." He said with a slight smile. "Do you mind if I take your youngest son to the castle with me to pick up a few things for Lupins potion?"

Molly glanced at her son who was practically hiding behind the dark haired man then smiled. "Of course you can take him. It will be good for him to get out of this house for awhile."

"I agree. He spent far too much time sitting in that dark room fretting over me."

"Do you ever think that maybe you needed to be fretted over for once?" Ron asked with one of his famous smiles.

"Come, boy, we haven't got time to play games." The potions master said as he half pushed Ron into the fireplace then followed him after grabbing a bit of floo powder. He called out "Dumbledore's office" then they both vanished.

When the room finally stop spinning the red head shook off the weird feeling he always got from doing that then stood up.

"I thought I asked for you to come alone, Severus?"

"You did, Headmaster. Ron is going to wait for me out in the hall so he can help me get the things together for the Wolfsbane potion." After saying that he shooed Ron out of the room and closed the door.

The Gryffindor quietly pressed his ear to the door trying to hear what they were talking about. He assumed Snape was telling Dumbledore the same story he had told him earlier that day, but wanted to know for sure. When he heard one of the two men yell he jumped not knowing who it was because he couldn't recall ever hearing Dumbledore yell before. Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps drawing near the door but didn't move back in time so he quickly found himself flat on the ground at Snape's feet. "Um…"

"Eaves dropping, Mr. Weasley?" Severus said as he grabbed his shirt and pulled him to his feet easily.

"I…no, sir, never." He quickly said as he dusted off his clothing.

"Liar." The Slytherin muttered then headed down towards his office with Ron half running to keep up with the older mans pace.

"I heard yelling in the office was he…" Ron didn't have time to finish because the instant they had entered the potions masters office he found himself pinned again the door and Snape kissing him fiercely. Not that he minded, of course, but it did catch him by surprise.

"Ron," Severus breathed out when the kiss finally broke. "Come to bed with me."

"I can't….I'm too….." He didn't finish.

"Too what? Too scared, too young, too worried we'll get caught?"

"No, I just….I want to wait until you're better."

"Better? I'll never be better, Ron. I'm a damn werewolf now!" He practically shouted.

"If you only brought me here to yell at me then I'll just go."

"No, I didn't mean to yell. It's just that…I need you to sleep with me."

"Why?"

"Did you learn nothing about werewolves when I assigned that essay in your third year?"

"I, um, never did the essay…"

"Of course not. Ok, let me explain it then. Normally, now always, but normally, the first mate a werewolf takes about being bitten is the one he is bound to for life."

"You mean if I sleep with you, you would bind to me."

"For life, yes, more than likely, but only because I already care about you."

"So what if I don't?" Ron asked because he truly intended on refusing.

"Then, by the end of the month, I'll belong to Lupin." He answered flatly.

"What? Why?"

"Because, on the days of my first transformation I will be much weaker than he is and won't be able to fight him off. Why do you think I want to go into hiding for that week? Did you think I was trying to get away from you?" Severus asked with true sincerity in his voice.

"Well, yes." Ron muttered.

"I would never do that to you."

"I know."

"No, you don't know. You have no idea how much you mean to me now compared to the first time I kissed you."

"Then tell me?" Ron pleaded quietly.

"Ron." The Gryffindor waited. "I…" He waited some more. "I have to tell you…." And again he waited. "That I…."

"Oh just say it already. You love me, there not so hard was it?"

"Do I have to say it now?"

"Yes."

"But you just said it for me so you already know…."

Ron stepped back over to where the older man stood and slipped his arms around his neck. "Please, Severus, I want to hear you say it."

"Ron," He began as he ran his fingers through the younger mans red hair. "I love you."

"And?"

"And…I want you to make love to me."

"You mean you want me to….." Severus nodded to answer his unasked question.

"Ok, yes." Ron finally said after a short silence. The older man smiled before taking his hand and leading him into the other room that he called home most of the year. The Gryffindor quickly found himself on the bed and that both of them were undressed. "That was an interesting spell. I'll have to remember it for next time." He laughed as Severus joined him in the bed. They kissed for a moment, then they killed the light, and within a few hours Ronald Weasley was not a virgin by any means of the word.