Disclaimer: I don't claim to own it.

Chapter 20 Collecting

"Don't look back -- something might be gaining on you."
- Satchel Paige

Snape looked up from his breakfast as a large barn owl delivered a letter to him. Alexis fed it a bit of toast as he opened the missive. Inside was a note from Remus:

"Thought this might help with your search."

Snape looked at the flyer that had been folded in with the note. It was a Muggle advertisement showing the dates for a display at the botanical gardens. Circled in red ink was Cypress trees and Spanish moss. Snape noticed that the show was due to start this Saturday.

Remus met Snape at the Three Broomsticks later that evening, "So what did you want to see me about, Severus?"

"It is time that you paid your debt," Snape smirked.

"What did you have in mind?" Remus asked cautiously.

"You are going to help me break into the botanical gardens and liberate some Spanish moss for that dratted potion Alexis wants to brew," Snape took a sip of his drink and watched the color drain from Remus' face.

"I'm going to do what?"

"You and I are going to obtain one of the ingredients Alexis needs for her potion," Snape stated firmly.

"That's what I thought you said," Remus sighed in resignation.

Snape had discovered that the display would be completed on Thursday night in time for a reception Friday evening before the exhibit would be opened to the general public Saturday morning. It was approaching midnight when the two wizards Apparated into the gardens.

"Damn and blast," Snape heard from Remus' direction.

"What is it?" he hissed.

"I landed in the swamp display," Remus hissed back as he squelched toward the sound of Snape's voice. Just then there was a large plopping sound. "What was that?" Remus asked as he cast a dim light with his wand.

Snape looked around, "I believe it was a frog. There was something in the flyer about including some native fauna as well as the flora in the exhibit. Now if you don't mind, let us get on with our task before we are discovered."

"Give me a hand out of this mess," Remus requested.

Snape looked down at the man who was standing shin deep in murky water. "If you pull me in I will hex you," he warned.

"That would just be childish," Remus said pompously wondering if he could get away with pushing Snape in later.

Snape held out his hand for Remus and with a mighty heave got him out of the water. The two wizards walked over to where a large, sturdy fence was separating them from the elevated path that led through the greenhouse containing the exhibit.

Shrugging at the incomprehensible actions of Muggles, Remus said, "I would think the Cypress trees would be on this side of the fence."

Snape nodded his agreement and the two headed off to find what they needed. Snape had also lit his wand so that he could see where he was going. It only took a moment for them to find the large tree in the middle of the swampy water. Long strands of grey Spanish moss was hanging down out of their reach.

Snape turned to Remus, "Lupin, if you are ready?" and he pulled a pair of wooden shoes out of pocket and enlarged them back to normal size.

"What do you mean 'if I am ready'?" Remus asked him suspiciously.

"This is where you pay back your debt to me," Snape said holding out the shoes. "Now strip. We will need to collect two specimens. One with you in the wooden shoes and one without shoes at all."

Remus looked as if he were about to choke, "If you think for one minute I am going to climb that tree starkers to get a potion ingredient for YOUR wife, you are insane."

Snape gave him a look. "If that is how Gryffindors repay their debts?" he sneered.

Remus said, "That is not going to work. You will not shame me into getting naked and collecting Spanish moss for you."

"So much for Gryffindor honor," Snape smirked.

Remus gave him one last fulminating look, "There is no way I am doing this by myself. It will go faster if we both collect the specimens. One of us can do it in wooden shoes and one with no shoes, AND if I do this all debts are cancelled and you will owe me."

Snape considered, "It makes no sense for both of us to disrobe to collect the moss."

"Either we both do it or you do it by yourself," Remus was adamant.

Snape snarled, "Lupin, there is no way I am getting naked and climbing a tree."

"That makes two of us. Might as well go home," Remus said stubbornly.

"Very well, you wear the shoes though," Snape finally conceded with poor grace.

Remus waited until Snape began to strip down and then he too stripped down and neatly folded his clothes before placing them neatly on the ground next to the tree. Tucking his wand behind his ear he began to climb the tree muttering the whole time. Snape was able to follow him up the tree by the light of his wand and the light of the waning moon. He winced in sympathy as Remus began to inch out along a branch to get to where the moss was hanging. Snape was just glad that he didn't have to straddle a branch and put his family jewels in danger.

Snape found a thick branch that extended out over the water. By holding onto another branch that was directly above his head, he was able to carefully inch out to where the moss was dangling. He had managed to wrap some around his wrist leaving his hands free. Looking over to where Remus was he saw that Remus had reached the middle of the branch when there was an ominous creaking noise. Looking back over his shoulder Remus saw a face peering at him with a wicked grin. "What the fu….?" Remus exclaimed as the branch started bouncing.

Snape heard Remus' muffled cry as well as what sounded like giggles and he watched as Remus clutched the branch he was spread across with arms and legs locked in a death grip, "Lupin, stop playing around and get the damn moss," he snarled in a whisper.

"There's someone here," Remus called trying to keep his voice down.

"Where?" Snape quietly asked.

"In the tree," Remus said as he cautiously loosened his grip on the branch.

Snape peered over to the branches of the tree where Remus was. But they were too dense to allow him to see much of anything, "I don't see anyone. Get on with the task," Snape ordered.

Remus wondered if he could cast an impotency hex without Snape figuring out it was him. Staring into the shadows where he had seen the face, Remus carefully released one hand from the branch and stretched up trying to reach the moss dangling just above his fingertips. Deciding maybe his eyes had been playing tricks on him, Remus let go of the branch with his other hand, gripping it only with his thighs and proceeded to stretch to reach the Spanish moss. He had just managed to tangle his fingers in the tip of the strand when he heard another giggle and the branch he was on started shaking again.

The moss was more firmly attached than he would have thought and he couldn't free his hand from it to grab his shaking perch. Remus had just enough time to think, 'Oh shit!' before his legs lost their grip and the branch bucked him up. The moss took that moment to pull free and as he went down, the springy branch sprang up catching him right in the groin.

Making his way back down the tree trunk, Snape heard a thin high scream that raised the hairs on the back of his neck, "Lupin, what was that? Stop playing around and get the moss and let's get out of here." Snape waited a moment but there was no response. "Lupin? Lupin, answer me right now."

Remus managed a low moan, before dropping his handful of moss down. Snape was staring up into the tree trying to find Remus when something fell on his face. Stifling his instinctive shout, he freed his face and realized it was the ingredient they were here for. Stuffing it in the bag he had brought, "Lupin, were you wearing the wooden shoes when you picked it?"

Just then a series of crashes announced something else falling out of the tree, Snape managed to lean back in time to avoid being hit by a wooden shoe. "You could have just answered," he snarled forgetting there was another shoe until it hit him in the forehead knocking him to the ground.

Remus heard a stream of obscenities come up from the bottom of the tree with a vague sense of satisfaction. His aim had been true. Pushing the pain to the very back of his mind, he reached up again and pulled another clump of the moss free. This clump he draped across his shoulders as he shimmied back toward the trunk of the tree.

He had almost reached a point where he could start climbing down when he heard the giggling again. Peering into the shadows he was able to make out a face. Realizing it had been seen; it came around from the back of the tree and giggled at Remus.

"Severus, we have a problem," Remus said quietly while smiling at the giggling creature.

"You are going to have a big problem if I find out you dropped that shoe on me on purpose," Snape growled as he picked himself up from the ground.

"Severus, you said something about native fauna being part of the exhibit, we have a problem with that fauna," Remus said in a hushed voice never taking his eyes from the curious being who was examining him.

"Don't tell me you are scared of a tree frog?" Snape smirked derisively.

"It's not a frog, it's a dryad," Remus explained.

"Oh shit," Snape exhaled.

"My thoughts exactly, now if you have something more helpful to add I'm ready for it," Remus was still smiling at the small female looking figure with long grayish green hair trailing over her brown skin. Her fingers were long and her nails came to sharp points that enabled her to climb her tree easily. Her only covering was some leaves and her hair. Her eyes were bright and inquisitive and full of mischief and she was at most about three feet tall.

"Do you have anything to offer her?" Snape called up.

"Severus, I am completely naked except for some moss draped across my shoulder, what do you suggest I offer her?" Remus gritted out through clenched teeth as he tried to maintain a smile.

The dryad began to move closer to him and Remus froze. Those nails could do serious damage. With careful grace she approached until she was within inches of his face. Reaching up she ran gentle fingers through his hair before giving it a sharp tug and pulling free several strands complete with a bit of scalp. A quick kiss on his cheek and the dryad ran back into the shadows.

Rubbing a hand on his soar head, Remus as quickly as possible positioned himself to climb back down the tree. "Lupin, what are you doing?" Snape hissed.

"She took some of my hair as an offering. Move back I'm on my way down," Remus said.

Snape took a few steps back as he pulled on his boxers. Rubbing his forehead he found a tender bump and cursed roundly. He wondered if he could hit Remus with one of the shoes. There was a creaking and cracking and Remus fell the last few feet to land with a splash in the water at the base of the tree.

He threw the moss at Snape who just managed to catch it. Stowing it in the second bag Snape smirked at the wet, bedraggled, and naked wizard glaring at him, "Have a nice trip?"

Remus snarled at him as he pulled himself up onto the bank next to Snape. Turning suddenly to look over his shoulder, "Did you hear that?"

Snape looked around and both men extinguished their wands as they noticed bobbing lights heading their way from outside the structure. Crouching down in the shadow of the tree they could hear the doors open and the sounds of voices.

"I don't know about this, professor," a man voiced his doubt. "Are you sure it will be safe?"

"That is why we built the path up and put the fence around it. There is no way they will be able to hurt anyone," another voice reassured. "They should be waking up from the tranquilizers," there was a hint of excitement in the voice now. "Did you bring the chickens? They will be hungry after their long trip."

"I have them right here," was the nervous reply. "How do you feed them?"

"Oh you just throw the chickens to them."

Remus was tapping Snape on his shoulder. Snape shrugged him off impatiently trying to tell where the two men were headed. Remus insistently nudged Snape until he turned to see what he could possibly want.

Remus was staring wild-eyed at a log floating in the water. Snape was wondering what had gotten into the other man, when the floating log, opened it's mouth revealing rows of sharp, pointed teeth and hissed at them while yellow glowing eyes reflected the light, "Apparate now!" Snape said.

Remus nodded and with a loud crack they were both standing at the gates of Hogwarts. "Can I have my clothes?" Remus inquired.

"I gave them back to you," Snape told him as he shook out his pants in order to cover his boxer-clad form. It was all he had managed to grab before they had Apparated.

"No you didn't and I am getting cold," Remus glared at him.

"I gave them to you when you fell out of the tree," Snape insisted.

"You did not," Remus insisted in turn.

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too, oh this is ridiculous," Snape snarled.

"I agree, now just give me my clothes and I will be on my way home," Remus said with as much dignity as he could muster.

"I don't have your clothes," Snape insisted.

"Than what are you putting on," Remus was shivering and staring hard at Snape was he struggled to pull on a pair of trousers.

"These are my clothes," Snape told him.

"I don't believe you," Remus shivered again.

"I don't care what you believe," Snape snarled.

Remus grabbed hold of one of the legs of the pants and began to tug, "Give me my pants."

"These are my pants," Snape insisted refusing to release the fabric.

"Look, you have your boxers, just give me the trousers and I can make my way home," Remus tugged harder.

"I have to walk through the castle and there is no way in hell I am going to do that in just my boxers," Snape tugged back firmly.

"Pr'fessers, did ye need some 'elp?" Hagrid's voice had both men jumping guiltily realizing how ridiculous they looked engaged in a tug of war over a pair of trousers.

"Pr'fesser Lupin, if ye don't mind me sayin' ye seem te 'ave misplaced yer clothes," Hagrid said in his approximation of a whisper.

"Actually, I haven't misplaced them, Professor Snape has," and Remus turned on his heel and headed toward Hogsmeade before remembering he was a wizard and could Apparate, with a crack he was gone.

Hagrid shook his head before looking at Snape, "I wouldn't want te 'ave to be the one explainin' to me missus where I had lost me clothes."

Amber woke up to someone pounding on the front door. Amber climbed out of bed and headed downstairs and peered through the window at the front stoop. No one was there. Wondering if she could have been dreaming, she headed back to bed. Before she was half way up the stairs the pounding came again.

She took a firm grip on her wand and looked out the window again, this time she saw Remus' waving his wand from the bushes next to the door.

Opening the door cautiously she looked out into the yard, "Remus, what are you doing out here?"

"The wards are up and I can't Apparate into the house," he hissed looking around to see if they had woken any of the neighbors.

"Well get into the house, and why are you in the bushes?" Amber's question was answered as Remus streaked from the bushes into the house, picking her up to get her out of his way and slamming the door with his hip at the same time.

"Remus, where are your clothes?" Amber managed to ask calmly.

"Somewhere between here and the botanical gardens," Remus said casually as if it were perfectly normal to be wondering around naked in the middle of the night.

"You were helping Severus collect the potion ingredients?" Alexis said from her comfortable perch in Remus' arms.

"Yes," was his succinct reply.

"Did you forget that this was a plot between you and Alexis to get back at Severus?"

"He challenged my honor as a Gryffindor," Remus told her seriously.

"As long as you had a good reason to get naked and climb trees in a Muggle botanical garden, dear," Amber kissed him as he carried her up to bed.

Severus hobbled up the long drive from the gates to the entrance to the castle. He wondered if he had managed to step on every stone or if it just felt like it. Why couldn't he have remembered to grab at least the wooden shoes? Although he was glad he had managed to bring both bags containing the Spanish moss with him.

He was going to have a long talk with Dumbledore about why inter-grounds Apparating was not allowed. He could understand not being able to Apparate into the grounds but it made no sense not to be able to Apparate from place to place within the castle and grounds.

A particularly sharp rock chose that moment to make its way under Snape's right foot. Snape hexed the rock to dust and then felt like seven types of fool as he looked at the wand in his hand and then transfigured two leaves into shoes.

He was still limping from the previous bruises and scrapes but was not collecting any new injuries. Snape managed to make it into the castle without running into anyone. His luck ran out there though as Peeves was engaged in a running battle with Mr. Filch. Peeves was lobbing water balloons at the enraged man and cackling like a hen about to lay an egg.

Filch was sputtering with fury while chasing after Peeves, not looking where he was going he ran right into Snape knocking him on his arse. "Professor, I didn't see you there," Filch apologized as he offered a hand to help Snape to his feet. "Professor, if you don't mind me saying so, you seem to have lost some of your clothes. I bet it was Peeves who stole them. Wait until I tell the Headmaster that Peeves is stealing clothes from the professors, he will have to throw him out then," Filch hurried off to write up his report on Peeves.

Snape didn't have the energy to correct Filch. Glaring at Peeves he dared him to say anything, "One word from you and I will have a long talk with the Bloody Baron."

Peeves threw his remaining water balloons at Snape before zipping down a side corridor. Snape managed to dodge all but two of the balloons. With water dripping from his hair he finished making his way to his quarters.

Snape woke the next morning to an itching sensation all over his neck and wrists. Alexis took one look at him and snorted, "Where on earth did you get chiggers?"

Snape was scratching his wrists and neck, "What are you talking about?"

"You have chigger bites all over your neck and wrists. Did you get the Spanish moss for my potion?"

"Yes, and what the hell are chiggers?" Snape snarled as the itching got worse.

"Stop scratching it only makes it worse," Alexis warned. "Chiggers are tiny mites that live in Spanish moss. You need to medicate the rash or it will last seven to eight days."

"SEVERUS! SEVERUS, GET YOUR SKINNY ASS IN HERE AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?"

Alexis hurried into the parlor to find Remus' head sticking out of the fireplace. It was red, puffy and swollen.

"Oh my, Remus, what happened?"

"Ask your husband," Remus gritted out. "I am covered head to foot in a red itchy rash.

"Head to foot?" Alexis repeated. "How… naked? You let him talk you into gathering the moss? Severus, how could you? I thought you were going to get these ingredients for me. You get over to Remus and Amber's house and treat him right now," Alexis ordered.

AN: loverofallthingsliterary: I like your version of your name (grins) since I also love all things literary. Thanks for the reviews.

Jonquillejaune: Thanks for the heads but on the name changing uncle. I'll get that corrected and thanks for the review, glad you like the story.

Greyfalcon: Thanks for the idea for the dryad!

Camila: Yes, Snuffles will make an appearance. In GOF he shows up around March so we have a little while before we see him again…but I have some definite ideas about his role in this story. Midnight Lily has named baby girl Lupin that will be revealed in a future chapter.

Radingsouls4u: I agree it would be great!

Carsonsheir: Glad you enjoyed it!

GraceRichie: Always great the hear from you. Can't wait for your next updates!

MarkDarcy: I am also the same way about those types of stores. Although my real favorite is trade shows where they give pens and pads, etc away as advertising promotions. That is where I really have to control myself. I went to one last year and came back with three bags full of stuff…ahhh the good old days.

Thank you to the ones who read but don't review. Hope you are liking the story too.