Title: Family Affair

Author: Daeleniel Shadowphyre

Feedback: darkone2813 at mindspring dot com

Fandom: "Harry Potter" series, by J.K. Rowling

Genre: Angst/Drama

Rating: R (Maybe only PG-13, but R is safer.)

Notes: Please reference the prologue for the summary, disclaimer, and any other relevant information. In addition, Remus Lupin's living state has been something of varying theories, ranging from intense poverty to outlandish riches. I preferred to settle for the middle ground. Thus, Remus's financial state -- like his middle name -- is of my creation. And yes, I will explain the cabin.

Distribution: Ask, and ye shall receive.

Chapter Four:

August 1, 1999

Lupin Estate, East Wing

In the soft light of pre-dawn morning, Remus Jarrett Lupin stirred awake and slowly opened his eyes. Almost immediately, he squeezed his eyes shut, flinching away from the pale light streaming through the curtains. His whole body ached, a testimony of his transformation from human to wolf and again to human three nights before. It had been one of the worst transformations he'd gone through, and not even the presence of his old friend Sirius Black had been able to keep him from going crazy from the pain. Even the Wolfsbane potion -- 'mysteriously' delivered by an annonymous post owl every month -- had been slow to act upon him, drawing his human mind back from behind the wolf.

The entire episode had left him shaken, in more ways than one. The last time it had been that bad had been the night two days before James and Lily were killed. Like this time, it had taken him three days to recover from the ripping agony. By the time he'd been well enough to leave his Estate, it was too late. His friends, the people he loved, were dead, and Sirius had just been arrested.

Remus grimaced and forced his eyes open to stare at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was still kicking himself for believing in Sirius's guilt. Even if Sirius had learned the truth surrounding not only Harry's birth, but Lily and James' marriage, he wouldn't have betrayed them all to Voldemort in a fit of pique. Flown off the handle, sure, probably even gone after Severus with a muggle kitchen knife, certainly ranted and raved for a few hours. Never betrayal.

Speaking of Sirius...

With a groan at his protesting joints and muscles, the werewolf levered himself up to a sitting position and swung his legs carefully around and over the side of the bed. Cautiously, he set his feet on the floor, testing to see how much feeling he had in his extremities. Well, he could feel the floor; it was cold. Remus shifted the rest of his weight onto his feet and stood up. Okay, standing? No problem. Now, let's try walking.

One step away from the bed. Ow... His muscles weren't too happy with that, but the pain was different from the usual you've-just-overworked-yourself-stupid-pup pain. This was the less-familiar you've-just-had-a-workout-that-you-stopped-at-peak-and-didn't-cool-down-stupid-boy kind of pain. He could deal with that; just take it slow, stretch a little, easy there... He reached the door. Hand on the door handle, Remus took a deep, calming breath and, opening the door, stepped warily out into the hallway.

"Remus!"

Ah, and there was the proof of the day! Remus unconsciously braced himself as Sirius Black himself came into view. The expression on the other man's face was a strange conglomerate of haunted bleakness, jubilant elation, and gut-twisting concern. It made Remus dizzy for a moment trying to read that on the face of the man he thought of as his brother. Leaning against the wall to steady himself, Remus summoned up a smile for his old partner-in-pranks.

"You're up early," he commented, raising an eyebrow. Sirius grinned sheepishly at his friend.

"Your ruddy owl woke me," the black-haired man grumbled good-naturedly. Remus had to smile. Calia was not the most patient of owls, and had taken Sirius's arrival into her master's house with much commentary. Knowing how badly this most recent transformation had effected Remus, she must have decided to wake Sirius with the mail this morning.

"I'll talk to her about it," Remus said. It wouldn't do any good, of course, but then, Sirius didn't know that. Then, curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "What was the mail?"

"Letters," Sirius replied, shrugging. "There's one from Albus, another from Snape--" here, Sirius spat the name like a curse; Remus winced, but said nothing, "--a couple from Harry, and a few that I don't recognize the writing." Remus chuckled.

"Well, then, by all means, let me hobble on down to the sitting room and we'll have breakfast at the same time," he said, starting off down the hall in the direction of the East Wing's sitting room. He kept a hand on the wall to steady himself and by the time he and Sirius had reached the sitting room, he was walking normally again.

Breakfast was waiting on the coffee table in the sitting room, as it always was, and Remus silently blessed Zizi for her unwavering loyalty to him all these years. The house-elf had been his constant companion during the full moons before his Hogwarts days, and during the summers before Sirius, James, and-- and Peter. Before his friends had mastered the Animagus spell and joined him there. Now, nearly thirty-one years after that first horrible transformation, Zizi was still with him, the last house-elf left in the huge estate. Speaking of...

"Thanks for bringing me back," Remus said as he sat down in his favorite chair next to the coffee table. Sirius grinned at him, a tad warily but a grin nonetheless, and sat down in the chair opposite his friend.

"Well, as wonderful as that cabin of yours is for isolation, it's not exactly up to snuff for human comforts," he remarked, only a little caustically, then teased, "Something I'm sure you'd be needing in your old age."

"Old age be hanged!" Remus declared airily. "I'm thirty-five, which is as young as I'll ever be again." Sirius stared at him, then abruptly burst out laughing. A full laugh, Remus noticed smugly, with no hint of shadows behind it.

"Merlin's toes, Moony!" the Animagus gasped. "Only you would use that kind of logic!" Remus blushed faintly, but shook his head.

"Mr. Moony must disabuse Mr. Padfoot of this notion," he said, grinning wickedly, "as Mr. Moony first heard this line of logic expressed by Albus Dumbledore."

"That just figures," Sirius said around his sniggers. "Dumbledore will outlive all of us, I just know it!"

"You never did have a talent for Divination," Remus teased, ducking as Sirius mock-swung at him. More seriously, Remus went on, "Albus is mortal, Siri, as much as we'd like to believe otherwise. His concept of mortality is very different from the mainstream idea, however, and I'd bet part of the reason he's still alive is that he's having too much fun to die. Not to mention the disappointed look on Lucius Malfoy's face every time Dumbledore survives, and Severus is the same way."

Sirius gave a derisive snort at the idea of Severus Snape being compared to the beloved Headmaster of Hogwarts. "That greasy git would stand at Death's door, only to turn around and keep living just to spite everyone that wants him dead."

"Lucky for you he did the first time, or you'd be out a friend," Remus retorted, but without malice. He'd long since made his peace with what Sirius had done and what had almost happened. Lily could have lost her boyfriend. And James could have lost his mate. Not that Sirius ever knew that, Remus thought to himself, briefly wondering if it would have been better for Sirius to have known. It certainly hadn't helped the already tense relations between Severus, James, and himself. A minor miracle was that those same relations weren't terribly set back from the event, as Severus himself had proved the morning Remus had woken up...

Remus groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes, jolting him into full awakeness. Immediately, his entire body sent up a clamouring protest at its recent mistreatment and the young werewolf had to fight down the urge to drag his pillow over his face. Wait. Pillow?

Steeling himself, Remus forced his eyes open to look around. The sight of white screens and smooth stone greeted his eyes. The Infirmary, then. His brows snapped together. Then how had he gotten there? He turned his head to the side carefully and spotted the answer, slumped over and asleep in the chair next to his bed, glasses hanging precariously from the tip of the nose of the much-beloved boy. James Potter's hair was messier than usual and he looked a little the worse for wear. Even in his sleep, the tension didn't leave his solid Chaser's body. Remus's frown grew more pronounced. What the bloody hell had happened!

"He hasn't left your side since he brought you in," a voice said from the doorway. "At this rate, he'll miss all his classes."

"I keep telling him he's an idiot," Remus answered, feeling decidedly lightheaded. The voice had sparked memory in him. The memory of those precious few seconds before he was completely a wolf, and the horrifying sight of Severus Snape's fear-filled face before the world had faded away in the face of the wolf. Inanely, he added, "He never listens to me, of course. Just keeps staying here, refusing to leave until I'm awake, or so Madam Pomfrey says. She's fair vexed with him for it, too, but she never runs him off..." Remus trailed off, aware that he was babbling. He felt his eyes burn and he squeezed them shut, taking a shuddering breath before whispering, "Merlin, I'm so, so sorry, Severus."

"Oh, for Salazar's sake!" Severus snapped. "It was hardly your fault, any of it. As it is, James got me out of there without a scratch, you're clear of any possible charges, and the very worst that could happen is that I'll have nightmares for the rest of my natural life." Ooh, that was not reassuring. Remus groaned and collapsed back against the pillow, wincing as the almost violent movement jarred his recently inflicted wounds. Merlin, but the Ministry would have a field day! Dumbledore could get fired for this! And that wasn't even touching on what the Ministry would do to Remus himself! No, they can't kill me, they can't, it would shatter James, they can't kill me, they--

Remus's eyes flew open as he felt the hospital bed dip. Severus stared back at him from his new position next to Remus on the bed. His face was impassive, eyes calm, and when Remus glanced down, he found that the other boy's hands were steady. He sniffed involuntarily, then abruptly backed away, pressing his back against the metal rods of the hospital bed's headboard.

"You're afraid of me," he whispered, horrified. Severus made a move to deny it, but Remus just repeated stubbornly, "You are! I can smell it." Disgusted with himself, he looked away, turning his face further away from James and squeezing his eyes shut, as if denying himself the sight of his mate would protect the other boy from the danger he was in by associating with a... a monster.

Severus, on the other hand, was having none of that. Remus heard him move, but it still shocked him when he felt the cool, slightly dry touch of the Slytherin's hand on his jaw, the pressure that turned him back towards Severus.

"Look at me," Severus commanded, his voice rough and a little husky. Remus shivered involuntarily at the deep tones that hinted at a barritone rumble in the boy's adulthood. His eyes reluctantly opened to meet Severus's own dark eyes. Not black, he noticed absently, but very dark blue mixed with a kind of charcoal gray. Severus sighed. "I'm not afraid of you, Remus," he said. "Not as you are now. I took the same classes you did, and I know you're currently only as dangerous as you want or need to be. So it happens that for one night out of twenty-eight you run on four feet instead of two and have a taste for a different sort of... game. The rest of the time, you're the same irritating, quiet, studious Gryffindor that most of the teachers dote on.

"I admit that I do feel a certain amount of fear on that one night out of twenty-eight, and most assurredly it was more pronounced last night than it has been in a... very long time. But you have to understand that I've been terrified of werewolves in their transformed state ever since I was seven."

Remus felt his eyes widen to what felt like the size of dinner plates. In response, Severus let go of Remus's jaw and dropped his hand to his arm where he began fumbling with the cuff of his shirt-sleeve. It took a bit, but he finally got the button undone and shoved the sleeve up his arm, nearly to his armpit. Remus flinched at the sight of the four deep-looking scars that chased diagonal lines across Severus's upper arm. A second look proved that the scars were most definitely made by the claws of a very large, adult werewolf, which made Remus cringe all the more. But what really made him tremble was the third, final review of those scars that looked almost -- but not quite -- as old as the silver-white bite mark that adorned Remus's shoulder just above his collar bone.

"Five," he blurted out, swallowing convulsively as his eyes moved from those four scars to Severus's eyes and back. "I was five when I was bitten. The werewolf-- Merlin, she was only nineteen! She hadn't known we'd be there camping, she'd just Apparated to the most likely abandoned area farthest away from people and..." Remus trailed off, aware that he was babbling. Severus was silent for a moment, eyes fixed on a point just past Remus's left ear.

"There's a very good reason why I don't fear werewolves when it's not a full moon," he said at length. "No one else in my family understands why, but I guess they let what they were taught get in the way of blood ties." His voice was bitter, and Remus reached out and touched Severus's hand before he could stop himself. The Slytherin flinched at the contact and Remus hastily pulled his hand back, but the other boy just smiled wryly. "Your hands are cold."

"Sorry," Remus said, ducking his head with a slightly sheepish smile. Then something Severus had said echoed in his mind and he asked, "Blood ties?"

"Mmhm," Severus said, nodding, a sad look flickering through his eyes. "My favorite uncle was staying with us that week. Well," he amended, "I'd always liked Uncle Ulrich, even if the rest of the family didn't. But he was my mother's brother, so Father had no say in it. So that night, Mum told all of us kids to stay inside and not go sneaking out to the woods around the manor once it got dark. Augustus -- my older brother -- dared me to go outside, even though Mum said not to, and I really was curious about what could be out there, and... well, I was only seven." Severus flushed, apparently having realised that he was babbling more than Remus had earlier. "Mum rescued me. Stupified him. I was grounded for as long as it took these--" he inclined his head towards his arm, indicating the scratches, "--to heal. Uncle Ulrich was horrified when he woke up next morning with my blood under his fingernails." He laughed a little, but there was no humour in it. Remus reached out and touched his hand again. Severus flinched, but caught Remus's hand in his and gave it a brief squeeze.

"So, how did you get to the Shack, anyway?" Remus asked as they let go, turning the conversation away from such personal ground and onto a question that had been subconsciously eating at him since I woke up.

"Black," Severus growled, his eyes hard. "He told me that Lily wanted to meet me there, and that there was a secret passage under the Whomping Willow. I was an idiot for trusting him, since I knew full well that he despises me and was sure there had to be some sort of catch in the Shack, since he'd told me how to get past the Willow. But..." Severus clenched his eyes shut, his hands curling into fists.

Remus gaped at Severus. The emotions rolling off of the Slytherin were so strong that he didn't even have to consciously scent him to know how he was feeling. Rage. Hurt. Fear. An odd conglomerate of emotions that started with sorrow and ended in hatred. And then it caught up to him what he was being told. Sirius, his friend, his brother, his packmate-- He had been the one to send Severus down the tunnel to the Shack in Hogsmeade, knowing full well that it was a full moon and Remus would be there in his transformed, man-eating state! The betrayal stabbed at him like a silver knife, fueling his own rage and kicking his senses into high gear. Inside his mind, the wolf that he had been scarcely hours before howled for blood.

"I shall kill him."

The growled words that pushed themselves out of his throat were almost inhuman with the fury behind them. This wasn't quiet, studious Remus Lupin talking, not entirely. Moony was right there with him, and the betrayal from a packmate had obviously enraged the wolf as much as the boy. Dimly, he smelled the fear in the room spike to a staggering level, then--

Strong hands gripped his shoulders. Severus's cold, dark eyes bore into Remus's rage-fired gold. "Stop it," he snapped, that deep teenaged voice going even deeper with his intensity. "Don't jeopardize your life over this. Just how do you suppose James would feel if after all that's been done to keep you out of the Ministry's hands you thoughtlessly jump right back in?"

It was like a bucket of ice-water being tossed over him. Remus felt his eyes go wide with horror at what he'd almost let the wolf do. If he'd-- But Sirius-- Sirius was his friend! Why would he do something like this, use him like this? Why? He didn't register when exactly he started to shake, or when the tears began sliding down his cheeks. Something in Severus's eyes softened, and suddenly Remus was being held with Severus murmuring soothingly into his ear. The werewolf clung to that rock of stability, burying his face in Severus's robes.

"Too soon," he whispered hoarsly into the black cloth of the student robe. "It's too close to the full moon. The wolf is too near the surface. Sweet Merlin, Siri, why

"As far as I can tell," Severus said cautiously as he rubbed circles on Remus's back, "he thought he was acting in everyone's best interest."

"How, exactly, is trying to get you killed by using me acting in everyone's best bloody interest?" Remus choked out.

"I doubt he realised what it meant to send someone off to you in your transformed state," Severus said, a little disdainfully. "He certainly gave that impression in the Headmaster's office." Remus pulled back and gaped at the Slytherin.

"What? How could he not know?" he demanded. "I turn into a bloody werewolf, not some overgrown puppy!" Severus arched an eyebrow at him.

"I don't want to know," he said decidedly. "However, as to why he wouldn't make the connection, that's fairly simple. You, Remus Lupin, are one of Sirius Black's best friends. You're quiet, studious, and a part-time prankster. You'd never do anything to hurt anybody unless they hurt you first, correct?"

"Well, yes, but that's meaningless when I'm a wolf," Remus pointed out, beginning to calm down in spite of himself. "You know that."

"But I don't think Black knows it," Severus said. "Not fully, anyway. Oh, intellectually, he knows all about it. But there's still that part of his mind that thinks of Remus Lupin and doesn't make the connection." He gave a wry half-smirk. "Let us also not forget that the bastard is only sixteen, like the rest of us. Rather careless and often thoughtless of consequences. Cruel, as teenaged boys often are."

"You know," Remus said, looking at Severus with a shrewd glance, "that sounds a lot like an attempt at rationalisation. Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Severus snorted. Then, to Remus's shock, a small, real smile pulled at the Slytherin's lips. For a dizzying moment, Remus could see more of just what Lily saw in the reserved, brilliant Potions student.

"Both, I think," Severus replied lightly, letting go of his hold around Remus's shoulders. Then more seriously he added, "I have never liked Black, just has he has never liked me. There's been bad blood between the two of us for much longer than we've been at Hogwarts, and it runs so deep that I think it would take a miracle to root it out." He closed his eyes and bowed his head in regret, then looked back up at Remus. "However, whether I like him or despise him has no bearing on the fact that he is one of your best friends and, careless as he is now, he's no less a true friend. True friends are rare -- Merlin knows I can count my friends on one hand, all the less true friends -- and I'd rather not see you lose yours.

"There is also," Severus continued, "the matter of his long-standing friendship with James over there. I understand that you and James are... close..."

"As close if not closer than you and Lily," Remus confirmed, answering the unspoken question. "He's my mate."

"Then all the greater the conflict if you estrange yourself from Black," Severus pointed out, showing no surprise over the pronouncement of the two boys' intimate relationship. He sounded so calm and reasonable, Remus could almost believe that he'd really put aside his dislike for Sirius in this attempt to save the friendship between him and Remus. "Pushing Black away would, however unwittingly, force James to choose between the boy he loves like a brother and you, who he loves like the lover and life-partner you are."

"Mm," Remus nodded. "I wouldn't ever want to put him in that kind of position. And speaking of which..." Remus turned his head and addressed the bespectacled boy in the chair. "You can stop pretending to be asleep, now, Jimmy."

"How?" James Potter demanded as he opened his eyes to Severus's smirk and Remus's fond smile. "How in Merlin's name did you know I was awake?" Remus raised an eyebrow at his friend and mate.

"James," he said seriously, "we've shared a dorm for almost six years, this past year including a shared bed. My hearing is better than average, and those circumstances are more than enough to make very sure I'd know how you sound when you're asleep!"

James blushed bright red. This appeared to amuse Severus, because the Slytherin startled both Gryffindors by chuckling outright. It was the first time either of them had heard him laugh. Shaking his head slightly, James pushed himself out of the chair and crossed to the bed, waving Severus down when he made to get up. Instead, James knelt down beside the bed and caught one of Remus's hands in his.

"Remy," James said earnestly, looking up into his mate's face, "I need you to understand something. Sirius has been like my brother for years, yes, but you're my mate! My other half, the completion of my soul. If it ever came down to a choice between you and him, he'd lose."

"I don't want to put you in the position of having to choose, Jimmy," Remus said, shaking his head. James made a face.

"I know," he said. "But right now, I'm so mad at Sirius...! I don't know how you kept yourself from hexing him, Severus," he added, turning to the Slytherin. Severus shook his head, looking just a little bemused.

"To be honest, neither do I," he said frankly. James laughed, but there was little mirth behind it.

"Remy," he said again, turning to his mate. "I know we've all four of us've been practically inseperable since First Year and you're probably going to forgive Sirius before even I do... but damn it, make him work for it!"

"Believe me," Remus said, baring his teeth in a mirthless, wolf-like grin, "I intend to." Severus shivered involuntarily, but still smirked at the pair.

"Well, if that's all settled, then," he drawled, rising from the bed, "I've to get on to Charms. And I believe you two have Transfiguration," he added pointedly. James snorted and waved this away, unconcerned.

"I'm top of the class; McGonagall won't care if I skip," James pushed his glasses up farther, looking concerned. "Are you going to be okay?" Severus blinked, obviously taken aback by the question.

"Yes, of course," he answered, nonplussed. He made as if to leave, then hesitated. "I suppose I should thank you. You saved my life, James."

"Jimmy," James said solemnly. Severus blinked. The bespectacled boy ducked his head and smiled a little sheepishly. "I heard that bit about true friends, Severus. All my true friends call me Jimmy."

"And mine call me Remy," Remus added, a grin tugging at his lips as he saw the shocked realisation dawn on Severus's face. "We'd like it if you called us by those names."

Severus stared at them both for a long moment, his face blank, eyes veiled and dark so that they truly looked black. He was so still that after a moment Remus began to wonder if he was even breathing. And then, wonder upon wonders, Severus's lips curved upwards into another of those small, shy smiles.

"Okay," he said, his voice soft and a little hesitant. "Then I suppose you two should call me Sev."

"But you forgave me for the Shack Incident," Sirius was saying as Remus snapped himself back out of his memories. The werewolf raised an eyebrow at his friend, but didn't reply, instead turning to take the breakfast tray from Zizi with a quiet "thanks" and a smile. Zizi smiled back and hurried off, leaving Remus and Sirius alone. Sirius, meanwhile, was beginning to sweat. "Remus," he said pensively, "you did forgive me for that... right?"

That stopped Remus short. The fear in Sirius's voice as he said that... did he really not remember? Had Azkaban taken so much from his friend? Understanding softened Remus's features, and he smiled reassuringly at Sirius.

"Yes, I did, Siri," he assured the other man as he set the tray on the coffee table between them. "James and I both forgave you." He poured himself and Sirius a cup of tea, then settled back into his chair while Sirius started in on breakfast. He waiting for a moment, then added mischievously, "You might want to thank Severus for that sometime."

Sirius choked on his sausage. "What!" he gasped, coughing. "Thank Snape! Why, for Godric's sake!"

"Because," Remus said casually, his tone light but face serious, "you rather owe him your life. Severus was the one who talked me out of hunting you down and ripping your throat out for that stunt." Sirius turned very pale. His mouth worked, but no sound emerged. Remus calmly sipped his tea, picking up one of the letters. Severus's, he noted, recognising the neat, precise script. He opened it and began to read, making a mental note to thank Zizi for sending off the letters he had prepared for Severus and Albus. The reminder appeared to have been unnecessary, but one could never be too cautions about this.

There was no response from across the coffee table. Remus glanced up at Sirius, then down at the plate in his friend's lap. "Your breakfast is getting cold."

Sirius looked warily at his friend, but did start eating again. As his temporary housemate devoured the remainder of his food, Remus set about reading the rest of his post. As he came across bits of interest, he read them aloud to Sirius, who gradually began to relax again. One of the letters from Harry turned out to be for Sirius, who read it eagerly. He dropped it, however, when Remus -- who had picked up and opened one of the letters whose handwriting Sirius didn't recognize -- let out a startled oath.

"What?" Sirius asked, alarmed. "What's wrong? Who's it from?" Remus swallowed. Hard.

"I'm not sure," he said in a surprisingly calm voice. He scanned the letter, and blinked, his mouth dropping open from shock. Going back, he re-read the letter to himself, more slowly.

Dear Remus,

I wish that the circumstances under which I am writing were different, but we both know that it would take nothing less than an emergency for me to risk contacting anyone in the wizarding world again. According to both Albus and my nephew, You-Know-Who is back. My husband, being a muggle, doesn't understand the gravity of the situation and is continuing on as he always has, which has not been good for Harry. I've done my best to hold him off without arousing any suspicion that I care about Harry, but I can only do so much.

It's getting steadily worse, however. The further along Harry gets at Hogwarts, the more he learns and grows, the angrier Vernon gets. Not even a mention of Harry's godfather will be likely to stop him if he gets it into his head to try and beat the "unnaturalness" out of Harry. There's a new office assistant at Grunnings that's been giving Vernon... ideas.

I've sent an owl to Albus informing him of this. However, if he isn't able to do anything... I want you to come for him. He'll be safer with you, potion or no potion, than he would be in the same house as Vernon. Please, Remus. There's not much love lost between me and my nephew, but he is still Lily's son.

Sincere regards,

Petunia E. Dursley

To be continued...