Chapter Fifteen

The cold, grey light of morning began to creep into the windows of the little house on the little island. Just like yesterday, Remus awoke naked and with Sirius curled around him, both of them covered by the throw from the couch. Unlike yesterday, Sirius was naked too. Their clothes lay strewn about the floor in little puddles - where they had tossed them aside last night, in their passion.

But this morning was unlike the previous one in another way as well. Whereas yesterday Remus had awoken and felt warm and loved, and aroused by his proximity to Sirius, this morning he was troubled. He was cold and tense and troubled. Something was troubling him - gnawing away at his heart - and he wished so desperately that he could ignore it but … there it was.

He felt Sirius stir beside him. The dark head raised up from the cushion and then - just like in his fantasies from yesterday - it lowered slightly to plant a kiss on Remus' shoulder. Remus felt the pain tear into his heart … just yesterday this was all he had wanted. And now - now it was meaningless.

'Morning,' Sirius murmured, his knuckles brushed against Remus' bare skin and he kissed him again. 'You awake?'

'Yes.' He held himself very still, not letting himself give in to the kisses.

At last, Sirius seemed to notice something was wrong - notice how stiff and still he was. He propped himself up on his elbow and squinted down. 'You OK?'

Remus just stared out at the room, blankly, at the empty fireplace. The flames had died out in the night and now all there was left was ash. 'What did you mean last night?' he said, struggling to keep his voice even. 'When you said you thought I was the spy … what did you mean?'

He felt Sirius freeze behind him. 'I … I meant when we knew someone was betraying James and Lily to Voldemort - passing across information - I thought … I thought...'

'That it was me.' Remus finished up the sentence for him. 'Out of everyone in The Order you thought I was the spy. The traitor.'

'It had to be someone close to Lily and James. It had to be one of us - I knew it wasn't me.'

'So you decided it was me.' The whole room was cold, the whole place was grey - and that was how Remus felt too now - cold and grey and empty. He closed his eyes and forced the next word out from between his teeth. 'Why?'

'Why what?'

'Why me - why did you think it was me?'

'Well - who else could it have been?' Unlike Remus, Sirius seemed to be heated - he was blustering, getting annoyed - and that annoyance was hiding the fear that the perfect thing they had reached for just last night was now - somehow - irrevocably broken.

'Peter.' Remus said quietly. 'It could have been Peter. It was Peter.'

'Well how was I supposed to know that? He was so small and useless and you …' he trailed off.

'Me what?'

'You … you're … well… you're …'

'A werewolf.' He finished the sentence for him. It wasn't even a question.

He felt Sirius squirm behind him. 'That isn't… I didn't think it like that . I didn't think it was because all werewolves are bad.'

'So just me then,' a cold, little laugh escaped from his throat. 'I'm a bad werewolf.'

'No!' Sirius' voice was fierce and furious.

'What then?'

'I just ...well, out of everyone - what did you have to lose if Voldemort took over? What did you have to gain if we won? What did you owe a world who rejected you and shunned you and treated you like you were dirty - why wouldn't you hate that world? You're so powerful and talented and clever. You're so kind and thoughtful and good. You have so much to offer and no one cares because of what you are. All they see is the wolf and they hate you for it, fear you for it. Why wouldn't you turn your back?

'Peter - Peter was a coward - I couldn't see him going to Voldemort, daring to face him - you weren't a coward, though. And Peter had a job and a home, he could have got married - had kids ... He had so much to lose. You - what did you have to lose? If Voldemort won what would you actually lose?'

Remus took a deep breath. 'Only everything that's good in the world,' he said, sadly. 'That's what I stood to lose. Peace, friendship, love, laughter, family … even if those things were denied to me they would still be gone from the world forever and everyone - including me - would be poorer for it.'

He could feel Sirius' eyes boring into him, watching his profile closely from his position propped up on the pillow - but still he didn't turn to look at him. 'Do you really think so little of me, that you think I wouldn't value all those things just because I couldn't have them for myself? That I wouldn't want them for James and Lily and Harry - and you ?' His voice shook as he spoke.

'I never - that isn't…' Sirius shook his head, not knowing how to explain. 'You're twisting it all. It wasn't because I thought badly of you… it was because I felt so much for you, saw how much you were worth, and how you were treated and how much that hurt you. It was because I knew you were better than the world you lived in.'

'So you thought I'd try and destroy it - you thought I'd kill my friends?' He inhaled sharply, and tried to blink the tears out of his eyes. 'Did James think that too?'

'Remus -'

'Did James think I was a traitor? That I would betray him and his little family. Did he die thinking I was one of Voldemort's servants?'

'No - you know James - he would never believe any of us would betray him. He didn't believe it was any of us.'

'So James didn't think I was a traitor - and Peter knew I wasn't a traitor... So it was just you.'

'Yeah - yes - of course.'

...

He closed his eyes and felt his heart break inside his chest, shattering into a thousand pieces and crumbling away, leaving him hollow. 'I said last night nobody's opinion of me mattered but yours … I guess I know now what that opinion is.'

'Remus -' Sirius reached out to touch him, but Remus pulled away.

He threw the throw off himself and got off the sofa. 'I should get dressed,' he said - not looking back, keeping his eyes on the cold, grey room and feeling that cold and greyness inside of himself.

He found his boxers and picked them up.

'Remus -' Sirius said again. He had not moved, he was still on the sofa, covered by the throw - staring intently at the man he had inadvertently hurt so badly.

But Remus ignored him and began to pull on his underwear …

...

He had just got his second leg in and pulled the waistband into position when the silence of the morning was suddenly broken by a terrible, shrill wailing sound - like a siren, or a banshee, or an alarm going off.

Both of them stiffened. Sirius sat bolt upright, Remus turned to face the door.

'That's the enchantments - the warning charm - a wizard has just landed on the …'

But then the door was kicked open and Severus Snape strode in - his wand raised, his expression one of vindicated and victorious fury. He took one look at the half naked werewolf, standing there frozen in shock, and yelled 'stupefy '.

And Remus crashed to the ground unconscious.


Peter groaned as the alarm clock went off. Today was his first day back at work and he didn't want to go. He had got used to staying at home, enjoying all the attention, eating all the sweet home baked treats that doting witches had sent to him.

To go back into the real world, back into the Ministry, back to filing portkey request forms …

The thought was mind achingly boring. The work was dull - it was hard - and now the war was over he didn't even have excitement outside of work to keep him going. It would be nothing but paperwork forever.

He stumbled into the bathroom and began to brush his teeth. Something needed to happen. He needed to do something - find a way to stay front page news - find a way to keep the cards and the cakes and the candies rolling in.


Severus pointed his wand directly at Black, his hand trembled a little - excitement, rage, anticipation, glee all coursing through him - and he fought with himself to steady it. 'Don't. Move.' He said slowly and deliberately.

Black's eyes darted to the unconscious wolf on the floor- and then over to the mantelpiece, where their wands lay uselessly abandoned.

'Don't even think about it.'

But Black looked at the wands again - he twitched.

Severus took a step forward, and levelled his wand straight between Black's eyes. Green sparks flew unbidden out of the end of it. 'Just give me a reason, Black - just give me a reason and I swear -'

'You'll kill me?'

He gave a curt nod of his head. But Black just laughed - and made to move. 'I'll kill the wolf,' Severus said quickly - and that froze the filthy traitor in place. Severus smiled. 'No one will care if the beast does not survive being captured. You know it's true. So stay still or watch your pet wolf die at my hand oh … ' he laughed, 'how much I hoped no else would get to you first. How sweet this revenge is.'

'Revenge? Is this all for a schoolboy grudge? A few stupid jinxes when we were children?'

Severus' hand trembled again - but he said nothing, not wanting to reveal the truth. 'Get dressed,' he snapped - keeping the wand aimed at Black. 'I'll do you that courtesy - though I don't know you'd do it for me. I'll let you get taken to Azkaban with your trousers on. I won't let the aurors find you and the beast naked in each other's arms.'

Black flamed bright red - but with his eyes still on the tip of Severus' wand, he slid off the sofa and began to pull his clothes on.

'You're making a mistake you know,' his voice was quite calm.

Severus only smiled again, 'oh - I don't think so.'

'You've got it all wrong. Dumbledore has it all wrong.'

'Save it for the trial… if you get one.'

...

Finished getting dressed, Sirius glanced at his abandoned wand again - he flinched - as if his muscles were making ready to dash.

But Severus was too quick for him. 'Petrificus Totalus!' he yelled. White sparks flew from his wand and hit Black square in the chest - and Sirius seized up - going stiff like cardboard - and toppled over. He slammed down onto the floor and lay there rigid, completely immobilised. Only his eyes still moved - and they stared up at Severus - filled with the same loathing Severus knew shone from his own … but the spell held the traitor firmly in place, and he was helpless.

...

With a flick of his wand, Severus conjured ropes and bound Black's stiff hands. Another flick and Black's feet were bound as well.

He turned to the wolf then. The stunning charm would be wearing off soon, he did not want the beast blindsiding him - reaching for his wand while he, Severus, was still dealing with Black.

Another flick of his wand and he conjured chains - ropes would not do for the animal - and bound him hand and foot. One final flick and the halfbreed was gagged. Even if he woke up, he was not getting free - the pair of them were well and truly caught.

...

Feeling Sirius' wide, staring eyes still fixed on him, Severus raised his wand one last time and yelled ' Expecto Patronum '. A shining, silver doe erupted from his wand tip and galloped away out of the house.

He looked back at Black - to see if he had noticed … if he had realised. But the traitor seemed more interested in the chained and gagged wolf than he did in the shape of Severus' patronus.

Severus smiled down at him. 'The aurors should be here any minute.'


When Peter arrived at the office there were flowers on his desk and a 'welcome back' banner on the wall. It had been enchanted so the letters changed colour and swirling curls of sparks unfurled up and down the length of it in a repeating pattern.

But once the initial flurry of interest was over - once the men had shaken his hand and patted his back and the women had kissed him on the cheek and assured him that if he needed anything - anything at all … they all melted away and settled back to work. And Peter was left to pull his overflowing intray in front of himself and start sorting through it.

...

So this was it - he thought, as he rubber stamped another form. This was all he had to look forward to. This was going to be today and tomorrow and the day after and the day after that and … He needed to find something else. He needed something else to happen. He couldn't go back to being a nobody in an unimportant office, filling out paperwork.


The arrival of the aurors was heralded by several loud popping sounds. And then the room was filled with a whole squad of them, their wands already raised and pointed at the two traitors on the ground.

'So - you found them?' Moody growled at Severus. The old auror had lost his right eye since the last time Severus had seen him - and he now had a new, bright blue one popped into his empty socket. It whizzed around, rotating 360 degrees - and Severus had the unnerving impression that this magic eye could look straight through him.

'Dumbledore asked me to look - I looked. I found.'

'And Dumbledore trusted you with this mission, did he? That's all it was? You didn't have any insider knowledge ?'

Severus felt himself grow hot. He knew what Moody was insinuating. He knew Moody didn't trust him, that the old auror was not happy that - due to Dumbledore's testimony - he, Severus, had escaped punishment for his crimes as a Death Eater. 'Dumbledore trusts me,' he said stiffly.

'Aye - great man, Dumbledore - not always right, though, is he? Look at what he used to think of these two…' He suddenly swung his wand back round to Black and Lupin, who remained tied up on the floor. Lupin was awake again - and the freezing charm had worn off Sirius. Both were struggling with their bonds, but Severus knew what he was doing - and they were unable to get free.

...

Scrimgeour and Proudfoot - keeping their wands trained on Black the whole time - raised him to his feet.

Shacklebolt and Dawlish did the same to Lupin. Shacklebolt's expression was … closed. As if he was trying not to show emotion - whether disappointment or disgust or even just sadness that the men he had held as friends and comrades had turned out to be … this . And here he was arresting them.

...

Dawlish gave Lupin a shake. 'This one's not wearing any clothes.'

'No,' Severus agreed. 'He's not.'

The auror looked at Moody. 'Should we let him get dressed?'

But Severus protested. 'What? Untie him and give him a chance to escape? Don't be mad. We have him - the Ministry would snap your wand in two if you let him go.'

Moody grunted - looking reluctant to agree with Severus. But he did. 'He's right,' he said. He looked at Lupin - full in the face - and there was no kindness or compassion or recognition of their previous friendship in his expression. 'The wolf can go as it is.'

Lupin paled beneath his gag. Black started yelling. 'Don't call him that - don't you dare call him that, Moody…'

But with a flick of his wand, Scrimgeour conjured a gag and then Black was gagged too. Not that that stopped him yelling - but the words were muffled and incomprehensible now.

...

'So where's the boy?' Moody asked Severus.

'The what?'

'The Potter boy - you fool. The one you came here to rescue.'

'Oh - him. Maybe upstairs?'

'I'll go look,' Moody started stumping towards the stairs on his wooden leg. He glanced back at his team of aurors, 'take the traitors away.'

...

Scrimgeour and Proudfoot seized tighter hold of Black - conjuring chains and chaining each of his wrists to each of them. As they worked, Scrimgeour frowned at Severus. 'I don't understand - how did you find them, Snape?'

Severus picked up yesterday's paper - the one Sirius had dropped on the ground last night, the one that read:

Lupin on the Loose

Well - there would be very different headlines now. He smiled grimly, looking at The Daily Prophet in his hand. 'A little bird told me.'

...

And then, with the traitors shackled between them - the aurors disapparated back to the Ministry, leaving Severus alone in the former home of his vanquished enemies.