Severus Snape had tried to struggle at first, his arms flailing, trying desperately to unbalance the growling creature pinning him down, but the werewolf soon put a stop to that by wrenching back his hood with a claw and squeezing the scruff of his neck in its jaws.

Snape stiffened, his whole body at a tremor. The teeth were pinching his skin, but they had not pierced through. Not yet...

"Lupin…" he whispered, licking his lips nervously as the clawed paw-hands gripped hold of his wrists, pinning them immobile to the floor.

"Lupin; you know me; I make your Wolfsbane."

Whether the creature understood this was not clear, but the growling did seem to soften a little.

"I have some right here in my cloak," he continued smoothly, his voice growing in confidence. "Wolfsbane, Lupin. It will calm you, make you feel better."

His words seemed to still the Werewolf. The growling died away, but still it did not relax its jaws.

Snape took a breath and closed his eyes, trying to slow his heart. "Wolfsbane. Lupin…"

"You can trust me…"

At hearing these last words the Werewolf's entire body seemed to shudder, and with a vicious snarl it bit into the man's neck.

Snape screamed, kicking wildly, his arms buckling and fighting, but the beast had too solid a grip, and he was without wand. Downstairs in the entrance hall the curtains flew open and Mrs Black started screeching, adding to the hellish noise.

Outside the thunderclouds were rumbling, and the first few spots of rain began to splash on the pathway. Down on the street an old woman paused to put up her umbrella, completely unaware of the terrible thing happening just yards away from her. For of course the house was entirely undetectable to Muggle eyes, the sounds from within entirely inaudible to Muggle ears.

As far as she, or anyone else on the street was concerned, the house did not even exist - there had never been a number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Bronze eyes glittering in the half-light, the creature slowly lifted its grizzled head, its teeth still partly sunk into flesh, and turned. With the sound of Mrs Black shrieking at it, the werewolf began dragging its trembling victim down the stairs, a few steps at a time.

x-X-x

It had taken a second look at the staircase before Remus had noticed the little droplets and smears of blood on the steps, starting halfway down the stairs and ending in a series of bloody pawprints at the other end of the hallway. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he creaked open the kitchen door.

Just as he had dreaded, a dark, bedraggled shape was slumped on the floor by the stove.

Remus rushed over and fell to his knees in front of the man, his quivering fingers pressing into a chill wrist, searching for a pulse.

But he didn't get as far as finding one; the next second the man's eyes had snapped open, and the arm was snatched out from his grasp.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Snarled Snape, recoiling, fingers curling like claws.

Remus stared. Sweat was beading on the dark wizard's forehead, his eyes unfocused and glassy. There were smears of blood across his jaw and neck, and dark patches on his torn robes.

Snape's wounds were already healing fast; too fast for a normal wizard's wounds.

Too late.

Remus felt sick.

"I'm sorry, this was never meant to-"

He was cut off by a mocking hiss.

"Save me your remorse, Lupin," Hissed Snape hoarsely. "I'm… I'm…" he faltered, shivering a little. A maniacal gleam glinted in his eye.

"Get something silver, finish it...do it now..."

Lupin's jaw dropped. "Don't be ridiculous-"

"Don't be weak, Lupin!" Interrupted Snape, his face twisting ugily. "I know you aren't innocent like the others believe. Finish me off now while you can - save the Aurors the trouble!"

Lupin faltered. "But, I-"

"You want vengeance, don't you?" He whispered, his eyes gleaming. "Well...Here I lay, wandless and injured... You could claim self-defence - for I am nowt but a vicious, murdering bastard now. Think of how I goaded your dear Black too. Poor Padfoot..."

"STOP IT..!" Roared Lupin suddenly, grabbing the wooden stool in front of him and launching it violently across the room, where it slammed into the cabinets and broke into pieces. "However you try to goad me Snape I WILL NOT kill you! Let the Aurors arrest you - let the Wizangamot put you on trial - may you ROT in a filthy Azkaban cell for what you have done… But be very clear - I WILL NOT be the one to end your life!"

"Well, well... it appears the most placid of the Marauders does have a temper after all..." Said Snape quietly. "Congratulations, welcome to the fold..."

Lupin glowered at him.

"And not only is he cantankerous, it appears he is strangely conflicted as well…" continued the Slytherin in amusement. "Only Remus Lupin could develop a guilt complex about biting me..."

Lupin let out a groan and slumped down hard into a chair, shaking his head before cradling it in his hands. "It was a freak accident I swear...Please stop with the psychoanalysis... I really can't deal with it right now..."

Snape gave a short, bitter laugh. "Perhaps it would have been better if you'd got me back at school. I imagine the wizarding world would have been rather different now if your beast had finished me off the first time round..."

Lupin looked up to stare defeatedly back into the other wizard's piercing, dark eyes.

"I am not a beast, Severus," he whispered, quivering.

Snape paled. "Is that so?" He whispered back, his eyes glittering. "How touching. Perhaps you had better enlighten the rest of the wizarding world about your philosophy, Lupin? I'm sure the recently infected in particular would love to hear your sanguine words of wisdom."

Chair legs scraped sharply on stone as Remus stood again. "Look….I ran out of the last of your Wolfsbane last month," he blurted, gesturing wildly. "I- I - I've spent the past three weeks trying to find another supplier, and you know, I had even found a new hideout to use during the next full moon. I was all prepared...I was ready... But I had no idea that there would be... withdrawal symptoms from stopping regular use of Wolfsbane ...the nausea, and this sudden inability to control my temper...I mean, look at me…! And as for this transformation...I don't..." Lupin looked down at his hands and visibly shuddered, as if he feared that they might begin growing claws again at any second.

"I don't know what to do...Merlin...I don't even know why I'm confessing all this to you of all people," he added miserably. "I'm clearly losing it..."

"There are no withdrawal symptoms connected with Wolfsbane, Lupin. Certainly not my Wolfsbane," Snape remarked icily. "As for your transformation, you surely must have willed it somehow, even though you outwardly deny it. I know your wolf lay in wait upstairs for me. It knew me - it reacted to my voice - and - it wanted to turn me..."

The colour that was left drained from Lupin's cheeks.

Neither man spoke for as much as several minutes. The silence hung uneasily, and roiled with emotions that neither could express.

"Why?" Growled Lupin finally, unable to hold it in any longer. "Why? Up on the tower - How could you...?"

Snape's face twisted. "Why, Lupin? Didn't it seem enough like cold-blooded murder to you?"

"To me, yes!" Shot back Lupin vehemently. "And to all of us, but one - Minerva. Only Minerva is the only person who can't accept that you...you're…" he quavered, his cheeks reddening again, his hands clenching and unclenching. "Poor Minerva believes there might have been an agreement between you and Albus. A conspiracy!"

There was a heavy silence.

"What eats at you more, Lupin?" Replied Snape softly, weighing every word and watching the other wizard's impotent fury. "That Albus placed trust in a Death Eater above the other Order members? Or that you trusted him against your friend's better judgement, and now you look foolish?"

This was too much for the other wizard, who turned swiftly to leave. As he reached the door Snape's voice called back to him.

"In a few days' time I will be busy howling in the street, pissing up lampposts and infecting and tearing apart everyone I come across. Don't you care about that?"

Lupin's shoulders slumped, but he did not turn away from the door. "Minerva is utterly heartbroken," he answered. "If what she believes of you is actually true, and if you have any compassion left in that dark, twisted heart of yours I suggest you contact her. Oh… and Severus? Your wand on the table, I found it in the hallway. Perhaps you should think yourself fortunate that I am so...weak?"

And with a quick whirl of robes and a thud of an heavy oak door, Remus Lupin was gone.