A/N: SortingHat47 (Elizabeth), your advice and suggestions are like gold, and I very much appreciate them. Zarathustra, thanks again for doing the 'beta-thing.'

If you haven't yet found remuslives23's "Too Old, Too Dangerous," you must read it. And don't let her tell you she can't write action sequences. She lies like a rug.

Disclaimer: Remus is not mine. Crud. Neither are Snape, Dumbledore, and Moody.

Chapter 13: Removal from Harm

6 September, 1985—9:05 p.m.

Severus pulled the blanket he had conjured up around Lupin's shoulders and then sat back on his heels, watching the other man fight for every breath, for every additional minute of his life.

Who would have guessed he'd be in this position, trying to save Lupin?

The werewolf was growing restless again. His left arm stole across the top of the blanket and then gripped the blanket tightly.

"Calm yourself, Lupin," Snape said as reassuringly as possible, though he could hear the tension in his own voice. "The Headmaster is coming." He laid his hand on top of Lupin's left one. That reminded him of the cloth wrapped around the other man's right hand. While he waited for Dumbledore, he would take the time to look at whatever injury the cloth was hiding.

Remus didn't know which was worse: the pain that set him on fire or the cold that pierced his bones. He was vaguely aware someone was nearby, but he didn't know — or care — who it was. He just wanted for the pain to go away, and for the chill to subside.

He also wanted James and Lily to stop whispering to him to hold on, to be strong. Couldn't they understand he just wanted it all to end?

And then a new agony created a brilliant white flash behind his closed eyelids and he struggled for enough breath to scream…

Severus stared in horror at what had once been long and graceful fingers, but was now a twisted, swollen mass of bloody flesh. "What in the name of —?" His whispered exclamation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching the door.

The Potions professor stood quickly, ignoring the sobbing breaths of the werewolf at his feet, hoping fervently that he'd see Albus Dumbledore.

He was disappointed.

"What in the hell are you doing in here?" Bill Parsons demanded angrily.

Snape had become a spy to save Lily Evans. He had become an accomplished spy because of his ability to think quickly and to lie well. "I was curious," he said, hoping he sounded calmer than what his sweaty palms and beating heart said he was. "I wanted to verify that the beast wasn't ill — that the blood was not contaminated by some sort of — sickness. I did not think it wise to commit twenty Galleons without seeing for myself."

"You broke the spells on the door!"

"Yes." There was nothing that Severus could do but admit that. However, he could… "And a — quaint enchantment it was, too," he said, sneering. He looked down at the werewolf, who was still writhing with pain. "I am quite distressed at the condition of this — thing." He shook his head. "It's in very poor condition."

"I told you he had a hard transformation."

Severus reached down to pull the blanket away from Lupin's left leg and pointed to the werewolf's ankle. "That had nothing to do with the full moon. That infection was caused solely by silver. You cannot expect me to pay twenty Galleons for blood that is contaminated by an infection."

Bill Parsons shook his head. "That infection started a few days after the transformation. The blood was drawn at the full moon. There's nothing wrong with it."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "And how am I to believe that, considering this thing's condition?" He tapped the werewolf in the hip with the toe of his shoe.

"Look, that —" the American motioned to the infected ankle, "— happened five days after the full moon —"

"Five days after the full moon?" Severus repeated. He did some quick mental calculations. "That was only two days ago."

"Yeah, so like I said, the blood we collected is fine. It's perfect for anything that you'd want it for."

Snape bent and pushed the denim further up the werewolf's leg. Two days, and the infection was this advanced? Lupin was in more danger than he'd originally thought. He needed to come up with some way to get the werewolf out of here. "Are you going to put this thing out of its misery?" he asked harshly.

It was Parsons' turn to prod the werewolf with the sharp toe of his boot, though he did it less gently than Severus. Lupin groaned and shivered violently.

"Did you conjure that blanket?" the carnival owner suddenly asked.

"I did," Snape replied. He inhaled deeply, instantly regretting it because of the rankness in the air, but he had suddenly thought of an idea. "I'll offer you twenty Galleons for it."

"For the blanket?" Parsons asked, confused.

"No. The werewolf."

The American looked from him to Lupin. "What?"

"It is obviously dying," Severus said with a careless shrug. "You are not going to get any more blood out of it, because the blood will be contaminated."

He saw the predatory gleam in Parsons' eye brighten. "What's in it for you? You can't use the blood any more than I can, and only the fur is worth anything, so shaving him won't get you anything."

Snape hesitated, as if he was reluctant to tell Parsons why he really wanted the werewolf. In truth, he was a bit wary to say much more, because the last thing he wanted to do was to have to haggle over Lupin. "A werewolf's bones are reported to have special — qualities," he said. "I have only seen two or three potions that require such a thing, but as you can imagine, a werewolf's bones are much more difficult to procure."

The carnival owner was looking at Lupin as if he were calculating how much every bone within the werewolf's body was worth. "If werewolf bones are so rare," he said slowly, "maybe I should consider some other options. How about twenty Galleons for the bones in his leg?"

"Do not get greedy, Parsons," Severus admonished him. "There are very few people who would have the desire or the need to concoct a potion with werewolf bone, and even fewer who would have the skill."

"It's not greed: it's pure logic," the other man said. "If I can find even one person in the next couple of days to buy the other leg — even a foot — for twenty Galleons, I'll have doubled what you just offered me for him."

Snape stooped and ran a hand along Lupin's right arm, stopping at the wrist. "Thirty Galleons, then," he said, straightening. "The bones in that hand are worthless."

"Eighty," Parsons shot back immediately. "He's got a lot of other bones."

"Thirty-five."

"Seventy."

"Thirty-seven."

The American made a scoffing sound. "Come on, buddy. Thirty-seven?"

"He's going to be dead within two days," Severus pointed out. "Do you want to deal with the Ministry should they find out you had a werewolf here and he died?"

The carnival owner obviously hadn't thought of that. "And you're willing to take on that — responsibility?"

Severus allowed himself a satisfied smile. "I have become quite adept at hiding things from the Ministry."

Parsons regarded him thoughtfully for a moment then said, "Make it forty-five, but give me ten of the bones, and you've got a deal."

Snape pretended to consider it. "Done," he said. He held out his hand which the American shook firmly.

"You're responsible for getting him out of here," Parsons said.

"Of course."

Before anything else could be said, Albus Dumbledore stepped into the cage. He glanced quickly between Snape and Parsons; and then his gaze fell on Lupin. It only took him three strides to reach the werewolf's side and kneel beside him.

"Hey!" the American exclaimed. "You're not allowed in here!"

The Headmaster ignored him. He laid a hand on Remus' forehead and looked up at Severus. "How badly is he injured?"

The Potions professor could see no benefit in equivocation. "He is dying," he said flatly.

Dumbledore rose and turned to face Parsons. "Are you responsible for this?"

"Responsible for what?" the carnival owner asked. "He had a rough time at the last —" He stopped and gulped loudly, but didn't take his eyes away from Dumbledore's. It was almost as if he couldn't.

"You are lying," the Headmaster said. "Are you also responsible for that dreadful thing out there?" He motioned to where they knew the television to be.

"Hey, he never said he was upset about —"

"I am not interested in excuses or explanations!" Severus Snape had rarely heard Dumbledore so angry. His voice thundered in the small space and even Lupin winced at its intensity. "You have kidnapped and exploited an innocent man, and there is nothing you can say that will make me believe otherwise!"

Bill Parsons blanched, but spoke up. "We may have paid good money for him," he jerked his chin in the werewolf's direction, "but he had chances to leave, and didn't take them."

"It might have been difficult for him to leave when you had him chained with silver to the bars," Severus said quietly.

Dumbledore gave him a sharp look and he pointed to Remus' ankle.

Parsons started to turn, but the Headmaster grabbed his arm. "You are going nowhere. Severus, can you get Remus to St. Mungo's on your own? Tell them I will be responsible for him."

"Of course," Snape said, pulling out his wand.

"We had a deal!" the carnival owner shouted. "We shook on it!"

Dumbledore glanced at Severus. The younger man shrugged. "I offered him forty-five Galleons for a dying werewolf."

The Headmaster again turned to the American. "You would diminish the life of a man to a matter of Galleons, purchasing and selling him without regard to his true value. You disgust me."

Severus Snape had heard that phrase and that tone only once before, and it had been directed at himself. He felt his own knees weaken and wondered how Parsons managed to stay on his feet.

Without another word, Dumbledore conjured a stretcher upon which he levitated Lupin. He tucked the blanket around Lupin's feet as Severus, as gingerly as he could, rewrapped the broken hand.

Parsons had been standing quietly, watching them work, but suddenly made a dash for the door. With an almost negligent wave of his hand, Dumbledore froze him with a Petrificus and the carnival owner crashed to the floor.

As Severus placed Lupin's damaged hand on top of his chest and pulled the blanket up, the werewolf moaned and began to stir weakly.

"No, Remus, stay still," Dumbledore said.

Just as before, when Severus had spoken to the werewolf to calm him, Lupin's eyes flickered open. This time, however, there was recognition. "Headmaster," he said breathlessly.

Dumbledore brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. "Everything will be all right now, Remus. Severus and I are getting you out of here."

"Can't…." Lupin stopped and tensed as another wave of pain washed over him.

Dumbledore reached into a pocket of his robes and drew out a piece of paper. "I'll create a Portkey for the two of you," he said to Severus.

"No," mumbled Lupin. "… need me."

Severus looked at the Headmaster, and they both looked at the werewolf.

"Who needs you, Remus?" Dumbledore asked.

Labored and somewhat unintelligible speech followed, of which, between the two of them, Snape and the Headmaster were able to decipher "foal" and "Clabbert."

"Have they been making him take care of the animals here?" Dumbledore asked Severus.

The Potions professor shrugged. "I don't know. The only thing he said before you came was something about someone named Libertas."

Lupin winced loudly at the name and shook his head. "I didn't… want to…"

Again, Dumbledore and Snape exchanged glances.

"What didn't you want to do?" Dumbledore asked gently.

The werewolf pulled his left hand from beneath the blanket and clutched at Dumbledore's sleeve. "I didn't want to," he whispered again. "I didn't know… what else… to do." His eyes were wet with unshed tears.

"You did what you had to do then," the Headmaster said soothingly, placing his hand over the werewolf's. "I know you wouldn't have done it if you had any other choice."

"I didn't want to," Remus said pleadingly.

Severus wanted to snap, "Yes, we understand, you didn't want to," but bit his tongue instead.

Dumbledore had been staring intently into the werewolf's eyes, but suddenly looked up and away from both young men. Severus wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the glitter of tears.

After a few seconds, the Headmaster looked back down at Lupin and smiled sadly. "You did the right thing, Remus."

"Libertas…."

"… Is at peace," Dumbledore finished the sentence for him. "Take peace from that."

Lupin didn't quite look convinced.

Severus wanted to ask what they were talking about, but decided against it. They all had their secrets. He wasn't all that certain he wanted to know this one of Lupin's.

Dumbledore fingered the piece of paper in his hand. "I'll be there as soon as I straighten things out here," he said, looking at Severus. "I want to make sure there is nothing left to show that Remus was even here."

"Shouldn't we wait for the Aurors to do that?" Snape asked.

"What are the chances that the Aurors will investigate this?" Dumbledore asked, with uncharacteristic cynicism. "Even Alastor Moody said he doubted he'd be able to charge them with kidnapping. No, this is something the Order needs to do for one of its own."

He again turned his attention to Remus. "Severus will be with you at St. Mungo's. I'll be there soon."

It seemed to take a moment for the information to sink in. Then Lupin whispered, "He hates me."

"No," Dumbledore said, with a smile. He glanced at Severus and then back at werewolf. "He doesn't. He will take care of you until I can."

He pulled out his wand and touched the tip of it to the piece of paper, which Severus could now see was a Chocolate Frog card. "Portus," the older wizard muttered.

The card shone blue and trembled in his fingers then slowly returned to its original colors. "This will take you right to St. Mungo's door," Dumbledore said. He carefully disentangled Remus' fingers from his sleeve and held out the card.

Severus wrapped his fingers around the werewolf's and made sure they were both touching the paper. He took one last look at the Headmaster. "We're ready."

"I know you'll take care of him, Severus."

The trust he saw in Dumbledore's eyes made the breath catch in his throat. How could the older wizard believe that when neither one of them — or Lupin, either, for that matter — had been able to take care of the one whom Severus had loved the most?

Before he could think of anything else to say, he felt a jerk behind his navel, and the carnival tent disappeared.

10:25 p.m.

The Welcome Witch glanced up at Severus and the stretcher floating beside him. "What's the problem?" she demanded.

"Infection," the Potions master replied. "Blood poisoning. Among other things."

"Caused by potion, spell, or animal?" She stood up and peered at Lupin.

Severus hesitated then smiled tightly. "Precious mineral, actually."

She gave him a look that said that flippancy would not be tolerated.

"He's had a reaction to silver," Severus explained. "He's a werewolf."

She was obviously a woman who had seen it all, because she didn't bat an eyelash at the comment. "You want the first floor then. They're the ones that deal with werewolves, no matter the injury." She sat back down. "I'll let them know you're coming up."

It was quiet on the first floor, but a healer in St. Mungo's lime green, who introduced himself as Renfrith, was waiting when Severus and Lupin emerged from the lift.

"In here," the healer said brusquely, pointing to a small room to his left.

In no time at all, the healer had Lupin stripped of his jeans and bandages, and on an examining table. Severus felt something like pity for the naked werewolf, who was shivering uncontrollably.

"What caused this wound across his abdomen?" Renfrith asked.

"I do not know."

The healer mumbled something under his breath and continued his examination, ignoring Lupin's occasional moans. "How long ago did it happen?"

"My guess is two days ago. I am not certain."

The healer moved down to Lupin's ankle and made a noise of disgust deep in his throat. "This should have been seen to days ago."

"I agree," the Potions professor said.

Renfrith's nose twitched. "Nasty infection," he muttered. A little louder, he said, "That foot may have to come off."

Severus said nothing.

"Look at this!" The healer followed the red streak with a stubby finger until it stopped a mere three inches from the werewolf's groin. "It'll be a bloody miracle if we don't have to take his entire leg off to stop this!"

Severus glanced at the red line, but his attention was caught by blue inking on Lupin's right hip. "What is that?"

The other man saw where his eyes rested. "You've never seen his Werewolf Registry tattoo?"

"No," Severus said. He barely avoided saying, "I have never wanted to see it, and would have been perfectly happy not seeing it now."

The healer continued his examination of Lupin, again reacting with revulsion when he reached the broken hand. "Why wasn't he brought in earlier?" he demanded.

Snape wasn't sure how much either Dumbledore or Lupin would want others to know, so he temporized. "I was just made aware of his situation two hours ago. I did the best I could at bringing him here as quickly as possible."

Renfrith raised an eyebrow. "Well, he may be too far gone to save. I'm warning you of that."

"Oh, yes, that's fair warning," Severus said coldly.

Suddenly, two men crowded into the doorway. Both were wearing Aurors' robes. "Hey, you," the one said, motioning to Snape. "Did you come here by Portkey?"

"Yes, I did," admitted Severus. He hadn't thought about it at the time, but now that they were here, he realized he should have expected to see the Aurors because of the unauthorized Portkey use.

"Then we have some questions for you," the second Auror said.

"Take the questions somewhere else," Renfrith snapped. "I don't want you disturbing me."

Severus took one last look at Lupin who was quiet for the moment. He didn't like leaving Lupin, if only because Dumbledore had charged him with taking care of the werewolf, but he didn't see where he had much choice.

He followed the taller of the two Aurors down the hall to a waiting room. The second Auror, the shorter man, trailed behind them both.

It was the shorter Auror who made the point to introduce himself and his colleague as Fenwick and Wheeler as they seated themselves in hard plastic chairs. They didn't seem to recognize Severus' name until he mentioned that he was a professor at Hogwarts.

Fenwick laughed. "You're the Potions professor! My nephew is a fourth-year Hufflepuff. He's had lots to say about you."

"I do not doubt it," Severus said dryly.

The taller Wheeler cleared his throat, having come to the decision to return this conversation to the reason for their presence there. "Professor Snape, you realize unauthorized Portkey use is punishable by several months in Azkaban."

"Yes, I do," Severus said.

"Then why did you spell one for use?"

"I didn't. It was activated by Albus Dumbledore so that I could bring his — Lupin here for treatment immediately."

"You couldn't have just Apparated?" Fenwick asked. "And used Side-Along Apparition?"

"No," Severus replied. "We were in a place with Anti-Apparition wards. The Headmaster felt that too much time would be lost getting outside those wards to Apparate."

"You really expect us to believe that Albus Dumbledore set up that Portkey for you?" Wheeler asked skeptically.

"Yes, I do," Severus said calmly.

"You know we can check with him."

"I fully expect you to. Using an unauthorized Portkey is very serious."

"Where were you that you were inside Anti-Apparition wards?" Fenwick asked. He sounded more curious than demanding about this entire matter.

Severus inhaled deeply and adjusted the truth slightly. "We were at 'Bentley & Parsons' Carnival of Dark and Dangerous Creatures' and discovered Remus Lupin was there. He had been reported missing three months ago, and he was — he is — badly injured. So, because of the Anti-Apparition wards, Headmaster Dumbledore set up the Portkey to bring him here for healing."

Wheeler and Fenwick exchanged glances. "Where is Dumbledore now, Professor?" asked Wheeler, a slight sneering emphasis on the title.

"He is still at the carnival," Snape replied. "He said he would be along — soon."

"Another team was sent to where the Portkey originated. We should be hearing from them and then we'll compare your stories. We'll give them fifteen minutes," Wheeler said, checking his watch. "If no one is here by then, we're taking you to the Ministry."

"Fine," snapped Severus. "In the meantime —"

He was interrupted by the sound of a thump and a loud clatter from down the hall — from the direction of where he had left Lupin. He immediately rose and started for the doorway.

Wheeler caught him by the arm. "Where are you going?"

"The Headmaster left Lupin in my care. I am going to see what is happening."

"Let him go, Wheeler. We'll be right behind him," Fenwick coaxed.

The Auror's grip slackened and Severus pulled himself free and walked quickly back up the hall, the two Aurors at his heels.

They froze in the doorway and stared in horrified fascination.

Lupin had fallen off the examining table, knocking over a tray of healers' implements, which had scattered across the tiled floor. He was crawling on his belly toward the far corner of the room, using his good hand and foot to propel himself. A broad smearing of blood from his gut wound trailed after him.

"Where's the blasted healer?" asked Wheeler harshly.

"Go find him," Fenwick ordered. "Try down that way."

Severus assumed the Auror indicated the opposite direction from where they had come, since they hadn't seen the healer pass the waiting room, but didn't look behind him to verify it. His eyes remained fastened on Lupin.

The injured man had reached the corner and was now lying onto his right side, sounding like he had been running for miles and couldn't catch his breath. His arms were bent and crossed in a manner that reminded Severus of something, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He stepped into the room and felt something crunch beneath his foot. With an impatient kick, he sent the instrument skidding across the floor. It crashed into a dustbin on the other side of the room with a dull thud and Lupin flinched.

"Lupin?" Severus moved slowly and deliberately, not wanting to startle the other man. "You should not be on the floor." He knelt down and reached for Lupin's shoulder. At the touch, Lupin's eyes opened and focused on Snape. Immediately, Severus jerked his hand back.

The man's eyes were not his usual blue.

"Oh, bloody boggarts," Severus whispered, his heart skipping several beats.

A hoarse rumble came from the man's throat, and suddenly Severus realized that the crossed arms resembled a dog's front legs and paws — or a wolf's….

The growl trailed off as Lupin fought for breath.

"Here now, what's happening?"

At the sound of the healer's voice, Lupin's head jerked and his lips curled into a definite snarl.

Severus threw a hand up in the air in warning. "Stay where you are," he said softly. "There is a small problem."

"What's —"

"Shut up, you idiotic fool!" hissed the professor, glancing behind him this time to make sure the man could see his anger.

Satisfied by the man's startled expression, Severus returned his attention to the werewolf.

"Lupin."

The man regarded him with amber eyes. Images began to creep into Snape's mind: Lupin knew he was dying, and in a manner typical of animals, was trying to find someplace to curl up and get on with it.

"I can not just let you die," Severus told him. He didn't know if the werewolf understood or not, but hoped it would be comforted by the tone of his voice. "Dumbledore will be here soon. He will set things right."

Lupin closed his eyes as a shudder wracked his body.

"Get the Werewolf Capture Unit," Renfrith said loudly.

"He's a werewolf?" Wheeler took a step back, which put his back against the wall. He sounded panicky.

"There's no need for that," Severus told them, with cool assuredness. "This will pass." He glanced around and saw the blanket he had conjured for Lupin was still tossed carelessly over a chair in the corner. He fetched it and then went back to the werewolf. "Lupin, I'm going to put this blanket over you now."

There was no response from the werewolf. He hoped Lupin understood, otherwise, this could go badly.

He held the blanket up and let the hem of it touch Lupin's skin. The werewolf recoiled at the sensation and opened his eyes. There was apparently some human comprehension still available to Lupin: though he watched Severus closely, he allowed the man to arrange the blanket carefully over him without even a growl.

"You can't just leave him there," Renfrith protested.

"I don't intend to 'just leave him there,'" Severus said, turning to face the healer. "Where were you?"

"I was down the hall, taking a — going to the loo!" The healer's face twisted with anger. "Don't think you're going to blame this on me!"

"If you had been doing your job correctly, there would be nothing to take the blame for," Severus said calmly. "You haven't touched any of his wounds. Why?"

"I was considering a course of treatment."

Severus just stared at him. He had found this an effective tool when dealing with troublesome students. He hoped it worked with troublesome healers as well.

"He's got injuries with major complications," the healer began. "I can't treat him the way I might usually treat other patients because many potions for healing have silver nitrate in them. Not only that, but a lot of the potions we use for pain and sedation are made with processed aconite. I was going to consult with a colleague of mine…"

He babbled on a bit more, but Severus had stopped listening. There had been something in the man's words, something in the tone — and almost without meaning to, he found himself whispering "Legilimens!" in his head.

The healer began to stammer and stutter over his words as he found himself reliving actions and thoughts from the time he first laid eyes on Lupin. It took mere seconds for Severus to find what he had been seeking.

"You have done nothing because you think he deserves to die."

The healer's mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

"You can not think about denying it," Severus said coldly. "It is obvious."

"Alright, fine!" Renfrith finally snarled. "I won't deny it! But the fact is, he's going to die. There's not much that can be done for him! He's a bloody werewolf! So what if he does die? He would no longer have to deal with the transformations, and the prejudice that comes from being a werewolf. It's actually a kindness!"

Behind him, Severus heard a moan. It sounded distinctly more human than wolf. Slowly he turned and knelt next to Lupin.

How had this happened? How could he be defending the creature — the man — who had almost killed him in their fifth year at Hogwarts? They had been from rival Houses. They had been enemies in the Dark Lord's war. And yet, he was here — because of — what? Dumbledore's trust? Because of Lily's friendship?

He gently pushed the hair out of Lupin's eyes. The man blinked, and Severus was relieved to see that the blue was returning.

"Who would know how to treat him?" he asked, without turning to look at Renfrith.

"I — uh — I don't know."

Severus stood up quickly and turned so quickly that his robes tangled around his legs. It was perhaps the only thing that prevented him from cursing the healer at that moment. When his legs were free, he took two long strides until his long nose was nearly touching Renfrith's.

"I want the name of a healer who can heal this man," he said quietly. "This hospital could not exist with only incompetent healers such as you seem to be. There must be someone who knows alternatives to silver nitrate and aconite. Who is that person?"

"Healer Weimer might know what to do," Renfrith admitted, swallowing hard. "He has worked with werewolves in Germany and Slovakia. He might be able to help."

"Then get him!" Severus rarely raised his voice — he rarely needed to. But frustration and anger made his words resound harshly in the small room, making the volume twice what he had intended.

The healer fled.

"Think he'll find that other healer?" Fenwick asked.

"If he doesn't want to find himself at the wrong end of a particularly nasty curse, he had better," Snape replied. He glanced at the clock. The fifteen minutes Wheeler had allowed him were gone, but he wasn't about to point that out.

He dropped tiredly into the chair and rubbed his forehead. He was starting to get a headache. He glanced around the room, wondering if there was something for a headache in one of the cupboards or drawers. There probably was, but it more than likely would cost him twice as much as it would from an apothecary.

They heard the chime that accompanied the opening of the lift door. Wheeler peered around the doorjamb. "It's Moody and Garrison," he said.

Severus got to his feet, ready for what he was certain was going to be another round of questioning.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that Albus Dumbledore was with the newly arrived Auror team. While the four Aurors went out into the hallway to discuss the use of the unauthorized Portkey, the Headmaster entered the room and stopped in front of Severus. "Where is Remus?"

Severus pointed without saying a word.

The Headmaster glanced at Lupin and his eyes tracked the bloody smears on the floor. "What happened?" he asked after a long moment.

"The healer left him to die," Severus said. "He fell off the table and then crawled over there to do exactly that."

The older wizard started to move toward the injured werewolf, but Severus stopped him with a gentle touch. "There was a — problem."

Dumbledore's thick eyebrows rose a bit. "Besides the healer leaving him to die?"

The Potions master took a deep breath, not knowing how to word what had happened. "Lupin — wasn't himself." And he deliberately lifted his eyes to Dumbledore's.

He concentrated on Lupin and his amber eyes, pushing all other thoughts aside. The Headmaster hesitated for just a moment and then accepted the images that Severus was giving him.

After a few seconds, the Snape looked away and the older wizard sighed tiredly. "Where is the healer?"

"Hopefully gone to fetch another healer — one who knows what he's doing," Severus commented. "Renfrith did nothing."

Moody suddenly broke away from the pack of Aurors and came into the room. "Where's —?"

Severus again pointed.

The Auror nodded curtly in acknowledgement and went over to look at Remus. It was obvious by the way that he looked first at Lupin's ankle, his hand, and then his belly, that Dumbledore had already outlined the werewolf's injuries. "It's a damned good thing I hadn't seen this boy before we went out to that carnival," he remarked. "I might have been tempted to hex that bastard into next week."

"What you did was effective," Dumbledore said. "I appreciate it and I know Remus will as well."

Severus had to know. "What did you do?"

"We destroyed the tapes," Dumbledore said.

"Melted them then Vanished them!" Moody smiled smugly. "And gave that carnival owner an earful while I did it, too! An earful of earwigs!"

"What about the cards?" Severus asked. "They had postcards with the wolf on them."

Dumbledore lightly placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "We got those as well. We got rid of any evidence that Remus was ever there."

"Garrison and I are going to try to get them on kidnapping, but as they didn't do the actual kidnapping, I doubt that will happen," Moody said.

He opened his mouth to say more, but Renfrith suddenly came into the room, a tall, bear-like man trailing him. The man looked like he'd just awakened: he had uncombed hair, stubble darkening his cheeks, and was blinking rapidly in the bright light of the room. He also looked angry. "So. What is it you want from me, that you would wake me and bring me here?" he asked in a heavy German accent.

Dumbledore stepped forward. "Healer Weimer? I'm Albus Dumbledore…."

Suddenly beaming widely, the big man interrupted him, "Herr Dumbledore! I have heard much of you!" He shook hands with the Headmaster with an enthusiasm that Severus was sure had to be painful, though the older wizard gave no such indication. "I have great respect for you," the healer continued. "A great man. To defeat Grindelwald, and to fight against Voldy-mort…."

"Well," Dumbledore said, looking slightly embarrassed, "we all do what we can. And now, I need your help."

"You have a werewolf that needs healing."

"Yes." The Headmaster stepped to the side and motioned toward Remus.

Severus would never have guessed the big man could move so gracefully, and his hands were strong but gentle as they shifted Lupin onto his back and examined the wounds.

"Ach, this is bad," Weimar finally pronounced.

"Can you heal him?" Dumbledore asked.

The healer laid a hand on Lupin's forehead. "We must get rid of the infection before we do the healing," he said, gently prying open one of the werewolf's eyelids and looking for a reaction. "He will need to be a fighter, this werewolf of yours."

"He always has been," Dumbledore affirmed without hesitation.

For just the slightest moment, Severus wanted to swear vehemently at Dumbledore for the praise that the Headmaster was giving to the — creature lying on the floor. But then, unexpectedly, for the second time within a half hour, Severus found himself feeling extremely defensive on the werewolf's part. People had killed themselves upon being cursed with lycanthropy, and Lupin had lived with it for years…. And there was the fact that he had lost all of his friends in one 24-hour period of time…. Severus had lost Lily that night, but the murderer, Sirius Black, had hardly been Snape's friend. How much worse could it have been for the werewolf? Things like that would have destroyed someone without a lot of strength. Lupin endured prejudice and Ministry interference…. How could anyone, Snape included, suggest that Lupin wasn't a fighter?

It was important to acknowledge your enemy's strengths, Severus thought. He'd grant Lupin this one.

Aww, isn't that sweet? Hee hee!