WARNINGS: non-con, slash, ...

A/N:yes, this was supposed to have come out last week. Sorry!

EDITED: for timeline inconsistencies.

Lupin leant towards him slowly, tantalizingly. Severus leant backwards, looking away desperately. Lupin's lips meant his cheek, then moved down to his neck, feeling soft and very rough at the same time. Severus staunchly refused to give him his lips. The werewolf was tugging at Severus's rag of a shirt, his hands burningly hot against his skin.

"Take this off," he growled, "or I'll rip it." Severus reluctantly pushed himself into a sitting position and even more reluctantly removed his top. He had no desire to reveal his thin – almost scrawny, really – and pale torso. Luckily, or perhaps he should have taken it as some sort of insult, Lupin didn't seem to care for his appearance and promptly starting feasting on him as if he were a starving man.

The attention to his skin was rough, in a foreign and almost tingling way. But Severus couldn't concentrate on the pleasure, if he could call it that. He needed to get out of there before Lupin suddenly went feral. Who knew if his saliva might have adverse effects on him, even if he might seem human enough at that moment? He shifted to the right. Anything to get away from that persistent tongue and those relentless lips. Lupin let out an unpleasant sound at his movement, but otherwise continued his exploration of Severus's body.

Lupin was getting at his trousers now. He paused to get another sniff of Severus's crotch. Seeming satisfied, he started clawing impatiently at his buttons.

Severus shifted to the right again.

"Stop moving," Lupin snapped, gripping his hips and giving him a hard glance before returning to his task. Severus stayed still for a moment, and then reached out, doing his best to be discrete. His heart was hammering against his chest, as if to beat its way out. His fingers curled around a smooth wooden handle. He swallowed loudly. With all his might, he lifted the cooking pan in the air and brought it down on the werewolf's head.

Lupin gave a loud, startled yelp, letting go of Severus to clutch at his head. "What was that for?!" he exclaimed, straightening and looking wildly bewildered. Severus slammed the pan against his head a second time, only receiving another yelp from a still conscious Lupin.

"Stop that!" shouted Lupin, reaching a hand out to stop him. "Put that down—"

Clutching the pan with both hands now, Severus kicked him in the chest. A surprised whoosh of air left the werewolf. A third hit to the head with the metal pan knocked him unconscious, and Lupin collapsed onto his hips. Severus gave him a fourth hit for good measure, the pan now trembling in his grip. When the werewolf didn't move from where he was lying, he finally exhaled a sigh of relief. The pan fell from his slackened grip onto the wolf skin. Rolling the beast off of him, he quickly buttoned his trousers and grabbed his shirt from where it had been tossed. Lupin gave a raspy moan. Severus quickly put on his shirt and left the cave.

The forest was almost pleasant during the day. Almost. In his haste to get away, he had left his boots in Lupin's cave. Dirt and dead leaves were already digging uncomfortably into his feet. But who knew how soon the werewolf would wake up, if he wasn't stirring already. Severus hurried, dead nature rustling noisily under him. Who knew… perhaps the beast was already conscious, already out of the cave, prick already out of his pants… His heart pounded and a chill settled into him. He whirled around, breath held, one hand balled up in front of him, wishing he had kept the pan to defend himself.

Nothing was behind him. He turned around and hurried away.

He later found himself wandering the forest, lost, scared, and very thirsty. His feet were sore, and possibly bleeding, but he didn't have the energy to bend down and look.

He wondered briefly if he was delirious. Every tiny sound the forest made had him jumping two feet in the air and flailing around in panic. He wondered if he should shout out for help. He wondered if there were crazy hunters in the woods like Lupin had described. But he had nothing to fear, did he? He wasn't valuable. Well…certain potions did call for different human vital organs—

"Hey! Hey you!"

He possibly jumped a foot in the air. He couldn't help the shriek from coming out of his lips and immediately fled in the other direction, screaming.

(HUNTERS)

He heard the man cursing somewhere behind him, foliage being crushed under his booted feet.

(I'm going to die oh Merlin I'm going to be harvested for my kidneys and brain tissue)

The man was shouting something else. Severus paid him no attention. He ran as hard as he could. Dirt and roots hurt his feet but he paid them no mind. An enormous hand clenched around his puny bicep and jerked him to a halt.

"Snape!" the man roared. He screamed and was spun around. The hand he had raised to defend himself was caught in an iron grip. "It's me, Snape!"

Severus gasped for breath and tried desperately to calm his frantically beating heart. "Oh," he managed after several long moments of simply staring at the man in horror. "It's you."

Black frowned at him as the adrenaline seemingly evaporated out of him and he slumped against Black. "Are you OK?" he asked unnecessarily.

"No," Severus said, voice surprisingly calm despite his bodily tremors. "…you idiot."

Black looked at him dryly. "Looks like you're feeling better already. Come on then; let's get you back to the village."

He raised his wand, and Severus felt worry shoot through his tired body, and uttered a spell. A large dog, made of a wispy, silvery mist, erupted from the wand tip and immediately Severus felt calm and – dare he say it – a feeling of safety go through him. The misty animal ran excitedly in a circle before standing in front of Black.

"I have Snape. Regroup at the extraction point," he said to it, and the silver dog bounded off into the trees.

He tugged and Severus had no choice but to follow.

Black was getting irritated with him, Severus could feel it. As if it was his fault he'd been attacked by an amorous beast. Why not blame him for being scared for his life as well?

"Come on, Snape. I can see you're hurt. Let me carry you."

"No," Severus said stubbornly. "I see no reason to allow you to humiliate me."

"You're humiliating yourself," Black snapped irritably. "You're going to get an infection, possibly even lasting damage if you don't get off your feet."

"No," he repeated.

A low huff and a moment's pause was the only warning he had before he was suddenly swept off of his feet and into Black's arms. "Black! Put me down!" he shouted, trying to wiggle out of the humiliation of being carried bridal style, even if his feet throbbed.

"You're pretty light," Black commented casually. "If I didn't know better, I'd say I was carrying a girl."

Severus could feel an ugly flush creep up his cheeks, and a twin flush of mortification throughout his body, and he slapped Black. The guard didn't react beyond a cool look. Severus hit him again, and this time he received another look. "If you don't stop, I'll tie you up."

Severus froze. He couldn't interpret the look Black had just given him. A caustic remark was on the tip of his tongue, but he pressed his lips together. No need to blacken his reputation further by arriving at the village in shackles.

Black continued walking, only having to adjust Severus's weight a few times. For his part, Severus didn't enjoy Black's rocking movements or the fact that Black could drop him on his bony arse at any given moment. Granted, that moment would probably be in front of his guard friends to better humiliate him –

"Sirius," a far too familiar voice rasped out from behind them. Black turned immediately and looked surprised. Severus felt as if he'd been dunked in ice water and he felt his fingers involuntarily gripping tightly at Black's clothes.

"Remus," Black said, sounding amazed.

"Put me down," he said lowly, and when Black didn't he jerked at his clothes roughly. "Put me down, Black!" he repeated, trepidation in his voice.

Black glanced at him, looking as if he was going to refuse, but took a second look, worry etching itself on his features. Carefully, Severus was set down and he bit back a wince as his swollen feet hit the dying foliage.

Lupin was standing stock still, chest steady and eyes bright. "Severus—"

"No," he said immediately. His heart pounded against his ribcage. "I'm not going anywhere with you." He stepped carefully behind Black, hardly able to believe his own desperation.

Lupin's expression drooped, before becoming neutral again, a hint of hardness to his eyes.

"Remus, you can't stay here," Black said, and Severus looked at back of the man's head incredulously. They knew each other?! And Black was trying to protect this beast?! "There's a search party nearby waiting for us."

"I'll be quick," Lupin said, flashing a cool smile. "I just want Severus."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, werewolf!" he hissed vehemently. He couldn't believe the beast's nerve.

"You can't take him, Remus," Black said firmly, and Lupin gave him a hard look. "We came out to find him, and the group knows I have him already."

"I'll knock you out if you like," Lupin offered, not unkindly. "You can just say I came out of nowhere and attacked you."

Severus grabbed Black's bicep. "Black, he tried to rape me," he said lowly, and Black tensed. His arm came out to herd Severus behind him further.

"Is that true, Remus?" Black demanded, body tense, muscles clenching and unclenching in his arm.

Severus couldn't see Lupin's expression, as he was being held protectively behind Black. "I couldn't help myself," he said, sounding forlorn. Severus's temper spiked. How dare he feel sorry for himself, of all people?!

"You filthy bastard of a beast –" he started, moving away from Black's back, about to tell Lupin exactly what he thought of him, but Black's arm shot out and he was stopped, though in this position, he could see Lupin's blank face, fixated on him.

"Leave, Remus," Black said, voice colder than anything Severus had ever heard from him. "And stay away from Snape. I won't be held responsible if you get caught."

Lupin said nothing, still staring at Severus. Some moments later, when it had been established that Lupin wasn't going to walk away, a gentle push on the small of his back had Severus backing away, then turning slightly as Black led them away. Severus wasn't comfortable having his back to Lupin, and it seemed as if Black felt similarly, as he kept glancing at Lupin's immobile figure behind them, as if the beast might go feral and attack.

Lupin eventually faded from view, even if Severus trepidation hadn't. The search party came into view, a bunch of guards babbling to each other, wands out.

"Men!" Black called out, and there was a flurry of movement as several wands pointed in their direction. "Here's our favorite Potions Master." There was plenty of guffawing at that, and Snape gave them a harsh scowl that had them trailing off uncertainly. "Let's get out of here," Black said, lighthearted mood reappearing in an instant. He swept Severus up again, triggering another series of guffaws, seemingly unaffected by the hateful look sent his way, and he led the party out of the forest.

(perhaps I'd been better off being fucked by Lupin) Severus mused to himself. They had reached the city. The guards at the gate had stopped them and were escorting him instead of Black and his cronies. The air felt thicker with hate and prejudice already. He had caught wind of something like 'trial' and 'can never be too careful'.

"Black!" he called. The man turned to look at him blankly. "What is he talking about?"

"Treason!" somebody shrieked from the rapidly forming crowd, and he turned to look in that direction in surprise.

Something soft and rotten hit the side of his head. Tomato dripped down his shoulder. Severus could feel it seeping into his hair and clothes, the powdery texture trickling down his ear. He looked at the angry face with shock, and turned back to face Black, only to discover that the man had disappeared. He gritted his teeth and blocked the noise from the grouped villagers from his mind, the pain in his feet and the tight grip of the guards on either side the only things grounding him to the now.

He lamented his sort. He was a fool. He should have gotten away from Lupin earlier. He had been away from the village too long, and here were the consequences.

They were marching him towards the castle, towards the dungeons. He had tried his best to stay away from Hogwarts; the last time, he had been briefly imprisoned as well. He hadn't actually minded the place, the cool stones were pleasant to lean against during the summer, but the place was crawling with nobles and guards. Severus wasn't sure which kind of person he hated more.

The villagers had been gradually shooed away, and Severus was placed in a cell.

"Severus."

He looked up immediately, despising the spark of hope that had appeared in his chest. If it was a guard they would have called him by his last name, or something derogatory.

It was a sorrowful Black.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sullenly, the spark of hope imploding into nothingness.

"You're under suspicion of treason. I'm sorry."

He gritted his teeth. Fury welled up in his chest. "I suppose nothing screams traitor more than being forcibly kept in a cave overnight."

"They don't know the details. You'll have to tell them."

"Why didn't you say something? They'll never listen to me."

Black shook his head, his handsome features twisting in unhappiness. "I can't. I'm sorry."

He stared at him in disbelief. "And why not?" he demanded, falsely sweet.

Black continued shaking his head, and it was a while before he spoke. "What would I say?"

"You'd say that you rescued me from a werewolf! Is that difficult?!"

"He didn't actually want to hurt you," Black said miserably, looking as if he was trying to convince himself.

"Of course he didn't," Severus sneered in response. "He simply want to take me against my will. I can't imagine how that wouldn't hurt." There was a pause, during which Severus glared holes into Black's bowed head, and Black stared at the floor. "I don't know why I expected you to help me anyhow."

Black hunched into himself. "I not going to…not do it because of me."

Severus didn't have to fake his snort. "Don't lie. The only reason you won't defend me in court is because you're afraid of being associated with that beast. You're too dense to realize that this needs to be done. He's nothing but a filthy mongrel that needs to be put down!"

"He's not!" Black snapped defensively. "I knew him before he was bitten. We were best friends."

"I don't believe you," Severus said acidly. "A stuck-up rich boy like you? Friends with some peasant?"

Black had turned red by then. "I don't care if you don't believe me. It's true."

Severus laughed humorlessly, his seething rage escalating into plain fury. "You're meant to be a Hogsmeadian guard. You're meant to represent law and order. I know people hate it, but I am a Hogsmeadian citizen and I fall under the law's protection. But I suppose that doesn't matter. As long as your precious mutt is safe, roaming the wilderness and attacking innocents. You're the entire goddamnned reason I ran into the bastard in the first place! You and your damned aconite! The least you could do in return is capture the damn beast!"

Black really did look furious now. "Don't mock me. Don't mock Remus either. I came to bring you to your interrogation."

"No, you came here to humiliate me."

"You're just impossible," Black snarled, and opened the cell door. Black reached in and grasped him by his arm again, hauling him out of the cell and down the hallway, ignoring his shouts of pain.

The trip to the interrogation room was too short and too long all at once. Guards were all along the path. They were checked several times; Black for his security clearance, and Severus for weapons.

The room was small, sterile, and cold. There was a single rectangular table and two chairs on either side, facing each other. Black directed him to a chair and left the room. Another guard stepped in but did not sit down. Severus breathed evenly. He knew that he would be kept waiting for a while, in order to make him nervous. He checked his feet while he waited. The bottoms were red and swollen and very painful to the touch. He had several cuts; most of them were still open and he did his best to get the dirt out of them.

The door opened and Severus immediately shifted his attention to the man that had just stepped in. He was utterly stern-looking, with hard eyes and a toothbrush moustache. By his sumptuous purple robes, he was a member of the Wizengamot. Two other men, also in purple robes followed him in. One looked like he might belong to the Potter family; he had the signature messy, dark hair.

"Severus Snape?" the first man asked, and sat down in the remaining chair, a stack of parchments set onto the table in front of him.

"Yes," Severus replied simply.

The man looked him up and down, seeming unimpressed. "Hogsmeade citizen, but your parents were both from Hangleton," he stated, shuffling through the papers.

"Yes," Severus repeated. He was quite familiar to this approach.

"You miss it over there?"

"I left when I was six years old. I haven't gone back since."

"Do you want to?"

"No."

The man looked up from his papers to glance at Severus, who kept his face blank. "According to the gatekeepers," he read, "you left the village at precisely 8:09 on the night of the twenty-fourth of September, stating that you were leaving to collect ingredients, and presenting your Potions license. Your bag contained one pair of shearing scissors and five glass vials of varying sizes. You were escorted back to Hogsmeade at 11:43 on the twenty-sixth of October. This constitutes an overstay of 34 hours and 34 minutes on the allotted time allowed for Potions Masters to leave the village for business purposes."

Severus frowned. Was he here for treason, or breaking Potions Master regulations?

"That's more than enough to suspend your Potions license. However, I'd like to know what you were doing outside the village."

(The truth will set you free) one of the religious nuts had told him once. He had rolled his eyes then. He rolled his eyes now (internally. Wouldn't want to give them any reason to doubt him) but he'd give it a try.

"I was held prisoner by a werewolf."

"A werewolf?" the man repeated, unconvinced.

"Yes."

"Did you know this werewolf?"

"No."

"What did this werewolf want with you?"

Severus's lip curled. "He wanted to take me against my will."

"Take you where? To Hangleton?"

"No, he wanted to rape me."

The man gave him a look. He was undoubtedly evaluating his attractiveness, or lack thereof. "I don't believe that."

"It's the truth," Severus said, refusing to feel offended. "Use Veritaserum if you like."

"Why waste precious brews on insignificant scum like you?" sneered one of the other Wizengamot members, the possible-Potter.

"If I'm so insignificant, why am I being interrogated?" he countered, sneering back.

A sudden blow on the side of his head had him reeling, his senses swimming in blurriness. He hadn't had anything for his concussion. Dimly, he heard footsteps as the guard returned next to the door.

The man in front of him sighed irritably, slowly coming back into focus. "Why don't you tell me everything that happened to you, starting from when you left the village on the fourth, to when you returned on the sixth."

Severus snarled in pain and clutched at his head. He told them everything.

After the interrogation, Severus had been tossed unceremoniously back into his cell. He had immediately crawled onto the mattress, lumpy and thin, but still more comfortable than the floor. He had done his best to get some rest, but sleep eluded him. Sometime later, he had no way of telling how long, a guard had fetched him and had brought him back to the interrogation room, where he was again made to wait.

His main interrogator strode in arrogantly. "Good news," he declared, taking a seat. "You're not going on trial for treason after all."

"That's good," Severus said neutrally, though internally, he was relieved. Being guilty of treason was an immediate death sentence.

"Your Potions license is being considered for revocation. You will have to appear before the Wizengamot on the twelfth of October."

"That's fine."

The man fixed him with a scrutinizing glare. Severus mentally slapped himself. Never say anything is fine when you just slipped out of being prosecuted for treason! "Fine, is it? I suppose it's a small price to pay in exchange for avoiding execution by werewolf."

Severus was certain his face blanched. "What do you mean, 'execution by werewolf'?" he managed to ask evenly.

"I mean exactly that," the man responded coolly. "Why waste time and energy executing you by Avada Kedavra when you can simply be fed to a werewolf."

Severus raised an eyebrow, mentally congratulating himself on his hands not quivering. "He wasn't going to eat me," he said lowly.

"Wouldn't really matter," the Wizengamot member replied flippantly, and the guard came forward to grab him by the arm and escort him out.

His jaw clenched. Of course it wouldn't matter what happened to him. It wouldn't matter if he was boiled alive or brutally raped, as long as Hogsmeade was kept free of traitors and other people that were looked down upon. Somehow, he found himself surprised that he hadn't been put on trial for treason, and deemed guilty, and given to Lupin. Who knew if the raving beast wouldn't attack the village in his hunt for Severus, and turn poor, innocent, and actual law-abiding citizens into similar raving beasts? The village's fear of werewolves was…excessive, to say the least. When a person was bitten by a werewolf, they were allowed the next lunar cycle to collect their belongings and conclude their life in Hogsmeade. The few days preceding the full moon, they were put out, forcibly if necessary. Contact with them was generally forbidden.

He was put in his cell for perhaps a few hours, and then the guards came and threw him out of the castle, literally, and he landed unceremoniously in a muddy puddle.

"Of course I know other recipes," Severus harrumphed. "I'm not completely stupid."

"No one said you were stupid," Madam Bones said exasperatedly. "Tell me the other recipes you know."

He listed them for her. They were all relatively simple to make, and the ingredients were easy to come by.

"And you brew them often?"she continued.

"As often as we need them."

Madam Bones looked interestedly at her bodyguard, Alastor, who looked back, his horrible face making his neutral expression seem all the more unpleasant. "Do you go to school, boy?"

"Yes."

"And you help your mother out at home after school, I suppose."

"Yes."

"Is there a day your mother could spare you? I'd like for you to come back here…"

Severus was immediately wary. What use could he possibly be to a noble? Target practice for her overzealous bodyguard? He glanced at the man and received a growl in return. It sounded so animal-like that he couldn't help his shudder. Could he be a test subject for developing poisons? No one would miss him if he went missing, except for his mother. With his stepfather's death on top of his own, he imagined his mother wouldn't be…happy. His throat tightened. Dimly, he wondered if his mother had been told of Igor's death yet. He wondered if she wondered where her son was, if he'd been eaten alive as well.

"Boy!" Alastor's gruff voice frightened him out of his thoughts and he couldn't help his audible gasp. "The lady is speaking to you."

Severus looked at her again. "What did you say?"

Madam Bones repeated herself, enunciating carefully. "Is there a day your mother could spare you? I'd like for you to come back here and brew some things for me."

"Why?" he demanded, not expressly coming off as rude. "Plenty of other people are better at it than me."

"I'll pay you five sickles for every potion you successfully complete," she offered.

Severus paused. On one hand, any money he could get would be beneficial, especially since they had just lost their principal source of income. He bit his lip. On the other hand, the offer of money only made him more suspicious. Sure, he'd be cheaper than any professional or even apprentice Potions Master, but he knew what horrific acts people did for money. Money made people go crazy, money made people dependent on others. He'd be forever (or at least a very long time) in Madam Bones's grasp, until he finished his schooling and got a proper job. He sighed.

"Fine."

And it was that simple word that sealed his fate.

Working for Madam Bones was not as terrible as he had imagined. He was not chained to a wall being force fed dangerous concoctions. He was not being forced to scrub at filthy cauldrons. He was not forced to sort goopy and thoroughly unpleasant ingredients. The only trying thing he had to do every time he left was kiss his crying mother several times and reassure her that he wasn't going to do anything that would get him into trouble.

Well, that was a lie. The guards that patrolled around the rich quarter liked to shove him and deny him access because he looked like riffraff. It wasn't his fault that nice clothes cost more money than he might make in a lifetime. So he had to taunt the guards, make them lose their tempers until they tried to attack him. Then he'd scurry away, and take the long way around to Madam Bones's residence. Often, the guards chasing him would holler out and call for other guards to intercept him. Sometimes he managed to avoid them. Sometimes he didn't.

This was such a week where he hadn't managed to dodge the guards. He was being hauled backwards, kicking and screaming, back to the district wall. He was dumped unceremoniously in a mud puddle, gasping in disgust and filthy water soaked through the seat of his pants. The guards guffawed in front of him, and other villagers had stopped to watch. Red clouded his vision, and his heart hammered in his ears. Humiliation and anger coursed through him. He launched himself at the closest guard.

He knew what would happen. His head and hands hit the enchanted fabric. His ears rang shrilly as the guards shouted. Hands were on him. He gripped the robes firmly, staunchly refusing to let go, screaming in frustration as those huge hands pulled harder on him. The material was slipping from his fingers. His legs felt like they might be torn off.

"Stop that immediately!" a feminine voice exclaimed from somewhere behind him.

Well…that marked the second time he had been happy to hear a noblewoman speak. And it was Madam Bones, followed by her ever trusty Alastor. What a pleasant coincidence (well, not seeing the horribly deformed bodyguard).

"I demand you put the child down immediately," she said sternly, advancing on them. Alastor outdid her look effortlessly, his limp only adding to his threatening aura.

"Madam!" one of the guards, the one he had done his best to attack, protested even as his comrades were putting Severus down. "The boy attempted to force his way into the district without authorization. He is now disrupting public order," he added, sneering down at the peasant boy.

"Severus," the lady said exasperatedly, "what did I tell you to tell them?"

"I did…the first time. They didn't believe me."

Madam Bones's jaw clenched minutely, then turned her attention to the guards once more. "This boy is my guest. You will allow him access whenever he presents himself."

"Or course, milady. If he'd just told us that, this all could have been avoided."

"Yeah, sure," Severus muttered.

"Quiet, boy!" another guard roared, reaching out to slap him.

"Don't you dare!" Madam Bones snapped. The guard drew away immediately. "If any of you touch the child, I'll have you fired," she threatened. She looked over each one of them until she was satisfied by their comprehension. "Come, Severus."

Yanking his clothes into place and ignoring the sopping wetness of his pants, he followed Madam Bones into the district. Turning slightly, he almost laughed at the bewildered expressions on the guards's faces. He stuck his tongue out at them and continued behind the noble lady and her bodyguard.

Several hours later, Severus was ambling home, smiling cheerily at the grumbling guards as he passed them, the weight of fifteen Sickles heavy in his pocket.

A/N: reviews make me so happy! :)