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Professor Lupin stood in the doorway, anxious for Severus to return to them. Two days had gone by since his last call to Voldemort and he had not returned. There had not even been word from him through the headmaster on when to expect him back. No word on any kind of attack from Voldemort on them or anyone else in the wizarding world.

Worst of all, Harry was becoming a ghost in their midst and no matter what they did, nothing broke through his catatonia.

His Slytherins (for he couldn't think of them as anything but Severus') were deathly quiet, almost frighteningly so. Their silence did not really surprise him, though Professor Vector was deeply unnerved by their behavior, thinking that it meant trouble of some kind. As such, she watched them with deep suspicion that did nothing to help alleviate the situation. Remus knew it meant that they grieved for him, though they did not think he was dead. They worried about Severus-and Draco. After Lucius had unceremoniously retrieved him, they had not heard anything from him since.

All of the classes had been shuffled about to accommodate this change and even that was not enough to shake anyone out of this funk. Even the Gryffindors suffered from his continual absence for all that they had been happy when they first realized that he was gone.

Sirius was worried and not talking about it, though Merlyn knew he'd tried to get to open up, to share his burden with him. All he knew for sure was that it had to with Harry. Something had definitely happened on that final night of the full moon. He just didn't know what. What could've happened to so change everything?

Thinking back upon the full moon and the bizarre twist it had taken for him to share that moment with another werewolf, his thoughts turned to the extraordinary bond that seemed to have formed between him and Oz. He had never felt so connected to any being in his life and he found himself missing the boy.

In an odd way, every time he saw Oz, he wanted to keep him near. He almost thought he loved him, not as a friend though he certainly could be that. Or loved as a fellow brother as he had the one other werewolf he'd once grown close to.

No, it was far more powerful and enduring that than.

It almost made of the love of a parent would have for a child. Oz seemed like a son to him, though had not spent that much time together. And the boy seemed so much more assured, more at peace with himself than Remus could ever hope to be that thinking he was the parent to the boy was an arrogant assumption on his part. If anything, Oz was more like a father to him, gently guiding him along the path to acceptance of all that he was.

Something caught his eye and he found that he had to squint to focus on it. Leaving his post as he realized who it was, he bolted out and arrived barely in time to catch Severus' trembling and falling body before it landed on the ground. The stench of vomit and blood curled his nose up in disgust.

Shoving aside his reaction, he held on to the injured man. "Are you all right?" he asked, feeling idiotic even as the words left his mouth. He could clearly see that the professor was far from all right.

"Initiation," his reply was succinct, mercifully sparing Remus by ignoring the absolute idiocy of his question. "Do you me a favor, Professor Lupin, and find Draco. I fear for him. Tonight he made a very difficult decision."

The desperation in Severus' eyes stopped any comment Remus might have made about how it sounded like he was begging him to do this-if he were that kind of man that is. But it could not stifle his worry over the man. "What of you?"

"I'll take him," Harry quietly answered for him, looking no stronger that Severus did in that moment. His arm went around his professor and uncle, noting the way he winced and gritted his teeth, though he remained stoic before them. "Find Draco," he added, a soft pleading sound there.

The truth of what happened these past few nights was in the boy's voice, as well as pity and compassion for the other boy, and he shivered to hear it. To realize what it meant. Remus had the distinct impression that he knew what happened, though Harry's occlumency shields had become almost impenetrable. So for him to drop them and find out what was going on, it must have been terrible. Especially to know what it had cost Draco to make that choice.

Still he was not sure he should leave them alone out here-especially when the demons would be out. Severus was in no condition to fight anyone. Harry was ill prepared to defend anyone from an attack, much less support Snape into the house. Yet he knew that Severus would not have asked him to go after Draco if didn't feel it was imperative.

"Please, Remus," Severus whispered, voice almost breaking on the plea.

"I've got them," Sirius' voice seemed to boom out from behind them-even Remus was startled by it. With a gentleness that seemed foreign to him, he pushed him away and took the full burden of Severus and Harry upon himself.

"All right. I'll see you when we return," he said, unwilling to accept any other alternative for his search. It was not only for them, he needed to hear his own voice promising success, though he privately wondered if that was possible.

Willow stood with Hermione and Amy, "This does not bode well," she murmured, resting her chin on her hand as she watched Remus disappear and the trio stumble inside the house.

"Adding visions to your already impressive list of talents?" Amy teased, though she also felt what Willow did. There was an unusual amount of magical energy in the air-and not all of it was good.

"Of course-how else am I to join the psychic network?" she replied, glancing up at her friend, a slight smile there.

Amy snorted, wrapping her arms about her waist, shivering just a little. "Good to know that you have some kind of career in mind that will utilize all of your talents. And here I was thinking that you would have some kind of important job."

Hermione stared at them, shaking her head. "And I thought that it was the British who had the odd sense of humor."

"It's not humor-it's survival," Willow shrugged. "Ron, are you all right?"

"Harry's bed sheets are drenched in blood," he replied, ghostly face showing off a garish light in the darkness offset by his vibrant colored hair. "This had never happened before."

"We need to tell Professor Snape," Hermione said, straightening up instantly, ready to get down to business.

"What can he do looking like that?"

"Well, we can't tell…our driver," she retorted, almost angrily.

"Why not?" Blaise asked, almost indolently. "We all know he is Sirius Black-and that he is innocent of the crimes he was accused of. Even if he's not totally spotless, he is no follower of the Dark Lord."

"How do you?" Hermione started and stopped, staring at the other girl. Where had she come from?

Blaise looked at them, an eyebrow raised sardonically. "There are no secrets in Slytherin for there is no need." There were only a few secrets that the Slytherins were unaware of, most concerning Professor Snape, and they respected his need for that secrecy.

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Remus rounded the corner, drawn to the epicenter of more unbalanced magic than he'd ever felt concentrated in one place at one time. Hearing with a feeling of unmitigated fear Draco's impassioned words when he saw him arrive on the scene, his stomach twisted unpleasantly as he thought of the repercussions of tonight's events. And he realized something terrifying. It wasn't the boy's pride speaking, nor was it arrogance.

The boy wanted to die-badly. This was not something Remus was prepared to deal with. He didn't know what to do for the boy. In all of his years, he'd never come across anyone who was genuinely suicidal.

"Sorry, Draco. You're going to have help whether you want it or not." There was a hardness in his voice that he never used. It was almost foreign to him but there was something that said that Draco would only respond to it. Right now, compassion was not something he needed, this he could tell when he saw the hidden relief in the boy's eyes.

Wand out, he aimed a spell and let it fly, watching out of the corner of his eye as Buffy took out a demon with practiced detachment and ease. It did not surprise him to see Kendra join her. The only thing he wondered is what had taken her so long to arrive.

Remus fought his way to Draco's side, knowing that he needed to be right there. Focusing on the mechanical way he protected himself, he internally shook his head. One could not call what he was doing defense. The boy's arm dropped suddenly, the wand rolling to the side as he dropped to the ground, almost as if someone had cut the strings holding him up.

Casting a quick spell of protection about them, Remus knelt by his side. Reaching out, he gently rested a hand upon the lax shoulder, not surprised when he jerked it away. It did not stop him from trying again. And again for the boy needed to know that he was not alone-that he was not going to be left alone.

Time and time again, he reached out and was rebuffed constantly.

Yet, he did not give up. He could not, this was far too important. Doing nothing more than reach out, he waiting for the fallen youth to make his decisive move. To make up his mind as to what he really wanted to do.

Finally-finally-he saw it.

The infinitesimal shift in the boy that let Remus know which was he'd go. Still, when it happened, he was stunned that it happened. Stunned that he'd been right about what the boy would decide to do.

Remus' hand reached out, gently touching before clenching upon the bone, feeling the shake as the boy flung himself into his arms. Sobs tore through Draco, shaking the both of them under the torrential downpour.

Instantly, his arms closed about him, pulling him closer, vowing silently to keep him safe. As much as he wished to say something to him, he knew there was nothing he could say.

His words were not what the boy needed.

The young man became leaden in his arms. He was finally spent of his emotions and exhausted by all that had occurred. Remus understood in that moment that Draco had placed him quite a unique position of trust.

It felt incredibly odd to be so trusted by him.

Buffy approached them slowly, trying not to startle them. "Do you need help?" she asked, feeling guilty for her words earlier. It was plainly obvious that the boy had been through some kind of emotional hell and she'd not been much of a help to him. True, she hadn't known and he'd never given any kind of sign about it.

Still, that did not excuse her behavior.

Remus nearly jumped, having forgotten that the Slayer was even there. Looking around, he noticed that the demons had gone, though Kendra stood at attention, every line of her body still ready for the fight. Every line of her body spoke of her ability to fight. Nodding slowly, he found his voice. "Would help me stand up and take him home?"

"Would you like me to carry him?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as she studied the both of them. Though she knew from personal experience a werewolf's strength, the professor did not look like he could walk that far carrying Draco.

"No," Remus shook his head. Feeling her arms grasp him and haul him to his feet, an irrational fear passed through him with quicksilver speed. She was the Slayer-and he was defenseless. Would she kill him? Would they both? This thought came as another arm gripped his other side.

The two Slayers paid no mind to his sudden stiffness. Kendra, unlike Buffy, had been expecting it. She resolved to explain everything to the blonde as it appeared that no one had bothered to do so. Shaking her head, she couldn't quite figure out why they did not. It seemed to be an unwise decision to leave her uneducated about the relationship between werewolves and slayers.

As one, they easily supported the two of them until he was steady on his feet and Draco was secure in his hold. "Thank you," he shakily said, feeling oddly trapped between them.

They stepped back, Buffy finally becoming truly aware of his tension. She glanced at Kendra and knew that she could ask her and get answers-at last.

"The both of you may have need of these later," Kendra said, bending down to retrieve both wands. She placed them into his side pocket before striding off. "We should take you home now. There is something I wish to discuss with Professor Snape."

"He may not be in the mood to discuss anything with anyone," he warned, following her and mindful of how Severus had looked before he left. Though he warned them, he did not want to give away the true state of Severus' condition. It wasn't his right, nor was this the best place to announce the man's abused status.

Buffy snorted as she brought up the rear, "Is he ever?"

"Sometimes," Remus replied and fell silent. It felt incredibly disloyal to allow anyone to disparage Severus considering all that he went through to save them. Especially when he knew that the anger was part of his mask-a mask that he needed to keep sane.

"If you say so," she shrugged, plainly not believing. They arrived at the house, finding it in utter madness.

"Snape! I demand you give me my son!"

"For the last time, I do not have him. I do not know where he is, Lucius." Severus' voice was bone chillingly cold-and weary. The listeners were struck by the sound. "And if I did, I would not simply hand him over to you as though he was an object with no free will. Draco made his choice. You would be wise to accept it as final as he made it quite clear that it was. He wants nothing to do with Voldemort."

"I have convinced our gracious lord and master that he is under a spell as a result of his time in this terrible country. Kindly he had agreed to give Draco another chance," he sounded impossibly smug.

"Lucius, Voldemort is not giving him another chance and you are an idiotic fool if you believe otherwise."

"I think not," he retorted.

Severus' patience had finally snapped and his words whipped into Lucius with cutting brutality, with no pity for the man he considered an old friend and ally. "Your son will be made a sacrifice for the Dark Lord-as will you. Voldemort is neither kind nor is he a fool. He is not generous in any sense of the word. The only safe one is your wife because he is not fool enough to go after her. He would never go up against a witch of her caliber, knowing that she is incredibly strong. Narcissa Black Malfoy-like your son-is a witch of pure power, undiluted by his touch. It is you who is the blight and weak link. You have debased yourself so completely that what little magical power you have is corrupted and corroded. Lucius Malfoy, you are not as you once were. In fact, you are less than you should be. You would do well to learn from your son's example, not sacrifice him upon the alter of one who will not support you."

"Showing your true loyalty at last?" his voice was shaky but grew in strength with every word he spoke, knowing the truth. It was so plain, he didn't know how he had missed it before. As secretive as Snape was, even he couldn't hide forever. In that moment, Lucius finally saw him for what he was-Dumbledore's man to the very end. "Loyal to Dumbledore, perhaps I should take you to the Dark Lord instead of my son."

"I accept."

"NO!" Harry's cry pierced the air, shattering the spell that had them enthralled. There was firmness and terror in his voice as it left him. "I won't have it, uncle."

Blinking in shock at the words, Remus looked at Buffy and Kendra. Both girls looked as shocked as he was-if not more so judging from Kendra's expression. Thinking back, he wondered how it was that he could have missed such a connection.

There had always been little signs from Lily that the relationship between her and Severus was deeper than anyone had thought-and not in a romantic fashion as James had often feared. It was not as simple as that, it couldn't be. After all, her reaction to being called a mudblood by him hadn't been as extreme, as volatile as it had been when others would use that hated word to describe her.

He'd never put much stock in the rumors that Severus had been in love with her. But he could not deny what he had smelled. The scent of love and pure devotion had curled his nose pleasantly whenever the two had been around each other. It sung between them, tying them to each other.

Now, its presence made perfect sense. He wondered if James knew, if Sirius knew the truth about them. Hurt flared inside of him as he thought about it. It was so obvious to him. They had known-and they didn't tell him about it. That his best friends had known and kept it from him twisted his heart.

They had not trusted him with this as they had not trusted him to be able to keep their secret safe. It cut deep inside, reopening a wound that had never been addressed when Sirius had gotten free and explained to him why Peter was chosen to be the secret keeper. While his friend was apologetic, he never had apologized for his belief that Remus would betray them just because he was a werewolf.

His eyes closed, unable to take this revelation on top of everything else. What else had his friends kept from him? Shifting Draco in his arms, he tried to swallow back the anger and sorrow he felt. There was no way he could change it now, so what was the point in dwelling upon it needlessly?

"Uncle?" Lucius' voice purred on the word, a malicious smile forming on his face. A laugh of true satisfaction escaped him as he realized that he had Severus right where he wanted him-totally and completely at his mercy. It was a rare position for one to be in for Snape never let himself be trapped.

And that it was his own nephew who had done it made it that much headier, more hilarious for him. "Harry Potter, the enemy of Lord Voldemort is your nephew? The one that you loved you so much, you have given everything for him. Oh, how deliciously ironic. I wonder how our Master will feel upon hearing this? I wonder what he'll do to you?"

Harry's eyes flashed dark with the deepest loathing as they focused on the blond in the front yard. Storing Lucius' words for later study, he concentrated on the moment for it was more important. In that moment, he knew what it meant to be blind with rage. But he would not yield to that anger, though he badly wanted to.

With effort, he forced himself to swallow it back. Giving into his anger would only give Malfoy power over him-power he didn't want him to have. Weirdly enough, it reminded him of being in potions, having Snape pick on him mercilessly. He wondered if control of his emotions was what he'd been trying to teach him all this time. It wouldn't surprise him if it was.

In perfect mimicry of his uncle, he coldly spoke. "He'll do nothing."

"Poor, naïve child," Lucius' voice was sickeningly sweet with false sympathy. "Of course he will. He is not forgiving as Severus said."

"Neither am I," Harry flatly declared. His eyes were hard as flints as they stared into the grey ones beneath him. "He won't do anything because you won't tell him."

"I won't?" he mockingly questioned, ignoring the dread that began to fill him as he looked up at the boy. No, he silently corrected, young man. This was no boy who stood before him for all that he appeared to be one.

"No," Harry firmly said. "You won't even think about it, I will know if you think of our familial relationship. I will hurt you in ways that your piddling Dark Lord would never consider-and yes, I do mean that. As much as you profess Voldemort's great strength, I am that much stronger. I will take him down."

The dead intent was there. He carried on before Lucius could form a word of rebuttal, if he could have found the words at all. "If I were you, I would stay far away from him from now on. I am not warning you for your own sake. I personally could care less if you were killed-or if you rotted away in Azkaban after the dementors have taken away your soul. I am warning you for Uncle Severus' sake alone. He still thinks of you a friend. If I meet you in battle, you will die. That is not me giving into Gryffindor bravado-it is the complete truth. You will die."

His tone and inflection-the very look about him-was pure Severus Snape. Though Harry was bright with love and light that was utterly at odds with the darkness and harshness that had always been a part of Severus' life, it was all there for any who cared to look. One did not even have to look deeply to see the connection between the two of them. Any doubts of the validity of his claim to be kindred to the dark professor died in that moment.

As did his doubts of the young man's true power.

Lucius could not even try to convince himself the young man was just bluffing. He could not even say it. The words died upon his tongue, unsaid, tasting of pure ash as they lay there. In every line of his face, in the very way he held himself-it was all there. If he did not listen to his warnings, the cost for him would be fatal.

The boy would kill him without hesitation or doubt.

"You know where to go for safety, Lucius," Severus quietly said, coming to stand behind his nephew at last. The image they created did not escape his notice. A dark shadow cast upon the bright light of the boy.

And yet, the two together looked completely natural. Though his voice had become completely neutral, his eyes gave him away, almost begging his old friend to think about this though he knew that he would not listen to him. "If I were you, I would take this chance. You will not get another one-from me or from Harry."

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Mayor Wilkins nodded thoughtfully, listening to Allan's report, frowning slightly. "I see. It seems that things are not well among Lord Voldemort's followers. How troublesome," he said at last, slightly troubled by what he heard. It was annoying to hear that there was such division among the man who offered his aid to him. Humans with their constant emotional shifts made conducting reasonable business with them almost impossible. They had a way of totally throwing emotion into the works that destroyed any chance they had of success.

Even those humans at Wolfram and Hart had to become more demon than human in order for them to work there. "Allan, arrange for a meeting with this Professor Snape. I wish to hear from him how things truly are."

"Yes, sir," Allan turned and left the room. The image of the dark professor flashed in his mind and he shivered. Somehow, he had a feeling that with this man, the mayor had bitten off more than he could truly handle.

As for the mayor, he felt some unease at the thought of meeting Severus Snape. He'd heard much about the man and had seen a few pictures of him. There was something about him that spoke of deep power, far stronger than any he'd ever come across-except in one. That young Rosenberg girl felt much the same as this professor did.

And that was another problem to be dealt with.

Rosenberg…something would have to be done about that girl and her friends. It was bad enough that she was allied with the slayer. It had only made her a minor annoyance. A smart girl, he could not deny it. But nothing along the lines of a true threat to his position, even the watcher was not that.

Together, the two made for a challenge, something he'd looked forward to.

Now, things had changed. She was living with the Hogwarts students and the changes in her were quite dramatic. The last time he'd seen her, her powers had barely awakened. They were asleep, even that Madison girl had more power showing than Rosenberg had.

Now though, they were growing exponentially. Growing with such mature depth that it was natural, not brought about through manipulation or tragedy. If something wasn't done about her soon, things would come undone for him.

At the moment, he couldn't visualize what part she could possibly play in his downfall.

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The next morning, Draco awoke with a splitting headache and no memory of how he'd gotten back to the mansion. "Quite a display you put on last night, Mr. Malfoy. I suggest that you refrain from doing so again. You were lucky this time that no true harm came to you," the professor said coldly. "Drink this, it will settle your stomach and head."

"What happened?" he managed to croak out after he drank it down. The taste left something to be desired but it cleared his head and he groaned, wishing to sink into the bed and disappear as memory flooded him. "Never mind, I remember."

"Then I trust you will also memorize my words and follow them. I do not speak lightly. Last night, you made a choice-and it will haunt you until Voldemort and his followers are defeated for good. Deal with it with more maturity in the future. You will not always have an able rescuer and I would hate for you to die because you made an idiotic decision regarding how to deal with your tribulations and trials."

"Professor Snape, is Draco like us? Is that why all that stuff happened last night?" Willow hesitantly asked from the doorway behind him. "Why Voldemort was going to grant him another chance to serve him?"

"No," Professor Snape curtly answered. "What he did was a form of wandless magic-and he tapped directly into the Hellmouth to do so. Rosenberg, did I not instruct you to begin my class and monitor them until I arrived?"

"You did, sir," she answered.

"Then why are you not doing so?" he asked, voice deceptively calm.

"Professor Vector kicked me out, said that it was not your decision right now. So, I came to get you," she shrugged, hiding her shiver of fright.

"She said that?" he silkily questioned, pushing past her on his way out the door. "Draco, I expect you to be in class within five minutes. Come along, Rosenberg."

After a moment more of simply lying in bed, Draco rose and began to dress slowly. Making his way down the hall, he winced in pain as each step jarred him. Any expression of pain was gone when he entered the potions classroom, sitting next to Blaise.

Snape was already in full lecture mode.

Knowing better than to expect leniency from his professor, he quickly flipped to the chapter and skimmed it until he found where Snape was and focused on him. With relief, he could answer with clarity and precision the questions fired at him-the same could not be said of the others in the classroom, save Rosenberg, Granger, and, surprisingly, Potter.

In other words, things were back to normal.

Explaining things to his friends, he spared no detail of his ordeal. His fellow Slytherins (and the few Gryffindors who dared to eavesdrop on their conversation) needed to know of the very real danger the Hellmouth presented to them. "Also, I have come to the conclusion that father will not trouble me further. I am not sure how mother will react as she told me to follow him, I did not." There was sadness hidden in his voice that only a few picked up on.

He was also silent about what Potter had revealed, though he was pretty sure that everyone there knew about it. Potter had been far from quiet about his declaration. Still, it was not his place to make the actual announcement. If Snape wanted them to know about it he-and he alone-would tell them.

End, Part 18