'Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warning: None for this chapter

Chapter 37 – Aftermath & Accountability – Severus Snape

James and Peter – with an unconscious Severus Snape in tow – made their way back to the castle in silence. James could not bring himself to dwell on his conversation with Sirius; the very fact of what Sirius had done shook James to his core and he could not wrap his mind around any of it. Instead, he focused on the task at hand: getting Snape to Dumbledore's office.

Favoring his broken left arm, James hissed as he pulled the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Snape. "Pete," he whispered. "Go on ahead and tell Dumbledore that I'm right behind you – and that I've got Snape. Please tell him that I'll explain when we get there, but ask him to have Poppy Pomfrey come to his office as well; her services are going to be needed, I'm afraid."

With a single nod, Peter moved more quickly than James would have thought possible, gaining the massive double doors in a matter of minutes. Mindful of Snape's condition, James traveled at a more modest pace. Soon, however, he arrived at the alcove sheltering the guarded staircase to Dumbledore's office. Gingerly shedding the Invisibility Cloak, James shifted Snape's form to an upright position and stepped on the circular stairway. Immediately, the device began to ascend; Peter had obviously delivered the message as no password was needed.

"Headmaster," James greeted Dumbledore, who was waiting in the doorway to his office.

"Mr. Potter," the Headmaster inclined his head. "Please come inside. You may place Mr. Snape on the settee there." Dumbledore gestured toward a velvet-upholstered chaise in front of the fireplace. James guided Snape to hover barely an inch from the soft cushions, then lowered him to the surface.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said quietly. "Please, come and sit down. I would very much like to hear what you – and Mr. Pettigrew - have to say before I speak privately with Mr. Snape."

James nodded and approached the ornate desk, for the first time noticing that Peter was seated in one of the two guest chairs. The boy was obviously nervous, fingers pleating then smoothing the edge of his robes. James gave him what he hoped was a reassuring nod.

"Yes, Albus? Minerva said you wanted to …my stars, what has happened here?" Poppy Pomfrey came bustling through Dumbledore's open door and stopped in her tracks at the scene before her.

"Ah, Poppy, there you are," Dumbledore greeted her as if they were about to embark on nothing more serious than tea and cakes. "As you can see, Messrs Potter, Pettigrew and Snape have run into a bit of trouble. I wonder if you could please examine Mr. Snape without re-enervating him at the moment; I will do so after I've dismissed James and Peter, here."

"Of course, Headmaster," Poppy immediately withdrew her wand from the oversized pocket of her apron and began casting diagnostic spells over Snape's still form. Shaking her head, she pulled out parchment and a quill and quietly dictated notes as she worked. After several minutes, she ended the diagnostic spells and pocketed her wand. Looking up at the Headmaster, Poppy beckoned him to join her. The two spoke in whispers for several moments then Dumbledore conjured a white screen that was then situated around the settee on which Snape rested.

"Now then, gentlemen," Dumbledore rejoined the two Gryffindors, settling himself in his chair and folding his hands on top of the desk. "Let us begin. Mr. Potter, perhaps you would like to start."

James nodded, but took a moment to glance at the screen behind him. "Sir, will Snape be all right?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly at the young wizard. "I believe so. Poppy said that his arm – much like your own – needs some attention and that the bump he has on his head has caused a slight concussion. She will treat his injuries, but let him sleep until I'm ready to speak with him. Once she's finished, I've asked her to come and tend to you."

"Thank you, Professor," James' face reflected his relief. He knew how Remus would feel if the wolf injured anyone, in any manner – even Severus Snape. "Well, sir, first of all you should know that I've not been given the full story of what caused this whole mess. I will tell you everything I know, however."

The Headmaster inclined his head and James began to speak. "Pete and I had detention with Professor Sprout this afternoon. Our plan was to meet up with Sirius so we could all walk down to the Willow with Remus." He paused and looked Dumbledore directly in the eye. "We do this every month, Professor. We're not stupid; we know we can't stay with him while he transforms. But we walk him down there, stay outside until moonrise then head back up to the dormitory. We meet him the next morning and walk back up with him. At least he's not completely alone that way."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling softly. "You three have given Remus incredible gifts: unconditional acceptance and the warmth of your friendship. He is very lucky indeed; not many of his kind can say the same. Please – continue."

"I don't know if you'll feel that way when I've finished, Professor," James said, his expression hard. "Sirius wasn't where we'd all agreed to meet so Peter and I went to the dormitory on the chance that he'd be there. He was. He told us that Snape had seen Remus – followed by us – traveling from the castle to the Willow on several occasions. Snape was convinced that Remus was some sort of ringleader in organizing secret drinking parties in Hogsmeade." James stopped speaking when Dumbledore held up his hand.

"Poppy! How is Mr. Snape?" James and Peter turned to find the Healer coming around the privacy screen.

"He'll be fine, but I would prefer to move him to the hospital wing as soon as it's practical."

"I will bring him there myself when we've finished here. Meantime, I wonder if you might not tend to Mr. Potter's injuries. He seems to have sustained some damage as well," the Headmaster watched as Poppy healed the gash over James' eye and magically repaired the broken bones in his arm.

"I don't know what you boys get up to these days," the Healer murmured as she gathered up her bag and proceeded toward the door.

"I'll be along with Mr. Snape in a little while," Dumbledore called after her. There was no reply but the quiet click of the door closing. "Now," he looked back at James, "you were saying something about Mr. Lupin and … secret drinking parties?"

Despite the situation, James had to smile. "I know; stupid, isn't it? Remus has to be the last student who would get involved with something like that. Anyway, that was Snape's story – and he told Sirius he was going to use it to get all four of us expelled." James' expression turned grim once again. "I told him that since you already knew why Remus left the school grounds each month, you wouldn't believe Snape. I don't think he'd thought that one through. Sirius was so incensed at what Snape was trying to do that he told him that he'd have the truth of the situation if he went down to the Whomping Willow, stilled the branches and slipped down into the tunnel. I couldn't believe he'd done it, Professor. Peter and I ran down to the Willow but Snape was already inside the tunnel when we got there – and Remus had just finished transforming from the sounds of it. Snape was at the trap door and had just pushed it open. He got a good look at Remus before the wolf jumped on top of the trap door, hitting Snape on the top of his head. The blow knocked him out and he fell onto me. After we sorted it all out, Pete here cast some reinforcement charms on the trap door whilst I started back up the tunnel with Snape." He paused and closed his eyes, shivering slightly at the memory. "We could still hear the wolf snarling and howling as we were climbing out of the tunnel."

Dumbledore sat silently throughout James' dissertation, eyes closed and his chin resting on his steepled fingers. When James finished speaking, the blue eyes opened and came to rest on Peter. "Is there anything you'd like to add, Mr. Pettigrew?"

Peter jumped a bit at being addressed by the Headmaster then shook his head. "No, sir; James got it right."

Dumbledore nodded. "Gentlemen, you both displayed true Gryffindor courage this evening and I'm proud of you. I am going to ask that you not discuss this matter with anyone other than the parties involved – and only after I have spoken with both Mr. Snape and, of course, Mr. Black. Are we agreed?"

Both boys nodded. "Excellent!" Dumbledore rose from his chair, indicating that both Peter and James should do the same. "I'm going to speak with Mr. Snape and I wonder if you could please locate Mr. Black and ask him to come to my office. He may seat himself in the waiting area until I come for him. Thank you both."

James and Peter continued on to the door and, as James reached for the handle, Dumbledore spoke again. "Although I know this will be difficult for you, I'm going to have to ask that you boys remain in your dormitory tomorrow morning. I will ask Madame Pomfrey to fetch Remus from the Shrieking Shack come moonset. I am concerned that the wolf will have inflicted more than the usual injuries on our young friend and I'm sure he would not wish you to see him in that condition, yes?"

Again, both James and Peter nodded – the former with some reluctance, which did not escape the Headmaster. "Mr. Potter, I promise you that I will personally come and find you when Remus is brought back to the hospital wing so that you have a full report of his condition and when you might be allowed to visit him. Would that make avoiding the Willow come morning a bit easier to take?"

"Yes; thank you, Professor."

"Good, good. Off you go then."

After the door to his office had closed, Dumbledore crossed the room to the fireplace and tossed a pinch of Floo powder into the flames. Immediately, then turned to a cool green and he knelt, leaned into the blaze and called for Madam Pomfrey. When her face appeared in the fire, he advised her that he would come by the hospital wing at moonset so that they could go together to the Shrieking Shack for Remus. He gave her no detail other than he knew that Remus was having a very difficult night and would very likely need more immediate attention than in the preceding months. Poppy nodded, her face concerned, and ended the call so that she could pull together potions, bandages and other healing materials she might need.

That accomplished, Dumbledore straightened and turned to the settee on which Severus Snape still rested, wounds tended, but sound asleep.

"Enervate," the Headmaster intoned, waving his hand over the sleeping student.

Snape's eyes opened and a look of pure fear crossed the boy's face. He looked around frantically until his eyes alighted on Dumbledore.

"It's all right, Severus," he said, quietly, levitating a wingback chair to a position facing the settee. "Can you sit up? I'd like to speak with you for awhile."

Severus looked hard at the older wizard for a moment or two then leveraged himself into a sitting position facing him. He was trembling and he stuttered. "Lupin is … he is a …"

"Werewolf, yes," the Headmaster finished. "Since he was a very small boy, unfortunately."

Snape's eyes widened. "You allowed him to come to Hogwarts? Knowing what he is?"

"Remus Lupin is an exceptional young wizard, with many gifts. He deserves the opportunity for an education to develop those gifts. It is not his fault that he was bitten; as I said, he was a mere child when it happened. I have taken certain precautions to ensure that he does not endanger others during his monthly transformations and for 5 years those precautions have held," Dumbledore still spoke quietly, but his voice was pure steel.

"Until tonight," Snape sneered.

"Until tonight," he agreed. "But, Severus, tonight was hardly Remus' fault. He has gone to the Shack for his transformations each and every full moon since his first year at Hogwarts."

"Your precautions didn't take Sirius Black into consideration, did they? He purposefully sent me down there tonight; he knew what would happen if I went into that tunnel. He set me up; he and Lupin planned this!"

Dumbledore sighed. "Remus Lupin takes his condition very seriously, Severus. He goes to the Shrieking Shack because he knows that it is designed and magically charmed to hold the wolf – to keep it away from people. I can assure you that he would not have played any role in planning this."

Snape stood abruptly and walked over to the fireplace. "Your precious Gryffindors are not as virtuous as you would have me believe, Headmaster! Lupin is as bad as the rest of them and if it meant humiliating or harming me, he would certainly do whatever it took to make that happen!"

"Severus, please sit down," Dumbledore asked without turning. "I have several questions to ask about what occurred this evening – the answers to which I believe you possess."

The Slytherin wizard hesitated for a few moments before slowly making his way back to the settee and sinking down onto the edge of the cushion. He fixed his gaze on the Headmaster, silently waiting for him to begin speaking again.

"Thank you. Now, let us drop what I'm afraid will be a circular discussion about Mr. Lupin's complicity in tonight's events. I have already heard from Messers. Potter and Pettigrew and now I would like your version of what happened, Severus." Dumbledore sat back in his chair and waited, watching Snape carefully.

"I'm sure they had a great deal to say – none of it particularly truthful," Snape spat.

"Oh, I don't know. I thought Mr. Potter's version was quite truthful – at least insofar as the facts he was privy to. There is much he does not know, Severus; he admitted as much to me. His information about your conversation with Sirius Black, for example, is an area he feels is incomplete. I'd like you to fill in the blanks, as they say. I would like you to do so now," whilst maintaining a benign expression, Dumbledore's voice brooked no argument.

Snape took a deep breath. "I ran into Black outside, on the grounds, late this afternoon…"

"And how was it that you happened to run into him?"

Snape exhaled sharply. "Fine. I had seen Lupin leaving the castle and knew that the rest of his little followers would, undoubtedly, be close behind him. I went outside to wait. Black left the castle through the front doors and walked directly past where I was standing. I stopped him and confronted him about the illicit activities – led by Lupin – being perpetrated by their group."

"And which you now know do not exist," Dumbledore reminded his student. At Snape's raised eyebrows, he continued. "Clearly, as you are now aware, Remus Lupin could not have been conducting any activities – illicit or otherwise – with his friends on the nights he leaves the castle and travels to the Shrieking Shack, are we agreed on this?"

The penny dropped. Snape's face slackened as the full import of the Headmaster's words sunk in.

"Yes, I rather thought we would be," Dumbledore said evenly. "But, for the sake of being thorough in our conversation, why don't you tell me what you thought they were doing every month; I am very interested to hear."

Snape's eyes snapped up to meet Dumbledore's gaze. "I – there must be - it is no longer important."

"It is important to me; and it was important enough for you to threaten Sirius Black. I need to have the full picture, Severus and therefore, I must insist that you tell me the complete detail of your conversation with Mr. Black." Dumbledore's voice – and expression – were both quite firm.

Severus lowered his gaze. "Sirius Black practices a particularly distasteful brand of debauchery – one that only brings harm to the young women with whom he associates himself. I was certain that one such witch was harmed due to one of these illicit sojourns to Hogsmeade; now that I know these sojourns do not happen as I had originally thought, I was obviously mistaken about the detail."

"But not the fact? A young woman here at Hogwarts has been … harmed … by something Sirius Black has done? As Headmaster of this school, Severus, I must know…now." Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat.

Snape nodded.

"Physically?"

Snape thought of the scene in the abandoned classroom and Ofelia's torn robes. There was no mark on her person – that he could see; how many times had his father struck his mother in places not clearly visible? With that image burning on his heart, Snape nodded again.

"Sexually?"

There was no hesitation; Snape nodded a third time.

"Against her will?"

Snape looked up at the Headmaster. "That I do not know," he answered honestly. "However, I can think of one occasion when there were signs that perhaps she had struggled against him." Snape's mind went back to the torn robes once again before he continued, "Black goes through witches at the same rate most students go through blank parchment. He has a certain reputation; perhaps this young woman foolishly succumbed to it."

Dumbledore nodded. "If she willingly became involved with Mr. Black, Severus, that is entirely another matter. Although you may consider her foolish for taking up with him, there would be no adverse action taken against Mr. Black as a result of her doing so. Students are, after all, entitled to follow their hearts."

"Even if …" Snape hesitated once more. I have no right to reveal her secret – or do I? There is the chance that she did not willingly agree to Black's advances. She has not revealed her pregnancy to anyone that I am aware of; Isolde knows of it only from happening upon Ofelia without the concealment in place.

"'Even if',?" Dumbledore was speaking to him.

"Headmaster, this young woman has no idea that anyone is aware of …this situation. If she has not chosen to reveal herself then I am uncertain if I should do so in her stead," Snape looked down at his hands.

"You are concerned that she will find out that you know about it and have disclosed it to me, is this the case?"

The dark head nodded.

"I would ask you to think about your own circumstances, Severus – or those that existed before your father's passing. You could be projecting past conflicts, witnessed as a child, onto Mr. Black and this young woman; I believe you've already thought of this. I can well understand your desire to both help your friend as well as to protect her from discovery. If you are reluctant to have her know that you are aware of her situation, there is little you can do to protect her on your own," Dumbledore reasoned. "If you feel that Sirius continues to pose a risk to this young woman, you are obligated to disclose her name to me so that I may investigate the matter." When Snape remained silent, the Headmaster added, "However, if this young woman has been 'harmed' by Mr. Black's careless handling of her affections and suffers from a broken heart as a result, it is hardly within the scope of my office to become involved."

Snape looked up at Dumbledore. "She is pregnant."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "You are certain of this?"

"Yes. I was told by one of the witches who shares a dormitory with her," Snape confirmed.

"So it is secondhand information."

"I suppose it is, yes."

"May I have the name of the young woman who was involved with Mr. Black? The only way I can ascertain if she has been done true harm is to speak with her directly. There will be grave consequences to Mr. Black if he has forced himself upon anyone. I will not take action against him without an ability to prove conclusively that he is guilty."

"Ofelia Bullstrode," came the firm response. If you are guilty, Black, you will pay the price for it.

Dumbledore stared at the boy before him. "You realize that they were – until quite recently – engaged under a marriage contract between their two families?"

"Yes."

"And that the dissolution of that contract was satisfactory to both parties?"

"If not the manner in which it was dissolved," Snape replied, nodding.

"And you are certain of the identity of the father?"

"The individual who informed me of the pregnancy is indeed certain. I'm certain that when you speak with Ofelia, she will confirm it."

Dumbledore nodded. None of this made sense to him. Sirius and Ofelia certainly seemed to share a most cordial relationship, indeed, friendship; he had witnessed it for himself on several occasions. Suddenly anxious to conclude the interview with Snape and speak with Sirius, Dumbledore caught his student's eye once more.

"I appreciate your candor, Severus. I will investigate the matter thoroughly, you may be sure. If there is wrongdoing on the part of anyone – and this young woman has been harmed by it – there will be consequences. I assume you told Mr. Black about your suspicions?"

"Yes, Headmaster. His response was to attempt to have me fed to his little werewolf friend, as you know," the anger had returned to Snape's face and voice.

"Severus, please. There are two things that I wish to bring to your attention. The first involves your disclosure of your knowledge of Ms. Bullstrode's condition to Sirius. You must realize that while I will endeavor to keep your identity as my source confidential, he certainly has no motivation to do so. He may easily give that information to Ms. Bullstrode. I have no control over that."

Snape paled; he had failed to consider that possibility. "And the second thing?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath. "I must ask that you give me your word that you will tell no one – no one at all – of Remus Lupin's condition. He was in no way responsible for anything that happened tonight and does not deserve the ramifications of having his lycanthropy become common knowledge. Do I make myself clear?"

Snape's eyes became impossibly wide as he processed what Dumbledore demanded of him. "Headmaster, you cannot be serious. After what happened here tonight, he cannot be allowed to continue his studies here; he is a danger to every student. He must be removed."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "I am the Headmaster of this school, Mr. Snape and the decision to retain Mr. Lupin as a student here is entirely mine to make; not yours. I have made my decision and Remus will remain. And you must give me your word that you will do nothing whatsoever that will circumvent that decision."

"I cannot believe that the Ministry of Magic would not override you and have him removed if they knew of his … condition." Snape sneered as he spoke the final word.

"I'm sure they would try," Dumbledore agreed. "This is why it is so imperative that his secret not be revealed beyond this room." He paused. "Severus, I am aware that you find Remus' predicament distasteful and, even before you knew of his condition, you had little regard for him as a person. It would have been difficult to miss your feelings. That said, you and he have something in common: you are both victims of circumstance over which you had no control. Remus has chosen to pursue a path away from the darkness of the creature that inhabits his body and mind; by doing so, he is choosing to keep the creature from inhabiting his soul. You face a similar choice. Know that if you are unable to resist the darkness that both threatens – and seduces, and act impetuously my help and my protection will be made equally available to you. The price for that is mercy – paid in the form of your silence."

Severus took in all that Dumbledore was saying – and not saying – and he began to tremble. "Don't the Muggles call that blackmail, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore smiled gently. "Do they? Such an ugly word; I prefer "agreement". Now, what's it to be, Severus? Will you deny the darkness that wishes to do irreparable harm to Mr. Lupin and give me your word that you will hold his secret? Or, will you deny yourself the ultimate protection that will be extended to you – should you need it in your future? Come, come, now; you must decide quickly. I have other interviews to conduct tonight, after all."

Severus weighed his options and finally looked back at the elderly wizard seated before him. "You win. You have my word." His rich voice was low and its tone carried some measure of his deep anger at having this promise exacted from him in the manner Dumbledore had employed.

"I've won nothing, my boy," Dumbledore stood. "There are no winners in the situation in which we find ourselves this night. Come, Severus, I promised Madam Pomfrey that I would deliver you to the hospital wing for a more thorough examination."

"I am fine, Headmaster," Snape protested, wanting nothing more than to retreat to the seclusion of his own corner in the Slytherin Common room.

"Why don't we humor her, then? We'll have an expert confirm your diagnosis and we'll all feel much better for it."

Having no alternative but to agree, Snape fell in beside Dumbledore and the wizards made their way to the door and soon stepped onto the top of the staircase.