We...didn't like each other much.

(Remus - Prisoner of Azkaban)

He looked at Remus with loathing.

(Snape - Prisoner of Azkaban)

Sirius...hated...Snape.

(Prisoner of Azkaban)

(Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Marauders' sixth year.)

Severus Snape sat on the large, extremely uncomfortable rock, head in hands, elbows on his knees and...glared...through the screening bushes and fringe of tree limbs at the current objects of his obsession.

He was angry, exceedingly angry.

How dare those two be together and...happy.

His would-be-murderer and the monster he'd planned to use to murder him.

He'd thought they were just friends, not even really close...after all, Black spent most of his time with Potter ,who was totally besotted with Lily Evans.

Black had never seemed interested in Remus Lupin before...

The way Black played to the girls, he never would have thought Black would be interested in another boy.

Look at them...

A tall, strongly built boy, Black had shining shoulder-length hair and piercing, pale blue eyes. He was dressed in a student's black wizarding robes of excellent cut and fine material. He wore them well.

Lupin, as usual, was dressed in rather shabby robes most likely handed down to him from his father, since they were cut in the fashion of a generation ago. They swamped his slender body, and did nothing for him except to cover him. His thick, golden brown hair could have been cut in a more fashionable style, but it actually suited suited his fine boned face. His eyes were closed, but had they been open, Severus knew they would be a golden hazel.

The two were sitting beneath a large pine tree with conveniently low-hanging branches, surrounded on both sides by a small copse of pines on the edge of the deserted back herb gardens near Hagrid, the Gamekeeper's, cottage. Lupin was seated in front of Black, between his legs, leaning into Black's body, his back to Black's chest.

Snape ground his teeth. These two were most definitely not just friends.

Black had his arms around Lupin's waist, and Lupin, in his turn, had his arms wrapped around them. Black had Lupin's body securely snugged against his own, the golden brown head tilted back upon his shoulder, with the slender neck exposed. He was nuzzling his way, with care and thoroughness, down to the juncture of Lupin's neck and shoulder.

The little monster certainly seemed to be enjoying Black's attentions, judging by the moans and whimpers he could hear.

They were lovers.

Lucius had been right.

Severus ground his teeth harder and tensed his muscles in an effort not to get up and tear them apart, or beat them into the ground.

He'd seen enough.

He'd do something about this, and soon.

Nobody took Severus Snape for a fool. Nobody threatened his life, not without a payment being exacted. A very high payment.

Calm again, Severus slid carefully down the side of the rock to the ground. Not wishing to disturb the...lovers, he backed away quietly, only turning around and risking the noise of dusting off his robes when he was sure he would not be heard.

Lucius had some ideas about retribution. He'd go see him now. The sooner the better.

Revenge could be sweet when you waited for it, but sometimes swifter was better.

He grinned. He always had liked instant gratification.

(Flashback)

"Werewolves mate for life, Severus, you did know that, didn't you?"

Severus stopped his pacing of the Slytherin Common Room and looked at his friend, lounging in one of the comfortable fireside armchairs, in surprise.

Malfoy lifted an aristocratic blonde eyebrow in well feigned surprise.

"What? You didn't know? Or you thought I didn't know? About Lupin? Severus, Severus," Malfoy shook his head with mock regret."Father has his hand on the ministry's pulse. He knows nearly everything that goes on there! Did you think father would allow his heir to come here with a werewolf as a student, and not forewarn me? Lupin is a dangerous monster! He's registered with the Department of Magical Creatures. He's not human!"

Malfoy grinned at him, and continued on. "It's only Dumbledore who got him in here, God only knows how, he ought to be called Bumbledore, although Father supposes there's some merit to the idea that his magical abilities need to be trained. He'd be even more of a hazard to decent wizards if they weren't."

Snape simply looked at him.

"Father thinks Lupin should be locked up in Azkaban, or, better yet, put down. He's a danger to everyone, and no use to anyone, either. It isn't as if anyone will ever trust him enough to give him a job. He doesn't even come from an important wizarding family! Look at his robes!"

Severus considered. Lucius had made some good points, but Azkaban? Put down?

Malfoy noticed the hesitation and leaned forward, his voice became lower, sharper, just a bit menacing.

"Don't get soft on me, Severus, I'm well aware of your preferences; but this is a monster we're talking about. Although," Malfoy sat back, "given your ...tastes, he probably does look a sweet little thing, hmmn?"

Severus face froze. He'd not considered that Malfoy would know his preferences; he'd much rather not have given his friend any leverage over him, though it was too late, now. Still, Malfoy was right, Lupin was attractive.

Thick, golden brown hair, large hazel eyes set in a a thin, fine-boned face. Elegantly arched brows, a sensitive, sensuous mouth. Slightly framed, small boned, absurdly young looking.

Yes, Lupin was all of the things he usually went for in a partner. He liked the looks; but he also enjoyed the feeling of power he had over someone smaller than himself.

Black must like it, too, or it brought out his protective instincts, for he sometimes seemed to hover over the boy.

For that matter, even he...

Snape felt his lower body become aroused, and thankful that wizarding robes covered one's anatomy quite thoroughly, he turned toward Malfoy.

"So? If he is? It was still Black who tried to get me murdered, and don't forget it was Lupin he tried to use to do it! It's Black I need to punish! What possible difference could it make that werewolves 'mate for life' ?"

Malfoy crossed his legs, setting his clasped hands on top of his knees, and looked down his nose.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, go check out the copse of pine trees near the game-keeper's cottage tonight just after dark. Then come see me. We'll talk then."

And Snape did.

Severus met Lucius as planned in the Slytherin Common Room well after midnight. They sat alone, clothed for bed, in armchairs positioned near the banked fireplace.

Lucius broke the silence first.

"You went?"

Snape snorted. "You know I did."

"And?"

"They were there, though how you knew they would be..."

"I have my...sources, shall we say...in Gryffandor. One never knows when they may need information in the future. And it is always as well to be aware of potential enemies."

Snape simply looked at him, not comprehending his veiled meaning.

Lucius sighed. "And?"

"You were right. They are...together. However, I still fail to see how this can benefit me!" Snape was irritated, and he showed it.

Malfoy leaned forward, also irritated. "Use your brain, Severus! Lupin is a werewolf. Werewolves mate for life! Lupin and Black are, as you said, together. Black is besotted with him. They may hide it from everyone else, but once you know, it becomes obvious. If you wish to hurt Sirius Black, your best avenue of revenge is to hurt Remus Lupin!"

"I don't wish to hurt Remus Lupin, I wish to hurt Sirius Black!" Snape, annoyed, angry and stubborn, spit out his words as he also leaned forward in his chair until he was mere inches from Malfoy's face.

Malfoy did not back down. Jaw clenched, he spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if Snape were slow witted.

"They are mated, Severus, or well on their way to it, though as far as I know, and my information has so far been accurate, they have not yet consummated their relationship."

Snape made as if to interrupt.

"No, Severus," Malfoy held up a hand. "Sit back. Hear me out. Use your brain!"

Snape, sullenly, sat back in the comfortable chair.

Malfoy, sitting back himself, continued. "There are three parts to a werewolf mating. Heart and mind and body. Heart and mind they have already accomplished, body is yet to come.

If we break the progression, we can break the bond. Imagine Black's anguish if we not only interrupt the mating, but if you are the one to break their bond."

Severus simply looked at him, uncomprehending.

Exasperated, Malfoy leaped up and grabbed Snape's shoulders, shaking him.

"Don't you get it yet? If someone, if you, sleep with Lupin first, you'll break their bond. Black will be devastated!"

Snape's mind focused on the minimum. "Me? Sleep with Lupin? He'd hardly be willing, surely!"

Malfoy shoved him back in disgust. "He doesn't need to be willing! We're not giving him a choice,it's not as if we're worried about his pleasure! And besides, there are ways to make him willing."

Snape shook his head and refocused on Malfoy. "You're talking about rape, Lucius. If we're caught we'll be expelled. The ministry will break our wands. We'll be outcast!"

"No." Malfoy shook his head. "For one thing, Father would protect us. For another we tell Black that if word gets out, everyone will be told Lupin is a werewolf. Either way, we win. We break the bond; he loses his lover. If he tells anyone, we expose Lupin as a werewolf, Lupin gets kicked out, and, again, Black loses his lover. We can't lose."

Snape sat quietly, a thoughtful look on his face. "No," he murmured, "No, I'm sure you're right, but how?"

Malfoy reseated himself. "How what? How do we get you into Lupin's...bed? Simple. We use force, or we use finesse."

Snape looked at him questioningly. "Force? Then we're back to rape?" Malfoy nodded. "We can use force if need be, Crabbe and Goyle will help us; or we can use finesse. We can use a potion as an aphrodisiac on Lupin, or perhaps the polyjuice potion to change your appearance to Black's, which might be best - you'd get some pleasure from it that way. We could even force Black to watch. Can you imagine his horror when he realizes he can't save his little sweetheart?"

They sat quietly for a while, Snape looking inward as Malfoy watched him; one boy considering, the other waiting for his decision. The only sound in the room the pop and crackle of the logs as they burned and fell apart on the hearth.

Finally Snape stirred. "All right," he answered. "I'll do it."

Malfoy did not answer, but his eyes gleamed as an enigmatic smile crossed his face.

"Good."

Severus sat down at the Slytherin table the next morning, sliding into his chair next to Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. He was tired. He'd sat up in the Common Room with Lucius until nearly dawn going over various parts of their plan. They'd finally hammered out a workable plot acceptable to both of them.

He turned his head slightly to glance at the Gryffandor table. Yes, there they were. Sitting together with their year group. It was easy to see, now that he knew. Even though they didn't sit together - Lupin sat near a group of fifth year girls, while Black was, as usual, joined at the hip with James Potter, who in turn, was joined at the hip with Lily Evans - there was a definite, almost tangible connection between them. Pettigrew sat a few seats down from Black. He kept casting dark looks toward Lupin and Lily, and surreptitious looks toward Black and Potter.

Severus looked out of the corner of his eye at Lucius only to see him also looking toward the Gryffandor table, specifically at...Pettigrew? He schooled his face into impassivity, while his mind ran quickly over the possibilities.

Pettigrew was most likely Malfoy's source of information. The little twit had no more backbone than a slug. Anyone with a stronger personality - and that was almost anyone - could completely overshadow him, which was possibly, he acknowledged, the reason Pettigrew tagged along after Potter and Black. Both were protective, and with Potter a Prefect he'd be assured of some measure of protection as long as he stayed near them. That, and help on his schoolwork.

The idea that came to him next, however, was one he knew he should have though of much earlier.

Lucius Malfoy never helped anyone, for any reason, unless there was something in it for himself. Even less would the elder Malfoy bestir himself to cover for anyone other than his son.

What did Lucius want?

He looked over at his friend again. Malfoy was still looking toward the Gryffandor table, but the direction of his gaze had changed. There was a look of lust on his face. Snape followed Malfoy's gaze and almost gasped aloud.

No! It couldn't ...

He'd been prepared for the object of Malfoy's lust to be Lilly Evans, perhaps some other Gryffandor girl. He had even been prepared for it to be Remus Lupin, considering the way Malfoy had talked last night. Sometimes too much condemnation covered up unwanted desire. He should know.

Hmmph.

No wonder Malfoy was willing to help him get Lupin.

He wanted Black for himself.

Well, well, well.

Wasn't that interesting.

That evening, about a half hour after dark, Snape again sat on the big rock he'd occupied the previous evening, waiting for Lupin and Black to appear. Malfoy's plan called for the four of them - Snape, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle - to surprise Lupin and Black in the copse of pines when they were too involved to notice them. He had arrived before any of them, and was using the time to ponder the situation.

He was no stranger to sex; not with girls, not with boys. He didn't call it making love, he was honest enough with himself to admit that. At almost seventeen he been sexually active for almost two years. None of his partners had aroused any softer emotions in him. Certainly, he'd never been close to experiencing the emotional intimacy he'd seen expressed between Lupin and Black the night before.

Had he been another person, his soul would probably have rebelled at ruining such a rare and precious thing as their relationship appeared to be, but he was not, and he did not.

He'd been partially aroused almost the entire day, an arousal fueled by his anger at Black's nearly fatal trick, his resentment of the relationship between Lupin and Black, and his newly discovered lust for Remus Lupin.

He reached low and inside his robes and adjusted his erection as images ran through his mind of himself plunging into the pale slender body of his target. The thought of being the first to take Lupin this way, of marking him forever as having been his, of stealing the beautiful boy from Black, of possessing him as Black looked on, helpless to save his lover...

He moaned softly, surprising himself with the sound, then panicked as he realized how easily he could have ruined all their plans.

Malfoy would be furious if that happened.

He glanced at the sky, gauging the time. The others should be in position by now. If Pettigrew was correct, Lupin and Black would be along in just a few minutes. He drew his wand in anticipation.

They had agreed, he reminded himself as he listened for the sound of the two lovers approaching, to wait until the two were well involved. Malfoy believed it would be easier to take them like that, using a stun spell, and he'd agreed. From there they would transport them to the guest house on the other side of the herb garden from Hagrid's cottage.

Potter was off with Lilly Evans, and not expecting to see either of his friends until the next day, perhaps quite late in the day, as that was their habit on Saturdays. They sometimes stayed out all night. No one would miss them, since Potter was the Prefect and he already knew they wouldn't be back any time soon. Since Malfoy was a Prefect for Slytherin, they had the same leeway.There would be plenty of time to pull off their plan and reap its rewards.

Everything went as planned.

The conspirators waited until Black and Lupin were totally wrapped up in each other and hit them with the stupefy spell.

Snape, intent on watching Malfoy's reactions, waited in place until the other three had reached the bodies. He saw Crabbe and Goyle wait together just beyond the sweep of the pine boughs while Malfoy walked up to the bodies without hesitation. For a few moments Malfoy stared at the two entwined bodies, Black's wound once more about Lupin's in a strangely protective embrace, then he reached down and wrenched Lupin out of Black's arms, tossing him to the side with a sneer.

Quietly, Snape slid down from his position on the rock and walked toward the copse, still carefully observing Malfoy. He noted Lucius' sneer and the unobtrusive kick he gave Lupin's ribs. Slipping under the low boughs as Lucius ordered Crabbe and Goyle to remove Lupin, he assisted him in lifting Black under the shoulders as Malfoy grabbed the feet.

Thinking a much fairer division of labor would have had them carrying the much smaller Lupin while the two behemoths carried Black, Severus continued to watch Lucius.

He knew that he had been right. More was going on here than a friend's desire to help another friend gain revenge for a prank which could have killed him. In fact, he doubted friendship had anything to do with the situation at all. Malfoy wanted Black, badly. It wasn't love, any more than his own liaisons had been. It wasn't sexual lust, either, at least not purely. He didn't think he'd ever seen the exact combination of emotions on anyone else's face. He didn't think he ever wanted to see it again.

If he wasn't in the throws of lust right now, himself, if he hadn't really wanted to hurt Black in the worst way possible, he'd be gone. Out of this situation. A shiver went down his back, and he acknowledged that he truly didn't believe he would get out of the encounter unscathed.

Ahead of them Crabbe and Goyle followed a willow-the-wisp light around the herb beds and toward the Guest House. They were making good time, better time than he and Malfoy were with Black. Hopefully, Hagrid wasn't out wandering the grounds. With the Gamekeeper, you just never knew.

They'd made it to the front steps. Goyle was holding open the front door and they staggered in, heading for the first floor bedroom. Lupin was lying on the bed, stripped naked, completely unconscious. Malfoy jerked his head toward a large armchair in the corner, indicating Black should be dumped there. Snape shuffle the last few steps around to the back of the chair and dropped his burden. He straightened up and stretched, wriggling his shoulders to work out the kinks, and looked around.

The light, the only one illuminating the house, was low, and the shadows were deep. The shades were pulled on the windows and the heavy drapes closed. A slight chill was in the air, but that was easy to fix, a simple spell would heat the room long enough for them to accomplish what they'd come to do. The bed was luxuriously furnished with a thick comforter, hordes of pillows, and the standard bed curtains, all in rather nice shades of green and gold and brown. All in all it would do quite nicely for their purposes.

"Here. Take this." Malfoy's voice caused him to turn back to look at his friend. Lucius had two bottles in one hand, and a steaming cup of amber liquid in the other. Snape's' eyes flicked from Malfoy's hand to his face.

"That's not polyjuice potion. It's the wrong color." Snape's voice was, despite his attempt to sound neutral in the face of a man he suspected could turn and bite him, suspicious.

"No." Malfoy's voice was flat. "It's not. Polyjuice would have taken too long to make. We had the opportunity tonight, so we needed to act. We have no idea how soon they planned on the final bonding, and we can't take chances. It has to be tonight. So, we use these."

"And these are...?"

Snape had no intention of using something without knowing what it was. He was keenly aware of his precarious position, but he was committed now, with no way out, and, he had to admit he was looking forward to the thought of taking Remus Lupin. The dichotomy of him, the paradox, of the slightly built, golden beauty with his shy, gentle ways, and the vicious and murderously inhuman Dark Creature was seductive to his innermost nature. To destroy the one, and control the other was far more than he could ignore, no matter the warning signals his brain was sending him. If it damned him for life, he would have Remus Lupin, and he would have him tonight. He no longer even cared about revenge on Sirius Black. His groin burned and his mind was aflame. He felt he could do anything, anything, but wait much longer. Let the others watch. It gave him savage joy to know that he would have what they could not.

"What are they?" he repeated, allowing a note of the savagery he felt to show in his tone and on his face.

Malfoy looked up in instantly suppressed surprise. Perhaps he felt a bit of his control over the situation disappearing into Snape's hands. He handed the first bottle to Snape, a small frosted blue one, topped with a waxed stopper.

" Mithrivoir. It's a narcotic, laced with an extract of true-silver. It will lower the defenses his were nature gives him, but because it's true silver, not common silver, it won't damage him. The narcotic will make him drowsy, and befuddle his memory."

He held up the second bottle, a squat crystal filled with a thick amber liquid. He swirled it slowly, and golden sparks appeared within it. "This is faux-hypnol. It will lower his emotional barriers, but it will also act as an aphrodisiac - it's not high powered, but it doesn't need to be. "

Snape's eyebrow's rose in question as he reached out and took the second bottle.

"It doesn't need to be because of this." Malfoy raised the steaming cup to eye level. "This is Bulgarian 'Saska'."

Snape stepped back, away from Malfoy. "That stuff is strictly prohibited, Lucius. It has been for centuries! How did you get it? Where did you buy it? Don't tell me! Just having it in your possession is enough for a ticket straight to Azkaban!"

Malfoy laughed, a short, choppy, mirthless laugh. "Snape, Malfoy Manor holds more secrets than you can ever know. Not even the Dark Lord knows them all. Our family goes back thousands of years, straight to Atlantis. We've forgotten more than this second rate school, with its idiot of a Headmaster, could ever teach. I brought it from home, of course."

He turned the cup, studying the etched patterns on its sides. "Some of its effectiveness lies in the vessel, of course, and the incantations said over it. There are many uses for Saska, you know that, but one of its lesser properties, when it is diluted, and given in very small doses, is the clouding of men's minds, allowing them to see and hear only what you wish them to see and hear. The hallucinations are so true as to be indistinguishable from real memories."

He looked over at Snape. He grinned. "It's not for you, you know. It's for the wolf. And for Black. We'll give this little lot of potions to Lupin, dress you in Black's robes, let your hair down, partially close the curtains. If you're gentle with him at first, he'll never know it was you. We can even get him to call you by name. With this stuff in him, he'll actually think that When he's saying Severus, he's saying Sirius. The memory he has will be of Sirius. Later on you can tell him the truth, or you can wait for your moment of confession for years. I don't care. It's your revenge, though if I'm seeing what I think I see, I don't think its about revenge anymore." He laughed again.

"Go on, take it. It won't bite you." He pressed the cup into Severus free hand, forcing him to put the bottles on the stand beside him. "I want Black humbled. I want the two of them separated, but I want them hurt more than anything else. I don't want them to be martyrs for each other. I want them to betray each other. I want them to curse the day they saw each other. I want them destroyed!" Malfoy's face was wild, now. Uncaring of an audience.

"I want him," he pointed to Black, lying limply in the chair," to know what it is to lose what you want most to someone else. I want him to watch it happening. I want him to know he can never have what he had again. I want him to want to die and know he can't."

He leaned forward, into Snape's face. " I want him to watch you take his lover, while his lover calls your name."

Malfoy leaned back, standing straight once again. "I want to watch it all." He turned to Crabbe and Goyle. "Go on. Get out of here. We don't need you any more." He dismissed them with a gesture of his hand. "Go on! And you know what will happen if you say anything."

They left without a word, closing the door behind them.

He turned back to Snape. "I want him to know what happens to those who

refuse me."

Things happened quickly after that. Malfoy and Snape pulled Sirius' robe off and Malfoy gagged and bound Black while Snape exchanged his own robes for Black's. Together they drew most of the bed curtains and lowered the lights until the only illumination came from above the head of the bed, the faint light allowing someone in Black's or Malfoy's position to see everything without being seen. Finally Malfoy took up a position behind and to the side of Lupin, where he could not be seen, but where he could get a good grip on Lupin's head and jaw. He forced Lupin's jaw open, holding the head at a tilt so that he could not choke, and issued instructions to Snape.

"The Mithrivoir first. It's quick acting, but if you don't give it first, he could conceivably throw off the effects of the faux-hypnol." The liquid went down quickly. Snape uttered the counter charm to the stupor spell. Lupin's body relaxed infinitesimally, becoming more pliant. "Now the faux-hypnol. That's it, massage his throat. It's thick. He'll have to be encouraged to swallow it."

They waited a few minutes for the liquid to take effect. Unbelievably, the body altered again, giving the faintest impression of languid ease. Malfoy undid the restraints binding Lupin's arms to the bed while Snape did the same to his ankles. Malfoy left the bed, drifting over to take the chair he'd dragged into position beside Black. He settled in and addressed Snape.

"Now, Severus. Lie down beside him. Take him in your arms. Say everything exactly the way I told you to say it, and then wait for his eyes to open. Remember, you're his lover. Once he's convinced of that, you can do anything to him. I don't really care what you do, just be sure you put on a show that will break Black and break his bond with Lupin. Make sure you do that."

Snape settled down on the bed, taking the pliant body into his arms, fitting Lupin's head onto his shoulder in the same manner Black had done during his tryst with Lupin in the pine copse earlier that evening. He began to stoke the slim back, whispering over and over the words Malfoy had given him.

" I am Severus, love. Severus is Sirius. When I tell you to open your eyes, you will see Sirius, who loves you. Severus is Sirius and he loves you. You are Remus. You love Severus who is Sirius who loves Remus.

When you say Severus, you are saying Sirius. When you hear me, you hear Severus who is Sirius. When you open your eyes you will see Severus who is Sirius. You love Severus who is Sirius. Sirius who is Severus loves you. When you smell me, you smell Sirius. You will see and hear and smell Severus who is Sirius ,who loves you until I tell you to sleep.

You will see and hear and smell nothing else. We are alone here. There is only us, Remus and Severus who is Sirius. When you wake up you will only remember Sirius. Sirius was here with you, and he loved you. He slept with you. You loved him, you slept with him."

Snape repeated his litany many times in a voice that grew hoarse with effort. When he judged it was time he told Remus to open his eyes. He was totally unprepared for the love that filled the hazel eyes below him. Snape had never personally experienced love before. What he saw directed at him, even though it was intended for another, rocked his world.

Severus Snape would never be the same. At that moment what was intended to be a rape, a show of power and control, an act of revenge, became the closest he would ever come to expressing tenderness, his only glimpse at the possibilities of love.

Severus Snape learned, in that moment, to despise Lucius Malfoy; to hate Sirius Black with a hatred reserved for those who have what others have not. In that moment Severus Snape learned to despair, for he knew beyond doubt he could love Remus Lupin, and that to save himself, and to keep this boy safe, he would have to feign loathing. He would even have to hurt him sometimes.

He would have to kill all that he could be, if he allowed himself to love this boy.

He could stop it. He could change everything right now. He could save himself a lifetime of lies and regret. He could refuse to take this boy's body, but he knew he would not. He could no more stop himself from possessing Remus Lupin than he could stop the world from revolving. He cared nothing for redemption. He wanted this.

He would take it.

Damn the consequences, for all of them.

And so he did.

Malfoy uttered a few words, twisting his wand just so above Black's head and Black woke up. He shook his head, looking around in a confusion which rapidly changed to anger when he realized he was restrained and gagged. Anger changed to rage when Malfoy brought his attention to the bed. Had the restraints been any weaker than they were, Black would have succeeded in breaking them. As it was, they were not, and he did not, though he did not cease his attempts. He watched in despair as Snape lay holding his lover.

Malfoy leaned close to Black's ear to whisper into the enraged and despairing man. "Try all you want Black, but you'll get nowhere. Those restraints are guaranteed up to a thousand pounds. Oh, if you feel like shouting? Go ahead - you won't bother anyone. You can scream all you want, but you won't be able to make a sound until I want you to. I'd suggest you just sit here and enjoy the show. Or, have you perhaps seen all this before? Does your little lover get around? Put out for your friends, perhaps? Potter and Pettigrew? He probably needs a real man, though, don't you think? But then, he's about to get one now, isn't he. What? You don't agree?"

Malfoy gave Black's ear a suggestive lick, then pulled back to look the boy full in the face. "Why, how sad, Sirius. You don't agree? That's where you get into trouble with others, Sirius. You don't agree with them. You see, that's what this is all about. Your lack of agreement. You should never have told me 'no'." He leaned in for another lick. " And Sirius?" He whispered seductively into the boy's ear, "If you were thinking of offering yourself in his place? It's too late. I'm not interested anymore." He bit down on the lower lobe.

Malfoy reached down between Black's legs and grasped his flaccid penis. "Doesn't this excite you, Sirius? No?" he squeezed cruelly, still whispering seductively. "Oh, my. Did that hurt?" He squeezed again, looking for signs of pain on the boy's face. "We're going to be stoic, are we?" He dropped the penis and raised the hand to the boy's face. He patted it several times, then leaned in as if to kiss Black. "I told you I'd get even when you refused me. Nobody refuses me without paying for it. Nobody."

Malfoy sat back in the chair. "Enjoy the show, Sirius. I will. I'm going to love this, watching you watch your little lover enjoy getting fucked by Severus, calling his name." Malfoy smirked. "Oh, that's right. It's going to break your bond, isn't it. How sad."

He stretched out, getting comfortable in the chair. "Oh, and Black? If anyone hears about this? Just remember who I am. Who my father is. What we are. One word, and the Ministry will be down on your little lover to put him into Azkaban so fast you won't know until he's gone."

He crossed one leg over the other, clasping his hands together and resting them on his raised knee. "Ah, yes. One other thing. You're to stay away from him from now on. Hang out together, yes. People would wonder. But lovers? Sleeping together? Never again. If you do, and I'll know if you do, never doubt it, it will be the last you'll ever see of him."

He chuckled, turning toward the bed again. "There are a lot of uses for werewolf blood, you know."

Unable to do anything else, wishing he could ignore the pain at his groin and the pain in his heart, Sirius watched as Severus Snape began to make love to his Remus.

Having decided to damn the consequences and take what he wanted, Snape had no idea how to proceed. For the first time in his life he cared how someone else felt. For the first time he want to 'make love' instead of 'have sex', but had no idea of the difference between them.

For an instant his thoughts were troubled. If he truly wished to 'make love', if he truly cared for the boy beneath him, he'd let him go. He pushed the thoughts away.

The aphrodisiac would not work to its full potential because of the boy's were nature, but it would make him willing and pliant. He held his breath as gentle fingers ran along his temple, across a cheekbone and dropped to rest against his lips. He looked down into wide, hazel eyes whose pupils were dilated from both a lack of light and the potent drugs ingested. Again the love in those eyes staggered him. For a moment his resolve weakened.

The warm, naked body snuggled impossibly close - he could feel his own begin to respond. He returned the caress by tenderly running his fingers through the shaggy hair, limned golden by the low light above them. Perhaps this would work out. Perhaps when all was done, Remus would turn to him.

"Severus, love?"

Or not. His resolve hardened again. This was not about love. It was about finding revenge and gaining satisfaction.

"What!"

His abrupt tone stilled his partner.

"Severus, I..."

Snape forced himself to remember that when Remus said 'Severus', he meant 'Sirius'. Remus wasn't addressing him, he was talking to Sirius. The gentleness, the caresses, the desire...the love, was all for a man he, Severus, hated.

He pulled away, sharply. Best to get this over with quickly, get it behind him.

"Severus, what...". Gentle, tentative voice. It angered him. The boy lay beneath him, open and vulnerable, trusting.What would that bastard Black have to do to frighten this boy? Did Black even realize the treasure he was losing? Severus decided to forget pleasure! He'd settle for separation.

"Lie still," he practically growled. "Don't touch me."

The boy's body stilled, but the wounded, puzzled eyes continued to implore a return of the intimacy they had always shared. It tore at him, enough that he nearly relented once again, surprising himself with the longing to hold Remus against him. Only the knowledge of what the boy was to Sirius Black pulled him back.

That and the unpredictable presence of Lucius Malfoy behind them in the chair.

Snape knelt up and shrugged off Black's robes, easily done since he'd never fastened them, and threw them to the foot of the bed. He stayed kneeling a few seconds, surveying Remus' body, reminding himself it was his prize, his to take as he wished, his instrument with which to torture Black.

One of Remus' hands fluttered up toward Severus chest, but he knocked it aside, roughly, then grasped both of Remus' wrists to hold them to the bed above the boy's head.

"Severus...I...what? I thought..." Again, the gentle, puzzled voice. Had Black ever touched this boy in anything but tenderness?

Severus leaned in for a deliberately brutal kiss, a thing of hard lips and aggressive tongue. When he broke it, coming up for air, he was panting.

"Don't," he whispered. "don't think. Just feel. This is me, Remus. The real me. Forget what came before. Feel what I do to you, and know that this is what it will always be like." Transferring his grip on Remus' wrists to just one hand, he used the other to run along Remus' body. Lost for a moment, his touch tenderly ghosted over sculpted cheekbones, along an elegant jaw. Remus' body relaxed into his touch only to tense when the touch roughened again as fingers caressed the length of exposed neck. His touch gentled again when he swept the length of Remus' throat, lingered a second in the hollow at its' base. As he traced the fragile line of collarbone he felt the first stirring of desire from his body. He snarled, cursing himself, the thing inside which dictated he destroy whatever he touched, his need for revenge. He cursed Sirius Black and his empty-headed pranks. He cursed Lucius Malfoy and his evil, evil so far beyond his own fragmented self that to kill the monster would be doing the world a favor.

Monster. Yes. Malfoy, not Remus, was the true monster, though he himself was well on the way to becoming one.

He felt something break inside.

Why could he not love?

Faint whimpering rose from beneath him.

"Shut up!" He growled the words and the whimpering stopped, though the eyes continued to beg.

Severus hand drifted down, across the boy's lightly muscled chest, over his nipples, lower. He suddenly became aware of Remus' penis, rising half erect from a nest of golden brown curls, the only hair on the boy's body apart from from his thick mane. His own erection bobbed in front of him, fully risen, long and heavy, red and weeping slightly from the tip, already begging release.

Severus moved, straddling his partner's upper thighs, and grasped Remus' erection, quickly manipulating it to full life.

As he knelt over his partner, stroking and gripping, he came to several conclusions, none of which made him in the least happy.

He wouldn't last, neither of them would. This coupling wouldn't, couldn't be what he now wished. He would, therefore, have to limit the damage while putting on at least a show of violence for his audience.

Damn them all. Even this boy, for his desirability, for the power he had to shake the foundations of his world.

He looked at Remus as he worked, allowing their eyes to connect, noting the bewilderment in the golden hazels depths. He chuckled grimly. "This isn't what you expected?" He noted the look of confusion warring with yet unsatisfied desire, and damn it, the still present trust.

He squeezed Remus' erection, harder than necessary, watching the struggle Remus had to remain still as ordered, then let go with both his hands. Lightening fast, he flipped Remus' body over, growling at him not to move.

He slid to the side of the obediently still body, then told Remus to spread his legs. When the boy didn't move quickly enough, he moved between the spreading legs, yanking them apart, ignoring the soft cry of protest. He reached for his wand - he'd stuffed it under his pillow, and uttered a quick charm under his breath. Vines appeared, attaching to the bed posts and twining about Remus' wrist and ankles, holding him spread eagle and open.

He really didn't think he'd need them, and he regretted their use, but as a prop, they'd look good to Malfoy.

He mustn't forget Malfoy was watching.

Angrily, he pushed down the unfamiliar feelings of regret. There was no place for that here, if he was to succeed. He positioned himself at the boy's entrance, thankful he'd had the forethought to have Crabbe and Goyle prepare him, however roughly they'd probably done it, and pushed roughly in. A scream rose from beneath him. He steeled himself to ignore it, as he had everything else, and buried himself entirely within the boy.

The boy. Not Remus. Think of him as 'the boy'.

He forgot that he himself was only a boy, at least in years. He'd done too much in his short life to ever think of himself in those terms.

He leaned down, over the slender back, to whisper in an exposed ear.

"This isn't what you thought? Nothing ever is, little werewolf. Nothing ever is. Trust no one. There is no such thing as love, only pleasure, and you must take it where you find it.

Did you think I loved you, wolf? Who could love a wolf, or show it tenderness? No one, little werewolf. Certainly not I. It was all lies. Now, lay still and be quiet."

Severus thrust several times, strongly, pulling almost out, then ramming in again. Remus lay still beneath him, though shudders racked him.Once or twice Remus pulled against the vines as if in pain.

The familiar pressure began within him, rising until it burst and he filled the young body beneath him.

He felt relief, but no pleasure, no satisfaction. No sense of power.

His partner had found no completion, he knew. It would be cruel to leave him that way, but to complete the charade he knew he should...

Forget it. He reached beneath the tense body and jerked it roughly to completion. Only then did he pull out roughly, distantly aware that Remus was now unconscious. He noted absently the absence of blood, for which he was thankful, considering the roughness of his actions.

"So. Is it over?" He turned his head.

Malfoy. He'd almost, not quite, but almost, forgotten him.

"Yes." Cold, indifferent.

"Indeed"

He could picture the elegant blond brows rising.

"You are disappointed?" Malfoy. Would he ever shut up?

Running his hand down the boy's slim, sweaty back in an almost affectionate

gesture, he growled back.

"It's a werewolf. What did you think I expected?" Would this night never end? Everything was pushing at him - unfamiliar thoughts, feelings. One thing was clear, however. For his safety, for Remus' safety, Lucius Malfoy must never suspect how easily he could have loved Remus. If Malfoy suspected anything, ever, Remus would never be safe.

Someday, not today, not in the near future, but someday, Malfoy would fall. He would be there to see it.

Malfoy would pay. He might never know Severus was the architect of his defeat, but Malfoy would pay.

For what could have been, but never would be.

For the pain he had caused this night.

For the death of something rare and wonderful.

Malfoy would pay.

He shuddered. They would all pay, in one way or another, but Malfoy's debt would be by far the largest.

He would collect . For himself, and for Remus.

He leaned forward again, to whisper into Remus' ear.

"Sleep little werewolf. Sleep deeply. Sleep well. Forget this night. Forget all that has occurred here. Forget me.Remember Severus who was Sirius. He loves you. Tomorrow, and the next day, and forever, when he looks at you with loathing, remember, deep inside, he loves you. Now, sleep."

With his back turned to Malfoy he risked running a hand lightly over Remus, this time in a true caress, and allowed himself a few fleeting seconds to truly feel before he moved off of the boy's body.

Sliding off the bed and ignoring Malfoy and Black as he'd tried to do all night, he spotted his robes, laying with Remus' neatly folded on the floor beside the bed. He picked them up and pulled them on quickly, then paused a second, pretending to fix his collar, as he composed himself before turning back to Malfoy.

"So, Lucius. Are you satisfied?" He arched his brow in imitation of Malfoy. "Are you happy with the results? I couldn't help hearing your conversation with Black, even if I was occupied."

Malfoy looked up at him, slight suspicion narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You wanted him broken. Is he?" Snape reminded himself to go cautiously. This man, who was no boy and probably never had been, was intelligent and dangerous - to him, and to all he valued.

"Oh, yes," was the answer. "I believe so." Malfoy tilted his head toward Black. "I had to stupefy him again, after you...came... in our little 'friend' over there, but I think we can say he got the message." The smirk disappeared, his eyes slid back over to Snape. "You could have been a bit rougher, you know. You weren't 'making love'."

Apprehension touched Snape briefly. 'And so it starts' he thought.

"Yes. Well, perhaps you should have thought of my pleasure before we gave him your drugs. Where's the pleasure in fighting a limp body? No challenge at all."

The knot in his stomach slowly dissolved as he watched Malfoy consider this and come to agreement.

"Of course. There is more pleasure when they struggle. However, for my purposes it did work. Black was quite overcome hearing 'his' lover use your name. Quite amusing, I assure you."

"Yes. Well." Snape, momentarily at a loss for words, looked about the room and realized suddenly how close to morning it was."Hadn't we better clean up here? Get back to the dorm? We don't want to be caught."

Malfoy stretched, yawning. "We have plenty of time, but yes. We'll clean up here. I want to get to bed."

Together they undid all the restraints on the two unconscious boys and placed them together, not touching, on the big bed. They'd let them wake up together, without an audience, as amusing as Malfoy thought the scene might be.

Checking to make sure they had everything - wands, restraints, potion bottles, cup, clothes - and that no trace of their conspiracy remained, they performed a cleansing spell, insuring all traces of themselves, both physical and psychic, were erased.

There would be no evidence to find. Lupin would never know, though Black would never forget. Not that they needed to worry about Black. Malfoy's threat would take care of him.

Dousing the lights and closing the bed curtains, they left the guest house, each certain in his own thoughts of what the future would hold, both of them certain of their own eventual triumph.

One of them forever changed.

Inside the guest house two lovers lay, for the first and last time, sleeping together but untouching. One unaware of what the future held for them, one all too sure.

(16 years later, Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry)

Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts, perched quietly on the same rock he had occupied many years ago, once again peering through concealing bushes and branches to watch a slender figure, this time alone, wander the back herb gardens.

Silently, he cursed himself and his dual nature, his hidden role.

He truly did not understand himself. He still hungered for power, for recognition. He still made poor decisions based upon his hatred of Sirius Black.

He still despised Lucius Malfoy, though he envied the man his clear purpose and goals, his position of power within the wizarding world - though he knew now he would never do what Malfoy had to gain that place.

He still feared, admired and trusted Dumbledore. After all he'd done, all he still did, Dumbledore trusted him to become what he should be. Didn't expect it today, only hoped for it tomorrow.

He still loved research and teaching. Feared for his students. Was terrified for them, actually. What they learned at Hogwarts wasn't nearly enough to fit them for what was coming, so he pushed them. Shouted at them, treated them unfairly, and terrorized them.

Many of them would be all right. Potter, the Weasley's, Granger. Diggory. Chang. Finch-Fetchley and Finnegan. Jordan. Wood. Others. They had the right stuff, if guided.

But most. Neville Longbottom. Life had hurt him, yes. Badly. But because of who his parents were, because he was potentially so powerful - if he could ever unlock himself - because his heart outran his skills, someone had to dig into him, into the others, and drag them into the real world.

Life wasn't fair. Someone had to show them that, force them to learn to adapt.

Let the other Masters nurture them. He wanted them to survive.

Let them hate him! If no one else would get them fit, he would!

He'd never cared for James Potter or his wife, perhaps for very poor reasons, but there it was. He hadn't. He had to admit, however, that they had been right, and he'd been wrong. When they'd been called upon to choose, they'd stood firm. They'd paid for for their convictions with their lives, but they'd won. Harry lived.

Today's students would not have won. Like Neville, even if they'd had the moral courage, they hadn't the knowledge. In the past seven years, since...oh, since Bill Weasley had been head boy, the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher had been worse than useless.

Part of a larger plan, none of the better applicants were ever approved by the school's board. In fact, their applications never made it to the board.Only the morally corrupt, or poorly skilled, were ever approved.

That was why he wanted the job so badly. He was good, better than good, at potions. It was his true vocation, but someone had to fit these students for the coming battle. He wouldn't have to go through the board, his would be a lateral appointment - if Dumbledore ever allowed him the position, which it seemed he wouldn't.

When Remus showed up at the beginning of the year he had known he did not need to worry about the quality of the curriculum. Remus had been too good a student, and too closely acquainted with the power of the Dark, not to teach well.

Sighing, he shifted on his rock, watching his quarry's progress towards the pine copse. How many times this year had he watched this same journey? How many times had he watched as the fine features of this man showed sadness as he surveyed the scenes of his greatest happiness?

Too many.

Too many times had he needed to steel his heart and continue on as he'd begun.

How Dumbledore had ever slipped Remus Lupin past the board he could only guess, but he knew that Remus had been targeted for removal. Remus had been too good, too successful, in bringing the students up to level to be allowed to stay.

What he'd done this morning at breakfast had been brutal and cruel, but it had stayed Malfoy's hand for a while. Remus would be a bit safer, now that Malfoy's threat of exposure could no longer hurt him. Dumbledore would look after him, this time.

Somehow, he would, too.

Severus stilled as Remus reached the copse and fell to his knees. The slight figure wrapped his arms about himself, his head fell forward to rest against his chest.

Severus lifted a hand as if to reach toward the kneeling, grieving man, but stopped, pushing the desire down, inside himself, as he had pushed all the other desires and wishes he'd had for, and about, Remus Lupin over the years. He couldn't afford, Remus couldn't afford, his weakness.

His weakness. His strength?

Remus Lupin, after sixteen years, was still a flame in his blood and a regret in his heart. Remus Lupin was the closest he would ever come to love.

Remus Lupin would never, could never, be his.

He would never be Black's, either.

The night he'd 'shared' with Remus, the night, admit it, he'd 'raped' Remus, hadn't broken the bond with Black, it had divided it, a totally unforeseen result. None of his research could explain it, or offer a cure.

Up until this morning he hadn't really wanted one, but the damage done to Remus was getting to be too much for him to bear.

Up until this morning, he'd thought Sirius Black truly guilty of the crimes he'd been accused of committing.

He'd wanted him caught, and executed.

Now he knew the truth. Peter Pettigrew had become the Dark Lord's, just as he'd been Lucius Malfoy's before him.

Severus sighed softly and shifted again. Remus still hadn't moved.

Dumbledore excelled at extracting and telling hard truths.

When the Headmaster called him in after his performance at breakfast, he'd finally confessed to Dumbledore what had happened all those years ago. Oddly enough, despite Dumbledore's not inconsiderable rage, he'd felt lighter for the confessing.

Until Dumbledore told him a few more hard truths.

Severus had been correct; of all the negative random factors involved that night, the Bulgarian Saska had been the worst. Mixed with Mithrivoir, it had, as had the werewolf's original bite, changed the chemistry of Remus' body. Instead of bonding Remus to Severus, or breaking the fledgling bond with Sirius, the combination of drugs had enlarged the bond to include all three of them, with Remus at its' center.

They had created an unstable triangle, and Remus was paying for it.

Remus had been paying for his lusts, Malfoy's evil, and Black's pranks with sixteen years of loneliness and pain. A werewolf with an unfulfilled bond, Dumbledore told him, was in constant pain - physically, emotionally and mentally.

They had done that to him.

Dumbledore thought that if Severus could reconcile his differences, his loathing, of Black, the three of them could form a stable triangle.

There was a lot of strength, a lot of potential power, in a triangle.

Severus shook his head. It would never happen.

Dumbledore had told him he needed to confess to Remus. Perhaps. Perhaps not. He was too afraid of the rejection.

He'd also been told to confess to Black.

Maybe. Someday. He was too afraid he'd kill the man.

He watched as the silent figure rose. Remus looked ill, he noted. Nearly as ill and tired as he'd looked at the beginning of term. His doing, at least partially. His eyes followed Remus as he walked quietly back toward the school. Yes. His doing. His and Malfoy's.

He smiled, cruelly. That was one score that had been paid.

Shortly after graduation, Malfoy became one of the Dark Lord's chief lieutenants. When someone was raised to the inner circle, they were required to show their loyalty to the Dark Lord. Always, always, it was something the Dark Lord knew they hated.

Severus, at that time still counted a Death Eater, had merely made a suggestion.

He was quite, quite sure Malfoy had learned what it meant to say 'no' to the Dark Lord.

Draco was, after all, an only child.

The End