FicWad

Fated

A Babylon 5/Harry Potter crossover

Severus Snape and Remus Lupin sat in the den of their home. The year was 2261 and the men had been together as a couple for almost 300 years. Anyone who didn’t know their history might be astonished as to how either had lived so long and how both still looked the same they had almost 200 years ago. Very few people over the years had learned the truth, the truth being that doing the last battle where Harry Potter had finally defeated Voldemort for the final time Bellatrix Lestrange had fired off one last curse before dying. Both Lupin and Snape had jumped in front of Harry at the same instant for he had not seen it coming and even if he had there was no time to duck out of the way or block it.
It had hit them both and they expected to end up dead for they felt sure it had been and Avada Kedavra curse but instead it had turned out to be some kind of immortality spell. It was a spell so ancient that it had been thought to be lost in the mists of time. Unfortunately for them Bellatrix had uncovered it by accident while searching through some ancient spell book. After the battle was over Dumbledore had informed them that they had both been hit with a kind if limited immortality spell... Snape’s thoughts turned to the first time he and Remus had begun to form a friendship. Before that Remus Lupin had just been one of James Potter’s friends and someone he dismissed as to weak to stand up to Potter and Black when they pulled pranks on other students.
Snape remembered that time well...

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Mr. Snape, I want you to start tutoring Mr. Lupin in potions, until his grades improve,” Professor Carlton ordered Severus.
They were standing in the Professor Carlton’s office after class and Remus was doing terribly as usual. Carlton had had both of them to stay behind after class so he could talk to him.
“But Professor—” Snape protested vehemently. “He’s a Gryffindor—” And one of James Potter’s friends, he added silently to himself.
“So? Consider it a exercise in inter-house cooperation.”
“But sir—” Severus protested again.
“No buts Mr. Snape. You are the best potions student in the entire school, while Mr. Lupin here is probably the worst. If Mr. Lupin has any hope of passing the class he needs you to tutor him.”
Despite the situation Snape preened a little at the professor’s compliment for Professor Carlton very rarely gave them, even to the most deserving. “But what will my housemates think?” Snape finally protested. “Me hanging out with a Gryffindor.”
“Tell them I forced you into it,” Carlton suggested with a hint of humor in his dark eyes. “It’s the truth, you have no choice in the matter.”
During the whole exchange Remus had not spoken a single word but didn’t look anymore happy about the situation then Snape did.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Later that night after dinner Severus and Remus met in the potions classroom with the permission of Professor Carlton. Both had managed without much difficulty to sneak away from their housemates.
“Now you will follow instructions precisely,” Snape ordered.
“Yes, Severus,” said Remus quietly.
Severus refused to talk to him except to issue instructions on what to do next. An hour later they were done and Snape inspected Remus’s potion admitting to himself it didn’t look to bad.
“Not bad,” Snape admitted. “But you have long way to go. That’s all for tonight though. It’s getting late and we both need to get back to our dorms before curfew.”
“Same time day after tomorrow?” asked Remus.
Snape nodded and they parted ways.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

This went on for a few weeks and the two of them began to get closer and closer which both knew their housemates would never approve of especially James Potter, Sirius Black and Lucius Malfoy so they did their best to keep their growing attraction to each other a secret.
Their housemates were already going ballistic because they had found out where Severus and Remus had been disappearing to for the last couple of weeks.
One incident in particular stuck out is Snape’s mind. It had just happened the other day, with Lucius Malfoy.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Snape’s been what?” Malfoy roared, when he heard where Snape had been disappearing to lately.
When Malfoy confronted Snape about it a little later, Severus shrugged, appearing unconcerned and said, “I wasn’t given a choice in the matter. Professor Carlton ordered me to help Lupin get his potion’s grade up to at least acceptable. You think I want to spend time with a Gryffindor? Especially a friend of Potter’s and Black’s? I’d rather be doing a dozen different things, including being eaten by the giant squid in the lake, but instead I’m wasting my free time helping a Gryffindor.” Snape said the last word with such contempt that even Malfoy looked admiring for a moment.
Malfoy considered this then nodded. “Well, I suppose you don’t have any choice if Professor Carlton ordered you to help him.”
“You got that right,” said Snape sourly. “I have no choice.”
What he didn’t tell Malfoy and made sure to give no sign of in his face or body language was that he and Remus had gone from being enemies, to being friends, to being almost lovers. If Malfoy had discovered this he’d have been so mad he would have probably tried to murder him in his sleep.
“You are dismissed Snape,” Malfoy ordered.
“Yes, Lucius,” said Snape not arguing just glad to get out of the common room without further questions.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Snape came out of his memory and went over to check Remus’s cauldron.
“Not bad,” Severus admitted as she studied the surface of it. “You keep this up and you’ll get at least an acceptable on your O.W.L.s.”
“Thanks to you,” Remus pointed out quietly. “You explain things to me in a way that makes it easier to understand.”
Severus blushed at the compliment.
“I’m afraid however, that I will never be a master like I’m sure you will be one day.”
Severus blushed again at the sincere compliment and they finished the lesson in silence.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Unfortunately just a few days later was the full moon and that was when Sirius Black had decided to scare him away from Remus by telling him where Lupin went every month. That one incident had nearly destroyed their relationship—for good. Fortunately for both of them it hadn’t happened by the thinnest of margins. He hadn’t spoken to Remus for a full six months, which made them both miserable until finally one day it had come to a head.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Snape cornered Remus one day as he as waiting for his opportunity to get him alone for about a week but Remus had always seemed to be with his three friends or had had been in the company of other groups of students, but finally his watching of Lupin paid off.
Snape finally led Lupin to a secluded corner of the school behind some bushes. Once they were out of sight of the main school Severus demanded in a voice that was low, angry, upset and just a little bit hurt, “Why didn’t you tell me you were a werewolf?”
Remus who had been shocked that Severus was actually speaking to him didn’t respond for a long moment, then said, “I was afraid you would reject me once you knew.”
“But why didn’t you tell me?” he demanded again. “I thought we were friends.”
“We are,” said Remus softly. He slumped and looked away at the point seeming to be gathering his thoughts. “It’s just that I never had any friends before I came to Hogwarts. I was very lonely as a child and when I found out that I would be able to come and get an education I was ecstatic for weeks afterwards. I’m afraid I drove my parents quite mad with my excitement.” Remus’s half smile of remembrance made Snape’s heart beat just a little faster and his breath quicken. Luckily Lupin was too involved in his explanation to notice his reaction. “As for why I didn’t tell you—it was because I never had any friends before I met James, Sirius and Peter. They befriended me and stayed my friends even after they worked out my secret. And although their friendship has meant a great deal to me yours has meant far more. Do you realize that most people fear werewolves and consider them less them human?” Lupin asked suddenly.
“Yes I know and that doesn’t matter to me half as much as to why you didn’t tell me that you were one,” he demanded for the third time.
“I was afraid,” Lupin repeated softly.
“Afraid of what?” Snape asked a little bit more gently.
“Afraid that you wouldn’t want anything further to do with me, that you wouldn’t want to ever look at me. That you would be so disgusted that you wouldn’t even want to see me again. You see I’m afraid I’ve let my feelings get the better of me and I’ve fallen in love with you. That’s one of the reasons Sirius tried to break us up you know. Not only does he hate your guts, but he hates you even more now because he sees our friendship as a threat to my friendship with him, James and Peter
“And is it?”
“Don’t be silly, James, Sirius and Peter will always be my friends, but you will be the only man I have or ever will love. I love you Severus Snape more than anything else in the world.”
“More than Potter and Black?” asked Snape, he didn’t mention Pettigrew for he considered him a non-issue and not a threat to Lupin’s feelings.
“I don’t know that I necessarily love you more than them, just differently. The three of them will always be good friends, you on the other hand are the only man I want as a lover—a mate,” Lupin added hesitantly.
“Mate?” Snape questioned suspiciously, searching Lupin’s face for any sign of trickery or deceit but what he found was nothing but open earnestness, love, hope and a pleading look for him to believe that he had, had nothing to do with the so-called prank.
Snape’s anger wavered although he did not let his feelings show on his face. If what Lupin said was true, he wanted more than a temporary lover. He wanted a mate, someone to love for the rest of his life. In other words a lifetime commitment, a meaning that made him shake inside for he had come to realize over the last six months of separation that he loved Remus Lupin more than his own life and if it was true that Remus returned his feelings—
He searched Lupin’s face again looking for any signs of deception, but all he found was an aching tenderness and a love so strong that it made him want to take Lupin in his arms and kiss the breath out of him. First however, he had to tell Lupin what he’d done.
Snape released his hold on Lupin’s shoulders and when he did Remus sagged back against the wall as if his legs would no longer support him. Snape caught him again and gently lowered both of them to the ground where they sat not quite touching until finally Snape said, “I have something to confess to you.”
Remus said nothing, but simply waited for Severus to continue.
After several minutes Snape rolled up the right sleeve of his robe and said, “I’m afraid I did something stupid. . .”
Remus stared at the Dark Mark on Severus’s arm for a long moment then finally sighed and said, “I kind of understand why you did it. From what I know of your life before coming to Hogwarts is that it was abusive and even once you started coming to school you were always being picked on and pranked by James and Sirius. So I can understand that joining Voldemort to get revenge might have been tempting for you.”
“It’s not just that,” said Snape looking uncomfortable. “It’s...well...I’ve always been interested in the Dark Arts which they don’t teach here at Hogwarts and after I broke up with you I’m afraid I let temptation get the better of me. Do you still love me?”
“Of course,” said Remus. “I’m not going to stop loving you just because of this. We all do stupid things sometimes, including me.”
“But you realize this means I’ll have to answer Voldemort’s call when the mark burns?”
“Yes, I know, but we’ll work it out somehow. I do suggest you tell the headmaster though,” Remus suggested.
“No, what if I’m expelled?”
“I don’t believe Dumbledore will do that,” said Remus. “But I’ll go with you if you want.”
“No,” said Severus. “As much as I appreciate the offer I feel this is something I must do alone.”
Remus nodded seeming to understand.
The two boys then just say there on the ground with their backs against the stone wall just enjoying the Saturday afternoon—together.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

An hour later Remus and Severus retired to the Room of Requirement so they could talk more in private.
“Did you mean what you said about wanting me as your mate?” Severus asked almost hopefully.
“Yes, I meant it, every word,” Remus assured him. The wolf in Remus just growled in contentment at being in the presence of the man he loved. The wolf was also all for throwing Severus down on the bed and having hot pounding sex until Severus knew for a fact that he belonged to the wolf alone. Remus held the wolf in check, but barely. The six months of enforced separation from someone the wolf considered his and his alone was making the urge to do what it wanted all the stronger. Almost too strong to control.
Remus, however, had been controlling the wolf’s instincts all his life and did so now for he didn’t want to scare Severus off by acting like a wolf in heat. The wolf protested almost breaking free of Remus’s control but he told it sternly to be patient and that they didn’t want to scare him off for good.
The wolf subsided, but wasn’t happy.
“As I told you earlier once the wolf chooses a mate it’s a lifetime commitment. I can never love anyone else.”
Snape considered this then came to a decision. The books he had read on werewolves in the last six months suggested that Remus was correct that wolves mated for life and if the other person didn’t make the same commitment—well some of the books suggested that the werewolves died of loneliness. Wolves as well as werewolves were social animals and were happier with a mate and a pack of its own. Other books had suggested the exact opposite that the werewolves didn’t die but were lonely and unhappy.
Severus wasn’t sure which one to believe but he didn’t want to take the chance that Remus might die. He already looked terrible as if he had lost a great deal of weight off his already too skinny frame and his face was lined with the evidence of his many sleepless nights in the bags underneath his eyes.
“Don’t worry what I told you outside behind those bushes we true. I don’t intend on leaving you. You are mine just as much as I am yours and I don’t intend to let anyone take you away from me, not Sirius Black, not James Potter and not Lucius Malfoy. If you can accept the mistake I made by joining the Death Eaters I can do no less for then accept that you knew nothing of Black sending me to the Shrieking Shack six months ago.”
Remus’s face glowed with happiness at Severus’s little speech by the end of it he no longer looked quite so worn.
“Does that mean we are back together?”
“Yes, you idiot, it does,” said Severus affectionately giving Remus a long, devouring kiss.
Remus looked happier than he had in months and Severus felt as if this was where he belonged—always. When they finally came up for air they looked at each other for a moment.
“Well I hate to say this but it’s almost time for dinner and if we don’t want to arouse suspicions from your friends and my housemates we need to be going.”
Remus nodded reluctantly. He had just gotten his mate back and now they had to separate again if only temporarily.
“We’ll see each other again,” Severus promised as the bell rang for dinner. They shared one final kiss then headed to dinner separately.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Well it’s good to see you eating more,” James teased Remus a little later in the Gryffindor common room. “For a while you weren’t eating enough to keep a bird alive much less a growing boy.”
Remus took the teasing good-naturedly because he knew all three of his friends even Sirius who he still wasn’t talking to, had been worried about him. His three friends had never been able to find out the reason why he hadn’t been eating though no matter how much they had begged and pleaded him to tell them what was bothering him.
“So what changed?” asked Sirius.
Remus didn’t respond and ignored Sirius all together like he had been doing for six months, ever since the night Sirius had decided to play his prank on Severus, by sending him to the Shrieking Shack on the night of the full moon.
Sirius looked disappointed that Remus still wasn’t talking to him and hung his head in shame for he had come to regret playing that prank on Snape.
“Remus, don’t you think it’s time to end this state of cold war between you and Sirius. You haven’t spoken to him for six months isn’t that enough of a punishment?” James practically pleaded.
Remus wanted to deny that no punishment would ever be enough for what Sirius had done. Sirius had nearly gotten his mate killed or at least turned into a werewolf. Of course no one knew the reason that and Remus wanted to keep it that way.
“If Sirius felt the least bit sorry for what he did I probably would have forgiven him months ago.”
“You’re sorry aren’t you Sirius?” James asked his friend.
“Yes, I admit I was stupid. I should never have done it and I probably wouldn’t have if he hadn’t been so damn sneaky trying to find out where Remus went every month.”
“Sirius,” James warned. “This gulf between two of the Marauders cannot continue. We used to be such a close-knit group, now look at us. Two boys who are supposed to be friends and ones not talking to the other.”
When James put it like that it did seem kind of silly, Remus admitted to himself. “I’ll forgive you Sirius, but on two conditions,” Remus told his friend.
“What?” asked Sirius looking up hopefully.
“One: You will swear to never pull a stunt like that again. Two: You will think before you do pull a prank and consider the consequences. I would also appreciate if you would lay off Snape for a while.”
Sirius was willing to promise almost anything to get Remus speaking to him again but he winced at the part about laying off Snape. At least it was phrased as a request and not as an order, but he supposed he could lay off for a few months.
“All right I promise to never pull a prank like that again without thinking about it first. I’ll even promise to try to lay off the little slimeball for a while.”
“Sirius,” James warned.
“No James, it’s okay, I know neither of you like Snape, although I’ve never been able to understand why and I know that you pull more pranks on him than anyone else, but I also know that both of you insult him and call him names almost as a matter of course.”
James didn’t know how to respond to that so all he said was, “Well now that you’ve called a truce what about some Exploding Snap?”
The other three agreed and were soon laughing over the game.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Snape went to his classes over the next few days but kept putting off going to see Dumbledore, but finally he steeled his nerve and headed for the headmaster’s office on the third day after dinner. He just hoped Remus was right about Dumbledore and that the headmaster would not expel him.
“Headmaster can I talk to you?” asked Severus once he was admitted to Dumbledore’s office by the gargoyle.
“Of course, dear boy. Why don’t you take a seat?” Dumbledore suggested.
“I’d rather stand if you don’t mind headmaster,” said Severus shuffling his feet nervously until he was standing directly in front of Dumbledore’s desk. “Headmaster I’m afraid I did something rather stupid.” Snape pulled back the sleeve of his robe to show Dumbledore the Dark Mark on his right arm. The tattoo of a Death Eater was a skull comprised of green sparks with a snake coming out of its mouth.
Dumbledore sighed not seeming angry just tired and worn out. “How did this happen Severus?”
“It was Lucius Malfoy headmaster. He woke me and several other fifth year students out of or beds a few days ago.”
Dumbledore didn’t look surprised at the mention of Malfoy, Snape noted.
“He said he had a surprise for us and we snuck out through one of the secret passages and into Hogsmeade,” Snape continued. “He and several of the older students Apparated us younger students somewhere although I don’t know the location. When we got there Malfoy presented us to his master the Dark Lord and told him that he had brought him some new recruits to join the ranks of the Death Eaters. We didn’t dare protest as you know he would have given us a dose of the Cruciatus curse if we had dared to say anything and so we all took the Dark Mark.”
Snape paused for a moment then continued, “It wasn’t all Malfoy’s fault. I’ve always been interested in learning more about the Dark Arts and Lucius knows that. He used my love of the Dark Arts and my desire to get revenge on Black and Potter as a lure to get me to fall into his trap and I’m afraid I fell for it hook, line and sinker.”
Snape didn’t mention the other reason he had joined the Death Eaters and that reason was that he had broken up with Remus at that time and felt as if he didn’t have anything to live for afterwards.
“You are not the first to fall into such a trap, nor will you be the last,” said Dumbledore looking more thoughtful and worried then angry. “You realize that this means that you are now part of a group that will very likely kill you if they ever discover you have turned traitor?”
“I know, headmaster and I am willing to accept whatever fate had decreed for me.”
Dumbledore nodded. “I am very proud of you Severus for not only coming to me about this but for being willing to face the consequences of your actions.”
Snape blushed at the compliment for Dumbledore rarely gave them. “So what do I do professor?”
“For now, nothing. Let Lucius think you are resigned to your duty of serving Voldemort. I doubt Voldemort will call on you much until after you have graduated in a couple of years for you can’t Apparate without someone taking you in a side-along Apparition.”
“Like Malfoy,” said Snape.
“Yes, like Lucius. If I remember correctly he is in his final year of school and would have been seventeen last summer.”
“Which means he has his Apparition License,” Snape said with a snort.
“Precisely, but anyway let me think about an idea I have for awhile and as soon as I have I’ll let you know.”
“Yes, Headmaster,” said Snape. “Does this mean I’m not going to be expelled?”
“No, for now we’ll keep this between us. You are to tell no one understand?”
“Yes sir,” said Snape without protest.
Like he really wanted to spread his being a Death Eater around the school. If he had thought he was disliked now it would be nothing compared to how he would be treated if it was found out that he was one of Voldemort’s followers.
Voldemort was feared and reviled and with good reason, for he killed anybody who got in his way and sometimes for no reason at all.
“You are dismissed then Mr. Snape.” Snape nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, one more thing Mr. Snape, what are the names of the other students who went with you to that meeting?”
Severus gave him a list from memory and Dumbledore nodded looking sad the usual sparkle gone from his eyes. Among the names was Lucius Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Nott, Lestrange and Black all of who were seventh years. He also named several of the younger students who had at least another year or two of schooling. All the students named were in Slytherin.
Dumbledore shook his head sadly but allowed Snape to leave his office.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“You were right,” Snape told Remus later that evening as they sat on the bed in the Room of Requirement.
“About what?” asked Remus innocently.
“About me talking to Dumbledore and him not expelling me. We had a long conversation just earlier today.”
“Good, I’m proud of you for going to see him.”
Snape blushed at the compliment, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
“I told you if anybody would understand it would be the headmaster.”
“And you were right,” Snape admitted giving Remus a kiss.
They both just stayed like that for a time, just enjoying each other’s company and being in love.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Snape came out of the memory of long ago to find Remus sitting on his lap, his arms around his neck and his lips kissing his nose.
“You okay Severus?” asked Remus.
“Yes, Remus,” answered Snape giving his lover a long, thorough kiss on the mouth. “I’m fine.”
“You just seemed pretty distant, love.”
Snape looked up meeting Remus’s eyes and saw concern mingled with love and awe. The awe that had never quite faded from Remus’s gaze since the day Snape had agreed to be bonded to him of the rest of their days.
The bond was a magical one and once cast could not be broken except by mutual consent of both parties. Even after almost three centuries neither wanted to break the bond they shared for they still loved each other and that love had only grown deeper over the centuries.
Lupin did love him, even if after almost three hundred years Snape still hadn’t figured out why, but he was grateful for in nonetheless.
“It’s late, why don’t we head to bed, love?” Remus said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Snape growled softly, with growing desire as Lupin exposed his throat knowing it was the one thing his lover could not resist.
The exposing of the throat went back to the days when Lupin had been a werewolf—they had since found a cure for lycanthropy about 235 years ago—it was a way of submitting in wolf form to the stronger wolf—usually the pack leader. Even now that Lupin wasn’t a werewolf anymore it was still an intimate gesture between them and usually made the lovemaking all the more intense for it.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Finally the two made it to the bedroom and threw themselves onto the bed nearly tearing each other’s clothes off in their frenzy. Remus was immediately on top of Snape kissing every inch of exposed skin from his nipples to his stomach to his penis. He sucked on the tip of the penis for a while until it was nice and moist. Snape groaned and withered underneath his lover practically begging Remus to finish it. At first Remus didn’t oblige and continued kissing and licking his way up the right inner thigh enjoying the feast of his lover’s soft skin and the taste of him which was uniquely Severus’s own.
Remus lifted his head and looked down at his mate’s face which was glazed over with need and glistening with sweat. Remus felt a sense of power as well as passion surge through him as he looked down at his mate whom he never stopped wanting every minute of every day. He was the only one who ever got to see this side of Snape. The soft tender side that he only showed to his lover alone. To the rest of the world he was nothing but a sarcastic, hard to get along with, former Death Eater.
Finally after a few seconds Remus lowered himself again and continued licking his way up the other thigh until he reached Severus’s opening once more.
“Finish it,” Severus pleaded once more, sounding so ready that it nearly sent Remus over the edge into his own climax just to hear his mate’s voice pleading with him.
Suddenly Remus knew he couldn’t last any longer and so briefly turned away to grab the oil from the nightstand. He quickly opened it and spread some on his penis then with no time for finesse or tenderness he lined up his prick with Severus opening and slid himself home.
He reveled in the feeling of completeness for a moment, of being inside his mate’s body, before he began to thrust slowly at first then harder and faster as Snape urged him on. Before long both reached their climaxes at the exact same time and Remus released his semen into his lover’s passageway, while Snape released his all over his own stomach.
Both collapsed then, Remus on top of his mate not having enough strength to move for several minutes after his climax. Finally groaning he managed to roll onto his side of the bed. Snape whimpered at the loss of contact, but was almost immediately soothed when Remus curled beside him one arm thrown protectively over his mate’s chest.
“You know our anniversary is coming up next month,” Snape mumbled sleepily.
“So it is,” said Remus also sleepily. “What anniversary will this be? 284th? 285th?
“287th,” Snape corrected a little condescendingly, although the effect was rather ruined because he sounded sleepy and sated.
“287th,” Remus mused. “It has been the happiest 287 years of my life.” Remus then lifted his head just enough to give his mate a kiss on the cheek.
“We weren’t actually bonded until the year after we graduated, when we turned 18, so I suppose you were closer to our bonded date then I was. I was counting from the time we got back together in 5th year.”
“Either way you count it, I have never been happier. I still have trouble believing you agreed to become my bonded mate, even if we couldn’t tell anyone until after Voldemort was defeated.”
“You know why we couldn’t,” said Snape. “You know what Voldemort would have done to both of us if he had found out—but especially to you. I couldn’t let that happen for I love you more than my own life. If anything happened to you,” Snape paused as if searching for the right words. “Well let’s just say I wouldn’t be able to go on living.”
“Don’t ever talk like that,” Remus told him harshly his arm tightening around his mate protectively. “Besides I’m fine and Voldemort has been dead for centuries so we no longer need to keep our relationship secret. People, nowadays, are more accepting of gay relationships then they were in the 1970’s.”
“But that doesn’t mean we have to advertise it. It is no one’s business but out our own.”
Remus smiled in the darkness for that last statement sounded like the Snape he knew—quarrelsome and bad tempered.
“Whatever you say love,” Remus agreed, snuggling closer with a sigh of contentment.
Within minutes both were sound asleep snuggled as close together as they could get.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next morning both blinked and opened their eyes to the sunlight streaming in the window.
“Well it’s high time I quit lazing about,” Snape grumbled as he moved to rise from the bed. “I have some potions to make for some clients as well as potions research to do.”
More than a hundred and fifty years ago, Snape had quit his teaching job at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and gone into potions research, which he could do from home.
Remus on the other hand loved teaching and was still doing it even to this day. He of course still taught Defense Against The Dark Arts and had been for well over two hundred and forty years. Luckily in the wizarding world although, it was considered unusual to be practically immortal, even if that immortality was limited to not aging, it did not carry with it the same stigmatize of being a werewolf. This might have had to do with the fact that immortality could not be passed on through anything other than the spell itself. The only problem being of course that both he and his mate had to watch as one by one the people they cared for died—usually of old age—but sometimes in magical accidents. A lot of the time Lupin’s and Snape’s former students left behind descendants, but sometimes they didn’t and that was one of the hardest lessons to learn about being immortal—watching the people you care for grow up get jobs, eventually get married, have children then die while their children lived on.
Remus sighed, kissed his lover good morning and got up to start the day, by cooking breakfast.
Both men had learned how to cook over the years. They’d had to because eating out all the time could get rather expensive. Going to a restaurant every once and a while for special occasions was okay, but to eat out every day for just a year would be throwing hundreds of Galleons down the drain. Over the years both had amassed quite a fortune both through wise investments and hard work.
They now no longer needed to work if they didn’t want to, but they truth was life would be boring without something to keep them occupied.
“What do you want to do for our anniversary?” Snape asked as he came into the kitchen fully dressed in a black robe. Of course black was the only color he ever wore and Remus despite all his persuasiveness couldn’t get Snape to wear anything else, not even other dark colors. Remus had finally given up as his persuasive skills met the solid brick wall of the Snape stubbornness. Remus had finally managed to convince Snape into Muggle clothes for their forays into the Muggle world though, just so long as they were black.
“I’m not sure as of yet,” Remus admitted. “But to tell the truth I wouldn’t mind visiting Babylon 5.”
“The space station over Epsilon?” asked Snape.
Remus looked at him in mild shock. That Snape actually knew what Babylon 5 was, was rather astonishing.
“Oh come on Lupin, I do keep track of the Muggle news. In this day and age you really don’t have a choice.”
“That’s true things have changed a great deal from even a hundred years ago.”
“Our kind has had to take certain measures to prevent from dying out completely,” Snape agreed.
“Including becoming more integrated with Muggles.”
“Yes,” Snape agreed, “And dressing like them to.” This was not said with the condescension that would have been in his voice a hundred years ago, but this a kind of grudging respect. “So you want to visit Babylon 5,” said Snape. “I suppose it’s possible, but you do realize we’ll need identicards, as well as histories in the Muggle world.”
“I know,” said Remus. “But I think, I might have a solution.”
“What kind of solution?” Snape asked, just a little suspiciously.
“You remember that young lady I saved from being shot by assassins about twenty years ago?”
Snape thought for a moment then said, “You mean when we were visiting the Russia Consortium. Black hair, tall and slender? I remember seeing her on the news after the assassins tried to kill her. Her father was giving a press conference and she was sitting on the stage off to his left side.”
“That’s the one.”
“Yes, I vaguely remember her and I also remember you nearly getting yourself shot in the process,” said Snape sarcastically.
“But I didn’t,” Remus pointed out mildly.
Snape looked up from eating the pancakes Remus had prepared and asked, “So what about her?”
“Well you said you keep up with the Muggle news, so you should know that, that young lady is now vice president of the government.”
“You think she’ll be able to get us identicards?”
“It’s a possibility. It mainly depends if she remembers that I saved her life. It was twenty years ago after all.”
Snape snorted in disbelief, “It also depends on whether or not she will honor it if she does remember.”
“All we can do is try,” Lupin told him calmly.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few days later Remus managed to get through to Susanna Luchenko despite a number of aides that stood in his way.
“Well I will say this for you Mr. Lupin, you are very persistent,” said the very beautiful dark haired lady looking at Lupin’s face over the vid comm screen. Finally after several seconds of staring at Lupin’s face she gave a gasp and Remus could practically see recognition flash in her dark eyes.
Remus remembered the day he had saved the life of a young lady who could have been no more than twenty...He and Severus had been in Russia so Severus could get certain ingredients that were difficult or expensive to get in London.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“I’m going for a walk,” Remus informed Snape several days after they had arrived in Russia.
Severus raised an eyebrow. “Why? Unless of course you are bored. I told you, you didn’t have to come you know,” Snape said huffily.
“No, no it’s not that, I’m just feeling claustrophobic being cooped up in the room all day. Besides I came so I could see at least some of Russia before we head home.”
“We’ve been here before,” Snape pointed out.
“Yes, but that was over a hundred years ago and the city has changed a good deal since then. So I’d like to get out and see the sights. I was just hoping you could come with me, but since you’re busy...”
Snape nodded and looked guilty for a moment. It was true he had been awfully busy lately although Remus was not usually one to complain, but occasionally it did happen.
“I know I’ve been busy lately...” It was as close to an apology as Snape was capable of giving.
“It’s okay,” said Remus, forgiving him as he always did. “You have a life as I do and I understand when you get involved in a project.”
Snape nodded although he still looked slightly guilty. “Why don’t you take your walk and when you return maybe we can go out and have a nice dinner.”
“Sounds good, I shouldn’t be gone more than a couple of hours.” Remus agreed giving his mate a good-bye kiss before grabbing his coat and disappearing out the door.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

An hour later Remus was just heading back the way he had come when he heard the sound of a PPG firing from somewhere in front of him.
Without thinking about it Remus ran towards the sound and got there just as another shot was fired. He came upon a scene as soon as he turned a corner. A young woman of no more than twenty-five was kneeling behind the only available cover within several feet, trying not to get shot.
Suddenly the dark haired lady saw Remus and shot him a pleading a look.
Remus hurried to her side, diving the last couple of feet just managing to get to her side when another shot rang out.
“Whoo that was close,” Remus said breathing hard for several moments. He was afraid he had let himself get a little out of shape. It had been some time since he had, had to dodge enemy spells—not since the defeat of Voldemort come to think of it and PPG caps were the same principle as spells. After all both could kill you.
“My name is Remus Lupin by the way, it’s a pleasure to meet you, despite the circumstances.”
“Susanna Luchenko, Mr. Lupin. I’m sorry to get you into this situation.”
“It’s alright. I’m the kind of man who enjoys rescuing damsels in distress.”
Susanna stared at the man crouching beside her and wondered if she had just been insulted. She studied his face for a moment but she could find no malice in it only gentleness and kindness as evidenced by the lines around his eyes and mouth.
So he had meant what he said about rescuing damsels. As for his name it was just as odd as the man himself. In this day and age Remus was a very unusual name.
“The question is how do we get out of this situation?” Remus asked finally.
“I don’t know,” said Susanna, just as another shot rang out.
“Why are they trying to kill you?” Remus asked.
“My father’s a very...influential man. He’s a senator he probably helped pass a law that somebody didn’t agree with.”
“So they’re coming after you to get revenge?” Remus guessed.
“Probably, killing me will hurt my father a great deal. I’m all he has left since my mother died. If I were killed...”
“I see,” said Remus thoughtfully as another shot whizzed over their heads.
Suddenly Remus dove without warning from behind the protection muttering a quick spell under his break as he did so. This particular spell was very useful for it made ones clothes resistant to things like bullets almost like one of the old bulletproof vests and as long as he remembered to take it off later no one ever had to be the wiser for using magic in the Muggle world was a big no-no unless it was an emergency, which this was.
Well Remus considered his life in danger an emergency. Of course he had also put himself in this situation by following the sound of the shots.
“Mr. Lupin,” Susanna exclaimed. “What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Remus called back as he dove into the nearest alleyway and out of sight.
Susanna watched as he disappeared and muttered, “I hope he knows what’s he’s doing.”

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Half an hour later

Susanna was beginning to be concerned that Mr. Lupin who had been so nice to her and had tried to help her had gotten himself killed. There wasn’t many like him around anymore. It was almost as if he had been born in a different century, one where common curtsey was more common than it was today.
He had had a certain kindness, but she had also sensed an inner strength as well that belied that gentle exterior that he projected to the rest of the world.
She just hoped he hadn’t gotten himself killed.
“Here are your would-be assassins,” said a voice suddenly breaking Susanna out of her thoughts.
“You’re back,” Susanna exclaimed relieved. “I thought you might have been killed.”
Remus’s crinkled in that boyish grin that made his whole face seem to light up from within and that Susanna was already coming to be quite fond of in the short time she had known him. “No I’m fine. I managed to sneak up on them and knock them out. I did find out however, that they work for a businessman by the name of Borsky.”
“Borsky?” questioned Susanna.
“You recognize the name?” asked Remus pulling his long sweat covered hair back out of his face.
“Yes, he is a very rich man who has fought against my father’s policies for years. He probably thought if he could get rid of me, my father would not be so vocal in the senate.”
Remus glanced at the sun and winced. “I’m afraid I’m late getting back. I promised my partner I’d be back over an hour ago.”
“Surely he won’t be upset once he finds out you saved my life?” Susanna questioned.
Remus winced again as he thought about the tirade Severus would be sure to give him when he found out what had caused him to be late in the first place. Not that he could have left Susanna in trouble... Oh well he would just have to take Severus yelling and screaming.
“I’m afraid he has quite a temper,” said Remus.
“Well, thank you anyway. If you ever need a favor just contact me. I owe you.”
Remus nodded and with a final handshake was gone.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Remus got back to the room a few minutes later to find his mate pacing and looking worried. “Where have you been? You should have been back an hour ago. Do you know how worried I’ve been...?”
It went without saying that if anything happened to Remus then Snape would not live for long. The death of one ultimately meant the death of the other as well.
“I know and I’m sorry. It was unintentional,” Remus interrupted gently giving his mate a kiss. “I’m afraid I ran into a little trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Severus asked in sudden concern as his black eyes searched Remus over for any injuries. When he didn’t find any he held back a relieved sigh through sheer force of will.
“I would never make you worry intentionally,” Remus told him quietly putting his hand on Severus’s arm and squeezing gently.
“I know,” said Severus sounding calmer now that his anger and worry had been spent. “Tell me what happened.”
Remus nodded and explained about the assassins.
“You could have been killed,” said Severus not able to resist the urge to take Remus into his arms to reassure himself that he was okay.
“I know, but I just couldn’t leave Miss Luchenko in trouble. She probably would have been killed if I hadn’t stopped to help.”
Snape sighed in acceptance for he knew it was part of his mate’s nature to help those in trouble and the ironic thing was that if Remus had been selfish and hateful instead of gentle and kind the he never would have fallen in love with him in the first place.
“At least you’re okay. That is all that matters,” Severus said giving his lover a gentle but passionate kiss.
“Still interested in going to dinner?” Remus asked. “I for one am starved.”
“It’s no wonder, dodging bullets can do that to you,” Severus told Remus dryly. “But yes, if you still want to go out to dinner then we can.”
“Okay, just let me get a shower and change clothes then we can go,” said Remus heading towards the bedroom.
As soon as the bedroom door had closed Snape sagged in relief and sat down on the couch before he fell down. His relief was so great that he felt as weak as a newborn. If anything had happened to Remus—
But it hadn’t, Snape reminded himself, nipping that particular thought in the bud before it could grow.
Snape worked out his emotion while Remus was in the shower and by the time he lover returned to the living area dressed and ready to go Snape was ready as well and pretended like nothing at all had happened.
A few minutes later they left their suite hand-in-hand.
The memory faded and the present took its place as Remus observed the present Susanna Luchenko.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“You...you...you’re the one that saved my life twenty years ago.”
“Yes, madam vice president,” answered Remus, politely.
“But you haven’t aged a day in twenty years.” The astonishment in her voice made Remus smile inwardly.
“If you wouldn’t mind madam vice president, my mate and I need a favor. Could we meet face-to-face?”
Susanna paused as she absorbed the words ‘my mate.’ It was a very odd turn of phrase. If he was married he would have said my wife and I. Saying my mate implied that Lupin was gay.
Well she would soon find out she supposed. “When and where?” Susanna said before completely thinking it through and the possible consequences. This man could mean her harm, although if she was any judge of character this Remus Lupin meant her none.
Remus suggested a time and place and Susanna said, “I‘ll be there.”
“Thank you madam vice president,” said Remus with one of his heart-stopping grins that made Susanna’s heart skip a beat.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Two days later

Remus and Severus arrived in Russia in an alley beside a restaurant that had a small room for private meetings.
They were a few minutes early but to their astonishment they found Susanna Luchenko already there and waiting for them.
While Susanna was observing the two men, Snape cast a spell with his wand which was up his sleeve, to make sure there were no recording devices in the room. When he was satisfied he relaxed and pocketed his wand discretely.
Meanwhile Susanna observed the two men as they were shown further into the room by a waiter. Both had long hair—unusual in this day and age to be sure but not unheard of—one black the other a brownish blond. The one with the brownish blond hair with streaks of gray was the same man who had saved her life twenty years ago. What she had said over the commline about the man not having aged was not precisely true. Although he looked mostly the same as he had twenty years ago there was still a few more lines around his eyes and mouth and a little bit more gray in his hair.
As for the other man his eyes were black and he had a rather beaky nose as well as a yellowish cast to his skin. Not strictly handsome, but he would be quite attractive if he would only smile a little more, Susanna decided.
“Thank you Winston, if you would bring us some refreshments and then make sure we are not disturbed.”
“Yes, madam vice president,” said the waiter respectfully.
“Mr. Lupin? Mr.—?”
“Snape,” Snape supplied.
“Mr. Snape, if you would please take seats,” Susanna requested without missing a beat.
Snape mentally gave her points for not losing her cool aplomb.
“So what can I do for you gentlemen that we couldn’t talk about over the link?”
“You see we would like to go to Babylon 5 for out anniversary, but there is one problem,” Lupin began.
“And what would that be?” Susanna asked wondering if they were going to request something that was going to be impossible to agree to.
“You see madam vice president, we don’t have any identicards and we have no means to get them.”
“No identicards? How can that be? Everybody has an identicard of some kind.”
The two men looked at each other and a whole conversation seemed to pass between them silently.
After several seconds they seemed to reach a decision because they turned back to face Susanna.
“We have something to tell you but first you must swear not to reveal what we are about to say to anyone—ever,” said Lupin.
“If we do not get your solemn word that you will keep what we tell you confidential then we will end our meeting now and part ways,” added Snape.
“This must be some secret,” Susanna said thoughtfully.
“You must understand that it is not just us you would endanger, but all of our people.”
“What do you mean ‘all of your people?’ You look human to me.”
“We are, in every sense of the word, but if you tried to find birth certificates for us or school records or a paper trail that identified us you would find absolutely nothing.”
“But that just means you weren’t born on Earth,” Susanna protested.
“But the thing is we were. Both of us were born in England, but if you looked up the names Snape or Lupin you’d find absolutely nothing, and yes, before you ask those are the names we were born with.”
“How can this be?” Susanna protested. “Every person born has a birth certificate, school records, work history—”
“We do, but you would find no record of it,” said Lupin.
Susanna seemed to consider then nodded sharply once. “All right, I give you my word as vice president and as a Luchenko that I will not reveal what you are about to tell me unless you have broken the law.”
Snape’s lips twitched at the last statement, but that was all the amusement he showed to Susanna’s last sentence.
Lupin on the other hand had to cover his mouth and pretend to cough to cover his amusement.
Finally Remus managed to control himself and said his voice still sounding slightly choked from trying to cover his laughter, “No, we have broken no laws.”
“Well then, what is this secret of yours?”
Remus and Snape looked at each other again then Snape tilted his head slightly to one side indicating the Lupin should begin.
Remus sighed and was quiet for a moment seeming in the process of gathering his thoughts. “Madam Luchenko I know this is going to sound insane but there are forces in the universe that most of the human race knows nothing about.”
“What kind of forces?” Susanna asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Certain humans are born with this ability within themselves—it is in their very blood—and it allows them to do incredible things.”
“Such as?”
“Oh make things float, heal broken bones in a matter of minutes instead of weeks, being able to take a potion that will heal almost any wound just so long as you are not at death’s door, make things or people invisible, being able to cure the common cold and many more things that are too numerous to mention. We call these effects magic and anybody not born with the power is unable to learn it.”
“Magic?” asked Susanna in astonishment. “But magic doesn’t—”
“Exist?” Snape suggested dryly. “It not only exists but there are wizards and witches living all over the world.”
“If this is true why does the world not know of you?”
“Because ma’am if you know anything about human history, you know what happens to minority groups once they are discovered. I’m afraid our kind goes to great lengths to conceal our existence.”
Susanna nodded in acknowledgement of the point. Minority groups did tend to be either totally wiped out or at least decimated before it was all over.
“Can you prove you can do what you say?”
“Certainly,” said Remus removing a thin stick made out of some kind of dark wood from and inside jacket pocket.
“This madam vice president is a magic wand. Mine is made out of cherry wood and it’s magical core is a single unicorn tail hair.”
“Unicorns?” asked Susanna in astonishment. “Unicorns are real?”
“Of course they are, as are dragons, phoenixes and a whole host of other magical creatures all of which are used at magical cores for our kinds wands,” Snape informed her haughtily
“Severus,” Remus warned his tone mild, but it had an instant effect on the other man.
To Susanna amazement Snape flushed guiltily and looked down at his feet in embarrassment mixed with a little anger.
Susanna marveled the Remus Lupin could use such a mild tone and gentle demeanor to such a devastating effect.
“Anyway you asked for proof, well as Severus just explained to you about some of the most common cores or magic wands I’ll tell you how they work. Wands are only used to make it easier to focus a wizard's or witch's power. They are not necessarily needed if you know how to do wandless magic.”
“Which many of our kind cannot do,” Snape added finally looking up from his feet.
“Wingardium Leviosa,” said Remus pointing at one of the other chairs in the room. The chair rose several feet off the ground then sat down gently at Remus’s command. Susanna watched in astonishment as the chair settled down and didn’t move again.
“That is called a levitation charm something a first year is taught,” Severus said in his best teacher’s voice. Remus smiled because it had been awhile since he had heard it.
“First years?” Susanna questioned.
“There is a school in Scotland called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It has been around for well over a thousand years.”
“But how do you keep people from discovering this school, even it its out in the middle of nowhere—”
Remus gave Severus a sharp look to prevent him from going back into haughty mode then gently explained, “There are concealment charms ma’am. The school looks like nothing more than a ruin with a sign that says do not enter – dangerous. It also has Muggle repelling charms all over it.”
“Muggle repelling charms?”
“The word Muggle just mean non-magic folk like yourself and as for repelling charms all they do is make Muggles feel as if they have important business elsewhere or that they forgot something important,” Remus explained.
“It’s probably where the legend of haunted places started,” Severus added.
Susanna considered for a moment then finally admitted, “I can see why you would want to keep this whole society a secret. If the general public found out there would be riots everywhere.”
“Exactly, and thousands, perhaps millions of people would die in the chaos that followed. Most of our kind does not want to see that happen, does not want to be responsible for mass murder.”
Susanna immediately noticed that Snape said most witches and wizards didn’t want to be responsible for murdering a million people and she was sure that meant some of wouldn’t object if all the people without magic died in a cataclysmic accident or if they were all murdered, but she supposed it was no different than the Americans wanting to wipe out the Indians hundreds of years ago or a hundred other such examples. Why just recently within the last decade it had been the Minbari and the humans trying to wipe each other out just because a simple misunderstanding on the humans part. It was the way of not only the human race but dozens, perhaps hundreds races all over the galaxy.
“So you’re telling me that you have no paper trails.”
“Not with the Muggle government,” said Lupin. “There is an English Ministry of Magic as well as other ministries of magic in all the countries of the world. In that way we are just like your governments. Of course each ministry has its own laws.”
“I see,” said Susanna seeming to be deep in thought. “May I ask you something?” she finally said looking up.
“Depends on what it is,” said Snape.
Remus gave Snape a look of warning but otherwise didn’t say anything about his comment.
“I wanted to ask you if you having magic that runs in your blood, if that was the reason you Mr. Lupin look so young. You look the as you did twenty years ago when you rescued me from those assassins—almost exactly the same, something I thought that was impossible.”
Lupin looked at his lover and Snape shrugged, as if to say he had known this was coming and to answer it as Lupin thought best.
Lupin sighed and ran a hand through his long brownish blond hair again, that Susanna was beginning to realize was a nervous gesture. “Wizards and witches live a long time it is true. Our old headmaster Albus Dumbledore was reputedly at least 200 when he died. He wasn’t headmaster of our school for all that time of course. He was transfiguration teacher for fifty years or so. Anyway our kind is naturally long lived, but Severus and I are unusual even among wizardkind.”
“In what way?” asked Susanna.
“Well ma’am would you believe we were born in the year 1960? We started at Hogwarts in 1971 and we became a couple in 1975, then we both graduated in 1977.”
“But...but that would make you 300 years old,” Susanna muttered in astonishment and disbelief as she tried to comprehend the fact that if Lupin was telling the truth—and she had no reason to doubt for he spoke in a matter of fact tone as if he was just discussing the weather—not as if he was talking about that fact that he was 300 years old.
“That’s right, 301, technically,” said Remus gently.
“But how can that be? Surely even wizards do not live so long.”
“Naturally no, even our kind do not normally live so long.”
“So why have you two lived as long as you have?”
“It all began back when both of us were still in school...”
Remus then went on to explain how Tom Riddle turned evil personified and started calling himself Voldemort and how one of his best friends from school James Potter and his new wife Lily became targets because of a prophecy that could mean their son Harry would be the only one who could stop him when he grew up. He went on to explain how Peter Pettigrew another old friend had betrayed the Potters and how at that time he had been convinced it was his other best friend Sirius Black that had told Voldemort where to find the Potters—who were in hiding—so they could kill them.
What seemed days later, but wasn’t more than an hour Remus got to the part where both he and Severus had jumped in front of the then 17 year old Harry Potter to prevent him from being killed by what both had been sure was a death curse.
Instead of Avada Kedavra it was a very ancient immortality spell. A spell so ancient that it had been thought to be lost during the centuries. Unfortunately the counter spell—if there ever had been one—was indeed lost.
“So in other words we are stuck living forever unless something very powerful kills us,” said Snape, when Remus had fallen silent.
“If you can be killed it’s not really immortality is it?” asked Susanna.
“Not full immortality no, but it is what we call limited immortality. What the means is we do not age, but we can be killed, although it is a lot harder.”
Susanna listened fascinated as Remus Lupin talked and Severus Snape added his own comments now and then. She instantly realized that these two must have seen a lot of history.
“So you see why if we want to go to Babylon 5 we need histories and identicards, because neither one of us has them.”
It is true they check ID’s the minutes you step onto the station.”
“Exactly,” said Remus. “So the question remains not can you help us, but will you.”
“I’ll need a couple of days to think about it,” said Susanna.
“Understandable, if we have convinced you we are who we say we are then we will leave you with our comm number and you can contact us when you have reached a decision.”
“Just remember you promised not a word to another living soul,” said Snape. “The existence of all of our kind depends on your discretion.”
“I know Mr. Snape and you may depend on my discretion.”
“I hope so Madam Luchenko, I hope so.”
And with those cynical words he and Lupin disappeared out the of the private room and were gone.
Luchenko sat back down with a soft plop after the two men had disappeared and stared off into space for a long time.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few days later a message came over a private channel that almost guaranteed privacy for the channel was almost impossible for anybody to listen in on.
“Lupin/Snape residence, Remus Lupin speaking.”
“Mr. Lupin could you and Mr. Snape meet me at the same place as before, say in about 3 hours?”
“Of course we’ll be there,” Remus promised.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Exactly three hours later Remus and Severus Apparated to the same alley they had used before and entered the restaurant. They were immediately recognized and escorted back to the same private room they had used before.
Before they had left their home Snape had insisted that they each have Portkeys in case of trouble.
Lupin as easygoing as he was could see his mate’s point and agreed without much arguing. He might have faith in human nature, but his mate’s request was a reasonable one and besides even he wasn’t easygoing enough to believe everyone in the world was honest and open minded and same people might very well do them harm if they had a chance. They entered the room all tense and ready for trouble, but much to their relief all they found was Susanna Luchenko waiting on them alone.
“Welcome, Gentlemen. I admit you gave me quite a lot to think about over the last several days. To accept magic is real is also having to accept the fact that some of the legends in Russia as well as other countries might have at least a grain of truth to them. It is also hard to accept that unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, and probably trolls and goblins are real as well.”
“They are actually,” said Lupin with a smile. “Goblins run the Wizarding bank, Gringotts. As for trolls well. . .” Lupin paused as if looking for something polite to say about the species.
“Give it up, Lupin,” replied Snape with a sneer. “Trolls are big and stupid. They also stink to high heaven and they take pride in that fact.”
Lupin grimaced, but nodded in agreement.
Susanna watched them and wondered how two such opposites could have gotten together much less stayed together for so long. But then she really studied them. Lupin with his wide innocent eyes and gentle smile had a stubborn personality underneath that gentle exterior. As for Severus Snape, he was Lupin’s exact opposite. If one could kill with just a look, then anybody this man considered an enemy or a threat to his mate would be dead before they had taken more than a single step. The one thing that came through loud and clear despite the frown and sour looks was his devotion to Lupin. He would indeed kill if he perceived Lupin to be in danger.
“So trolls and goblins are real then?” she asked.
“Yes,” answered Lupin.
“Now about those identicards you want. I can get them for you, but before I can you need to figure out a history for each of you. I will then have to implant that history and so long as no one goes too far back it should hold up under scrutiny.”
“How long will that take?” asked Snape.
“A few days. I need to proceed slowly so I don’t make any mistakes and there’s less chance of getting caught.”
Snape and Lupin looked at each other then Lupin said, “Thank you. We’ll discuss our histories and get back to you in a day or so.”
Susanna nodded. “I’ll be waiting.”

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A week later there was one final meeting between Snape, Lupin, and Susanna Luchenko.
“Here are your new identicards.” She handed over two cards the cards looked just like the I.D. cards of 200 years ago the only difference being that the picture was holographic and there was a computer chip embedded in the plastic that a machine read the information contained on it. Snape and Lupin looked the cards over silently.
“Neat pictures, almost reminds you of one in a Pensieve, doesn’t it?” Lupin observed.
“Yes, now that you mention it, it does,” agreed Severus, staring at his picture.
Susanna wondered what a Pensieve was, but figured it was just some kind of magical device. “It’s a hologram, which only means that the picture slightly three dimensional.”
“We know what they are, Madam Luchenko. We’ve just never seen them outside of signs and billboards. Big in other words. Our kind have had to learn to live side by side with technology. The ones who couldn’t or wouldn’t adjust have mostly perished. Idiots.” Snape added with a snort.
“Severus,” Remus warned. “Remember what a time you had to adjusting and learning about technology at first.”
“Yes, well, at least I adjusted.”
“With my help.”
Snape gave his lover a sour look then admitted through gritted teeth, “Yes, I adjusted with your help.”
“Anyway, thank you for your help. We really appreciate it,” said Lupin, turning to Susanna. “If there’s ever anything we can do for you. . .”
“I appreciate the offer. I’ll keep it in mind, but you did save my life all those years ago so I owed you.”
“Well, consider the debt paid,” said Lupin. ”I’ve been wanting to visit Babylon 5 and now I’m going to get my chance. You know, Severus, this opens up whole new avenues of exploration for us.”
“What do you mean, Remus?”
“Well, now that we have identicards, we can go and explore different planets.”
“True,” Snape admitted with a thoughtful look in his black eyes.
“Thank you again for your help.”
“My pleasure, gentlemen. I do have one request.”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Is there any way we can get together and you tell me more of your world?”
Snape and Lupin looked at each other for a long time, a whole conversation seeming to pass silently between them. “We’ve really told you too much already. If our government ever found out we had told a Muggle like yourself about our world. . .” Snape began.
“We would be in deep trouble,” Lupin finished.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Snape snorted. “They’d be so furious you would probably to able to hear them yell on the other side of the world and then they would chuck us in Azkaban and throw away the key.”
“Azkaban?”
“It’s a wizard prison,” said Lupin shuddering at the thought of ending up in such a place. “The worst kind of prison you can imagine. I had a good friend who spent twelve years there for a crime he hadn’t committed. I’m afraid our justice system is way behind compared to yours. Anyway some of the things Sirius told me still give me occasional nightmares even after over 200 years. Our government goes to great lengths to keep our presence secret from the rest of the world, Madam Vice President.
“But I know of its existence now,” Luchenko pointed out.
Lupin and Snape exchanged another look. Then Lupin turned back to Susanna while Snape sighed in resignation. “If we do that we will have to find some place other than this restaurant to talk in, some place private and if we do this, you will agree beforehand that you are to tell no one of our meetings,” said Lupin.
“And also we will have to block your memories away from everyone else but you. I shudder to think what would happen if an unscrupulous telepath were to find out about us. And also if we find out you have told even one person whether by accident or design, we will find you and Obliviate your memory of ever meeting us,” said Snape, using his deadliest voice.
Susanna shivered at Snape’s words and then asked, “Obliviate?”
“It’s like amnesia except done by magic. If done properly, you will never know you have forgotten anything. It takes a delicate touch however that some wizards and witches don’t have.”
“What happens if not done properly?”
“Well, you could lose your memory entirely and it would probably be gone forever. Our healers have been known to retrieve memories Obliviated by the spell, but that isn’t always possible,” Lupin told her gently.
Luchenko shuddered again at Lupin’s quiet explanation. There were things about the wizarding world she didn’t like one bit. On the other hand was Muggle history really any better? Since the beginning of time, humans had been violent. The dozens of wars throughout history proved that. The two men were only trying to protect themselves. She could understand that. All she had to do was look at the history of her own people to prove that humans no matter what countries they came from were prone to violence. Russians more so than some others. Why should wizards be any different? They were human after all.
“I won’t say anything to anyone else. That’s a promise,” Luchenko promised them.
Snape gave her a curt nod of approval. Then he and Lupin disappeared after arranging a time and a place to meet after they returned from their Babylon 5 vacation. Before they disappeared completely out of sight, Lupin turned back and gave her a friendly wink and a slight smile before both he and Snape disappeared completely.
Susanna shook her head as she stood out on the sidewalk staring in the direction they had vanished.
In shocked amazement, she suddenly realized her life had just been changed forever.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A week later

Snape and Lupin stepped off their transport and onto Babylon 5 for the first time. Both looked around them. Lupin with the obvious delight of a child with a new toy while Snape showed keen interest in everything around him but kept up his grumpy façade.
“Identicards, please,” said a bored looking guard in the uniform of Babylon 5 security.
Both Lupin and Snape passed over their identicards and tried not to show how nervous they were that the cards would show something they shouldn’t. There was no reason to be nervous for they had already used them once to set up a credit account at a Muggle bank. They still had their Gringotts’ vaults of course, but wizarding money wouldn’t do on a completely Muggle station like Babylon 5. The whole system of paper money had changed over the years. Earth now used credits. This usually caused problems for wizards, who didn’t have at least one Muggle parent. If a pureblood wanted to buy something from the Muggle world, it was usually pretty difficult especially with the way things had changed in the last 100 years.
The guard inserted their identicards into a card reader then passed them through. Both men relaxed and asked the next person they saw in a uniform—except this one was navy blue etched with silver—which way it was to Red 7. Babylon 5 had gone independent last year after President Clark had ordered martial law
“Here, let me escort you,” said a brown haired man with gray in his hair. “My name Michael Garibaldi by the way. I’m head of security on Babylon 5.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Garibaldi. My name is Remus Lupin and this is my partner Severus Snape.”
“Unusual names,” Garibaldi commented. “But it’s a pleasure to meet you.” All three shook hands before they continued walking. “So what is your business on Babylon 5? Business or pleasure?”
“Pleasure. Me and Severus needed a holiday.”
Snape snorted but didn’t otherwise respond.
“As for the names, well let’s just say that unusual names run in both our families. My mother for instance was a great lover of Latin and if you know your legends you’ll know the story of Romulus and Remus I was named after that legend and when you have a last name like Lupin. . .”
“Does Lupin mean something in particular?” asked Garibaldi.
“Actually, it does. It means wolf in Latin and considering Romulus and Remus were supposedly raised by wolves in the legend... Well I’m sure you can see the irony of the name.”
“Yes I can at that,” Garibaldi murmured. “Here we are Red 7,” he added a minute later.
“Thank you, we appreciate you taking time away from your duties to show us the way to our quarters,” said Remus.
“It was my pleasure, besides things are slow at the moment although things are unlikely to stay that way for long. If you need help finding your way around the station there is a map in almost every major corridor.”
“Thank you again for your help,” said Remus, shaking Garibaldi’s hand.
“I’ll see you around the station.”
“Yes, I’m sure you will,” said Remus inserting his keycard into the card reader beside the door. The door immediately slid open and Remus and Severus stepped inside the door sliding shut behind them.
Garibaldi stared at the door after it had closed for a moment and thought, Why did he think those two were going to be trouble?

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Well, that was certainly interesting,” Snape grumbled.
“Yes, it was,” Remus agreed, not in the least put off by his lover’s sour tone.
“Michael Garibaldi, I’ve heard of him,” Snape continued. “If it’s the same man, I’ve heard that he was an alcoholic and kept getting transferred from post to post until finally Jeffrey Sinclair straightened him out. I believe Babylon 5 was his last chance before they threw him out of EarthForce with a dishonorable discharge.”
“Yes, I’ve heard the same rumors you have, but let’s not worry about him for our anniversary is tomorrow and I don’t intend on spending it talking about Michael Garibaldi.”
“Oh?” asked Snape silkily a tone that made a shiver of anticipation go up Remus’s spine. “How do you intend on spending it?”
“Like this,” said Remus grabbing Severus’s arm and dragging him towards the bedroom.
“Let us hope the bed are reasonably comfortable,” said Snape as they entered the bedroom.
“We paid enough, so they should be,” said Remus. “But the only way we’ll know is to test it out.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” said Snape a shiver of desire going up his spine at the come hither look in his mate’s hazel eyes.
Even though Lupin wasn’t a werewolf anymore he still tended to act like one sometimes—especially in bed. Snape didn’t mind a bit since it often made the lovemaking all the more intense for it.
The two men threw themselves onto the bed practically tearing each other clothes off in a frenzy of lust.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Well the bed seems very comfortable to me,” Remus murmured sometime later
“It does, doesn’t it,” Snape agreed. “I have a feeling we’ll be spending a great deal of time in it.”
“Yes,” Remus agreed. “But we didn’t come just to stay in bed. We came to explore the station.”
“That’s true to, but that can be done a little bit later.”
“Yes, later,” Remus purred snuggling closer to lover in sleepy contentment.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Much later in the afternoon Remus and Severus emerged from their room and went to explore the station at little before dinnertime.
When dinnertime came around they ate at one of the many restaurants the station offered. The food they found was quite tasty, but neither had any illusions about it being real meat. It was almost ridiculously expensive to ship real meat all the way from Earth before it spoiled and included in that was anything that grew. Only prepackaged stuff got this far out in space without spoiling. Babylon 5 did have a hydroponics garden though for fresh fruit and vegetables only, nothing like coffee or tea plants was allowed.
Remus paid the bill with his new credit chip and the two men walked hand-in-hand through the Zocalo. The Zocalo which meant great marketplace was still teeming with beings from a dozen different worlds. There were Narns, Centauri, Minbari, Drazi and many others.
“Well, certainly is a busy place,” Remus observed. “Almost reminds you of London several hundred years ago doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Snape admitted sounding almost nostalgic, an unusual occurrence for him.
They were both silent unaware they were being observed from afar they were so observed in each other.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Were these the two Delenn had sent him to observe, Lennier wondered. Delenn’s sources on Earth thought there was something special about these two although what it could be Lennier wasn’t sure.
They looked perfectly ordinary to him. To be sure it was unusual to see two men as lovers, but that sort of thing happened even on Minbar, so that couldn’t be it.
What was so special about the two? It didn’t matter he would just continue to watch them as ordered. Obedience was all that mattered.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A little later Lennier followed at a safe distance as the two men headed towards their quarters. Lennier waited outside for a few minutes and when they did not emerge again he turned and headed to report to Delenn.
“Well?” Delenn inquired as soon as Lennier had entered her quarters.
“I discovered nothing unusual Delenn. They went to their quarters, exited about an hour later, ate dinner at one of the restaurants, explored the Zocalo then went back to their quarters. When they did not emerge again I came to you to make my report.”
Delenn sighed in disappointment but all she said was, “Well my source is almost positive there is something strange about them, so just keep watching them and try not to be spotted. These men might not be dangerous, but again they might and I don’t want to see you get hurt or worse.”
“Yes, Delenn,” Lennier answered bowing.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next day

Snape reserved a small private room with a candlelight dinner for two. The room and the dinner cost a small fortune that made Snape flinch at the amount—when translated into Galleons—it cost. But it was their anniversary and every minute he spent with Remus was precious to him. So precious that he held each memory of his mate close to his heart like a valuable jewel. Even after almost 300 years he still hadn’t figured out why Remus Lupin loved him, but all that mattered was that his did, despite the reasons why.
And he loved Remus Lupin more than he had thought he could ever love anyone and would gladly give his life to keep him safe. It was an unspoken promise between them that both of them would gladly give their lives to keep the other safe if it ever became necessary to do so. Luckily so far it hadn’t been necessary, although, there had been some extremely close calls over the years especially back while the Death Eaters and Voldemort had been around. They had had several close calls in those days. If the Dark Lord had ever discovered his and Remus’s relationship both of them would be dead.
By the time the Dark Lord had been defeated for good it was nearly twenty years later and he and Lupin were still together and closer than ever. On that day Snape had actually cried for the first time since he was a child.
He remembered collapsing onto the floor and Remus putting his arms around him. He remembered feeling a relief so profound that his legs just wouldn’t support him. Lupin had lowered them both to the floor of Snape’s quarters gently and holding him tightly as he wept unashamedly. They were tears of relief however and soon dried.
He still remembered that day and the day after quite clearly.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Harry!” Lupin yelled seeing Bellatrix Lestrange rise from where one of the older students had just downed her with only a partially successful Stupefy spell. Bellatrix aimed her wand in Harry’s direction and fired off a spell, that Remus didn’t hear despite his keener werewolf hearing. He felt sure however, that it was bound to be a death curse that Harry might have survived one as a baby but would probably not survive again.
Remus instantly dove in front of Harry only vaguely aware of his mate calling his name frantically with an edge of terror and hysterics in his voice. Afraid of losing me? Remus thought dimly.
Suddenly Severus was there beside him and just had time to give Remus a look filled with love and to whisper, “I love you Remus—forever—even unto death and beyond.”
The reddish light of Bellatrix’s spell then hit them dead on and both expected to instantly perish. When the glow faded both men looked at each other in astonishment, for neither had still expected to be alive.
“Professor Lupin? Professor Snape? Are you okay?” asked the voice of Harry Potter.
Potter, Snape’s lips curled into in familiar sneer as he recognized the voice. He was still dazed that he and Remus were still alive. Snape looked over quickly at his mate to make sure he was okay and though Remus still looked dazed at still breathing he seemed fine which made Snape breathe a huge sigh of profound relief.
Snape sagged most of the tension going out of his body for Remus Lupin was his life, his blood, his very soul. Their two lives were so intertwined that Snape didn’t think either could live without the other. If one of them died the other would likely die of grief or kill themselves so they didn’t have to live alone.
Snape came out of his thoughts rather abruptly and looked around the battlefield to find the teachers and some if the older students rounding up the last of the Death Eaters including a supposedly unconscious or perhaps dead Bellatrix Lestrange.
At the sight of the battle being mostly over Snape relaxed completely. Voldemort was dead and most of the Death Eaters were either dead or captured. The nightmare was finally over.
Snape turned to his mate to find him comforting the Potter boy who was crying against Lupin’s chest.
“We’ll take him professors,” said a quiet voice behind them.
“Thank you Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna,” said Remus warmly giving them a tired and somewhat distracted smile. “He’ll be okay, I think it’s mostly relief that the nightmare for all of us is finally over.”
“Yes,” said Ginny.
“I’m very proud of all of you and the way you handled yourself on the battlefield today. As far as I am concerned you are the real heroes for you took what I taught you to defend yourself and your friends. You showed bravery and courage and for that you should be very proud of yourselves.”
“Thank you professor that means a lot to us,” said Ron beaming at the compliment. Being surrounded by five and often mischievous older bothers it was not often he outshone them.
“Why don’t you take Harry to the Hospital Wing and let Madam Pomfrey check him over? The rest of you as well, just to make sure you don’t have any injuries.”
“Yes sir,” said Hermione seeing the sense of the suggestion.
The five turned away taking Harry with them. When Harry and his friends were gone and they were relatively alone Severus and Remus hugged each other and kissed tenderly glad to be alive.
When they finally broke apart they simply held each other tenderly for awhile before turning and walking back towards Hogwarts arms around each other.
“What was that spell Bellatrix cast,” Lupin mused quietly. “Obviously it wasn’t a Avada Kedavra curse since we aren’t dead.”
“I don’t know since I didn’t hear what Bellatrix shouted. I suppose we had better have Madam Pomfrey check us out too. Either the spell was a dud or it had a unforeseen effect.”
Remus nodded and agreed.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Several hours later in Albus Dumbledore’s office

Both Severus and Remus sat down and Albus offered both of them a lemon drop. Remus refused politely while Severus rolled his eyes in exasperation.
“You want the good news or the bad news first?” Albus asked them his eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles. His expression however was grave.
Both men looked at each other then back at Albus worriedly. It took a great deal to make the usually cheerful Albus Dumbledore appear worried.
“Bad news,” both said at the same time.
Albus nearly smiled at that but quickly sobered again.
“It is not as bad as you are probably thinking,” Albus assured them. “The fact of the matter is Madam Pomfrey has given me the results of the tests she ran on you and asked me to inform you of them since she felt I could explain it better then she could. The spell that Bellatrix Lestrange cast is a very ancient one and as far as I am aware there is no counter curse.”
“Would you get to the point, Albus?” Snape said sounding rather waspish.
“Severus,” Remus warned
“It’s okay Remus, I take no offence for Severus is who he is and if he wasn’t who he was, we would all be dead or slaves of Voldemort. Anyway back to the subject at hand. The spell that was used is a kind of immortality spell. As of the moment you were hit with it your body processes began slowing down and you will remain the age you are now—forever. However, you can still be killed, but it will be considerably harder.”
“You mean we cannot die of old age?” asked Snape.
“Yes, I had thought that spell was lost over the centuries. Where Bellatrix found a copy of it we’ll probably never know.”
“So you’re saying it’s a kind of limited immortality. Limited because we can still be killed.”
“Exactly,” Albus confirmed. “The good news is that both of you have jobs here for as long as you want them.”
“Great, teaching generation after generation of brats for the rest of eternity,” Snape muttered with a look of loathing. “Not my idea of the way to spend the next 1000 years.”
“Thank you Albus, we appreciate it. Even if Severus doesn’t know how to say it, we are grateful to you.”
“It’s nothing dear boy,” Albus assured him. “I also wanted to thank both of you for doing what you did by jumping in front of Harry. It was a very brave thing for you to do.”
Remus blushed at the compliment and even Snape blushed a little at the rare praise, even if it was for saving Potter’s worthless life. Besides if Remus had died and he hadn’t been there—well he didn’t want to even contemplate that possibility.
“I couldn’t allow Harry to be hurt,” Remus said quietly. “He is the son of someone who was one of my best friends and is like a nephew to me. I couldn’t allow him to be hurt or killed if I could prevent it.”
“Yes, he is lucky to have a friend like you,” said Albus. “While I care about all my students I don’t have time to give each one individualized attention. The good news is that Voldemort is truly dead. I have seen the body and his soul has perished along with his body.”
“Thank Merlin,” Severus muttered gratefully feeling almost giddy relief sweep over him at the news.
The terror that was Voldemort was at last dead and he was free to live openly with his lover. Up until now they had had to hide their relationship, for if the Dark Lord had discovered that he was mated to not only a half-blood werewolf but an ally of Dumbledore’s they would both have been dead—probably as painfully as possible—and Voldemort would have likely taken over the world.
“So what will you do now?” asked Albus.
“Me, I think I’ll continue to teach. I love it,” said Remus. “I’ll probably never get tired of it or at least not for a very long time.”
“I suppose I’ll continue to teach as well—for now at least.”
Albus nodded as if their decisions were no surprise to him, which they probably weren’t, Snape thought a little sourly, but without as much bitterness or rancor he would have normally felt.
“Personally I’m just glad all of us are alive to talk about it,” said Remus softly, his voice filled with emotion as he took Snape’s hand in his.
Snape squeezed his mate’s hand the only sign he showed that he had heard Remus’s statement and felt the same.
“I don’t know how either of us will deal with being for all practical purposes immortal. but I do know that we’ll face whatever comes, together,” said Remus.
“Together,” Severus agreed squeezing Remus’s hand again in a gesture of affection. “If that is all Albus I would really like to head to my quarters to clean up. Both of us need a shower actually,” he said looking down at his dirty and torn robe with distaste.
“And some sleep,” Remus added looking more tired than normal which was no wonder for all of them had just been through a major change in their lives with the death of the evilest wizard in a century and the capture of the Death Eaters, who would hopefully be going back Azkaban and staying there for good this time—including Lucius Malfoy. At least Snape hoped Lucius wouldn’t be able to wrangle out of getting a life sentence in Azkaban like he had during the first war. Unlikely, Snape decided with no little amount of malicious glee. If he was lucky he would never again have to deal with Lucius Malfoy or be called his lapdog ever again.
“Yes,” Albus agreed. “I’ll see you both tomorrow for the end of the year feast which will be extra special this year. The final defeat of Voldemort gives us a reason to celebrate.”
“Yes, I suppose so,” Snape admitted grudgingly.
“We have much to be thankful for,” Remus told his mate quietly squeezing his hand. “I for one am very grateful that both of us survived this war.”
“I’m proud of both of you,” Albus added in what was clearly a dismissal.
Both men rose from their chairs in front of the headmaster’s desk and headed towards the door of Albus’s office, disappearing out of it without a word.
Albus chuckled fondly as the two disappeared glad that there had been so few causalities during the battle, for there had been too many causalities in both this war and the first one. The Longbottoms, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Edgar Bones among others. In some cases whole families had been wiped out. At least Voldemort was finally dead and it was over. Albus Dumbledore sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes behind half moon spectacles. Finally it was over and the wizarding war was at last at peace.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Remus and Severus reached Snape’s quarters without meeting anyone a few minutes later. When they got to the door Snape removed the wards with a muttered word and a tap of his wand.
They entered and immediately collapsed on the couch, exhaustion stealing upon them silently. Both had been running on adrenaline for the last few hours. Remus laid his head upon his mate’s shoulder and would have been perfectly content to remain there for the rest of the night.
“Get up Lupin, before you fall asleep like that. We both need a shower and then at least 8 hours sleep—in bed.”
Remus groaned tiredly but obeyed for Severus was right it wasn’t a good idea to fall asleep on the couch sitting upright. They’d both be stiff and sore in the morning if they did. Both rose and headed for the shower.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Both woke from a dead sleep quite suddenly.
“What time is it?” Remus groaned coming back into full consciousness almost the instant he opened his eyes.
Severus glanced at the clock and blinked in surprise then said, “It’s almost dinnertime of the last day of school.”
Remus looked astonished then asked, “Are you telling me we slept over 18 hours?”
“Yes,” said Snape. “Is it really so surprising that we slept so long? After all we’ve been through? I don’t just mean the battle but both of us have been under tremendous strain for the last five years or so.”
“You’ve been under stress longer than that,” said Remus. “In fact ever since you took the Mark back in fifth year you’ve been under a great deal of stress. That kind of thing tends to add up after awhile. As for me I’ve been under stress worrying about your safety. Not so much when Voldemort was supposedly dead but before that and definitely since the end of fourth year when he was reconstructed.”
“Well there’s no more need to worry, Voldemort is really dead,” Severus told his lover and mate tenderly kissing his cheek and running one hand through Remus’s long brownish blond hair. “And I don’t think I could have gotten through these past twenty years without you beside me,” Severus admitted sheepishly.
Remus sighed at the intimacy of the gesture until Severus last soft spoken words registered. “I’ll always be here when you need me, but I believe that if I had never been born or if we had never met then you would still have gotten through this war alive for you are the strongest most stubborn person I know.”
“Thank you for that love,” said Severus quietly giving Remus a kiss on the lips.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few minutes later both rose reluctantly and began to get dressed. Suddenly as Snape was pulling on his usual black robes he glanced down at his right wrist where the Dark Mark that branded a Death Eater was supposed to be.
He stared at his wrist in shock, blinking then continuing to stare. The white skin where the Dark Mark had been branded since the end of his fifth year was completely unmarked. It was as if there had never been a tattoo there at all.
Snape stared at his arm again the collapsed onto his knees on the carpeted floor on their bedroom and for only fifth time in his entire life he wept unashamedly.
Remus fell to his knees beside his lover and gently held him as he wept onto Remus’s robes. During the whole process Remus murmured soothingly to Snape. The actual words didn’t seem to matter as much as the tone of his voice did. Finally what seemed like an eternity later but was no more than a few minutes Severus looked up his tears drying slowly and looking emotionally wrung out.
“You okay now?” asked Remus gently.
“Yes, thank you,” Severus said. He didn’t say what he was thanking Lupin for although Remus seemed to pick up on what wasn’t said aloud but hung in the air between them an almost tangible thing
“You’re welcome Severus, I’ll always be here when you need me,” Remus told him quietly.
The sincerity in Remus’s voice moved Severus to fresh tears which quickly dried for they were tears of happiness rather than sadness. Remus held him till Snape had composed himself, not saying a word.
“We’re missing dinner,” said Snape finally looking at the time.
“We’ll just eat here. A romantic dinner for two to celebrate the end of the school year and the end of the war.”
“Sounds good,” Snape agreed feeling emotionally wrung out. “I’d rather spend the evening alone with you then in the Great Hall with a bunch of noisy brats anyway.”
Remus smiled and left to contact the kitchens through the Floo to order dinner from the house-elves.
Both Remus and Severus were brought out of their memories as dinner arrived.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Remus and Severus spent a romantic evening have a candlelit dinner with a bottle of wine. The cosy romantic atmosphere made both men hard and wanting each other, not that that was hard to accomplish since it didn’t take much to make them want each other normally.
After dinner at the Fresh Air restaurant on Babylon 5 they immediately headed back to their quarters hand-in-hand content just to be in each other presence. No talking was needed for both knew the value of silence.
“So what do you want to do tomorrow?” asked Severus.
“Doesn’t matter as long as we are together.”
“I wouldn’t mind exploring some of what they call Down Below. I’ve heard some interesting rumors about a man who lives in one of the Gray Sectors.”
“What kind of rumors?” asked Remus.
“Oh you know, the normal kind about how there’s this man who can perform what seems like real magic.”
Remus snorted, “You’re not serious? A real wizard on a space station?”
“You never know,” said Snape with a shrug. “For all we know he came for vacation and lost all his money to gambling or thieves. I understand Down Below is overrun with them.”
“It’s possible I guess,” said Remus still sounding dubious. “I’ll come with you if that’s what you want to do. You’ll need someone to watch your back since Down Below is supposed to be dangerous.”
“Like I can’t handle a few thieving footpads,” Snape snorted contemptuously.
“I’m not saying you can’t,” Remus told him gently. “But what if there’s more than a few? You know those kind of men are cowards and never travel alone.”
“True enough,” Snape conceded. “I’ll be glad of your company.”
“Good,” said Remus with a growl in his voice. “Because you are my mate and I will not let you go somewhere so dangerous alone, especially somewhere where you don’t know what to expect.”
“I suppose that does make it more dangerous,” Severus admitted a little reluctantly although a shiver of desire went up his spine at the same time at the growl in Remus’s voice.
The growl meant that Remus was feeling protective and went back to the days he had been a werewolf. He still acted very wolfish on occasion, like now for instance.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next day Severus and Remus headed for Down Below. Down Below was a ghetto where people who didn’t have any money ended up. People often came to Babylon 5 in the hope of a better life and when those opportunities dried up they often didn’t have enough credits for a ticket back to Earth and so ended up stuck on Babylon 5.
As both men went deeper and deeper into the depths of the station they started encountering some of the people who had gotten stuck on the station for one reason or another. Some of the people approached them begging for credits and both men felt more than one pair of ghostly fingers brushing against them searching for their credit chips.
Severus and Remus of course had not been stupid enough to put their credit chips in an outside pocket and in fact only Remus had brought his just in case of an emergency and it was in an inside pocket of his jacket.
Finally they reached the section where this wizard supposedly had his home, cautiously. The man though had either seen them coming or had cameras and motion sensors lining his domain for a voice called out to them, “Stop right there. I have a PPG trained on you.”
Both men halted not really afraid of being shot for both had limited immortality and the caps might injure them but would not kill them.
“What do you want?”
“Just to talk,” Remus told the voice calmly.
“About what?” the voice asked suspiciously.
Remus looked at Severus a look passed between them.
“We’ve heard about strange goings-on and wanted to check out the rumors for ourselves.”
“And you came down here—into one of the most dangerous parts of the station—just for that?” the voice asked sounding incredulous and disbelieving.
Remus couldn’t blame him for their reason was flimsy in the extreme, especially to come to such a dangerous part of the station as Down Below.
“Yes, we came just for that reason,” said Snape also calmly. “Are you going to let us through so we can talk or not?”
“You don’t seem very afraid of being shot,” said the voice.
Snape shrugged, “We all have to die sometime.” He acted as though he didn’t care whether he died or not.
“And what about your friend? Don’t you care about him?”
Snape shrugged, “He insisted on coming,” he said pretending indifference to his lover’s fate.
Remus kept his silence knowing Severus was only bluffing and didn’t really mean it.
“Whatever happens to him,” Snape continued, “Is no one’s fault but his own.”
The voice laughed, not a joyful or happy sound but was instead harsh and grating. “You’re bluffing!”
“Why don’t you find out?” Severus suggested his voice not giving away his true feelings.
The voice didn’t respond for what seemed like forever but finally said, “I like your atrocity. Remind me never to play poker with you. Your poker face would put most people to shame. Do you have a name?”
“Severus Snape.”
There was a discernable pause before the voice asked, “And your friend’s?”
“I can speak for myself thank you,” said Remus sounding just slightly testy. “My name is Remus Lupin and are we going to stand here all day until someone comes and sees us standing here for apparently no reason and summons security or are you going to let us see you and have a descent conversation without holding us at gunpoint?”
The voice laughed again then said, “Come in but keep your hands where I can see them.”
Remus and Severus obeyed and walked forward their hands in the air and empty. “Stop right there and enter the door on your left. Once you enter and the door closes behind you, you are to stop and not move until I search you for weapons. Is this understood?”
“Yes,” both men answered, obeying.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

They entered the room and moved far enough away from it for the automatic door had shut behind them.
When the door had slid shut a man approached with his face covered by a mask and searched them thoroughly. All he came up with was one credit chip, two wands—although Remus or Severus didn’t know if the man knew what they were—and a couple bars of chocolate.
“You came to Down Below—one of the most dangerous parts of the station weaponless? Are you insane? You are either very lucky or very stupid,”
“Neither really,” said Snape. “We are well able to protect ourselves, even without PPG’s or other weapons.”
“Like with these?” the voice behind the mask asked producing their wands. “And yes, I know what they are. You see I was born on Earth and I went to Durmstrang.”
“I thought you might be,” said Snape with satisfaction in his voice. “You see Lupin, I was right.”
“So you were,” Remus said calmly. “But just because you were right this time doesn’t mean you always are or will be.”
“I am very rarely wrong, Lupin,” Snape told him haughtily.
“I’ll have to remind you of this conversation one day,” Remus told him.
“If you live that long,” said the man removing his mask interrupting their semi friendly argument. “Now I want to know why you really came.”
“Came to Babylon 5 or Down Below?” asked Severus.
“Both.”
“We came to Babylon 5 for our anniversary,” Remus explained. “As for coming to Down Below well...” Remus paused as if searching for a polite way to finish his sentence.
“I’d heard rumors and wanted to come see for myself,” Snape finished for his mate. “Remus couldn’t believe that there could be a real wizard living on a space station. After all performing magic or a Muggle station makes the electronics go haywire.”
“True,” the mystery man admitted. “I don’t use much magic now. Why don’t both of you take seats?”
“Oh so you’ve decided not to kill us then? How enlightened of you,” said Snape at his sarcastic best.
“That is yet to be decided,” said the man. “By the way my name is Gerald Granger.”
Remus blinked at the name and opened his mouth to speak then closed it again not speaking.
As for Snape, he just looked more sour than ever. Both of men recognized the name and wondered if this Gerald was a descendent of Hermione Granger’s who had been one of the most brilliant witches of her day. If this was so however, wouldn’t the last name be different?
“Now down to business,” said the newly named Gerald. “Before we begin just so you know, I know who you are. Stories have been passed down in my family for almost three hundred years. You are the Severus Snape and the Remus Lupin who fought in the final battle and saved the life of Harry Potter.” Gerald spoke in a matter of fact tone making it a statement of fact rather than a question.
Both Remus and Severus nodded in acknowledgement of Gerald’s statement as the other man continued, “You both got hit with a spell that was ancient even back then and it made you immortal.”
“Yes, that is essentially correct,” Snape acknowledged and Remus could almost see Severus mentally giving points for a brilliant deduction as if he was still teaching at Hogwarts
“You are quite famous in certain wizarding circles, especially the ones who have ancestors who fought in the final battle.”
“What in Merlin’s name is one of the descendants of Hermione Granger doing living on Babylon 5?” Remus asked. “Your ancestress was one of the brightest witches of her age and I can’t see her ancestor being satisfied with living on a space station and you’re not really living—more like just surviving.”
Gerald nodded in acknowledgement of the point and said, “Yes she made a great fortunate that still exists at Gringotts. I originally came to Babylon 5 to get away from Earth for a while. My brother and his wife died in a terrible accident several years ago and only the three sons survived. Two were at Hogwarts at the time. One was a sixth year the other a third. The youngest son was staying with a friend for he was not old enough to go to Hogwarts at the time. Since I was the only living relative that was of age I got custody of him and brought him with me when I decided to leave Earth.”
“So what’s preventing you from going home?” asked Snape.
Gerald shrugged, “I’m afraid I don’t have any credits to hire us passage. I...I’ve always had a bad gambling habit and I lost most of what I brought with me,” he admitted sheepishly. “So we’ve been stuck here ever since.”
“What about your older nephews? Surely they could help you out? Maybe by sending you enough credits to get back home?” Remus suggested gently.
“I’m afraid that I tried to contact them through a letter but I never got a response. I had it sent through the mail. The postal service has a little outlet where you can mail your letters home. I went to check every day for a year and got no response,” Gerald said with a shrug.
“How have you survived without money?” asked Remus.
“I take odd jobs and they give us enough credits to get by, but not enough for me to save any for passage home.”
“Uncle Gerald?” called a voice. “Are you here?”
“Yes Sean, I’m here. Come on in, we have company.”
At Gerald’s words a boy who looked not more than eight or nine entered the room.
“Sean, meet Mr. Remus Lupin and Mr. Severus Snape.”
Sean eyes widened as he recognized the names but he said nothing as his uncle continued. “Gentlemen this is my nephew, Sean, he’ll be eleven in less than two months.”
Sean’s head drooped down at the remainder that his birthday was coming up.
“I’m afraid he’s been a bit depressed for the last couple of months. He’s been told stories of Hogwarts by his father and older brothers and dreamed of going himself when he came of age but now that won’t be possible since we don’t have the money to get home.”
Remus and Severus looked at each other for a moment and seemed to reach a decision although Snape somewhat grudgingly judging by the expression on his face.
“We can loan you enough moment to get you back to Earth,” Remus offered.
Sean perked up at that and looked at his uncle hopefully.
“We don’t take charity,” Gerald said huffily.
“It’s not charity it’s a loan. We do expect to be paid back when you get home,” Severus said his voice gentler than usual.
“Take it for your ancestress sake,” Remus urged. “Hermione and I were friends and I know for a fact that she would want one of her descendants to go to Hogwarts.”
“Alright,” Gerald conceded grudgingly. “Just so long as it is understood that it is just a loan.”
“Of course,” Remus agreed pleasantly.
Sean perked up at this and in seconds he was beaming from ear to ear. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he gushed.
“I was a very fond of Hermione. I even taught her Defense Against the Dark Arts from her third year to her seventh. She was an extremely bright and determined young woman and was always studying. Besides that however, she was a loyal friend and helped Harry out on many occasions by using her brains.”
“I’ll even concede that she was a talented potions student, even if she was a know-it-all Gryffindor,” Snape added.
“Thank you for telling us about her. Stories have been passed down of course, but that kind of thing tends to get distorted over the years.”
“True enough,” Snape admitted.
“Can I ask you something?” Lupin asked, hesitantly.
“Of course,” Gerald said good-naturedly.
“If you are related to Hermione how come your last name is Granger. Wouldn’t she have changed her last name when she married? Actually I remember going to the wedding of her and Ron Weasley.”
Snape had been wondering the same thing actually but had been too polite to ask an unusual occurrence for him.
“Well the story goes the Hermione made quite a name for herself under Granger and so even though she married Ron Weasley a few years later she didn’t want to change her last name. As for her children, well, the story goes that it was decided between Hermione and Ron that in order to prevent the Granger name from dying out completely that they agreed to let a few of the younger children change it when they came of age so that the name Hermione had made famous would not die out. I am the so many times great grandson of the youngest son.”
“Ah,” said Lupin in understanding. “I’m afraid I haven’t kept track of the Weasley/Granger family like I should have.”
“Family lines tend to get complicated the more time that passes,” said Gerald. “Especially if there is more than one child in any generation.”
“True enough,” Snape conceded.
“I have cousins—tons of them back on Earth,” Sean said speaking for the first time in awhile. “They probably think I’m dead,” he added miserably.
“Would you like us to see if we can get a message to them?” Remus offered.
“You would do that?” asked Sean eagerly.
“All I can promise is to try. If you’ll give me their names and addresses I’ll see what I can do,” Remus promised.
“Do any of your relatives have communications equipment?” asked Snape suddenly.
Gerald shook his head. “All of our relatives are magical and you know what magic does to electronics.”
“Yes, but even Remus and I have communications equipment. Haven’t you heard about the spell that was created about 150 years ago that allows electronics to work in a magical enrich environment? It was created by a Muggle-born incidentally.”
“No, I don’t believe I’m familiar with that spell,” said Gerald looking surprised.
“It’s not very well known,” Snape admitted. “Not even among Muggle-borns. I’m sure you’re aware of what most magical folks think of technology, especially the purebloods.”
“Yes, I’m aware that most purebloods think technology is the devil’s own invention,” Gerald said dryly.
“That’s a rather unique way to put it,” Severus observed also dryly. “But I agree.”
“Anyway, Severus and I won’t be leaving Babylon 5 for another week or so, can the two of you be ready to leave when we are?”
“We can be ready to go whenever you are. We didn’t bring much with us when we came since we were only planning on staying for a few days.”
“Then we’ll be back tomorrow to tell you if we were successful in contacting your family,” said Remus rising to his feet, Snape doing the same.
“We’ll be back,” Severus promised again as both men turned to leave.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few hours later

The door chimed to Snape’s and Lupin’s quarters.
“Come in,” said Remus escorting a dark-haired man with a beard into their room.
“Well, Marcus Cole, it was certainly a surprise to learn you were on Babylon 5,” said Snape with a slight upwards turning of his lips. It was not much of a smile by normal standards true, but to see Snape smiling at anyone other than Lupin was a rare occurrence.
“What’s more of a surprise if you ask me is to find you two on Babylon 5,” Marcus retorted with a smile of his own. “It’s good to see you both. So how long has it been since you saved my life?”
“Almost two years,” said Remus. “And you said at the time that you owed us for it.”
“Yes, yes I did,” Marcus said. “And I am a man of my word.”
“Good, because we need a favor,” said Snape as he and Lupin explained what they wanted.
Unlike most Muggles, Marcus had discovered the wizarding world and not had his memory immediately Obliviated. He had been on Earth on a mission and had discovered Lupin and Snape in a rather bad fix—if you could consider being surrounded by ten thugs—a fix.
Lupin and Snape had of course taken out most of the thugs using magic but both had been too distracted to see the two sneaking up behind them, both with deadly looking knives in their hands.
Suddenly Lupin and Snape had heard a yell and both spun around to see a multicolored blur take out both remaining thugs without a problem.
When the man had knocked both thugs out and stooped to tie them up one of the other masked men that had supposedly been unconscious rose and stealthily headed towards the dark haired man who was busy tying up one of the other attackers.
“Look out!” Remus exclaimed as he finally noticed the danger. Remus whipped out his wand and before he could think he cast a Stupefy spell at the masked mugger. The mugger crumpled where he stood onto the hard, unyielding pavement without a sound a surprised look on his face.
Marcus looked up from where he was tying up one of the attackers. “Thanks I owe you. You saved my life so now I owe you a debt. If you ever need anything just contact me and I’ll do it. By the way my name is Marcus Cole. I happened to see that you were in trouble and just thought I’d help out and then you ended up saving my life.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Remus Lupin and this is Severus Snape.”
“Yes thank you for your assistance,” Snape conceded grudgingly.
“If I may ask how did you take out these other fine examples of humanity.”
This last was said so sarcastically that it actually made Snape smile, a rare occurrence.
“Why don’t we go somewhere we can talk?” Remus suggested. “Somewhere private.”
The other two men had nodded and just that leaving the unconscious thugs behind them after phoning the authorities.
And that was how they had met Marcus Cole
“So you want me to find these people to get a message to them?” Marcus asked bringing Snape out of his thoughts.
“Yes and wait for their reply,” Snape added.
“I take it they don’t have a comm screen?” asked Marcus.
“No, the Grangers are like us, magical and came from a long line of Muggle-born witches.”
“We knew their ancestress 300 years ago. Hermione Granger was her name and she was one of the brightest witches of her age and also one of the best friend’s of Harry Potter. She fought in the final battle alongside Harry and their other best friend, Ron Weasley. Both of them watched Harry’s back during the final battle and saved the lives of several of their classmates and teachers, including mine,” Remus explained.
“Yes, I admit I owe Hermione Granger a great deal.” It went unsaid that if anything had happened to Remus, Snape would have made sure that he hadn’t survived the final battle either. “So the least we can do is help a couple of her descendents.”
“Alright, it’ll take me a few days at least,” said Marcus. “Maybe a week.”
“That’s fine,” said Remus. “We’ll expect you back in not more than a week with a response. And be careful,” he added. “Wizards can be dangerous if they think they’re in danger. Use extreme caution.”
“I will,” Marcus promised, then he was gone.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few days after Marcus had left on his mission Remus and Severus were walking around the station just enjoying looking at all the different species and being in each other’s company. Suddenly Remus who had been feeling rather lazy with contentment and happiness went stiff in the space of a second. The transformation was so sudden that it took at few moments to register in Snape’s brain that something was wrong for he had been feeling rather contented himself.
Remus meanwhile searched until he spotted what he had seen before out of the corner of his eye. There! A glint of metal just barely visible in one of the side corridors leading off the Zocalo. If he wasn’t mistaken it was the barrel of a PPG and it was aimed straight at the blond haired man in a dark blue uniform with silver patch and trim on the front. In fact it looked like Mr. Garibaldi’s uniform which meant this man was part of the command staff.
Suddenly Snape who had been looking for the danger as well once he had been made aware of it spotted it and headed off at a run in the same direction with Remus following a few seconds later.
Suddenly a shot rang out across the Zocalo and all the beings stopped talking for a moment as they looked around trying to see what was going on. Snape tackled the man to the ground just before the shot would have connected with his head and both went down with a loud thump.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Meanwhile Remus seeing his mate was okay headed after the shooter and just managed to tackle him to the hard floor of the corridor.
The shooter rose as soon as Remus shifted his weight off him tried to punch Remus in the face but Remus ducked and did a series of punches and kicks which the shooter avoided. The shooter then tried to dive for his gun which had flown out of his grasp the minute Remus had knock him down and shot all the way across the corridor.
Remus tackled the shooter again and this time the shooter managed to knock himself out by hitting his head on the metal floor.
“Nice tackle,” said a voice behind him that made Remus spin around ready to defend himself. He only relaxed when he saw it was the security chief Michael Garibaldi.
“You really shouldn’t sneak up on somebody,” said Remus.
“Sorry,” Michael apologized. “Anyway, I just wanted to thank you and your partner for saving the life of Captain Sheridan.”
“Oh is that who it was? I didn’t know. I just saw the glint reflecting off the barrel of a PPG.”
“It wasn’t only a PPG but a high powered rifle. At such range it would have blown a hole the size of my fist right through him.
Remus winced at Garibaldi’s description. “Well, I’m glad Severus and I were able to prevent that from occurring. From the rumors I’ve heard about him he may be the only one who can defeat the Shadows.”
Garibaldi nodded wondering where Remus Lupin knew about the Shadows for it wasn’t exactly common knowledge.
“Here let me escort you and Mr. Snape back to your quarters.”
“Thank you,” said Remus politely. “We appreciate it.”
Snape, who had come on the side corridor to make sure Remus was all right scowled, but said nothing.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Once back in their quarters Remus commented, “Well, I guess what the rumors say us true. Something is always happening on Babylon 5.”
Snape snorted—not a sound of humor in this case, but didn’t comment.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A week later

Marcus exited the ship onto Babylon 5. He of course had told Delenn that he was leaving the station for a few days and that he had to keep a promise to somebody. He had refused to tell Delenn who he was working for, simply saying they would prefer their identities not be known. Delenn had accepted that reluctantly, but realized Marcus had promised and if nothing else, he was a man of honor and would not break his word.
“Welcome back, Marcus,” said Delenn who was standing outside the area where they checked ID’s.
“Entil’Zha,” Marcus said with a little bow of respect. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“Come walk with me,” Delenn said.
Both worked side by side in silence for a few minutes. “How went your mission?”
“Fine,” Marcus said casually. “It wasn’t too difficult. Just delivering a message and waiting for a reply. And speaking of the assignment, I really need to deliver this message.”
“I suppose you still can’t tell me—”
“No, Entil’Zha,” Marcus interrupted. “I’m afraid I can’t. I promised to keep their identities confidential. What I can say is that they saved my life several years ago and I owed them a favor.”
Delenn sighed and nodded.
“If that is all, Entil’Zha, I really must deliver this message.”
“Very well, I will see you later, Marcus.”
“Someday when and if they give me permission to reveal their identities I will tell you but until then they must remain anonymous.”
Delenn nodded again and took her leave while Marcus headed in the opposite direction.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

No more than ten minutes later, Marcus approached Red 7 and rang the door chime. The door opened and Snape stood there looking grumpy and rumpled. “Oh, it’s you,” said Snape looking a little less grumpy after seeing who it was. “Come in,” Snape added as almost an afterthought.
Marcus assumed that they had been involved in, to put it politely, bedroom activities and that he had interrupted which he felt sorry for if that was the case.
“Marcus,” said Remus, coming out of the bedroom fully dressed. “Have any trouble finding them?”
“Not much. The information you gave me was accurate and I found one of the brothers on my first day after I reached Earth. He was very hostile at first, but when I explained that I brought a message from his uncle and younger brother. He was cautious but when I repeated his uncle’s message, he was overjoyed. I gathered both older brothers thought their uncle and younger brother were dead.”
“I figured as much,” said Remus quietly.
“I also gave them your message and when he heard who had discovered his uncle and brother, he was at first astonished and then very grateful.”
Snape smirked at this last statement.
“They wrote a letter for their uncle and brother and gave me a message to give to you, ” said Marcus.
Marcus handed them two pieces of parchment tied with different colored ribbon, one ribbon was blue and the other red. “The red ribbon one is yours and the blue one is for their uncle and brother.”
Remus smiled and took the red ribbon parchment from Marcus’ hand. “Thank you, Marcus. I think you can consider your debt to us paid.”
Marcus shook his head. “I don’t. This is a simple carry and deliver mission. It wasn’t even dangerous. So I still owe you.”
Lupin looked as if he was about to protest, but Snape stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. “You have to understand, Remus,” Snape explained softly. “To some of us, honor is everything. Marcus doesn’t feel as if his duty has been fulfilled so his honor is not satisfied. Why do you think I went out of my way all those years ago to protect Potter even though I hated him.”
“Because you owed James a debt?”
“Exactly! As if being in the debt of your worst enemy isn’t bad enough.”
Remus sighed and said, “Fine.”
Marcus wasn’t sure exactly what they were talking about but Snape seemed to understand at least why he didn’t feel as though his debt had been fulfilled. He gathered that what they were talking about had to do with their history. He didn’t know their whole history but as he understood it, they had a quite tangled one together and going back a lot farther than the age they looked. He would say that neither man looked over forty, but he knew or at least guessed that they were much older then they appeared.
“Thank you Marcus for your help in this,” said Remus. “Both of us appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome, oh by the way, Ambassador Delenn was curious about who I was delivering a message for.”
“You didn’t tell her anything did you?” Snape asked just a little suspiciously.
“No, I swore to you I wouldn’t say anything unless you gave me permission to. I always keep my word. Just a little warning though, Delenn has something very rare among Minbari—curiosity.”
“Curiosity can be a dangerous thing,” Snape said sharply.
“I know, combine curiosity with determination and contacts on Earth and you come up with a dangerous combination.”
Snape and Lupin winced at Marcus’s words. “Do you think you could get her to stop being curious?” asked Lupin.
“I doubt it, once Delenn gets her teeth into something she very rarely gives up on it.”
Snape groaned at that. “One of those,” he muttered disgruntedly. “Why is it everywhere we go, we encounter someone who is bound to uncover something better left buried?”
“What do you recommend?” Remus asked Marcus quietly.
“What I recommend, you aren’t going to like.”
Snape groaned again and said “Let me guess, you want us to tell her about ourselves.”
“Not everything,” said Marcus. “But I can assure you it is the only way to get her to stop.”
Snape sighed, looking defeated and looked at Remus who nodded. “Very well. Set up a meeting with her and the senior staff. Warn them beforehand that there are to be no cameras or recorders and that whatever passes in that room is to stay within it. They are to discuss it with no one else ever, for if we ever find out they have,” Snape paused. “Well, let’s just say the consequences will not be pleasant.”
“I wouldn’t worry. Sheridan, Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Franklin are all trustworthy.”
“I hope so,” said Snape sounding cynical.
“Don’t worry, love. It’ll work out. It always does,” said Lupin.
“You’re too optimistic for your own good,” Snape told Remus sourly.
“I’m just an optimistic kind of guy,” Remus laughed not the least bit offended by his mate’s tone.
“I’ll just go set up that meeting,” said Marcus speaking for the first time in several minutes. “Is any time good for you?”
“Just about,” said Severus. “Although we would like to leave for Earth sometime in the next couple of days. So see if you can arrange it before then.”
“I’ll try,” Marcus promised, turned and left out their front door, the door closing behind him.
“There goes a good man,” Remus said as soon as Marcus had left. “Someone who always tries to do the right thing no matter the consequences. Now I wonder who that reminds me of?” Remus teased Severus gently.
“I have no idea,” Snape said sourly not looking at Remus.
Remus just smiled and said nothing.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next day

Marcus showed up at their quarters and told them Sheridan, Delenn, and the others had agreed to the meeting and to the conditions they had set. “They are very curious, but they also want to thank you for saving Sheridan’s life the other day.”
“When is the meeting?”
“Now. I was sent to take you to the conference room.”
Remus and Severus rose from the couch and followed Marcus to the conference room.
“You’re welcome to stay, Marcus. If anybody has a right to hear this, you do,” Severus offered.
“Thanks, I will,” Marcus agreed feeling flattered that they trusted him enough to let him in on this meeting.
They entered the conference room to find everyone assembled. Marcus started to introduce the senior staff as soon as the conference room door had closed behind them. “This is Captain John Sheridan, Commander Susan Ivanova, Security Chief Michael Garibaldi, Dr. Stephen Franklin, Ambassador Delenn and her aide Lennier.”
Then Marcus turned to face Sheridan. “Captain, this is Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.”
“Yes, Michael informed me that he helped you locate your quarters when you arrived.”
“Yes, well before we go any further, all of you did agree to no video cameras or recorders. Whatever we discuss is not to be talked about to anybody outside this room. If you do not agree to this then this meeting ends now,” Snape informed them in his best Death Eater voice.
“Yes, we agreed to it,” Sheridan confirmed. “But only because Marcus assured us that you hadn’t done anything illegal.”
Snape snorted, his version of laughter. “No it’s nothing like that.”
“Tell me do any of you believe in magic?” asked Remus without preamble.
“Magic?” asked Sheridan surprised. “As in the kind the Techno Mages use?”
Snape snorted again and Remus looked amused. “No, what Techno Mages do is use technology to look like magic what we do is “real” magic.” Snape emphasized the word real.
“Real magic doesn’t exist,” Stephen protested.
“No, well how do you explain this,” said Snape whipping our his wand and muttering something under his breath. Stephen Franklin gasped as his limbs snapped together.
“Severus,” Remus said mildly in a chiding tone. Snape looked just a little guilty but glared defiantly at his lover. “That is what we call a full body bind. It binds the limbs so you are unable to move. It is ideal for immobilizing enemies. While the body bind is active all you can do is breath.”
“Can you release him?” asked Sheridan sounding amazingly calm.
“Of course,” said Remus calmly taking out his wand and saying, “Finite Incantatem.”
Stephen’s limbs snapped apart so that he was able to move and speak and again.
“You okay Stephen?” Susan asked him in concern.
Franklin checked himself for any damage then nodded. “I’m fine. I guess I’m convinced magic is real.”
“Now that, that is dealt with, let me explain to you a little wizarding history. The wizarding world has been around for almost 1500 years. Now at first our kind helped out the ordinary folk, but as civilization advanced the wizarding folk felt it better if we faded out of ordinary people’s lives for as civilization grew humans also got more greedy for money and power. The magical community of the time knew that if one of the powerful lords got ahold of one of them, it would be chaos and perhaps extinction for our kind.”
“So you’re saying that there is a whole race of people with magic living amongst the normal folk on Earth?” asked Susan.
“Yes, that’s what Remus is saying,” said Snape sarcastically.
Remus gave Snape a warning look then continued, “Anyway I’m going to skip forward to around 1971. In the late 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, there was an extremely evil wizard who was bent on taking over the world.” Remus went on to explain about Voldemort, the prophecy and Harry Potter.
“So you’re saying that this evil wizard Voldemort tried to take over the world?” asked Sheridan.
“How in the world do you conceal something like that. I would think that people would have noticed,” Garibaldi protested.
“They did. They just didn’t know what to make of a lot of mysterious deaths. Most of those deaths were done by the Avada Kedavra curse, which is also known as the killing curse. Avada Kedavra leaves no marks on the body and kills instantly,” said Lupin.
“One of the Dark Lord’s favorite ways to kill Muggles actually,” Snape put in. “And before you all ask, Muggle means non-magical folk like yourselves.”
“Anyway, Harry Potter defeated Voldemort and there have been no wars since his defeat more than 250 years ago.”
“I have a question,” Delenn said quietly.
“Ask your question although we won’t guarantee an answer,” said Severus.
“You speak as if you personally witnessed these events and yet you don’t look more than forty years of age,” Delenn said.
Remus and Severus looked at each other and a silent conversation seemed to pass between them. Finally, Remus said, “Would you believe both of us were born in 1960?”
All the people at the table spluttered in astonishment for a moment then finally Stephen exclaimed “Are you claiming to be over 300 years old?”
“Claiming, no. Are, yes,” said Snape matter-of-factly in an even voice.
“But if this is true,” said Sheridan. “How do you still look so young?”
“I doubt we look that young,” said Snape with a snarl.
“It has to do with the fact that we were hit with a very ancient immortality spell during that final battle against Voldemort. Once it struck it, we stopped aging,” Remus explained giving Severus a look.
“Yes, but we saved Potter’s worthless hide,” Snape said sourly.
“I couldn’t let that spell hit Harry, he was like a nephew to me. He was the son of one of the best friends I ever had, James Potter. When James was killed along with his wife Lily, well, let’s just say I was depressed for a long time. If not for Severus, I don’t know what I would have done. James, Sirius and I were practically like brothers at least up until James was killed and Sirius was sent to prison for supposedly killing them.”
“Yes, you said something about that in your story,” Susan said. “Something about this Sirius not even getting a trial.”
“Yes,” said Remus. “I’m afraid the wizarding world’s justice system is still far behind the Muggle one although there has been a lot of improvements in the last 300 years, but back then we were at war and certain laws were often bent if not outright broken by men like Cornelius Fudge and Barty Crouch. Sirius just got the bad end of the deal.”
“You also explained in your part of the story that you told us about a school for magical children?” said Garibaldi.
“Yes,” said Snape. “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
“Both of us have a lot of fond memories of Hogwarts. That is where I met Severus for the first time and where me, James, Sirius and Peter got into mischief together.”
“Hogwarts has always been a coed school. Ever since it opened its doors over 1,000 years ago,” Snape added.
“There are four houses named after the four founders of the school. Gryffindor named after Godric Gryffindor, Ravenclaw which was named after Rowena Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff named after Helga Hufflepuff, and Slytherin which was named after Salazar Slytherin. Each house has its strengths and weaknesses. Gryffindors are brave, loyal, but often rash and act without thinking. That was the house I was in,” Remus added. “Along with James, Sirius, Peter and Lily. Ravenclaws are the really intelligent ones, the ones who love to spend most of their free time reading and studying. Then Hufflepuffs are loyal and hardworking but often follow orders without thinking about the possible consequences of following a bad leader. Last but not least there are Slytherins who are devious, cunning and ambitious.”
“This is the house I was in,” said Severus. “And I’m sorry to say that this is the house that produces most of the dark wizards including Voldemort. Slytherins are known for wanting to learn things they shouldn’t like the Dark Arts which are not taught at Hogwarts.”
“Which is what made James and Sirius play so many pranks on the Slytherins in general and Severus in particular. I’m afraid most Gryffindors see things in black and white. In other words either good or bad with no shades of gray,” said Lupin.
“The general animosity between Gryffindors and Slytherins didn’t help,” added Severus.
All the people at the table listened to Severus and Remus with fascination who had ever imagined that magic was real. All of them could also understand why wizards and witches went to such great lengths to conceal their existence. Chaos would result if the general populace of Earth found out magic was real.
“Not all bad wizards came out of Slytherin,” Remus reminded Snape gently. “Just think of Peter who I considered a friend and who gave information to Voldemort. Peter let Voldemort kill James and Lily and then to make his crime even worse he framed Sirius and got him sent to Azkaban for something he had not done.”
“Um, I have a question,” Marcus said speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun.
“Ask your question, Marcus,” said Snape.
“If there was such animosity between Gryffindors and Slytherins in general and Remus’s friends towards you in particular, how did you two get together?”
“You know that’s a very good question,” Susan said. “I would think if there is such hatred between houses that you would have had nothing to do with each other.”
“Normally this would be true,” Remus admitted. “But although my three closest friends hated Severus with a passion, I could not. You see. . .” Remus paused and wondered if they would be able to accept werewolves were real. “. . .back before I entered Hogwarts, I thought I would never be able to go to school.”
Remus then went on to explain how he’d been bitten by a werewolf when he was just six years old and about how werewolves were treated in general by society. He explained how when Albus Dumbledore had been made headmaster, he had seen no reason that Remus couldn’t go to school so long as certain precautions were taken to protect the school’s population on the nights of the full moon. He talked about becoming friends with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew on the Hogwarts Express and how they had eventually worked out his secret, but had not abandoned him as he feared they would. He talked about how the animosity between James, Sirius, and Severus had been a mutual one from day one and how his two friends went out of their way to play nasty pranks on him.
Snape snorted at that, more a sound of derision than laughter but he made no comment.
Remus kept talking and told how they had been assigned to work on a class project together in potions.
“I’m afraid I’m lousy at Potions. It’s mixing ingredients together in specific amounts and taking certain actions like stirring a certain number of times at the right stage. It’s a very difficult thing, Potions, and it takes a certain talent which I do not have. Severus on the other hand is very good at Potions so the teacher assigned us to work together. I really had no choice if I didn’t want to flunk the class, but to tell you the truth I didn’t mind as much as I pretended to. My friends, who I assure you, would have been outraged if they had known how much I enjoyed those sessions. Finally when the project came to an end, we both admitted our feelings ran deeper than simple friendship. After that revelation, we agreed to keep our relationship secret until after we graduated.”
“And you know what happened after that,” Snape said.
“Yes, unfortunately Sirius found out about our relationship towards the middle of fifth year. He then sent Severus to the Shrieking Shack, which is where I went to transform back then there was no Wolfsbane potion which allowed me to keep my mind after I transformed. Sirius thought to break us up by showing Severus where I went every month. If it hadn’t been for James Potter finding out about it and managing to pull Severus out of there, I would have either bitten or killed him. Either way I would have either gone to Azkaban or been executed.”
“Black never did think about the consequences. He never once thought what would have happened if his plan had succeeded,” said Snape.
“You would have been imprisoned or killed for something that wasn’t your fault?” Franklin asked in astonishment.
“You have to understand that werewolves were barely tolerated in our society,” said Severus quietly. “Most people shunned them. Some people thought they should even be wiped out completely like they were vermin.”
“It doesn’t matter. Severus and an associate found a cure for my condition more than 200 years ago,” said Remus looking uncomfortably. “And Sirius learned his lesson—eventually.”
Severus snorted at Remus’s choice of wording but didn’t comment.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute then Remus said “After the incident at the Shrieking Shack, we did break up for about six months.”
“I was furious at not only Black, but Potter and Remus too. It took me those six months to admit that Remus would never have done such a thing. He doesn’t have a malicious bone in his body and would never have agreed to such a dangerous stunt. As for Potter well. . .” Snape said, looking uncomfortable.
“It’s one of the reasons you went out of your way to protect James Potter’s son Harry, because you felt you owed him a debt and since you couldn’t repay the father because he was dead you transferred that debt to the son,” Marcus said as if having just had an inspiration.
“You’re too damn perspective,” said Snape told Marcus sourly while Remus just looked amused.
“Anyway about a month before classes ended for the summer we got back together and have been together ever since,” said Remus.
“Much to Black’s annoyance,” Snape added with an evil smile. “And he didn’t dare try anything after last time. The only reason he wasn’t expelled was because of what would have happened to Remus if he had been. Our headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, ordered all parties involved to never say anything about it for if the story had been heard by the wrong people, Remus would have been, as was mentioned earlier, either executed or sent to Azkaban.”
“He was given detention though for the rest of the school year and the first six months of the sixth as well,” said Remus. “Not to mention I wouldn’t talk to him for almost six months and that made him more miserable than anything else.”
“I’m surprised you remained friends with him after that,” Garibaldi said.
Snape snorted. “Remus always was too forgiving for his own good.”
“I admit I wouldn’t have forgiven him if Severus had been killed or turned into a werewolf, but Sirius along with James and Peter were the only friends I had and I didn’t want to give even one of them up.”
Susan nodded. She could certainly understand that. She had never had many friends growing up in Russia either and when you didn’t have but a few, the few that you did have ended up being even more precious to you.
“That’s understandable,” Michael admitted.
“I have another question,” said Delenn quietly.
“Ask,” said Severus sounding less sour than usual.
“You made sure before this meeting began that there would be no video camera or recorder, why?”
“Yes, I believe we were all wondering the same thing,” said Michael.
“It has to do with the fact that the whole wizarding world is big on secrecy. The only people who are allowed to know about it are the magical folk and of course the close family of the Muggle-born students. Imagine what would happen if the wrong people found out? It’d be the Salem Witch Trials all over again.”
“If our government ever finds out we told you about our world, we’ll let’s just say that the consequences will be profoundly unfortunate,” added Snape.
“But how do you conceal yourselves from—I believe you call ordinary folk—Muggles.”
“It’s a full time job, but that what Obliviate and Obliviators are for. Obliviate is a spell that takes your memory of whatever you witnessed. If done properly you would never even realize that your memory had been altered,” said Snape
“And it’s not just magic we have to conceal but magical creatures.”
“Such as?” asked Stephen.
“Phoenixes, dragons, unicorns, vampires, centaurs, giants and many others,” Remus explained.
The whole table except for the two Minbari gasped at the two men and looked at them as if they had last their minds.
“Dragons?” asked Susan.
“Phoenixes?” Sheridan asked.
“Unicorns?” asked Stephen.
“Centaurs?” asked Michael
“Exist?” they all said in unison.
“Of course they exist,” said Severus irritability. “What do you think magic runs on? Batteries? Each wand has at its core a magical substance that makes it work.” At those words Snape whipped out his wand. “I’ve had mine since I was eleven years old and started at Hogwarts.”
“You’re telling me you’ve had your wand for 300 years?” asked Sheridan astonished as Snape allowed his wand to be passed around and examined by everybody. He kept his eyes on it however, the entire time never letting his wand out of his sight until he had it back.
“I’ve had mine that long,” said Remus speaking up also taking out his wand. “Ollivander wands are known for their quality and are meant to last the life of the wizard or witch. Only very rarely do they have to be replaced.”
“A lot of families pass wands down to their children. Remember Neville Longbottom?” Severus asked Remus. “He had his father’s wand and was always having accidents with it.”
“That’s because his grandmother wanted him to use a wand that was to powerful for him,” said Remus.
“I would think anybody could use other anybody’s wand,” said Michael.
“No,” said Remus shaking his head. “Ollivander always used to say that it wasn’t the wizard that chose the wand but the wand that chose the wizard. You will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand as you will with one that chose you. Neville, had a very mild personality and the dragon heartstring in the core of Frank’s wand was much too powerful for someone like him. His best subject was Herbology which went right along with his mild personality,” Remus explained.
“I admit he did acquit himself honorably against the Dark Lord in the final battle,” Snape admitted a little reluctantly. “He avenged his parents who were causalities of the first war.” Snape actually sounded nostalgic for a moment before the mask he always wore around everyone except Remus fell over his face again.
“I take it you miss those days,” Delenn commented quietly.
“We both miss the twentieth century, yes,” Snape admitted. “Muggle society has advanced quite a bit it is true, but it makes it harder and harder for our kind. Everywhere you go now you have to have a identicard that most of us can’t get because according to Muggle records we do not exist. For some of us that’s not a problem. Many of our kind just stick to the wizarding world and some of the Muggle-born can get identicards because they have records—or at least they do until they turn eleven and start going to Hogwarts.”
Snape shrugged, “We all do what we must to survive.”
“Our kind has had to adapt to many changes over the last few centuries,” said Remus. “Those that haven’t—well those family lines have pretty much died out.”
“By the way I wanted to ask you what you two were doing in Down Below?” asked Sheridan suddenly. “I’ve had reports that you’ve been going down there for a least a couple of hours every day for the past week or so.”
Remus looked at Snape and the other man just made a face at him.
“We discovered some descendants of Hermione Granger’s living in one of the Gray Sectors. I’m afraid they have gotten stuck here with no credits to get home.”
“Two wizards on Babylon 5?” asked Michael astonished.
Snape’s mouth quirked in a half smile at Garibaldi’s comment. “Remus said something similar actually. I had heard rumors about odd occurrences that surrounded him. I was curious and I had a suspicion that he might be one of us. I wanted to check it out and as it happens I turned out to be right.”
“You’ve been going to one of the most dangerous parts of the station just because you were curious?” asked Susan in surprise.
“I do believe we know how to protect ourselves,” Snape observed dryly. “You don’t survive 300 years without having some kind of survival skills.”
“All Severus has to do is glower at them and most people give up the idea of attacking us,” Remus observed cheerfully.
“I can believe that,” Stephen muttered under his breath. He considered Severus Snape one of the most intimidating men he had ever met, but underneath it all Stephen could sense he had a good heart.
Snape shot Remus a murderous look but Remus looked unrepentant and not particularly intimidated.
“Are we just about done here, captain?” asked Snape. “Both of us are tired and we’ve been sitting here for the last five or six hours.”
“I suppose so,” Sheridan said. “I guess we all need some sleep. I find what you’ve been telling us about the wizarding world fascinating.”
“Most people who find out about it do,” said Severus sounding snarky. “You’ve already been told more about it than most people ever learn and if the Ministry of Magic should ever discover what we have revealed to you we’ll be thrown in Azkaban so fast we won’t know which end up is up. A fate I’d rather avoid at all costs.”
“I agree,” Remus concurred. “Sirius told me a little about his time in prison and it still gives me occasional nightmares. The only reason he wasn’t driven insane like most of the other prisoners is because he knew he wasn’t guilty. In any case it is late and if any of you wish for further information feel free to stop by our quarters before we leave. We’ll be here at least another day or two before we head home.”
Remus and Snape then rose and headed towards their quarters everybody staring after them.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next day Remus and Severus returned from visiting the Grangers to find Sheridan waiting for them.
“Captain what can we do for you?” asked Remus.
“I just wanted to talk to you,” said Sheridan.
“Come in,” said Remus as he inserted his keycard into the door.
When the door slid open all three men entered.
“Can I get you some tea, Captain?” asked Remus.
“No, thank you,” answered Sheridan.
“So what did you want to talk about?” asked Severus.
“Just the fact that I knew about magic before you came to Babylon 5.”
Snape sputtered in astonishment and even Remus looked flabbergasted. “How?” Severus asked finally still sounding choked.
“My family comes from a long line of wizards and witches—not purebloods mind you but half-bloods. It’s only in the last few generations that none of my family has had magic.”
“Then that would make you a squib,” said Remus, being the first to recover from his surprise.
“Yes,” said Sheridan. “I will admit though that a lot of what you said the wizarding world is new to me. My father, might have been a squib but he never allowed me to forget our heritage.”
“Well that just means it isn’t illegal for you to know about the wizarding world,” Severus said thoughtfully. “But it is for the others.”
“Don’t worry, none of them will say anything,” Sheridan assured them. “I’d trust all of them with my life.”
Snape didn’t look all that reassured but didn’t comment.
“I was wondering something,” Sheridan began hesitantly. For a man who was usually very self-assured this must be something he wasn’t sure he had a right to ask about.
“What’s that?” asked Severus.
“I was wondering how you got together. I know you said it was because of a potions assignment but...” Sheridan hesitated again then continued, “...Your personalities seem so different...”
“This is true, captain,” said Remus. “But it isn’t just our personalities that brought us together. Haven’t you ever heard the expression that opposites attract?”
When Sheridan nodded Remus continued, “Even though we seem like complete opposites personality-wise we are not in other ways. I was a werewolf from the time I was six until a cure was found.”
“As for me I joined the Death Eaters because I thought at the time that Remus had betrayed me and because I was interested in the Dark Arts which are not taught at Hogwarts. I regretted joining afterwards, but by then it was too late. No one is allowed to leave the Death Eaters and live.”
“Both of us have an inner core of darkness and strength coming from the stuff we have dealt with and that is what brings us together, but it is also what keeps us together. Both of us get our strength from dealing with the prejudices of other people. Me because I was a werewolf, Severus because he was a Death Eater.”
“I see,” said Sheridan thoughtfully. “So you’re saying that your experiences is what’s kept you together.”
“That’s part of it certainly,” said Remus before asking suddenly, “Do you know that wolves mate for life?”
Sheridan nodded.
“Well so do werewolves. Once a werewolf chooses a mate it’s a lifetime commitment and even though I’m not a werewolf anymore I’ve never wanted anybody else.”
“As for me,” said Snape. “Who else could I find to put up with me?”
Remus knew that was just Severus’s way of saying I love you to.
“I see,” said Sheridan thoughtfully. “Well I guess that answers that question. Thank you for being so honest with me.”
“I don’t mind talking about it,” said Remus. “I don’t consider my relationship with Severus anything to be ashamed of.”
Snape blushed a deep red at Remus’s comment just as Remus added, “Did you know that we were actually mated.”
“Mated?” asked Sheridan. “Is that the same as getting married?”
“More or less yes, at least in the wizarding world it is. The only difference being that this was a magical ceremony.”
“Why don’t you tell me about it?” Sheridan suggested, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice.
“Why not? It’s not like we have anything better to do,” Snape snarled sarcastically in a grumpy tone.
“Well our relationship had grown even more...uhm... intense since we had gotten back together and whatever time we could get away from our housemates we took.”
“We had to be careful for if any of our housemates had discovered our relationship well let’s just say that neither of us would be here now.”
“That’s the understatement of the century,” Snape muttered. “Especially if Lucius Malfoy had discovered our relationship.” Snape’s words practically dripped disdain when he spoke of Lucius Malfoy.
“Anyway...” Remus continued seeming to become lost in the memory he was telling.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Severus!” Remus exclaimed giving his lover a long, slow, heart-melting kiss.
“They had just come back from Christmas vacation and Remus had missed Severus so much that it was almost a physical ache, for he had become his life, his blood, his very soul. They had only been together for a little bit less than two years but Remus was blissfully happy. It was just a few months into their seventh and final year when they would be free to do as they wished.
“I see you’re happy to see me,” Severus laughed when they had broken apart, breathless.
“Of course I am. I missed you for the two weeks we were separated.”
Severus searched Remus face looking for any signs of deception for it was still a little hard for him to accept that Remus actually loved him even though deep in his heart Severus knew he did.
“I missed you to,” Snape admitted finally a half-smile forming on his face as he studied Remus’s face intently as if trying to memorize every line.
For Severus to admit to missing him was practically a vow of undying love, Remus thought ecstatically.
They stood practically glued to each other for an undetermined length of time before finally pulling apart to sit on the edge of the bed.
They were in the Room of Requirement the only place they could think of that they wouldn’t be bothered at least for a while. The Room of Requirement was a magical room within Hogwarts. The only way to get it to appear was to walk past the only known entrance on the seventh floor three times and concentrate on what you wanted. The room was a magical one would be whatever you wanted it to be.
“Severus I’ve been thinking...” Remus began.
“Yes?” asked Severus wondering if Remus was about to break up with him. His own insecurities warred with his denial. Remus loved him, he tried to reassure himself. That kiss a few minutes ago hadn’t been a little peck on the lips but a full, devouring, I missed you kiss.
“I was wondering if you wanted to get married after we graduated.”
“Is that even possible?” Severus asked startled by the question.
“I’ve been looking up laws concerning members of the same gender marrying and according to what I’ve read it is perfectly legal.”
Snape raised an eyebrow at that. “You’ve been thinking about this for some time I see.”
“Yes, roughly since sometime around the end of last year.”
“Are you forgetting I am a Death Eater? Even though I have turned spy for Dumbledore after we got back together it is still very dangerous for us to be seen as a couple. If Voldemort or any of the other Death Eaters discovered this...well you know what would happen.”
“I know,” said Remus quietly. “But I am willing to take the risk if it means I can spend the rest of my life—however short or long that may be—with you. And besides the first time we ever made love bonded me to you. If you had not made the same commitment and had abandoned me I would have had to spend my life alone. As it is I already consider us married but I would like to make it official.”
Severus considered for a moment then gave Remus a kiss on the forehead and said, “If we do this it must be a private ceremony with the headmaster performing it if possible. No one is to know we are mated for if word got out and Voldemort was to hear about it...” Severus shuddered at what he knew the Dark Lord’s reaction would be if he ever discovered their relationship.
“I know, we’ll keep it a secret until that war is over. I won’t tell James, Sirius or Peter, nobody. It’ll be our little secret.”
“But what if the war isn’t won for years?” asked Severus almost plaintively.
“As long as I am with you and we are together I believe we can face anything—even death. You make me stronger—strong enough to face anything.”
Severus blushed at the implied compliment and said, “If we do what you suggest...and understand I am not against it. In fact if it wasn’t for Voldemort and his Death Eaters posing such a big threat to our kind I would shout it from the rooftops that you were mine.”
Remus smiled at the sincerity in Severus’s voice and gave him a long, hard kiss. When they broke apart both were quite breathless.
“Well since we can’t do that—shout it from the rooftops I mean—let me talk to Dumbledore. I’m sure he’ll agree to perform the ceremony and to keep it private.”
“Alright,” said Severus sounding excited. “I just hope you don’t realize somewhere down the road that you can’t put up with me. I’m not exactly the easiest person to get along with.”
“That will never happen. I will love you till my last breath,” declared Remus dramatically but sincerely.
“Good, because I feel the same way about you,” said Snape sounding relieved. “It would make me the happiest man in the world to spend the rest of my life with you. So talk to Dumbledore and then let me know what he says.”
“Of course. It might take me a few days, maybe a week. “I’ve got to find a way to get away from my friends. The last thing I need is them finding out about this.”
“Merlin forbid,” said Severus with genuine dismay.
“Thank you for agreeing to this,” said Remus softly.
“If not for the threat of Voldemort I would have agreed immediately.”
“I know,” said Remus quietly, giving Severus a soft kiss.
“I’ll expect to hear from you in a few days,” said Severus.
Last year Remus had located the spell to enchant hand mirrors. All you had to do was call the person who had the other mirror name and if that person had the mirror on him he would answer. This was the same kind of mirror James and Sirius used when they had separate detentions and wanted to talk.
“We’d better be getting back to our dorms,” Severus said reluctantly.
“Yes, it’s almost curfew and we have classes early tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, I’ve been gone longer then I should have anyway.”
“Me as well. If James and Sirius find out where I’ve been but especially with whom they’ll go ballistic—especially Sirius. He’s already tried to break us up once after all.”
Severus enjoyed that image for a moment of Sirius Black exploding in anger then kissed Remus one last time before they parted ways.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few days later

Remus managed to slip away from his friends by telling them that he was going to the library to study.
Sirius gave him a suspicious look but didn’t comment.
Did Sirius know about his renewed relationship with Severus or did he just suspect? Either way he would have to be careful for if Sirius found out in could be disastrous.
One he was away from his friends and he was sure he wasn’t being followed he headed for Dumbledore’s office. Once he go there he tried to guess the password which was always some kind of sweet whether magical or Muggle.
“Mars Bars, Sugar Quills, Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, Lemon Sherbet Balls, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Bean—”
Suddenly the gargoyle that was the guardian of the steps leading up to Dumbledore’s office slid aside showing to way up. Remus stared in surprise for a moment then shook himself and headed up the steps until he reached the door at the top where he knocked.
“After a minute or two the door swung open and Remus entered.
“You wanted to see me Mr. Lupin?” asked the headmaster his blue eyes twinkling behind half moon spectacles. Dumbledore was extremely old—even for a wizard. He had long white hair and beard and was tall and skinny but the one thing about him though that nobody made the mistake of doubting was the sense of power radiating off of him in waves.
“Yes sir,” said Remus who then went on to explain his reasons for wanting to see him,
“Ah, yes, I was away of your relationship with Mr. Snape. I couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Remus blushing a little at the compliment. He hadn’t been known that Dumbledore was aware of his and Severus’s relationship. On second thought however he shouldn’t be surprised. Almost nothing that went on in this school got past the headmaster. “It is quite a strain trying to hide our relationship from our housemates though.”
Dumbledore nodded sympathetically. “Yes, I can understand that. Are you sure you and Mr. Snape want to take this step? You will have to hide your relationship until Voldemort is defeated.”
“We know sir,” Remus informed the headmaster solemnly but respectfully. “We decided to go through with it though. What if we are killed during this war that is coming? We want to spend as much time as we can together and make our love an official one even if we can’t let anyone know about it.”
Dumbledore nodded in understanding. “Then I will perform the ceremony for you. You of course realize that it will have to wait until you graduate?”
“We know,” said Remus. “In the meantime we’ll just have to steal whatever moments alone we can.”
“I’ll see what I can do to help,” promised Dumbledore with that famous twinkle in his blue eyes.
Remus blushed again but didn’t say anything at first. “Thank you, sir,” he finally said quietly.
“You’re welcome Mr. Lupin. Now perhaps you had better get back to your dorm before your friends miss you.”
“Yes sir,” said Remus with a grin. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome Mr. Lupin. It is good to see you and Mr. Snape so happy in these troubled times.”
“Thank you again sir. I’ll inform Severus of our conversation.”
“You do that. You are dismissed then Mr. Lupin.”
“Yes, sir, thank you sir,” said Remus feeling happier and lighter in spirit the he had in days.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Later that night Remus called Severus’s name through the hand mirror that he held.
He was sitting in the common room in one of the armchair’s by the fire, alone for everybody else had gone to bed. He and Severus had set up a time last year to contact each other. When he had gotten back from visiting the headmaster he had found it hard to wait for all the others to go to bed so he could contact Severus but he had reined in his impatience so that he wouldn’t give himself away. If his friends—especially Sirius had suspected that he and Severus were still together there would have been an argument so loud that most of the school would have been aware of their relationship in no time.
“Remus,” said Severus his face appearing in the mirror. “You have news?”
“Yes, Severus,” said Remus a smile forming on his face at the sight if the man he loved.
Severus half-smiled at Remus through the mirror and waited for him to continue.
“I talked to the headmaster and he has agreed to perform the ceremony but not until after we graduate for obvious reasons. He has also agreed to keep it private.”
“Good,” said Severus. “We can certainly wait that long if we must.” Snape didn’t exactly look happy at the prospect of having to wait although he didn’t say as much.
“Yes, if we must,” Remus agreed not looking any happier then Snape did.
They talked for a while longer the reluctantly said good night for both had classes tomorrow.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The end of their seventh year was almost an anticlimax. Remus and Severus spent every spare moment they could together for they knew they with a certainly that war was brewing. They also knew that Voldemort had gotten Death Eaters from most of the pureblood families. The purebloods who wouldn’t donate either money or members to the Dark Lord’s cause were either ruined finically, like the Zabinis or in some cases the families were almost wiped out, one branch of the Bones family among them.
Unfortunately also on that list of the dead were James Potter’s parents, for not supporting the Dark Lord. Remus had already spent many long hours listening to Sirius and James rant and rave about getting revenge on that monster Voldemort. Remus knew that this was just part of the grieving process and so put up with it as best he could. James of course mourned the Potters because they had been his parents and he had loved them as for Sirius he mourned them because they had taken him in when his own parents had thrown him out for refusing to act like a proper future Death Eater and for not supporting the Dark Lord.
In his own quiet way Remus to grieved for the Potters although he hadn’t been as close to them as his two friends but he had known them and liked them a great deal.
“Well here we are our last week of school,” Severus sighed, laying back on the bed with his shoulder length black hair spread out on one of the pillows. Severus and Remus of course were in the Room of Requirement and so far as they knew no one had discovered that that was where they disappeared to for a few hours every once in a while.
“Yes, and one more week of N.E.W.T.s. to go,” added Remus holding his mate’s hand from where he lay on the other side of the bed.
N.E.W.T.s. or Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests were given in every subject at the end of the students final year. You could get up to twelve N.E.W.T.s. which was a perfect score. Not many people managed it though. There were also several different levels of scoring going from Outstanding to Troll, Outstanding of course being the highest mark you could get and Troll being one of the three failing grades.
“Including the potions exam which you should get at least an acceptable on since I’ve been helping you,” Severus observed. Acceptable was the lowest grade you could get and still pass the class.
“I’ll try,” was all Remus said.
“Well, trying is all you can do I suppose, but just because you’re not good at potions doesn’t mean you don’t have other talents. Defense Against the Dark Arts is your specialty and you are also good at Transfiguration and Charms, so you do have classes you excel at.”
Remus blushed at his lover’s praise. “Well...we all have our talents I suppose.”
Both lay in silence on the bed lost in their own thoughts for a time.
“So you still want to go through this mating ceremony after we graduate?” asked Severus suddenly.
Remus opened his eyes and looked over at his lover’s expression studying it for a moment. However Severus’s expression gave nothing away but his black eyes were crying out in pain as if Severus was sure that Remus was about to tell him he didn’t wanted to spend the rest of his life with him after all. That it had all been a mistake and that Remus didn’t really love him.
“Yes, I still want to. Very much. Do you still want to?” asked Remus just a little anxiously as he continued to look at his lover’s beloved face.
“Yes.”
“Then why did you ask?” asked Remus, trying to sound calm.
Severus didn’t respond for a long moment then said, “Because for the last three years I have been trying to understand what you see in me. I mean, I’m bitter, cranky, mean spirited and sarcastic. Most people wouldn’t consider me good material for a husband or a mate. I mean you could probably have anybody you wanted, male or female, you’re handsome, nice, gentle and a great lover so I’ve been wondering why you picked me out of everybody else.”
Remus blushed at Severus compliments then rolled over onto his side and hugged Severus to for underneath his lover’s tone Remus heard the insecurity of a little boy who wasn’t sure he deserved to be loved.
“You’re are those things it is true, but you are also brave, honorable and loyal and I want you as my mate for the rest of our lives. What I told you back in fifth year is true, I want no one else to ever touch me as you have. I want no one else as a lover and a mate. As for having anybody I want...well that might be true but I would have to tell them I’m a werewolf and most of them would probably run screaming when I did.” Remus said the last sentence almost like a joke but both young men knew that what Remus had said was true most people had a irrational fear of werewolves and hated them with a vengeance.
Severus snickered at Remus last sentence but didn’t comment.
Remus kissed Severus tenderly on his beaky nose then claimed his lips for a long, intense, soul devouring kiss, trying to put all his feelings of love and tenderness into it.
Severus eyes glazed over and his mind shouted his relief to the heavens before going completely blank as Remus lips continued to kiss him, practically devouring him, which Severus didn’t mind a bit.
When they finally came up for air Severus had no doubt in his mind—at least for the moment—the Remus really and truly did love. He knew his doubts would resurface but for now he was content to just lay beside his lover and hold him close.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A little over six months later Severus and Remus entered Dumbledore’s office through the Floo to find the headmaster McGonagall and Flitwick waiting for them.
It had been decided several months ago the if McGonagall and Flitwick agreed then they would be the witnesses for the bonding ceremony for it required at least two.
McGonagall and Flitwick had been more the happy to agree once they had found out about the relationship and also discovered that the supposed hatred between Severus and Remus was feigned.
“Welcome, Remus, Severus,” Dumbledore greeted from where he was sitting behind his desk.
“Headmaster, Professors,” said Remus politely with a smile while Severus scowled at them fiercely.
“Are you ready?” Dumbledore asked them quietly, his usually cheerful expression serious.
“Yes headmaster,” both boys answered immediately.
“Very well them, if the two of you would stand side by side in front of my desk. Filius, Minerva, you stand on either side of them.” All four moved to obey and once they were in position Dumbledore said, “Now Severus, Remus join hands and stand facing each other.”
The two boys obeyed and waited for Dumbledore to continue, “Now,” said the headmaster taking out his wand and muttering a string of Latin. As he said the last word a strand of golden light shot out of the tip of his wand to surround the two boys wrists where it just lay pulsing gently as if waiting for something.
“Now repeat after me. I swear that I will love, honor, cherish and be faithful to the other until death.”
“I swear...” Severus and Remus repeated the headmaster.
Once they had finished Dumbledore called the two professors forward and told them, “Now you know your part.”
“Yes, yes,” muttered McGonagall before turning back to face the boys. “I swear I have witnessed the love these two share for each other and that the bond is a true one.”
Filius then came forward and repeated what McGonagall had said.
As Filius finished speaking the golden light pulsed for a moment then disappeared, absorbed into their very skin. Both boys seemed to glow for a moment and then it faded.
“I now pronounce you bonded,” Dumbledore intoned solemnly.
“Is that all?” Severus asked in surprise.
“Did you expect it to be more complicated?” squeaked Flitwick in amusement.
“I just expected it to take longer is all and for there to be more to it,” Snape said.
Dumbledore chuckled, “Sometimes simple is best. And now that the main ceremony is over there is the paperwork to fill out.”
Both boys groaned at this but complied when Dumbledore set a stack of paperwork in front of each of them.
“Congratulations to the both of you,” said Minerva. “I am happy to see that people from two different houses can get along, especially when one is a Gryffindor and the other a Slytherin.”
“Yes it is just too bad that we cannot hold you up as an example that two houses who usually hate each other can get along,” added Flitwick.
“Maybe after the war is over,” said Minerva. “Although I know that the war may not be over for years.”
“Headmaster, what are you going to do with the paperwork? Surely you aren’t going to file it with the ministry?” asked Severus. “You know what will probably happen if you do...somebody working in that department will find out and then talk about it. We don’t want the wrong people hearing about our bonding.”
“No worries my boy, I’ve got it taken care of,” Dumbledore assured him. “The paperwork for your bonding is going to be sealed and buried so deeply that I guarantee nobody will find it.”
“I sure hope so for I “guarantee” that if the wrong people find out you will soon be missing two of your former students.”
“Everything will be fine, Severus,” Remus tried to reassure his mate.
“I hope so,” said Severus feeling doubtful. He kept those doubts to himself however, for this was his bonding day after all and besides come what may he was happier then he’d been in all his life. Being happy was a relatively new feeling for him and was going to take some getting used to.
Remus and Severus finished the paperwork half an hour later and handed it to the headmaster.
Dumbledore read it over the rolled it up and sealed it with his wand. “Now that, that is taken care of I just let me tell you that although this bond is a magical one it can be revoked at anytime, but only by mutual consent.
“That will never happen headmaster,” Remus told Dumbledore quietly and Severus nodded in agreement.
Dumbledore nodded as if agreeing with them his eyes twinkling fiercely behind half moon spectacles

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Remus and Severus arrived back at the little house that Severus had rented with the little bit of money he had, but it ran out in a couple of months and unless they could find jobs they’d be out on the street. Both were looking for jobs, but Remus especially was having no luck.
“Home at last,” Remus sighed contently as he gazed around the room where the Floo was located, with a feeling of happiness. The house was theirs—well so long as they could pay the rent.
While Remus had been looking around the room Severus had been admiring his mate and the way the firelight reflected of the light brown of his hair making it seem like it was made from spun gold. Remus was one of the kindest, handsomest, gentlest men he knew, but he also had a stubborn streak and usually got what he wanted—himself for instance. Somehow Remus had made him see that he loved Snape—despite him being a Slytherin, sneaky, bitter, sarcastic, dark sense of humor and all.
Remus also still loved him even though he had joined the Death Eaters when they had been separated for those six months back in 5th year thanks to Sirius Black. Anyone else would have more than likely had nothing further to do with him but Remus had forgiven him and stood by him and for that he would always be profoundly thankful—despite the reasons why.
“Well, we can’t just stand here all night,” said Severus. “I have plans for us that don’t include us standing here like a pair of idiots.”
“Oh and do those plans include me?” asked Remus innocently fluttering his eyelashes at Snape.
Snape unable to resist ran one hand through Remus’s shoulder length brownish-blond hair before he answered sarcastically, “Of course, they do. I can’t do what I’m planning by myself.”
Remus sighed at the intimacy of the gesture and growled just a little. That low, husky, sexy growl sent a stab of desire racing up Snape’s spine like a lightning bolt and almost without thinking about it he pulled his mate into a possessive kiss. The kiss was so hot and passionate that it left no doubt in Remus’s mind that Severus desired him.
When they finally broke apart they were both gasping a little.
Severus smirked a little as he observed what his kiss had done to his lover. Remus’s dark eyes were glazed over and his lips were red and swollen from his kiss. He looked like he had been hit with a Stupefy spell.
Finally Remus spoke his voice still shaky from desire and said, “Shall we retire to the bedroom?”
“Not just yet,” said Severus. “I have other plans.”
“Oh? And what plans are those?”
“You’ll see,” said Severus mysteriously refusing to say anymore as he led Remus to the small dining room and let him enter first.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Remus entered the dining room and stopped several feet into it as he observed the way the room had been changed.
The dining room had been totally transformed into a fairy land of elegance. The room was semi dark with candles lit on every available surface giving the room a romantic and intimate atmosphere.
Laying on the dining room table was a feast fit for a king or in this case kings with candles in the middle.
Remus stared at the food for a moment apparently to choked up to speak.
“Severus, you did all this for me?” Remus finally asked.
Severus was pleased to note that Remus looked shocked but pleased at this unexpected dinner.
“Well, since we can’t have a formal reception since we’re supposed to keep our mating a secret...I figured the next best thing was an intimate dinner for two. I asked Dumbledore if it was okay to have the Hogwarts house-elves cook it since they don’t have as many people to look after in the summer. He was only too happy to agree and the house-elves delivered it while we were in Dumbledore’s office.”
Remus finally got over his shock and flung himself into Severus’s arms, then proceeded to cover his face with kisses.
When Remus finally relented and let Severus go, Snape didn’t make one of his usual sarcastic remarks for he looked to dazed from Remus enthusiasm.
Finally without saying anything they both held hands and walked to where two chairs were waiting. Both sat down across from each other and started to pile their plates high with all kinds of good Hogwarts food.
The house-elves, they soon realized had outdone themselves. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned and there was even a small three layer wedding cake.
“Well I have to admit, that the house-elves have outdone themselves,” Remus commented when he couldn’t eat another bite.
“You don’t even have any room for any wedding cake?” Snape asked.
“We can save it for later, what I want to taste now is you.”
Severus laughed and they hurriedly packed up the remains of the feast putting preserving spells on it then heading towards the bedroom.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next day they were again called to Dumbledore’s office.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your honeymoon but this is fairly urgent.”
“What can we do for you headmaster?” asked Remus politely giving no hint of his true feelings.
“It’s more what Severus can do for me,” said Dumbledore who then began to explain that Professor Carlton had decided to retire from teaching potions and how he had immediately thought of Severus to fill the position.
“Like I want to spend the next fifty of sixty years teaching a lot of dunderheaded brats,” Severus grumbled
“Severus,” Remus scolded.
“I also thought you could run it by Voldemort and volunteer to be his spy within Hogwarts. I would of course give you little tidbits of information to pass along.”
Remus looked as if he was getting ready to protest that it was too dangerous but then closed his mouth, for when Severus had agreed to become his mate Remus had realized that Severus had a right to lead his own life and a right to make his own decisions. Besides such a move might well win the war for them.
“I’ll do it headmaster,” Severus told Dumbledore quietly.
“You do realize it will be extremely dangerous for you? If Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters were to catch on that you were double crossing them you could end up quite dead.”
“I know, Headmaster, but I am willing to take the risk for I feel that the deaths of all those people is on my head, especially the ones killed by poisons for I made those at his command and it’s not like I didn’t know what he was going to use them for. So I am at least partially responsible for many deaths.”
“Very well, I will be waiting for your response.”
Severus nodded and he and Remus disappeared through the Floo.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“You don’t like this do you?” Severus asked his mate when they arrived home.
“That’s putting it mildly, but I also realize you have a right to make your own decisions. I mean, I’m your mate not your keeper. Just promise me one thing.”
“What?” Severus asked willing to do almost anything, including trying to pull stars from the sky if his lover asked it of him.
“Just be careful. I don’t think I could live without you.”
“I’ll try my best,” Severus promised soberly, knowing it wasn’t going to be easy to keep his promise, but for Remus he would try.
Remus nodded having to accept that.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

A few days later Severus went to see Voldemort, when he was summoned by the mark on his arm. The Mark itself was an ingenious invention that no one else in the wizarding world had been able to duplicate. It was too bad it was being used for evil. The Mark allowed the person or persons wearing it to Apparate blindly to their master’s side without knowing the location of where they were going. When Severus returned he informed Remus that the Dark Lord had been pleased at the idea of getting a spy right under the old man’s nose so had agreed to his plan almost right away.
“Well that’s good then,” said Remus trying to cheerful, but unable to hide his worry completely.
“I know you’re worried, but you knew what you were getting into when we got involved. Besides I don’t believe Voldemort will kill me as long as I’m useful to him.”
“I hope you’re right, Severus,” said Remus, softly. “I hope you’re right.”
Severus silently agreed with him but didn’t allow himself to voice his doubts out loud.
That night they made wild, passionate love more in worry and desperation then love and tenderness. The wolf in Remus that wanted to love and protect its mate didn’t understand that this was necessary if Voldemort was ever going to be defeated.
They fell asleep soon afterwards wrapped in each other’s arms.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

“Several months later the war with Voldemort accelerated,” said Remus coming out of the memory, “And a lot of people including some friends of mine and, James’s, Lily’s and Sirius’s were tortured into insanity by Death Eaters or killed outright. Frank and Alice Longbottom spent their lives in St. Mungo’s when they were tortured into insanity. They left behind their son who was just over a year old at the time. He was the same age as Harry come to think of it. Their birthday’s were even in the same month—Neville’s on the 30th of July and Harry’s the 31st.”
“You’re talking about that boy you mentioned the other day—now what was his name?—Neville, that’s it.”
“That’s the one,” said Remus. “He grew up with his very formidable grandmother Augusta Longbottom.
“Which might account for some of his timidity actually,” Snape mused. “His grandmother was a very strong woman and when her son Frank was driven insane... Snape paused the continued, “Well she became a little—” Snape paused again then said “—overprotective.”
“Overprotective is the word alright,” Remus agreed. “To the extreme.”
“Well I really enjoyed your sharing some of your history with me and I appreciate it.”
“We were happy to, captain,” said Remus cheerfully.
Snape snorted but didn’t say anything.
“So when will you be leaving B5?”
“Tomorrow, our flight leaves in late afternoon,” said Severus.
“And by the way the Grangers will be coming with us,” added Remus. “We owe their ancestress Hermione a great deal. The least we can do is get her ancestors tickets back home. Besides the nephew, Sean is due to start Hogwarts come September.”
“So you’ll be leaving,” said Sheridan sounding disappointed.
“I’m afraid so. I teach at that same school and I need to start preparing lesson plans.”
“I used to teach there to, but I finally gave it up to go into private research.”
“As for me I love teaching there so much that I’ve had my job since I was 38 That’s 258 years.”
“258 years?” asked Sheridan astonished into speechlessness for a moment. Finally he asked, “What did you say you taught?”
“I didn’t. It’s Defense Against The Dark Arts.”
Sheridan shook his head. “There’s a whole world out there that most people know nothing about.”
“And it’s better that way, what with telepaths around, it is getting harder and harder to hide our presence. Of course technology is a big problem to.”
“Yes, telepaths are becoming a problem. It’s really all our fault. We were afraid of telepaths so we shoved them into a big black box called Psi Corps. Now look at them, black uniforms jack boots...” Sheridan paused, “They’re not supposed to do unauthorized scans but I know for a fact that some of them do. Bester in particular.”
“Bester?”
“Alfred Bester,” said Sheridan. “He’s a Psi Cop. Telepathic rating P12, which is as strong as we’ve got. He’s arrogant and full of himself. He’s been known to do unauthorized scans.”
“Yes we’ve heard of him now that you mention it, even in London. He’s not someone I would want to run across in a dark alley or any time really,” Remus admitted.
“Luckily he makes his home on Mars and not Earth,” said Sheridan.
“But what about other telepaths? Eventually one of our kind and a telepath are going to encounter each other and when that day comes I have no idea what the results will be but I don’t want to particularly find out,” said Snape.
“I’m amazed it hasn’t happened before now,” added Remus.
“For all we know it has and the telepath was honest enough not to reveal our presence to the world,” said Snape. He then snorted making clear what he thought of that possibility.
Remus glared at Severus for a minute then apologized, “I’m sorry about Severus. He has a rather cynical view of the world.”
“Being a Death Eater did not exactly do wonders for my mental health or my view of the world,” Snape retorted.
“It’s okay if I had been through half of what he had I would probably be cynical to. Anyway I must be going. I need to get some sleep. It’s been a very long shift and I’ve taken up enough of your time.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you captain, perhaps someday we’ll meet again,” said Severus.
“If you’re ever in London you’re welcome to look us up.”
“Maybe I’ll do that,” said Sheridan taking his leave.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

The next day

Snape, Remus and the Grangers were waiting for their ship to board.
“I just wanted to see you off,” said a voice approaching them.
“Mr. Garibaldi,” said Snape with a nod.
“Mr. Snape, I hope you enjoyed your visit to B5.”
“We did,” said Remus speaking up.
“Yes I will admit that it was a most...interesting experience.”
“That’s just Severus’s way of saying he enjoyed himself,” Remus informed Garibaldi cheerfully.
Snape rolled his eyes but didn’t contradict Lupin. It wouldn’t do any good anyway.
“Mr. Garibaldi may I introduce Gerald Granger and his nephew, Sean?” said Remus. “They will be returning to Earth with us. Gerald, Sean this is Michael Garibaldi head of security.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Garibaldi,” said Gerald who looked a little better than he had. Remus and Severus had bought them a couple of outfits and Sean as well.
Gerald was wearing a pair of dark slacks and a button-down short that looked like it was nice and warm.
As for Sean he was wearing slacks as well except tan and a green t-shirt with jacket.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Garibaldi as she studied the two. Both were handsome one with black hair the other blond. The older of the two was tall and muscular while the younger was pretty tall for an eleven year old and skinny. Both had freckles across their noses and brown eyes their color was also similar.
“Flight boarding for Earth,” the speakers blared suddenly.
“That’s our flight,” said Sean looking excited.
“So it is,” said Gerald ruffling his nephew’s hair affectionately.
“It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Garibaldi,” said Gerald shaking Michaels hand.
“You to Mr. Granger,” said Garibaldi.
As soon as they had said their goodbyes all four grabbed their bags and boarded their flight.
Garibaldi watched them go wondering if he would ever meet their kind again. Real magic in the modern world was simply mindboggling.
Finally Garibaldi turned and headed back the way he had come shaking his head.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Earth

A few days later the ship landed at the spaceport in London and Remus, Severus and the two Grangers headed down the ramp.
“Uncle Gerald, Sean,” called a voice excitedly.
“It’s my brother, Bernie,” said Sean running to hug his brother not waiting for a response.
“Bernie?” muttered Snape disgustedly.
“It’s probably short for Bernard,” Remus pointed out helpfully.
Snape shot his mate an annoyed glare then muttered, “Who would want to curse an innocent infant with a name like Bernard. It sounds like the name of a dog.”
“Is Severus really any better?” Remus teased Snape gently.
Severus sighed and rolled his eyes but then conceded that no it really wasn’t. Not that he would ever admit that out loud. It would give Lupin to much satisfaction if he did and his lover would probably only tease him more as a result.

~~~Snape and Lupin~~~

Meanwhile quite a reunion was going on just a few feet away.
“Babylon 5 the space station? Is that where you’ve been for the last four years?”
“Yes,” Gerald admitted. “I never intended for us to remain there for so long but...well you know I’ve always had a gambling problem.”
Bernie rolled his eyes in exasperation and scolded, “Uncle Gerald you should have known better. You know that most places like that are rigged so you lose.”
“I know, I know,” Gerald said looking shamefaced, embarrassed and guilty all at once.
“Do you know for the last few years we feared you and Sean were dead?”
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
Bernie sighed, “Well at least you’re back now and just in time for Sean to enter Hogwarts in September.”
Sean’s face lit up at the mention of Hogwarts although he didn’t say anything.
“Yes, Sean is quite excited about being able to go to Hogwarts,” said Gerald, dryly.
“As for you Sean,” said Bernie. “You’ve grown so much I barely recognize you. The last time I saw you, you were a lot smaller.”
“I know,” said Sean hugging his brother again while Bernie ruffled his brother’s hair.
“Bernie,” said Gerald. “Let me introduce you to Remus Lupin and Severus Snape. They are the ones that discovered us living in Down Below.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for returning my uncle and brother to their family,” said Bernie walking over to the two men standing a little distance away.
“It was our pleasure,” said Remus, politely. “Besides we owed your ancestress Hermione a great deal.”
“And we always honor our debts,” Snape added.
“Well thank you anyway,” said Bernie shaking their hands. “If there’s ever anything I can do for you, just ask.”
“We will,” said Remus before the two men took their leave.
Both men turned and disappeared into the crowd all the Grangers staring after them in shock at the aptness of the departure.
“We owe them a great debt,” Bernie mumbled when he was able to speak again after the shock had worn off.
“Yes, yes, we do and someday we will repay that debt even if it’s 500 years down the line.”
All three Grangers nodded before they to disappeared into the crowd.