Current mood:	exhausted
Entry tags:	2009_fic, fic4:skitty_kat, snape/lupin

fic for skitty_kat 'A Way Out' (Snape/Lupin)

Fic for: skitty_kat
Title: A Way Out
Author: shiv5468


Pairing: Snape/Lupin
Rating: PG
Warnings/Content Info: highlight between brackets if you prefer story warnings:
[None]
Summary: Severus is in hiding after the end of the War. Remus has found him. Perhaps.
Disclaimer: The world of HP and its characters belongs to Rowling. The author of this fic has borrowed them for the purposes of storytelling. No profit was or will be made.
Word count: ~3,200

A Way Out

"I think this carpet is looking at me," said Remus. "It's as if it's watching me."

Severus opened his eyes. "I'm trying to sleep here. Do you always have to talk?"

"It's the carpet. It's making me nervous."

"Then don't look at it."

"I can tell it's looking at me even with my eyes closed."

You're mad, Severus didn't say, because it was too close to the truth. Stir crazy.

"My mother had a carpet like this when I was a child," Severus said. "I lived with it for forty years, and it never did me any harm."

Remus prodded at the floor with his foot. "It looks like it's from the seventies. The time that taste forgot. Do you remember flares? Sirius used to...." Remus looked at Severus uneasily. "There was a craze for them."

"I remember Black looked a buffoon."

Snape didn't say that Black always looked a buffoon all the time, because he was using his company manners. Death eater company manners at that - speak softly, say nothing that pokes your companion's sore spots, and always check for poison.

The room had no door that they could find and this was the fourth day of being here, and neither Appparition nor portkeys worked. Repetition had dulled even their ferocious grudges to querulous muttering.

Severus stared at the carpet.

He didn't like it. It was just like his mother had bought when he was young, in the first flush of marriage, and had faded as badly as the relationship. He'd never understood why she'd kept it.

It reminded him of years of childhood misery giving way to teenaged unhappiness. The only reason he was able to call the later years contented was because he'd adjusted his cut to his cloth. No more dreams of fame, of glory, of love, just books, the occasional nice meal and a warming charm on the lino.

"How much longer do you think it will be?" Remus asked.

Severus cocked his head.

"You know, before someone turns up."

"To rescue us, you mean?" Severus shook his head. "You always were too trusting. No one's coming Lupin. No one at all."

"But they must. Albus..." Remus broke off and cast an uneasy glance at Snape.

"Is dead, as you know," Severus said smoothly.

"But he must have made some arrangements, done something so that others would know we are here."

Severus closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Lupin was beginning to sound like his child-self, the one that whined that life wasn't fair. Well, it wasn't, and that was all there was to it.

He could still hear Remus shuffling round, the clink of crockery and the sound of the kettle being filled.

"Tea?"

Severus grunted.

"At least we're not going to run out of supplies. Someone's been very organised. There's enough here for months."

"And you think that's good news?"

Remus poked his head round the door from the kitchen. "Why shouldn't it be?"

"It means we're going to be here for months."

The tea was strong and sweet, just the way Remus liked it. Snape swallowed a mouthful, forcing it down, unwilling to concede anything in the simmering battle of wills between them. "Nice," he said.

"Nice book?" Remus asked.

"Yes."

"What's it about?"

"Making poisons from household ingredients," Severus said.

"Oh." Remus bounced up again, pacing across the carpet. "Any books on charms?"

Severus carefully placed his bookmark to hold his place, closed the book and put it on the table to his side. "Why?"

"I thought we could see about the charms on the door."

"You want to leave?"

"Don't you?"

Severus gave a sharp bark of laughter. "I don't think there's a warm welcome waiting for me outside, no matter who won."

Remus turned sharply. "You don't think the Order lost?"

Severus shrugged.

"Can't you tell?" Remus nodded meaningfully at Severus' left arm. "Hasn't He tried to summon you?"

"The wards on this place are so strong; it could easily block a Summons."

"But no twinges?"

Severus shook his head. "No, no twinges."

"See, the Order must have won."

"Which presumably means that Potter survived, and I can expect the warmest of welcomes from the hero of the Wizarding World. So, shitty as this place is, it's still better than Azkaban."

Remus grinned. "You know, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You prefer me to the Dementors."

Remus ducked in time for the book to miss him.










"I still think this carpet is looking at me," said Remus.

"Typical Gryffindor, always having to be the centre of attention. Why do you think the carpet should care about you?"

"Do you think the carpet is looking at you?"

Severus shook his head.

"Well, then. As I'm the only person here besides you, it can only be looking at me."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard since Lucius told the Wizengamot he'd been under Imperio all along. The carpet isn't looking at you, because it's not looking at anyone."

Remus stared at the carpet, and the carpet - presumably - stared at Remus.

He blinked and looked away. "What do you suppose happened to Malfoy?"

"He'll have survived no matter what." Severus would have bet his life savings on that. All three hundred galleons. He would also have a more salubrious bolthole than this, and better company. The wages of sin looked to be rather more beneficial than the wages of... probity wasn't quite the right word. Servitude.

Severus stared at the carpet. It did have something of an attitude. "I suppose we could see about getting out of here. Do a bit of reconnaissance, at the least."

"The Order might need our help," Remus said.

"Or we can find a better hiding place."

"Has anyone ever told you that they admired your optimism?"

"No."

"I can't think why."

"Some people mistake realism for pessimism." Severus stalked to the centre of the room, and drew out his wand. "Now, we have tried the basics."

Remus nodded. "And the advanced."

"But we know that Dumbledore set the wards...."

"Or assume it."

"...so we should try something a little more unusual." Severus flicked his wand at the carpet, casting a revealing charm. "Something that defeats power, something that defeats intelligence even."

Remus watched the charm spread out, sidling along the floor to rise up the walls to the ceiling. It eddied round aimlessly, then fell back to the ground.

"Nothing," Severus said.

"Let me try."

"And you think this will work because?"

"I've an idea." Remus cast the same charm, a green haze which eddied round the room, almost caressing the residue of Severus' spell, then settling into a finite pattern. "Yes, as I thought."

"Joint casting," Severus said flatly. "How very touching."

"Dumbledore always stressed the importance of working together. It makes sense that the way out depends on that."

"Oh yes," Severus said.

"Now we just have to work out what the wards are." Remus dropped to his knees, peering at the glowing lines the mixed charms made. "It shouldn't take too long, now that we know what he was up to."

"Some of what he was up to." Severus doubted that they would ever determine all of Albus' tricks. Nevertheless, he shifted to the floor, watching as Remus traced out the components of the warding. Despite himself he was marginally impressed.

"I was right," Remus said cheerfully. "The carpet was looking at me."

"There are few things as annoying as hearing 'I told you so'." Severus glared at Remus and the carpet impartially. "Particularly when the person saying so is wrong. The carpet is not looking at you. There is, coincidentally, a semi-sentient blood ward located in the centre of the room, but the carpet is not looking at us."

Remus shrugged, his whole attitude screaming 'I told you so' more eloquently than words. "You've more experience with this sort of magic. What do you think?"

Severus couldn't find any sign of condemnation in Remus' manner, but this was an old Pureblood trick, rarely used now, and only of historical interest to anyone other than Death Eaters.

"I think I would like some tea," Severus said.

And time to think.

Albus was a tricky sod, with a sharp eye for what Muggles called psychology and what Slytherins called levers. You couldn't put two Death Eaters in a room and get them to agree on anything, much less work together on getting out.

Mostly, anyway. There were one or two, brighter than their fellows, capable of forming a temporary alliance, which meant that joint casting wouldn't be the only test they would have to pass.

He shuddered at the thought of what might be called for.







By the end of the second cup of tea, two biscuits and a slice of cake harder than the residue in Neville Longbottom's cauldron, he had the basic idea of how to unravel the ward.

"It's tripartite," he said, carefully removing the crumbs from his lap. "We've broken the first element by discovering it. Something that required cooperation. Knowing Albus, that will be typical of the requirements. You should also know that once we trigger the second stage of the wards, we have only a limited amount of time to deal with them. If we don't...."

Remus cocked his head. "If we don't?"

"We die."

"Albus wouldn't do that...." Remus said, but without much conviction.

"He would and he has."

"In an Order safehouse?"

"Certainly in the one that my portkey was linked to. Who can say what happens in any of the others," Severus replied, anger banked back hard. "He made it very clear in those last days that he didn't trust me. This could be his final safeguard."

"I'm sure he did trust you."

"You keep telling yourself that, wolf," Severus snarled.

"Perhaps he didn't, then. Perhaps he didn't trust you to be the sort of man to send a child off to die following some prophecy. I'm not sure that's a bad thing."

Severus let out the deep breath he had taken, and snapped his mouth shut on the angry torrent of words that always threatened to break through when he thought of Albus and his plans.

"At least you did something," Remus added. "Unlike me."

"You kept the boy on an even keel, somewhat. You taught him about kindness. That counts for something." Severus threw a sour glance at the spinning ward, wondering if it was already affecting their minds. He could try and pass this off as necessary morale boosting before they really got to work, but it was passing far too close to truth for comfort.

"Not a lot."

"With the Dark Lord in his head? Rather more than you'd think. Albus had no idea how close we came to losing the boy to anger and hate. Or if he did, didn't care. You, the Weasley family, even those two tag-along friends, all changed his fate from Tom Riddle's."

"You think that if Vol-Voldemort had been given more love as a child, he'd have been a better person?" Remus snorted.

"No, not him. He was born out of warped affection and dark magic, and there was nothing to be done about that."

But it might have made all the difference to his life. Severus grimaced. Definitely the wards working, he hadn't been this self-pitying for years. He slammed up his Occlumency shields and felt the sting of disappointment from the wards.

Rummage in his head, he said to it. There's enough regret and misery in there for both of us.

"I suppose we'd better start then," Remus said.

"You're happy to take the risk?"

"Soonest started, soonest ended. Besides, the full moon is due in a fortnight, and there's no wolfsbane that I've found in case you hadn't noticed."

Snape shivered and swallowed his rising gorge. He'd noticed.

"So either way I'll be dead within the month."

"What do you mean?" Severus said, and barely recognised his own voice.

"I assume you'd ...." Remus moved his hand in the casting for the Avada.

"No. Never again."

There was a long strained silence, then Remus said, "I... oh. I was rather relying on you doing that. I don't want to be responsible..."

"No, you'd rather put the responsibility on someone else. Good old Severus, what's one more sin on his conscience, eh?"

Severus strode to his room and slammed the door with as much force as he could manage. It didn't slam as dramatically as he would have liked, but it was better than nothing. Better than staying in the room with that thing one more second.

This truly was hell.




That thought wouldn't leave him as he stared at his bedroom ceiling.

This could be hell.

He'd been lying on the floor of the Shrieking Shack, not in the best of shape, barely with the strength to press the portkey. Perhaps he'd only imagined the movement of his hand; perhaps he was still there fighting for his life, perhaps he had died.

If this was the afterlife, someone had a sick sense of humour. What's more it was probably his own mind being turned against him - how else would you build a hell for someone, if not by asking them to build it for themselves?

Riddle would probably be back in that orphanage, powerless and without magic, having to find his way out and only able to do so if he made friends with a muggle. Bella? That was simple; seeing her beloved Dark Lord fail and knowing there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Lucius? Breaking a nail, probably.

Severus huffed, and turned over to punch the pillows. No, that wasn't fair. Lucius had already lived his hell with the Dark Lord under his roof and unable to protect his family. Losing his wand....

Whether this was real or a figment of his imagination, they had to solve the ward. Once that was done, presumably there would be more room to manoeuvre. And if he was dead, and this was the afterlife, he wanted a word with those in charge. He had a complaint to lodge. Several. And he wanted a word with Albus.

If he wasn't dead, he could always make a run for it when they were free. Obliviate the wolf. Find Lucius, see what help he could give? Or Narcissa.

The smell of dinner sneaked under the door and tempted Severus into movement.

Remus had set the table for two, and made his favourite meal. The implied apology didn't impress him, and the fact that the man knew his favourite meal made Severus feel uneasy.

They ate in silence, only broken by the offer of dessert and custard.

"You're right," Remus said, once the plates were clean. "I'm sorry."

Severus' blood ran cold. That really looked liked the product of the imagination of a dying man.

"I don't suppose you feel you should apologise for anything else?" Severus asked. "Just out of curiosity."

"Should I?"

Severus shook his head. "I'll make the tea, then we can crack on with the wards."







The second ward was easy enough to crack. Joint casting had revealed the ward itself, joint casting and a little blood magic brought up the next stage: a door that hovered above the carpet, a door to nowhere.

"Half way there." Remus stood with his hands on his hips looking at the door. "All we need now is a key."

"Yes. I'm sure it's that easy."

"It has to be possible. Albus wouldn't leave us here with no way out."

"I'm sure there are some who would consider your trust in Albus to be heart-warming. I, on the other hand, consider it to be foolish and misplaced, and that's the shorter, more polite version of what I really think."

"It's not like you to be polite."

"I think we need to approach this with cool heads."

"And the rest, if you please."

It was typical that Remus should stop being a trusting fool just at the most awkward time. "When I say we have to work on this together, I imagine ... we cannot have any bad blood between us."

"Ah. I see why you thought I might have more to apologise for."

There was a long pause whilst both men looked at the door rather than each other.

"More tea, then," Remus said eventually. "And then maybe something stronger. We've a lot to talk about."

"And only the one bottle."

"I reckon that'll be enough."

Severus wasn't sure there was enough Firewhiskey in the world to get him through the next few hours.

It took half a bottle before either of them could face beginning. Remus took a large gulp, and swallowed hard. "So, you think I owe you an apology?"

"I asked if you felt the urge to do so."

"I don't see what for. You can't expect me to apologise for being a werewolf. Even you're not that unreasonable."

Severus arched an eyebrow, long fingers closing on his glass holding it tight. "No, perhaps not."

"But? What else do you have against me?"

Severus weighed the horrors of honesty against the horrors of staying in that room for the rest of his life or worse the afterlife, and came up in favour of Obliviate.

"You got all the sympathy, didn't you? Poor Lupin. Lupin the endless victim."

"And you got none?"

"I didn't want any. But I didn't want the bloody blame either. Potter and Black laid the bait, you were the trap, and yet, somehow, golden boy Potter turned it all round so it was my fault, and you had to be protected."

Remus pushed the bottle back to Severus. "You know, Lily gave them hell."

Severus took another shot of whiskey.

"She couldn't say anything in public, or my secret would come out, but she gave them hell all the same. Dragged James and Sirius off into a classroom after hours and tore a strip off them."

"She forgave them in the end. She always did." But never me, Severus thought. Never me.

"She used to worry about you. Towards the end."

Severus snorted.

"Times were dark, she'd say, and hoped you'd find your way back out. She never lost faith that one day you'd see that the path you were on was the wrong one. And she was right. Even with all you were called to do."

"I'm touched."

Remus was generous enough to let that pass as sarcasm. He took his glass and raised it. "To Lily?"

Severus touched his glass to Remus'. "To Lily."

They didn't need to say more. Remus tidied away the glasses and the bottle, just in case, and then joined Severus at the door.

"What do you think we have to do?" he asked.

Severus thought about all he knew about Albus. "I think all we have to do is knock."

"Together?"

Severus nodded.

They raised their hands to the door, and knocked.





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