Summer Vacation

by Geri ([email protected])

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: SS/RL

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts, <> indicates person is speaking in Japanese.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.

Sequel to: Always

Summary: Begins just after "Always" as school is about to end. Snape and Lupin get an invitation to spend the summer in Japan with the co-inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion. Introduces original characters: Professor Kamiyama and his family. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

A brief explanation of some of the Japanese terms used in my story:

Ojiisan=Grandfather

Obasan=Aunt

Otoosan=Father

sensei=teacher; there other words that translate as "Professor" but they seem to apply to college-level teachers, so I will stick with sensei, which is how grade and high school teachers are addressed in Japan.

san=honorific suffix; the equivalent of Mr. or Mrs.

kun=suffix added to a name; used by a superior when addressing a subordinate, or by close friends and family members

kitsune=a shape-changing Japanese fox spirit; they are usually portrayed as tricksters

Shinto="The way of the gods"; indigenous faith of the Japanese people. Professor Kamiyama is a Shinto priest who serves the rice god Inari. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

A large black dog prowled cautiously in the woods surrounding the small, dilapidated cottage. It was a rather odd place for a house, smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, but there was a reason for that...

The door opened, and a young man dressed in blue-gray robes emerged. At least, he had a youthful, boyish face, although his light-brown hair was streaked with gray. He crouched down on the front steps, waving a large bone in a tempting fashion at the dog.

"Here boy," he called, in a soft but friendly voice, as if trying to coax the wary stray over. "You want the nice bone, don't you?" His pale blue eyes were filled with kindness and good humor, as well as a hint of amusement.

The dog made a low sound deep in its throat, not quite a growl, and hesitated for a moment before it cautiously approached. The young man slowly backed up, still holding the bone before him as a lure, and the dog followed him into the house. The door closed behind them.
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The dog seized the bone from the young man's hand, gnawing at it ravenously. Lupin laughed and said, "I can fix you something better to eat than that, Padfoot!"

The dog transformed into a tall, gaunt man with matted black hair. "Moony!" he exclaimed, embracing his friend. He grinned and said, "I'm so hungry that the bone still looks good even in this form!"

"Sit," Lupin laughed. "I'll make you some lunch."

The cottage looked much better from the inside. The furnishings were a little worn and shabby, but the house was clean and had a somehow friendly, welcoming air about it. Sirius sat at the kitchen table while Lupin poured him a glass of milk and fixed him some ham and cheese sandwiches. He downed the glass in a single gulp while Lupin was still working on the sandwiches, and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, saying, "I can't stay long; I don't want to get you in trouble if anyone thinks of looking for me here."

"I'm not a fool, Sirius," Lupin said mildly. "The house is warded to alert me to intruders or spies--how do you think I knew you were out there? I understand the danger, but surely you can stay long enough to eat." He gave the other man's ragged, dirty robes a distasteful look. "And perhaps have a bath. I'll burn those and give you a set of my old robes."

Sirius grinned, eyeing Lupin's new-looking robes. "Well, you certainly have come up in the world. I'm glad to see you spent some of your salary on clothes; you're cutting quite a stylish figure, Moony!"

Lupin ducked his head to hide a mischievous smile as he set down the plate of sandwiches in front of Sirius. Actually, he hadn't spent a single Knut on the robes; they were a gift from Severus, which would undoubtedly horrify his friend if he knew. Fortunately, Sirius was too busy wolfing down the sandwiches to notice the expression on Lupin's face.

"The Daily Prophet reported that you were spotted in Scotland."

"Mm-hmm," mumbled Sirius around a mouthful of food. He swallowed, then added, "I wanted the Ministry to realize I had left Hogwarts; I didn't want them leaving Dementors or God knows what else guarding the school. I'll be leaving the country altogether soon, but I wanted to say goodbye before I left." Sirius ate five sandwiches and drank two more glasses of milk before he settled back in his chair with a contented sigh. Lupin gave him a set of clean robes and sent him off to take a bath.

While Sirius was bathing, one of the warding symbols Lupin had set around the house began glowing, and shortly after he heard a scratching sound at the kitchen window. An owl, one he recognized as being from Hogwarts, was fluttering outside. He flung open the window, and the bird dropped a letter into his hand. The owl accepted a scratch and a tidbit, then set off on its trip back home. The letter was addressed to him in Dumbledore's handwriting, and was sealed in purple wax with the Hogwarts coat of arms. Lupin eagerly tore it open, hoping that it was from Severus. His paranoid lover insisted that they send all their correspondence through the Headmaster, for fear of Voldemort's followers learning of their relationship. Lupin saw no harm in humoring his lover, and in any case, it was better to be safe than sorry: he didn't want to endanger Severus any more than Severus wanted to endanger him. And quite frankly, if the Death Eaters became suspicious, Lupin thought it was much more likely that they would go after the traitor in their midst than an impoverished, unimportant werewolf. Inside was an envelope simply addressed to "Lupin" and sealed with a blob of plain red wax.

He opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter within. It read: "I am no good with words, Remus, so I will keep this short." Inscribed below that sentence in beautiful calligraphy was a Japanese kanji character, followed by three simpler hiragana characters: "Ai-shi-te-ru." Lupin was not very fluent in Japanese, but he had learned a little while corresponding with Naoto Kamiyama, the co-inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion, and knew enough to translate the simple phrase: "I love you." The letter said nothing more, other than, "I will see you when school lets out." It was not signed, but Lupin knew very well who it was from. He felt a silly grin spreading across his face; who would've thought Severus Snape could be so romantic? Though of course Professor Snape would vehemently deny it if anyone accused him of such a frivolous thing...

"What're you grinning about, Remus?" asked Sirius, causing Lupin to jump and turn around, startled. Sirius was wearing one of Lupin's old robes--once black, now faded to gray and patched in several places, but still serviceable--and attempting to comb out his now clean but still tangled hair.

"Nothing," said Lupin, silently cursing himself for being unable to keep from blushing, which he knew would only pique his friend's curiosity. "Just a letter from Hogwarts; no big deal."

Sure enough, Sirius peered over his shoulder, trying to get a look at the letter. "No big deal?" he asked with a sly grin. "Then why do you have such a goofy smile on your face?"

"I do NOT have a 'goofy smile' on my face!"

"Not now you don't, but you did just a second ago! In fact, I'd say you looked positively 'moony'!" He chortled at his own joke, not seeming to notice that Lupin didn't find it funny at all. "Come on, let me see! Is it a love letter? Who's it from?" When Lupin wouldn't show it to him, he began playfully trying to grab at it.

"Knock it off, Sirius!" Lupin said sharply.

"Aw, come on, Moony! We're best friends, right? You can tell me who it's from!" Despite Lupin's attempts to evade him, Sirius was persistent, and managed to snatch the letter out of his hands.

"Sirius!"

Sirius frowned. "What is this, Chinese or something?"

"None of your business!" snapped Lupin, reaching for the letter.

Sirius teasingly held the letter just out of Lupin's grasp. "Oh, don't be a spoilsport, Remy! I'd tell you if I had a girlfriend--not that there was much opportunity for romance in Azkaban."

"I don't have a girlfriend, Sirius," Lupin said, which was true enough. But his old friend knew him well enough to recognize a half-truth when he heard one.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "A boyfriend, then?" He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, as long as you're happy." Sirius's playful mood returned and he asked, "So who he is, then? Some Chinese guy?"

Lupin sighed. Perhaps it was just as well; no sense in putting off the inevitable. After all, look what had happened the last time he had tried to hide the truth from Sirius--and Severus, for that matter. It had resulted in disaster for everyone involved. Better to be honest up front and deal with the fireworks now. "The writing is not Chinese, it's Japanese. Here, give me the letter." He tapped his finger lightly on the paper. "This character is 'ai'--'love'. And these three spell 'shiteru,' which is a form of the verb 'suru,' or 'to do'. So, in essence, it says, 'I love you'."

Sirius laughed and slapped him on the back. "Good for you, Moony! So who's the lucky guy? Some Japanese wizard? Is Hogwarts having some kind of exchange program or something? Dumbledore was always keen on that sort of thing."

"No, Sirius," Lupin said. "My...friend...is not Japanese, although I have been learning that language because the wizard who invented the Wolfsbane Potion lives in Japan, and I wished to be able to communicate with him in his own language, although he speaks perfect English."

"Is he handsome?"

"Professor Kamiyama? Quite handsome--for a seventy-year old grandfather."

"Not him, you git!" said Sirius impatiently. "Your mysterious non-Japanese paramour."

Lupin thought of Severus's raven-black hair and brooding, dark eyes; of his white skin and deliciously low, husky voice...

"Ha!" exclaimed Sirius. "You've got that goofy grin on your face again!"

Lupin blushed furiously. "I do not!" he protested, but was unable to stop the smile from spreading across his face. He tried to turn it into a frown, but the corners of his mouth kept curving back upwards again. Finally, he gave up. "I suppose not everyone would think he's handsome, but I do." It was true that Severus had sharp, even severe, features, but it was mostly his sour disposition and menacing glare that people found off-putting. {He doesn't realize how handsome he is when he smiles,} Lupin thought dreamily.

Sirius snickered. "You really are far gone, Remy! Come on, I can't take it anymore--who is it? Do I know him?"

"Oh yes, you know him quite well," Lupin said with a grin. Suddenly he found the whole situation almost funny, although he was still aware that he would have to deal with Sirius's anger eventually. "In fact, he's a teacher at Hogwarts."

Sirius scratched his head, a puzzled frown forming on his face. "Let's see...Dumbledore doesn't really seem like your type..."

"Ha ha, very funny, Sirius, but I'm not into older men."

"Then that lets out Flitwick as well," Sirius laughed. "Obviously it's not Professor Binns... Give me another hint, Moony. I've been out of touch for twelve years; I'm not really up-to-date on the Hogwarts staff. I didn't even know Snape was teaching there until--" Sirius broke off mid-sentence as a horrible suspicion formed in his mind. "Oh no...not HIM!" Lupin gave him an almost apologetic smile. "OH NOOO!" wailed Sirius. "Please, Remus, anybody but HIM!" But Lupin just stood there, giving him that sheepish, apologetic little smile, which looked oddly familiar...and suddenly Sirius realized where he had seen it before. Lupin used to smile that way at Snape after the other three Marauders had played some prank on him; for some reason Moony had always felt sorry for the slimy git. In consternation, Sirius wondered how their roles had become reversed, how he had become the outsider to be pitied and Snape the one who was close to Remus...

"Severus and I love each other, Sirius," Lupin said firmly. "And I won't let you come between us again."

"But that greasy git got you fired!" shouted Sirius in outrage.

"Well, actually I resigned," Lupin corrected him. "But yes, Severus was responsible for that. He reacted badly; he has never been able to be rational where you are concerned, and you know why." He gave Sirius an accusing look, but Sirius just stared back at him defiantly. "We had become close while I was teaching at Hogwarts," Lupin continued. "We had just begun to repair the damage you did to our relationship eighteen years ago. But when he saw me helping you in the Shrieking Shack, he believed that I had betrayed him. So he betrayed me in turn."

"And that's the kind of man you love, Moony?" Sirius sneered.

"He has had very little reason to trust people over the years," Lupin said quietly. "Though it was unintentional, I hurt him, and he lashed out at me without thinking. But you can only feel betrayed, feel hurt, by someone you care about. His reaction would never have been so strong if he had no feelings for me."

"Oh, Snape has plenty of feelings for ME," Sirius said pointedly, "but they aren't feelings of love!"

"Severus and I talked things out afterwards," Lupin said. "He apologized." Sirius snorted derisively. "He offered to get me reinstated but I turned him down." Lupin hesitated; somehow he didn't think it would be wise to tell Sirius that Severus was working as a spy for Dumbledore; he didn't have the right to expose Severus's secret, and Sirius probably wouldn't believe it anyway. So he settled for explaining his second reason for leaving: "I endangered the children; I could have bitten Harry or Ron or Hermione. That must never happen again."

Sirius's face took on a hangdog look. "That's partly my fault."

"Yes, it is!" Lupin said sternly, and Sirius looked up at him, startled and a little hurt; he hadn't really expected his friend to agree with him. "If you had just gone to Albus in the first place--"

"But he thought I was guilty!" Sirius protested.

"Do you really think he wouldn't have at least heard you out?" Lupin asked impatiently. "He listened to you, and believed you, even after you had slashed the Fat Lady's portrait and apparently threatened Ron Weasley with a knife, not to mention kidnapped him--"

Sirius hung his head again. "Okay, I was stupid, I admit it! I guess I didn't think anyone would believe me. But I still don't see how you can forgive Snape after everything he's done--"

"Why not? I forgave you, didn't I?" Lupin pointed out. "Even after that stupid prank that almost killed Severus, that drove him away from me, even after you thought I was the traitor--"

Sirius flushed. "But that's different--" he said, hating the almost whiny tone that had entered his voice.

"Sirius," said Lupin quietly, a grave expression on his face, "I love Severus. He loves me. I know that's hard for you to believe, but you haven't seen how he's treated me while I've been at Hogwarts."

"I've seen enough," muttered Sirius, but Lupin ignored him.

"Did you know that he not only brewed the Wolfsbane Potion for me, but he helped to create it as well?"

"Huh? I thought you said that this Professor Kami...um, that Japanese wizard invented it."

"He did, but he told me he had a collaborator who wished to remain anonymous. That collaborator was Severus." Sirius stared at him, his mouth hanging open in shock. "Not only that, but he's stayed with me through all my transformations save the first one--and of course, the last. He has watched me change without disgust; he has caressed the wolf with affection, and stayed with me all night until the sun came up. He helped me to understand that not fighting the change eases the pain of the transformation. I have always hated that part of myself, but he taught me to accept the wolf and make peace with it. He loves not just Lupin the man, but the wolf as well."

Lupin spoke movingly, and with absolute conviction, but Sirius found it difficult to believe in this new version of Snape. "But Remus--" He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but Lupin interrupted him before he could find the words to finish that sentence.

"Do you know why Severus really hates you, Sirius?" Lupin asked softly. "It's not because you almost got him killed; or at least, that's only a small part of it. He hates you because you took me away from him, because he thought I chose you over him."

Sirius felt as though everything he had thought was true had been turned upside-down and inside-out. {It just can't be true!} he thought. {He can't really love Remus; a Slytherin isn't capable of love!} "But...but..." he stammered helplessly.

"But?"

"But you can't trust him," Sirius said stubbornly, setting aside his doubts. "A snake doesn't change its spots."

"I think you have your metaphors mixed up," Lupin said with an amused smile.

"This is not a joking matter!" Sirius said hotly. "I won't let you--"

Lupin's blue eyes flashed with anger and took on a dangerous look. "You won't 'let' me?" he asked in a hard voice that Sirius had never heard before. "I told you, I won't let you come between us again! Do you want the same lecture I gave to Severus?" Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but Lupin was already answering his own question with, "Fine! You have no right to make decisions for me without my consent!"

"I'm just trying to protect you, Moony!"

"Why?" Lupin asked coldly. "Am I a child, too young to know any better? Do you think I'm an idiot? An incompetent?"

"Of course not! You're twisting my words around," Sirius complained.

"I'm over thirty years old, Sirius. Do you still think I'm incapable of thinking for myself?"

"I don't think you're stupid," Sirius snapped, "but I do think you're too trusting! You're making a mistake, trusting Snape!"

"Albus trusts him too, Sirius. Are you trying to tell me that you're wiser than Dumbledore?"

Sirius's face went red with anger and embarrassment, but he refused to back down. "In this, yes! Even the smartest man in the world can make a mistake! Yes, he is a wise old wizard, but he is soft, always believing in second chances--"

"Lucky for you, or you'd be back in Azkaban!" Lupin retorted. "And have the choices YOU made been so wise? You almost got both Severus and I killed when we were teenagers! You drove us apart, and we both spent nearly twenty years miserable and alone because of it. And have you learned from your mistakes? No! You are still as impulsive and arrogant as ever, and you needlessly jeopardized both your safety and the children's by sneaking around Hogwarts like a criminal!"

Sirius was too dumbfounded to defend himself; Lupin had always been quiet and gentle, almost never losing his temper. Come to think of it, the few times they had ever quarreled in the past had been over Snape as well...

"Perhaps you're right; perhaps I'm making a mistake. I don't think so, but if even if I am, that's my choice. I have the right to lead my own life and make my own mistakes."

"So you'll choose Snape over me?" Sirius asked accusingly.

"No," said Lupin quietly. "I will not choose one of you over the other. But I can force YOU to choose."

"I don't understand," said Sirius, now puzzled as well as angry.

"You must decide, Sirius, whether or not you will throw away our friendship over this. Severus is my lover, and you are my friend. I will not abandon him for you, or you for him. Severus understands this; he doesn't like it..." Lupin smiled wryly. "But he accepts it. So will you accept it as well, or will you walk away?"

Sirius stared at him, too frightened and hurt to feel angry any longer. "You mean it," he whispered. "You really would choose him..."

"The choice is yours, Sirius," Lupin repeated. "It would break my heart to lose your friendship, but I won't leave Severus." He gave his friend a sad look. "I have always loved you, Sirius, no matter how angry I was at you. Even after I thought you had betrayed James and Lily, I still couldn't bring myself to hate you." He gave Sirius a slightly twisted smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I think Severus suspected that, although he never said anything, and it drove him crazy."

It did make Sirius feel slightly better, but it hardly made up for the fact that his best friend was in love with his worst enemy.

"You just said you didn't care who I was with, as long as I was happy," Lupin reminded him. "And I am very, very happy with Severus."

"That's not quite what I said," Sirius grumbled. "You're twisting my words around again."

"Will you really throw away all those years of friendship just because you don't like my choice of lovers?" Lupin asked softly.

Sirius just continued to stare at Lupin, wondering why he felt so guilty for trying to protect his best friend.

Lupin crossed his arms and sighed. "Come now, Sirius. I told you, Severus has already accepted that I will make my own decisions whether he likes them or not. Are you willing to let Snape be a bigger man than you are?"

Sirius bristled at that. "You fight dirty, Moony!" he said, grinding his teeth together.

Lupin relaxed, seeing that he had won, and asked calmly, "What will it be, Sirius?"

Sirius growled and gave in with ill grace. "Dammit, Moony, it's not like I have so many friends that I can afford to throw one away!" Then he softened slightly and said, "James and Lily are dead; I can't bear to lose you as well."

Lupin smiled and said, "Thank you, Padfoot, old friend," giving him a hug.

Sirius hugged him back, then warned, "But if that slimy git hurts you, I swear I'll turn him into a slug!"

Lupin sighed wearily, and muttered under his breath, "The feeling is mutual, I'm sure."


Sirius was even more reluctant to leave now that he knew about Lupin's renewed romance with Snape. Although he had agreed not to interfere in Moony's life, Sirius still didn't trust Snape, and would have stayed behind to protect his friend, except that he knew it would only cause more trouble for Remus if he was caught here.

"Be careful," Sirius warned his friend, but knew he was wasting his breath.

"I will, Sirius," Lupin said patiently. "You be careful, too."

"I will."

Lupin packed some food--more sandwiches, as well as some fruit--and another change of clothes for Sirius. The two friends embraced one more time, then under the cover of nightfall, a shadowy figure slipped out of the cottage and back into the woods.
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Snape pushed aside the stack of papers he had been grading, and rubbed his temples, sighing wearily. He missed Lupin much more than he thought he would, considering that school was almost over, and he would see his lover in a few days. But he missed waking up next to Lupin in the morning, missed Lupin's calm, comforting presence. He really wished he could talk to Lupin right now. Although he didn't quite buy the story about Black's innocence, he kept thinking about Peter Pettigrew, wondering if he really was still alive, and if so, what Voldemort was up to.

He was in a foul mood; every time he saw Potter he had to forcibly restrain himself from strangling the boy; his fingers would twitch uselessly around thin air as he imagined them closing around the brat's neck. Snape had forgiven Lupin, but he still couldn't forgive Potter for interfering and helping Black escape. Lupin would probably tell him he was being irrational, and no doubt Lupin was right, but it infuriated Snape to no end to see Black team up with a Potter to humiliate and outsmart him once again. He didn't even have the pleasure of giving the brat a failing grade on the Potions exam; he was still on thin ice with the Headmaster, who had made it clear that he wouldn't tolerate Snape failing a student--Harry Potter in particular--without justification. And while Potter's grades were not good, neither were they bad enough to justify him failing the entire course. Longbottom was right on the borderline, and although Snape was tempted to fail the incompetent brat, he realized that only meant he would be stuck teaching Longbottom for yet another year! He shuddered at the thought, and allowed the boy to just barely squeak through Potions. He scowled at the exam papers, thinking to himself, {Four more years until they graduate...} Those four years seemed like an eternity from where he was sitting now. Of course, it was highly probable that Voldemort would make the whole point moot by killing them all any day now. The Potions Master let out a frustrated groan; if Lupin were here, he would tease and cajole Snape out of his bad mood.

{It's your own fault that he's gone,} his inner voice pointed out.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Snape. "Don't you think I know that?!" Fortunately, he was alone in his office, and no one was present to hear him talking to himself. He sighed again. He also wanted to talk to Lupin about Draco Malfoy; he wasn't sure what he should do about the boy. Was Draco capable of being redeemed, and if so, should Snape even risk trying, considering who his father was? He could not afford to have Lucius Malfoy suspect he was doing anything other than biding his time till the Dark Wizards had a chance to rise again. As for Draco, he was a clever enough lad, but he showed no sign of becoming anything other than a snob and a bully. On the other hand, there was something still child-like about him, a softness that Lucius had lacked at that age. It was probably due to the fact that Narcissa doted on the boy and spoiled him rotten; she was far from an ideal parent, but for all her faults, she did love her son. He wondered if she could be made to see that Draco would be safer serving Dumbledore's side than Voldemort's. Of course, Lucius was a proud and arrogant man; he might well prefer to see his son dead rather than have him join--in reality, and not just pretense--a bunch of Muggle-lovers and Mudbloods. But Snape was still haunted by the deaths of his old classmates Rosier and Wilkes--if he could save Draco, maybe, in some small way, it would make up for the ones he hadn't saved... Then he laughed bitterly; who was he trying to fool? It was not really the Malfoy child that he wanted to redeem, but himself.

Just then, there was a light tap on the door. Snape called out in a rather testy voice, "Come in!" but there was no response. He opened the door, and found a small tray filled with letters; a house elf must have just done a mail delivery. Owls delivered letters directly to the students, but unless it was something personal, the teachers' mail was usually dropped off at the school office and distributed by the house elves. Besides, most birds were unwilling to venture into the dungeons where Snape worked. He opened his letters; one was from Professor Kamiyama, discussing some possible improvements to the Wolfsbane Potion that he wanted to try. The Japanese wizard also extended an invitation to Snape and "your friend, Mr. Lupin" to visit him in his homeland this summer. An interesting proposal; perhaps he might take his colleague up on it. Snape was certain that the Death Eaters had not yet infiltrated the Far East, and it would probably be safer to spend his summer vacation with Lupin there rather than here in England.

The next letter turned out to be an advertisement from a new potions store that was opening up in Diagon Alley; he tossed it aside. There were also several letters from the parents of his Slytherin students, expressing outrage at the fact that a werewolf had been allowed to teach their precious offspring. Lucius Malfoy congratulated Snape on ridding the school of "that monster". "Or should I say mongrel?" Malfoy's letter continued. "Lupin has always reminded me more of a beaten dog than a ferocious wolf. Who would've thought that meek, shabby little wizard was a werewolf all along?" Snape ground his teeth together in rage and tore the letter up. At least something could be salvaged from this fiasco of his own making: Malfoy clearly thought Snape was still a good little Death Eater, so his cover was still safe. But it was a good thing that Lucius's message had been delivered via letter and not in person, because Snape wasn't sure that he could have restrained himself from punching Malfoy right in his condescending, aristocratic face.

The last letter had no return address, and no family crest or business logo pressed into the red wax that sealed the envelope shut. Snape opened it. The letter inside read, "I am not as trusting as Remus. If you break his heart, if you harm even one hair on his head, I will hunt you down and kill you, you slimy Slytherin git." The signature scrawled at the bottom of the page read simply, "Black". Snape stared at it in outrage, then reached for his wand, hoping he might be able to cast a spell that would divine the origins of the letter and give him a clue as to Black's whereabouts. But before he could utter a single word, the letter and envelope burst into flames, leaving behind nothing but smoke and a few ashes.

"Damn you, Black!" Snape shouted, his chance for revenge thwarted once again. But a very small part of him was relieved; after all, what would Lupin do if Snape sent his best (and supposedly innocent) friend back to Azkaban? He growled in frustration; Black had clearly been talking to Lupin, which meant that his lover probably knew where the fugitive was, but of course he would never give Snape that information. But he wasn't going to let Black chase him away from Lupin again. No, he would tolerate his lover's poor taste in friends, because the alternative--losing Lupin--was simply unacceptable. And Snape consoled himself, taking a sadistic pleasure in the thought that it must be killing Black to know that Lupin loved Snape, that Snape intended to spend the better part of the summer in Lupin's bed, and there was nothing Black could do about it. As much as he must want to, Black would be unable to remain at Lupin's side, because if he did, he would be caught--if not by Snape, then by the Ministry, who would eventually think to check up on Black's old associates. Snape felt a wicked smile spread across his face; suddenly things didn't seem so bad after all...
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Lupin was sitting in a chair reading a book, when he heard a loud "crack!" and Snape suddenly appeared in the middle of his living room. Lupin dropped the book and jumped up, happily shouting, "Severus!" as he threw his arms around his lover.

"I missed you, too, Lupin," Snape laughed, returning the embrace. Snape looked tired but happy, and Lupin grinned, wondering what the staff and students would think if they could see Snape's relaxed, happy face. He pictured the entire student population keeling over in a dead faint. Hmm, some of the teachers were getting on in years, though; he wouldn't want any of them to have a heart attack...

"What are you smirking about, Lupin?" Snape asked, but without his usual rancor.

"Oh, nothing," said Lupin innocently, and Snape gave him a suspicious look. He kissed Snape and said, "I'm just happy you're here, that's all."

"Hmm," Snape said, still looking suspicious, then shrugged, apparently deciding to let the matter drop. "I'm glad to see you, too." Then a wide grin appeared on his face.

"And what are YOU smirking about, Severus?" Lupin teased him.

Snape's grin grew even wider. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh? And where might you be hiding it?" Lupin began unfastening Snape's robes and slid his hands beneath them. "Here, perhaps?"

Snape playfully slapped Lupin's hands away. He chuckled in that delightfully wicked way of his that always drove Lupin wild with desire, that awoke the wolf's hunger, no matter what time of the month it was. "What's in there is no surprise to you," Snape laughed. "Though I'm sure you'll find it as pleasing as you always do."

"Then what is it?" Lupin asked, although at the moment he was more interested in getting inside his lover's robes than he was in finding out what Snape's surprise was. Snape motioned behind him, indicating the two suitcases he had brought with him when he Apparated over. Lupin smiled mischievously and said, "You don't need that much clothing just for a summer visit, Severus. In fact, I much prefer it when you aren't wearing anything at all..."

"One's for you, you silly git," Snape replied affectionately. "I noticed your old suitcase was falling apart."

Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Are we going somewhere?"

Snape grinned again. "We're going to Japan."

"Japan?!"

"Professor Kamiyama has invited us to stay for a couple of months. To visit his home, and possibly to work on some improvements to the Wolfsbane Potion. If you want to, that is."

"I'd love to visit Japan--and I've always wanted to meet Professor Kamiyama in person! It's a wonderful surprise, Severus! Thank you!" Lupin hugged Snape and kissed him fervently.

"Well, I suppose you should be thanking Kamiyama," Snape said, but nevertheless accepted Lupin's hugs and kisses.

"Now," said Lupin, turning his attention back to the fastenings on Snape's robes, "I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to. I seem to recall that Albus interrupted us at an inopportune moment just before I left..."

"Yes, a pity we never got to finish," murmured Snape as he began undressing Lupin as well. "That's been a little fantasy of mine ever since you came back to Hogwarts, you know...to throw you across your desk and have my way with you."

Lupin laughed, blushing slightly. "You should have said something, Severus! I would have gladly obliged."

Snape grinned wickedly. "Well, I didn't want to offend your delicate Gryffindor sensibilities. Or traumatize your students, should they happen to walk in on us."

"My sensibilities aren't so delicate, Severus." Lupin smiled at him slyly. "And doesn't the threat of being caught add to the excitement?" Snape stared at him in shock for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. Lupin loved that low, resonant, incredibly sexy sound... "Well, I'm sorry I don't have any students around, Severus, but I do have a kitchen table if you really have a table fetish--"

Snape laughed again. "I fear spending too much time with a Slytherin has corrupted you, Remus! No, the bed will do fine for now, but perhaps we can try out the table later if you like..."

In the end, they discovered that making love on a tabletop was rather uncomfortable, and more titillating in theory than in practice, but after all..."Nothing ventured, nothing gained," Snape pointed out with a grin.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

"So how are we getting there?" Lupin asked, as he packed his suitcase the following day. "I don't think I can Apparate that far."

"I'm sure I could do it," Snape said with his usual offhand arrogance, "but we don't have to. Kamiyama's arranged for us to use a Portkey in London. It's located in a Japanese restaurant run by wizards. The food's quite good there and it's very popular, but it was opened mainly as a cover for wizards to be able to travel and back and forth between the two countries without having to rely on Muggle conveyances."

Snape, who had obviously been there before, Apparated them into a small room furnished in simple Japanese-style decor. A moment later, a Japanese woman in a flowered kimono pushed back the sliding door and asked, "Professor Snape? Will you be dining with us today, or should I show you directly to the Portkey?"

"Directly to the Portkey, if you would, Haruko," Snape said in a far more polite tone than Lupin had ever heard him use at school. "But I will bring my friend back another time to try your excellent cuisine."

Haruko bowed and led them out of the room down a corridor. As they followed her, Lupin whispered, "I'm going to hold you to that, Severus."

"I'm a man of my word, Lupin," Snape whispered back with an air of offended dignity, and Lupin just smiled.

Haruko led them to another small room, this one located behind a locked door. She unlocked the door and ushered them into a room that was empty except for a large scroll hanging on the wall, a painting of a crane in flight. She bowed once more, then left them alone in the room, closing the door behind her.

"I assume the scroll is the Portkey?" Lupin asked, and Snape nodded. They reached out and touched the scroll together.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

They emerged in a mountainous region of Japan, near the foot of a long, winding path leading up a hill. A red torii gate--two large wooden pillars topped with two crossbars--framed the start of the path. Snape cast a spell on their bags to make them lighter and easier to carry; they could have floated them along, but Muggles from the nearby village often visited the temple where Kamiyama lived and worked, and no doubt floating luggage would unduly alarm them. Lupin was grateful for the spell, because he was a little out of breath by the time they reached the temple at the top of the hill. Snape, on the other hand, seemed to have plenty of breath to grumble the entire way up, saying things like, "I don't see why they couldn't have put the Portkey exit at the TOP of the hill..."

"Maybe the walk is supposed to build character," panted Lupin. "Kamiyama-sensei is a priest, after all. Though I don't know much about the Shinto religion..."

"Kamiyama-sensei has a perverse sense of humor, not unlike Dumbledore's," Snape continued to complain. "He probably gets a kick out of making wizards hike up to the temple."

Still, Lupin felt the effort was worth it, when they reached the top of the hill. The Japanese-style temple was beautiful, though not as large or elaborate as some pictures he had seen in books of more famous shrines, and was painted red, like the torii at the bottom of the path. Red, Lupin knew from the research he had done, was the color favored by Inari, the god of rice, the deity to whom the temple was dedicated. The entrance to the temple was flanked on either side by fox statues carved of stone--the kitsune, or fox spirits, were believed to be the messengers of Inari. The sculptor who had carved the statues must have been quite talented, because they looked very lifelike, especially the playful grins on their faces. The statue on the right had a small, stone cub tucked under one paw; it looked as if it might come to life at any moment and squirm out of its mother's grip.

A young couple was exiting the temple, and they stopped and stared at Lupin and Snape. "Perhaps we should have worn Muggle clothes," Lupin whispered. They were wearing their usual attire, long wizard robes over shirt and trousers, which looked odd and old-fashioned at best, by modern Muggle standards.

"We're foreigners," Snape said airily, apparently unconcerned. "We're supposed to look unusual."

"Ah, Snape-sensei!" said a cheerful voice, as a Japanese man in a red kimono emerged from the temple behind the young couple. His hair, which was tied back in a long braid, was iron-gray and his face was lined with wrinkles, but he looked quite fit and energetic as he strode down the temple steps and across the courtyard to greet Snape and Lupin. Snape bowed in formal Japanese style, and Lupin followed suit, but Kamiyama reached out and gave each of them a hearty handshake, saying in perfect English, "So good to see you again, Professor Snape! And you must be Professor Lupin; I'm so pleased to finally meet you in person."

The couple were walking by, trying without much success not to stare at them, and Kamiyama explained to them in Japanese, <They're tourists; friends of mine from England.>

<Ah, I see,> they murmured, and looked a little less concerned. They smiled pleasantly at the two wizards and started down the path, presumably going back to the village.

"The villagers think I am harmless, but a little eccentric," Kamiyama said with a mischievous little twinkle in his brown eyes. Lupin thought it was no wonder that Snape said the Japanese wizard reminded him of Dumbledore. "They won't think it unusual that some odd foreign guests have come to stay with me."

"See, Lupin?" Snape said. "Nothing to worry about." He muttered under his breath in a much lower voice, "And anyway, I refuse to wear Muggle clothes."

"I think you'd look quite fetching in a kimono," Lupin whispered back, and Snape blushed slightly as he glared at him.

Apparently, Kamiyama had excellent hearing, because he said, with his eyes still twinkling, "Actually, most people wear western-style clothes in everyday life, and only wear kimono on special occasions, unless it's a requirement of their profession, such as mine. But I can certainly direct you to a shop where you can buy one, if you like. As a souvenir of your trip, perhaps?"

Snape looked even more flustered as he hastily replied, "That won't be necessary," just as Lupin replied, "Thank you, that would be most kind of you." Snape glared at him again.

Kamiyama just gave them the same patient, slightly amused look Dumbledore often gave them, and said, "Well, shopping can wait for another day. You must be tired; I'll take you up to the house and you can have some refreshments and get settled in." He led them to a small house on the temple grounds, where he and his family apparently lived. They removed their shoes and left them at the door, as was the Japanese custom, and followed their host into the house.

He ushered them to a low table on the living room floor and said, "Please sit, and I'll serve you some tea. Naoki, Miyako, our guests are here."

Lupin and Snape seated themselves, a little awkwardly, on the floor beside the table, and a moment later, two teenage children, a boy and a girl, emerged and bowed politely to their guests.

"These are my grandchildren," Kamiyama said. "Naoki, the son of my eldest son, and Miyako, my daughter's child." Naoki looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, was dressed in t-shirt and jeans, and had collar-length black hair. He gave them a shy but friendly smile. Miyako looked slightly younger, and had a more reserved expression on her face. She had long black hair and was dressed in the white kimono and red hakama--wide, skirt-like trousers--of a shrine maiden, young women who assisted the priests in temple business and performed ritual dances. "Naoki, Miyako, this is Professor Snape and Professor Lupin, my esteemed colleagues from Hogwarts."

"Actually," Lupin said, "I have resigned my position at Hogwarts, so I can no longer claim the title of 'Professor'." Although he was careful to keep his tone casual and pleasant, he saw Severus blush. Lupin pretended not to notice, and continued, "So please, just call me Lupin or Remus."

Kamiyama looked a little surprised to hear that Lupin was no longer teaching, but all he said was, "Very well, Remus. Then you must both call me Naoto."

Miyako and Snape both looked less than thrilled about the sudden display of familiarity, but the girl said nothing, and Snape said politely--although the expression on his face was slightly sour, "Please call me Severus, then, Naoto."

Kamiyama beamed happily at them, then he and the children set out cups of tea and plates of rice crackers and sliced fruit. Lupin sipped at the tea; it tasted slightly bitter to him, but one advantage of consuming the Wolfsbane Potion on a regular basis was that it made everything else seem almost delicious by comparison. Meanwhile, Snape was handing a large box to Kamiyama, murmuring something polite in Japanese, something along the lines of, "Please accept this humble token of our appreciation..."

Kamiyama smiled with obvious pleasure when he saw the Honeydukes logo on the box. "Thank you very much, Severus! I do so love the Honeydukes' sweets! Ah...you didn't happen to include some of those Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, did you?"

"Ojiisan!" Miyako exclaimed disapprovingly. Lupin wasn't sure if it was because she thought he was being impolite by not simply accepting the gift with thanks or because she disapproved of her grandfather eating so much candy.

"Yes, I did, Naoto, as well as some fudge, toffee, and Chocolate Frogs," Snape replied. Lupin took a sip of tea to conceal his smile; apparently Severus and Naoto had a sweet-tooth in common.

"Would you like a Bertie Bott's Bean, Miyako, Naoki?" Kamiyama asked his grandchildren.

"Ah, no thank you, Grandfather!" Naoki said hastily. "I...ah...I'm not very hungry."

"No thank you," said Miyako, eyeing the box of candy suspiciously.

"Young people these days!" Kamiyama sighed. "No sense of adventure! They taste one booger-flavored bean and give up on the whole experience..."

"Mine was earwax," muttered Miyako. "And once was enough for me."

"Earwax is pretty awful," Lupin agreed sympathetically. "I always seem to pick the worst flavors...dirt, vomit, sardine..." he continued, and the girl gave him a small smile.

They made pleasant small talk while they finished their tea, then Kamiyama showed them to the guest room and let them get settled in, suggesting they get some rest before dinner.


It was a small, sparsely furnished room. It contained a dresser, a closet behind a sliding door, a small desk and chair in one corner, and two futon mattresses laid side-by-side on the floor.

"We seem to be sharing a room," Lupin observed. "Not that I mind, of course, but did you tell him that we're, well, um..."

"No," Snape said shortly. "It's a small house, Lupin. They probably don't have two rooms to spare, especially with Naoki staying here as well." Lupin looked at him inquiringly, and Snape said, "He lives with his parents in Tokyo during the school year."

Lupin smiled. "You seem to have gotten to know Naoto very well."

Snape glared at him. "It was necessary to talk when we were working on the potion," he said sarcastically.

"Yes, but I hadn't expected you to be interested in small talk--"

"I do know how to be polite, Lupin," Snape said in an icy tone, as Lupin made a very poor attempt to stifle his laughter.

"Well, it's just that I haven't seen much evidence of that," Lupin giggled.

"So why do YOU like me, then?" Snape asked sourly.

"Well, for one thing, you're amazing in bed," Lupin said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

A moment later, Kamiyama and his grandchildren could hear an outraged bellow of "LUPIN!" followed by the sound of Lupin dissolving into laughter. After another few moments, they heard Snape's deeper voice joining in on the laughter.

"Your friends are very...interesting...Grandfather," Naoki said a little dubiously.

"Snape-sensei wasn't like this the last time he visited," Miyako said musingly.

"I think that Remus has been a good influence on him," Kamiyama said with a smile. "It's nice to see that Snape-sensei has gained a sense of humor."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kamiyama's daughter--Miyako's mother--Tsuneko joined them a few hours later for dinner. She was a teacher also, who worked at the Japanese equivalent of Hogwarts, Mahou Gakkou, or School of Magic. The school was concealed deep in the mountains behind the temple. Tsuneko was a beautiful and quietly serious woman much like her daughter, except that her hair was an unusual shade of dark reddish-brown. She wore it in a long tail hanging down her back. As they ate a simple but delicious meal of fish, rice, and vegetables, Lupin noticed that Naoki talked about his mother and father back in Tokyo, but no one mentioned anything about Miyako's father. He wondered if her father was dead, or simply not in the picture, but of course it would be rude to ask. Perhaps Severus would know.

Meanwhile, Naoto was proudly telling his guests that Naoki, who had just graduated from high school, had been accepted into Tokyo University.

"Grandfather!" Naoki protested, a little embarrassed, but looking pleased with himself at the same time.

"Congratulations," Snape said. "That is the most prestigious college in Japan, is it not?" He was careful to keep his tone polite, but Kamiyama must have heard the unspoken words, "...for a Muggle school."

The old priest smiled gently and said, "But you are wondering, perhaps, why Naoki is attending a school for, ah, what do you call them in English...Muggles?"

Snape flushed and tried to mumble a polite denial, while Lupin asked curiously, "What do you call Muggles in Japanese?"

"Ippanjin," Kamiyama smiled. "'Ordinary people'."

Naoki set down his chopsticks and looked at Snape with solemn, but not angry, eyes. "I wish to be a healer, Snape-sensei. I have studied at Mahou Gakkou, of course, and taken courses in Herbology and Potions, but I also want to learn the ippanjin way of medicine. I will learn any method, magical or otherwise, that will help me to treat a patient. There are a few things that technology can do that magic cannot, and there are some things that are simpler to do without magic."

"That is true," Snape conceded, still looking a little flustered. "Not all potions are inherently magical; some are just an effective combination of normal herbs."

"Perhaps Snape-sensei would be kind enough to discuss healing potions with you," said Tsuneko to her nephew. "He is one of the foremost Potions Masters in the wizarding world." She smiled at Snape. "If it would not be too much of an imposition on our guest, of course."

Snape sat up a little straighter, looking quite pleased, and Lupin lifted his hand to his mouth to hide a smile. "No bother at all," Snape said. "I would be honored, although you already have a Master potions brewer in the family."

"You are too kind, Severus," said Kamiyama. "I am sure you can teach my grandson a great deal."

Lupin continued to eat in silence, amused and a little surprised by how well Snape got along with the Kamiyama family. Social skills had never been his strong point as either a student or a teacher, or perhaps he had just never bothered to exert himself at it before. But then again, Severus had always taken his work very seriously, and if working with Kamiyama required adhering to the strict rules of Japanese formality and etiquette, Severus would do it. Naoto seemed to have an informal and easy-going personality, though--again, not unlike Dumbledore.

Meanwhile, Naoki was telling Snape that his parents were both teachers at Muggle--ippanjin--schools; his mother taught at a grade school, and his father at a middle school. There was a reason for that, he explained. "They watch for emerging talents, for what Grandfather says you call Muggle-born wizards, and make sure they get the right training."

"An untrained wizard is a dangerous wizard," Kamiyama said gravely. "It is important to find them while they are children, before their powers get too strong and manifest unexpectedly, causing harm to both themselves and those around them."

"I agree," said Snape. "But isn't it difficult to live and work so closely with Mug...er...ippanjin?"

Kamiyama smiled. "In Japan, we do not live as separately from the Muggles as you do. It would be almost impossible, actually, since our country is so small and densely populated. And we are very proud of our heritage; we are Japanese first, and wizards second. Our Muggle-born wizards do not suffer from the same stigma and prejudice that exists in other countries, perhaps because the ordinary and the magical are so blended in our society." Lupin and Snape looked puzzled, so he explained further, "Our young people today drive in cars, catch the subway to work and school, talk on cell phones, use computers...but they still come to temples like mine to have their fortunes told, or to buy good luck charms to help them pass exams and find love. Many homes have small altars where incense and food are offered up to deceased loved ones. During Obon, the festival of the dead, we light lanterns to guide the spirits of the dead home from the spirit world and back again. Perhaps these are but quaint traditions and do not indicate a real belief in magic, but I like to think it is more than that. In any case, we exist quite comfortably alongside our non-magical kin."

Lupin and Snape were silent for a few minutes, lost in thought. If that attitude had existed in their country, Voldemort would never have been able to rise to such heights of power... Then Tsuneko changed the subject, talking about her work at Mahou Gakkou, and they began comparing similarities and differences between their two schools. Many of the same subjects were taught at both schools, though Divination was given more importance at Mahou Gakkou, but one major difference was:

"We do not divide the students into Houses, as you do at Hogwarts," Tsuneko said, surprising both Snape and Lupin. "Well, our student population is smaller," she continued. "But also, in Japan, cooperation is favored over individuality. That can be taken to an unhealthy extent, of course, but in general, we want our students to be united and not divided."

"No Houses," Snape murmured, having difficulty imagining that.

"Of course, our way is not necessarily the right way for everyone," Tsuneko said.

"But a lot of problems would be eliminated if there were no Houses," Lupin said slowly. "Maybe...maybe we could have been friends in school, Severus, if there had not been that arbitrary distinction between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Perhaps you would not have been at odds with James and the others..."

"Don't get carried away, Lupin," Snape said cynically. "People would still have formed cliques, gathered together by family, social status, and temperament. Your friends still would have hated me, and vice versa." Lupin sighed. "That's just the way it is, Lupin," Snape said with an apologetic shrug.

"But that is not the way it has to remain," said Kamiyama gently. "For you and Remus have changed, have you not? You were once in rival Houses, but are friends now."

Lupin smiled tenderly at Snape, who had just turned bright red. "Then that gives me hope for the future," Lupin said happily, and Snape suddenly became very interested in his food.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Later that night they pushed their futon mattresses together to form one makeshift bed. Lupin reached over to brush Snape's hair out of his eyes and stroke his cheek. "You like the Kamiyamas, don't you?" he asked.

Snape, who had been looking forward to a little romance, gave Lupin a grumpy look and said, "Kamiyama is a talented wizard, and his daughter seems to be as well--"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Lupin retorted. "You seem at ease with them, and it's not often that I see you go out of your way to be nice to someone--"

"Are you still harping about that?" Snape asked irritably.

"Sorry," said Lupin apologetically, but a little smile kept playing around the corners of his mouth. Snape wanted to stay angry at him, but staring at those lips reminded him of how much he wanted to kiss Lupin.

Snape sighed. "The Japanese value politeness, so I am careful to be polite so as to keep a good working relationship with Professor Kamiyama. I was born into a wealthy pureblood family, you know. I was drilled in etiquette by my mother since I was old enough to walk."

"Really?" Lupin asked, fascinated. Snape almost never talked about his family.

"Really," Snape said acerbically. "I do know how to be diplomatic; I just don't find most people to be worth making the effort. But my mother was--still is, I suppose--as snobbish as Narcissa Malfoy. She made sure I knew how to behave, at least among the people that mattered. And I was certainly never as spoiled as Narcissa's brat; if I had behaved the way Draco does, my parents would have slapped me with a Cruciatus Curse--"

"WHAT!?" shrieked Lupin.

"Keep your voice down, Lupin!" Snape hissed. "These walls are thin, you know!"

"Your own parents would have used the Cruciatus Curse on you?!" Lupin asked incredulously, though in a softer voice.

"Well, not the full-strength version, of course," Snape said calmly, as if he were merely discussing what to have for breakfast. "A much milder form. Unless I did something really terrible--like joining the Death Eaters and getting caught, for instance. But by then, of course, they would no longer have dared, because I was strong enough to block it." His voice took on a tone of dark and bitter satisfaction. "Actually, by then, I was probably stronger than they were. Of course, I did have more practice in actually using Dark Magic--" He broke off when he saw the horrified and pitying look on Lupin's face. Snape reached out and gently stroked Lupin's hair, saying mildly, "My, you certainly have led a sheltered life for a werewolf."

Lupin whispered, "We were poor and I was under a terrible curse, but my parents always loved me and did the best they could for me. Other families might have put me into an asylum, but they kept me and loved me, and never made me feel that they resented me because of my disease."

"Then you were lucky," Snape said quietly.

"Yes, I was," Lupin said in a shaky voice. "Though perhaps I didn't appreciate it as much as I should have. Oh, Severus--"

"I don't want your pity, Lupin," Snape said sharply. "My childhood was not so unusual, at least among the Slytherins."

Lupin wondered if that were really true--after all, Snape had just told him how indulgent the Malfoys were with Draco--but all he said was, "Then I won't give you any. But may I give you my love?"

Snape's expression softened, and he said, "Of course."

Tonight the wolf was quiet, its protective instincts roused rather than its lust, so Lupin very slowly, gently, and tenderly began kissing and caressing his lover, and soon Snape was gasping out loud with pleasure.

"The walls are thin, Severus," Lupin teased. "And there are children in the house."

"Then cast a silence spell!" Snape said impatiently. "We're staying here for two months, and I don't intend to remain celibate the whole time!"

"Yes, especially since I require my special 'treatment' when the full moon draws near," Lupin said, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Will you shut up and just cast the spell?!"

"Well, since you ask so politely..." Lupin laughed. "What happened to all that diplomatic behavior you were taught?"

"Cast the spell," Snape purred in a silky voice, "and I'll show you just how diplomatic I can be..."

"Oh!" gasped Lupin, as that voice caused a shiver to run down his spine, and he hastily found his wand and cast the spell without further comment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Their stay with the Kamiyamas passed quickly and pleasantly. Snape, Lupin, and Kamiyama spent a lot of time discussing ways to improve the Wolfsbane Potion. Naoki often joined them, just listening quietly, and Miyako sometimes joined them as well.

"I tried converting the potion into a form of tea," Kamiyama said one day, "but with limited success. The taste is more palatable--" Lupin looked up hopefully at that point. "--But the tea is weaker, less concentrated. One would have to take it daily for it to be effective. What do you think, Remus? Is it worth pursuing?"

"I don't know," Lupin said thoughtfully. "Taking a daily dose would be all right, I guess, but if something came up and you missed a dose--" He thought of that fateful night he had forgotten to take his potion, the night Sirius had returned...

"That is a problem," Kamiyama admitted. "Missing a day or two early in the cycle seems to have no ill effect, but missing it close to the full moon completely negates the effectiveness."

"It might be good for someone with a very stable life and daily routine," Snape began, then flushed as he remembered how he had cost Lupin the stability and security of his position at Hogwarts.

Lupin seemed to sense his thoughts and smiled at him forgivingly. "But for others, whose jobs require them to travel or work odd hours--the potion would probably be better, however awful it tastes. And people do get careless after awhile...sooner or later they'll forget a day..."

"Hmm, I'll keep it in mind, but I think for now we should stick to seeing if we can simply improve the regular potion, Severus," Kamiyama said.

He then questioned Lupin in detail about his transformations and how the potion affected him. Lupin told him of the great relief he felt when he was able to retain his human mind in his wolf form, as well as the physical pain of the transformation and how Severus helped him ease it by not fighting the wolf.

"Yes, Severus did write and tell me that lately you've been feeling less ill effects as the full moon draws near. Something about not fighting the wolf's instincts? I'd like to hear more about that if you don't mind; it's given me some ideas for altering the potion."

Snape ducked his head, letting his black hair fall across his face, and suddenly became very occupied with sorting through his research notes, while Lupin felt a blush spreading across his own face. The two children had been following the conversation with great interest, and Lupin found himself temporizing and delicately dancing around the subject, because the fact of the matter was that "not fighting the wolf's instincts" mainly meant that he and Severus had lots of sex in the week before the full moon.

Kamiyama watched Lupin stutter and stammer for a minute or two, then told the children, "Tsuneko is watching the temple for me while I work with Remus and Severus. Perhaps you should go and see if she needs some help."

Naoki looked disappointed. "Of course, Grandfather, but do both of us really have to go? I'd like to stay and learn more about making the potion--"

Miyako grabbed her cousin's hand and pulled him to his feet. "Come, Naoki, our guests will think you have no manners."

"Don't worry, Naoki-kun," Kamiyama said. "You'll have plenty of time to watch us work on the potion later."

Miyako led the reluctant Naoki out of the room, and Lupin couldn't be sure but he thought he saw her give him a very small smile as they left. However, even with the children gone, he was only slightly less embarrassed, and Severus was still pretending to be captivated by his notes. "Well, um, you see...I've noticed certain...ah...wolfish instincts getting stronger as the full moon approaches...and...er...if those instincts are, um, satisfied--"

"Are we talking about sex?" Kamiyama asked, sounding both impatient and amused at the same time. Snape let out a little yelp of surprise, and the papers he had been holding went flying up into the air; meanwhile Lupin's mouth dropped open. "Well, a beast has two main instincts, hunting and mating," Kamiyama said, his eyes twinkling. "And I didn't really think you would be doing a lot of hunting on a school campus."

"You haven't seen the Forbidden Forest," Snape muttered. Lupin was still blushing.

"Come now," Kamiyama said. "We are all adults here, after all..."

"I thought the Japanese didn't like to be so direct," Snape grumbled.

Kamiyama grinned in such a Dumbledore-like way that Lupin would have thought the two were related if he didn't know better. "There is a certain danger in believing in generalizations, Severus. I told you I had a reputation for being eccentric. Besides, it's obvious that the two of you care deeply about each other--"

"It is?" Snape asked, looking horrified, and hastily moved further away from Lupin, who started to laugh. "It's not funny, Lupin!"

"Sorry, but I think it is!" Lupin laughed.

"We have to be careful, Lupin," Snape said sulkily as he crossed his arms over his chest. "If any of the Death Eaters find out--"

"You're the one who said there are no Death Eaters in Japan," Lupin pointed out.

"Relax, Severus," Kamiyama said cheerfully. "You're among friends and on vacation, after all." He picked up a notebook and pen and said, "Now, if we could continue with our research..."

Lupin blushed again. He wasn't really comfortable with someone taking notes on his love life, but it was for a good cause, he supposed... "Yes, well, I've noticed that the...er...mating instinct is particularly strong the week before the full moon. And that when Severus and I, um, spend time together, I don't feel as ill. Less pain, less nausea." Then he paused, feeling confused as he realized something. "But I never used to feel that way before Severus and I, ah...um...began our relationship."

"Hmm," Kamiyama said thoughtfully as he scribbled a few notes. "Very interesting. I think perhaps the wolf's violent instincts were channeled into a more, shall we say, beneficial direction?" Lupin and Snape were both crimson by now. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"But Lupin's always been very calm and nonviolent for a werewolf," Snape said, attempting to regain his composure. He turned to Lupin. "You never--well, almost never--lose your temper, no matter how badly you're provoked. I, of all people, should know."

Lupin clasped his hands together and looked down at them. "I was always afraid of letting the beast loose," he whispered. "I kept myself under control at all times; I was afraid of what might happen if I lost my temper and let the wolf take over."

"Lupin," Snape said softly, and Lupin felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. He looked up into his lover's concerned eyes and felt a little better. He treasured the tender look in Severus's eyes because he knew how hard it was for Severus to let down his defenses, and Lupin had never seen him do it before when they weren't alone. "I don't believe that," Snape said solemnly. "I mean, I believe that you worked hard to keep the wolf under control, but I think it was more than that. Werewolf or not, you are a naturally kind and generous man." Snape gave him a slightly ironic smile. "Unlike other people we know--myself, for instance."

"Oh, I think you're very generous, Severus," Lupin smiled. "Creating a potion to help someone you were estranged from and hadn't spoken to in years is not exactly the act of a selfish person."

Snape scowled, looking even more embarrassed than he had when they were talking about sex. "Don't ruin my reputation, Lupin," he said sourly.

They heard a soft chuckle behind them, and they looked up with a start, remembering that they weren't alone. "I think you're both right," Kamiyama said. "I agree with Severus that you are a naturally kind person, Remus. And that must have made it even more terrifying for you when the beast took over every month." Lupin nodded in surprise, for no one else had ever understood so well how he felt about the transformation. "But at the same time, I'm sure Remus fought very hard not to let the beast take over. That's always been the prevailing theory--that one must fight the beast or lose one's humanity. But perhaps what is really necessary is simply striking a balance between man and wolf. I think fighting against your wolf side's natural instincts was making you ill, Remus. Now that you aren't, the wolf is easier to pacify. Very, very interesting." He paused and scribbled furiously in his notebook.

"But what about the wolf's other instinct?" Snape mused. "Hunting, I mean? Would indulging that side of the wolf have a similar effect?"

Lupin shuddered. "I don't think I want to try."

"I'm not sure," Kamiyama admitted. "It is the more destructive side of the wolf. The mating instinct perhaps brings out the more nurturing side of the wolf, the need to protect mate and cubs."

Lupin smiled at Snape. "Mate, perhaps. I don't think there are likely to be any cubs." He laughed as Snape spluttered; it was so easy to get a rise out of him... "But yes, I have noticed that the wolf feels very protective of Severus."

Snape glared at Lupin and muttered under his breath, "Severus is going to strangle the smart-aleck wolf one of these days..."

Kamiyama ignored their bantering as he shuffled through his notes. "I was thinking of adding duckweed to the potion, Severus. It is said to have been used by kitsune in ancient times to help facilitate their shapeshifting. I never thought of trying it when we first created the potion, because we were essentially trying to halt the transformation, not facilitate it. But if we're going with the theory that it's better to accommodate the wolf than to completely repress it, I think there's a good chance it could help make the transformation easier and less painful. After all, we already have the most dangerous part of the wolf under control--the mindless need to bite and attack. Remus and the other recipients of the potion have all reported that they remain sane during the full moon. But this could greatly ease the debilitating physical effects of the change--"

Kamiyama sounded very excited, and Snape caught his enthusiasm, forgetting his embarrassment and irritation. "It's definitely worth a try! Of course, we'll have to make sure it doesn't negate the effectiveness of the aconite--"

The two wizards were soon wrapped up in discussing this new theory, writing more notes, flipping through books, and trying to calculate the proper amount of duckweed that should be added to the mixture. Neither of them noticed when Lupin smiled and left the room to head over to the temple.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

He rinsed his hands and mouth, as was the custom, at the purification fountain before entering the shrine. Lupin smiled; the stone fountain looked as if it had been carved by the same artist who had made the fox statues; water poured from the mouth of a rather whimsical-looking dragon. The main room of the temple was empty; neither the Kamiyamas nor any worshippers were present, but he found Tsuneko and the children working in the temple office. Tsuneko was going over some paperwork, Miyako was carving a small piece of wood with a knife, and a rather glum and bored-looking Naoki was putting together the omamori charms that the temple sold: he took little slips of paper containing prayers the head priest--his grandfather--had written and blessed, and put them into beautiful little brocade bags. Naoto had explained to him that most Japanese temples, both Shinto and Buddhist, sold various types of charms--for protection, for good health, for passing exams...

"Have you a love charm among those, Naoki?" Lupin asked with a mischievous grin.

Naoki looked up with a start. "Lupin-san! Have you finished discussing the potion?"

"Your grandfather and Severus are discussing the possibility of adding duckweed to the potion, but they didn't seem to need me any longer. I'm not a very good potion-brewer, so I won't be much help with the more technical aspects of it. But I thought perhaps you might like to join them, if your aunt doesn't need your help."

"Duckweed," murmured Tsuneko. "How interesting."

"Duckweed?" Naoki asked, startled. "But that's to aid transformations; you don't really need any help changing, do you, Lupin-san? I thought the werewolf's transformation was automatic; you can't stop it even if you wanted to."

"No, nothing can stop the physical transformation," Lupin agreed. "But it is very painful, and your grandfather believes it might make the process easier."

"I had never thought of that before!" Naoki's face was getting that same distracted look that Severus always got when he was absorbed in a particularly challenging project, and Lupin smiled. Naoki gave Tsuneko a pleading look. "Obasan--"

She waved a hand at him. "Go."

The boy ran for the door, then remembered his manners, and paused to bow to Lupin before running off to the house.

"He reminds me a little of Severus when he was young," Lupin mused. "Though much more polite and good-natured, of course." Tsuneko looked up and smiled but said nothing, then turned her attention back to her paperwork, so Lupin went to see what Miyako was doing. She seemed to be carving small fox figurines out of wood. One completed figure already sat on the table in front of her. The front half of the fox was crouched down low, while its hind end and tail were up in the air. There was a playful expression on its face, and Lupin half-expected it to come to life and pounce at him. "How beautiful!" he said.

Miyako gave him a pleased smile. "I make these for the temple; we sell them as souvenirs."

"They're lovely," Lupin said, reaching out with one finger to gently stroke the crouching fox. "I like to carve, too. My father taught me how when I was a child. I didn't have time to do any carving while I was teaching at Hogwarts, though."

"I have plenty of wood and an extra knife if you'd like to join me," Miyako said.

"I would like that very much, thank you, Miyako."

He joined her and they carved in companionable silence, until Miyako looked over at the fox he was carving and said, "You're very talented, Lupin-san."

"Thank you. I'm a little out of practice, though."

"Maybe we could make a family," Miyako suggested. "A mother and father fox, and cubs."

"A good idea," Lupin agreed, and they continued working in silence. Some visitors arrived from the village a few minutes later, and Tsuneko went out to greet them.

"Everything in the temple is so beautiful," Lupin said. "The building itself, the fox statues, the fountain, your little fox figures, and even the omamori..."

Miyako looked up and gave him a small smile. "I don't think you really need a love-charm, Lupin-san."

Lupin gave her a startled look. The expression on her face was reserved and serious as always, but there was just a hint of mischief in her eyes that reminded Lupin of her grandfather. He blushed, then laughed. "You're a very perceptive girl, Miyako."

Her eyes were solemn now. "When I first saw you and Snape-sensei, I could see a red thread binding you together." Lupin looked confused, and Miyako explained, "In Japan, there is a legend that says two people linked by a red thread are destined to be lovers."

Lupin just stared at her. "You could see--? Do you have the Sight, Miyako?"

"Yes," she replied. "But I can't always control it; it comes and goes as it will. But my mother will be angry if she hears me talking to you like this, about things that are none of my business." That mischievous sparkle was back in her eyes, not unlike the look on the face of the little fox-statue she had carved.

Lupin smiled. "Then it will be our secret. It makes me very happy, to know that Severus and I are destined to be together. But you probably shouldn't mention it to him; he gets embarrassed rather easily, in case you haven't noticed. And Severus gets very grumpy when he's embarrassed."

Tsuneko returned to find her daughter and Lupin laughing together. "Why, what's so funny?" she asked.

"Nothing," Lupin and Miyako chorused, identical looks of innocence on their faces. Tsuneko gave them a suspicious look, then shrugged it off with a smile. Lupin might be a wolf, but under that innocent face, he had the playful heart of a fox, and what could be more appropriate in a temple of Inari?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Snape and Kamiyama spent a lot of time working on the potion, so Lupin occupied himself discussing magic with Tsuneko, carving fox figurines for the temple, or practicing his Japanese with the children. They also claimed he was helping them by allowing them to practice their English, but as far as Lupin could tell, they were quite fluent and didn't need much practice. Naoki was interested in learning German, though, and Lupin was able to give him some real assistance with that. And when Snape wasn't working on the Wolfsbane Potion, he would take some time to teach Naoki about healing potions as he had promised.

To Lupin's surprise, the house had many modern Muggle items: a computer, television, vcr, and video game consoles. Both children had portable cd players, and Naoki had his own laptop computer that he used to exchange e-mail with his family and friends in Tokyo. Lupin was fascinated by these devices, and the children gladly taught him how to use them.

"You should get a cd player, Lupin-san," Naoki said earnestly, "since you're interested in learning Japanese. There are lots of instructional disc sets you can buy; it's easier to learn when you can hear someone speaking the words, instead of just trying to read them from a book by yourself."

One day Snape found Lupin playing video games with Naoki and Miyako, and frowned, obviously torn between wanting to voice his displeasure and not wanting to be rude in front of his hosts. "You certainly have a lot of Muggle devices," he said, trying for a neutral tone, although it came out sounding rather sour.

"Yes," Kamiyama said cheerfully. "As I mentioned, technology and magic exist side-by-side in our country. One shouldn't become dependent on ippanjin technology, of course, but there's no reason to completely avoid it, either. Some of these devices are quite useful."

"Oh yes, THAT looks very useful," Snape muttered sarcastically, as he watched Lupin and the children battle with some brightly-colored cartoon characters on the tv screen.

"Playing video games increases hand-and-eye coordination," Naoki said without looking away from the tv. "I read in the newspaper about a study that was done on it."

"It's fun, Severus," Lupin said. "And oddly addictive. You should try it."

Snape just scowled. "I'm going back to work on the potion," he announced, and turned on his heel and left the room, his black robes swirling around him.

Naoki looked worried. "Did we offend Snape-sensei?"

"Don't worry about it," Lupin said, unconcerned. "Snape-sensei is always grumpy. I don't think he's really happy unless he has something to complain about."

Miyako laughed merrily, Kamiyama smiled, and Naoki shrugged and turned his attention back to the game.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

"We have completed the new version of the potion," Kamiyama announced one night at dinner.

"That's wonderful!" said Lupin. "And just in time; the full moon is almost a week away."

Snape had a brooding look on his face. "There's no reason to think it won't be effective, but I don't like using you as a guinea pig, Lupin."

"Well, someone's got to try it," Lupin replied. "Lycanthropy can't be passed on to animals, so you can only test it on human subjects, and I'm the only werewolf here." The family exchanged meaningful glances with each other, and Lupin began to wonder. "Um...Naoto? If I'm not being rude, why did you become interested in developing the Wolfsbane Potion? Are there werewolves in Japan? I thought normal wolves were extinct in this country."

Kamiyama smiled at him. "Japan has a long history of shapeshifters: the kitsune, of course, but also the tengu, the birdmen; and the tanuki, the raccoon-dogs who, much like the kitsune, take human form and love to play tricks on people. These creatures, however, are true shapeshifters, and do not suffer from a disease as werewolves do. As for wolves, officially they became extinct in this country in 1905, but unofficially...a few still remain. Incidentally, the wolf used to be considered a divine creature in this country--although that obviously didn't stop people from hunting them. There is a small tribe of werewolves living in these mountains, and I began working on the potion as a way to help them. They are in some ways, more wolf than man. They run with some of the few true wolves remaining, and most of them spend a great deal of time in wolf form even when the moon is not full. They keep to themselves and hurt no one, but one day a young man from the tribe came seeking my help. He feared his people would lose their humanity altogether one day, and be unable to change back from their wolf forms into men. So I began my work, and Severus heard of my research, and we collaborated together on the potion."

Lupin was stunned. "I've never met another werewolf before," he said. "Do you think I might be able to meet some of your friends?"

"I'm not sure," Kamiyama replied. "They're very shy, and suspicious of outsiders. But I will ask, the next time I see them."

"Thank you," said Lupin.


Later, in bed, Lupin asked Snape, "Did you know about the werewolves here?"

"No," Snape said. "When we worked on developing the potion together, he never volunteered the information, and I never asked. I was afraid if I did, he might ask me why I was doing it, and I didn't want to answer."

Lupin smiled tenderly. "You were doing it for me," he said softly.

"Yes," Snape admitted reluctantly.

"Thank you," said Lupin, kissing him. He nuzzled Snape's face in an almost wolf-like manner, and whispered in his ear, "You know, I think I feel some of those wolfish instincts stirring..."

Snape grinned wickedly. "Well, I feel something stirring beneath these blankets, but I don't think it's a wolf--"

Lupin blushed furiously, then pounced on top of Snape and growled at him playfully and nipped at his throat.

"My, my, the wolf IS frisky tonight--" Snape said teasingly before Lupin sealed his mouth with a kiss. He had just enough presence of mind to reach for his wand and cast a silence spell before they both gave in to the wolf's instincts.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lupin dutifully took the new, improved potion every day during the week before the full moon. He noticed no difference in the taste, which was as awful as it ever was, but he felt only occasional surges of nausea, which quickly passed, and while he felt rather tired, the sharp spasms of pain he usually felt were dimmed to more of a dull ache. Severus hovered over him anxiously the entire week, like a mother hen fussing over a chick, and Kamiyama questioned him about his symptoms, taking copious notes. As long as he didn't exert himself too much, Lupin could go about his normal activities: helping out in the temple, giving Naoki German lessons, and playing video games with the children. When he grew tired, he would sit back and read the manga comics the children gave him, occasionally flipping through his dictionary, or asking the children or Severus to help him with a word he didn't understand. Severus, Lupin discovered somewhat to his surprise, was fluent in Japanese, having learned it once he began collaborating with Naoto. Severus didn't have Lupin's natural gift for learning languages, but apparently he had set about the task with the same single-minded devotion he put into his potions and his lesson plans. It impressed and touched Lupin that Snape had gone through so much trouble for his sake, when they had still been estranged from one another. Snape didn't really care to speak it much, though; he was better at understanding and writing the language than speaking it, and had trouble pronouncing certain words and syllables, while Lupin could mimic perfectly the phrases Naoki and Miyako taught him even if he didn't understand what they meant. All in all, the week passed quite pleasantly, especially the nights, during which the wolf was quite energetic and not at all tired. Snape joked that they should just leave the silence spell up on the room until their stay was over.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The night of the full moon, Lupin and Snape retired to their room early. Lupin lay back on the futon, waiting for moonrise while Snape paced around nervously. As darkness fell, Lupin thought he could hear something over the sound of Snape's footsteps.

"Severus! Shh! Do you hear that?"

Snape paused and listened. He heard a faint, rhythmic pounding--like a heartbeat, or the sound of a drum. He pushed open the sliding door and went out into the living room, but it was empty. He called out, "Naoto? Tsuneko?" but no one answered.

Lupin had followed him out of the bedroom. "It seems to be coming from outside. Perhaps they're having some kind of ceremony at the temple?"

"Naoto didn't mention anything like that," Snape said, frowning slightly. "Shall we go take a look?"

Lupin hesitated. He didn't want to intrude if the priest was conducting some sort of private ritual, but he was very curious. "Yes, just a quick glimpse. We can come back if it seems to be some sort of private ceremony."

They left the house and followed the sound to its source, the temple courtyard. Miyako was dancing, in her shrine maiden outfit, to the beat of a small hand-held drum her mother was pounding. Naoki and Naoto sat watching from the temple steps. It did seem to be some sort of ceremony, and Snape and Lupin started to quietly retreat back to the house, but Kamiyama had spotted them. "Severus, Remus! Will you join us?"

"We don't wish to intrude..." Lupin said hesitantly.

Kamiyama and his daughter exchanged a glance; she shrugged and nodded. "It's no intrusion," Kamiyama said, and Lupin and Snape walked over and sat beside him on the steps.

"Is this a Shinto ritual?" Lupin asked.

Kamiyama smiled. "It's more of a kitsune ritual, you might say."

Before Lupin could ask what he meant, a pale figure approached the courtyard. The newcomer did not come up the path Lupin and Snape had taken when they arrived, but seemed to be coming from the direction of the mountains behind the temple. He was tall, and dressed in a clean but much-patched kimono and hakama that had faded from their original colors into a dingy gray--much like the shabby robes that comprised most of Lupin's wardrobe, actually. The hair that fell across his shoulders was pure white, but his face was young; he looked about as old as Lupin and Snape, give or take a few years. His eyes were his most unusual feature--they were a clear golden-amber.

Miyako stopped dancing and ran up to embrace the stranger, shouting, "Otoosan!"

Snape's jaw dropped open, and Lupin asked, "Otoosan? Doesn't that mean 'father'?"

"Yes," Kamiyama said quietly. "That is Seiji, Miyako's father."

Seiji hugged and kissed his daughter, then let go of her for a moment to accept an embrace from Tsuneko, who had set aside her drum and come to greet him. Then he happened to look up and saw Snape and Lupin sitting on the steps, and froze, his golden eyes suddenly wary.

<Who are they?> he growled.

<Friends of my father's,> Tsuneko replied. <Come, I will introduce you.> She took his hand and led him forward, almost having to pull him by force as he hung back, looking angry and suspicious. "This is Seiji, my husband," she said to Lupin and Snape. "I'm afraid he doesn't speak English." Snape gave him a slight bow, and Lupin greeted him politely in Japanese, but Seiji still eyed them warily. Tsuneko said to her husband, <This is Remus Lupin and Severus Snape, teachers from Hogwarts School in England.>

<Why have you brought strangers here?> Seiji snarled accusingly at Kamiyama. Then his golden eyes flew wide open, and he leaned over towards Lupin and began sniffing him, in a very dog-like--or wolf-like--fashion. Snape reached for his wand, but Lupin laid a restraining hand across his arm. <This one is a wolf!> Seiji exclaimed in surprise.

<Don't be so rude, Husband!> Tsuneko scolded. <They are not strangers! Snape-sensei is the one who helped Father create the Wolfsbane Potion, and Lupin-san is a werewolf, who has been aiding them in improving it.>

The expression on Seiji's face changed from angry to startled, then embarrassed and conciliatory. He bowed low and said, <Please forgive my rudeness. I have been among the wolves too long. I am very grateful to you, Snape-sensei, for the potion that has helped my people.>

Snape bowed in return, looking startled. Lupin glanced at him inquiringly, and Snape said, "He thanked me for making the potion. He seems to be from the werewolf tribe Naoto mentioned."

Kamiyama smiled. "Well, it seems you did get to meet one of the werewolves, after all, Remus! Seiji is my son-in-law. He was always an adventurous sort, and went wandering farther down the mountain than most of the wolves go. One day he met my daughter, and well...one thing led to another." Tsuneko blushed like a young girl, and Kamiyama grinned. "Seiji spends most of his time with the werewolf tribe; he isn't really comfortable being around humans much, but he comes to visit Tsuneko and Miyako regularly, of course."

"Then--that would make Miyako half-werewolf!" Lupin exclaimed.

"Yes, that is why I have worked so hard on the potion, you see. Well, of course I would have done it anyway for Seiji and his people--but to see your little granddaughter suffering so..." Kamiyama sighed. "We had hoped her kitsune blood would stave off the curse, but unfortunately--"

"Kitsune?!" Lupin exclaimed again.

Kamiyama gave him an amused smile. "Surely, Remus, you must have suspected. All the fox statues and kitsune lore associated with the temple...why do you think I know so much about shapeshifters? That is where Miyako's Sight, where all our magical powers come from--from our kitsune blood. Our ancestors are said to be the foxes who originally offered their services up to Inari."

"I had suspected," murmured Snape, "but I wasn't sure..."

Lupin was feeling rather stupid, but had no time to dwell on it; the full moon began to appear above the mountaintops, shining its silvery light down on the courtyard. Miyako began to dance again, holding out her arms, as if welcoming the moon. Seiji just stood and waited, still and silent. Lupin rose and slowly walked down the steps to the courtyard, pulled by the call of the moon. As the moonlight fell upon him, Lupin dropped to the ground as he felt the change sweep over him. There was pain, but it was not as bad as usual, and his human form seemed to melt more swiftly into his wolf shape.

Snape watched from the steps as Lupin and the other two wolves transformed. Seiji turned into a large white wolf, and Miyako transformed into a much smaller black one. Snape wondered if she was so small because she was still young, or if it was because of her kitsune blood. Tsuneko transformed herself into a small red fox and greeted her mate and daughter, touching noses with them briefly. Seiji licked her face affectionately. Miyako frolicked in the moonlight, leaping up into the air as if she were still dancing. She playfully nipped at Lupin's tail, and her mother cuffed her across the nose, although Miyako's wolf form was nearly twice as large the fox. But Lupin's mouth dropped open in a grin and he barked, a sound that was obviously a laugh. Miyako and Lupin began chasing each other around the courtyard playfully, like puppies. Her parents watched indulgently for a moment, then joined in. From the corner of his eye, Snape saw Kamiyama's form blur and change, and a fox, its red fur grizzled with gray, ran down to join in the fun. Snape watched with a sour expression, feeling rather left out. He was used to spending the nights of the full moon with Lupin resting comfortably in his lap. He was surprised to find Naoki still sitting on the steps with him, watching the foxes and wolves frolic with a wistful expression on his face.

"Aren't you going to join them?" Snape asked in a disgruntled tone.

"I can't," Naoki replied regretfully. "I'm not able to change. My father is kitsune, but my mother is human. Some half-bloods can shapeshift, but I'm one of those that can't."

"Oh," said Snape in a more sympathetic tone. "I'm sorry."

"My grandfather did transfigure me into a fox once, though, so I could see what it felt like. That was fun."

Just then, several wolves emerged from the path Seiji had taken down from the mountains. They barked out greetings to Seiji, but then growled when they saw Lupin. Snape stood, reaching for his wand, but Naoki grabbed his wrist. "No, Snape-sensei! It's my uncle's pack; they won't hurt him."

Snape growled, a low and menacing noise that made him sound like a wolf himself, but he stood and watched, still ready to shake off the boy's grip and reach for his wand.

Lupin watched as the pack snarled and circled around him, an unfamiliar wolf intruding on their territory. He was outnumbered, and as he had once jokingly told Severus, he was not an alpha wolf. The wolf inside him wanted to cringe and roll over in submission, but the man knew that Severus would be hurt if Lupin did that for anyone but him. So he stood his ground, staring at the other wolves with a steady, but non-threatening gaze. He saw Severus jump to his feet, then saw Naoki grab his wrist, and hoped the boy would keep Severus from doing anything foolish.

Then Seiji broke the impasse; he leaped forward and snapped at the wolves, driving them away from Lupin. Then Naoto, Tsuneko, and Miyako quietly walked over and stood by him. The wolves looked from the kitsune family to Seiji, who barked at them. He seemed to be talking to them, though Lupin, even in his wolf form, had no idea what Seiji was saying. Whatever it was, it seemed to work. The wolves approached Lupin in a more friendly manner, sniffing him and touching noses with him. Then they dipped their heads in Naoto's direction respectfully, as if bowing, and headed back towards the mountains, howling joyfully as they ran. Seiji, Miyako, and Tsuneko followed them.

Snape felt a sudden and irrational fear come over him as he watched the wolves sniff and touch noses with Lupin, then run off towards the mountains. What if Lupin went with them? He had always been an outcast in the human world; what if he wanted to stay and be with his own kind? Then Lupin turned away, trotted back up the temple steps, and flopped down happily in Snape's lap. Snape sighed with relief, and his little inner voice scolded him for being so foolish. He scratched behind Lupin's ears; he was so relieved to have Lupin back, that he didn't care that Naoto--who had transformed back into human form--and Naoki were watching him being affectionate with the wolf. Lupin jumped up for a moment and licked Snape's face lovingly, then settled back in his lap, making contented little growling noises as Snape continued to pet him and scratch behind his ears.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The rest of their vacation passed quickly, and before they knew it, they were packing, preparing for their trip home the following day. Lupin had bought some souvenirs: the crouching fox statuette Miyako had carved, and some protective omamori charms for himself, Severus, and Albus. He would have liked to have bought a charm for success in exams for Harry, but he was supposed to keep his trip to Japan with Severus a secret from everyone but Albus. He also bought two kimono over Severus's protests. The one he had chosen for himself was a deep blue with a stylized wave pattern in white and pale blue, and the one he had bought for Severus was black with a twisting, serpentlike dragon embroidered down the back of the garment in shades of gold and green.

"You wasted your money, Lupin," Snape said with a scowl, "because I'm not wearing that thing."

"But it's almost like a wizard's robe," Lupin protested. "And it's a dragon--doesn't it look a lot like the Slytherin House symbol?" He held the robe up in front of Snape. "Look, the color really suits you! You'd look really handsome in it!"

"Appealing to my vanity won't work, Lupin," Snape replied, but he seemed to be wavering just a little.

"The silk feels really smooth and sensuous on your skin," Lupin added temptingly, lifting the garment and rubbing it across Snape's cheek.

"Well..."

"It would look so sexy on you," Lupin murmured, nuzzling Snape's neck and blowing gently in his ear.

Snape's knees suddenly went weak and nearly buckled under him. "You play dirty, Lupin."

"I learned it from you, you sly Slytherin," Lupin purred. "Tell you what, I'll try on mine if you try on yours..."

"Oh, very well," Snape grumbled. "As long as I don't have to wear it in public..."

Snape did indeed look very handsome in the black kimono, which nicely set off his dark hair and pale skin. And Snape thought Lupin looked gorgeous in the blue-and-white kimono, which seemed to bring out the blue in his eyes.

The kimono stayed on for about five minutes before they were tossed aside and the two lovers were rolling around on the futon mattresses (after casting a silence spell, of course).

"What was the point of making me wear it, if you were only going to take it off again?" Snape panted between kisses.

Lupin just grinned at him, his blue eyes shining. "Are you saying that a garment that drives me so wild with desire that it makes me want to rip the clothes right off your body is a bad thing, Severus?"

"Good point, Lupin," Snape conceded, resolving to wear the kimono more often when they got back home.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

They bid goodbye to their hosts the next day. The Kamiyamas pressed a number of gifts upon them: packages of Japanese sweets and rare potion ingredients native to Japan for Snape, and the children gave Lupin manga books and a handheld video game, along with a generous supply of batteries. Snape frowned a little at that, and Lupin decided not to tell him that Naoki had helped him pick out an inexpensive cd player when they'd gone shopping for the kimono. Just before they left, Miyako handed Lupin one last gift.

"Here, Lupin-san," she said, handing him a small cloth-wrapped bundle. "I was going to give you the fox you liked, but Ojiisan said you had already bought it, so I made you something else instead."

"Thank you, Miyako," Lupin said. "You didn't have to do that." He started to unwrap the folds of cloth, then hesitated. It was against Japanese etiquette to open a gift in front of the giver, although the Kamiyamas didn't seem to stand on ceremony much.

"Oh, go ahead and open it," Miyako said eagerly. "I want to see if you like it!"

So Lupin smiled and unwrapped the gift. Miyako had carved two small wooden figures, wolves this time instead of foxes. One was unpainted, the natural light brown of the wood polished to a high gloss, and the other had been painted black. A thin red cord was wrapped around their necks, binding the two figures together.

Lupin laughed out loud, Naoki's eyes went wide, Kamiyama just smiled, and Tsuneko exclaimed, "Miyako!" in a voice that wavered between outrage and laughter.

Snape gave Lupin a puzzled look. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"Nothing," Lupin said, still chuckling as he stowed the gift safely away in his bags. "I'll explain later."

Snape looked at him suspiciously, but didn't want to make a fuss in front of their hosts, so they said their goodbyes and started back down the path towards the Portkey, which on this side of the magical gate was a large, nondescript stone somewhat off to the side at the bottom of the hill.

"By the way, Severus," Lupin reminded him, "don't forget that you promised to buy me a meal at that restaurant."

"I said I was a man of my word, Lupin," Snape replied. "We can have lunch there before returning home, if you like. By the way, what did you find so amusing about Miyako's gift?"

Lupin whispered into his ear, and Snape's black eyes flew wide open as his face turned bright red. If anyone at the top of the path--such as a mischievous kitsune--had been listening, they would have heard a deep voice bellowing, "LUPIN!" in a mortified tone.

THE END.

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