Chapter Seventeen: Huntsman, What Quarry

Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink

Nor slumber, nor a roof against the rain;

Nor yet a floating spar for men who sink

And rise and sink and rise and sink again;

Love cannot fill the thickened lung with breath,

Nor clean the blood nor set the fractured bone;

Yet many a man is making friends with death

Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.

It well may be that in a difficult hour,

Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,

Or nagged by want past resolution's power,

I might be driven to sell your love for peace,

Or trade the memory of this night for food.

It well may be. I do not think I would.

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Sirius wakes slowly, sleep still lingering in the corners of his mind. He and Remus are tangled together, and Sirius takes a moment to be grateful for something he'd never thought he could have.

He kisses Remus gently, then moves his attention downwards, waking Remus, who makes a satisfied noise.

"Sirius," he murmurs, and Sirius smiles back before leaning down and taking Remus into his mouth. Remus makes a sound in the back of his throat and reaches a hand down to run through Sirus' hair. The outside world disappears, and the only thing that matters is the noises Remus is making, the taste and feel of him. They lose themselves in each other, and for the first time in a long time, Sirius is happy.

They're lying comfortably in bed, still wrapped up in one another, and Sirius can't help wishing that this moment would last forever. Unfortunately, they're interrupted by a knock on the door.

"It must be Dumbledore," Remus says, untangling himself from Sirius and beginning the search for his clothing. "No one else knows where we are."

"Hang on!" Sirius calls, pulling his trousers on. His shirt is on inside out, and he takes another moment to fix that. "Are you decent, Remus?"

"Yes." Remus answers. Sirius opens the door.

It is Dumbledore, and Sirius realizes too late that only one bed has been slept on. Dumbledore has to notice it, but he doesn't say anything about it. Instead, he smiles at both of them.

"Hello, Sirus. Remus. I have some good news. Your actions in Germany have convinced the Aurors that you're somewhere behind the Iron Curtain. Even better; the officials of East Germany are refusing to allow them into the country. If it gets too dangerous for you to be here, you might consider seeking sanctuary there. They're refusing to turn you over even if they find you, because they believe you wouldn't be treated fairly. They have moral qualms about Dementors."

"Good to know," Sirius says.

"And now," Dumbledore continues, "we need to get you two a place to work. I believe you're familiar with the Room of Requirement? I cannot think of a better place for you to work. We need to find Peter Pettigrew; that's our first priority."

"I'll find him," Sirius says grimly.

"Good," Dumbledore replies. "And now, if you would be so good, put on the invisibility cloak and follow me."

The Room of Requirement is exactly what they need. Some of the books lining the shelves have the familiar feel of Dark magic, and Sirius crosses the room to get a better look. A lot of them are familiar; he's seen them in his father's library, and the library in Cologne.

"We're going to get him," Sirius says flatly. Remus slips his hand into Sirus'.

"Yes," he says. "We are."

"Lucius Malfoy wants to talk to you," Moody tells Dumbledore. "He's willing to testify that Black is innocent."

"What does he want in return?" Dumbledore asks.

"He wants you to back him when he runs for Minister of Magic."

For once, Moody has managed to startle Dumbledore. The moment doesn't lasts long, though.

"He offered to swear an Unbreakable Vow that he will oppose You-Know-Who should he ever return," Moody continues. "He also turned the Lestranges over to the Aurors."

"Interesting," Dumbledore says. "And a positive sign. Without the Malfoys and their influence, the Death Eaters will be crippled."

"Someone tried to frame him a few days ago. I think they were trying to punish him for defecting. Luckily for him, he had an alibi."

"Tell Lucius that I will think about it," Dumbledore says. "That is all I can promise. Tell him also that proving Sirius' innocence would be a good start."

Author's Notes: I am sooo sorry it's taken me this long to update this fic. Further updates will be posted in a timely fashion. Thanks go to my wonderful beta-reader, marauderswolf. Any remaining mistakes are mine and mine only. Feedback is love.