"That depends," said Viviane, her voice wrapped in preternatural calm. "Do you need rescuing?"

"Excuse me a moment," said Severus. He turned to look at Narcissa, who, having wrapped herself tightly in half of a sheet that was still attached to the bed, had just toppled to the floor.

"S-s-severus!" she sputtered, looking up over the edge of the gilt bedframe at the armed and angry woman who had suddenly appeared in her bedroom. "Who is this . . . this person, and what is she doing in my house?"

"Neither question need concern you, Narcissa," Snape replied. "If I were you, I would concentrate on how you're going to keep your evening's activities concealed from your other guests. You many not give a damn about Lucius, but the two of you are in considerable danger. Do you understand me?"

Narcissa pouted as she attempted to wipe the sweat from her face with a corner of the sheet. "But Severus . . . " she whined, trying to stand. "Who-aahh!"

Suddenly stricken, Narcissa collapsed into an unmoving purple and blonde heap upon the floor. "Oh do shut up," said Viviane, turning back to Snape. "When I wrote to you that no one else could do this job properly, Severus, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

"No, I suppose not," said Snape, fishing about for his robes in the pile beside the bed. "You were, however, correct about it being boring."

"Despite her evident, er, enthusiasm?"

Snape shuddered. "I'll tell you the entire story later, if you insist. But perhaps you'd care to tell me what you're doing here, first?"

Viviane considered this question while looking at the unconscious woman heaped on the floor. The truth, at least, has nothing to do with her, she thought. "Well, I'd heard this odd rumor, Severus. Something about how you apparently convinced Remus to follow you into a nest of Death Eaters on the night of the full moon. We thought you might need a hand."

Severus, fastening his robes, suddenly looked up. "We?"

"Um, yeah," muttered Viviane, hoping all the while that Sirius had made himself scarce.

"Where is he?" Snape demanded icily.

Viviane nodded her head toward the wall behind her. "There's a passage - we've been exploring the house."

Snape winced and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Go get him."

As if on cue, Black emerged from the portal before Viviane reached the wall.

"You called?" he said, grinning maliciously. "Didn't mean to interrupt, Snape, but Chance here couldn't hold herself back. Where's Lupin?"

"With Malfoy, last I saw him," Snape replied.

"You left Remus with Malfoy?" Viviane asked angrily. "Alone?"

"He's not helpless, Viviane. It was his idea. And a good one, I might add."

"Tell us the plan, Snape," demanded Sirius. "All of it."

"First things first, Black." Stepping over Narcissa's crumpled body, Snape crossed to a large wardrobe on the far side of the bed. "This should do," he said to Viviane and Black, looking back over his shoulder as he opened the door. "What?" asked Snape, as they both stared, gape-mouthed, at the contents of the wardrobe.

Viviane began to laugh, rubbing one hand across her face. "It figures," she said, chuckling. Behind the wardrobe door, in place of robes or linens or socks, was a small room lined with hooks and racks and shelves. Leather straps, coils of rope, a fluffy pink boa, and an assortment of cat-o-nine-tails whips and riding crops covered one wall. A set of shelves against another held a basket overflowing with scarves, gags, and blindfolds, a plethora of bottles containing brightly colored oils and potions, a Muggle policeman's handcuffs, a stuffed purple poodle, four peacock feather dusters, and an impressive collection of phalluses in a range of colors, sizes, and materials. The door itself was backed with a mirror that covered its entire surface. Hanging in the center of the space from well-oiled chains was a black leather swing.

"And to think, I was just planning to stuff her in a hole in the wall," said Snape, sarcastically.

"Who knew she'd enjoy it?" said Sirius. "Looks like we arrived just in time, Snape. Need a hand?"

"Help yourself," said Snape. "How long will she be out, Viviane?"

"Several hours, if no one finds her first."

"That should do," said Black, who was pointing his wand at Narcissa. "Mobilicorpus!" he said, and Narcissa's limp body rose from its tangle of purple sheets and glided toward the wardrobe door. As soon as her body touched the swing, the apparatus silently sprouted straps and manacles at every point of contact, binding her tightly in place, exposed and unmoving, like some sort of mangled mannequin.

Viviane walked around both men to the wardrobe door. Taking out her wand, she pointed it at Narcissa's limp body. "Obliviate!" she said, closing the door firmly. Then she flicked her wand toward the bed, causing the sheets and pillows and bolsters to rearrange themselves into their customary order. "Now can we talk about what you and Remus are doing here?" she asked.

"Malfoy is hosting a meeting of his closest confederates here tonight. In addition to whatever else he was planning, he's also going to introduce his newest recruit just before the moon rises," Snape explained. "I've given Lupin a new variant of the Wolfsbane potion; he'll be in better control - and less pain - than he's ever known before. Malfoy's in a very precarious position among his comrades. Showing he can recruit and control a werewolf will strengthen his hand among those who might otherwise work to free the LeStranges from Azkaban."

"And after the meeting?" Viviane asked.

"We leave," said Snape. "Although given the fact that Malfoy seems quite fetched with Lupin, he may try and keep him here longer. But I don't intend to let that happen."

"Fetched?" asked Black, suspiciously.

"I'm afraid so," said Snape. "Why do you think I got shunted up here to keep the lovely Mrs. Malfoy occupied? Lucius must have known she'd pounce on me the moment I walked through the door. I almost feel sorry for the woman. All that drive -- all that equipment -- and no one to exercise it on."

"Lucius Malfoy is gay?" Viviane asked Severus, perplexedly.

"So Lupin tells me," Snape replied.

"Poor Remus!" said Viviane, shaking her head. "And you say he volunteered for this?"

"Some of it, anyway."

"Bloody hell," said Sirius.