Aftermaths, Part 101

by Geri ([email protected])

Rating: Mostly PG-13, but NC-17 for overall story

Pairing: Snape/Lupin, Theodore/Blaise

Warning: AU; events that occurred at the end of Order of the Phoenix were significantly altered from the book.

Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, and Phoenix Rising.

Summary: The various characters deal with the aftermath of the war, and Snape and Lupin try to build a family together with Theodore and Dylan. However, some people are unable to let go of the past...

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts.

Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except Hob, who belongs to William Mayne; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
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Meanwhile, in the stands, Dawlish and Williamson cried out in fear when the glowing skull appeared in the air.

"The Dark Mark!" Williamson exclaimed.

"So the Death Eaters are back," Dawlish said softly. "I wonder if it's Lestrange, or someone who was never exposed as a Death Eater to begin with?"

"But all of them were caught or killed except for Rabastan Lestrange!" Mrs. Ackerley protested.

"You can never quite be sure with the Death Eaters," Dawlish said grimly. "Look at how many of them escaped detection after the first war."

Tonks abandoned her disguise and ran down the stairs to join the other Aurors. "It came from that direction!" she shouted, pointing east. "We might still be able to catch the caster if we hurry!"

"Tonks?" Williamson said, looking surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Ian, but we don't have time," Tonks replied impatiently, then cried out as she saw the Bludger strike Theodore and knock him off his broomstick.

"There's nothing we can do from here," Dawlish said briskly. "We've got to get some brooms and head out to where the Dark Mark was cast."

"But Theodore--" Tonks started to say.

"Who cares what happens to a Death Eater's son?" sneered Williamson, and Tonks glared at him.

"What about the children?" Mrs. Ackerley cried. "If there are Death Eaters on the loose, you have to protect them!"

"I'll speak to the Headmaster," Dawlish said. "I'm sure he and the other teachers will see the students safely back to the castle." They hurried out of the stands, and to her relief, Tonks saw Theodore rescued by his teammates.

"Tonks!" Dumbledore said when he saw her. "It's a good thing that you decided to attend the match!" Then he added, almost as an afterthought, "And the two of you also, of course."

The other two Aurors scowled at him. Dawlish in particular still hadn't forgiven Dumbledore for knocking him out when he had been trying to arrest the Headmaster on Fudge's orders after the secret D.A. meetings had been exposed. The fact that Dumbledore had been right all along about Voldemort's return didn't mitigate Dawlish's resentment.

"We heard rumors of threats and hexes that might be Death Eater activity," Dawlish said curtly, "and it seems those rumors are true, so it is indeed a good thing we came."

"We need to try and track down the source of the Dark Mark," Tonks said urgently. "Can you loan us some brooms?"

"Of course," the Headmaster said. Lupin had taken Branwen's broom to ride back to the castle, but Sinistra and Hooch readily gave theirs to the Aurors, as did Michael Corner.

"Can you handle things here, Dumbledore?" Dawlish asked. "You'll see to the students' safety?"

"Of course," Dumbledore replied. "Go, quickly. We'll take care of the students." The three Aurors nodded and took off in the direction of the glowing skull, which was slowly beginning to dissipate. In the stands, the students were milling about in fear and confusion, and many were close to panic. Dumbledore sent the teachers to escort the students back to the castle, calling on the prefects to organize their housemates in an orderly fashion. With the teachers and prefects taking charge, the students began to calm down, and although they were still frightened, they lined up and walked back to the castle instead of running in a blind panic.
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Pomfrey threw Snape and Lupin out of the hospital wing, because she needed to concentrate to cast her healing spells, and she said she couldn't do that with them nervously pacing back and forth while asking, "Is he going to be all right?" every few minutes. So instead, they paced back and forth out in the hallway.

Suddenly Selima ran up, gasping for breath. Her black eyes were frantic, and her golden skin probably would have been pale with fear if it hadn't been flushed because she had just run straight from the Pitch to the castle. Lady Snape did not look at all cool and dignified; her face was red and sweaty, and her hair was starting to come loose from the combs that were pinning it back. Snape had never seen his mother in such a state, and he stared at her in shock, distracted from his worries for just a second.

"Is he all right?" Selima gasped, still sounding short of breath.

"We don't know," Lupin replied quietly. "Madam Pomfrey is working on him right now. It was a serious injury, requiring a major healing spell. She said that the Bludger fractured his skull."

"Then shouldn't we take him to St. Mungo's, if it's that bad?" Selima demanded.

"Madam Pomfrey is a very capable Healer," Lupin said, with what was considerable patience under the circumstances. "And moving him could worsen the injury."

"Then we should have St. Mungo's send a Healer here!" Selima said.

"Poppy will let us know if she needs help," Lupin said. "She won't place her pride over a student's safety. And it might be dangerous to interrupt her while she's casting the healing spell."

Selima couldn't argue with that, so she joined Lupin and Snape in their pacing outside the hospital wing. A couple of minutes later, Lukas and Prospero arrived with Dylan and Blaise. "They insisted on seeing Theodore," Lukas said with a small smile. "It seemed easier to let them come than to argue with them about it. Your students are very stubborn, Severus."

"Is he going to be all right?" Blaise asked, moving towards the door, but his grandfather held him back with a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder when Lupin stepped in front of the door, blocking his path.

"Madam Pomfrey is tending to him right now," Lupin said, trying to smile reassuringly, but the failed attempt only alarmed Dylan and Blaise even more. "We can't interrupt her until she's done casting her spells."

"He will be all right," Snape said in a grim voice, his face cold and implacable, "or I will personally eviscerate whoever was responsible for today's little prank. Slowly. VERY slowly."

"I'm sorry," Lukas said quietly, looking unusually subdued. "You were right; it was a bad idea to use the match to lure out the prankster. We should have just canceled it."

Before Snape could reply, the door to the hospital wing opened, and a very weary-looking Madam Pomfrey emerged.

"How is he?" everyone exclaimed at once.

Pomfrey smiled, looking tired but satisfied. "He needs a few days of bed rest, and he shouldn't do anything strenuous for at least a week, but he'll be fine. He's sleeping now, but you can come in for a few minutes." She gave the crowd a stern look. "So long as you're quiet and don't disturb him."

Snape, Lupin, Selima, Dylan, and Blaise hurried into the room; Lukas and Prospero hung back a little, not wanting to intrude. Theodore lay on the bed, looking paler than usual, his black hair providing a stark contrast to his white skin. There was no visible sign of injury on him, though, and his breathing sounded even and steady, not labored. Lupin reached out with a trembling hand, and very gently brushed the boy's hair back from his face. "Thank Merlin," Lupin whispered fervently; Snape just let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Suddenly Theodore's eyelids fluttered, blinking weakly a few times before they finally opened fully. "Remus," he whispered, as his gaze slowly focused on the faces looking down at him. "Father. Grandmother."

Without warning, Selima burst into tears, sobbing hysterically. Snape stared at her in shock for a few moments, then very slowly and hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Selima moved closer and leaned against him, as if that tentative gesture was an invitation, or perhaps it was simply that she would have collapsed otherwise. Snape looked even more shocked, and incredibly uncomfortable, but he didn't push her away, and his arm seemed to move forward of its own accord to encircle her shoulders.

Lupin smiled, then bent down to kiss Theodore gently on the forehead. "I'll come check on you later, Theo," he said casually. "I'm going to go talk to the Headmaster and see if they've found out anything about the Dark Mark that was cast at the match." He winked at Theodore, a mischievous grin on his face, and Theodore managed a faint smile in response.

"I'll bring you some candy when you're feeling better," Dylan promised, grinning as well, and left the room with Lupin.

Blaise hesitated, knowing that he should give the Professor and his mother some privacy, but not wanting to leave his lover's side. Prospero placed a hand on his shoulder and said gently, "Come, Blaise. We promised Madam Pomfrey that we wouldn't stay long. You know that Theodore's all right, and that's the main thing."

"You can come visit him again later," Pomfrey said kindly.

Blaise nodded, said goodbye to Theo, and followed his grandfather out of the room. Prospero glanced back at Selima before he left, an affectionate and wistful smile on his face. Lukas left as well, and Pomfrey retreated to her office, leaving Snape, Selima, and Theodore alone together.
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Snape just stood there, feeling stiff and awkward as his mother wept against his chest. He had never seen her weep before--not even at her friend Anya's funeral, nor at Lucien and Vanessa Malfoy's. Snape had attended both funerals with his parents, and remembered his mother's face being set in a blank, rigid mask. He had not been surprised by her apparent coldness at the time, but now he realized that she must have been hiding her feelings--as Snape had hid his own for so many years. Maybe she had wept in private; maybe she had never allowed herself to weep. She must have wept on the day of his father's funeral, because her face had been streaked with tears when he had found her in the study with Lupin, but still, Snape had never actually seen her cry--until today.

Maybe he should have felt resentful that she loved Theodore enough to weep for him, as she had never wept for her own son, but all he felt was an overwhelming sense of relief that Theodore would be all right. Everything else seemed insignificant by comparison. Unconsciously, Snape's hand gripped Selima's shoulder a little tighter, and he suddenly felt faint as the full realization of just how close Theodore had come to dying hit him. For a moment, Selima was supporting Snape just as much as he was supporting her, and mother and son clung to each other, briefly united in combined fear and relief.

Theodore smiled, still looking weak and groggy. Madam Pomfrey had given him a potion to dull the pain of his injury; its main ingredient was poppy juice, and ironically, its narcotic properties gave it an unintended side effect that was remarkably similar to the Potion of Liberation. "I'm glad you two aren't fighting anymore," he whispered.

Selima stopped sobbing, and she and Snape looked down at Theodore, both looking equally startled and guilty. Then Selima glanced up at Snape and asked, "He heard us, that night?"

"Yes," Snape replied, flushing. He quickly added, "But everything's all right now, Theodore. You don't have to worry."

"Good," Theodore said sleepily, and smiled up at the two of them trustingly, with none of his usual cynicism or guardedness, which made him look much younger than his years. Selima and Snape looked at each other again, both feeling shaken and humbled, and acutely aware that now they really would have to find some way to make their fragile truce permanent. Snape suddenly realized that he still had his arm around his mother's shoulders; he started to remove it, then on second thought, left it where it was, telling himself that it might upset Theodore if he suddenly pushed Selima away from him.

Theodore's eyes slowly closed, and he seemed to drift back into sleep, still smiling. Snape and Selima remained as they were, almost afraid to move or speak, for fear of saying or doing the wrong thing and starting another argument that might push the other away from them, perhaps permanently this time. Neither did they have any idea how to begin mending the rift between them.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually about ten or fifteen minutes, Lukas returned. "Excuse me, Severus," he said apologetically, and Snape and Selima jumped a little, and finally moved apart from each other. "I'm sorry to bother you," the werewolf continued, "but I think you had better come to the Headmaster's office. Those Aurors--not your purple-haired friend, but the other two--are ranting about a Death Eater attack and threatening to close the school, but Mr. Potter and Dumbledore are trying to tell them that the Dark Mark was not a real one. I didn't quite understand, but they are insisting that it was not authentic, that it didn't look like the one that the Death Eaters used to cast..."

"Of course!" Snape suddenly exclaimed, suddenly recalling what had bothered him about the image of the glowing skull. "They're right; it's not a true Morsmordre spell, but someone trying to imitate it." He turned to his mother. "Will you stay here with Theodore? I don't want to leave him alone."

"Of course," Selima replied.

"I'll stay, too," Lukas offered. "Hooch says that the Bludger wasn't hexed and that it probably only hit Theodore by accident, and I don't think that anyone would try to attack him here in the hospital wing, but it's better to be safe than sorry. I promise I will guard your cub with my life."

"Thank you," Snape said, not wanting to leave, but feeling a little better about it. Theodore should be well protected with a werewolf and a sorceress versed in the Dark Arts guarding him. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
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Dumbledore's office was crowded with anxious teachers and angry Aurors--and one student. "And I suppose you're an expert on Death Eater spells, boy!" Williamson was saying sarcastically.

"I'm telling you," Harry retorted, looking angry and frustrated, "it's not the same as the one that was cast at the Quidditch World Cup! That skull was made up of green sparks, while this one looked solid, and the one at the World Cup was a darker green, too!"

"The boy is correct," Snape said coldly as he swept into the room, his black robes swirling around him. Harry stared at him in shock, looking surprised to hear Snape actually agreeing with him for once. "The spell was obviously some sort of illusion or facsimile created by someone who's never actually seen the real thing."

"Well, I suppose you should know, Snape," Dawlish said, giving Snape a hostile and suspicious look.

Snape just sneered at him in return. "I would have expected an Auror to be more informed than a teenage boy. But then again, Fudge and his lackeys spent more time trying to pretend that the Dark Lord didn't exist than they did trying to actually hunt down the Death Eaters."

Dawlish's face turned red with angry, and Williamson clenched his fists and said, "Why you--!"

"Knock it off, all of you!" Tonks said sharply, stepping between Snape and the Aurors. "Can we agree that it was not a true Morsmordre spell? Severus, as you said, should know, and Albus, Sirius, Branwen, and Harry all concur."

"We saw it often enough in the old days," Branwen said quietly. "It was as Harry described it: a skull with a snake emerging from its mouth, comprised of green sparks."

"Very well," Williamson said sulkily. "That doesn't mean that it isn't a serious threat. It was obviously cast by someone who sympathizes with the Death Eaters--or perhaps someone too young to have seen the actual spell cast." He gave Snape a pointed look. "Say, for instance, the child of a Death Eater..."

"They were victims, too!" Lupin protested. "Some of them were abused by their parents--"

"Right," Williamson said in a tone that said he didn't believe a word Lupin was saying.

"More to the point," Snape interrupted curtly, "all of them, save for Miss Avery, were playing in the match, so they couldn't have conjured the false Dark Mark--I'm sure that someone would have noticed if they tried to cast a spell in the middle of the game. And I'm also certain that Miss Avery's movements can be accounted for. There must be any number of witnesses among the students and parents who can testify that she never left the stands during the match."

"They didn't need to leave to cast the spell!" Dawlish said triumphantly. He motioned to a couple of items lying on Dumbledore's desk: a wand and a lump of melted plastic and metal.

"What is that?" Snape asked.

"It's a Muggle device, a tape recorder," Tonks explained. "Or at least, it used to be. We found it, along with the wand, left up in a tree near where the Dark Mark--er, I mean, the fake Dark Mark--appeared. A Prior Incantato spell revealed that this is the wand used to cast the Mark. I think what happened is that the perpetrator cast a time-delayed spell, probably set to go off when the command word 'Morsmordre' was uttered, which explains the tape recorder. There was also some sort of self-destruct spell cast on the tape recorder, probably to destroy the evidence."

"But why destroy the recorder and leave the wand behind?" Snape asked, feeling puzzled. "It looks like an Ollivander's wand; surely they'd realize that we'll eventually be able to track down the owner."

"The spell appears to have been focused on the wand, so they'd have to leave it behind if they wanted the spell to go off as planned," Tonks replied. "Perhaps the wand was meant to be destroyed along with the tape recorder, but was strong enough to survive the blast. Ollivander's wands are pretty tough."

"That still doesn't make sense," Lupin said, frowning. "All we'd have to do is demand that the students produce their wands, and whoever is missing one would obviously be the culprit. Not to mention that it will be difficult to get by in class without a wand."

"Maybe whoever did it has more than one wand?" Harry suggested.

Dawlish snorted, giving Harry a condescending look. "Your Muggle upbringing shows, Mr. Potter. A wizard chooses his wand with care--"

"Actually, the wand chooses him, according to Mr. Ollivander," Tonks chimed in helpfully.

Dawlish glared at her, then continued, "--because the wand becomes attuned to the wizard. People don't just throw away wands, and they don't normally keep spares."

"But there were broken wands in the junk--I mean, Mr. Zabini's shop in Diagon Alley," Harry argued. "So people do sometimes throw them away."

"Sometimes wands do get broken," Tonks agreed pleasantly before Dawlish could respond, "by accident, through carelessness, or occasionally due to shoddy workmanship. But Ollivander's wands are very well-made and expensive, and it is unusual for someone to just discard one like this."

"This Muggle device proves that it couldn't have been one of my students!" Snape said emphatically, pointing at the ruined tape recorder. "None of them would have a Muggle device or know how to work one!"

"It is true that most of the Slytherins come from families that normally disdain such things," Branwen agreed. "And it's also clear now that a real Death Eater could not have been behind this latest threat--they hated Muggles, and none of them would have sullied their hands by touching a Muggle device."

"Maybe so," Dawlish blustered, "but it's clear that something strange is going on at this school--hexes, threats, Dark Marks! If you can't keep things under control at Hogwarts, Dumbledore, then we'll replace you with someone who can!"

"You are certainly welcome to try," Dumbledore said with a smile, not looking the least bit worried.

"You tried that once before with Umbridge," Snape reminded Dawlish in a silky voice. "And look how well that turned out."

"We'll be speaking to the school governors about this!" Dawlish shouted, then he and Williamson stormed out of the room.

Tonks looked much more upset than Dumbledore. "I'll talk to Arthur, Albus. I'm sure he won't let things go that far."

"I'm not worried about that, Tonks," Dumbledore said, patting her on the shoulder reassuringly. "What I'm concerned about is protecting my students."

"Did anyone recognize that voice?" Harry asked. "The one that shouted the spell--I mean, someone had to record it onto the tape, right? It didn't sound like a student."

"That won't be much help, I'm afraid, Harry," Sirius said. "There are charms people can use to alter their voices."

"They could even have altered the voice on the tape with Muggle technology and no need for magic," Tonks said. "Although probably not with this machine," she added, tapping the half-melted recorder. "It seems like a pretty basic model. I can check with merchants who deal in Muggle objects, and see if we can track down who bought and sold this device. Although they could have bought it on their own from a Muggle shop, which would make it much more difficult to track down the buyer."

"Or they could have bought it on the black market," Snape mused, remembering that Bleddri had once said that his werewolves used to traffic in proscribed Muggle devices.

"Tape recorders aren't on the proscribed list," Tonks said. "But you're right, they could have bought it through unofficial channels."

"We could ask Lukas if he knows of anyone who might be able to help us," Lupin suggested. "Someone dealing in shady goods wouldn't be willing to talk to the Ministry, but they might talk to Lukas or one of his people, if we make it clear that we aren't interested in shutting them down, just in finding out who bought the recorder."

"In the meantime," McGonagall said firmly, "let us see if we can track down the owner of this wand. That should prove the simpler task. We'll go House by House, and have the students produce their wands. If all the students are in possession of their wands, we can ask Mr. Ollivander if he can identify the wand and its owner."

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and several of the other teachers agreed to investigate the students, and Tonks left to report to Arthur, promising to return afterwards to see how the investigation was coming along. "Why don't you and Remus go back to the hospital wing, Severus?" Dumbledore said gently before he left the office. "I know you want to be with Theodore, and I'll send word as soon as we find out anything."

"And perhaps it might be better if you aren't physically present when we do apprehend the culprit, considering the mood you're in," Branwen said with ironic humor. "We would like to turn him or her over to the Ministry in one piece."

Sirius put an arm around his godson in a protective manner and said grimly, "I know what I'd do to anyone who tried to hurt Harry."

Snape smiled without humor and dipped his head in acknowledgment. "Very well, then, but I want to be notified the minute you find out who that wand belongs to."

"Of course, Severus," Branwen said, and turned to leave. Snape noticed that Bane was perched on her shoulder as usual, but he was slumped down almost flat in exhaustion, and looked more like a feather duster than his usual menacing self.

"Is Bane all right?" Snape asked in concern. Bane raised his head slightly and croaked in response.

Branwen smiled and reached up to gently stroke his feathers. "He may have pulled a muscle--or more likely, several--but he'll be fine with a little rest."

Snape searched his pockets, found a piece of candy, unwrapped it and gave it Bane, who perked up slightly. "I'll buy you a box of chocolates at Hogsmeade," he promised, and the raven cawed happily.

"Yes, thank you, Bane!" Lupin said, petting the bird. "You're a real hero--you helped save Theo's life!"

Bane preened, and his mistress laughed. "You'll make him so swell-headed that he won't be able to fit on my shoulder," Branwen joked, but she gave her familiar an affectionate pat. "Go on now; the two of you should get back to the hospital wing."

Snape nodded, and left with Lupin.
 

Chapter 102