Aftermaths, Part 107

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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So the Longbottoms left Lupin's office and walked to the library. Some of the students they passed in the halls gave them curious looks, but didn't seem to recognize them, for which they were grateful. They'd already had more than their share of people pointing at them and whispering behind their backs since their recovery. The whispers always ran along the lines of, "Aren't those the Longbottoms, who were driven insane by the Death Eaters...?"

The school did not appear to have changed very much, except for the faces of the students. Even the librarian, Madam Pince, was the same, sternly shushing any students who raised their voices in the library. But she did smile at Frank and Alice when they walked in, and said, "It's so good to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom. Were you looking for young Mr. Longbottom? I believe he was in the Herbology section."

They found their son sitting at a table near the Herbology shelves with a pretty blonde girl. There were four other students sitting with them: a cheerful-looking boy with auburn hair who had his arm around a girl with dusky skin and a long, black braid; a girl with bushy brown hair; and a boy with long black hair tied back in a ponytail.

"So my dad's started experimenting with those cauldron specifications you sent him," the red-haired boy was saying to the blonde girl. "But he says it'll probably take some trial and error to get it exactly right. He says he'll send over the prototypes for you to look at when they're done."

"It's too bad that we can't actually forge them in the school," the blonde girl sighed. "I would love to see the whole process from start to finish."

"Maybe we could convince Dumbledore to let us take a field trip to your father's factory, Damien," the black-haired boy suggested.

"That's an excellent idea!" the bushy-haired girl said approvingly. "It would be very educational, I'm sure."

"I'm not sure Mr. Pierce would want me anywhere near his cauldrons," Neville said ruefully, "what with the way I tend to melt them."

Everyone laughed. "But that's the whole purpose of this experiment, isn't it?" the black-haired boy said with a grin. "To make cauldrons that don't melt! You can be the one to test them, Longbottom!"

"If they can survive you, then they can survive anything," the girl with the braid declared, and they all laughed again.

The Longbottoms received a shock when they got a closer look at the dark-haired boy's face; it was Lupin's foster son, Dylan Rosier. They froze in shock and fear for a moment, as if they had seen a ghost. Although Dylan's hair was longer and straighter than Evan's had been, his laughing face looked exactly like his father's. In their minds, they seemed to see Evan Rosier's face superimposed over Dylan's, as he laughed at the bloody corpses lying at his feet...

"Mum, Dad!" Neville exclaimed, jumping to his feet as he caught sight of them. His face broke out in a wide grin; it seemed that he was not at all embarrassed to have his parents checking up on him at school. Then his smile wavered slightly and he looked worried. "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Neville," Alice assured him. "We stopped by to discuss some business with Professor Lupin, and we thought we ought to say hello to you while we were here."

"Oh," Neville said, looking relieved. "Well, I'm glad you stopped by." His companions were staring at the Longbottoms curiously, and Neville added, "Oh, let me introduce you to my friends. This is Lisa Turpin--"

"Ah yes," Frank said with a smile. "The young lady you invited to the Ball."

Lisa blushed and said, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom."

"Likewise, I'm sure," Frank said, shaking her hand.

"We've heard so much about you," Alice said. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

Neville flushed and hastily moved on with the introductions. "And these are my housemates, Hermione Granger and Parvati Patil." The girls murmured polite greetings. "And this is Damien Pierce..."

"Nice to meet you," Damien said politely.

"Lisa is going to work for Damien's father when she graduates," Neville said proudly, "designing cauldrons. And this is Dylan Rosier."

The Longbottoms tried to disguise their reaction, but apparently were not very successful, because Dylan looked hurt and bitter for just a second before his face went blank, and his friendly, easy smile was replaced by a very cool and polite one. The contrast was startling; his face looked as beautiful and flawless and emotionless as a porcelain mask. He had started to extend his hand towards the Longbottoms, but quickly let it drop to his side and changed the movement into a formal little bow, so smoothly that it was barely noticeable. "It is an honor to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom," Dylan said, in a voice that was as cool as his smile. "I'm sure that you and Neville must have a great deal of catching up to do, so we'll give you some privacy." He bowed again and said, "Come along, Damien, Hermione." He turned, swirling his robe around him in the exact same way that Snape used to, and strode out of the room without a backward glance. The Gryffindor girls hurried after him, looking worried, and Damien gave the Longbottoms a quick glare before following his friends.

Lisa looked just as concerned as the other two girls. "Dylan is a nice person," she said softly. "He's not like his father."

"I never said otherwise," Frank protested, although he flushed guiltily.

"No, but it's clear what you were thinking," Neville said, looking a little troubled himself. "It was written all over your faces: 'He's a Death Eater's son'."

"I really should be going, Neville," Lisa said, gathering up her books. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you, Lisa," Neville said.

"I'm sorry, son," Frank said after Lisa left. "We didn't mean to react that way, but it was just such a shock--the boy looks so much like his father."

"And we confronted Evan once, as Aurors," Alice said quietly. "He and his friend Wilkes had just slain a group of Muggles."

"Well, I can see how Dylan might bring back bad memories for you," Neville said, "but he's okay, really. He can't help it if he looks like his dad."

"Are you good friends with him?" Frank asked, frowning, not liking the idea of Neville getting too close to Evan Rosier's son. Being fair and open-minded was all very well in principle, but he didn't want to risk his son's safety for the sake of idealism, even if that made him a hypocrite.

"Not really," Neville replied, "but he's friends with Lisa, and he's dating Hermione, so sometimes we hang around with the same people. Especially now, since Lisa has signed an apprenticeship with Damien's father--and Damien is Dylan's best friend." Seeing that his parents were still frowning worriedly, he added, "Really, he's okay! Some of the Slytherins used to make fun of me, but Dylan never did. And he fought against the Death Eaters in the final battle, so that should prove he's not like his dad. Hermione trusts him, and so does Professor Lupin. He never would have adopted--or fostered, or whatever it is you call it--Dylan if he thought he was a Death Eater. Professor Lupin always says that we should judge people by their actions, not by what House they're in or who their parents are."

Frank and Alice exchanged a sad smile. They heard the words "Professor Lupin says" quite often from Neville during their conversations and in his letters from school, and it was clear that Neville really looked up to Lupin. They were grateful that Neville had found a worthy mentor in Lupin, but at the same time, it saddened them that in some ways, Neville was probably closer to his teacher than he was to his parents. Clearly, he trusted Lupin's judgment over theirs, at least in this matter. And maybe he was right, because Lupin certainly knew Dylan Rosier better than they did, but it still hurt.

"Professor Lupin is probably right," Alice admitted. "I'm sorry that we offended your friends, Neville."

"It's okay," Neville said, although he still looked a little worried. "I'll try to straighten it out with them. Dylan's not really the type to hold a grudge. He and Ron Weasley get along now, even though Ron used to give him a hard time about being a Death Eater's son. Although I guess they kind of have to get along now, since Hermione is Ron's friend and Dylan's girlfriend." Neville's expression brightened. "That should set your mind at ease, Mum, Dad! A real Death Eater would never date a Muggle-born girl like Hermione."

It did make the Longbottoms feel better. The Death Eaters they had known would never have "tainted" their bloodline by consorting with a Muggle. "Yes, you're right, son," Frank said. "But please do be careful." Neville opened his mouth to protest, and Frank added, "I don't mean about Dylan Rosier specifically. But I am concerned about the threats and so-called pranks that have been taking place at school, especially since whoever's behind it involved you personally by taking your wand."

"Yes, Dad," Neville mumbled, looking shamefaced. "I'm really sorry about that."

"It's not your fault, Neville," Frank said, patting his son on the shoulder. "You should be able to trust your fellow students not to steal your things, but unfortunately, it looks like you're going to have to be on your guard till this is settled."

"I'll be careful," Neville promised. "Don't worry."

The Longbottoms didn't try to tell Neville that it was impossible for a parent to stop worrying about their child, even in the best of times. He would find that out for himself someday, when he had children of his own. "Well, take care, son," Frank said, giving Neville another pat on the shoulder, and Alice kissed him on the cheek.

As they turned to leave, Neville suddenly looked alarmed and called out, ÒWait! You said you came here on business--did you mean Auror business? Did you find out something about the Dark Mark that was cast at the Quidditch match?"

"No, it was nothing to do with the match," Frank replied, regretting that he had frightened his son. "Tonks and Kingsley are carrying out that investigation. To be honest, we just wanted an excuse to stop by and see you."

Neville smiled, looking very relieved and happy. "I'm glad you did," he said, and hugged both of his parents. The awkwardness and distance of being family and yet strangers at the same time seemed to disappear for the moment, and Frank and Alice hugged him back, feeling very glad that they had stopped by Hogwarts, after all.
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Meanwhile, Dylan's friends were trying to comfort him. "Who cares what they think?" Damien said scornfully. "They just got out of the looney bin, after all!"

"Well, I wouldn't call it the looney bin," Hermione said disapprovingly. "But he's right that they did just get out of St. Mungo's last summer. It's almost like they weren't living in this world for the past fifteen or sixteen years, sort of like Professor Blackmore. It's as if they jumped ahead in time. So they don't know you, or about how you fought the Death Eaters, Dylan, or how the different Houses had to learn how to work with each other. Well, I'm sure they read about it in the Daily Prophet, but reading about it and actually seeing and experiencing it are two different things..."

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Dylan said curtly. "I don't care what they think."

"I would have thought Neville's parents would be nicer," Parvati said disdainfully.

"Well, I'm sure they'll like you once they get to know you," Hermione said uncertainly.

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Dylan said bitterly. "To some people, I'll never be anything but 'that Death Eater's son'. And the Longbottoms were Aurors; they might even have fought with my father during the first war. I suppose it's no surprise that they look at me like...like I'm a monster or something."

"But Professor Blackmore was an Auror, and she likes you!" Hermione protested. "She even cared about your dad, even if she didn't approve of what he did. Sirius too, and Tonks--"

Hermione seemed even more distraught than Dylan felt, so he slipped an arm around her and said, "It's okay, Hermione, really. I know I can't make everyone like me." And somehow, her concern did make him feel a little better. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he took comfort in the warmth of her body pressed close against his.

"I hate it that people can't let go of the past," Hermione said unhappily.

"I know, me too," Dylan sighed. "But I guess the people who really matter know the truth, and that's what's important. Professor Snape's and Remus's opinions mean a lot more to me than the Longbottoms'."

Filch happened to walk down the corridor just then, and scowled at the embracing couple. "Here now, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves, carrying on in public like that!"

Dylan and Hermione quickly separated, and Hermione murmured, "Sorry, sir."

Damien said cheerfully, "Next time, we'll be sure to do any carrying on in private!"

"Cheeky brat!" Filch growled, then muttered darkly about how much better things were in the old days, when they had been allowed to whip the students.

The two couples hurried on their way, their mood lifted slightly by Damien's mischief. "Anyway, you shouldn't care what crazy people think about you," Damien told his friend.

"They're not crazy," Hermione protested. "At least, not anymore."

"Just prejudiced," Parvati said. "Like that stupid Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke."

Damien was silent for a long moment, looking unusually thoughtful and serious. "You know, I think Slytherins adapt to change better than Gryffindors," he finally said.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked curiously.

"You Gryffindors have a pretty narrow view of the world," Damien explained. "Black and white, good and evil, right and wrong." Parvati pouted, and Damien smiled. "Present company excepted, of course. You do what you think is right, you're loyal to your friends, and you're implacable foes to your enemies. But you see, we Slytherins have less morals. We don't worry so much about right and wrong, we just concentrate on surviving and coming out ahead. If we have to, we'll change sides and ally with people we hate, if that's what it takes to survive. How else do you think Lucius Malfoy and his friends managed to not only stay out of prison, but wind up with cushy Ministry jobs after the first war?"

"I think you have more morals than you like to admit," Hermione pointed out. "You were loyal to Dylan; you even risked your life fighting the Death Eaters to protect him."

Damien grinned. "Ah well, I guess I'm not such a good Slytherin after all, then! But anyway, my point is, the Longbottoms thought they knew who the enemy was, and now they're having trouble adapting even though they know that things have changed."

"Hmm, that's rather insightful of you, Damien," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure that I completely agree with you, but you make an interesting point."

Parvati was still pouting a little. "Well, I think that Gryffindors are more adaptable than you think. After all, I'm dating you, aren't I?"

"Well, the Gryffindor girls are certainly much more intelligent and mature than the boys are," Damien said smoothly, and Parvati smiled, looking pacified.

"Well, I think things are changing," Hermione said firmly. "After all, just a few years ago, it would have been impossible for all of us to be friends. The older generation, like the Longbottoms, might have trouble accepting change, but the younger students like Allegra are getting used to having friends in different Houses." She smiled hopefully at Dylan. "Maybe in a few years, people won't automatically think of Gryffindors and Slytherins as enemies."

Dylan thought she was being overly optimistic, but she was right in that they had come a long way in a short time. Last year at this time, he had been a reluctant Death Eater, and had been forced to keep his feelings for Hermione secret for their own safety. Now they could walk through the halls holding hands with no fear of anything but a reprimand from Filch. He reached out and clasped her hand, and she laced her fingers through his and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Why don't we go hang out in the common room?" he suggested as they headed towards the dungeon.

"Is that really okay?" Parvati asked eagerly. Even though she was dating Damien, and was friends with Millicent and Pansy, she had never actually been in the Slytherin dorm yet.

"Sure," Dylan said lightly, smiling at Hermione. "We ought to set a good example of inter-House cooperation for future generations."

"Malfoy won't mind?" Parvati asked.

"Malfoy isn't the king of Slytherin anymore," Damien replied carelessly.

"Besides," Dylan added, "Snape's already a set a precedent by allowing Lupin into the dorm."

"Well, but Lupin's sort of an honorary Slytherin," Damien said.

When the foursome entered the dorm, a few of the Slytherins raised their eyebrows, and Malfoy scowled fiercely, but no one said anything in protest. Parvati looked around the room eagerly, then said, sounding a little disappointed, "It's nice, a little more luxurious than our common room, but..."

"What, were you expecting to see chains hanging from the walls?" Damien joked. "Or maybe a torture chamber?"

"You'd have to go to Filch's office for that," Dylan said, and they all laughed.
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Draco watched as Damien and Dylan sat with their girlfriends in front of the fireplace, casually talking and laughing, and were soon joined by Millicent and Pansy. It filled him with an unexpected sense of fury, not so much because he disapproved of the Gryffindor girls, but because Damien and Dylan had not bothered to ask for his permission to bring them here. It was a bitter reminder of the fact that he no longer held any authority in Slytherin House. He was no longer a Malfoy, someone to be admired and feared, but a nobody, and suddenly, he almost hated his two friends for reminding him of that. He stalked off to his room so that he wouldn't have to look at them and be reminded of his humiliation.
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On his way to his room, Draco brushed past Theodore and Blaise without a word, and the two boys gave him puzzled looks. When they reached the common room and saw Parvati and Hermione, Theodore said with a grin, "Ah, no wonder Draco's in such a snit--Gryffindors in the common room. What is the world coming to these days?"

Pansy tossed back her hair and said, "It's no big deal. Zabini's sister has been here before, and so has Professor Lupin, so they're hardly the first Gryffindors to enter the dorm."

"So will you be bringing Finch-Fletchley by, then?" Theodore teased.

"Maybe," Pansy said.

"Salazar Slytherin must be rolling over in his grave!" Theodore laughed. He and Blaise joined their friends, and no one took Draco's displeasure seriously. He had changed a great deal since the war ended, but he still had a bit of pureblood snobbishness in him, and they assumed that it was nothing more serious than his Slytherin sensibilities being offended. They figured that eventually it would blow over and he would forget about his bad mood. In any case, they forgot about Draco when Damien and Dylan told them what had happened with the Longbottoms. Theodore was very indignant about the slight to his brother, but Dylan tried to brush it off.

"Maybe I'm overreacting," he said. "They didn't actually say anything. It was just the way that they looked at me..."

"I know those kinds of looks," Theodore said grimly. "It's the kind of look that says, 'Why aren't you locked up in Azkaban with the other Death Eaters?'"

"Please, let's just forget about it," Dylan said, looking uncomfortable. "It's not like I'll be spending much time with the Longbottoms, anyway. I only ran into them because they stopped by to see Neville. And we were only talking to Neville because of Lisa's apprenticeship."

"But they were friends of Professor Lupin's, weren't they?" Hermione asked. "At least, they were all in the Order of the Phoenix together. Maybe you should ask the Professor to talk to them--"

"No!" Dylan said adamantly, shaking his head. "It wouldn't accomplish anything except to make Remus feel bad. Anyway, I'm used to people hating me because of who my father is. I can live with it."

"Are you sure, Dylan?" Hermione asked, still looking worried.

"Sure," Dylan said, although it did hurt more than he expected. He wasn't sure why the opinion of strangers should matter so much; maybe it was because it was a reminder that he would never escape his father's reputation even after the war had ended and he had publicly proved his loyalty by fighting the Death Eaters. And maybe this was justice; maybe he deserved this punishment because he had once sincerely wanted to join the Death Eaters, and because he still loved his father in spite of all the terrible things he had done.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Hermione said softly, gently stroking his cheek.

"Yes," Dylan said, feeling much more confident of his response this time, and he put his arm around her and pulled her close. After all, he reminded himself, he was surrounded by people he loved--his friends, his brother, Snape and Lupin, Hermione, and of course there were Uncle Math, Aunt Goewin, and Ariana back in Wales. He decided that it didn't matter if a few ignorant people still hated him. Damien was right; Slytherins were adaptable, and Dylan would survive this. The bigots couldn't even do anything to affect his career, since Mr. Jigger had already promised him the Apothecary shop. He would graduate from school, get his Master's qualification, run the shop with Hermione, and live happily ever after. Well, Slytherins didn't really believe in things like "happily ever after," but Dylan's future seemed assured, and he could think of nothing that would make him happier than living and working with Hermione--with plenty of frequent visits to Snape Manor and the cottage in the woods to see his parents and brother, of course.

So he said nothing to Lupin or Snape about it, figuring that it wasn't worth making Lupin feel sad over such a minor incident. And telling Snape would only make the Potions Master go into a rage; he would probably confront the Longbottoms and take out his anger on poor Neville in Potions class, which would only prolong the trouble and make Lupin feel even worse.
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Lupin didn't know that Frank and Alice had run into Dylan, so he said nothing to his sons about his meeting with the Longbottoms, figuring that there was no point in making the boys feel bad when they already encountered enough bigotry as it was.

Neither did he tell Snape the entire truth, since like Dylan, he suspected that Neville would be the one that Snape took out his anger on. Lupin loved Snape dearly, but that did not blind him to his lover's faults and biases.

So when they were alone in their quarters that evening and Snape asked what the Longbottoms had wanted, Lupin replied, "Oh, nothing really. They just wanted to check on Neville. Like most of the parents, they're a little worried about all these 'pranks' and it's not surprising that they're a little overprotective of him. I suspect they're trying to make up for lost time."

"It's too bad that they missed out on his childhood, but the boy is too old to be coddled," Snape said sourly. "They'll just have to learn to accept that he's nearly an adult."

"Are Theo and Dylan too old to be tucked into bed?" Lupin asked with a mischievous smile, and Snape's face turned bright red.

"I'm not...that is...I was only..." Snape spluttered, then took a deep breath and managed to regain control of his dignity. "That's completely different, Lupin!" Snape declared emphatically, if not very logically, and glared at his lover.

Lupin just chuckled. "By the way, Sev, what did you want to talk about this afternoon, when you stopped by my office?"

Snape's face turned red again. "Er...nothing really. I just thought you might...that is...well..." Lupin raised his eyebrows, and Snape growled, "Oh, blast it! I thought you might want to have sex, all right? It's been awhile since you've jumped me in my office, and I don't want your werewolf hormones raging out of control."

"Why, how thoughtful of you, Severus!" Lupin laughed, and began unfastening his robes. "You know, as a matter of fact, I am feeling a bit hormonal right now..."

So Lupin temporarily forgot about the Longbottoms, and to all outward appearances, life went on smoothly at Hogwarts, with none of the teachers or students completely aware of all the tensions, hurt feelings, and resentments that were simmering just below the surface.
 

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