Aftermaths, Part 11

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.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

They headed to the Sakura, the Japanese restaurant that served as a secret portal between the wizarding communities of England and Japan. The hostess, Haruko, directed them to a private room where they seated themselves on the floor around a low table.

"How nice to see you again, Professors," Haruko said with a pleasant smile. "Are these your new foster children? I had thought there were only two..."

Lupin laughed and introduced her to the children. "Blaise and Allegra are friends of our sons," he explained. Theodore and Dylan looked surprised but pleased to hear Lupin refer to them simply as his "sons". As Haruko served them some tea, Lupin inquired as to how Chizuru and Karasu were doing.

"Quite well," Haruko replied. "Their clans have consented to their marriage."

"Really?" Snape asked. "Satoshi seemed to think that their families would be opposed to it."

"Oh, they were," Haruko said. "But it appears to be foreordained; Miyako had a vision of their wedding and a long and prosperous alliance between their peoples resulting from this union. The tengu and the crane clans still aren't very happy about it, but Miyako's powers have grown very strong ever since the visions she had about the final battle, and everyone respects her as a Seer now."

Snape shook his head a little, glad that he was free of that world of highborn politics, where marriages were not merely a union between two people, but carefully negotiated alliances based on money and power.

Their meal came, and Allegra was so enchanted with novelty of the entire experience--sitting on the floor, using chopsticks, eating exotic food--that she forgot to ask prying questions about werewolves and fighting the Death Eaters, much to Snape's relief. She did however, seem to chatter endlessly, which he found slightly annoying. He hoped that it was just excitement at the thought of starting school and being allowed on an excursion with her brother and his friends rather than her normal temperament, but he suspected it was the latter.

"Miss Zabini," he said in a lecturing tone that the boys recognized as his classroom voice, "a good Slytherin must learn to be subtle and discreet."

Allegra was attempting to lift a piece of fish to her mouth with her chopsticks, but it fell into her lap. She giggled, then picked it up with her fingers and stuffed it into her mouth; Snape sighed. "What do you mean, Professor?"

"I mean," Snape said with an air of patience being sorely tested, "that you should think before you speak, and not just say the first thing that comes to mind."

"You mean I talk too much?" she asked brightly, apparently unoffended. "Mummy says that, too, sometimes."

Snape sighed again. "That is partly what I mean. But I also meant that you can learn more by simply observing people rather than bombarding them with questions. Especially since people don't always answer those questions truthfully."

Allegra looked thoughtful, and nodded solemnly. "That makes sense, Professor. I'll try to do that." Snape felt rather pleased with himself, until a moment later she smiled at him cheerfully and said, "I don't think you're as scary as Blaise says you are."

"ALLEGRA!" Blaise snapped, looking horrified. Theodore stared at her in disbelief, Dylan snickered a little, and Lupin threw back his head and laughed out loud. Snape just sighed and rubbed his temples, and made a mental note to brew a good supply of headache tonic for the coming school year, because it was shaping up to be a very trying one. What was the world coming to, when the Gryffindor golden boy Harry Potter was embracing his Slytherin side and the Slytherins were acting as idealistic and naive as Gryffindors...?

After lunch, they stopped by Slug & Jiggers to pick up some aconite and other ingredients for the Wolfsbane Potion, then--at Lupin's and Dylan's insistence--they headed to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes as Snape grumbled under his breath.

Fred and George looked up in surprise as Snape and Lupin and their students walked in.

"Wow, I've always wanted to come here!" Allegra said, looking around the shop eagerly. Snape rubbed his temples, a pained and irritated look on his face.

Lupin just chuckled. "Hello Fred, George. You already know Dylan, and I believe you know Blaise and Theodore as well. This is Allegra, Blaise's sister, who will be entering Hogwarts this year. Allegra, meet Fred and George Weasley, the proprietors of this shop."

"Hi!" she said happily. "You're Percy's brothers, right?"

"You know Percy?" Fred asked, looking even more astonished.

"Sure, he and Penny come to our shop all the time."

"My father owns the junk shop down the street," Blaise explained.

"It's not a junk shop!" Allegra said indignantly. "It's full of--"

"Undiscovered treasures that just need a little fixing up, yes, I know," Blaise said in a patient, placating tone. "Come on, let's look around the shop."

She still looked a little sulky, so Theodore said, "Come on, I'll buy you a Canary Cream."

"Really?" she said, her bad mood forgotten. "Thanks!" She skipped off to look around the shop, and Blaise smiled gratefully at Theodore, who smiled back. The two Slytherin boys followed after Allegra, looking around the store with interest. They had never been there before for fear of offending Draco by patronizing a Gryffindor-run business.

"Listen," Fred said to Dylan, looking a little uncomfortable. "I never got a chance to thank you for saving me from those roses during the battle..."

"It's okay," Dylan said, looking a little embarrassed himself. "I feel sort of responsible; I mean, it was me who gave the roses to the Dark...to Voldemort in the first place."

"It's not your fault, Dylan," Snape said firmly, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

George and Fred stared wide-eyed at even this small display of affection by the ill-tempered Potions Master. "Well, anyway...thanks," Fred said, holding out his hand. Dylan shook it, and George slapped him on the back in a friendly way and said, "You're all right for a Slytherin, Rosier!"

Snape looked annoyed, but Dylan just grinned and said, "Well, you're not so bad for Gryffindors," and all three boys laughed.

"So I hear Percy is getting married," Lupin said, and the twins rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, I can't believe Percy actually found someone willing to marry him!" Fred said.

"Penelope's a nice girl, but she has no taste," added his brother.

"That's not very nice," Lupin scolded.

"Yeah, but Percy is...well, Percy," Fred said, as if that explained everything. "Still, he is our brother, I suppose."

"Percy can be a little...well..." Lupin paused, looking for a tactful word.

"Priggish?" Snape suggested helpfully. "Pompous? Arrogant?" Fred and George privately agreed with him, but they still glared at their former teacher.

"But he's still as brave as any Gryffindor," Lupin continued in a firm voice. "He did fight off an Imperius Curse in order to set off the firecracker that alerted us to the Death Eaters' location."

"Yeah, you're right, Professor," George admitted. "Old Percy's all right, I guess."

Theodore bought Allegra a Canary Cream as promised. She bit into it, turned into a giant canary, then laughed delightedly as she molted and resumed her normal form a few moments later.

Snape sighed and shook his head; Lupin came over and slipped his arm around Snape's waist, and leaned against him affectionately. "Even Slytherin children like to have fun sometimes, Sev. Don't be a spoilsport."

The Weasley brothers' eyes bugged out and Snape's face turned bright red. "Lupin, will you cut that out?! I told you not to maul me in public!"

"I'm not mauling you," Lupin said, feigning a look of wounded innocence.

"I don't care what you call it, cut that out!"

Snape fumed and blustered, but the three Slytherin boys noticed with amusement that he did not try to push the werewolf away. Being good Slytherins, though, they wisely kept that observation to themselves.

"Your teachers are funny, Blaise," Allegra giggled. "I can't wait to take classes from them!"

"Can't wait...to take classes from Snape?" Fred asked weakly.

"That's a first," muttered George.

Blaise regarded his sister with a look of weary concern. "I'm not sure she's going to survive seven years in Slytherin House," he sighed. "There are Wit-Sharpening Potions and Strengthening Solutions...I wonder if there's such a thing as a Potion of Common Sense?"

Dylan laughed. "If he hasn't killed Potter and Weasley after all these years, he's not going to kill Allegra. But I'm afraid his hair might turn gray before those seven years are up!"

Lupin finally let go of Snape, who snapped, "Well, come along! I have to get the werewolf home and brew him a sedative before he humiliates me any further."

Before they left, Fred gave Dylan boxes of Canary Creams and fireworks as thanks for saving him from the roses. When they returned to the Zabinis' shop, Dylan gave most of them to Allegra, who exclaimed, "Thank you!" She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek before she blushed and fled into the shop.

Blaise threw his arm around his friend's shoulder and said in a voice that was only half-joking, "If you break my sister's heart, Rosier, I'll kill you."

"I didn't do anything!" Dylan protested.

"Dylan can't help it if he's irresistible to women," Theo said with a grin. Secretly he was a little relieved to see that Allegra was interested in boys because it meant that hopefully she would marry and provide her parents with an heir someday, which hopefully meant that they might then accept--or at least tolerate--Blaise's and Theodore's relationship. Then he silently scolded himself for thinking too far ahead and plotting like a typical pureblood--scheming to marry off an eleven-year old girl, for Merlin's sake! He and Blaise could see each other again, and that was enough for now. They could worry about the rest later; after all, they still had another year of school to get through...
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

So Blaise joined Damien and Draco for a weekend visit. Snape had them work on some practice exams as he had promised (or threatened, depending on your point of view) the week before. Damien grumbled a little under his breath, but no one else really minded: Dylan enjoyed studying most of the time, Draco was relieved that he wasn't a complete social outcast anymore, and Theodore and Blaise were just happy to be in each other's presence again.

After completing the exams, they had lunch, then headed outdoors for some Quidditch practice. Blaise mostly watched, since as he had told his sister, he wasn't much good at it himself. When they landed to take a break, Blaise told them, "You guys looked great! I'm sure we'll beat Gryffindor next year."

"Yes, Nott will make a good addition to the team," Draco said, with just a hint of his old condescension. It seemed to be an unconscious slip, and Theodore was in a good mood, so he decided to let it slide. "It's a pity Crabbe and Goyle can't practice with us, too," Draco continued, frowning as he remembered that their mothers had forbidden them to hang out with him.

"Well, the Gryffindors aren't practicing at all," Dylan pointed out, "so we'll still have an edge on them."

"We'll need a new Keeper, since Bletchley's graduated," Damien said. "Got anyone in mind, Draco?"

"Not really. Doherty wants to try out for the team; he's not as incompetent as Weasley, but..."

The other boys seemed preoccupied with discussing prospective team members, so Theodore said to Blaise casually, "You must have been bored, just sitting there watching us. Want to go for a walk or something?"

"Sure," Blaise replied, just as casually.

"I'm too tired to move," Dylan said with an exaggerated groan, leaning against a tree. "You guys go ahead; we'll be waiting here." Damien grinned and winked at them. Draco smirked a little and Theodore bristled, but Draco managed to refrain from making any smart-alecky remarks, and just turned back to the other boys and continued suggesting possible Keepers.

"Well, Baddock has some potential..."

Theodore and Blaise walked off into the woods together. "There's nothing dangerous in these woods, is there?" Blaise asked a little nervously.

"It's not the Forbidden Forest," Theodore assured him. "We go walking through the woods all the time with Lupin. He wouldn't let us come out here if it wasn't safe." He grinned and added, "Dylan and I go for long walks by ourselves when Snape and Lupin...uh...want to be alone." Blaise laughed, then reached out and slipped his hand into Theodore's, smiling at him almost shyly.

Theodore looked up, startled, and blushed a little. It was silly to be blushing at the thought of holding hands, he supposed, considering that they were already lovers, but it was a new experience for him. It wasn't like they could walk around holding hands at Hogwarts, after all. But they were all alone out here, and it did feel nice...he interlaced his fingers through Blaise's, giving his hand a little squeeze. "I missed you," he said softly.

"I missed you, too, Theo. I'm sorry about what my dad did."

"You don't have to apologize. In fact--" Suddenly Theodore remembered all the things he had wanted to tell Blaise that he hadn't put into his letter. "--I'm the one who should apologize."

Blaise gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

Theodore stopped walking and turned to face Blaise, still holding his hand. He had gone over this a thousand times in his mind, but now that he was actually face-to-face with his lover, he found himself tongue-tied. "It's just...I...I know that I haven't been very nice to you this past year," he said haltingly. "I yelled at you for asking questions about my family and the Death Eaters, I pushed you away when you were only trying to help me--"

"It's okay, Theo," Blaise said gently, reaching up to stroke his cheek with his free hand. "I understand why you did it."

"You do?"

"Of course. You were trying to protect me, weren't you? You didn't want me getting involved with the Death Eaters."

"Yes," Theodore said, feeling relieved. "You're not mad at me, then?"

"Of course not, you silly git!" Blaise said, throwing his arms around Theodore. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Theodore whispered, holding Blaise tightly. "I'm so sorry about what happened in Hogsmeade, I was so scared..."

"It's my own fault for following you," Blaise said. "But I was afraid Malfoy was going to get you into trouble."

"If anything had happened to you, I'd never have forgiven myself!"

Blaise pulled back a little so that he could look into Theodore's eyes. "It's thanks to you that I'm alive, Theo." Theodore looked startled. "Snape told my father what really happened, that you stopped the Death Eaters from killing me."

"It was my fault that you were there in the first place--"

"No, I told you it was my fault."

"But--"

"If we're going to blame someone, let's blame the Death Eaters," Blaise suggested. "Everything turned out all right in the end. I'm alive, thanks to you. Let's leave it at that."

"My father had already killed one person I cared about," Theodore said in a shaky voice, his eyes filling with tears. "I couldn't let him do it again. I...I'd die if I lost you, Blaise."

"I'm all right, Theo," Blaise said tenderly, pulling his lover close as he began to tremble and the tears spilled out of his eyes. "I'm fine; everything's all right." He kissed away Theodore's tears, trailing light kisses down his cheek until his mouth brushed across Theodore's.

Theodore deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue between Blaise's lips, tasting the salt of his own tears in his lover's mouth. Blaise let out a muffled groan and returned the kiss hungrily, both of them suddenly aware of how long it had been since they had been alone together.

After a long moment, they pulled apart, gasping for breath. "God, I've missed you!" Blaise exclaimed.

"I've missed you, too," Theodore said in a husky voice, and kissed him again, fumbling with the fastenings of his robes.

"Theodore!" Blaise protested, laughing nervously. "Just how secluded are these woods, anyway? Are you sure no one will come by?"

"Very secluded," Theodore assured him, kissing his neck and undoing another fastening. "The nearest village is miles away. No one ever comes here but us, and Dylan and the others know we want to be alone."

"Are you sure the Professors won't get a sudden urge to walk in the woods? I'm having visions of Snape blasting apart rose bushes at the Yule Ball..."

Theodore grinned. "Since they have the house all to themselves, they're probably doing the same thing we're doing, only in the comfort of their own bed...although I try not to think about it too much."

"Well, if you're sure we won't be disturbed..." Blaise said, his tone of voice indicating that he was still hesitant but willing to be persuaded.

Theodore took off his own robe and spread it out on the ground like a blanket. "I'm absolutely..." He pulled Blaise down to the ground with him. "...positively..." He kissed Blaise. "...sure." Then he couldn't say anything more because Blaise was kissing him back, all his hesitation apparently gone...

Later, as they were heading back towards the cottage, Blaise rubbed the small of his back and winced, saying, "I think I was lying on a rock or something."

"Sorry," Theodore said, kissing him on the cheek apologetically.

"Well, I guess I was too preoccupied to notice at the time," Blaise laughed.

They made their way back to the clearing near the cottage where their friends were waiting.

"Have a nice walk?" Dylan asked innocently.

The two boys couldn't help blushing a little. "Very nice," Theodore said archly.

"You have grass in your hair," Damien told Blaise, then laughed at the expression of dismay on his friend's face as he hastily ran his fingers through his hair. "Just kidding! But now we know what you two were up to out there!"

"I'd think that was obvious, Pierce," Draco said, looking amused.

Theodore and Blaise turned even redder. "Watch it, Pierce, or you'll be coughing up slugs," Theodore threatened, but he didn't really look angry.

Draco cackled gleefully, remembering the time Ron Weasley had attempted to cast that same curse at him, but it had backfired due to Weasley's damaged wand. "Do you remember the time that Weasley's Slug Curse backfired on him?" he asked nostalgically. "It's just too bad that Potter didn't get hit with it as well."

"I don't remember that," Dylan said.

"It was during our second year, before you started at Hogwarts," Theodore explained. "All Weasley's spells were misfiring because his wand was broken. Although even after he got a new wand he still messed up that curse he cast at you, Draco, when Bane got turned into a bunny. So maybe it's just Weasley, and not the wand."

Draco scowled a little at the reminder of the bunny-hex incident as the other boys all laughed. But their laughter seemed good-natured and not malicious, so he smiled ruefully and said, "Bane still gives me the evil eye whenever Mum and I go over to Sirius Black's house."

"At least you don't have to live with Bane, like Potter does," Damien pointed out.

"That's true," Draco said, cheering up considerably.

Lupin emerged from the cottage, looking quite smug and just a little flushed. "How's the Quidditch practice going, boys?" he asked.

"Fine, Prof...um...Remus," Dylan said. "We were just taking a break."

"Yeah, Theo and Blaise decided to go for a walk in the woods," Damien said brightly, then exclaimed, "Ow! What was that for?" as Theodore kicked him in the shin.

Lupin's eyes seemed to sparkle with mischief for just a second, then he smiled and said pleasantly, "Yes, Theo and Dylan and I often walk through the woods together. I find it quite relaxing myself."

"Yes, it was very...uh...relaxing," Blaise said, doing his best to keep from blushing.

"Were you going to practice some more, or are you ready to come in?" Lupin asked. "I have some cold butterbeer on hand if you're ready for a break."

That sounded like a good idea to the boys, so they came in for a cold drink and a snack. "Where's Professor Snape?" Draco asked, looking around curiously.

"Oh, Severus is in our room resting," Lupin replied. "He was feeling a bit...tired." His smile grew even more smug than before, until he was grinning like a Cheshire Cat and looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Oh," Draco said, and dropped the subject. Although he had scoffed at Potter for doing the same thing, Draco blushed a little. It just wasn't natural to see Lupin looking so...well...lascivious.

Snape eventually emerged from his room, but not for long. The boys had started a game of Exploding Snap, and it was a toss-up as to which was noisier--the exploding cards or the boys' laughter. "Might as well be back in school," he grumbled as he retreated back into the bedroom and closed the door.

Damien, Blaise, and Draco looked up anxiously, but Lupin just laughed and winked at them. "Oh, don't mind Severus. He's just keeping up his old Potions Master act so that you won't see what a softie he is."

"Snape," Damien said, staring at Lupin with a look of disbelief. "A softie."

"He is, you know," Lupin said cheerfully. "But don't tell him I said so."

"Don't worry, Professor," Draco said. "Your secret is safe with us." As if he would ever say such a thing to Snape! Draco didn't fancy spending the rest of his life as a toad or a slug. Then the five boys stared at each other thoughtfully, remembering that Snape had once let it slip that he fed treats to Bane, that he and Lupin had shown up at the Slytherin dorm the night after the battle to comfort their students and bring them hot cocoa, that he had let Lupin kiss him at the head table, and most importantly, that he had essentially adopted two orphaned Slytherins. "Softie" was still a bit of stretch, Draco thought, but perhaps not quite as a big a stretch as he had first thought. Still, it would probably be wise to keep that realization to himself. The other boys seemed to agree, because they said nothing and started another game.

"Deal me in this round?" Lupin asked, joining them on the living room floor.
From the bedroom, Snape could soon hear Lupin's laughter along with the boys'. He looked up from the Potions text he was reading and, since there was no one there to see it, allowed a contented little smile to cross his lips.

 

Part 12