Aftermaths, Part 114

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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Lukas left the Ministry building after his latest court date, and found himself heading in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron. He abruptly stopped and cursed himself a few blocks later, then turned in the opposite direction. There was no point in going to the inn when Narcissa would not be there to meet him, but he didn't feel like going back to Hogwarts yet, either. He was tempted to return to his old haunts in Knockturn Alley to get a drink, but Morrigan would scold him if she found out about it. A proper pureblood Lord did not frequent seedy bars in Knockturn Alley, and no doubt she would say that it would damage his reputation if someone saw him there and gossiped about it.

But he didn't want to go somewhere "respectable," where the other pureblood patrons would look down their noses at him. Maybe he should go to the townhouse where his pack lived and have a drink there. There was bound to be some alcohol in the house; if nothing else, Ash always kept a stash of Firewhiskey hidden in his room. But if Rachel was there, she would scold him for drinking in the middle of the day, and the other wolves would want to know why he was in such a bad mood. Lukas growled softly, feeling rather put-upon. Damn it, he was the pack leader, after all! He should not have to worry about his pack scolding him or pestering him with nosy questions. Of course, they would back down if he forced them to; their wolfish instincts would cause them to submit to their leader, and he was the pack leader not just because he'd had a vision of uniting the werewolves and giving them a sense of belonging, but because he was the strongest werewolf among them. His pack was unswervingly loyal to him now, but in the early years, he'd had to fight a few challengers and skeptics to prove his dominance.

He still cuffed the cubs when they got out of line, but now it was mostly in play. To rule through fear and brute force was Voldemort's way, not his. He would never punish his pack just because they told him something that he didn't want to hear; they were his friends and family, not his lackeys. And besides...they scolded and pestered him because they loved him and were concerned about him.

Lukas sighed wearily. Trying to switch back and forth from thinking like a pureblood to thinking like a werewolf was beginning to give him a headache. He was tempted to say to hell with it, and let Amos keep the title. Right at this moment, he desperately wished that he could go back to being an anonymous werewolf. He had been much happier when he had simply been Lukas Bleddri instead of Cyril Diggory, heir to the Diggory estate.

But Lupin and Morrigan would be disappointed in him, and Lady Selima would never let him hear the end of it. And more importantly, he needed the resources of the estate to help his pack. The Diggory mansion, while modest in comparison to Snape Manor, was large enough to house his entire pack if need be, and the children could safely run and play on the lawns and in the nearby woods instead of in the street or in dirty alleyways. And when those children were old enough to go to Hogwarts, he could afford to pay for their school uniforms, books, and equipment.

But in order to accomplish these things, Lukas needed to win his lawsuit and gain control of the estate, or his pack would go back to living hand-to-mouth, barely making ends meet. So he couldn't give up now. Besides, he would be damned if he would give Amos the satisfaction. And his grandparents would probably roll over in their graves if they could see a pack of werewolves running around the hallowed family estate. That thought cheered him up a little, and he smiled maliciously.

Lukas sensed rather than heard someone approaching him as he walked past a narrow alley. He instinctively whirled about, anticipating an attack, and grabbed the arm of the person who moved out of the alley.

A cloaked and hooded figure let out a feminine squeal and Lukas stared at her in shock. "Narcissa?"

"You're hurting me!" she said, sounding frightened and indignant at the same time.

He loosened his grip and said, "Sorry, but didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on a werewolf?" Without waiting for a reply, he drew her into the alley, out of sight of the pedestrians passing by on the main street. "What are you doing here?" he hissed. "Didn't you get my letter?"

"That's what I'm here about!" Narcissa hissed back angrily. "Do you think you can just cast me aside like some cheap harlot? If don't want to see me anymore, at least have the decency to tell me to my face!"

"Damn it, Narcissa, we can't do this out on the street!" Lukas growled. "What if that Skeeter woman should happen to pass by?"

"Then let us go somewhere more private, but I will not leave you alone until you give me an explanation," Narcissa said adamantly.

Lukas swore under his breath, then without warning, grabbed Narcissa, pulling her close to him, and Disapparated. Narcissa let out a startled squeak as they reappeared in the living room of the werewolves' London townhouse, and the three werewolves present--Kian, Rachel, and Kyra--yelped in surprise.

Lukas pulled Narcissa's hood down a little more securely over her face, then growled at the werewolves, "I don't want to be disturbed under any circumstances, and none of you are to mention this visit or my...guest...to anyone. Is that clear?" The werewolves stared at him in shock with their mouths hanging open, and Lukas didn't wait for a reply, but grabbed Narcissa's arm, dragged her into one of the upstairs bedrooms, slammed and locked the door, and cast a silence spell on the room for good measure.

"It was stupid of you to come here," he said curtly.

"You owe me an explanation!" Narcissa shouted. Was it just his imagination, or was there a hint of pain as well as anger in her green eyes?

"I said everything there was to say in the letter," Lukas said coldly. "It is too dangerous for us to keep meeting like this. People have already begun to gossip about my mysterious girlfriend. It's best to end it now before anyone discovers the truth."

"But...why now, and so suddenly?" Narcissa asked, looking confused.

"Do you want to wait until it's front page news in the Daily Prophet?" Lukas retorted. "It's your reputation I'm thinking of, Narcissa--yours and Draco's. How would your pureblood peers react if they found out that you were sleeping with a werewolf?"

"But...but...we could be more careful," Narcissa said uncertainly. "No one needs to find out."

It hurt to lose her, but it also hurt to know that she still thought of him as something to be ashamed of. Lukas deliberately let anger and bitterness color his voice as he said, "I am not your lapdog, Narcissa. I'm tired of our little games; go find a new toy to play with."

Her face turned red, and she looked both angry and guilty as she stammered, "You're not...that is...I don't..."

"Are you saying it's true love, then?" Lukas asked mockingly, borrowing one of Draco's taunts. He must be cruel; he must be cold; he must not show her any sign of how he truly felt. For her own sake--and for Draco's--he had to drive her away from him. "It was never anything more than sex between us, Lady Malfoy," he said in a cold, indifferent voice. "We both know that. It had to end eventually--what difference does it make if it ends today or tomorrow or next week?"

Narcissa looked hurt, angry, confused--and a little suspicious. "Then why today?" she asked. "Why not tomorrow or next week, or the week after that?"

"Why Narcissa," Lukas laughed desperately, "am I that good in bed, that you're so eager to prolong our little affair? I guess I should be flattered!"

"You bastard!" she cried, slapping him hard across the face, her long nails scoring four red lines along his cheek, almost like claw marks. Perversely, Lukas's inner wolf found it stimulating. It liked her ferocity and the way that she refused to back down or submit to him--alpha female to his alpha male. For a moment he forgot his resolve and stared at her with pure longing in his eyes.

"Lukas?" Narcissa whispered, moving a step closer to him, reaching out with one hand.

"There is no point to this," Lukas said in a flat voice, turning away and ignoring her outstretched hand. "We have no future, you and I. Even if I become Lord Diggory, will your pureblood friends accept me?"

It was a rhetorical question, but Narcissa replied softly, "My friends have all abandoned me, save for Aileen and Delia."

He needed to remind her of what was most important to her. "Would your son accept me as your lover, your mate?" he asked, in that same emotionless voice.

"No," Narcissa whispered despairingly. "He would never let anyone replace his father."

"Then it's pointless to continue this, don't you think?" Lukas asked. When Narcissa remained silent, Lukas said, "I am tired, Narcissa. There was a certain furtive thrill about it at first, but I am tired of sneaking around. I am tired of lying to my friends and my colleagues. I am tired of sleeping with someone who despises me, who sees me as nothing more than a beast."

"I don't..." Narcissa started to protest, but her voice trailed off. Lukas knew that she couldn't really deny it, because a part of her did think of him as a beast. Perhaps if it had not been for Draco, she could have overcome her pureblood prejudices with time--but then again, perhaps not. And now they would never know if their illicit affair could have developed into something deeper.

Without turning around, Lukas said coldly, "Go home, Narcissa. And please don't come back. I think it would be best if we have no further contact with each other in the future."

From behind him, he heard a soft sound that sounded suspiciously like a sob (perhaps Narcissa really had cared for him, after all?), and then the louder cracking sound of someone Disapparating. When Lukas turned to look, Narcissa was gone and he was alone in the room. He threw back his head and howled mournfully.

Eventually Rachel, Kian, and Kyra worked up the courage to go upstairs and check on their pack leader when he did not emerge. They timidly knocked on the door and called out to him, and when he did not respond, they finally entered the room (after casting a spell to unlock the door). But the room was empty, and there was no sign of him or his mysterious guest.
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Lupin spent the night of the full moon with his family as usual, romping with Dylan and Theo, then stretching out on the couch with his head in Snape's lap, tail wagging happily as Snape scratched him behind the ears. Then he yelped in surprise and his head jerked up off Snape's lap with a start when he heard a wolf's mournful howl off in the distance.

Snape, Theo, and Dylan jumped a little, too. "Merlin's beard!" Snape exclaimed. "Is that Diggory? What on earth does that idiot think he's doing?"

Lupin could not answer in his wolf form, but cocked his head to one side, a quizzical expression on his face that seemed to indicate that he was just as puzzled as Snape.

"He'll scare the students," Snape grumbled, "and then they'll write to their parents about it, and their parents will complain to Dumbledore. And if they make a big enough fuss, Amos Diggory will hear about it. That won't play out well in court, to have the future Lord Diggory baying at the moon. Not that I give a damn if the werewolf wants to screw up his case, but my mother will be furious and I'm sure that somehow she'll find a way to blame me for not preventing it." He glared down at Lupin. "As if I had any control over what some idiotic werewolf chooses to do. It's not like you ever listen to me, and I'm your mate, so I don't see why Diggory would bother."

Lupin just wagged his tail and licked Snape's face affectionately. The boys grinned at each other, trying to hide their laughter. They found it very amusing, how Snape tended to carry on a one-sided conversation with the wolf during the full moon. But then again, why shouldn't he? It wasn't as if Lupin was a dumb animal; he could understand what Snape was saying even if he couldn't answer, and besides, he usually managed to express himself quite well without words--as he was doing now.

"Well, Master Diggory's not dangerous as long as he's taking his potion," Dylan pointed out logically. He came over and sat on the couch beside Lupin and patted him fondly, and the wolf temporarily turned its attention from Snape to its cub, and began licking Dylan's face instead; Snape used the reprieve to wipe his face on his sleeve. Dylan laughed and continued, "It doesn't harm anyone if he wants to howl at the moon. And you did say that the werewolves' animal instincts get stronger near the full moon."

"Yes, Lupin is the very image of a wild beast," Snape said sarcastically as Lupin wagged his tail and kept licking Dylan's face. Theodore and Dylan both laughed. "However, even if the howling does no harm, it will reinforce the idea that Diggory is a beast in the minds of certain members of the Wizengamot."

"It's a little odd," Theodore said, frowning thoughtfully. "I thought that Master Diggory usually spent the full moon with his pack or with us. Why is he out alone on the school grounds?"

"How would I know?" Snape said peevishly. "Maybe he had an urge to go hunting in the Forbidden Forest."

Dylan's eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "You don't suppose that there's another werewolf out there, do you?"

"Oh Merlin, I hope not!" Snape groaned. "That's all we need, a rogue werewolf running around the campus!"

"Maybe he'll eat Malfoy," Theodore joked. Lupin gave him a disapproving look, and Theodore said, "Sorry, Remus; you know I didn't really mean it. But Draco has been a real pain in the arse lately."

Lupin's blue eyes looked gentle and worried, and seemed to say without words, "Please be patient with him."

"Yes, Remus," Theodore sighed, and reached out to scratch behind Lupin's ears. He didn't seem to notice that he was doing the same thing that he had just been laughing at Snape for doing--carrying on a one-sided conversation with the wolf.

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Aric exclaimed, "Merlin's Beard! What on earth is that?!"

"It sounds like a wolf," Crabbe replied helpfully. "It must be Professor Lupin or Master Diggory."

"I know that, you moron!" Aric snapped, and Crabbe scowled at him. "What I meant was, why are they out howling at the moon?"

"Not 'they,'" Goyle corrected. "It sounds like just one wolf."

"Do you think something's wrong?" Crabbe asked anxiously, forgetting his anger. "We've never heard them howl like that before. At least, not since third year when Lupin forgot to take his potion and went wild during the full moon."

"He almost ate Potter, Weasley, and Granger," Goyle informed Aric.

"What a pity," Aric muttered. "The 'almost' part, I mean." The other Slytherins laughed, except for Daphne, who gave him a dirty look.

Draco ignored his housemates, who took no notice of it, since they were used to it by now. But for once, he wasn't sulking. He was concentrating on the howling, and somehow he knew that it was Diggory and not Lupin. It was a mournful and heartrending sound, as if the wolf was pouring all its sorrow and loneliness into its voice. Could it be that Diggory really had cared about Narcissa, after all? Was he howling because he missed her?

Draco shook his head, chiding himself for such a silly and sentimental thought. A wolf's howl always sounded eerie and mournful; it was nothing special. And anyway, he didn't care whether the stupid werewolf's feelings were hurt or not. He deserved to suffer for what he had done. But Draco felt uneasy and guilty all evening, and had a difficult time falling asleep later that night, even after the howling had stopped.
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The following morning, Aric received a letter from home which read:

Dear Aric,

We hope that you will be pleased to learn that we have begun negotiating a marriage contract with the Tierney family. It is a bit sudden, I realize, but the Tierney daughter, Miranda, who just graduated from Beauxbatons this past summer, is a bit headstrong and impulsive, and her parents feel that a betrothal will help settle her down and keep her out of mischief. She is a very beautiful young woman, as you can see (we've enclosed a picture), so you should have no complaints in that department.

The Tierneys approached us because we were old acquaintances and housemates back in Hogwarts, and we are one of the few high-ranking Slytherin families not tainted by association with the Death Eaters--our long estrangement from the Notts has turned out to have some benefits, after all. It would be quite an advantageous match, as Mr. Tierney was recently promoted to Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic, and he could guarantee you a Ministry job after you graduate. Your mother heard from Mrs. Deveraux that you were interested in becoming a mediwizard, but I'm sure you will agree that this is an opportunity that cannot be passed up. You will have far more influence and status working at the Ministry than at St. Mungo's, especially with Mr. Tierney as your mentor. Perhaps you will become Department Head, or even Minister of Magic someday!

Speaking of the Deveraux family, we hope that you have not become too attached to Yvonne. We had heard that you two are no longer seeing each other, which is just as well, considering the potential betrothal. Yvonne is a nice girl of good family, but Miranda is just as beautiful, and her family is far more wealthy and powerful.

Nothing has been formalized yet, of course. We will discuss this further when you come home for Easter break, and you can have a chance to meet the Tierneys and get to know Miranda a little better. If all goes well, we would like to have the betrothal contract drawn up and signed by the time you graduate, although the actual marriage will probably not take place for about another year, after you are firmly established in your new job.

Love,
Father and Mother
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Aric's face turned white as he stared at the letter in his hands. He had always known that his parents would arrange a marriage for him someday, but he never thought that it would happen so soon. And he never thought that they would simply pick out a girl and order him to marry her. He had thought that he would have some say in the matter, that they would sit down and discuss the potential marriage partners that were available from the families of appropriate rank. He didn't want to marry Yvonne, but at least she was someone that he knew and was familiar with; he didn't even know Miranda. He had met her maybe once or twice, at some sort of party his parents had dragged him to, and that had been at least ten years ago.

He looked at the picture; she was pretty enough, with long blonde hair and big blue eyes, but her full lips were set in a pout, and there was a stubborn, willful look in her eyes. "Headstrong" probably translated to "self-centered and spoiled," and "impulsive" probably meant that she liked to run wild and her family wanted to marry her off before she irreparably damaged her reputation. Although if she was that wild, Aric doubted that a betrothal would stop her. In that case, her family might push for the marriage to take place sooner than his parents thought, maybe right after graduation, even. Or maybe the Tierneys just thought that he would overlook his bride's soiled reputation in exchange for a Ministry position.

Aric felt his body go cold and numb, as if all the blood was draining out of it, and his hands began to shake a little. Damn Yvonne and her big mouth! She must've told her mother about his career plans, and Mrs. Deveraux had told his mother. But he was more angry with his parents than he was with Yvonne. He could have forgiven them for trying to set him up with a Ministry position if they didn't know that he wanted to become a mediwizard. But they did know, and they had carelessly brushed aside his plans and dreams as if they were insignificant. Surely they knew that he wanted to become a mediwizard because of Rafe! Didn't they realize how important this was to him?

"Aric, are you okay?" Theodore asked anxiously, and Aric looked up and stared incredulously at his cousin.

"You look awful, Dietrich!" Crabbe said, although he didn't sound particularly concerned about Aric, more like he was making an interesting observation. "You look all pasty and white, like you're about to faint."

"Is it bad news from home?" Theodore asked, sounding genuinely worried. "Are your parents and Erika all right?"

Aric had taunted Theo before for not being a "proper" pureblood. But a proper pureblood would jump at the chance to make an advantageous marriage and get a fast-track job at the Ministry. A proper pureblood always did his duty to his family, even if it conflicted with his personal desires. And suddenly Aric hated Theo for having the freedom to do what he wanted, to love whom he wanted, without having to worry about duty or propriety.

"Like you care!" Aric snarled.

"I know that you hate me," Theodore said quietly. "And I don't like you very much, either. But that doesn't mean that I'd wish any harm on your family. You and Erika and I used to play together as children and--"

"You're not part of my family anymore, you fucking queer!" Aric shouted viciously. "So just stay away from us! You wanted to be a Snape, so just stick with your Death Eater pervert father and his pet werewolf and your little boyfriend and leave me and my family the hell alone!"

Blaise glared at him, and Damien and Dylan lunged to their feet, looking ready to attack him at the slightest provocation, but Theo just sat there, looking more puzzled than angry. Aric's hands were shaking, his whole body was visibly trembling, and he wished that his cousin would get angry, wished that Theo would attack him so that he would have an excuse to attack Theo in return. He was filled with a blinding sense of rage, worse than any he'd ever felt before, even when he had found out how Rafe had died. He knew that he was balanced on a knife's edge, poised to tip over into insanity, and he didn't care. He wanted to hurt Theo, maybe even kill him, and he didn't care about the consequences...

"'Death Eater pervert'?" Snape asked mockingly. "Couldn't you come up with a better insult than that? I'm disappointed in you, Dietrich."

Snape's voice brought Aric back to reality, and his rage ebbed slightly, just enough so that he was no longer insane enough to contemplate committing murder and being sent to Azkaban. Feeling somehow disappointed and cheated, Aric turned around to see Snape and Lupin standing behind him. The Potions Master was gazing at him with a look of cold distaste, the way one might regard some vile substance that one had just stepped in by accident, while the werewolf merely looked concerned.

Lupin very gently placed a hand on his shoulder and asked in a soft voice, "What's wrong, Aric?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Aric snapped, rudely brushing Lupin's hand away. "I'm just sick of this school and everyone in it! Maybe I should go back to Durmstrang!"

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Dylan muttered under his breath.

"It's too late to transfer now," Lupin said in a perfectly reasonable tone of voice that somehow made Aric even angrier. "The school year's more than half over. You'd have difficulty switching over and trying to catch up to a new curriculum, and I don't think that Durmstrang would permit it, especially since this is your final year." He gave Aric a suprisingly kind and friendly smile, considering the insults that Aric had just uttered. "I'm afraid you're stuck with us, Mr. Dietrich."

"You will serve a week's detention, Mr. Dietrich," Snape said sourly, "and you will be confined to the castle for that duration."

"Except for Herbology, Astronomy, and Care of Magical Creatures classes," Lupin pointed out helpfully, although Aric would have welcomed the chance to skip Hagrid's class. "Those take place out of doors."

"Yes, I suppose so," Snape agreed grudgingly. "But if you set one foot outside of the castle when you are not in class, I will double your detention."

"Fine," Aric said sulkily.

Lupin's eyes shifted towards the letter Aric had left lying on the table. "What happened to upset you so, Aric? Bad news from home?"

Aric hastily grabbed the letter and shoved it into his pocket. "None of your business!" he snapped.

Snape scowled at him. "And you will write five hundred lines: 'I will not be disrespectful towards the werewolf'."

"Fine!" Aric snarled, and ran out of the Great Hall.

"By the way, Sev," Lupin said mildly, "isn't it a bit disrespectful to refer to me as 'the werewolf'?"

"Oh, shut up, Lupin," Snape said distractedly. "Are you all right, Theodore? What happened to set Dietrich off?"

"Yes, sir, I'm fine," Theodore replied. "I'm not sure why Aric got so upset, but it was because of something in that letter."

"Some kind of threat?" Snape wondered. "Like the anonymous note Potter got?"

Lupin shook his head. "It was delivered by the same owl that brings all his gifts and letters from home. That's why I asked if it was bad news from home."

"He looked awful," Theodore said. "Like someone had just died or something. Please Father, Remus, could you find out if something has happened in the Dietrich family?"

"Why should you care about them after the way they treated you?" Dylan asked.

"I don't like them, and I would be just as happy not to ever have to see any of them again," Theodore replied. "But...they weren't Death Eaters, and they are Rafe's family. I don't really want anything bad to happen to them."

Lupin smiled at him lovingly. "I'm very proud of you, Theo," he said, laying his hand on Theodore's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "We'll try to find out what happened."

"Thank you, Remus."

"Try to be patient with Aric, will you?" Lupin asked. "I know it's hard to just sit there and take his insults, but there's something a little off about his outburst. I can't help but feel that he wasn't really mad at you--"

"At least no more than usual," Theodore agreed. "Like he was upset about the letter and was just taking it out on me." Lupin smiled again and nodded approvingly.

"Well, I still don't like it," Dylan said, still looking angry and protective of his brother. "But we'll try to stay clear of Dietrich till you figure out what's going on."

"You will stay clear of Dietrich, period," Snape said sternly. "Lupin and I will handle him. You won't help the situation by getting into a brawl with Dietrich, do you understand me, Mr. Rosier?"

"Yes, sir," Dylan said reluctantly.

"Good," Snape said, and left the Great Hall with Lupin following behind him.

"So how are we going to find out if something's wrong in the Dietrich family, Severus? I doubt that they'll be inclined to confide in us."

"Where else would we go to find out the latest gossip in the wizarding world, Lupin?" Snape asked, as if the answer should be obvious.

"You mean...?"

"I'm going to call my mother."
 

Chapter 115