Aftermaths, Part 118

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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Breakfast had already started by the time Lupin and Snape made it to the Great Hall. Draco and Aric both were subdued and looked...well, like two boys suffering a hangover, actually. James and Sirius and Peter had looked much the same after their night of drinking back in fourth year, minus the cuts and bruises, of course. Lupin had been with them, but as he had not liked the taste of the liquor, he had not drunk as much as the others, and besides, his monthly transformations had made him reluctant to willingly lose control of himself. But to avoid being called a spoilsport, he had pretended to drink from the bottle as they passed it around, and soon his friends had been too drunk to notice that he wasn't really drinking. He had still received detention along with the other three, though. The memory brought a smile to his face now, although it hadn't been very funny at the time. He still remembered McGonagall frowning at him and saying quietly, "I'm very disappointed in you, Mr. Lupin," which had been worse than being yelled at.

Lupin sighed a little as he remembered less pleasant times at Hogwarts--all the times that his friends had played pranks on Severus. He had been surprised when Dumbledore had made him a prefect in fifth year; the drinking incident should have proven that he was not much good at keeping his friends out of trouble.

Well, at least Sirius had matured, Lupin consoled himself. Branwen and McGonagall were talking to each other across the table, and from the way Branwen was laughing and McGonagall was sighing and rolling her eyes, they were probably discussing the Marauders. McGonagall noticed Lupin watching them, and gave him an ironic smile, confirming his suspicions.

Lukas seemed a little nervous, probably because Snape kept giving him baleful looks, and he left the table with unusual haste. But Lupin hurried after him with the determination of a wolf on the hunt. "Lukas! I need to talk to you!"

"We'll be late for class," Lukas said, not looking back.

"I know about you and Narcissa!" Lupin cried.

Lukas stopped in his tracks and swiveled around, his face pale. "Keep your voice down!" he hissed, then grabbed Lupin and dragged him down a little-used side corridor, away from the halls that the students and teachers usually traversed on their way to class. "How did you find out?" he growled.

"How do you think?" Lupin retorted. "Draco let it slip to us this morning. Did you really think he would be able to keep such a secret to himself forever? Why didn't you tell us what happened, Lukas?"

"Because it's none of your business, Lupin!" Lukas snapped.

"Severus considers it very much his business when one of his Slytherins is affected," Lupin said firmly. "He was very upset that you have not been honest with us, and you're lucky that it's me confronting you right now instead of him."

Lukas looked defensive, but also a little guilty. "I know that Draco was angry when he found out, but I thought that he'd be all right once I broke it off with Narcissa."

Lupin was beginning to get a little angry himself, so it was probably a good thing that Severus wasn't here, considering his lover's temper. "Lukas, Draco beat Ron badly enough to put him in the hospital wing, he's alienated all his friends, and last night he went out and got drunk and got into a fight with Aric. Does that sound to you like he's 'all right'?"

"No," mumbled Lukas, hanging his head.

"I can understand that you didn't want word getting around the school about your affair, but surely you could at least have trusted Severus and me," Lupin said. "We're your friends, and Severus is Draco's Head of House. We could have helped him through this."

Lukas shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't take the chance that you might tell Narcissa what happened."

"Well, of course we would talk to her!" Lupin said. "Draco is her son, after all, and--wait a minute. Narcissa doesn't know about any of this?"

"I thought Draco told you what happened," Lukas said, looking a little confused.

"He told us that he saw you by the lake with Narcissa and that's why he's been so upset lately, but he didn't give us all the details," Lupin replied.

"I promised to break it off with Narcissa if he didn't tell her that he knew about us," Lukas said. "That was the bargain we made."

"How could you make such a bargain?" Lupin demanded. "She's his mother, she has the right to know--"

"No!" shouted Lukas. "She doesn't need to know! Things are already strained enough between them as it is, with her having killed his father."

"But--" Lupin protested.

"You can't tell her anything about this, Remus," Lukas said urgently. "I mean it! Draco will get over this in time. He might hate me for the rest of his life, but as long as it keeps him from turning against Narcissa, I can live with it. Losing her son would destroy her."

"It's tearing Draco apart!" Lupin argued.

"But you and Severus can help him with that now," Lukas pointed out. "You're right, I should have told you. I'm sorry. If Narcissa finds out that Draco knows about us, she'll only feel guilty and ashamed. What good will that do?"

"How do you think she must feel now," Lupin shot back, "not knowing why you've broken up with her? What excuse did you give her? Or did you bother to tell her anything at all?"

Lukas sneered at him. "There was nothing more than sex between us, Lupin; it's no big deal. I told her the truth, that we should stop seeing each other before someone found out and her precious pureblood reputation got besmirched."

"Don't give me that, Lukas," Lupin said, looking his friend directly in the eyes. "You don't go through such lengths to protect someone you don't care about. If there was nothing more than sex between you, if you despised her as much as you pretend to, you wouldn't care about her feelings. You wouldn't care if Draco turned against her. I heard you howl during the full moon, Lukas. You were mourning the loss of your mate."

"Then you should know better than to get between a wolf and its mate, Lupin," Lukas growled.

"You're doing the exact same thing that Severus did years ago, and it's wrong!" Lupin said angrily. "Severus loved me, but he pretended that he hated me in order to protect me. He knew that I would be in danger if the Death Eaters knew that I was his lover, so he pushed me away from him. But he didn't have the right to make that decision for me. It should have been my choice to take the risk or not. And I would have taken any risk to be with him! You are doing the same thing to Narcissa, treating her as if she were a child or an incompetent."

"It would kill her if she lost Draco!" Lukas insisted.

"Draco and Narcissa are stronger than you think," Lupin argued. "They'll work through this together. Draco might get angry at her, but he loves his mother too much to turn against her."

"I can't take that risk," Lukas said adamantly.

"If Narcissa agrees that you should end your relationship, fine, but it's not your right to make that decision alone!" Lupin shouted. While he was upset about the way Lukas was treating Narcissa, he also knew that his own feelings about himself and Severus were fueling his anger. "Please don't make the same mistakes that Severus and I did. Do you really want to look back with regret twenty years from now and see all the time you wasted, all the years you could have spent together?"

Lukas lost control of himself and lunged forward, grabbing Lupin by the front of his robes and pushing him up against the wall. He bared his teeth and snarled, "She is MY mate and you will not interfere, Lupin! If you tell Narcissa about any of this, I swear by all the gods I will kill you!"

His yellow-green eyes were filled with rage, more animal than human at the moment. Lupin could feel Lukas's breath hot on his face, could see his exposed fangs, much smaller and shorter in his human form than his wolf form, of course, but Lupin had no doubt that Lukas could and would tear his throat out if he thought Lupin was a threat to his mate. Lukas played the pureblood game well, and was able to look and act the part of a pureblood Lord, as he had proven during the course of his trial. But now Lupin was forcibly reminded that it was only a thin veneer covering his true wolfish nature. For over twenty years, Lukas had been more wolf than human, and Lupin had nearly forgotten that. He was suddenly acutely aware that his life was in danger, threatened by other werewolf's instinct to protect his mate. Of course, if Lukas killed Lupin, Severus would probably kill him in turn, but Lupin would still be dead. And Lukas was not thinking logically enough to foresee that future threat. Even if he could, that still might not stop him, as overwhelmed as he was by his inner wolf at present.

Lupin felt his own inner wolf responding to the threat; it wanted to expose its throat, signaling submission to the stronger wolf. But he retained enough of his humanity to fight that urge, feeling like it would somehow be a betrayal of Severus. The act of submission had become an intimate part of their lovemaking, and perhaps it was silly, but he would feel almost as if he were cheating on Severus if he submitted to someone else. It didn't matter that there was nothing sexual going on between himself and Lukas, or that Severus would never know about it if Lupin didn't tell him; Lupin would know, and deep in his heart he would feel guilty.

So he did not tilt his head back, although his sense of self-preservation was screaming at him to. But he did allow himself to whimper and whine, giving in to the wolf's fear without any shame.

That was enough to make Lukas draw back a little, and although he was still breathing heavily, that glow of rage in his eyes seemed to dim just a little. "I promise I won't say anything to Narcissa," Lupin whispered.

Lukas relaxed, loosening his grasp on Lupin's robes, and suddenly he was human again. Well, almost. "Remember your promise, Lupin," he growled. "And remember what I'll do to you if you break it." Then he turned and stalked off without waiting for Lupin to reply.

Lupin remained there, leaning against the wall as he tried to catch his breath, waiting for the fear to subside and his racing heartbeat to resume a normal pace. Finally, although his legs still felt a bit wobbly, he pushed himself away from the wall and headed to class.

Snape stopped by between classes to see him. "How did your talk with Diggory go?" he asked.

Lupin had decided not to tell him about Lukas's threat, because his lover was as insanely protective as any werewolf, and he was afraid that Severus really might poison Lukas as he had threatened. In fact, if Severus lost his temper, Lupin didn't trust him not to attack Lukas immediately, no matter what he said about it not being safe to directly confront a werewolf.

So Lupin behaved like any good Slytherin would, and told the literal truth without revealing what he wanted to hide. "Lukas apologized for not confiding in us. He was afraid we might tell Narcissa, and he wants to shield her from Draco's anger."

"She doesn't know?" Snape asked in surprise.

"No, and he very adamantly insists that she not be told," Lupin replied. "He broke up with Narcissa, although he didn't tell her why, in order to avoid coming between her and Draco. He says it will destroy her if she loses her son."

Snape raised his eyebrows. "He sounds very protective. This wasn't just some casual fling, then."

Lupin shook his head. "No, his wolf has recognized Narcissa as its mate. He loves her, and he's stubbornly determined to protect her."

Snape smiled wryly. "I remember how well it went over when I tried to protect you."

Lupin sighed. "I told him that he was making a mistake, but he refused to listen."

"Should we tell Narcissa?" Snape asked.

"I think it might do more harm than good right now," Lupin said carefully. "Let's try to work on Draco first. If we can ease his hostility towards Lukas slightly, then maybe Lukas will reconsider."

"Good luck," Snape said skeptically. "Are you really sure it's a good idea to force Draco to serve his detention with Diggory?"

"Yes, I think if they're forced to spend some time together--oh, dammit. I never got a chance to ask Lukas about the detention." Of course, Lukas had not been in a particularly receptive mood at the time. "Well, I'll ask him later," Lupin sighed, resigning himself to cornering the wolf in his den, so to speak.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Lupin," Lukas said when Lupin caught him in his classroom as he was about to leave for lunch; he seemed to have calmed down considerably. "You can put the kids to work at the clinic if you want, but I don't see why I have to be there."

"You're a good influence on Aric," Lupin cajoled. "He respects you, and he's going through a difficult time right now." He explained about the marriage alliance.

"All right, but why send Malfoy along?" Lukas asked. "You know he hates me."

"Well, for one thing, I thought if he and Aric spent some time together they might become friends. They were drinking together last night, after all."

"Didn't they wind up brawling?" Lukas asked skeptically.

"Well, when I was in school, it seemed that drinking and brawling together proved to be a bonding experience for some of my housemates," Lupin said optimistically. "And if nothing else, they can commiserate together about their detention."

"Ah yes," Lukas said, smiling a little. "Nothing like a mutual enemy to bring people together, and Snape fills that role nicely."

"And for another thing," Lupin continued, "I think it might help Draco to spend some time with you, to see you in a different setting."

Lukas snorted. "I doubt that seeing me at the clinic will suddenly turn me into a more appealing potential stepfather. I warned you, Lupin, do not meddle in my life."

"I've agreed to keep your secret," Lupin said stubbornly. "You can do this one favor for me in return."

"Are you blackmailing me, Lupin?" Lukas asked, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"I am asking you for a favor, as a friend, to help a student," Lupin replied, standing his ground. "Draco's already been told that he will serve his detention at the clinic with Aric, accompanied by you and me. He isn't happy about it, but he's accepted it. It will lessen my authority and Severus's if you back out now. And besides, you can't avoid him completely, Lukas. You still have to see each other during class, after all."

"Oh, very well," Lukas agreed grudgingly. "But next time ask my permission before you rope me into these things."

Lupin smiled with relief. "Thank you, Lukas. Oh, and by the way--Draco and Aric were brawling over you, you know."

"What?"

"We could hear them shouting as we came up the stairs. I didn't catch all of it, but it seemed like Draco was threatening to attack you, to defend his mother's honor, I assume, and Aric was trying to stop him." Lupin grinned. "He seemed quite protective of you."

"Idiot brats," Lukas said, rolling his eyes, but the corners of his mouth turned up a little. "I don't need Aric to defend me; I could take Malfoy with one hand tied behind my back. With no use of magic."

"If I didn't know that you were perfectly capable of doing exactly that, I would say that you were being cocky, Lukas," Lupin said, glad that things seemed to have returned to normal between them.

"I'm just stating a fact, Lupin," Lukas retorted.

They headed to the Great Hall together, and after a short silence, Lukas said hesitantly, "Er...Remus?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry about what happened this morning," the werewolf leader said awkwardly. "But I meant what I said."

"I understand," Lupin replied. "I am a wolf, too. I would kill to protect my mate and cubs, if necessary. But I still think that you've made the wrong choice. I think you will regret it later."

"I have many regrets in my life, Lupin," Lukas said with a humorless smile. "What's one more?"

"You love her," Lupin said softly.

Lukas bristled, and it seemed for a moment that he would try to deny it. Then he sighed wearily and said, "Yes, Merlin help me, I do. But love isn't always enough, Lupin. Even if Draco wasn't a problem, I don't think that it would work out between us. I don't think that she could get over her pureblood upbringing. It isn't just me that she would have to accept, but also my pack. They are my family, and I would never abandon them."

Lupin had to admit that it was difficult to picture Narcissa presiding over a pack of werewolves, although the thought of a pack of wolves running around Malfoy Manor was rather amusing. Not that Lupin had ever been inside Malfoy Manor, but he imagined that it probably looked a great deal like Snape Manor, in terms of size and grandeur. Strangely enough, he could picture Lady Selima bringing a pack of werewolves to heel. He imagined her getting furious about them shedding fur on the carpet, and he could just picture Selima's icy glare causing the wolves to roll over and tuck their tails between their legs in fear.

"You never know, Lukas," Lupin said aloud.

"Don't interfere, Lupin," Lukas growled.

"I promised you that I wouldn't," Lupin reminded him. "Even if it was given under duress, I would never break my word."

"Sorry," Lukas muttered, having the grace to look a little shamefaced. Then he smiled ruefully. "Am I going to have worry about your mate poisoning my Wolfsbane Potion?" He laughed at Lupin's startled expression. "Well, he is very protective of you--rather like a wolf himself, and it would be the most obvious way to get rid of me. He is a Slytherin and a Potions Master, after all."

Lupin laughed. "You and Severus think alike, but don't worry, Lukas. I didn't tell him about our little argument this morning."

"Nevertheless, maybe I'll get my potion from Takeshi for the next few months, just to be on the safe side," Lukas said.
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Aric felt like shit the morning after his drinking binge. His only consolation was that Draco seemed to feel even worse. And Lupin's amused little smiles didn't do anything to make Aric feel better. Snape was furious, but the stupid werewolf seemed to find the whole thing very funny--that was a Gryffindor for you. Of course, Aric felt rather stupid himself for getting caught, but it was all Malfoy's fault. If Malfoy hadn't followed him and started that fight, he probably wouldn't have gotten caught, Aric self-righteously told himself. After all, he'd been pretty good at evading trouble at Durmstrang.

Still, he should've had the foresight to obtain a hangover potion ahead of time. Since Snape was hardly going to give him one or let him brew one, Aric was stuck with his headache and nausea. He drank some watered-down tea and nibbled on some dry toast at breakfast as the other Slytherins giggled and smirked. He would've loved to wipe those smirks off their faces, but he figured he was in enough trouble at the moment, and besides, his head hurt too much to start a fight.

Aric didn't know what Snape had said to Draco, but the other boy arrived at the Great Hall looking very pale, with reddened eyes, as if he'd been crying. Snape was scary, but Aric had never seen him make a student cry before, although there were stories about him having driven a few sensitive first-years to tears in the past. Or had Snape and Lupin been discussing some personal matter with Draco, something upsetting enough to make a cynical Slytherin cry? Aric recalled that Lupin had sent him out of the office when Draco started pitching a fit about serving detention with Master Diggory. Aric frowned as he wondered what Draco's problem with the werewolf was. Aric's memory of the night before was a little blurry, but he vaguely recollected Draco saying something about Diggory having stained the Malfoy family's honor, which made no sense. As far as Aric knew, the werewolf had never done anything to hurt the Malfoys except to fight against the Death Eaters, and Aric didn't think that Draco held a grudge about that.

But whatever had happened in the office after Aric left, Draco seemed very humbled. He didn't snap at his housemates for laughing at him, and when Dylan asked him how he was feeling, he meekly replied, "I'm okay, thanks."

His friends looked pleasantly surprised to hear something other than a snide or sullen remark from him. "Well, you don't look so good," Damien said with a grin, "but you are still in one piece, which is more than I expected to see once Snape got through with you!"

Dylan, Blaise, and Theo laughed in a good-natured manner, and Draco smiled hesitantly. In an almost timid manner, he said, "Listen, Rosier, I've been banned from the Pitch for two weeks as part of my detention. Will you take charge of the team while I'm gone?"

"Sure, Draco," Dylan replied. "I'll make sure to give you reports on how the practices are going." Draco looked pleased to hear Dylan still deferring to him as team Captain even if he was temporarily in disgrace.

Malfoy and his friends seemed to have made up. How nice for them, Aric thought disgruntledly. Which made Aric the sole pariah in Slytherin once again. He missed his friends at Durmstrang, but even if they'd been around, he didn't think that he could have confided in any of them about the marriage alliance. They wouldn't understand why he was so opposed to it. They might sympathize with him a little about having to marry a girl he didn't like, but they wouldn't consider that grounds to turn down the alliance. They all coveted a job in the Ministry, or its equivalent in their home countries.

Aric managed to get through his classes somehow, in spite of his hangover. He was feeling a little better by lunch, at least until Lupin caught up with him and drew him aside as he was leaving the Great Hall.

"What do you want?" Aric asked sullenly.

"I know that your parents are trying to arrange a marriage for you," Lupin said bluntly.

"How did you find out about that?" Aric asked, too startled to deny it.

Lupin smiled. "Lady Selima hears all the gossip in the pureblood world, and there is the fact that Professor Sinistra said she heard you shouting something about not wanting to get married last night."

Aric groaned; it was all Malfoy's fault. If it wasn't for Malfoy, Aric could have gotten drunk in quiet solitude last night. "It's none of your damned business," Aric snarled at Lupin. That would have earned him another detention from Snape, but Lupin just smiled at him kindly.

"I'd like to help you if I can, Aric," Lupin said.

"How could you possibly help me?" Aric asked scornfully.

"Well, for one thing, I could be a friend and provide a sympathetic ear when you need someone to talk to," Lupin offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Aric sneered.

Unperturbed, Lupin continued, "And while your parents are not likely to listen to me, I do have a few influential friends in the Ministry."

Aric stared at Lupin, suddenly remembering that Lupin was friends with Arthur Weasley. Almost against his will, he felt a sudden surge of hope. "You'd ask the Minister to get my parents to call off the marriage?" he asked incredulously.

"I can't make any promises," Lupin cautioned, "and the Minister has many important matters to occupy his time, chiefly Master Diggory's trial. But I think he would be sympathetic, and together perhaps we could come up with some sort of alternative to the marriage alliance that would keep your family happy."

Hope, Aric found, was a surprisingly painful emotion. On one hand, he was filled with joy at the thought of being able to escape the marriage alliance, but on the other hand, the prospect of failure hurt even more in comparison. He didn't know if he could bear to be offered false hope and have his dreams shattered a second time. Maybe it was better to just resign himself to the inevitable.

"I don't need your help," Aric said sullenly, but some small, desperate part of him was unwilling to give up completely. "But do whatever you like," he added, in a tone of feigned indifference, as if he didn't care one way or the other.

"All right," Lupin said with a smile, and Aric had a sneaking suspicion that he had not fooled Lupin one bit. "Don't forget to meet at my office afterschool for your detention."

Aric showed up at the appointed time to find the others waiting for him. Draco had a sulky expression on his face and was pointedly avoiding even looking at Master Diggory, who looked as if he didn't want to be here any more than Draco did. Lupin, however, seemed as cheerful as ever.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get going, shall we?" he asked in a chirpy voice, and Diggory looked like he was seriously thinking about strangling the other werewolf.
 

Chapter 119