Aftermaths, Part 128

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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Draco spotted Serafina sitting by the fireplace with Bast when he came back from Quidditch practice, and hesitantly walked over. He had begun making amends with the housemates he had offended, but he had not yet patched things up with Serafina. The two of them had not really talked to each other since their argument on Valentine's Day, but then again, Serafina said little even during the best of times, and at least recently she had not been staring at him with contempt, or worse, looking right through him as if he didn't exist.

"Hi," Draco said awkwardly as he sat on the floor next to her.

"Hi," Serafina said, and her voice, if not exactly warm, sounded cautiously receptive. Draco decided to take that as a good sign.

Bast came over and mewed at him in a loud, demanding voice, and Draco obligingly petted the kitten and rolled the ball of yarn it was playing with across the floor. The kitten happily ran after it.

"I thought it was dogs that liked to play fetch," Draco said, and Serafina smiled a little. "Am I human enough for you, then?" he asked, making reference to what she had told him on Valentine's Day: "Come talk to me again when you're ready to behave like a human being."

"Almost human, at least," Serafina replied, still smiling, but there still seemed to be a certain amount of caution in her violet eyes, as if she were holding back, waiting to see his reaction.

Draco lowered his voice to a whisper so that no one else could overhear his words. "I still don't like the idea of the werewolf...you know. Are you still going to hate me for that?" Draco winced slightly at the sound of his own voice, which had come out more pleading than defiant.

"I don't hate you, Draco," Serafina said softly. "I just hate the way you act sometimes." Draco flushed, feeling a little ashamed of himself, but said nothing. "You know it's not really because he's a werewolf that you hate him. In fact, it doesn't really have anything to do with him at all, does it?"

The rational part of Draco's mind knew that she was right. He didn't really hate Diggory, or rather, he would've hated anyone who tried to take his father's place. It had nothing to do with the werewolf personally. But he still couldn't bring himself to condone Diggory and Narcissa having a relationship. The less rational part of him was annoyed that Serafina was taking the werewolf's side over his, yet at the same time, he was relieved that she didn't hate him.

Draco wasn't accustomed to asking for anything; for most of his life, he had issued orders and demands, and the other Slytherins had always rushed to obey. But he had missed Serafina, because she was the only person he had truly felt comfortable confiding in--more than Theo or Dylan or even Lupin. And he didn't just miss having a sounding board; he missed sitting with her in the evenings in the common room, when they didn't say much, but just read books or did homework or played with Bast together. He missed just being near her.

So Draco asked humbly, "Can we still be friends? Even if we don't agree about...certain things?"

The discomfort of humbling himself vanished when Serafina smiled at him and said, "Yes, Draco. I never stopped being your friend, even when I was mad at you."

"Really?" Draco asked.

"Really," Serafina assured him.

Draco pondered this for a moment, finding it a difficult concept to grasp. Was it possible to still be someone's friend when you weren't speaking to each other? But then, while it was true that she had been ignoring him, he had not exactly gone out of his way to talk to her, either. He knew that he hadn't exactly been pleasant company for the past couple of months.

"That means that I still like you even when I'm mad at you," Serafina explained patiently.

"Really?" Draco asked in a much brighter tone, feeling a sudden, heady feeling of elation. "You like me?"

Serafina's face turned bright red, and she quickly ducked her head, letting her long hair obscure her face. "Yes," she mumbled. "Even if you're an idiot sometimes."

Draco grinned widely, so pleased with her answer that he didn't take offense at that last insult. And even though they still did not see eye-to-eye on Diggory, it no longer seemed important enough to risk breaking up their friendship over.

So Draco was cheerfully playing with Bast when Aric stomped past them, looking thoroughly pissed off. He wondered what had set the other boy off, but he had been rather moody ever since he'd gotten the news of his potential betrothal. Theodore and Blaise came in a few minutes after that, looking a little flustered, then quickly headed for the dorm when they learned that their roommates weren't around. Draco felt a bit envious, not because he desired either boy (his tastes ran strictly towards the opposite sex), but because his relationship with Serafina had not progressed nearly so far. But he was afraid of doing anything to damage their fragile new truce, so he decided not to push matters. For now, he would just be content that she was speaking to him again.
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Takeshi was on duty at St. Mungo's the next night when a patient was rushed in with numerous savage bite wounds all over his body. He and the Healer-in-Charge, Hippocrates Smethwyck, were in the middle of treating the patient's wounds when two Aurors rushed into the room. "We're trying to save this man's life, and you're getting in the way!" Smethwyck snapped angrily. "You can talk to him after we're done!"

Dawlish stepped back from the bed and motioned for Williamson to do the same. "We'll stay out of the way while you treat the patient, but this cannot wait. A werewolf attack is a serious matter."

"Werewolf attack?!" Takeshi exclaimed. "But the moon won't be full for another two weeks!"

"Yes, but Lukas Bleddri--or Cyril Diggory, if you prefer--apparently has the ability to transform when the moon is not full," Williamson said coldly. "He and that other werewolf did it in full view of over a dozen witnesses in Diagon Alley just last week."

"Wolves attacked me," the patient groaned. "Two huge wolves--one gray, one yellow."

"That's impossible!" Takeshi protested, feeling his blood run cold. He didn't believe for a second that Lukas had attacked this man, but he knew that his friend would be the most obvious suspect.

"Attend to the patient before anything else, Mr. Kimura," Smethwyck said sternly, although there was a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

"Yes, sir," Takeshi said, and focused his attention on the patient's wounds. Smethwyck worked healing magic to stop the bleeding and repair the badly torn flesh, while Takeshi applied healing salve and bandaged the wounds after the Healer was done. And as they worked, Takeshi began to notice something.

"These wounds were not inflicted by a werewolf!" Takeshi said triumphantly, even as he continued to treat the patient. "For one thing, while the bites were definitely made by a large canine, a werewolf's jaws are normally larger."

"That is true," Smethwyck agreed in a distracted manner as he continued to work his healing spells. "Werewolves do vary in size slightly, depending on the size of their human forms, but I would expect the bite marks to be larger."

"So it was a small werewolf," Williamson said irritably.

"Those wolves were huge, I tell you!" the patient argued.

"Sir, please calm down and lie still," Smethwyck urged in a soothing voice, then glared at the Aurors. "Can't you take his statement later?"

"If there are rogue werewolves running loose, we need to track them down as soon as possible," Dawlish said adamantly. "Besides, what if there isn't a 'later'?"

"Am I going to die?!" wailed the patient.

The Healer shot another glare at the Aurors. "No, you aren't going to die, Mister...ah..."

"Pritchard," Williamson supplied helpfully.

"You won't die, Mr. Pritchard," Smethwyck said firmly. "You've lost a lot of blood, but you'll be fine with a few days' bed rest, I promise."

"And the scratches!" Takeshi continued, pointing to a long red scratch on Pritchard's arm. "They haven't even broken the skin, for the most part, which means that they were made by a normal canine--a true wolf, or possibly a large dog." He continued bandaging the patient in an efficient manner while he gave Williamson a condescending look and said, "In case you have forgotten your lessons about Dark Creatures at Hogwarts, a normal canine has unretractable claws, which means that they become blunt and worn down from walking. Those are the type of claws that inflicted these scratches. A werewolf has long, sharp talons, more like those of a cat. Its claws aren't actually retractable, but a werewolf doesn't spend enough time in its wolf form for the claws to wear down. If this man had been attacked by a werewolf, its claws would have torn through the flesh and made much deeper wounds instead of mere scratches."

Williamson sneered and said in an insinuating tone, "Well, of course you'd stick up for the werewolves. You work at the charity clinic, don't you? I hear you're very...close...to them."

Takeshi couldn't help but flush a little, which was probably the response Williamson had been trying to provoke, which made him even more angry that he had allowed himself to be baited by the Auror. "I have many friends among the werewolves," Takeshi said coldly, looking Williamson right in the eye. "I don't consider that anything to be ashamed of."

"But you might try to interpret the facts in a manner to make your friends look better," Dawlish said with a frown.

"I agree with Mr. Kimura's assessment," Smethwyck said in a voice as cold as Takeshi's. "I have treated many victims of werewolf attacks, and I concur that while this man was attacked by a dog or wolf, he was not attacked by a werewolf. Aside from the shallow scratches, Mr. Pritchard is showing no sign of infection."

"I'm not going to turn into a werewolf?" Pritchard asked, sounding relieved.

"We will monitor your condition closely to be sure, but I am certain that you will not," Smethwyck replied.

"How can you tell whether or not he'd be turned before the full moon?" Williamson demanded.

"If he had been infected, his wounds would have begun healing on their own," Smethwyck explained. "A werewolf does not develop its full lycanthropic healing powers until after its first transformation, but someone who has just been infected should show some signs of limited self-healing. If it were not for the self-healing magic, most werewolves would not survive the initial attack that infected them, and the species would fail to perpetuate itself."

"That would hardly be a loss," Dawlish muttered.

"Perhaps," Smethwyck said, giving him a disapproving look. "But in any case, it is my professional opinion that this man was not attacked by a werewolf." He added pointedly, "Unless you'd care to question my integrity or expertise?"

The Aurors exchanged a look. Smethwyck was a non-human sympathizer; he had supported the Wolfsbane Potion Distribution Program and Arthur Weasley's equal rights bill. However, he was also a respected Healer in a position of authority at St. Mungo's, and it would be impolitic of the Aurors to accuse or insult him the way they might a young, foreign-born mediwizard.

"No one is questioning your judgment, Healer Smethwyck," Dawlish said grudgingly. "We just want to get to the bottom of this matter."

The Aurors waited sullenly but quietly while Smethwyck and Takeshi finished their work, then briefly questioned the patient. Pritchard couldn't tell them much, except that he'd been attacked while walking home from his favorite pub. But he insisted that the animals that had attacked him had been wolves, not dogs.

Smethwyck finally declared that the patient needed to get some rest, and the Aurors left. He gave Pritchard a combination sleeping/healing potion, then retreated to his office for a private discussion with Takeshi.

"I don't like this," the mediwizard said grimly. "It's too much of a coincidence, for there to be an apparent werewolf attack the week after Lukas and Ash were hailed as heroes for saving the Peasegood girl."

"You think that Amos Diggory arranged it?" Smethwyck asked, looking troubled. "I know that he has motive, but I still find it difficult to picture."

"Maybe," Takeshi said. "I don't know Amos Diggory, and I don't know what he's capable of, but I know that at the very least, he was capable of abandoning his nephew. Or it might be someone else entirely, someone with a grudge against werewolves who wants to make Lukas look bad."

"It was dark, and Pritchard had been drinking," Smethwyck said. "Perhaps he was merely attacked by stray dogs and his imagination built it up into something more."

Takeshi shook his head. "I find it disturbing that Pritchard claimed he was attacked by a yellow wolf. I suppose it could have been a tawny-colored dog, but it still seems like too much of a coincidence to me. It makes me think that someone is targeting Lukas specifically, and not just werewolves in general."

"Master Diggory has powerful friends," Smethwyck tried to reassure his young assistant. "And if necessary, you and I can testify in court that neither he nor any other werewolf was behind this attack."

"The public doesn't care about the facts," Takeshi said darkly. "They'll hear in the news that someone has been attacked by a werewolf, and that's all they'll remember. Even if Lukas is never formally charged, it could have an effect on his trial, not to mention stir up all the old fear and resentment of werewolves again." A startled look crossed Smethwyck's face, and Takeshi asked, "What is it?"

"I just realized that I know who our patient is," the Healer replied, looking even more troubled. "I didn't recognize him at first, all covered with blood, but the name just rang a bell. I don't know him personally, only by reputation, but..."

"But?" Takeshi asked impatiently.

"But I believe that Mr. Pritchard is a member of the Wizengamot," Smethwyck said. "Which means that he is also one of the people overseeing Master Diggory's trial." Takeshi cursed out loud, and the older wizard raised his eyebrows. "My, I had no idea that you possessed such a...colorful...vocabulary, Mr. Kimura."

"You should hear me swear in Japanese," Takeshi said with a sheepish little smile. Then his expression turned serious again and he said, "I think I should contact Morrigan De Lacy."

"I think that would be wise," Smethwyck agreed.
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Lupin and Snape received an urgent summons from the Headmaster late at night, and hurried to Dumbledore's office to find two angry Aurors confronting an equally angry Lukas.

"I told you, I was in my quarters all night!" Lukas shouted.

"And can anyone vouch for that?" Dawlish demanded.

"No, I was alone, working on my lesson plans," Lukas replied, then added sarcastically, "If I had known that I would be needing an alibi, I would have invited a few of the teachers in for tea!"

"What is going on here?" Lupin asked.

"Elias Pritchard was attacked by two werewolves," Williamson said.

"By two animals that appeared to be wolves," Dumbledore corrected.

"But the moon isn't full," a puzzled Lupin said.

"You should know better than anyone that it's possible to evoke a change even when the moon isn't full, Lupin," Dawlish said, giving him a suspicious look.

"That's 'Professor' Lupin to you, Dawlish!" Snape snapped.

"It's not that easy," Lupin argued, looking distressed, because he could see what the Aurors were getting at. "In order to provoke the change, the wolf must feel that its life, or the life of someone it loves, is in danger. We can't just change whenever we feel like it."

"Maybe the two of you have figured out how to master the change," Williamson accused. "You both have inherited lycanthropy; maybe that works a bit different than infected lycanthropy."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Williamson," Snape snarled. "But that doesn't surprise me; you never paid much attention during class when you were a student here."

"You're not my professor anymore, Snape," Williamson sneered, and Snape's pale face turned red with anger.

"Well, what have you to say for yourself, Diggory?" Dawlish asked. "Are you going to claim self-defense and say that Pritchard tried to attack you?"

"No one attacked me, and I didn't attack anyone, because I've been sitting in my room all night!" Lukas shouted in frustration.

"Why do you think that this alleged werewolf was Lukas?" Lupin asked, still trying to figure out what was going on.

"Mr. Pritchard claimed that he was attacked by two wolves--one gray, one yellow," Dawlish replied.

"Even assuming that this creature really was a werewolf," Lupin said in a reasonable tone of voice, "that doesn't mean that it was Lukas. A werewolf's fur is the same color as its hair in human form, so it could have been any blond werewolf."

"Assuming that it was a werewolf, which I rather doubt," Snape added caustically.

"And by the way, Lupin, where were you tonight?" Williamson asked.

"With me," Snape snarled. "All night."

"How convenient," Williamson retorted in a deliberately insulting tone of voice.

"I don't believe that Lupin is involved--at least not directly," Dawlish interrupted impatiently. "I know that his wolf form is brown."

"Why would Lukas or I want to attack this man?" Lupin protested. "I've never even heard of him before!"

"Because Mr. Pritchard is a member of the Wizengamot," Dawlish said grimly. "One who has made no secret of the fact that he disapproves of the equal rights bill, and might well be expected to vote against Master Diggory in his lawsuit."

Lupin's eyes widened in shock, and Snape shouted, "That's ridiculous! Diggory is a bloody hero; they're even talking about giving him the Order of Merlin! Why would he jeopardize that by attacking a member of the Wizengamot?"

"It makes no sense," Dumbledore agreed in a much calmer voice. "It is true that Mr. Pritchard might have voted against Master Diggory, but it is also true that public opinion has swayed in his favor since the Graphorn incident. He doesn't need every vote on the Wizengamot; he just needs to get more than half. Even without Mr. Pritchard's support, it is very likely that Master Diggory would win his lawsuit if a vote were taken today."

"That sounds logical," Dawlish said skeptically, then turned towards Lukas. "But a wolf isn't motivated by logic, is it? You are motivated by instinct, and your instincts told you that Pritchard was a threat to you."

Lukas snarled and bared his teeth, which Lupin feared was only proving Dawlish's point in the eyes of the Aurors. Just then, green flames flared in the fireplace, and Morrigan De Lacy stepped into the room.

"You will cease harassing my client immediately!" she declared in an authoritative voice, then held up a sheet of parchment. "I have a sworn statement from a Healer and a mediwizard at St. Mungo's that Mr. Pritchard's wounds were not inflicted by a werewolf!"

"That was quick," Dawlish muttered.

"Kimura called you, didn't he?" Williamson asked disgustedly.

Morrigan held up another piece of parchment. "Furthermore, I have a writ from the Minister of Magic forbidding you to arrest Master Diggory unless you have some concrete evidence."

Dumbledore smiled at the Aurors and said cheerily, "Well then, you'd better get to work on your investigation, don't you think?" He made an inviting gesture towards the fireplace.

"Diggory could still be behind this!" Williamson blustered. "He could've sicced a pair of real wolves on Pritchard!"

"Prove it," Morrigan said coolly.

"If the attack was as recent as you say," Dumbledore observed mildly, "Master Diggory would have had to use the Floo to get in and out of the castle without being missed, as one cannot Apparate or Disapparate within the school grounds. I would suggest that you get back to the Ministry and check the Floo Network logs."

"Did you use the Floo in your quarters or your office at all today, Master Diggory?" Morrigan asked.

"No," Lukas replied.

"Well, that should allow you to clear things up and cross Lukas off your suspect list," Dumbledore said brightly. "Of course, he could have used another Floo in the castle, but as I don't believe that any of the staff left the school today, the logs should show that all the fireplaces in Hogwarts were inactive."

"Then perhaps you can get back to work finding the real suspect," Morrigan said pointedly.

Looking angry and defeated, Dawlish turned abruptly turned away, flung a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace, shouted, "Ministry of Magic!" and stepped through the flames.

Williamson paused to glare at them all and snap, "This isn't over yet! You'll slip up, and then I'll be back--with an official arrest warrant!" Then he followed his partner through the fireplace.

"What the hell is going on?" Lukas demanded.

Morrigan explained everything that Takeshi and Smethwyck had told her. "Mr. Kimura believes that someone is trying to frame you."

"I would say that's obvious," Snape said acerbically.

"It's Amos!" Lukas growled, pounding his fist on Dumbledore's desk. "It has to be!"

"He has the most motive," Morrigan agreed calmly. "Although it doesn't really seem like his style. Still, he does work for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. I suppose he could have managed to obtain a couple of wolves and used them to attack Pritchard in an attempt to frame you. Or more likely, hired someone else to do it. He doesn't strike me as the type to get his hands dirty. Still, Mr. Kimura believes it's possible that someone else with a grudge against werewolves could be behind this attack. As the leader of most of the werewolves in England, you would be a prime target. You should be careful, too, Remus. You're as famous as Lukas, and if this is about sullying the werewolves' image, the culprit might target you next. Even if this is something personal against Lukas, they might still target you since you are his friend and ally."

"I'll be careful," Lupin said gravely.

"Let them try and attack him," Snape said with a murderous gleam in his black eyes.

"I doubt they will try anything so direct," Morrigan told him. "It's much more likely that they'll try to slander his name."

"I am tired of dealing with enemies hiding in shadows!" Snape spat, looking extremely frustrated and irate.

"It's like dealing with the Death Eaters again," Lupin sighed wearily.

"Be careful," Dumbledore warned Lukas solemnly. "It would probably be best if you spent most of your free time in the presence of at least one other teacher..."

"So that I'll always have an alibi?" Lukas growled. "Am I supposed to get someone to sleep in my quarters, too?"

"You could," Dumbledore said with a smile, "but I hadn't thought that you'd taken a fancy to any of your colleagues." Lukas growled again, glaring at the Headmaster. "I'm sorry, Lukas," Dumbledore apologized sincerely. "It isn't fair, for you to need to create an alibi in the first place."

"If life were fair, I wouldn't be a werewolf," Lukas said with a bitter smile. "I will heed your advice, Headmaster, as much as I loathe the need for it."

"Warn your werewolves to be careful, too," Morrigan said. "They do not have the luxury of being sheltered in as secure a place as Hogwarts."

"If Amos tries to hurt my pack, I'll kill him!" Lukas shouted, looking pale and wild-eyed.

"That might be what your uncle wants, Diggory!" Snape said sharply. "He may be trying to provoke you into an attack so that you can be arrested!"

Lukas sank into a nearby chair, looking stricken. "I never should have let Gwen convince me to challenge Amos for the title," he whispered. "I never should have let Skeeter write me up as a hero after the war was over."

"Arthur could not have passed the equal rights bill without the publicity Skeeter's articles generated," Lupin said gently.

"Maybe it would have been better to dwell as outcasts, in poverty and obscurity," Lukas said, his yellow-green eyes looking haunted. "Or if not better, then at least safer."

"I didn't think you were the type to tuck your tail between your legs, Diggory," Snape said curtly, and Lupin elbowed him in the side, although he knew that his lover was trying to help Lukas in a roundabout way, by using anger to snap him out of his despair.

But Lukas looked up at Snape without any anger, which was probably a bad sign. "I am not afraid for my own sake," he said quietly. "My life has been at risk ever since I was twelve years old, when my father died. I have learned to live with the ever-present threat of death. But to have my pack be put in danger because of me..."

Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will ask Tonks and Kingsley to watch over your pack, Lukas."

"But they can't guard them twenty-four hours a day!" Lukas snapped.

"I know," Dumbledore said sympathetically, not taking any offense at the werewolf's tone of voice. "But it's the best I can do for now. I can place some protective wards on the house; it would probably be best if the werewolves do not venture out more than is necessary. They should take the Floo directly to work or wherever they need to go, if at all possible."

"They'll be prisoners in their own home!" Lukas protested in an anguished voice.

"But he's right, Lukas," Morrigan said. "The Minister will do his best to protect the werewolves against false accusations, but it would be best if we minimized the opportunity for trouble. Not to mention the possibility of vigilante attacks if your uncle or the Aurors manage to drum up some anti-werewolf sentiment."

"Why did we bother to defeat the Death Eaters if we were just going to turn on each other like this?!" Lupin cried. "Didn't people learn anything from the war?"

"You always got good grades in History, Remus," Dumbledore said sadly. "You should know that building a lasting peace is always much harder than winning a war."
 

Chapter 129

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