Aftermaths, Part 132

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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Aric?!" Takeshi exclaimed, lifting his glasses to rub his eyes again, wondering if he had been working hard enough to start hallucinating. Had his longing for Aric conjured up a vision of the boy? But as Aric moved closer, Takeshi caught a whiff of his breath, and he doubted that a hallucination would smell so strongly of Firewhiskey.

"'Keshi," Aric said in a slurred voice, reaching out towards him; the mediwizard nimbly avoided his grasp.

"You're drunk!" Takeshi said accusingly. "How did you get here?"

Aric blinked, looking confused by a question that had such an obvious answer. "Through the Floo," he replied.

"I know that!" Takeshi snapped. "I meant, what are you doing out of school? I'm assuming that Professor Snape didn't give you permission to leave, which means that you must have broken into a teacher's office to use the Floo."

"My grandfather's dying," Aric blurted out. "Or he was dying. They say he's stable now. Stable but serious, whatever the hell that means."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Aric," Takeshi said, in a much more gentle and sympathetic voice. "I didn't know."

Aric blinked again, looking puzzled. "You didn't hear about it at St. Mungo's?"

"No, it's my day off," Takeshi replied. "I was at the clinic all day. What happened?"

"He had a stroke," Aric said, and suddenly began to weep.

"I'm so sorry, Aric," Takeshi repeated, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder. "But if they're saying that he's stable, he should be out of danger. I can try to find out more from the Healers at St. Mungo's, if you like."

"I thought he was dying," Aric said, still weeping and not sounding at all reassured. "He looked like he was dying, and my mum and grandmother were crying. He begged me to sign the betrothal contract, said he needed me to ensure the future of our family if anything happened to him."

Takeshi was hit by a sudden feeling of despair and anger, as strong and painful as a physical blow; he gasped for breath as if someone had just punched him in the stomach. He thought he had been prepared to lose Aric, to give him up to his family, but some small part of him must have been secretly holding out for a miracle, and now the full force of reality hit him, and his pain was redoubled as his last shred of hope was taken from him. And beneath the despair, he felt anger towards Aric's family for manipulating their son and using his love for them like a weapon against him. Takeshi had grown up in a loving family, and it made him sick to think that someone could use their own child this way, that the head of the Dietrich family could continue calculating and scheming even while supposedly lying on his deathbed. He wondered just how serious Roderick Dietrich's illness was, if he really had been dying, or if he had just let Aric think that.

Meanwhile, Aric was sobbing, "I'm so sorry, Takeshi, but I couldn't say no. I didn't want to do it, but I had to, for my family's sake. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

"It's all right," Takeshi whispered, although his heart was breaking. "There is nothing to forgive; you haven't done anything wrong." Nothing except, perhaps, to be loyal to a family that didn't deserve it. But right or wrong, they were Aric's family, and he loved them. Takeshi wasn't sure if the Dietrich family had deceived Aric, and he wasn't sure that Aric would believe it even if they had. Aric wasn't in any state to hear such a thing right now, anyway, so Takeshi concentrated on trying to comfort his friend.

"I'm sad," Takeshi said gently, "but I'm not angry. I know that you're doing what you think is right. I..." In spite of his good intentions, his voice trembled a little. "I just want you to be happy, Aric." He reached up with one hand to brush the tears from Aric's face.

Aric laid his hand over Takeshi's, holding it in place against his cheek. "I don't think I can be happy without you, 'Keshi," he whispered.

No one else had ever called Takeshi by that particular nickname before, and he found it endearing, but also heartrending at the same time, because he doubted that he would ever get to hear it again after tonight. It was obvious that Aric had come to say farewell to him, and maybe that was just as well, because Takeshi didn't think that he was strong or selfless enough to be able to maintain their friendship after Aric was married. It would be much too painful for both of them.

And since this was probably the last time that they would see each other, Takeshi finally said the words he had left unspoken up until now. "I love you, Aric," he said softly. "No matter where you go, or who you are with, I will always love you. I hope you will find happiness in whatever life you choose."

Aric just stared at him for a moment, tears still running down his face, then suddenly he pulled Takeshi into his arms and kissed him fiercely.

And Takeshi felt the some sense of completeness that he had felt in the first dream he'd had about his black wolf lover, the same sense of joy that told him he had found his mate. He returned the kiss hungrily, overcome by a primal, almost animal-like desire that swept away any protests that the rational part of his mind might have made.

Aric kissed him with such force that it was almost painful, but Takeshi didn't pull away. Instead, he eagerly parted his lips, allowing Aric's tongue to demandingly thrust into his mouth. As their tongues entwined together, Takeshi was dimly aware that Aric's mouth tasted of Firewhiskey, and that reminded him that something was not quite right about this...

But then Aric pushed him up against the desk, and Takeshi felt the edge of the desk digging into the small of his back, and Aric's hips pressing firmly against his own. He was forced to lean back, bracing his hands against the desk to keep from falling backwards. Meanwhile, the lower half of his body was trapped between Aric and the desk, and couldn't help but respond to Aric's obvious arousal. Aric began to grind his hips against Takeshi's in earnest, rubbing their erections together, and Takeshi moaned into Aric's mouth, unable to keep his hips still as they began moving against Aric's. A small but increasingly frantic part of his mind began to clamor that this was wrong, that they should not be doing this, but his body didn't care, and continued writhing against Aric.

His glasses, which were completely useless right now anyway as they were fogged up, began sliding down his nose, and Aric plucked them off his face, carelessly tossed them onto the desk, and began planting kisses all over Takeshi's face. Takeshi shivered with pleasure as he tried to remember why he was fighting with this...

Aric began fumbling with Takeshi's robes and shirt, tugging impatiently at buttons and fastenings. Takeshi continued leaning against the desk, dazed and unresisting until the touch of Aric's hands on his bare skin jolted him into awareness again. And then he remembered it all: Aric showing up at the clinic drunk to confess that he'd signed the betrothal contract.

Takeshi gasped as Aric's hands stroked his chest, brushing against his nipples, and he was sorely tempted to just give in to desire. Wasn't he entitled to at least one night with his mate before he lost him forever?

No. Not like this. Not with Aric too drunk to be fully aware of what he was doing. And not when Aric was legally bound to someone else. He would not, could not share Aric with anyone else. It went against everything that he believed in, everything that he was. He wistfully thought of the fairy tale his mother used to tell him about the Star Lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi. He had always thought it a sad story, but now he envied those lovers for remaining faithful to each other even though they could only meet once a year. He would give anything to be able to be with his mate, even if it was for only one day out of every year.

"Stop," Takeshi whispered, but Aric did not hear him. "Stop," Takeshi said in a louder voice, but Aric ignored him, kissing him and pushing him back until he lost his balance and fell across the surface of the desk as Aric fell on top of him. That sent a fresh wave of lust surging through his body, and Takeshi knew that he had to end this now, before instinct conquered his resolve and they ended up having sex right on top of the desk.

{Would that really be so bad?} a little voice whispered in his head. He allowed himself to be tempted for just a moment, long enough for Aric to kiss him deeply, their tongues entwining again.

Then Takeshi forcibly wrenched his mouth away from Aric's and gasped, "No!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

His brain befuddled by both alcohol and lust, it took a few minutes for Takeshi's protests to register with Aric, and he stared at the mediwizard in confusion. His words said "no," but his body seemed to be saying the opposite. Aric experimentally ground his hips downwards, and Takeshi moaned loudly, his body jerking upwards to press more closely against Aric's.

"N-no, Aric," Takeshi panted, his face flushed. "We can't...we can't do this."

"But I want you and you want me," Aric protested, and tried to kiss him again.

Takeshi placed his hands palm-down on Aric's chest, and at first Aric thought it was meant to be a caress. But then Takeshi chanted something in a language that Aric didn't understand, and he could feel heat forming where the mediwizard was touching him, a faint warmth at first that rapidly grew uncomfortably hot. Aric glanced down and saw that Takeshi's hands were glowing, and his eyes widened in alarm. And then he found himself hurled across the room as if he had been hit with a full-strength Expelliarmus spell. He crashed into the shelves that lined the opposite wall and heard the sound of breaking glass. He felt something wet stain his robes, but by the pungent smell, it was Wolfsbane Potion and not his own blood. He was probably going to have a number of interesting bruises on his back by tomorrow, though.

"Takeshi..." he said, feeling hurt and confused.

The mediwizard climbed off the desk, straightening his robes, and he looked angrier than Aric had ever seen him before, even when Aric had been gloating about Theo kissing Blaise at the Yule Ball. "I told myself that I wasn't going to do this," Takeshi said in a low, taut voice. "I told myself that I wouldn't give you an ultimatum, that I wouldn't force you to choose between me and your family, but now you have given me no choice. I love you, Aric, but I will never sleep with you as long as you are engaged or married to someone else."

"But...but I didn't have a choice!" Aric protested.

Takeshi's brown eyes were hard and cold, in a way that Aric had never seen before. "You have a choice, Aric," he said firmly. "I won't blame you if choose not to be disowned by your family, but don't tell me that you have no choice."

"But..." Aric said in a pleading voice, not sure what argument he could make.

Takeshi didn't give him time to come up with one. "I know that many of the purebloods take lovers even after they are married. That was the way it was done in my country once, too. Lords would take wives to seal political alliances, and keep concubines for pleasure, and sometimes, for love. But I will not be your concubine, Aric. I will not be your plaything." Tears filled his eyes, and he shouted, "I will not be your whore!"

"I-I'm not...th-that wasn't what I..." Aric stammered. He swallowed hard, staring at his friend's anguished face. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know I could never ask that of you. I...I only came to say goodbye tonight. I didn't mean for this to happen. I...just got carried away. I'm sorry."

"Please go, Aric," Takeshi said, tears streaming down his face. "And if you're determined to go through with the marriage, I think it would be better if you didn't come back."

"I'm sorry," Aric said once more, then fled through the fireplace. He somehow managed to make his way back to his room without being discovered, although he was stumbling through the halls without trying very hard to be quiet, his eyes blurred with tears. He felt so ashamed of himself for hurting Takeshi that way; he should never have gone to the clinic. He wondered if more alcohol would help obliviate his pain, but then realized that he had left the bottle of Firewhiskey in Malfoy's room. And Malfoy was probably asleep and would be pissed off if Aric woke him up now. Besides, it was the Firewhiskey that had gotten him into this mess in the first place.

So he crawled into bed and cried himself to sleep. His chest still stung a little where Takeshi had touched him, but it was more uncomfortable than painful, sort of like having a mild sunburn. He certainly deserved far worse for what he had done to his dearest friend. It was only as he was finally drifting off into slumber that it occurred to him to wonder how Takeshi had managed to cast such a powerful spell without a wand. But he slipped into unconsciousness before he could ponder that question for long.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Williamson was very pleased when he received the Dark Magic books from Stewart. He wished that he could have gotten Stewart to steal some hair or clothing from Snape to further implicate him, but that would probably be pushing his luck. Sneaking into the restricted section of the library was one thing, but while Stewart was a clever lad, he was no match for a paranoid Death Eater, and Williamson's scheme would be ruined if Snape caught on to what he was doing. They would have to rely on circumstantial evidence for now, but it shouldn't be hard to build up a convincing case against the Potions Master, with his past history and sinister manner.

"Merlin's Beard!" Amos exclaimed, leafing through the books with an expression of combined horror and fascination on his face. "What on earth do you intend to do with these?"

"Make people think that Snape is practicing Dark Magic in secret, of course," Williamson replied. "Now there are a few ingredients we'll need..." He took one of the books and opened it to a particular page. "Boomslang skin--expensive, but not difficult to obtain. Aconite and henbane--readily available, but only a registered potion-brewer or Healer can purchase them, since they're poisonous. And of course getting the werewolf blood will be a bit tricky."

"Where on earth are you going to get werewolf blood?" Amos asked.

Williamson grinned. "You'd probably like me to take it from your nephew, I'm sure, but it wouldn't be wise to physically attack the werewolves right now. We want them to remain suspects, not victims."

"Then where are you going to get it from?" Amos demanded impatiently.

"Where else does one go to obtain substances of dubious legality?" Williamson asked in a logical tone of voice. "Knockturn Alley, of course."

So Williamson ventured into Knockturn Alley the next day, in disguise, of course. He wore a hooded cloak with the hood pulled low over his face, and he also used an Illusion spell in case one of the other Aurors traced the ingredients back to this shop. He gave himself a big nose and long, greasy black hair. Now if anyone should question the shopkeeper, he would describe someone who resembled Snape.

Williamson entered the apothecary shop, a much seedier looking establishment than Slug & Jiggers. However, it also carried a number of substances that were not available at Slug & Jiggers--at least, not without written permission from the Ministry and a number of inconvenient questions being asked.

"Werewolf blood, eh?" the shopkeeper said when Williamson made his request. "You're in luck; I've still a got few vials left. Our supply has been dwindling since the equal rights bill was passed. Now that the werewolves can get work, not many of them are desperate enough to sell their bodily fluids. Of course, that might be changing soon, if the rumors I've been hearing are true. Word is that the Ministry might be revoking the equal rights bill and restoring the anti-werewolf legislation."

Williamson silently gloated, but aloud he said mildly, "Perhaps. But for now, give me all the werewolf blood you have left. Also some aconite, boomslang skin, and henbane."

"I have some werewolf fur and claw tips, too," the shopkeeper said.

"Excellent!" Williamson said. A few minutes later, he left the shop, both he and the apothecary feeling very satisfied. Williamson because he had gotten the ingredients he needed, and the shopkeeper because Williamson had not haggled over the cost as most people did, and had immediately paid the apothecary's exorbitant asking price. The Auror had not bothered, since he was paying with Amos's money. Since Amos was too cowardly to enter Knockturn Alley himself, he had given Williamson a bag of Galleons and entrusted the task to him.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Not long after Williamson's trip to Knockturn Alley, the townsfolk of Hogsmeade began seeing strange lights and hearing strange noises from the Shrieking Shack late at night. Most of them still didn't know the true story behind the Shrieking Shack, so they began whispering that perhaps the ghosts had returned, although things had been quiet there for the past few years. Then, on the night of the full moon, they heard howling and loud crashes--the sound of wood splintering and glass breaking, as if someone were wrecking the place. Eventually, the Aurors were called in to investigate.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following day, Snape was called out of his last afternoon class and summoned to the Headmaster's office, along with Lukas and Lupin. "What now?" Snape grumbled to his two colleagues. "Another so-called werewolf attack?"

"That seems likely, considering that the three of us have been summoned," Lukas said grimly.

This time they found not just Dawlish and Williamson, but also Tonks, Kingsley, and Frank and Alice Longbottom waiting for them at Dumbledore's office. Dawlish looked stern, Williamson looked smug, and the others merely looked concerned. Morrigan and, of course, Dumbledore were also there.

"All right," Snape said, feigning an air of boredom. "Let's get this over with. What time do we need to provide an alibi for?"

"Where were you last night, Snape?" Dawlish asked sharply.

"I was in my quarters all night," Snape replied promptly.

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

"It was the full moon, so Lupin was with me," Snape said. "And our sons stayed with us from after dinner until about ten-thirty that night."

"How convenient, Snape," Williamson sneered.

Frank gave him a disapproving look. "Family members are not considered unbiased witnesses, Professor Snape," he said quietly. "Can anyone else vouch for you?"

"No," Snape snapped. "What exactly is it that I'm supposed to have done?"

Dawlish did not reply directly, but instead looked thoughtful and said, "Actually, it makes sense that you weren't there last night. You had to stay with Lupin, so you left your creation alone in the Shrieking Shack, but something went wrong, and it went out of control, causing enough of a disturbance for the villagers to contact the Ministry."

"What sort of nonsense are you blathering about, Dawlish?" Snape snarled. "I haven't set foot in the Shrieking Shack for four years."

"Oh, I think it hasn't been quite that long, Snape," Dawlish retorted. "We found these there." He threw two books down on Dumbledore's desk. One was a book of Dark Spells, and the other was a book of Dark Potions. "Along with a set with Potions equipment and some very interesting ingredients, including aconite, henbane, boomslang skin, and werewolf blood, fur, and claws. And also this." He picked up a large sack from the floor, opened it and turned it upside-down, and the corpse of a large canine tumbled out onto the floor.

Lupin let out a startled yelp and jumped back, Lukas's eyes widened in shock, and Snape exclaimed, "Merlin's Beard!" The corpse seemed to be a cross between a dog and a wolf, but it looked oddly misshapen, as if it had been frozen in the act of being transfigured: the beast had patches of smooth gray fur and patches of wiry brown fur; and one ear was short and pointed like a wolf's, while the other was floppy, like a hound's. Its muzzle looked deformed, with teeth too big for its mouth, and its claws were long and curved and stained with blood--its own, judging by the bloody scratches on its side and legs. Its eyes remained open in death, permanently frozen in an expression of madness, and there was bloody froth still staining its jaws.

"Good Lord," Snape whispered, looking from the corpse to the Dark Potions book and back again. He went pale and a hint of recognition sparked in his black eyes.

Dawlish took that as a sign of guilt. "So you recognize your handiwork, Snape?" he asked triumphantly.

Snape shook his head, too shaken to be angry. "No, but I recognize that book, and I recognize what someone was trying to accomplish."

"S-Severus?" Lupin asked hesitantly. "What happened to that poor creature? Was someone experimenting on it with Dark Magic?"

"Someone is trying to create werewolves," Snape and Dawlish said simultaneously.

"WHAT?!" Lupin and Lukas shouted.

"'Someone'?" Williamson asked pointedly. "Don't you mean yourself?"

"What are you talking about, Severus?" Lupin asked anxiously.

"That book contains a formula that will supposedly induce lycanthropy artificially," Snape explained, ignoring Williamson. "However, that text is antiquated and there are a number of errors in it. The so-called Werewolf Potion doesn't work. The ingredients are so poisonous that they always end up killing the subject. If they're lowered to a non-lethal dosage, the potion is too weak to be effective."

"And how do you know that?" Dawlish asked suspiciously.

"Because Voldemort possessed a copy of this book," Snape replied. It was still difficult for him to speak his former Master's name out loud, but it was worth it to see Dawlish flinch in reflexive fear. "He considered using the potion to create an army of werewolf slaves, but he abandoned that plan when he discovered that the potion was useless."

"But you're a Potions Master, Snape," Dawlish said in a quiet, accusing voice. "One of the most preeminent Potions Masters in the world, possibly THE preeminent Potions Master--your creation of the Wolfsbane Potion is considered by your colleagues to be quite an astounding feat."

"You flatter me, Dawlish," Snape said sarcastically.

"An expert in Potions, and an expert on werewolves," Dawlish continued, still in that quiet voice. "Just the person to try to perfect that 'useless' potion, don't you think?"

There was a short, stunned silence before Lupin shouted, "That's ridiculous! Severus would never do such a thing!"

"I agree," Tonks said firmly. "You have no right to accuse Severus this way. He risked his life to protect Harry, to protect us all from Voldemort and the Death Eaters."

"When he saw that the Death Eaters were losing the war, he switched sides to save his own skin," Williamson retorted. "I call that self-preservation, not heroism!"

Somewhat to Snape's surprise, Shacklebolt defended him. "No, Snape risked his life to spy on the Death Eaters when it was by no means certain that we would win the war. In fact, he could have handed victory over to You-Know...to Voldemort...simply by doing nothing and letting Harry go to the Ministry alone two years ago. He could have let Harry walk into the Death Eaters' trap and no one on our side would have known the difference, but he didn't. He warned us, thereby saving Harry Potter's life, and our only chance of winning the war."

"Very moving, Kingsley," Dawlish said coolly. "But you are in love with this young lady..." He motioned towards Tonks. "And she is a friend of Snape, and perhaps you have let your emotions cloud your judgment."

"I am proud to call Severus my friend," Tonks said, glaring at Dawlish defiantly. "Much prouder than I am to call myself your colleague." Snape looked chagrined to hear Tonks call him a "friend," and Lupin couldn't help but smile at him despite the seriousness of the situation.

"You've been experimenting on animals," Dawlish accused. "This creature isn't a true werewolf, which is why the victims of the recent attacks haven't been infected. You haven't perfected the formula yet. When you got it right, were you planning to move on from animals to humans? Or have you already experimented on humans, and just hid the bodies better than you hid this one?"

"You still have not presented any proof that Professor Snape is involved in either the attacks or this supposed scheme to develop a Werewolf Potion," Morrigan said firmly.

"We have a Potions Master living a short distance away from the scene of the crime," Dawlish argued. "A Potions Master who is a former Death Eater, might I remind you? And the evidence indicates that someone was conducting experiments with Dark Potions."

"Circumstantial evidence," Morrigan said dismissively. "It will never hold up in court, not against a hero of the war."

"There's more," Williamson said with a malicious smirk. "One of the books, as Snape so helpfully informed us, is a text on Dark Potions. The other is a book of Dark Spells. It contains several spells pertaining to controlling Dark Creatures. He was using one book to create werewolves, and the other to control them."

"I still haven't heard anything connecting Professor Snape to the evidence found in the Shrieking Shack," Morrigan said.

"I'm not finished," Williamson said. He opened the books; they were both stamped "Property of Hogwarts Library" on the front pages. "We spoke to Madam Pince, and she confirms that these two texts are missing from the restricted section. Only someone in the school could have stolen these books, and only teachers have unlimited access to the restricted section. We checked, and no students were given permission to check out these books."

"It is not unheard of for students to sneak into the restricted section, in spite of Madam Pince's vigilance," Snape said in a cold voice.

"But none of the students--and none of the other teachers, for that matter--have the skill necessary to not just brew, but to correct and enhance such a potion," Dawlish said. "No one except for you, Snape."

"There is one more thing," Alice said, exchanging a worried look with Frank. "We made some inquiries. Some of the ingredients used in the potion are illegal, or at least restricted, and none of the legitimate potions shops or apothecaries reported selling them recently. So we checked some of the less legitimate shops, and an apothecary in Knockturn Alley eventually admitted to selling some aconite, boomslang skin, henbane, and werewolf blood, fur, and claws to an individual several days ago. This person wore a hooded cloak to obscure his features, but he did have black hair and a rather...er...prominent nose."

"Actually, he said, 'greasy black hair,'" Williamson added spitefully.

"Severus's hair isn't greasy!" Lupin protested indignantly.

"Not now, Lupin!" Snape said impatiently, then turned to the Longbottoms. "Are your wits still addled? Maybe they let you out of St. Mungo's too early!"

"Severus!" Lupin cried.

"Why in Merlin's name would I go buy werewolf parts in Knockturn Alley when I have a ready supply right here?" Snape continued, pointing at Lupin and tapping his finger on Lupin's chest for emphasis.

"That's what I said!" Tonks said, sounding vindicated.

"Remus is a good man," Frank said. "Maybe you knew that he would refuse to let you use his blood to create a Dark Potion."

"Bloody hell, Longbottom, use what's left of your brain!" Snape spat. "If I wanted, I could have told him I needed it to improve the Wolfsbane Potion, or I could have just took it without his knowledge while he was sleeping! And if I had planned to run around Knockturn Alley buying illegal substances, I would certainly have disguised myself better! For that matter, why would I need to make a potion to create werewolves? I could have just used an Imperius Curse on Lupin to make him bite people!"

"An interesting turn of mind for a supposedly innocent man," Dawlish observed.

"I never claimed to be a lily-white, do-gooding, noble Gryffindor prig," Snape snarled. "But I did not create a Werewolf Potion, and I did not attack Pritchard and Baddock."

"Professor Snape does have a point," Morrigan said. "If he wished to create werewolves to do his bidding, he could have done it with less effort and much less attention drawn to himself, simply by using Professor Lupin."

"But he needs the potion to make his werewolf slaves transform at will," Dawlish said. "After all, what good is an army that you can only use one day out of every month?"

Everyone else in the room looked startled. "The potion is supposed to allow the werewolf to transform at any time," Snape reluctantly conceded. "More like a true shapeshifter than a person suffering a monthly curse. But as I said, the potion doesn't work."

"But you were trying to make it work, weren't you?" Dawlish accused. "And from what I've seen, you've had limited success! Your experiments transformed long enough to attack Pritchard and Baddock! You know, Snape, maybe I had you wrong, after all--you did want to defeat You-Know-Who. But not to save the wizarding world--you wanted to take his place as Dark Lord!"

"You're insane!" Snape shouted.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, you megalomaniac Death Eater!" Dawlish shouted back.

"Calm down, both of you!" Kingsley shouted.

"Frank, Alice, surely you don't believe that Severus would do such a thing?" Lupin pleaded. "I know that you don't know him well, but you know me. Do you really believe that I could love someone who was capable of such evil?"

"We don't believe that you would knowingly condone such a thing," Alice said carefully. "But you would not be the first person to be deceived by someone they love."

"After all," Frank said, "none of us suspected that Peter Pettigrew had gone over to Voldemort." As Lupin started to protest, Frank added, "I'm not saying that he's guilty. But I'm not completely convinced that he's innocent, either. We have to consider the evidence."

"Then consider this," Dumbledore said. "Severus spied on Voldemort, and convinced his fellow Death Eaters that he was one of them for many years, without ever being discovered. If he were going to commit a crime, do you not think that someone so clever would have covered his tracks better? Someone laid a trail of evidence that led you straight to Severus. I find that very suspicious--and my suspicions don't fall on Severus." The Longbottoms exchanged a startled and thoughtful look. "Besides," Dumbledore said, smiling fondly at Snape, "I have faith in Severus. I don't need any evidence to know that he would never do such a thing."

"It occurs to me," Lukas growled, "that the staff and students are not the only ones who could've entered the library. Many of the parents visit their children on Quidditch match days, and you two--" He glared at Dawlish and Williamson. "--have been hanging around the school a lot recently."

"How dare you!" Williamson cried. "Are you trying to accuse us, you cur?!"

"Why, yes," Lukas replied coolly. "I believe I am."

"I think you ought to come to the Ministry for further questioning, Snape," Dawlish said.

"Not without a warrant!" Morrigan snapped, interposing herself between Snape and the Auror like a guard dog--and looking just as fierce as one. Lukas and Lupin smiled a little, while Snape looked bemused. "You have no direct evidence linking Professor Snape to any crimes, except for two books from the Hogwarts Library, which everyone else in the school has access to. We all know that it is difficult, but not impossible, for students to bypass the alarms in the restricted section."

Dawlish of course had no warrant, and looked furious that Morrigan had called his bluff. "I'll be back with a warrant, never fear!" he retorted, and vanished through the fireplace. Williamson followed after gathering up the evidence (the books and the wolf/dog corpse). The Longbottoms avoided Lupin's gaze as they quietly exited through the fireplace.

Tonks assured Snape, "Don't worry, Severus, we won't let him arrest you," before she and Kingsley left as well.

"I feel so reassured," Snape said sarcastically to the empty fireplace.

Morrigan followed the Aurors, and returned much later with Tonks, both women looking weary and angry.

"Your expressions don't bode well for me," Snape said sourly.

"I have good news and bad news," Morrigan said.

"Let's hear the good news first," Lupin said. "We could definitely use some."

"Well, the good news is that Severus isn't being arrested," Morrigan said.

"And the bad news?" Snape asked.

Tonks handed a roll of parchment to the Headmaster. "The bad news is that you're restricted to the castle until we can clear this up."

"So I'm under house arrest," Snape said in an icy voice.

"Believe me, Severus, I don't like it any better than you do," Tonks said. "I have firsthand experience with it, after all. And at least you won't have to wear a Squib Collar."

Snape shuddered at the thought of wearing the magical device that cut a wizard off from his magical powers, essentially rendering him into a Muggle.

"We all argued in the Minister's office for hours," Morrigan said wearily. "Arthur Weasley believes in you, of course, Severus, but the rest of the Ministry was practically ready to revolt. The evidence against you, while circumstantial, is very convincing when worded the right way."

"To people who have already decided who is guilty and who is innocent," Lukas said bitterly.

"So a compromise was reached, that no one is happy with," Morrigan finished.

Dumbledore unrolled the parchment and read it. "It says that Severus is restricted to the castle, and that the fireplaces in his office, classroom, and quarters will be blocked from the Floo Network. And I am most sternly admonished not to let him leave the castle by other means."

"I'm sorry, Severus," Morrigan apologized. "But it was the best I could do. Weasley's position is very tenuous at present."

Snape smiled sardonically. "So Arthur Weasley has developed a sense of political expediency. There may be hope for him yet."

"At least if you're confined to the castle, you can't be blamed for any other attacks that might occur," Lupin said hopefully.

"They will find a way to blame me, and Diggory too, no matter what," Snape said cynically.

"Then we'll have to stop them," Lupin said, trying to sound more certain than he felt.

"I'm sorry, Severus," Tonks said. "I'll keep working to prove your innocence." Then she left.

"I'm sorry," Morrigan apologized again.

Snape shook his head. "No, you've done your best, Morrigan. It is a testament to your skill that Diggory and I aren't sitting in Azkaban right now. You were actually hired to defend Diggory, so I will officially need to retain your services." He managed a faint smile. "At double your normal fee. You've earned it."

Morrigan smiled and inclined her head modestly. "As you wish, Severus. I'll owl the contract to you."

After Morrigan left, Dumbledore said solemnly, "As you aren't able to Apparate or Disapparate in the castle, and you'll be prevented from using the Floo, I will prepare a Portkey for you, Severus. It will take you to a safe house, to the place I was hiding when Umbridge took over the school."

"Is that really necessary, Albus?" Lupin asked, looking distraught.

"I hope not, Remus," Dumbledore replied. "But I prefer to be safe rather than sorry."

"I suppose this is my punishment for making fun of Black when he was cooped up at Grimmauld Place," Snape grumbled, trying to lighten the mood for Lupin's sake.

Lupin smiled, although it was probably more to reassure Snape than anything else. "At least you don't have to clean the castle, Severus."

"Or put up with a crazy house-elf," Snape said. "If one doesn't count Dobby."

Lupin wrapped his arms around Snape and whispered, "And I promise to make your confinement as pleasant as possible."

"Argh! Not in public, Lupin!" Snape shouted, and Lupin, Lukas, and Dumbledore burst into sincere laughter, and the tension drained from the room, at least for a little while.

Chapter 133

Return to Aftermaths Index