Aftermaths, Part 133

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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Daphne's and Ron's romance had been slowly but steadily progressing. They had held hands on Valentine's Day, and although the teachers had been supervising the students closely, Ron had managed to find a brief moment alone to steal a kiss from Daphne behind The Three Broomsticks. Since then, they often met for study dates, and Daphne would come to watch Ron at Quidditch practice. Daphne had gradually been losing a little of her shyness, and she no longer seemed to worry about what her housemates might think about her dating a Gryffindor--perhaps because none of them seemed to care. Pansy and Millicent obviously approved; Damien and Dylan were also dating Gryffindors; and everyone else seemed indifferent.

By now everyone in Hogwarts had unofficially acknowledged that they were a couple--including Sprout, because the Herbology teacher no longer allowed them to study together in the greenhouse unsupervised. Ron's grades had improved to the point where he no longer really needed the tutoring sessions, but he still worked with Daphne in the greenhouse afterschool once or twice a week, and Sprout made sure to be somewhere in the near vicinity. She didn't seem to object to their romance, though; in fact, she seemed to approve, because she would often smile at them indulgently, and although she acted as a chaperone, she would sometimes turn her back or leave them alone long enough to steal a few kisses, although not long enough for things to go any further.

But Daphne and Ron, who were both shy and inexperienced, were content to let things progress at a slow pace. While Ron had the desires of any typical teenage boy, he was nervous about taking things to the next level. Partly because Daphne was so shy, and appeared to come from the type of old-fashioned pureblood family where the girls were expected to remain chaste until marriage. (Of course her father had been an illegitimate child, but that only seemed to make the Greengrasses more determined than ever to behave like "proper" purebloods, to erase the stain on their honor.) But mostly because Ron was terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing and making a complete fool of himself. Some of his male Quidditch teammates eagerly gave him advice in the locker room with a nudge and a wink, but he suspected that they were more talk than action for the most part. For now, he was willing to settle for kissing and holding hands. Although occasionally he would allow himself to think about what might happen after graduation, which would usually lead to his face turning as red as his hair, and necessitate a cold shower.

As for Daphne, she was very happy. Her parents, who might normally have disapproved of her dating a Gryffindor, were overjoyed that she was dating the son of the Minister of Magic. But Ron's rank didn't matter to her at all; what mattered most to her was that Ron was kind and goodhearted and made her laugh. He made numerous small gestures every day that showed his thoughtfulness: bringing her a piece of candy, or a flower from the greenhouse; carrying her books for her between classes; cracking a joke or eating a Canary Cream to make her laugh.

He also gave her the flower-shaped jeweled brooch that he had found during the Easter egg hunt at Lady Selima's party. She adored it, because she loved flower-motif jewelry, and also because Ron had looked so cute when he had given it to her, red-faced and stammering in his awkward but sincere manner. Maybe that was what she really liked about Ron. He was exactly what he appeared to be, with no hidden agendas or motives--a refreshing attitude for someone used to dealing with Slytherins.

The Slytherin girls oohed and ahed and giggled over the brooch, saying how lucky she was. In a strange way, her romance with Ron seemed to have increased her popularity in Slytherin. She wasn't sure if it was because he was the Minister's son, or if it was simply that having a boyfriend made her seem more like one of them. She liked that feeling--of being an ordinary girl who could giggle and gossip about clothes, jewelry, and boys with her friends. Other Slytherins might dream of becoming powerful and wealthy, of becoming Minister of Magic or the wife of a high-ranking pureblood Lord, but after so many years of living in fear, being ordinary was an incredible luxury to Daphne. That was all she really wanted: for her family to be safe, to have friends to talk to, and to have a boy who liked her--a very kind and generous boy. She didn't need anything else.

But fear began to intrude in Slytherin House once again. The "werewolf" attacks had everyone on edge, because everyone in Slytherin loved Professor Lupin, and they didn't want to see him lose his job--or worse--again. Well, everyone except maybe Aric Dietrich, but even he seemed a little concerned, although he pretended that he wasn't. And they were worried about Master Diggory, too. Most of the Slytherins liked him, including Daphne. She had been scared of him at first, but she had gradually noticed that he toned down his gruffness around her, and tried to be a little more gentle with her than he was with the other students. Certainly he never yelled at her the way he yelled at Draco or Aric or the Gryffindor boys when they misbehaved in class.

Things grew even more tense when Professor Snape was essentially placed under house arrest. The Headmaster tried to keep it quiet, but word quickly leaked out. The Slytherins were outraged by it; an attack on their Head was like an attack on the entire House. The Slytherins were mostly angry, but Daphne and a few of the more farsighted students were frightened as well. If the Aurors were targeting someone as magically and politically powerful as Snape, how long would it be before they came after Slytherins with less wealth and clout? Much of the wizarding world still held a grudge against the Death Eaters, and to most people, "Slytherin" was synonymous with "Death Eater".

The weekend after the Aurors had placed Snape under house arrest, Slytherin had their match against Hufflepuff, the match that would determine who went to the finals. The mood was a bit somber, because their Head of House could not come to the match to cheer Slytherin on--the terms of the confinement were quite specific, and Snape was not supposed to set foot outside the castle, even if he remained on the school grounds. Lupin attended, wearing the Slytherin robe that the students had given him for Christmas, but although he cheered loudly, they could tell that his heart wasn't really in it. He tried to hide it, but he was obviously concerned about Snape.

The Slytherin team, though, was even more determined to win the game--"For the Professor's sake, and the honor of Slytherin!" Draco shouted as the team took the Pitch, and the Slytherin team and spectators cheered loudly. There were scattered boos from the other sections of the stands.

Daphne watched with her parents from the stands, cheering on the Slytherin team. She looked across the Pitch to the Gryffindor section, and was touched to see Ron actually cheering for Slytherin, although some of his housemates were giving him dirty looks. Slytherin was leading by thirty points when the Snitch flew into view and the two Seekers took off after it. After zooming madly across the Pitch, the Snitch suddenly went into a steep dive, and Draco and Tristan both dove down after it, both with intense looks of determination on their faces, and it was obvious that neither boy was going to back off.

They crashed into each other and hit the ground, landing in a tangled heap of green-and-silver and yellow-and-black robes as the crowd shrieked. And then Draco sat up; his face was bruised and bloody, but he was grinning in triumph as he raised his right hand in the air to reveal that it was holding a struggling Snitch. Tristan, who was equally bruised and bloodied, looked furious and frustrated.

The Slytherins spectators cheered, and the boos from the other sections grew louder; Daphne's parents looked troubled by the sound. "Come," Daphne told her parents, trying to sound cheerful despite her own worry. "I want you to meet Ron. And I saw his parents in the stands, so you'll get a chance to meet the Minister of Magic."

"Just a moment, Daphne," Gareth Greengrass said with a serious expression on his face. "We need to speak to you in private for a moment."

"What is it, Father?" Daphne asked, feeling confused.

But her parents remained silent until the stands emptied out and the rest of the spectators went down to the Pitch to congratulate the team or talk to teachers and friends. Once they were alone, Flora Greengrass, Daphne's mother, said in a hushed voice, "We don't think it's a good idea for you to see the Weasley boy any longer."

"What?!" Daphne exclaimed in dismay. "But why not?"

"Because Arthur Weasley will likely not be Minister for much longer," Gareth said grimly. "And we do not want to be associated with the Weasleys when they fall from grace. Our family has had enough doubt cast upon our honor in the past; we don't need to get entangled in the Weasleys' problems."

Daphne's parents were shocked to see their meek, obedient daughter glare at them and say firmly, "I don't like Ron because he's the Minister's son. I like him because he is kind and generous and loyal. He doesn't care that our family isn't wealthy or powerful, and he doesn't care that our blood might or might not be pure. He's been a friend to me when I needed one, without asking anything in return. So I most certainly will not abandon him at a time when he will be needing his friends more than ever. You can disown me if you want, or you can come along and meet the Weasleys, but either way, I'm not changing my mind." And then she marched out of the stands without a backwards glance, her spine straight and her head held high.

Her parents just stood there with their mouths hanging open, and then slowly turned to look at each other in disbelief. "Is that really our daughter?" Flora asked.

"Do you suppose that somebody could have used a Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Daphne?" Gareth asked in a bemused voice.

His wife smiled, a wistful, faraway look in her eyes. "Actually...just now, she reminded me a little of Gabriel."

"Yes," Gareth said softly, thinking of his late son, who had steadfastly adhered to his beliefs and refused to join the Death Eaters, even when it had cost him his life. It made him proud, to see Daphne looking so strong and determined when she used to be a timid little thing who would jump at her own shadow, but on the other hand, Gabriel's bravery had led to his death. He didn't want his daughter to share the same fate.

"Our little girl is growing up, dear," Flora said with a smile, although she looked worried as well.

"I suppose we'd better hope that Weasley manages to keep his position, after all," Gareth said with a sigh of resignation.

"I do recall that my own parents were not overly thrilled when they discovered that you were courting me, dear," Flora said with a mischievous smile.

"But you were determined to marry me, the boy with no father, whose mother caused a scandal in the wizarding world," Gareth said, smiling back at her as he raised her hand to his lips. "Perhaps our daughter inherited her disobedience from you."

"Perhaps," Flora laughed. "It was your Herbology skills, your special touch with flowers that won me over, you know. You would always bring me the most beautiful bouquets."

"Because I couldn't afford jewels," Gareth said.

"I didn't need jewels," Flora said. "It seemed a much greater miracle to me that you could make such beautiful flowers come to life. Flowers are like living jewels."

Gareth shrugged modestly. "I have a Gift for Herbal magic, but there's really not that much magic involved in growing plants. It's simply a matter of getting the right combination of sunlight, water, and fertilizer."

"And that's a gift in itself," Flora replied. "I wonder what young Mr. Weasley has done to make our little Daphne blossom so?"

Gareth sighed again. "Well, I suppose we had better go meet our daughter's beau and his family."

Young Mr. Weasley, they found, was a polite and respectful boy, although he seemed a little nervous--but no more nervous than any young man meeting his sweetheart's parents for the first time. And he gazed at their daughter with a look of complete and utter adoration, which they found reassuring. The Greengrasses began to think that it might be better to give Daphne to Ron, regardless of whether or not his father was Minister, than to some Slytherin lordling who might abuse her or simply be indifferent to her, treating her as nothing more than a broodmare and hostess. With a few exceptions, the men of the Slytherin elite were not known for their gallantry, and if by some miracle one of them did marry Daphne, he would look down on her and expect her to feel lucky that he had deigned to accept her as a bride. Ron, on the other hand, looked as though he thought that HE was the lucky one.

Arthur Weasley greeted them with genuine warmth and friendliness, and Molly Weasley gushed over a blushing Daphne, saying what a lovely girl she was, and that they must all have dinner together sometime and get to know each other better. From the gleam in her eyes, she was already planning her son's wedding in her mind; maybe it was because she had so many sons and only one daughter that she was eager to bring another girl into the family.

Molly also had a speculative look in her eyes when she regarded Harry Potter, who seemed to be quite friendly with Ginny Weasley. Perhaps an alliance with the Weasleys might still be wise then, if they were to be someday linked in marriage to the savior of the wizarding world.

But aside from the possible political benefits of a potential marriage alliance, Flora and Gareth found that they actually liked the Weasleys, and they hoped that the rumors about Arthur losing his job would turn out to be false, although at this point, it didn't look very likely.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Harry's romance with Ginny had not progressed much farther than Ron's and Daphne's had. Their big date at the Yule Ball had been cut short, of course, due to the spiked punch, but he'd finally worked up the courage to hold hands with Ginny on Valentine's Day. After that, Ginny had taken the lead--it had been she who had leaned over and given him a quick kiss as they strolled through Hogsmeade together. And back at school, it was she who would casually reach out and clasp his hand as they walked together through the halls, as if it were no big deal. Harry grinned a little ruefully to himself. He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised; Ginny was the type who tended to go out and get what she wanted. She had gone out with Michael Corner over her brother's objections in her fourth year, and then she had set her sights on Dean Thomas in her fifth and won him over, at least temporarily, until she had decided that he was too immature and possessive. And of course it had been Ginny who had asked him to the Yule Ball, rather than the other way around. Not that Harry really minded. It was a bit disconcerting, but at least it meant that she liked him, right?

They had kissed several times since then, when they found themselves alone in the library or putting away equipment after a Quidditch practice--kisses that were much more intense and satisfying than their first kiss in Hogsmeade, or Harry's first kiss with Cho. It chagrined him a little, though, to realize that Ginny was obviously much more experienced with kissing than he was, having had two boyfriends while Harry had only briefly dated one girl before.

Things had not really progressed beyond kissing and holding hands, mainly because there were so few opportunities to be alone together; he wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed about that. Ginny's kisses always left him feeling slightly dizzy and wanting more, but he wasn't quite sure what to do next. Or rather, he knew in theory what was supposed to happen next, from the Quidditch locker room talk and a certain book detailing "the facts of life," which Sirius had slipped him after Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff.

Harry had not realized at first what it was; Sirius had simply handed him a parcel wrapped in brown paper and said, "This is for you, Harry. Maybe it's something you're not ready for yet, but I think it's stuff you'll be needing to know soon." Sirius had grinned and winked at him, then added, "And if you have any questions, feel free to owl me, or contact me through the mirror I gave you, all right?"

Harry had just smiled and nodded. By the shape of the parcel, he had known it was a book, but he had assumed it was a spell book of some sort, maybe an advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts text. But when he had opened it (in the privacy of his dorm room when no one else was around, thank Merlin), his face had turned bright red. Sirius's gift had turned out to be a book on reproduction and sex, complete with very graphic illustrations and instructions for casting birth control spells and brewing birth control potions. "Stuff you'll be needing to know soon"--what on earth did Sirius think that he and Ginny were doing together?! And where on earth were they supposed to be doing it, with four or five people to a dorm room, and the teachers patrolling the halls in the evening? He knew that some couples still snuck out to be alone together, but Harry thought he would die of embarrassment if McGonagall, Filch, or worst of all, Snape, should happen to catch him making love to Ginny beneath the Quidditch stands or in an empty classroom. Assuming that Ginny would want to do such a thing in a semi-public place, which was rather doubtful, or that she would want to do such a thing with him, period. Still, the book had conjured up some images in his head that were very hard to get rid of, and resulted in a number of very interesting and pleasant but highly embarrassing dreams, and Harry frequently woke up in the middle of the night cursing his godfather.

Sirius had come to Hogwarts again two weeks later, for Gryffindor's match against Ravenclaw, and thrown his arm around Harry and asked with a wink, "So did you like the book I gave you, Harry?" Harry had blushed deeply and glared at his godfather.

"What book did you give him, dear?" Professor Blackmore had asked, and Sirius had grinned wickedly as Harry stared at him horror, silently entreating him not to tell her the title of the book.

"Oh, just a book containing a few spells that I thought Harry might find useful," Sirius had replied casually.

"And did you find them useful, Harry?" Blackmore had asked.

"Er..." Harry had said, still blushing furiously. "I haven't had an opportunity to use them yet, but I'm sure that they'll...uh...come in handy when I do need them."

Blackmore had raised an eyebrow, but all that she had said was, "I see," and then she had let the subject drop, to Harry's great relief.

"I'm going to kill you, Sirius," Harry had whispered to his godfather later.

"I was just making sure that you knew the facts of life," Sirius had said with an innocent smile. "Just doing my fatherly duty, that's all. I suppose we were overdue for a little man-to-man chat."

And then Harry had been torn between wanting to strangle Sirius and wanting to hug him, because that simple phrase "Just doing my fatherly duty" had awoken a warm glow in Harry, reminding him that he had a real family now. Then Sirius had laughed and hugged him, and the last of Harry's irritation had vanished, and he had hugged Sirius back.

It was kind of weird, Harry thought to himself one day as he headed to the library. It was as if Sirius was his father now, and yet at the same time, he wasn't. Sometimes he wished that Sirius really was his dad, but then he would feel guilty when he looked at the pictures of James and Lily, as if he had been disloyal to his real parents. He hesitated to talk about it with anyone, even Ron and Ginny, because he wasn't sure that they would understand. They had grown up in a normal--okay, well, maybe not exactly normal, but a stable and loving family. He didn't think that they could imagine having any parents other than Molly and Arthur.

Ginny had a Summonings project to work on and was meeting with her team members in the Incantations workshop, and Daphne and Ron were working in the greenhouse, so Harry went to the library alone today, to do some studying for his N.E.W.T.s. If he really wanted to become an Auror, he had to pass--and not just pass, but get a high score on at least five of the required N.E.W.T.s. He was still a little torn between playing Quidditch and becoming an Auror, but he wanted to at least have the option open to him.

Potions was still one of his most difficult subjects, so he looked up some books that Snape had recommended to his seventh-year class, and he also brought his History of Magic textbooks. It wasn't that History was difficult exactly, more that it was difficult to pay attention to Professor Binns's droning monotone lectures.

He was looking for somewhere to sit, when he saw Dylan Rosier studying alone at a table. After a moment of hesitation, Harry walked over and said, "Hi, Dylan."

Dylan looked up, startled, then smiled and said, "Hi, Harry. Where's Ginny?"

It made Harry irrationally happy, that people automatically assumed that he and Ginny were a couple and would spend their free time together. "Oh, she's busy working on a project for Professor Blackmore's class," Harry said casually. "Where's Hermione?"

"Doing some sort of extra credit project for McGonagall," Dylan replied.

"Does Hermione really need extra credit?" Harry asked. "Doesn't she already have the highest ranking for that class?"

"No, and yes," Dylan replied with a grin. "But you know Hermione. She's especially anxious because the N.E.W.T.s are coming up soon."

Harry laughed. "I'm the one who should be worried, not her. She'll probably get the highest scores of anyone in our year. Is it okay if I sit here?"

"Yeah, sure, go right ahead."

They studied in silence for several minutes, while Harry inwardly wrestled with himself. It had occurred to him that Dylan would probably understand what he was going through much better than Ron or Ginny or Hermione, but he was a little reluctant to discuss something so personal with the Slytherin boy. It wasn't so much that he disliked Dylan, but he wasn't very close to the younger boy despite his relationship with Hermione, and he was still a little intimidated by Dylan's air of perfection--there didn't seem to be anything that he wasn't good at, and he was always so smooth and self-assured.

But finally Harry hesitantly said, "Dylan...?"

"Yes?" Dylan replied, looking up from his book.

"You're really close to Professor Snape, right?" Harry asked, approaching the subject obliquely. "I mean, he's your foster father, right?"

"Right," Dylan said, looking a little confused, as if wondering what Harry was leading up to.

"And he's Theodore's real father, legally," Harry continued. "I mean, I've noticed that he calls Snape 'Father' when we're not in class. And sometimes even during class, if he's worried or upset about something."

"Yes," Dylan said cautiously.

"I was just wondering," Harry said awkwardly, "if...if you ever feel like calling Snape 'Father' or 'Dad' too? I mean, do you ever wish that he was your real dad?"

Dylan looked thoughtful for a long moment, as if thinking over Harry's question carefully. "Yes and no," he replied. "I love the Professor. He's been like a father to me ever since I came to Hogwarts. He and Remus both have. They're the only fathers I've ever really had, since my own father died before I was born. I love them as much I love my real mother and father, but I don't feel the need to call them 'Dad' or 'Father'. I've always thought of my real father as 'Dad,' and I don't think I could call anyone else that. The Professor did offer to adopt me along with Theo, and part of me wanted him to, but I couldn't bring myself to give up the Rosier name. Maybe it would be different if I had some actual memories of him, but I don't, so that name and this ring--" He held up his right hand, showing Harry a silver ring set with a red stone carved to look like a rose; presumably it had belonged to Evan Rosier. "--and my mother's photographs of him are all I have left of him. Well, and the estate too, now that Ms. De Lacy won it back from the Ministry for me. But I felt sort of like I would be betraying him somehow if I gave up his name and let myself be adopted into another family."

"I see," Harry murmured. Dylan had apparently thought this over carefully, in great detail. Maybe for much longer than Harry had.

Dylan gave him a shrewd look. "Do you want to call Sirius 'Dad'? Do you want him to formally adopt you?"

Harry blushed; Dylan had seen through him so easily! But he was startled by the second question; he had never thought of becoming "Harry Black". "Um, I never thought about him actually adopting me, and I guess I don't want to change my name from 'Potter' to 'Black,' but...sometimes I do wish I could call him 'Dad'. But then I feel sort of guilty, like I'm being disloyal to my real dad. I guess we're alike that way." Maybe it should have been obvious, but Harry was only just now realizing how much he and Dylan had in common. "I don't really know my parents. Just through stories that people tell me about them, and some photographs that Hagrid and Lupin gave me." And through the scene he had spied on in Snape's Pensieve, but Harry didn't mention that. "I have just one real memory of them, not so much an image, but their voices, shouting at Voldemort, trying to stop him, begging him not to kill me."

Harry suddenly realized that must sound pretty unbelievable, that he could remember that far back, but Dylan just looked impressed, not skeptical. "Wow, I can't really remember anything before I was maybe four or five years old," Dylan said.

"Seeing the Dementors somehow brought the memory out," Harry confessed.

"Ah," Dylan said, nodding. "I guess that makes sense. They take away your happiest memories and leave you only the most painful ones. Have you talked about this with Sirius? About calling him 'Dad,' I mean, not about the memory."

"No," Harry said. "I'm not really sure how he'd react. He was my dad's best friend; what if he gets angry, feels like I'm being disloyal to James?"

"He loves you a lot, Harry," Dylan replied. "I don't think he would be angry with you."

"Or what if he just feels weird about it?" Harry continued. In a way, it felt good to voice all his fears out loud to someone. "What if he doesn't want me to call him that, but he doesn't want to hurt my feelings? And then what I am supposed to call Professor Blackmore? If I call Sirius 'Dad,' would I have to call her 'Mum,' too?"

Dylan laughed. "Sorry, but that does sound a little weird!"

The two boys laughed together at the thought of calling the most terrifying teacher in the school 'Mum'. "Although," Harry said, when they finally stopped laughing, "she is really nice to me when we're at home, just the three of us." He remembered her kissing him tenderly on the forehead or cheek on more than a few occasions, and he said slowly, "I guess maybe that might not be so bad, after all, though it would be weird."

"Then you should talk to them about it, Harry," Dylan said, his voice serious too, now.

"But what if--" Harry started to protest.

"They love you, Harry," Dylan said. "They won't be mad. Just tell them what you told me, and they'll help you work something out, something that all three of you can feel comfortable with." Harry still didn't feel convinced, and Dylan continued, "Names don't really matter, Harry. What matters is that you're a family. Theo and I call Professor Lupin 'Remus' because it seemed to be important to him, once we all started living together. I think it makes him feel closer to us, like we think of him as family and not just our teacher. But it didn't seem right to call Professor Snape 'Severus'. I think he would let us do it if we really wanted to, but it just wouldn't feel right. He seems to require something with more dignity, more respect. I mean...you know Remus and the Professor; they're like night and day." Harry nodded. "So, I just call him 'Professor,' but it's different from the way that I call McGonagall or Flitwick 'Professor'. It's not so much what you say, but how you say it."

Harry nodded again. Now that he thought about it, although Dylan always called Snape "Professor," there was a certain tone of affection in his voice when he said it. It was similar to the way that the other Slytherins talked about "the Professor" with a tone of pride and affection. They had warmed up to Snape a great deal after the war ended, perhaps because they knew how he had protected them, or maybe because their affection for Lupin had spilled over onto him, or maybe a combination of both.

"I told Theo once that it didn't matter to me that all our last names were different--Rosier, Nott, Lupin, or Snape, we're all still family," Dylan said. "My mother and I didn't even share the same last name--she was still a Donner, since my father died before he could marry her." Harry noticed that Dylan said this in a matter-of-fact voice, without any embarrassment or resentment. "And my great-uncle and aunt and cousin are Donners, too, of course, but it doesn't matter that we don't share the same last name. We're still family. I'm not saying that you shouldn't call Sirius 'Dad' if it's important to you, but it seems to me that what's really important to you is that you want to think of him as family, not just as a friend of your father who's looking after you, and that you want him to think of you as family, too."

"Maybe that's it," Harry admitted, then said shyly, "I...I never really had a family. I lived with the Dursleys, my mum's sister's family, but...well...they never really wanted me. They hated having me around. They're Muggles, and my magic scared them."

Dylan nodded. "Yeah, I kind of know how you feel. My grandmother and my uncles hated me, and they let me know it at every available opportunity. They never forgave my mother for falling in love with my father, and they never forgave me for being the son of a Death Eater."

"That wasn't your fault, though," Harry said.

Dylan smiled, a cynical and slightly sad smile. "It wasn't your fault that you were born a wizard, either."

"Yeah, I guess," Harry said.

"So anyway," Dylan said, "if you're asking for my advice, I think you should talk to Sirius."

"Do you think my dad would be upset if knew?" Harry asked anxiously, although he was probably being a bit silly. After all, how would Dylan know what James Potter would have thought? That was probably a question that he should be asking Sirius, or maybe Lupin. But he felt more comfortable sounding out Dylan first.

"Well," Dylan said thoughtfully, "your parents chose Sirius as your godfather, right? That means they wanted him to take care of you if anything happened to them. So doesn't that mean that they chose him to be part of your family?"

"When you put it that way, I guess so," Harry said uncertainly.

"And Remus told me that he and Sirius and your father were like brothers," Dylan continued. "So he was already family even before your parents died. Not blood relatives, but family in the way that Remus and the Professor and Theo and I are family."

"But you don't think that my father would be upset if I started calling Sirius 'Dad'?" Harry asked. "It's one thing for Sirius to be family, like a brother or an uncle, but for him to be taking over my dad's place..."

"He wouldn't be taking your dad's place, Harry," Dylan said patiently. "Even if Sirius did adopt you, or if you just started calling him 'Dad,' would you forget about your real parents? Would you stop thinking about them?"

"No," Harry replied.

"I didn't stop loving my mother and father when I went to live with the Professor and Remus," Dylan said. "It's more like...my family grew bigger." He grinned. "I guess it's sort of like I have four parents now! And a brother. I always wanted a brother or a sister when I was growing up."

"Hmm," Harry said. It sounded better when he thought of it that way--not like Sirius and Professor Blackmore were replacing his parents, but that they were joining the family and making it bigger.

"And I guess Blaise and Damien are sort of like my brothers, too," Dylan continued, then laughed. "I guess you could say that Blaise will probably become my brother-in-law!"

Harry laughed, flushing a little, as he recalled Blaise and Theodore's dramatic kiss at the Yule Ball. "Uh...I guess you could say that."

"Anyway, I don't really know what my father would think about all this," Dylan said. "But the Professor was his friend, so I hope he'd be happy that his old friend was looking after me. My mother named the Professor and Remus as my guardians in her will, so I know she that she wanted me to live with them. And I know that she would have wanted me to be happy. I would have wanted the same for her, if the situation were reversed. She would've missed me, of course, the way I miss her, but I wouldn't have wanted her to be miserable for the rest of her life." He smiled at Harry, in a serious but friendly way. "I don't think that your parents would begrudge you being happy with Sirius and Professor Blackmore."

Harry slowly nodded. His parents had loved him; they had given their own lives to save him. So they would want him to be happy. And they had loved Sirius, too. So maybe they wouldn't mind after all, if he loved Sirius and Professor Blackmore like family. "I...I need to think about this a little more before I talk to Sirius," Harry said hesitantly. "But that helps a lot. Thank you, Dylan."

"You're welcome, Harry," Dylan replied.

They both picked up their books and began studying again, but Harry was thinking more about their conversation than the Potions text in front of him. He remembered when Dylan had first come to Hogwarts, that he had thought the other boy's face had seemed like a mask. His cool, polite smile that had never changed, even when some of the other students called him a Death Eater to his face, and the way that his silver-gray eyes had always seemed to remain guarded, even when he was laughing and flirting with the girls, who had never seemed to notice his air of aloofness. This was one of the few times that Harry felt he had seen the real Dylan Rosier. The only other time they had ever talked about such personal things with each other was the night during the summer at Grimmauld Place when Theodore had woken up screaming from a terrible nightmare, and Harry and Dylan and the others had gone down to the kitchen for some hot milk. They had talked a little about their fathers then, too, come to think of it, about how it had come as a shock to both of them when they had realized that their fathers weren't perfect.

Dylan had shared some incredibly personal things just now, about his parents and Lupin and Snape, simply because Harry had asked him for advice. And now Harry felt a little ashamed of how he had behaved in past, suspecting Dylan of being a Death Eater, and how he had never stopped Ron or the other Gryffindor boys from insulting Dylan, even if he hadn't actually called Dylan names himself. That reminded him uncomfortably of the way that the young Lupin in the Pensieve memory had not stopped James and Sirius from tormenting Snape, even if Harry's friends had never gone as far as they had, and Dylan had never seemed to be bothered much by their name-calling. Or maybe he had just been better at hiding his feelings than the young Snape had. That was a rather disturbing thought.

"I'm sorry," Harry blurted out.

"For what?" Dylan asked, sounding puzzled.

"For suspecting you of being a Death Eater," Harry said, flushing a little. "Before, I mean."

Dylan gave him a thoughtful, slightly quizzical look, then said, "It's all right, Harry. You were right to suspect me, at least at first. I did want to become a Death Eater, until I found out what they were really like."

"Hermione believed in you all along," Harry said, then sighed. "She's always right about things. It gets to be a little annoying after awhile."

Dylan laughed. "She's not infallible. I'll tell you a little secret, if you promise not to tell Hermione."

"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.

"I didn't join S.P.E.W. because I believed in house-elf rights," Dylan said with a grin. "I joined so I could spend time with Hermione."

"Well, that's not really that hard to figure out now," Harry said wryly. "Although back then, Ron and I couldn't figure out why you had joined."

"Hermione would be mad, though, if she knew that I joined just so I could make time with her," Dylan said, still grinning. "I'm sure she'd think it quite shallow of me."

"If you wanted to be a Death Eater," Harry said, "wasn't it a little odd of you to like a Muggle-born girl?"

"Yes, I knew that I shouldn't like her," Dylan admitted. "But I did. She seemed different from all the other girls. She would talk to me, actual conversations about things that she cared about, house-elves and books and her studies, instead of just flirting and simpering at me. And she wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind, even when people made fun of her for it, like S.P.E.W." Dylan's expression went a little dreamy. "And she was so passionate about it. I loved hearing her talk about S.P.E.W., even if I didn't particularly believe in it."

"You know that she still wants to free the house-elves," Harry said.

"I know," Dylan said. "And I'll help her, if that's what she wants."

"Even if you don't believe in house-elf rights?"

"Well, I'm not really opposed to it," Dylan said, looking more serious now. "Actually, she did make me think about things I had never considered before. She'd probably be horrified to know that the Donner estate has house-elves; I guess I'll have to figure out a way to break it to her gently before I take her home to meet Uncle Math and Aunt Goewin." He hastily assured Harry, as if imagining an outraged Hermione in front of him, "I'm not so sure about my late grandmother and uncles, but Math and Goewin have always treated the house-elves more like family than servants."

"I'm not the one you have to convince," Harry told him, and Dylan laughed.

"You're right. And I don't think that people should be allowed to mistreat their house-elves. I have no objection to giving them their freedom if they want it. I just don't think that most of them will take it."

"A few might, like Dobby," Harry said. "Even if Hermione only ends up helping one house-elf who wants to be free, it would still be worth it to that elf."

"That's true," Dylan said, nodding, then grinned slyly at Harry. "Maybe you should come to our next S.P.E.W. meeting."

"Oh no!" Harry groaned in exaggerated horror. "I'll make a deal with you--you don't drag me to any S.P.E.W. meetings, and I won't tell Hermione about your ulterior motives for joining! Or that your family has house-elves."

"Done!" Dylan said, laughing. "You know, maybe there really is a little Slytherin in you, after all, Potter!"

Harry laughed, thinking ruefully to himself, {You have no idea!} But Harry felt that he had revealed enough secrets for one day, and kept to himself the knowledge that he was indeed a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, through Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort. He pushed that uncomfortable thought out of his mind, and they both settled down to study. And Harry found, feeling pleasantly surprised, that he felt as if he had made a new friend today, even though he had known Dylan for almost four years.
 

Chapter 134

Return to Aftermaths Index