Aftermaths, Part 134

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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Things were fairly quiet for the next couple of weeks. On one hand, Snape being under house arrest was one step closer to getting him arrested, but on the other, that made it more difficult for Williamson to frame him. Cyril Diggory was being very careful, too; Williamson wrote to Stewart Ackerley, asking him to keep an eye on the werewolf, and Stewart wrote back that Diggory was spending nearly all his free time in the company of his fellow teachers. Obviously he'd learned his lesson from the first incident, and was being careful to establish an ongoing alibi for himself. The only small consolation was that the werewolf didn't really enjoy being sociable, and the enforced companionship was getting on his nerves--Stewart reported that Diggory had been in a very bad mood lately, being irritable and short-tempered during class. And the other teachers, except for Lupin, weren't enjoying spending time with a grumpy werewolf, although they still took turns pulling "alibi duty". They were mostly sympathetic, and inclined to make allowances for his behavior under the circumstances. Except for Trelawney--it seemed that the werewolf had thrown her crystal ball across the room when she predicted that dire misfortune would befall him.

Williamson smirked; maybe things weren't so bad, after all. The werewolf was obviously on edge, and it probably wouldn't take much to provoke him into violence, which would then give the Aurors an excuse to arrest him. An attack on one of his pack members would probably do the trick, but Williamson found himself thwarted again. The pack didn't venture out of their townhouse unless they absolutely had to, and when they did, they Apparated or traveled by Floo, giving Williamson few opportunities to attack them unseen. He did not dare attack them at their residence, since he knew that Blackmore's elementals would be watching. On the bright side, a few more of the werewolves had lost their jobs, including the girl who worked at the Magical Menagerie. Parents buying familiars for their children made up a large portion of the shop's clientele, and what parent would want to bring their children to a shop where a dangerous beast worked? And Williamson had of course made sure that word got out that a werewolf was working there. Maybe if he could drive the rest of the employed werewolves out of their jobs, that would be enough to provoke Diggory into doing something foolish. Either that, or the werewolves would get desperate enough to resort to illegal methods of earning income, and the Aurors would be ready to arrest them when they did. But that would take time.

And Snape was the one that Williamson really wanted, not Diggory. But still, Snape was protective of the werewolves since his lover was one. Arresting Diggory or one of the other werewolves might be enough to goad Snape into breaking his confinement or doing something else that would get him arrested. Or maybe he could coerce one of the werewolves into testifying against Snape--not likely, since they were a stubborn lot, but in Williamson's experience, there was always one person in a group who would fold under pressure, who could be threatened or bribed. A parent, for example, might do anything to protect their child and avoid being separated from them, especially when they were the only parent that the child had left to depend on. And there were at least two single mothers in Diggory's pack.

So Williamson decided to bide his time for the moment, and wait. Besides, he and Dawlish were spending so much time together on the investigation, that he had little free time to be carrying out fake werewolf attacks or planting evidence. But neither could he afford to let the public's animosity fade. If something didn't happen soon, the fickle public would begin to forget, and the outrage would die down. So Williamson waited, but he was not idle during that time. With Dawlish's help, he continued to put pressure on the werewolves' employers, and spread dark rumors about the werewolves throughout the wizarding world, hoping that would be enough to draw Diggory and Snape out into the open. But in case it wasn't, Williamson secretly continued to plot and plan his next move...
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Meanwhile, Lukas's trial resumed. The full moon passed without incident, and both Pritchard and Baddock were declared healthy and uninfected. But although Pritchard's wounds had long since healed, he had come close to suffering a nervous breakdown, and it was not until the end of May, when the fifth and seventh-year students were taking their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, that he was both physically and mentally strong enough to resume his Wizengamot duties. Arthur had proposed appointing a substitute, but the rest of the Wizengamot, as well as Lamont Whitby, had objected. Lukas and Morrigan had not fought them on it, since that would only make it look as if Lukas were trying to get Pritchard out of the way, and they hoped that the extra time would give them a chance to find proof of the werewolves' innocence. However, the attacks were still unsolved, and the public was still restless and suspicious when the trial resumed...

Whitby, of course, tried to implicate Lukas in the werewolf attacks, while Morrigan argued that there was no proof that he was involved in them, and that he even had an alibi for the second attack. But Whitby didn't have to prove that Lukas was involved; all he had to do was plant doubt in the minds of the Wizengamot. He brought in Dawlish and Williamson to testify about the details of the werewolf attacks, and although there was no direct evidence linking Lukas to them, the lawyer's ploy seemed to be working--Pritchard was far from the only member of the court to cast fearful and hostile glances in Lukas's direction. Morrigan cross-examined the Aurors thoroughly, and forced them to admit that they had no grounds to arrest Lukas or any other member of his pack, but the damage was already done. She also brought in the Peasegood family to testify about Lukas's heroism in the Graphorn incident, but she feared that it didn't make nearly as much of an impression as the Aurors' insinuations did.

"I propose that we call for a vote now," Whitby declared, when all the witnesses were done testifying. "We are ready to rest our case." He smiled maliciously at Morrigan. "Unless Ms. De Lacy has further evidence to present."

Morrigan did not, and they both knew it. "I object, Madam Bones," Morrigan said. "It would be unfair to my client to take a vote now, when a cloud of suspicion has been cast over him, even though there is no evidence that he is guilty of any wrongdoing." She glared at Whitby.

"Are you doubting the integrity of our honored Wizengamot members, Ms. De Lacy?" Whitby asked, affecting a look of shock and indignation. "Are you suggesting that they would not judge your client strictly on the evidence presented in court? That they would allow themselves to be swayed by rumor and gossip?"

They both knew that the Wizengamot--most of them, anyway--would do exactly that, but Morrigan could not say so out loud without offending them and generating further hostility against her client. Madam Bones rapped her gavel on the desk, an impatient look on her face. "Stop posturing, both of you. Ms. De Lacy has a point, but we cannot delay these proceedings indefinitely."

"I merely ask for some time, Madam Bones," Morrigan said respectfully, "to allow the Aurors to finish their investigation and discover the true culprit behind these crimes, and clear my client's good name." She knew that Dawlish and Williamson wouldn't bother conducting a fair investigation, but she knew that Tonks and Shacklebolt were working hard to prove Lukas's and Severus's innocence.

Bones thought it over for a few moments, then decided, "I will give you two weeks. At the end of that time, a vote will be called for if there is no new evidence to be presented."

Morrigan only hoped that two weeks would be enough time. "Thank you, Madam Bones."

"Then court is adjourned," Bones said, rapping her gavel again. "We will meet again two weeks from today."

The Wizengamot and the spectators began to file out of the room. Normally, Amos would have done the same, but following some advice that Williamson had given him, he began to taunt his nephew. "You will never inherit the title! You will be caged and locked up like the beast you are!"

Lukas merely gave him a contemptuous look. "You already tried to lock me up, Uncle, and your cage could not hold me. Oh, excuse me--it was not you, but the Gravenors who locked me up. You couldn't even do your own dirty work. You let a family of Slytherins, whom you claim to despise, do it for you. But you didn't mind reaping the benefits of their work, did you?" He spat on the floor at Amos's feet. "You are nothing but a common thief, Amos. You stole the title that belonged to your brother, my father!"

The people who were leaving the courtroom suddenly paused to watch the argument, and Morrigan whispered, "Don't let him bait you like this, Lukas; it will do you no good to be seen arguing in public. Come, let us go."

Lukas started to follow her, but Amos shouted, "Your father did not deserve the title! He was the thief--he stole the money that belonged to our parents to try to buy cures for your lycanthropy! He sullied our name by becoming a Slytherin and dabbling in the Dark Arts! Who knows, maybe it was his meddling with Dark Magic that caused you to be born a werewolf!"

Lukas slowly turned to face Amos. "Is this really about me and my lycanthropy, Uncle?" he asked softly. "Or has it always been about my father?"

"What are you talking about?" Amos blustered.

But Lukas saw him flinch, and he smiled in a very sinister and predatory way. Amos turned pale and took a step backwards; Lukas did not realize it, but he looked very much like his father at that moment--the same way that Cynric used to look when confronting an enemy. Lukas took a step forward, like a wolf scenting weakness on its prey. "I thought it was me that you hated, Uncle--your inconvenient werewolf nephew. But perhaps it was Cynric that you hated all along. Mother told me once that they used to call him the golden boy; Snape would probably get a laugh out of that. It's what he calls Potter sometimes, but he means it sarcastically, while people at Hogwarts used to say it in earnest about Cynric, for his golden good looks, his charm, his cleverness. Were you jealous of Cynric, dear Uncle, the older brother that you could never live up to, that outshone you in class, on the Quidditch Pitch, and with the girls?" Amos's face turned red, and his mouth opened and closed, but no sound emerged from it; the crowd watched in fascination, and even Madam Bones seemed enspelled, making no move to reach for her gavel. Lukas's eyes narrowed and he said, "Ah, I've struck a nerve, haven't I? Yes, my father was interested in the Dark Arts. He devoured knowledge as eagerly as any Ravenclaw; it was that impulse that drew him to Slytherin, because he wanted to pursue avenues of study closed to the other Houses. And regardless of what they thought about his House or his morals, his teachers all praised his abilities as a mage. Did it bother you, Amos, when your teachers said what an excellent student your brother was? Did they regard you with just a touch of disappointment when you didn't prove to be his equal? Not that you were a bad student--just not as good as Cynric. You were hardworking and reliable, like a good Hufflepuff, but never exceptional. Did it bother you that the girls all chased after Cynric and ignored you, even though he was never interested in anyone but my mother? Did it eat away at you to know that your golden brother was a rising star at the Ministry and the heir to the title, while you would never be anything more than good old dependable, mediocre Amos? To know that you would always be in Cynric's shadow?"

"Shut up!" Amos screamed. How had the mangy werewolf managed to turn the tables on him so quickly? Now he was the one losing control, not Cyril. He looked at the mocking smile on his nephew's face, and saw instead his brother, whom he had always loved and hated at the same time. Cynric, who had always laughed so easily and carelessly, and had always done as he pleased, ignoring generations of Diggory family traditions, rejecting their Hufflepuff values to become a Slytherin. He had flaunted it, too, wearing that damned snake-headed torc like a badge of honor, as if to deliberately mock his family.

The werewolf gave him that same condescending smile that Cynric had so often used, then turned to leave with his lawyer. But if Cyril knew Amos's weak spot, Amos also knew his nephew's weak spot, because they were one and the same--Cynric Diggory. He knew exactly what to say that would most hurt and enrage Cyril.

"Your father deserved to die!" Amos shouted, and Lukas abruptly spun around on his heel.

Bones finally snapped out of her daze and said sharply, "That's enough, Mr. Diggory!" But both the Diggory men ignored her, eyes fixed on each other and oblivious to anything else around them.

"What did you say?" Lukas growled softly, his voice low and menacing.

"I said that your father deserved to die," Amos repeated defiantly.

"Enough, Amos," Whitby whispered to him nervously. "Don't do this, at least, not in public."

"Don't let him bait you, Lukas," Morrigan pleaded, grabbing hold of his arm in an attempt to lead him away, but he jerked his arm free of her grasp.

"He was a thief, a liar, and a blackmailer," Amos sneered. "What kind of son blackmails his own parents?"

"A father who wants to protect his own son," Lukas growled.

"And he was a murderer, too," Amos said, ignoring him, and the spectators gasped. This was hurting the Diggory family image that he had worked so hard to protect all these years, but he was too far gone to care. "More than one of those potion-peddlers who swindled him disappeared and was never seen or heard from again."

"That's how con men work," Lukas snarled. "Once they're exposed, they move on to greener pastures."

"But one didn't just disappear," Amos retorted. "One particular swindler didn't just sell Cynric an ineffective potion; he sold him one that made you sick and almost killed you."

Lukas fell silent; he remembered that potion, remembered becoming violently ill and throwing up until his stomach was empty, and then coughing up blood when there was nothing else left to vomit. Looking back, he realized that it had probably contained aconite--but in too high a dosage or improperly brewed, which was not surprising. It had taken over a decade for two of the most talented Potions Masters in the world to come up with the proper formula, and that swindler had been no Master. He remembered how terrified his parents had been, and he remembered how his father had left the house the next day, looking furious, then returned hours later with a grim but satisfied smile on his face. Neither Lukas nor his mother had ever asked Cynric where he had gone or what he had done.

"He turned up floating in the river two days after the full moon," Amos continued. "It appeared that someone had force-fed him one of his own potions."

"Some might call that poetic justice," Lukas said caustically.

"Some might call that murder," Amos snapped. "He did that for you, too, Cyril--how does it feel to know that you are the reason that your father sank to such depths, to lie and blackmail, to deal in illegal drugs and even murder for your sake?"

This time it was Cyril's turn to flinch, and Amos smiled in satisfaction. But that still was not enough; he had to make the werewolf lose control completely. "Your father was always cocky and reckless," he taunted. "He always had to show off on his broom, fly higher than everyone else. He swam in the lake despite the mermen and giant squid, and even once snuck into a dragon's pen on a dare."

"Mr. Diggory!" Bones said, pounding her gavel on the desk.

"Only an idiot would have gone out flying during a thunderstorm!" Amos continued, heedless of the warning. "Your father thought he was better than everyone else, thought he could break the rules and get away with it! Well, he finally took one chance too many, and he got exactly what he deserved! He's got no one to blame for his death but himself!"

That finally broke Lukas's self-control, and he lunged forward at Amos with a howl of outrage, his teeth bared and his yellow-green eyes glittering madly; there was no humanity at all left in them. The spectators cried out, and Amos blanched in fear, suddenly realizing that he had not fully considered the consequences of provoking a werewolf into a state of fury, and he silently cursed Williamson and his crazy ideas.

"NO!" shouted Morrigan, and grabbed him from behind, trying to restrain him--with limited success. She was not strong enough to hold him back, but the weight of her body did slow Lukas down, and he looked back to see what was hindering him. The sight of Morrigan's face--angry, concerned, and determined--restored just enough of his sanity for him to halt his attack, although he was still wild-eyed, and panting heavily with his teeth bared, staring at Amos as if he wanted to rip his uncle's throat out.

Both he and Amos gradually became aware that Madam Bones was still pounding her gavel loudly, shouting, "Order in the court!" And then Lukas also noticed while most of the spectators and Wizengamot members were frozen with fear and shock, a few had managed to keep their wits about them and had their wands out and pointed at him, apparently prepared to stop him from attacking Amos. One of them was Mathias Donner, looking grave and concerned. When he saw that Lukas had come to his senses, he smiled in relief and put his wand away. Another was Percy Weasley, looking pale and frightened, but he held his wand steady. He too looked relieved when he saw that he wouldn't have to attack Lukas, after all. Lukas knew from overhearing Ron talking with his friends that the younger Weasley boy did not think too highly of his older brother, considering him something of a prig and a pest, but perhaps Ron was wrong about Percy. Or maybe the war had changed and matured him, as it had matured many of the other Hogwarts students, particularly the Slytherins. And as he stared at Percy's pale face--the boy still looked almost young enough to be one of his students--Lukas finally shook off the wolf's anger and became completely sane once more, and he realized the magnitude of what he had just done and how badly he had damaged his case.

Whitby looked as stunned as everyone else, but he was quick to recover. "Did you see that?" he demanded. "The werewolf tried to attack my client! I could have him brought up on assault charges!"

"My client was provoked!" Morrigan said hotly. "Amos deliberately goaded him--"

"Both of your clients behaved in an inexcusable manner!" Madam Bones interrupted, glaring at all four of them. "I am sorely tempted to slap both of them with a contempt of court charge!" Whitby started to protest that court had not been in session when the quarrel broke out, but saw the look in Bones's eyes, and quickly fell silent. "Your behavior was deplorable, Mr. Diggory," Bones told Amos sternly, "and it is obvious that you were trying to provoke your nephew." Then she turned to Lukas and said in an equally stern voice, "But no insult, however deplorable, is justification for assault. At least, not in my courtroom! If either of you step out of line again, I will let you cool off in a prison cell! Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Lukas said in a subdued voice.

"Yes, Madam Bones," Amos said, but he did not look particularly repentant.

"Very well," Bones said. "We will meet again in two weeks; hopefully the break will give you time to get your tempers under control. I expect your behavior to be impeccable at our next session." She rapped her gavel and said pointedly, "Court is adjourned--again."

Whitby hustled Amos out of the courtroom whispering, "That was a foolish move, Amos. You should not have lost control in front of the Wizengamot--and the public--like that."

"What are you talking about?" Amos asked. "They all saw that Cyril is a dangerous beast!"

"Yes, and they all heard you say that you hated your brother and thought he deserved to die!" Whitby retorted tartly, giving Amos a disapproving look. "Whatever animosity there was between you and Cynric, you went too far today, Amos. Rita Skeeter was in the audience, and what if she prints an article in the Daily Prophet quoting you on saying that your brother deserved to die? She could twist your words around and give credence to Cyril's accusations that you killed his father. At the very least, you will come off sounding cold and callous--not exactly the image we are trying project!"

Amos looked a little uneasy, but he said, "People will understand that those words were spoken in the heat of anger, and that I didn't really mean them. There was bad blood between Cynric and myself, but he was still my brother, and I still loved him even though I was angry at him."

"I believe you, Amos," Whitby said, "but other people might not! This might even generate sympathy for Cyril, if people see him as a son defending his father's reputation."

"They might, if he were a normal human," Amos conceded. "But he isn't. He's a werewolf, and all they'll see is a beast showing its true nature."

"Hopefully they will," Whitby said, still looking disapproving. "But no more outbursts in court, Amos. Leave the defense up to me in the future--that's what you're paying me for, after all."

"Yes, Lamont," Amos said placatingly, but no matter what the lawyer said, he still felt that he had done more good than harm today. But he would have to be careful about provoking Cyril in the future. Amos did want his nephew to be arrested, but he wouldn't be able to enjoy his victory if he got killed in the process.
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Meanwhile, Morrigan was likewise dragging her errant client out of the courtroom. Lukas opened his mouth to speak, and she snapped, "Not one word out of you until we're alone!" At the moment, she looked furious and almost as intimidating as Snape and Blackmore, so Lukas kept his mouth shut as they made their way past the exiting spectators (who gave him a wide berth) and Rita Skeeter. Morrigan gave a curt, "No comment," to the reporter as she shouted questions at them.

Finally, when they were alone in her office, Morrigan shouted, "Didn't I warn you before not to lose your temper? You played right into their hands back there!"

"Look, I know I screwed up, all right?" Lukas shouted back, although he was more angry with himself than he was with her.

"No, it's not all right!" Morrigan shot back. "Your impetuous action may very well have undone everything we have worked to accomplish these past five months! I've told you over and over, that we have to convince the Wizengamot that you are a man, not a beast--"

"I AM a beast!" Lukas shouted, and Morrigan stared at him in shock. "That's what none of you seem to understand, not even Lupin!" Lukas raged, although he knew that he was unfairly taking his frustration out on the lawyer, who was, after all, only trying to help him. "In a way, those bigoted purebloods are right; I'm a beast pretending to be a man! Lady Selima can dress me up in velvet robes and teach me fine manners and how to dance, but in my heart, I am a wolf!" His anger suddenly drained out of him, leaving him with a sense of weariness. "You don't know how hard it's been, trying to keep the wolf under control all these months, trying to act like a 'proper' pureblood. I have to think about every move I make, every word I speak, so that I don't reveal my true nature, so that I don't growl and snap at the people who annoy me."

"I'm sorry, Lukas," Morrigan said quietly. "I know it's been difficult for you, but I didn't realize just how difficult."

"It was different once, when my parents were alive," Lukas said. "I tried very hard to be human then, to fight my wolfish nature as Lupin fought his. But when they died and I was left alone, I had to become the wolf in order to survive."

"I'm sorry," Morrigan repeated. "It's not fair that you should have to put on an act to regain your rightful inheritance, but we both know that life isn't fair. We've come so far; can't you maintain the act just a little longer? Or will you give up your father's inheritance to Amos?"

"Maybe it's not worth it," Lukas growled, beginning to get angry again. "It's because of this damned lawsuit that Amos and the Aurors have come after my pack and my friends. They have the head of the Snape family under house arrest, for Merlin's sake! Can you imagine what they could do to a werewolf with no clan and no wealth?"

"That is why you must win this case, Lukas," Morrigan told him. "As head of the Diggory family, you will be better able to protect your pack." Her anger, too, had receded, and she gave him a sympathetic look. "Go back to Hogwarts and get some rest, Lukas. Don't make any decisions that you might regret later until you've had a chance to calm down and think things over."

Lukas nodded and took the Floo back to Hogwarts, and was almost immediately sought out by an anxious Lupin and a sour-looking Snape.

"We heard what happened today, Lukas," Lupin said.

"Bad news travels fast," Lukas said sarcastically.

"Math sent us word," Lupin said. "He was concerned about you."

"And I've no doubt that we'll be getting an owl from my mother before long," Snape grumbled. "If we're lucky, that is. If we're not, Lady Selima will come in person to vent her wrath upon us. Like the time she decided that we had to throw a party at Snape Manor to make up for you howling at the moon."

"Severus," Lupin said nervously as he saw the look on Lukas's face. At least one of them was able to pick up on the fact that Lukas wasn't in the mood for this right now. The other, unfortunately, was not.

"I don't know why I always get blamed for everything you do," Snape continued. "I swear, Diggory, if my mother decides to hold another party--"

"Tell your mother to stop interfering in my life!" Lukas snarled, and the Potions Master stared at him in shock. He knew that Snape's complaining was mostly good-natured, but Lukas's nerves were on edge, and he was heartily sick of the pureblood world and its cutthroat politics. And he also couldn't help but remember that it was Selima who had gotten him into this mess in the first place, first by exposing his identity and then by urging him to challenge Amos for the title. If he had remained an anonymous werewolf, then perhaps his pack would not be suffering the way they were now, losing their jobs and being threatened by Aurors and vigilantes. He should never have let Lady Selima badger him into this lawsuit...no, that wasn't really fair. His real mistake was taking this damn job at Hogwarts in the first place. He should have known that sooner or later, with all the pureblood children that attended the school, he would have encountered someone who would notice his resemblance to his father.

"We'll go now, Lukas," Lupin said quietly. "It's obvious that you need some time alone. But please don't forget that you have friends who are willing to share your burdens. Don't make the same mistake I once did, of shutting out the people who care about you."

"Does he always lecture people this way, even when he's not in class?" Lukas growled.

"Constantly," Snape said, rolling his eyes. "He's a typical sanctimonious Gryffindor; you're lucky you don't have to live with him." Lupin just smiled at his lover, gave Lukas one last worried look, and then both of them left.

Lukas paced around his quarters restlessly, still feeling like he wanted to pick a fight with someone, or at least smash some of the furniture. Then he noticed that there was a letter lying on his desk; could Lady Selima already have gotten word about today's fiasco?

But when he took a closer look at it, he recognized the handwriting as Takeshi's. He tore open the envelope and read the letter inside:

"The other werewolves don't want to worry you, but I think you ought to know, or at least be forewarned. Rachel was fired from her job at the Leaky Cauldron yesterday, after several regular patrons threatened to boycott the inn if they didn't 'get rid of the werewolf'. And someone threw a rock through the window of the bookstore that Brian works at. No one was hurt, although they were a little shaken up. The owner refuses to fire Brian, though, saying that he's a friend and a hero of the war. And don't worry, my father and I have warded the store quite thoroughly. We should have thought of that before, that the places where the pack works would need to be protected, not just the townhouse and the clinic."

{Since when is Takeshi's father an expert on protective wards?} Lukas wondered, then recalled Snape telling him that the Kimuras were more than simple restauranteurs. Well, there was not much need for protective wards now, since nearly all the werewolves but Brian and Lukas had lost their jobs, Lukas thought to himself bitterly. The letter went on to assure Lukas that the Sakura would offer refuge to the werewolves if the Ministry came after them, but Lukas did not find that reassuring. It was his fault that his pack was in danger. Because he had allowed himself to be tempted by the offer of the job at Hogwarts and the chance to win back his father's inheritance. Their lives may have been hard before, but they had gotten by. The pack had survived because they were unimportant and had not attracted the attention of the purebloods before. It was true that most of the pureblood elite despised anyone with tainted blood, but they didn't really care if a few mangy werewolves scraped together a living by doing a little petty thievery or smuggling, so long as they confined their activities to Knockturn Alley, away from the shining mansions of the pureblood Lords and Ladies. But Lukas had challenged the social order, and that they could not ignore. He had been a fool not to realize that there would be consequences for his actions.

Lukas suddenly found his heavy velvet robes oppressive; what the hell he was doing, trying to ape the manners of a pureblood Lord? Why on earth was he trying so hard to become like the people he hated? He tore off the robes in revulsion and flung them to the floor, not wanting to wear them even a second longer. What was the point in trying to become something he wasn't, anyway? Putting a jeweled collar on a wolf wouldn't turn it into a pureblood lapdog. And then the gold torc suddenly seemed too tight, as if it were choking him, although he knew it was only his imagination. But it was the wolf who reacted, and not the man, the wolf who could not stand to be bound or confined--or collared. Without thinking, Lukas pulled the torc off his neck and flung it across the room.

It hit the wall with a loud clang, and one of the snake-head knobs broke off, and both pieces of the broken torc fell to the floor with a clatter. And as the wolf's rage receded, Lukas was filled with remorse as remembered that the torc was not simply part of his pureblood costume, but a cherished love-token, a gift from his mother to his father, one of the few keepsakes he had left of his family. And he was also reminded that he did not hate all the purebloods; he had loved his parents, who had done their best to protect him, and of course he cared about Gwen and Tristan. And even if most of the purebloods were bigots, there were still a few who were his friends and were trying to help him: Arthur, Morrigan, Snape, Branwen, Sirius, and even Lady Selima, as annoying as she was.

Lukas crossed the room and knelt down to examine the torc, thinking that perhaps he could have it repaired. But as he picked up the torc, he saw a bit of parchment sticking out of the end, and realized that it was hollow. He picked up the snake-head knob and examined both pieces more closely, and saw that the knob was actually a cap designed to close off the hollow ring of metal. The knob had not actually snapped off; the force of the blow had simply loosened it. Lukas smiled; people had sometimes said that his mother Anya was too gentle and good-natured to be a Slytherin, but she had certainly been as sly as anyone else in that House. The torc was not a just a piece of jewelry, but a receptacle to hide important documents. His curiosity piqued, Lukas gently eased the tightly-rolled piece of parchment out of the torc, moving very slowly and carefully since the paper looked brittle and yellowed with age.

Just as carefully, Lukas unrolled and flattened out the parchment; it turned out to be not just one, but two handwritten pages that, judging by the jagged edges on the left side of the papers, had been torn out of a book. Lukas let out a sharp hiss of surprise as he read them; he immediately understood why Cynric had stolen and hidden these papers, and he also understood why the Diggory family might have wanted to kill their own son and brother. Cynric must have hidden the papers as a form of insurance, but he had never passed down the secret to his son, probably because he had not expected to die so young.

"Oh, Father," Lukas whispered sadly. "Amos was right about one thing--you were always reckless. Ruthless Slytherin that you were, did you never imagine that your family might seek revenge for this?" But Cynric had probably thought that his Hufflepuff family was too meek and mild to resort to murder. Or perhaps it had simply never occurred to him that his own family would turn on him that way, no matter how angry they were.

Lukas stared at the sheets of parchment for a very long time, torn as to what he should do. He was certain now that his father's death had not been an accident, but the papers were only proof of motive, not murder. They were not enough to get Amos sent to Azkaban. But the information in them was damaging enough that he could probably blackmail Amos into surrendering his claim to the title. The practical side of him told him that was exactly what he should do, to use the papers as leverage to win the estate, and then he could use the Diggory wealth and name to protect his pack. But the wolf--no, not just the wolf, but the young boy who had been orphaned at an early age--wanted revenge. It was not enough for Amos to be humiliated and stripped of his title; Lukas wanted Amos to pay in blood for Cynric's death.

"An eye for an eye," Lukas whispered, still staring at the yellowed pages of parchment. "A life for a life."

Except that the wizarding world would not see it that way. They would see it as murder. And if he were caught, he would be sent to Azkaban or executed. Right at his moment, Lukas didn't particularly care what would happen to him afterwards; his own life seemed like a small price to pay in order to finally avenge his parents. The only thing holding him back was the knowledge that his pack would be alone and unprotected if anything happened to him.

Finally he cast a spell that made copies of the two pages. A magical examination would prove them to be duplicates, and they would not be admissible in court, but they should be proof enough to Amos that Lukas possessed the originals. He rolled up the duplicates, slipped them into the torc, and put the knob back on the end. Then he placed the originals in an envelope and sealed it with wax. He pricked his finger and let a single drop of blood fall onto the wax, then took out his wand and chanted a brief incantation.

He was still not certain what he intended to do, but he had two weeks until his next court date. Two weeks to decide between practicality and revenge. But whatever the outcome, the original documents needed to be stored in a safer place than the torc or his quarters.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few minutes later, Morrigan looked up in surprise as Lukas stepped through the fireplace into her office. "Lukas? Is something wrong?"

"Yes and no," Lukas said with a mirthless smile, and Morrigan gave him a puzzled look. "Never mind," he said. "There is a decision I must make on my own, and I am afraid you cannot help me with that."

"Then what can I do for you, Lukas?" Morrigan asked.

He handed her an envelope with a glowing red wax seal. "Please keep this safe for me," he said. "If anything happens to me, I want you to make the contents public." He smiled again, that strangely grim and humorless smile. "Have Rita Skeeter print it in the Daily Prophet. She'll be delighted to have such a juicy scoop."

"What do you mean, if anything happens to you?" Morrigan asked in alarm.

"Just a precaution, Morrigan," Lukas replied. "Will you keep it safe for me?"

"Of course," Morrigan replied. "But--"

"Thank you," Lukas said, and vanished back through the Floo.

A concerned and puzzled Morrigan examined the seal more closely, casting a few exploratory spells to determine the exact nature of the enchantment, and what she learned alarmed her even more. The envelope was protected with a Blood Ward that could only be released by Lukas's personal command or upon his death. It was considered to be a form of Dark Magic, and only a Slytherin, or someone who had been raised by a Slytherin, was likely to know how to cast it. Technically, it was a defensive rather than a combative spell, and did no harm to anyone, but most wizards tended to see any type of Blood Magic as evil.

Morrigan was very curious about the contents of the envelope, but her duty as a lawyer was to respect her client's wishes. And besides, the Blood Ward was a simple but very strong spell that was almost impossible to break. If the envelope had not been warded, perhaps she would have given in to temptation and snuck a peek at what lay inside, and Morrigan wondered, smiling wryly, if that was why Lukas had warded the envelope.

"I hope you know what you're doing," she sighed, and locked the envelope away in a safe that was not only sealed by a combination lock and magical wards, but was hidden behind a panel in the wall. But she still wondered what information Lukas had that was so sensitive that it could only be released upon his death. The most likely answer was some secret scandal in the Diggory family, but in that case, she did not understand why he would not let her use it against Amos. Perhaps it was something that might make his own parents look bad? But then, why not destroy the evidence altogether? Why give it to Morrigan to be published after his death?

She uneasily hoped that he wasn't trying to cut a deal with Amos on his own, and that he wasn't going to do something stupid that might get him killed. But she kept remembering Lukas saying, "If anything happens to me," and she also remembered Amos saying how reckless Cynric Diggory had been. From things Lukas had said in the past, and the gossip Morrigan had heard from her own sources, it was a cruel but accurate description, and she hoped that Lukas had not inherited this particular weakness from his father.
 

Chapter 135

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