Aftermaths, Part 14

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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They returned to Blackmore Manor to help Branwen with the cleanup project over the next few days, until she deemed the mansion habitable again. She thanked Lupin, Snape, and the boys profusely and gave them a standing invitation to stop by and use the library whenever she was at the Manor.

Soon after that, Dylan made arrangements to spend a few days in Wales visiting his Uncle Math and Aunt Goewin and their new baby. Before he left, Snape brewed and bottled some tonic suitable for treating a colicky baby as a "peace offering". Goewin loved Dylan like a son, and she had not been happy that Ariane had designated Snape and Lupin as his guardians instead of her and Math, although she had accepted the decision since that was what Dylan wanted.

"Is Ariana sick?" Lupin asked, sounding concerned.

"If she's not now, then she will be eventually," Snape said with a shrug. "All babies suffer from colic at one time or another, and perhaps Goewin will think of us more kindly when she doesn't have to stay up all night with a sick, crying baby."

Lupin looked distressed. "With all the excitement of dealing with the aftermath of the battle and getting the boys settled in, I completely forgot to send Goewin a baby present!"

Dylan grinned. "Don't worry; according to Aunt Goewin's letters, the baby already has a ton of toys from the local villagers, Order members, and even complete strangers who read about her birth in the Daily Prophet." Goewin and Math, like the other Order members, had been dubbed heroes in the press, and their daughter's birth had been regarded as a good omen and a sign of hope since she and her mother had narrowly escaped being sacrificed by Voldemort, and because she had been born immediately after the Death Eaters had been defeated. "Besides," Dylan added, "you already gave her that stuffed bunny for Christmas, remember? The one that looks like Bane?" He laughed, remembering the plush toy rabbit that looked amazingly like Bane in his hexed bunny form.

"Yes, but that was a Christmas present for Goewin," Lupin said. "I still wanted to give the baby something after she was born. It's traditional, after all. Well, I'll make something before you go. Hmm...it'll have to be something simple, since I don't have much time." He settled down at the kitchen table with his penknife and some scraps of wood and began carving.

"What are you doing, Prof...um...Remus?" Theodore asked curiously.

"I thought I'd carve some animals and make them into a mobile for little Ariana," Lupin replied. The boys sat at the table with him and watched in fascination as a crouching bunny slowly began to emerge and take shape from the small block of wood.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Dylan asked.

"My father taught me when I was a little boy," Lupin said. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Dylan and Theodore looked at each other. "Uh...sure, I guess so," Theodore said.

"Let's see," Lupin said, "I don't have an extra knife, but..." Lupin took a look at the small knives the boys used for chopping roots in Potions class, and deemed them acceptable. The wood was harder than the roots they normally chopped, but the knives were sturdy and of good quality--their wealthy families had bought the best that they could afford when purchasing their school supplies.

In Dylan's case, it was a sign of affection from his indulgent great-uncle and aunt, while in Theodore's case, it had not been affection or concern that motivated his father, but rather the need to prove that he was a member of the pureblood elite. Therefore, as cruel as he had been to his son, Thaddeus Nott had always made sure that Theodore's clothes and school supplies were expensive and high-quality, lest they lose face like the Weasleys, who were sneered at for sending their children to school with hand-me-down robes and secondhand books and equipment. Of course, Draco Malfoy's things were always a little better than everyone else's... Theodore shook his head a little, as if trying to shake those unpleasant memories out of his head.

"So what do we do now?" Dylan asked, staring blankly at the piece of wood Lupin gave him. "Where do we start? How do you decide what to carve?"

Lupin smiled. "Haven't you ever heard the story about the sculptor who, when asked how he carved an elephant out of stone, said, 'I just cut away everything that doesn't look like an elephant'?"

"Oh, that's very helpful, Lupin," Snape interjected sarcastically.

"Sometimes I already have something in mind," Lupin continued, "and other times I let the wood choose for me. Look at the grain of the wood..." He traced a curving line along the piece of wood with his finger. "That might be a bird's wing...and that knot in the wood there sort of looks like an eye." He showed them how to begin whittling away at the wood, cautioning, "Be sure to always carve away from and not towards yourself in case--"

"Ouch!" Dylan exclaimed.

"--the knife slips and you cut yourself," Lupin finished with a rueful grin. "Are you okay, Dylan?"

"Yeah," he said, sucking on his wounded finger. "It's just a scratch."

"I'll get some healing salve," Snape said. "Be careful, Rosier. It's difficult to become a Potions Master when you're missing a few fingers."

Theodore discovered, to his secret delight, that there was something he was better at than Dylan. He seemed to have a knack for carving, although his efforts looked crude next to Lupin's, but not bad for a beginner.

Meanwhile, Dylan found that his knife refused to go in the direction he wanted it to, either slipping off to the side or gouging deeper than he'd intended; although he was adept at slicing roots finely and precisely in Potions class, carving felt clumsy and unnatural to him. If Draco had been present, he would have been thrilled to learn that there was actually an activity that Dylan was bad at. After Dylan cut himself a second time, he laughed and said, "I think I'll stop while my fingers are all still intact!" But he did help Lupin and Theo paint the little wooden animals when they were done, and help string them together on the mobile.

"Thank you," he said, packing away the finished product before he left. "I'm sure Ariana will love it."

"Have fun, Dylan," Lupin said, giving his foster son a hug.

"Thanks, Remus."

"Take care of yourself, Rosier," Snape said gruffly. "Call us if you need anything."

Dylan smiled because he recognized that tone of voice, the gruffness an attempt to disguise the concern and affection beneath it. "Thank you, Professor. I'm sure I'll be fine. See you in a few days, Theo."

"See you, Dylan."

Dylan picked up his bag and his owl's cage, then flung a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace, saying, "The Donner estate, Wales!" He stepped through the green flames that flared up, and vanished.

The first day without Dylan passed by quietly. Theodore spent the morning studying, and after lunch, he and Lupin went for a walk in the woods, then came back to the house and did a little more carving. Lupin also showed Theo some of the pieces he had carved, including a serpent that he said had been a Christmas present for Professor Snape, and a beautiful set of chess pieces that Lupin said he and his father had carved together when he was a boy. After dinner, Theodore and Snape played a game of chess while Lupin read a book, glancing up occasionally to smile at them tenderly. Theodore loved his friend and foster brother, but a small, selfish part of him felt a kind of guilty pleasure at having his foster parents all to himself. Lupin was always kind to him, and Snape was too, in his own gruff way, and it wasn't as if they ignored him when Dylan was around, but, well...Dylan was always so handsome and confident and charismatic that he seemed to become the center of attention wherever he went, without even trying, which absolutely drove Draco up the wall sometimes. And everyone knew that Dylan was Snape's favorite, which also annoyed the hell out of Draco. Theo was not so much annoyed as he was wistful, because he was no one's favorite except for Blaise's. He was grateful to his foster parents for taking him in, but he suspected that they had done it out of pity because no one else wanted him. Lupin had said that he loved him, and Theodore supposed he believed it, but Lupin loved everyone--probably even Crabbe and Goyle. If Crabbe and Goyle had been orphaned, would Lupin have convinced Snape to foster them, too? Probably.

"Theodore?" Snape said, startling him out of his reverie. "It's your move."

"Oh, right. Sorry, sir." {Idiot,} Theodore scolded himself. {Stop feeling sorry for yourself--you have a home and a family, and no one uses you for target practice anymore; what more could you ask for? And even if Dylan is Snape's favorite, he still spent all that money to hire that lawyer to keep the Ministry from taking your estate.} He looked up and saw Snape waiting patiently for him to make his move, and Lupin smiling at both of them, and he felt a little better.

"And what are you smirking at, Lupin?" Snape snapped.

"I am smiling because I am happy," Lupin replied serenely. "Because I am in the presence of two people I love."

Snape flushed a little, and scowled at Lupin. But Theodore noticed the corners of his mouth twitch upwards just a little, as if he were fighting back a smile. He was beginning to learn, because Dylan had pointed it out to him, that Snape's little arguments with Lupin were a sign of affection rather than anger. Then Theodore felt ashamed of having been glad that his foster brother was gone. He shook off his self-pitying mood, and concentrated on the game, actually managing to beat Snape for the first time this summer--which was no small feat, since his teacher's strategy was as clever and devious as one might expect of a former Death Eater.

"Very good, Mr. Nott," Snape said approvingly, and Theodore beamed with pride. "I'm impressed; it seems that Master Karasu's strategy lessons were quite effective. But I'll be prepared for you next time; shall we have a rematch tomorrow night?"

"Yes, sir," Theodore said happily. How strange, that he had lived in fear of the Potions Master for years, and now he was living with him and looking forward to playing chess with him, was even a little jealous of how close he and Dylan were.

The game had lasted most of the night, and it was now later than Theodore had realized. As they put away the chess set, Theodore hid a yawn behind his hand, but Lupin noticed. "I think we should all call it a night," he said with a smile.

"Yes, sir," Theodore said obediently, and headed downstairs to his room. But lying in bed, he felt lonely and a little uneasy. He was not used to being alone at night; for the past six years, Blaise had been his roommate, and of course he had been sharing a room with Dylan this summer. The only time he had slept alone since becoming a student at Hogwarts was when he had gone home to Nott Manor for the holidays and summers. Unlike the other students, he had dreaded the holidays and summer vacations, even more so after Voldemort had returned at the end of fourth year. Whenever Thaddeus had been punished or felt pressured by his Master, he took out his frustration on his wife and son, and his abuse had escalated to the point where Theodore had been relieved when his father, along with most of the other Death Eaters, had been arrested at the end of fifth year--and had been terrified when they escaped. Lying alone in the dark, those old fears and memories returned, and he suddenly wished that Dylan was here; perhaps he was being punished for his earlier selfish thoughts.

He chided himself for being stupid, like a child afraid of the dark--something his father would definitely have punished. Theodore's sleep, not surprisingly, had always been haunted by nightmares, especially after he had witnessed his uncle's murder. But he had quickly learned that crying or screaming during these nightmares would wake his father and bring about a swift and painful punishment: a dutiful son did not disturb his parents' rest, and a future Death Eater did not cry or scream over something as harmless and foolish as a dream; a future Death Eater did not cry, period. So he learned to bear the nightmares quietly; he might wake up suddenly in the middle of the night, shaking with fear, but he did it silently. And the nightmares had abated during his time at Hogwarts, where he felt safer and more secure, at least until his father had escaped from prison. He had woken up Blaise a few times with his nightmares, and been comforted by his lover's presence, but had also felt ashamed to be caught in a moment of weakness, even by someone he trusted. It had also complicated things, because he couldn't tell Blaise what the nightmares were about, for his own safety.

Well, it was safe now. Maybe when they had some time alone together, he would talk to Blaise about it. He remembered his promise to himself earlier this summer, that he would tell Blaise the truth about his family and the Death Eaters, all the things that he had been unable to talk about earlier. They had not really talked much during Blaise's visit; they had been alone only for that short time in the woods, and they had not exactly spent much time talking...Theodore smiled at the memory of their tryst. Well, the important thing was that Blaise still loved him and understood that he had been trying to protect him from the Death Eaters; the rest could wait.

But Theodore still felt lonely and afraid of the dark--or more precisely, of the dreams and memories that seemed to be lurking there for him, as silly as that sounded. He wished he knew a spell that would chase away nightmares...and then an idea occurred to him. A Patronus was supposed to be a guardian and protector of sorts...

He took out his wand, closed his eyes, and concentrated on one of his happiest memories: the first time Blaise had kissed him, and the incredulous joy he felt at that moment, knowing that Blaise returned his feelings. "Expecto Patronum," he whispered, and his Patronus appeared. The silvery light the weasel gave off was comforting, and his fears receded, as if banished by the light. He sighed with relief, lay back down on the bed, and closed his eyes and fell asleep with the silver weasel curled up at the foot of the bed, watching over its master protectively.

But the Patronus was an enchantment, not a real beast, and when Theodore fell asleep and stopped concentrating on the spell, it gradually began to dissipate...

Theodore dreamed that he was on the battlefield again, and saw Voldemort with his skull-like face and glowing red eyes smile menacingly and make a beckoning gesture. He turned to run but his father grabbed him, saying, "It's you or me, Theodore." Theodore managed to break free of his grasp and run away, but blocking his path was the house-elf servant that Thaddeus had killed. Its flesh was rotting and falling from its bones, but it stood upright and slowly shambled forwards towards Theodore, saying in a hollow voice, "You let him kill me."

"No!" Theodore protested, taking a step backwards. "It wasn't my fault! There was nothing I could do!"

The house-elf transformed into Rafe Dietrich, who looked at his nephew with accusing eyes. "Why did you let him kill me, Theo?"

"I'm sorry," Theodore whimpered, backing away from his uncle's corpse, which slowly shuffled forward in much the same the way the house-elf had. "I was scared he'd kill me too!"

"You let him kill me," Rafe repeated, his cold, dead eyes exhibiting none of the compassion or warmth they had shown in life.

"I'm sorry," Theodore sobbed, stumbling backwards as his uncle lifted a hand and reached out towards him. "I'm sorry, please, I'm so sorry..."
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Upstairs, Lupin and Snape had just finished making love, and Lupin picked up his wand from the nightstand and removed the silence spell from the room, then snuggled up against his lover, sighing contentedly.

"What, not up for another round tonight?" Snape chuckled, stroking his hair affectionately. "That's unusual."

Werewolves, when not incapacitated by the illness of the transformation, were stronger than normal humans, and Snape and Lupin had discovered that a werewolf's appetite and stamina in the bedroom were also apparently greater than the average human's...at least, that was what Snape assumed. Lupin was the only werewolf he had ever slept with, and Lupin had once half-jokingly, half-threateningly said that he wasn't about to let Snape fool around with other werewolves, even for the purpose of scientific research. Their lovemaking was often intense and passionate, and sometimes rough and frenzied, fueled by the wolf's desires, but tonight it had been tender and gentle and unhurried, though still just as pleasurable as it always was.

Lupin laughed and snuggled a little closer, resting his head on Snape's chest. "No, the wolf seems content just to cuddle tonight. It feels very satisfied, almost smug, these days, perhaps because it finally has a pack to belong to, and a mate and cubs. That is all it wants. That is all I want. The wolf has no need for power or wealth or status. Sometimes I think beasts are wiser than humans."

"Perhaps," Snape agreed, and Lupin kissed him, lightly at first, then more deeply, and despite what he had just said, thought he might be up for a second round after all. Then suddenly he broke off the kiss and raised his head, frowning. "Lupin," Snape said in a protesting tone.

"Shh!" Lupin hissed. "Listen, do you hear that?"

Snape fell silent and listened. "I don't hear anything."

Lupin's hearing was not as keen as it when he was in his wolf form, but it was still better than that of a normal human. Even so, the sound was just barely audible...a soft whimper, or perhaps a sob? "I think it's Theodore," he said.

"What?" Snape exclaimed, sitting up in alarm and reaching for his wand. "Is there an intruder in the house? Is he sick or hurt?"

"The wards on the house haven't given off any alarms," Lupin replied. "I don't think it's anything drastic; it sounds like he might be having a bad dream."

"Oh," Snape said, relaxing a little. "Well, that's not so surprising, considering everything he's been through. Should we go check on him?"

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Lupin said. They hastily dressed and went downstairs. "Lumos," Lupin said, and the bedroom light came on, revealing Theodore curled up on his bed, trembling and whimpering softly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he kept whimpering, in a voice no louder than a whisper. "Please, Uncle, I'm sorry..."

Lupin placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and gently shook him. "Theo...Theo, wake up, you're having a bad dream..."

Theodore woke abruptly and cried out in fear, throwing himself back away from Lupin so quickly that it almost seemed like he had Apparated. Still not fully awake, he lunged for his wand on the nightstand, but Snape was quicker, and summoned it to his hand with an Accio spell. He had not precisely been expecting this, but as a former Death Eater, he knew that suddenly waking a wizard trained in the Dark Arts could be dangerous.

"Theodore!" Lupin said, grasping his foster son firmly by the shoulders as he struggled to break free. "Theodore, it's me, Remus! It's all right, you were having a nightmare!"

"R...Remus?" Theodore stammered, his eyes losing some of their fear as they focused on Lupin's face.

"Yes," Lupin said soothingly, "it's me, Remus. Were you having a bad dream?"

"Yeah," Theodore mumbled, looking embarrassed. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Oh, Severus and I were already up," Lupin said cheerfully. Theodore groaned inwardly and blushed; that was even worse! He hoped that he hadn't...interrupted...them, but he probably had, judging by the way Snape's face was reddening. Lupin seemed oblivious to their discomfort and continued, "I doubt that anyone else would have heard you, but werewolves have very keen hearing, you see..."

"Oh," Theodore said, still blushing. "Well, I'm sorry. For, um, disturbing you."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Lupin said kindly. "Would you like to talk about your dream?"

"No, not really," Theodore replied. "Listen, I'm okay now. I'm sor--I mean, thanks for checking up on me, but you can go back to bed now."

But he was still pale, and despite his words, didn't look as if he wanted them to go. So Lupin said cheerfully, "Well, I'm not really tired, and you probably don't feel like going back to sleep right away, do you?" Theodore looked surprised, but nodded. "When I was a child," Lupin continued, "I often had nightmares about being taken over by the wolf within me and hurting the people I loved. I used to lie awake for a long time afterwards, because I feared the nightmares would return when I went back to sleep."

Theodore nodded again, feeling a little reassured that Lupin understood how he felt. "Yeah, it takes me awhile to get back to sleep, too," he admitted.

"Do you have these nightmares often, then?" Lupin asked casually.

"Not often," Theodore said, flushing; he hadn't meant to let slip the fact that the his nightmares were a frequent occurrence. "Just sometimes, after the Death Eaters escaped last year...but I haven't had them recently. Not since coming to live here."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Theo," Lupin said softly.

"The Death Eaters are enough to give anyone nightmares," Snape said in a gruff but not unkind voice, placing a hand on Theodore's shoulder. "Believe me, I know."

Theodore's eyes went wide--Snape had nightmares?! Well, that wasn't really so surprising, he supposed, since Snape had been with them since the old days, during the first war, and he had probably seen things much worse than the ones Theodore had. Except...was witnessing the murder and torture of numerous strangers worse than seeing the murder of one person you loved dearly? "I dreamt about Rafe," Theodore whispered. "He was asking me why I let him die."

"Oh, Theodore," Lupin said, his eyes filling with sympathy and worry, "that wasn't your fault."

"You didn't let him die," Snape said firmly. "An eight-year old child would have been no match for a full-grown Death Eater. You would do better to blame Marta, who didn't lift a finger to defend her own brother, or the Ministry for not investigating Rafe's disappearance."

"Severus!" Lupin snapped reproachfully. He wasn't sure that blaming the boy's dead mother would help matters any.

Snape just gave him an unrepentant glare; as a Slytherin and former Death Eater, he was not inclined to be very forgiving towards anyone, including himself, and he had no sympathy for a mother who failed to protect her child.

Theodore smiled a little, despite the bitter reminder of Marta's failings as a sister and a mother, because Snape was, in his own way, trying to comfort him. He might not be as good at it as Lupin was, but he was touched by the effort. "I'm okay now," he said, more sincerely this time. "Really." He didn't think he would ever completely be free of the guilt that haunted him, but it had eased to a tolerable level for now.

"Well, I'm still not sleepy," Lupin said. "How about a game of cards before we go back to bed?"

So they played cards until Theodore started yawning, then Lupin tucked him into bed, pulling the covers up over him; no one had done that since he was about seven or eight and his father had told his mother to "stop coddling the boy or we'll never make a man of him!" Lupin turned out the lights, but Theodore noticed that his guardians remained in the room, watching over him. Feeling safe and protected--a relatively new feeling for him--he closed his eyes, and this time his sleep was peaceful and free of troubling dreams.

He woke early the next morning, and noticed that Lupin was sprawled out on Dylan's bed, while Snape was sleeping in a chair he had pulled up next to Theodore's bed; that could not have been a very comfortable place to have spent the night.

Apparently he was right; Snape stirred, winced, and groaned softly, and Theodore quickly shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep. He heard Snape rise and whisper, "Lupin! Lupin, wake up, it's morning."

"Is Theo all right?" Lupin whispered.

"Yes, shh, he's sleeping; don't wake him. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Theodore felt a gentle hand touch his hair for a moment; he wasn't sure if it was Lupin or Snape, but it didn't really matter. He heard the sound of footsteps going up the stairs and the door quietly being closed, then he drifted back to sleep, a contented smile on his face.

When he woke up again and went upstairs for breakfast, Lupin greeted him cheerfully, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened last night. But he noticed that both Lupin and Snape watched over him solicitously all day, which embarrassed him but made him happy at the same time. He passed the day quietly, studying or playing chess with Snape, and working on building a set of bookshelves with Lupin.

"I noticed that you and Dylan had your books piled up on the floor," Lupin said apologetically. "We were too busy to install some shelves before you moved in, and then I completely forgot about it."

"It's no big deal, Professor," Theodore said, flushing. Lupin didn't go down to the basement very often, allowing the boys their privacy, so he knew that the reason Lupin had come down and noticed the lack of shelves last night was because of Theodore's nightmare.

"It's a simple project," Lupin said cheerfully. "It shouldn't take long." It didn't, and they soon had the books neatly put away on the new shelves.

"It would have been easier to put them together with magic," Snape pointed out in a sour tone that seemed to be habit rather than real annoyance.

"I enjoy working with my hands," Lupin said with a smile. "Sometimes it's more satisfying to do things without magic. Don't you agree, Theo?"

"Yes, sir," Theodore said, and was surprised to find that he meant it. His father would be absolutely scandalized to see his son performing "manual labor," Theodore realized almost gleefully. Working with his hands, living with a gay couple, one of whom was a werewolf--he was an absolute disgrace to the Nott name, and he didn't care one bit.

The day passed by pleasantly, but he had trouble falling asleep again that night, so he was still awake when Lupin and Snape crept downstairs to check up on him, although he pretended to be asleep, breathing slowly and evenly to keep up the charade.

"Sound asleep," Snape whispered, sounding relieved. "Good. I was afraid I'd have to brew a Draught of Peace for him."

Lupin pulled up the blankets and tucked him in more securely, then gently stroked Theodore's cheek and whispered, "Sleep well, Theo." Then he and Snape quietly headed back up the stairs and left.

After that, Theodore had no more trouble sleeping at night, so when Snape and Lupin paid him a midnight visit again the next night, he really did sleep through it.
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Dylan was happy to see his aunt and uncle again, and they were delighted to see him. He gave Goewin the gifts from Snape and Lupin, and she accepted them appreciatively.

"You must thank them for me, Dylan. The tonic will come in handy and the mobile is delightful. I'll go hang it up over Ariana's crib right now."

"It's a peace offering, at least on Professor's Snape's behalf," Dylan said with a mischievous grin. "He thinks you're still mad at him."

"Oh, I wasn't mad at him," Goewin said, looking a little shamefaced, then confessed sheepishly, "Well, maybe just a little. It's just because it came as such a shock; we had been expecting that you would keep on living with us, but as long as you're happy, it's fine."

"You have an overabundance of people who love you," Math said, smiling fondly at his great-nephew.

"I know," Dylan said in a more serious tone. "I'm very lucky."

"You are happy with Severus and Remus, aren't you?" Goewin asked anxiously.

"Yes," Dylan said, smiling. "I'm very happy. They've been good to me and Theo. But I'm happy to see you again, too." He gave his aunt a hug. "I'm lucky to have two homes."

He enjoyed spending time with his aunt and uncle; Goewin in particular fussed over him lovingly the entire time he was there. He also enjoyed spending time with his new baby cousin.

Ariana sat his on lap, gazing up at him with solemn silver-gray eyes that seemed older and wiser than a baby's should. He made silly faces at her and bounced her on his knee, and finally won a small smile and laugh from her. "She seems very quiet and well-behaved," Dylan observed. "My classmates who have younger siblings all complain about how much trouble babies can be."

Goewin smiled. "She's a very good baby; she almost never cries. But she's a very unusual baby; she is a Seer, after all, as young as she is." She bent down and kissed her daughter on the top of her head, and Ariana cooed happily at her.

Ariana proved that Goewin was telling the truth in a most dramatic way. Dylan took her out for a walk one afternoon, pointing out flowers and birds and butterflies to her along the way. She remained quiet and serious as always, but seemed to observe everything around her with great interest. He paused under an apple tree; he had often climbed it as a little boy, and when he was older, often sat beneath it to read a book on a nice sunny summer day such as this.

"Look, Ari," he said, "do you see that bird's nest up there?" Dylan said, pointing up at the branches, but suddenly Ariana started fussing and squirming. "Hey, stop that!" he said, tightening his grip on her. "Do you want me to drop you?" She continued struggling and began crying loudly, and Dylan grew worried. "Are you sick or something? I'd better get you back in the house. It's a good thing the Professor brewed that tonic for you." He turned and started walking back towards the house, then jumped when he heard a loud crash behind him. A large, heavy branch had broken off from the tree and landed on the exact spot where he had been standing a moment ago.

Math and Dylan had seen this through the window, and came running out to meet him. "Dylan!" Goewin shouted. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Dylan said in a shaky voice. "Thanks to Ariana." His cousin had stopped fussing as soon as he'd moved away from the tree, and was gazing up at him calmly once again.

Math looked up at the tree. "There was a thunderstorm a few days ago, and I saw a bolt of lightning strike the tree. I didn't notice any damage at the time, but it must have weakened that branch, not enough to break it off immediately, but enough so that it gradually gave way beneath its own weight."

"Ariana kept crying until I walked away from the tree," Dylan said, staring at the baby in awe. "She must have been trying to warn me! You saved my life, little cousin." He kissed her on the cheek and then grinned. "How about that, less than two months old and already you're a better Seer than Professor Trelawney!"

Dylan also had the bittersweet task of going through his mother's things. "Are you sure you want to do this now, dear?" Goewin asked gently.

"Yes," Dylan said, looking pale but determined as he entered his mother's room. There was not a great deal to pack up, as Ariane had been entitled to none of the Donner wealth, jewels, or heirlooms after her mother disowned her. There was a jewelry box filled with some delicate silver filigree necklaces, bracelets, and earrings--mainly gifts from Evan Rosier, except for the silver rose pendant Dylan had given her last Christmas; he wept a little when he saw it. He put the jewelry back in the box and locked it. He would store it away for now; perhaps someday he would give it to his wife or daughter, if he had one. He packed away most of her books to take back home with him--spellbooks, history books, and novels. He also packed the silver-framed photo of his father that Ariane had always kept on the nightstand beside her bed, and the scrapbooks and photo albums that she rarely took out, because they brought back old memories that made her weep. But he was free to leaf through them now: there were pictures of her as a schoolgirl with her Ravenclaw classmates, including his friend Lisa Turpin's mother, and of course there were pictures of her posing with Evan. She looked so young and beautiful, and carefree in a way that he had never seen her, because by the time he had been born, she had been burdened by her family's disownment and her lover's death. His father looked young, handsome, and rakishly charming, with a sly, mischievous gleam in his eyes in nearly all the pictures. There were also pictures of Evan's best friend Lyall Wilkes, a sandy-haired boy who had a cheerful, good-natured smile on his face in all the photos. He didn't look like the sort of person who would become a Death Eater, who would take pleasure in torturing and killing people.

Then he found another photo album tucked away in the back of her closet, one she had never shown him. He opened it and to his shock, saw that they were pictures of the Donner family. There pictures of Uncle Math, of course, but there was also a picture of Deirdre holding a baby Ariane on her lap, smiling lovingly in a way that Dylan had not known that she had been capable of, since she had shown him nothing but contempt his entire life. There was another photo of Deirdre posing with a handsome but pale and sickly-looking young man who must be his grandfather, who had died before Dylan was born. There were pictures of his uncles, Gwydion and Gilbert, who looked like normal, mischievous young boys, with none of the arrogance they had shown later in life. There was a photo of Gwydion tossing little Ariane up in the air as she laughed delightedly, and another of Gilbert carrying his sister on his shoulders. In all the photos of them and Ariane posing together, they smiled at their little sister adoringly.

{They loved her,} Dylan realized, staring at the photos in disbelief. How could that have changed so suddenly, how could they have turned against her, so utterly and completely, just because she fell in love with a Slytherin boy? No wonder Ariane had hated them so much; she must have felt incredibly hurt and betrayed when her doting family abruptly withdrew their love and disowned her. But a part of her must have still loved them, because she had kept the photo album, and because she had tried to save Gilbert from their mother's Killing Curse during the final battle. And Gilbert, whom Dylan had always hated, had saved Goewin from Voldemort, so perhaps he had not been completely evil. Dylan looked at the boy in the photo, and wondered what had changed him from the loving brother into the man who had become a rapist and a Death Eater. Dylan sat there staring at the photos and began to weep.

Goewin sat beside him and put an arm around him. "Are you all right, dear?"

"They loved her," Dylan whispered.

Goewin understood what he meant without his needing to explain any further. "Yes, they did," she said sadly. "The entire family doted on Ariane, especially her brothers. They called her 'Princess' and pampered her like one; spoiled her rotten, in fact. They weren't always as you knew them, Dylan. I loved Gilbert once, as a friend. Perhaps I could have loved him as something more, if he had been willing to wait until the war was over and my powers were no longer needed."

"We could have been a family," Dylan wept. "We could have been happy together." He could have loved his uncles and grandmother, if they had remained the way they were in these pictures. He had hated them all his life, but now he mourned what-might-have-been, having been given a tantalizing glimpse into a future that would now never come to pass. "How could they give all that up, cast aside my mother when they loved her so much, just because she fell in love with a boy they didn't like?"

Goewin sighed and held him close. "Because they were rigid and narrow-minded, as much as the Death Eaters were, in a way. Because Deirdre was a proud and stubborn woman who could not stand to see anyone defy her, even her own flesh and blood--especially her own flesh and blood. Because they loved deeply, and hated just as deeply when they believed they had been betrayed. They believed your mother betrayed them when she went against their wishes. And Deirdre hated all Slytherins, because she believed one was responsible for her best friend's death."

"Professor Blackmore's father," Dylan said, still weeping.

"Yes, although poor Meredith was clearly just as much a victim as Fiona, since Voldemort murdered them both. It was typical of Deirdre not to just hate the man, but everyone in the House he belonged to, past, present, and future." She held Dylan as he wept, and said, "I'm so sorry, Dylan. I can't give back what you have lost, but remember that you do still have a family that loves you. Two families, in fact: Math, Ariana, and myself, and Remus and Severus."

"And Theo," Dylan added.

"And Theo," Goewin said, kissing his forehead.

"Theo and I are related by blood, you know," Dylan said, smiling through his tears. "We're cousins, sort of. I saw it on his family tree. And there's a Donner on Professor Blackmore's family tree!"

"We're all related, to some degree," Goewin said with a smile. "It's too bad that Deirdre couldn't see that." She kissed him again. "Remember, Dylan, even though you live with Severus and Remus now, you will always have a home here, too."

"I know," Dylan said, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

He finished packing up the books and photo albums, and after some hesitation, left her robes and gowns hanging up in the closet. He had no use for them, but he couldn't bear to throw them out or give them away just yet. Maybe someday his hypothetical daughter or a grown-up Ariana could use them, if they weren't hopelessly out of fashion by then. There was one last item left, a small wooden box engraved with a design of flowers, which had been hidden in the back of the closet along with Ariane's family photo album. It was sealed with a warding spell, but Dylan was able to remove it, and he opened the box to find a packet of letters. When he looked at them, he discovered they were love letters from Evan to Ariane, written while they had been students at Hogwarts. After a moment of guilty hesitation, he began reading them. The first few were innocuous enough, with Evan extravagantly praising his beloved's beauty, and writing florid poetry declaring his undying love for her. One of the letters was filled with rose petals, which still gave off a faint, lingering sweet smell. Dylan smiled; Professor Snape was right--Evan Rosier had definitely been a ladies' man! But the tone of the letters began to change as the relationship between Evan and Ariane grew more serious--in fact, things became downright heated! Dylan blushed deeply, feeling his cheeks burn, and quickly put the letters back in the box. As much as he wanted to learn more about his father, there were just some things that a boy should not know about his mother! He had read the letter only briefly before becoming too embarrassed to continue, but it seemed that his parents had been just as passionate about each other as Lupin and Snape were. He wondered if Snape had ever written love letters to Lupin, then winced; he probably wouldn't want to read those either!

Dylan packed the box along with the other things; even though he would probably never read the rest of the letters, he would keep them, as a reminder of how much his parents had loved each other.

On the last day of his visit, Dylan kissed his aunt, uncle, and cousin goodbye. Goewin shed a tear or two as she kissed him on the cheek, and he was a little sad to be leaving them, but he was also happy to be going back home.

Dylan stepped out of the fireplace into the Lupin's cottage, and he barely had a chance to put his things down before Lupin ran forward to give him a hug and say, "Welcome home, Dylan!"

"Thanks, Remus, it's good to be back!" Dylan said with a grin, hugging him back.

Snape actually smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said gruffly, "Good to have you back, Rosier." And to his surprise, Theo flung his arms around him and hugged him, saying, "I'm glad you're back, Dylan!"

Dylan laughed. "I was only gone for a few days; did you guys really miss me that much?"

"Of course we missed you," Lupin said with a smile. "The family isn't complete without you."

Dylan smiled back at him, feeling pleased and touched. "So what were you guys up to while I was gone?"

"Come downstairs and see the shelves Remus and I made," Theodore urged.

"Okay," Dylan said, "and I want to show you some pictures of my father that I found, going through my mother's things."

The boys ran downstairs, and Lupin and Snape grinned at each other, happy to have their family together again.

 

Part 15