Aftermaths, Part 141

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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Snape, Lupin, and Dumbledore returned to the school, but their work was not yet over: there were still the R.A. members to be interviewed. After thoroughly questioning the three Gryffindor members, along with the testimony that they received from Susan, they were satisfied that Dean Thomas, Andrew Kirke, and Jack Sloper had not been involved in any of the pranks, threats, or hexes, apart from the spiked punch at the Yule Ball. The boys looked very cowed and shaken when they learned the true extent of the R.A.'s activities, including the curse that Susan had suffered and the fact that Stewart had (albeit unwittingly) helped Williamson frame Snape and nearly murder Master Diggory.

"They did all those things, not the Slytherins?" Dean asked, looking stunned. "Hexed Rosier and threatened Harry and cast the Dark Mark at the Quidditch match? Just to make it look like the Slytherins were Death Eaters? And they hurt Susan?"

Lupin nodded solemnly. "I'm very disappointed in all of you," he said in that soft, almost gentle tone of disapproval that was somehow much more devastating than Snape's shouting. Dean in particular looked like he wished he could sink right through the floor with shame. "You especially, Dean," Lupin added, and the boy looked like he was going to burst into tears. "You participated in the final battle, and some of the Slytherins fought alongside you. I would have thought that would help you to view them as individuals, but instead you let yourself be blinded by old prejudices and House rivalries. You should have learned from Peter Pettigrew's example that not all Gryffindors are noble, Dean. And from Severus's example that not all Slytherins are evil. In fact, haven't you three been acting more like stereotypical Slytherins than Gryffindors? Sneaking around, spying on your classmates, and dosing them with potions instead of confronting them directly?"

"I'm sorry, Professor!" Dean said tearfully. "I'm so sorry!" Jack and Andrew muttered apologies as well, their eyes downcast towards the floor.

"You don't just owe an apology to me," Lupin said sternly. "You owe apologies to Dylan and Theodore, who were hurt by the R.A.'s hexes, and to Harry, who was threatened, and to all the Slytherins and Professor Snape, whom you slandered as Death Eaters."

"Yes, I agree that should be part of your punishment," McGonagall said, glaring at her three students. "You will issue formal written apologies to Mr. Rosier, Mr. Snape, and Mr. Potter, and you will publicly apologize to the Slytherins in the Great Hall tonight at dinner, in front of the entire school."

"Yes, ma'am," the three boys mumbled.

"You will serve detention for what is left of the school year," McGonagall continued, "and Mr. Sloper and Mr. Kirke will be banned from the Quidditch team for one year. I would do the same to Mr. Thomas, if he had not already been removed from the team, and is in any case about to graduate."

Jack and Andrew were sixth-years, which meant that their Quidditch careers at Hogwarts were essentially over, since they had only one more year of school left. "Yes, ma'am," they mumbled glumly.

"And thirty points will be taken from Gryffindor for each of you," McGonagall finished. Which meant nearly a hundred points lost from Gryffindor, which would probably cost them the House Cup. McGonagall sent them back to the dorm, and they departed, looking very chastened and miserable.

The next to be interviewed was Corbin Talbott, and Dylan asked to sit in on the session. "A rather unusual request," Dumbledore said. "But you were victimized by the R.A., so it is within your rights."

Corbin's level of involvement seemed to lie somewhere between that of the Gryffindors and the ringleaders, Stewart and Isabelle. It had been Stewart and Isabelle who carried out most of the hexes, but Corbin had been aware of their plans, and he had helped them prepare the threatening note sent to Harry. He had not been aware of Stewart's role in aiding Williamson, though.

"Do you understand that your malicious pranks could have killed people?" the normally kindly Flitwick shouted at his student. "Dylan and Theodore nearly died because of you!"

Corbin looked frightened, but also sullen and defiant. "We figured the teachers would save them," he said defensively. "And anyway, their fathers killed our relatives! We wanted revenge--"

"There are no Death Eaters in this school!" Flitwick shouted in frustration. "The only crimes that were committed were done by you and your friends and that Auror Williamson!"

"Theodore and Dylan were also victims of the Death Eaters, Corbin," Dumbledore said quietly. "Voldemort and the Death Eaters killed their parents, and tried to kill them, too."

"You believe that the Death Eaters are to blame for the death of your father's aunt, Elin Rosier," Lupin said, his pale blue eyes boring into Corbin's brown ones with an intensity that made the Ravenclaw boy squirm nervously. "Say that you kill Dylan and Theo in revenge. Then their friends and family will likely seek revenge on you. So they kill you, or someone in your family, and then your family retaliates against them, and so on, back and forth, in an endless cycle of blood and revenge. Is that really what you want, Corbin? To keep fighting until both sides are completely wiped out?"

"N...no," Corbin stammered, looking pale and confused. For the first time, his certainty in the virtue of the R.A.'s actions seemed to be shaken a little.

"What will be his punishment?" Dylan asked quietly.

"These are very serious crimes," Flitwick said, looking troubled.

"Serious enough to warrant expulsion, I think!" Snape snarled.

"If that is what you wish, then I won't fight you on it, Severus," Flitwick said reluctantly. "It is within your rights, since your sons were endangered by Mr. Talbott's actions."

"Please, Professors," Dylan said, "don't expel him." Everyone turned to stare at him in surprise.

"He and his friends nearly killed you, Dylan!" Snape exclaimed incredulously.

"Why?" Corbin asked, looking even more shocked than Snape. "Why would you show me mercy, after what I've done to you?"

"Because you are one of the few living relatives I have left," Dylan said softly. "I am the last living Rosier, and all the Donners are dead except for Math, Goewin, and Ariana. Once I wanted revenge on my grandmother, Deirdre, and my uncles, Gwydion and Gilbert, but their deaths brought me no satisfaction, only a sense of emptiness and loss for the family that I never had. Once I wanted to kill Mad-Eye Moody, for his role in my father's death, but...I am tired of hating, and I have seen enough blood and death to last me a lifetime." He glanced over at Lupin, who smiled at him approvingly. "I wish to break the cycle of revenge."

"He doesn't deserve your mercy," Snape said.

"I'm not doing it for him, Professor," Dylan replied. "Well, perhaps a little, but mostly I'm doing it for me."

"This is your doing, Lupin," Snape said accusingly. "You've infected my Slytherins with your idealism."

"It's not Remus's fault, Professor," Dylan said, smiling a little although his gray eyes were still solemn. "It's everything I've seen during the war, and the way that hatred tore apart my mother's family. And Theo's. If Theo and Aric can forgive each other, then I think that I can forgive Corbin."

"Dietrich saved Diggory's life," Snape pointed out, then glowered at Corbin. "You have yet to redeem yourself, Mr. Talbott. However, for Dylan's sake, I will withdraw my request that you be expelled."

Flitwick sighed in relief and smiled at Dylan gratefully. "Then I will take fifty points from Ravenclaw, and sentence Mr. Talbott to detention for the rest of the school year--although I realize that's not much of a punishment, since the year is nearly over. So I hereby sentence you to six months detention next school year, to be served with Professor Snape. I'm sure that you can find something useful for him to do, Severus."

"Oh yes," Snape purred, with an evil glint in his eyes that made Corbin break out into a cold sweat. "Especially since I'll have all summer to think about it."

"Very well, you are dismissed, Mr. Talbott," Dumbledore said.

Still looking confused, Corbin told Dylan, "This doesn't make us friends, you know."

"I know," Dylan replied.

"But I acknowledge that I am in your debt," Corbin added reluctantly, in what seemed to be a formal ritual phrase, and bowed towards him, then left the room. Snape was slightly mollified, remembering how much he had hated being in debt to James Potter.

Dylan got up to leave, too, and Lupin hugged him and whispered, "I'm so proud of you, Dylan."

Dylan hugged him back and said, "It's thanks to you and the Professor that I didn't turn out like Corbin--or my father."

Tristan was questioned next, and his parents, who had remained at the school after the Quidditch match, accompanied him. "How could you have done such a thing?!" a distraught Gwendolyn demanded of her son.

"I'm sorry, Mum," Tristan sobbed. "I'm sorry, I really am! I thought the Slytherins were Death Eaters, and I wanted to punish them for Cedric's death..."

"Oh, Tristan," Gwendolyn said helplessly, "if you had asked me, I could have told you that being sorted into Slytherin doesn't automatically make someone evil. My brother Cynric was a Slytherin, after all."

"You never talked much about him, until we found out Master Bleddri was really your nephew," Tristan sniffled.

"That's because any mention of Cynric's name seemed to upset Amos and my parents, I thought because they regretted not making peace with him before he died. But it was because it reminded them of their guilt." Gwendolyn began to weep. "I can't believe that my parents murdered my brother, and my brother Amos tried to murder Cyril!"

Dumbledore patted her on the shoulder in a consoling manner, while Snape cleared his throat impatiently. Lupin elbowed him in the side and glared at him.

"What?" Snape said unrepentantly. "We are here to discuss Mr. Ames-Diggory's punishment. They can work out their family problems on their own time."

"Severus!" Lupin said.

"No, he's right," Robert Ames said. "And Tristan, you owe someone besides your mother an apology, I think."

"I'm so sorry, Professors!" Tristan said earnestly, still weeping. "What I did was just as bad as what Uncle Amos and his parents did. I'm just lucky that no one got killed because of me. But Dietrich did get turned into a werewolf, and Master Diggory might be punished for it--"

"The Minister of Magic has assured us that no charges will be filed against Lukas," Lupin said.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Tristan sobbed in relief. "I'll accept any punishment that you give me, Professors. Whatever it is, I deserve it!"

Snape and Lupin looked at each other for a moment, then Snape sighed and shrugged. "I'll leave that up to you, as his Head of House," he told Professor Sprout.

Sprout looked surprised but grateful. "Fifty points from Hufflepuff," she said. "And Tristan will be banned from the Quidditch team for one year."

"Th...that's all?" Tristan asked in surprise, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm not going to be expelled or sent to Azkaban?"

"The Ministry rarely sends twelve-year-old boys to prison, no matter how much they might deserve it," Snape said dryly. "But don't make me regret my decision, Mr. Ames-Diggory."

"No, sir!" Tristan said fervently. "I'm sorry, I really am!" He turned towards Lupin. "I won't judge anybody just on their House ever again. I thought the Slytherins were sneaky cowards, but they were really brave. They helped you fight Williamson and Uncle Amos, and Dietrich risked his life to save Master Diggory. And I was wrong about Harry, too. I thought it was partly his fault that Cedric died, but he said that Cedric was his friend, and he helped me twice, for Cedric's sake, when I fell out of the tree at the party, and when I nearly fell off my broom at the Quidditch match." He hesitated, then added, "The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin--"

"Why does that not surprise me, somehow?" Snape muttered, rolling his eyes.

"But I made it put me in Hufflepuff," Tristan continued. "Because I thought Slytherins were evil. And I wanted to be a Hufflepuff like Cedric. I'm proud to be a Hufflepuff, but I see now that I could have been proud to be a Slytherin, too."

"Well, don't expect to switch Houses now," Snape said sourly.

"No, sir," Tristan said gravely. "I don't want to switch, although I'm sorry that I've dishonored my House with my actions."

"Then you must work hard to make up for your crimes and regain the trust of your housemates," Sprout told him sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," Tristan said meekly.

Dumbledore dismissed Tristan, and the Ames family went off to continue their discussion in private. That left only the R.A. leaders, Stewart and Isabelle, and Lupin asked that they be interviewed together. He also asked Dumbledore to call in their parents; he was especially insistent that the Laroque family be present.

"What are you up to, Lupin?" Snape asked.

"You'll see," was all that Lupin would say.

"I can't believe it," Mrs. Ackerley kept saying. "Stewart must have been misled by the other students and that rogue Auror--"

"No, Mum," Stewart said, his voice firm although his face looked pale and guilty. "I knew exactly what I was doing. I was as bad as Williamson; I wanted revenge and I took the law into my own hands. And--" His eyes filled with tears. "And Master Diggory risked his life to save me, even though I was the one who had put him in danger. And he still defended me even after Williamson told him what I'd done." He turned towards Lupin and Snape. He quailed a bit at the ferocious expression on Snape's face, then gathered up his courage, swallowed hard, and said, "I know it doesn't make up for what I did, and I don't expect you to forgive me, but I am sorry. I'll accept whatever punishment you decide to give me."

"Before we decide Stewart's punishment, I'd like to hear what Isabelle has to say," Lupin said.

"Did you really do all these things that they're accusing you of?" Emilie Laroque asked her daughter tearfully.

Isabelle nodded, her face expressionless. "Yes. I wanted revenge on the Slytherins for what the Death Eaters did to our family. I know it was wrong. I broke the rules, and I will accept whatever punishment the Headmaster and the Professors decide on."

"I think there's more to it than just revenge, isn't there, Isabelle?" Lupin asked softly, and there was a flicker of surprise and guilt in her eyes. "You didn't even know your uncles Fabian and Gideon; they died before you were born. I find it difficult to believe that you were so attached to them that you would go to such lengths to seek revenge for their murders."

"I wanted to avenge my family's honor," Isabelle said defensively. "And I wanted to make them pay for the way my mother suffered."

Thierry Laroque's eyes narrowed suspiciously, hearing a hint of evasiveness in his daughter's voice. "I think, as Professor Lupin says, that is not the entire truth. You will tell us the truth, Isabelle--now! All of it!"

But the normally sweet and well-mannered girl looked stubbornly defiant, until Lupin said softly, "Does it have something to do with a letter you received from France that made you burst into tears in the Great Hall?"

"What?" Emilie and Thierry chorused, looking startled, and Stewart asked, "What was in that letter, anyway, Isabelle?"

"You told Branwen 'it's over,'" Lupin said, in a gentle yet implacable voice. "You sounded almost relieved to be apprehended. Please, Isabelle, I think you will feel better if you tell us the truth."

And suddenly Isabelle began to weep and she said, "I didn't know whether the Slytherins were Death Eaters or not. I thought they were probably sympathizers at least, but I didn't really care. All I wanted was to go home."

"What?" Emilie and Thierry said again.

"You were homesick, weren't you?" Lupin asked gently. "England was home to your mother, but you were born in France, and it's France that you consider your home, isn't it?"

Isabelle nodded, still weeping. "I had to leave behind my home and all my friends at Beauxbatons, and there was a boy that I liked. He said that he'd wait for me, but then one of my friends wrote to tell me that he'd started dating someone else..."

"WHAT?!" roared Snape. "You mean to say that you endangered my sons, threatened Potter, and incited suspicion and resentment against the Slytherins just because of a little homesickness and a foolish crush on a boy?!"

"I understand how you feel, Isabelle," Lupin said, his voice still gentle, but a little stern as well now. "But your actions put Theodore and Dylan in danger, and they could have been killed, whether you intended it or not. And the atmosphere of distrust that the R.A. created aided Williamson and Amos in their efforts to discredit Professor Snape and the werewolves."

"I didn't intend for anyone to be badly hurt," Isabelle wept. "I thought that the teachers would be able to help Dylan if he fell off his broom, and I didn't know that Theodore would be hit by the Bludger at that other match. I just wanted to scare people with the Dark Mark, make them think that the Death Eaters had come back."

"Not that you wasted much time worrying about them when things did go wrong," Snape said acidly. "After all, they were only Slytherins."

Isabelle hung her head, her long hair falling across her face, and Emilie cried, "But what was the point of doing all these things, Isabelle?"

"Bloody hell, Emilie!" Snape snapped. "Isn't it obvious? She wanted to scare you into moving back to France!"

"I'm sorry, Maman!" Isabelle sobbed. "I thought if it seemed like the Death Eaters were back, then England would no longer be safe, and you would want to move back home."

"But you didn't object when we talked about moving to England," Emilie protested. "And you never told us that you were so unhappy here!"

"How could I?" Isabelle asked, a little bitterly. "All you ever talked about was how we would move back to England when it was safe. You even insisted that we speak English at home, so that I wouldn't 'forget' my native language. Except that it wasn't my native language, and you were the only one moving 'back' to England! How could I want to go back to a place I've never seen? Papa and I are French, not British!"

"I...I didn't know," Emilie said helplessly. "I didn't know you felt that way."

"I think she didn't want to disappoint you, dear," Thierry said softly.

Isabelle nodded, weeping. "I didn't really mind speaking English at home if it made you happy. I didn't think that the Dark Lord would ever be defeated, but then he was, and all of a sudden we were moving to England. You were so happy, and Papa was willing to go along with it...how could I say 'no' and ruin it all for you?"

"So instead you decided to frighten and manipulate your mother into moving back to France," Snape said sarcastically, and Isabelle flushed and nodded. And then Snape suddenly remembered that it had taken the Sorting Hat a long time to decide what House to put Isabelle in, and he thought of how cunning and manipulative she had been. He could almost have admired her deviousness, if he and his family had not been the ones victimized by it. "Don't tell me that the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, too," Snape said in a tone of disgust mixed with grudging respect.

Isabelle seemed a little confused as to whether he wanted her to answer in the negative or not, but finally she said, "Yes, the Hat did want to put me in Slytherin, and I did consider it, since it might have been easier to work against the Slytherins from within. But I thought it would upset my mother if I became a Slytherin, so I asked the Hat to put me in Hufflepuff."

"You might have made a good Slytherin, Miss Laroque," Snape said. "But you made a major mistake when you chose to involve my sons in your little scheme. If it were up to me, you would not only be expelled, but sent to Azkaban!"

There was actually little danger of the latter, since there was no way that the Wizengamot was going to send a pretty, pitiful-looking teenage girl to prison, particularly not when she turned on the tears as she had just done, but Emilie seemed to take his threat seriously. "No, Severus, please, it's my fault!" she cried. "If you're going to blame someone, blame me! It's my fault, I had no idea that I had hurt Isabelle so badly! If I hadn't been so selfish..."

"No, Maman!" Isabelle cried, throwing her arms around her mother. "It's all my fault, I'm so sorry! I knew how badly you wanted to come home, but I tried to trick you into moving back to France. I should have tried harder to get used to life at Hogwarts! I'm sorry!"

"You...you were using us all along?" Stewart asked, looking devastated. "That's why you looked upset rather than happy when I told you that the Death Eaters would be captured soon! You didn't want them to be captured, did you? Because then you would have no excuse to go back to France!"

"I'm sorry, Stewart," Isabelle whispered.

"We all trusted you!" Stewart cried. "Maybe we were pigheaded idiots, but we believed in what we were doing! But you--you didn't care whether the Slytherins were guilty or not, so long as you got what you wanted! I thought we were friends!"

"I'm sorry, Stewart," Isabelle said. "I really did like you and Susan and the others, but I wanted so badly to go home..."

"Don't you know that if you had just asked me, I would have helped you?" Stewart said, his eyes filled with tears. "Even if it meant that you would leave us, I would have helped you find a way to go home if that was what would make you happy. Because I love you, Isabelle."

"I'm sorry, Stewart," Isabelle repeated, a tear trickling down her face. "I really am sorry for what I've done. You were a better friend to me than I deserved."

"And I think that French guy who wouldn't wait for you is a real idiot," Stewart added, with a bittersweet smile.

Isabelle gave him a tremulous smile before bursting into tears again. Emilie wrapped her arms around her daughter and held her close. "Thierry," she said, gazing at her husband tearfully, "did I hurt you as well? Did you really want to move to England, or were you sacrificing your happiness for my sake?"

"I was a little sad to be leaving my homeland, but I did it willingly," Thierry replied with a smile. "I can be happy anywhere, so long as I'm with you. But if I had known that Isabelle was unhappy about moving, I would not have agreed so quickly." He frowned sternly at his daughter. "You should have been honest with us, Isabelle, instead of resorting to hurting innocent people. We could have sat down together and talked it over, and decided what would be best for all three of us."

"I didn't want to disappoint Maman," Isabelle mumbled.

"And you think that this doesn't disappoint her?" Thierry asked pointedly. "Lying, committing crimes, hurting and threatening people?"

"I'm sorry," Isabelle whispered.

"Isabelle was wrong," Emilie said. "But I was, too. I refused to let go of the past. I lived in exile grudgingly, refusing to completely open my heart to my new home. I decided to move back to England after the war, never once considering how my husband and daughter might feel about it. I took my daughter away from the only home she had ever known." She gently stroked Isabelle's cheek. "Perhaps it's time to let go of the past and make a new start." She looked up at Lupin. "And thank you, Remus, for opening up my eyes, when I was blind to my daughter's pain. How did you know?"

"It was an educated guess," Lupin said. "I wasn't sure, at first, but once I learned that Isabelle had created the R.A., I was pretty sure of the motives behind it. You see, we have two other students who come from other countries. Gabrielle Delacour is from France as well, and she was terribly homesick at first, although it helped that both Isabelle and Dylan befriended her. And Aric Dietrich is British, but he attended Durmstrang for six years. He...er...had difficulty adjusting to a new school, and he didn't get along with his new housemates. I often heard him mention how much better things were at Durmstrang than at Hogwarts. But Isabelle seemed to adjust effortlessly, and never complained about missing France or her old friends at Beauxbatons. And I remember how you scolded her a little for speaking French instead of English at the Yule Ball." Emilie flushed with shame. "A very gentle, mild scolding," Lupin continued, "but Isabelle switched languages instantly, and she didn't seem resentful, only eager to please you. We talked once by the lake, too, and she mentioned how much you had wanted to come back home to England."

"I remember that," Isabelle said, looking startled, as if she had forgotten all about the incident. "You were worried that I might be homesick, and you told me I could come talk to you anytime. And you told me a little about Uncle Gideon and Uncle Fabian when they went to school with you."

"I wish that you had confided in me," Lupin said with a sad smile. "I would have tried to help you tell your mother how you felt without hurting her feelings."

"I'm sorry, Professor," Isabelle said, finally looking--at least to Snape's eyes--truly remorseful about what she had done, and not just sorry that she had been caught. "You were kind to me, and I hurt your family. I wasn't thinking about anyone or anything but myself and what I wanted. I'm sorry."

"I know that you are," Lupin said softly. "But you endangered my cubs and my mate, and that is a difficult thing to forgive."

Isabelle flushed with guilt and shame, and Snape marveled once again at how Lupin could use his quiet, gentle voice to such devastating effect on the students. Snape wished that he could pick up the knack himself, but he didn't really do "gentle" very well. He supposed that he would have to stick to "threatening" and "menacing".

"But I will accept your apology, if you will do something for me in return," Lupin continued.

"Anything, sir!" Isabelle said eagerly.

"Be honest from now on, and tell people how you feel, instead of trying to manipulate them into doing what you want," Lupin said solemnly. "And think about how your actions might affect other people before you carry them out."

"I will, Professor," Isabelle whispered. "I promise."

"I am not so forgiving as Professor Lupin," Sprout said, frowning at Isabelle angrily. "Aside from all the other crimes you committed, Miss Laroque, you betrayed the trust of your housemates by lying to them and manipulating them. And you are responsible for the hexes that hurt Miss Bones, who was one of your best friends."

"And I suppose the hexes cast on the Slytherins don't matter to you," Snape muttered under his breath.

"Of course they do!" Sprout snapped, although she looked a bit guilty. "But the point I am trying to make is that Hufflepuff House is founded on loyalty. Miss Laroque betrayed that loyalty, so she is no longer welcome in my House."

"If I am not mistaken, the Laroques will be moving back to France soon," Dumbledore said. Thierry looked at Emilie, who nodded.

"Are you sure, Maman?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes," Emilie said, kissing her daughter on the forehead. "My home is wherever you and Thierry are, 'Belle. So let us all go home together."

"So let us say that Miss Laroque was asked to leave Hogwarts, and went voluntarily," Dumbledore said. "Will that satisfy you, Severus?"

"I think she deserves more than expulsion," Snape growled. "But so long as she never comes near me or my family again, I'll go along with it. I must admit, I do prefer to have her living in a different country. But I would advise you not to return to England anytime soon, Miss Laroque. Like Professor Sprout, I am not as forgiving as Lupin is."

The Laroques departed, and the Professors turned their attention back to Stewart. "I guess I should start packing my bags, too," he said quietly.

"Surely you can see that the Laroque girl was partly to blame!" Mrs. Ackerley argued. "Certainly he should be punished, but not expelled--"

"No, Mum," Stewart interrupted. "I deserve it."

"No, I think he should stay," Lupin said.

Stewart stared at him in shock. "But...after everything I've done..."

"I'm not being merciful to you, Stewart," Lupin told him. "In some ways, leaving the school would be the easier choice--to run away and not have to face the scorn and anger and disappointment of your fellow students and your teachers."

Stewart hung his head, knowing Lupin was right. He couldn't even meet Flitwick's eyes, and he dreaded having to face his housemates. The prospect of having to deal with the Slytherins and continue taking classes from a wrathful Snape wasn't exactly appealing, either. "I'm sorry, sir," he told Flitwick. "I've dishonored my House."

"I'm very disappointed in you, Stewart," Flitwick said. "I know that your father's death was hard on you, but that doesn't justify what you've done. I expected better from someone who was planning to be an Auror. It is the duty of an Auror to uphold the law--and you can see from Williamson's example what happens when someone tries to take the law into their own hands."

"And I think that you have already suffered a punishment worse than any we could give you," Lupin said softly. "You will never be able to become an Auror now."

Stewart had not really thought about it, but once again, Lupin was right. He would never be admitted into the ranks of the Aurors with this black mark on his record. His dreams of becoming an Auror like his father were ruined, and he had no one to blame but himself.

"I don't deserve to be an Auror after what I've done," Stewart said. His eyes welled with tears, and he felt a sense of emptiness and despair. He had never considered becoming anything but an Auror, and he had no idea what he was going to do with the rest of his life.

Snape had been about to object that they were letting the boy off too easy, but he changed his mind when he saw the look on Stewart's face. He felt a new respect for his softhearted Gryffindor lover; Lupin had immediately zeroed in on the punishments that would most hurt Williamson and Ackerley, while Snape would have gone for something more dramatic but ultimately less devastating. "You would have made a good Slytherin," Snape whispered to Lupin. The werewolf smiled at him, but looked distracted and concerned. He was still softhearted enough to feel some pity for Ackerley, then, even if he had none for Williamson.

"Fifty points from Ravenclaw," Flitwick said. "And as for detention--"

"If I may, Filius?" Lupin interrupted, and Flitwick nodded. "You cannot undo the harm you caused, Stewart," Lupin said. "But perhaps you can attempt to atone for it, by helping some of the people that you've wronged."

"I'll do anything I can," Stewart said without hesitation. "What did you have in mind?"

"The charity clinic in Diagon Alley is always short-staffed, and will likely be even more so during the summer, since the mediwizard who normally runs it will be going on vacation soon. And since Master Diggory and his pack were harmed by Williamson's actions, I think it would be appropriate for you to volunteer your time there during the summer."

"I will if you think I should, sir," Stewart said, a little doubtfully. "But are you sure that they'll want me there, after what I did? I spied on Master Diggory for Williamson, and I believed him when he said that the werewolves were involved with the Death Eaters."

"Well, I'll have to talk it over with Lukas first," Lupin replied. "But I think that he'll agree to it. He did come to your defense, after all. And you redeemed yourself slightly when you tried to stop Williamson from attacking Lukas."

The thought of facing a pack of angry werewolves was almost as intimidating as the thought of a wrathful Snape. Stewart went a little pale, but nodded. And the thought of doing something constructive eased the feeling of emptiness inside him a little. "Then I'll work at the clinic, if Master Diggory agrees to it. He...he won't be punished for biting Dietrich, will he?"

"No, he will not, as he did it only to save Aric's life," Lupin said, and Stewart sighed in relief.

"You are dismissed, Mr. Ackerley," Dumbledore said sternly. "And I hope you will think twice before acting in the future. You have been given a second chance thanks to Professor Lupin, but you will not receive a third."

"That won't be necessary, sir," Stewart promised fervently. He and his mother thanked Lupin, and a little more nervously, Snape, who just grunted, and then they left.

"By the way, what will happen to Susan?" Lupin asked Sprout.

"I took twenty-five points from her," Sprout replied. "It would have been fifty, but I believed that she deserved some credit for coming forward once she learned what Laroque and Ackerley were up to. And she will be serving detention with me over the summer, helping me tend the plants in the greenhouses."

"Well, I guess that wraps everything up, then," Lupin said, looking tired and relieved.

"Not quite," Dumbledore said with a smile. "There are still a few points to be taken, and handed out."

Allegra and Portia were summoned to the Headmaster's office, and McGonagall sternly told them, "You broke the rules by going off alone, and recklessly put yourselves in danger--not to mention the fact that you thereby endangered the lives of your brother and his friends when they insisted on searching for you, Miss Zabini."

"Yes, Professor," Allegra said, hanging her head, the normally irrepressible girl looking unusually subdued and chastened. "I'm very sorry. Please don't punish Portia. It's not her fault; she tried to talk me out of it. I made her come with me."

"No, I'm just as much to blame as Allegra," Portia said stubbornly. "I chose to go with her, even though I knew we were breaking the rules. I wanted to prove that I could be brave, like a real Gryffindor."

Snape let out a little snort of laughter. "Brave, yes, and utterly lacking in common sense--a true Gryffindor indeed, Miss Pettigrew," he said wryly.

Portia gave him an uncertain look, not sure whether she was being insulted or complimented, but Allegra grinned at Snape and then Portia smiled at him tentatively.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor for each of you!" McGonagall snapped, and the girls looked crestfallen.

"Yes, ma'am," they said meekly.

"Does Gryffindor even have any points left, after what was taken from Thomas, Sloper, and Kirke?" Snape wondered out loud, and Allegra groaned.

"However," McGonagall said, the corner of her mouth lifting a little, "you did show great courage in fighting Amos Diggory and Ian Williamson, and Miss Pettigrew did save Master Diggory's life. So I hereby award thirty points to Miss Zabini and sixty points to Miss Pettigrew." Which reduced the total points lost to only ten.

The girls beamed at each other. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall!" Allegra said.

"But the next time you see something suspicious, get a teacher instead of trying to handle it by yourself," McGonagall said sternly.

"Yes, Professor," Allegra said obediently, but Snape doubted very much that she was going to be able to stay out of trouble in the next six years.

Apparently McGonagall thought so too, because she sighed wearily and said, "The two of you are dismissed, then. Do try to stay out of trouble at least until school ends."

"Yes, Professor!" they chorused, and ran out of the office giggling.

"Do you really think they can manage to stay out trouble for an entire week?" Snape asked, and he wasn't being completely sarcastic.

"And here I was thinking that things were going to be a little dull at Hogwarts after Harry graduated!" Lupin said with a grin.

"Merlin forbid--a female pack of Marauders!" Snape said, shaking his head. "Just make sure that Potter doesn't pass the map on to them."

Dumbledore just chuckled, and summoned Blaise, Theodore, Dylan, and Serafina to his office next. "Well, you did put yourselves in danger, but as Professor Lupin allowed you to join the search party, I cannot dock points for that," the Headmaster said.

"It's more like Professor Lupin was badgered into allowing them to come," Lupin grumbled good-naturedly. "But technically, yes, I did give them permission."

"Will you allow me to do the honors, Severus?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eyes, and Snape nodded. "Thirty points each to Mr. Zabini, Mr. Snape, and Mr. Rosier. And to Miss Avery, whose Healing training and quick thinking helped save Mr. Dietrich's life, fifty points."

The Slytherin students grinned at each other. "That's a bit measly, don't you think, Albus?" Snape objected, but he was smiling faintly, although his black eyes glowered at the Headmaster.

"I'm not finished, Severus," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "And to Mr. Dietrich, who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save another's life, I award one hundred points to Slytherin." The four Slytherins cheered and clapped, as did Lupin, while Snape just smiled smugly. "It's a pity that he couldn't receive his points in person, but I didn't want to wait to acknowledge his heroism. Theodore, perhaps you can convey the good news to your cousin when you visit him at the hospital tomorrow."

"I'll be happy to, sir!" Theodore said, grinning widely.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Dylan asked excitedly. "We're bound to win the House Cup this year!"

"The final tally has yet to be made, Mr. Rosier," Dumbledore reminded him with a smile. "But Slytherin certainly has reason to be confident."

Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall sighed regretfully. They knew that the massive amount of points they had just deducted had probably taken their Houses out of the running for the Cup, but they couldn't let the R.A. members' actions pass unpunished.

"Oh, and by the way, Minerva," Snape said with a grin, "you owe me fifteen Galleons for our little bet. I nearly forgot in all the excitement, but Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup today."

McGonagall glared at him for a moment, then laughed. "All right, Severus. I'll have your fifteen Galleons ready for you by dinner tonight."

"Damn, Slytherin won the Cup and I missed it!" Snape said regretfully. "I spent the entire match in the hospital wing trying to retrieve Miss Bones's memories!"

Lupin smiled proudly, pulling a small golden sphere out of his pocket. "Oh, but you didn't miss it, Severus. I recorded the match for you--you can watch it as many times as you like. My heart nearly stopped when Draco fell off his broom, though."

"No matter; he survived, didn't he?" Snape said airily, taking the sphere from Lupin. A smile of deep satisfaction slowly spread across his face; he could watch Slytherin's moment of triumph over Gryffindor not just once, but over and over again...as many times as he liked. Lupin laughed at the expression on his face, then wrapped his arms around Snape and kissed him. And Snape was so pleased, that he didn't object to this public display of affection, and even kissed Lupin back.

Chapter 142

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