Aftermaths, Part 147
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.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Wizengamot had scheduled the trials for Amos and Williamson the day after
the full moon. Arthur had apologized to Lukas for the inconvenience, but
everyone was anxious to have the trials over and done with, Lukas included.
Arthur did see to it, however, that the trials took place in the afternoon to
give Lukas some time to rest and recover. So Lukas dressed in his finest velvet
robes and his father's torc, and went to court to both testify in and observe
the trials.
Williamson's trial was something of an anticlimax--at least to Rita Skeeter, who
looked disappointed, obviously having expected something much more dramatic. The
disgraced Auror pled guilty to all charges, and confessed his crimes in detail,
clearing the names of Snape and the werewolves. Lukas noticed that Williamson
kept glancing nervously at Snape, who sat in the spectator section, glowering at
him balefully. Madam Bones announced a sentence of life in prison, which
Williamson accepted meekly, with a bowed head.
Amos's trial, which took place immediately afterwards, was slightly more
complicated. There was no question of his guilt, and just to make sure of it,
several witnesses testified about his crimes, including Lukas and Aric. Tonks
and Kingsley also testified about the confession he had given under Truth
Potion--including the admission that his parents had murdered Cynric, which
caused quite a stir in the courtroom. Rita, who was beginning to look a little
bored, immediately perked up and began scribbling in her notebook with her
acid-green quill.
Amos's lawyer pleaded with the Wizengamot to show his client mercy, arguing that
Amos had been misled by Williamson. After all, he pointed out, it had been
Williamson who had come up with and carried out the various crimes--including
the plot to kill Lukas. For the most part, Amos had simply been an observer.
"Even if he did not take an active role in the crimes, he still had knowledge of
them," Madam Bones said disapprovingly. "He knew in advance about the staged
werewolf attacks and failed to prevent them." Elias Pritchard, a member of the
Wizengamot who had been the first victim of the attacks, nodded vigorously in
agreement and glared at Amos. "And most heinous of all," Bones continued, "he
conspired with Williamson to murder his own nephew. Even if Williamson was the
one who carried out the attempted murder, Amos agreed to it and stood by and
watched as he did it. He even attacked his younger nephew, Tristan Ames-Diggory,
when the boy tried to defend his cousin."
"He deliberately used a nonfatal stunning spell on Tristan," Amos's lawyer
Whitby argued. "He did not want Tristan or any of the other students to be
hurt."
"That does not excuse attempted murder," Arthur Weasley said coldly. "And
whether he intended it or not, a number of students were put in danger because
of his actions. As we heard earlier, Aric Dietrich was nearly killed and only
survived by being turned into a werewolf. I am sure that the fact that Amos did
not intend for him to be hurt is of little comfort to Mr. Dietrich and his
family."
"Of course Mr. Diggory feels terrible about that," Whitby hastily said. "But he
has been under extreme emotional stress since his son died." Whitby went on to
argue that Amos had not been himself when he had conspired with Williamson, that
his grief over Cedric's death and his fear that his parents' secret might be
exposed had affected his judgment and caused him to act irrationally. Even if it
been wrong, Whitby argued, Amos had covered up his brother's murder out of love
for his parents.
"The temporary insanity defense, eh?" Tonks muttered disgustedly to herself;
having finished with her testimony, she had taken a seat in the spectator stands
near Lukas. "Whitby's picked up a few tips from the Muggle world, I think."
There was a long and heated debate among the Wizengamot members. One faction,
led by Arthur, Madam Bones, and Mathias Donner, argued that Amos should receive
the maximum sentence of life in prison, the same as Williamson. Many others,
although they were shocked by his crimes, felt that they should show some
leniency towards Amos, believing Whitby's argument that Cedric's death had
driven him over the edge. A few members who were staunchly against non-human
rights and who had been sympathetic towards Amos previously, now turned against
him because he had indirectly caused a pureblood--Aric--to be turned into a
werewolf. Finally they reached a compromise, and Madam Bones rapped her gavel on
the desk to call for order, and announced the verdict.
"Amos Diggory, you are sentenced to twenty years in Azkaban for your crimes,"
Bones said in a loud, clear voice that carried to every corner of the room. "And
because you have proven yourself unworthy of the title, Cyril Lukas Gravenor
Diggory is hereby appointed head of the Diggory family. Ownership and control of
all monies, properties, and other assets belonging to the Diggory family are
transferred to him, effective immediately." She rapped the gavel sharply one
last time. "Court is adjourned."
Amos was led out of the room, looking weary and dispirited. There seemed to be
no anger or defiance left in him at all; he didn't so much as glance at Lukas,
not even to glare at him. He paused only briefly to say to his wife, "I'm sorry,
Helen," in a hollow voice, then let the guards take him away without waiting for
a reply.
Tonks quietly congratulated Lukas, but he didn't feel the sense of triumph that
he might have expected. He felt some satisfaction, of course, but it was hard to
celebrate when Gwendolyn was weeping brokenheartedly. Even though Lukas despised
his uncle, he knew that Gwen loved Amos and could take no pleasure in his prison
sentence. Many innocent people had been hurt by Amos's actions--including his
own family. Tristan would no doubt be hurt as well, and Amos's wife Helen looked
devastated.
She came up to him after the trial ended and said quietly, "I am so sorry. Amos
was acting strangely recently, but I had no idea what he was up to. I know that
it's no excuse, but he really did change after Cedric died. He became harder,
more bitter. I think he was looking for someone to blame."
Lukas just nodded, not knowing what to say. It would be hypocritical to offer
sympathy or forgiveness that he didn't feel, although he actually did feel a bit
sorry for Helen, if not for Amos.
"The house at Ottery St. Catchpole belongs to you now," Helen told Lukas,
without any apparent bitterness. "I'll be packed up and moved out within a
week."
Gwendolyn shot Lukas a pleading look, and he said awkwardly, "You don't need to
do that." He wasn't cold-hearted enough to throw Amos's wife out on the street,
when she'd had no knowledge of his crimes. Besides, he would hardly feel
comfortable living in Amos's old house.
But Helen smiled at him sadly and shook her head. "You are very kind,
considering everything that my husband put you through, but I don't think that I
could stand to live there all alone without Cedric and Amos. It holds too many
painful memories. I plan to move back in with my parents. My mother is in poor
health, and my father could use some help caring for her. And my sister lives
nearby, and it will be good to be able to spend time with her and her children
as well. Please do with the house what you will--sell it or rent it if you don't
wish to live there. It doesn't come close to making up for the way that Amos
wronged you." She had been remarkably composed under the circumstances, but now
she began to weep. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad that Cedric isn't
around to see what his father has done!"
To Lukas's relief, Gwendolyn stepped forward to embrace and comfort Helen.
Robert Ames moved away from the women, beckoning Lukas to follow him, which he
gratefully did. Looking as uncomfortable and awkward as Lukas felt, Robert said
quietly, "Best give them some time alone. Gwen and Helen are close and they both
love Amos, in spite of his faults. They can comfort each other better than
anyone else right now." He held out his hand and Lukas shook it. "I admit that I
had my doubts about you at first, and I'm sorry. You've conducted yourself with
bravery, honor, and compassion. I am sure that you'll be a good Lord of the
Diggory family, Cyril."
Lukas thanked Robert, then turned to leave, hoping that he could manage to sneak
out without having to talk to Rita Skeeter. However, Morrigan, who had also been
among the spectators, suddenly appeared at his side to nix that idea.
"You need to counter all the bad press that the werewolves have been receiving,"
the lawyer said sternly.
"What makes you think that Skeeter will write a favorable article about me?"
Lukas grumbled.
"A dramatic reversal of fortune, a werewolf villain turned hero and Lord--the
Daily Prophet's readers will eat it up," Morrigan said confidently. "And the
series of articles that she did on your pack after the war were her best-selling
and most popular pieces, except for the Harry Potter interviews. Rita has no
morals, it's true, but her number one goal in life is to sell papers, and as
long as you help her do that, she'll be on your side. Now go make nice to the
press." She placed her hand on his back and firmly pushed him in the direction
of the reporter, who was smiling at him with an eager and predatory look on her
face. So Lukas sighed and went over to face Rita Skeeter and her acid-green
quill.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
As it turned out, Williamson's dog was not needed as evidence, since the Auror
freely confessed all his crimes, thanks to Snape. So while Lukas was being
interviewed, Tonks took the dog over to Hogwarts as she had promised. The
Slytherins had gotten wind of the news, and they all wanted to meet Lupin's new
pet, so Lupin took the dog over to the dorm. Millicent's cat Sable hissed at the
intruder, and the dog's head swiveled in the cat's direction, but Lupin kept a
firm hold on the leash and said sternly, "Sit," and the dog obediently sat.
Millicent gathered Sable up in her arms, although whether to protect the cat or
the dog was not entirely clear. Serafina's kitten Bast boldly walked up to the
dog and stared up at him with her inquisitive golden eyes. The dog cocked his
head to one side, staring at the kitten curiously, then slowly lowered his head
and touched his nose to Bast's in greeting.
"Oh, how cute," Miriam Baddock said. "They're making friends."
"That's a pretty brave kitten," Aric observed. "That dog could make a mouthful
of her with just one bite."
"You see?" Lupin said to Snape triumphantly. "I told you that he was
well-behaved!" The Potions Master just rolled his eyes.
The dog remained well-mannered as the Slytherin children petted him, sitting
quietly in place and wagging his tail, but he clearly enjoyed all the attention
he was getting. "You're going to spoil that mutt," Snape complained, but for
once, his students ignored him.
"What's his name, Professor?" Miriam asked.
"I haven't given him one yet," Lupin replied.
"How about 'Fluffy'?" Dylan suggested with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, and
Snape glared at him.
"Romulus!" Malcolm said.
"No, that's the name of Allegra's toy wolf," his sister Miriam objected.
"It's just a toy," Malcolm said with a shrug. "Is there some reason why they
can't have the same name?"
"We wouldn't want anyone to mistake the dog for Miss Zabini's toy--or Lupin's
brother," Snape said sarcastically, and the Slytherins laughed.
"Well, we do look a little alike," Lupin joked, crouching down next to the dog,
who licked his face. "At least during the full moon."
"What about 'Salazar'?" Patrick Parkinson suggested. "He's a Slytherin dog,
isn't he? I mean, he'll be living in the dungeon."
Pansy frowned disapprovingly at her little brother and said, "That seems almost
like heresy."
"And dating a Muggle-born isn't?" Patrick retorted good-naturedly.
"Maybe you should call the dog 'Potter,' sir!" Draco told Snape, his eyes
lighting up. "Just think, you could say, 'Sit, Potter!' or 'Heel, Potter!' or
'Fetch the paper for me, Potter!'"
"Not to mention, 'Don't piddle on the carpet, Potter!'" Aric chimed in.
"Not bad," Snape purred in his low, sinister voice as an evil grin slowly spread
across his face. "In fact, I rather like it. Or perhaps we could name him 'Padfoot'
after the other mutt."
Lupin chuckled and shook his head. "Very clever names, indeed, but somehow I
don't think that Harry and Sirius would find it amusing." He patted the dog
affectionately. "And this fellow deserves a name that is something more than a
joke. Let me think...how about 'Cabal'? It was the name of King Arthur's dog--a
very fine and noble name for a wizard's dog, don't you think?"
Snape and Draco sighed regretfully, but everyone else agreed that 'Cabal' was a
fine name. And Dylan pointed out, "And a cabal can also be a secret society, so
it is a very fitting name for a Slytherin dog."
"I do hereby dub thee Cabal, then," Lupin said dramatically. The dog barked
happily, then jumped on Lupin and licked his face, with such enthusiasm that he
knocked Lupin over onto the floor.
"Well-mannered, did you say?" Snape asked sarcastically.
Lupin just laughed as Cabal continued licking his face. "Well, at least he seems
to like his name!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Over the past couple of months, Narcissa had wavered back and forth between
being ravenous and wanting to eat everything in sight, to being too sick with
fear and worry to eat. It had nothing to do with her morning sickness, which had
eased somewhat, and only a little to do with her concern over concealing her
pregnancy and what would become of the baby afterwards. Her fear was mainly for
Lukas. It had begun as a sense of dread with the first so-called werewolf
attack, then gradually increased when it became clear that the Aurors (or at
least one faction of the Aurors) were targeting Lukas and his pack, and finally
turned into outright panic when she heard that Lukas had not only nearly been
murdered, but had bitten Aric Dietrich and turned him into a werewolf.
Narcissa knew how the Aurors thought, she knew how the Ministry worked. It
didn't matter that he had only bitten the boy to save his life; he had turned a
pureblood heir into a werewolf, and he would be punished for it. If he was
lucky, he would receive a life sentence in Azkaban; if not, he would be
executed. Or maybe it was the other way around--knowing Lukas, he would prefer
death to a life in captivity.
Even when the Daily Prophet reported that Williamson and Amos had confessed to
framing the werewolves and Severus, and to trying to murder Lukas, Narcissa
still worried. She frequently burst into tears throughout the day, weeping
hysterically at the thought of Lukas being killed or imprisoned. Aileen was a
godsend to her; she came over every day to soothe Narcissa and coax her into
eating.
In fact, it was Aileen who came over one evening with a special edition of the
Daily Prophet and the news that Lukas had been cleared of any wrongdoing and had
even been confirmed head of the Diggory family. Narcissa burst into tears of
relief, then keeled over in a faint.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aileen managed to catch Narcissa and ease her down onto the couch before she hit
the floor. She had been putting up with Narcissa's hysterics for nearly two
months now, and as much as she loved her friend, she was, to be quite frank,
running out of patience. Enough was enough. Cyril Diggory was now Lord of a
pureblood estate; he was as respectable as a werewolf was ever going to get.
Narcissa needed a husband, and the baby needed a father. It would take some
careful planning and ingenuity, however, to bring that about without breaking
the promise she had made to Narcissa, that she would not tell Cyril--or Lukas,
as he apparently preferred to call himself--about the pregnancy. However, as she
sat there waiting for Narcissa to wake, an idea occurred to her...
Narcissa's eyelids fluttered slightly, and Aileen gently patted her on the
cheek. "Narcissa? Narcissa dear, wake up."
"Wh...what happened?" Narcissa asked, slowly sitting up.
"You fainted, dear," Aileen replied, then gave her friend a reproving look. "Did
you have anything to eat today at all?"
Narcissa flushed, casting her eyes down guiltily. "I picked at a sandwich during
lunch," she mumbled. "I was too worried to eat."
"You will do harm to the baby, at this rate," Aileen scolded, and Narcissa
looked up at her in alarm. Perfect. She just needed to play on Narcissa's
concern for the baby a little... "Have you seen a Healer recently?"
Narcissa shook her head. "There is no one I know that I could trust to keep this
a secret."
"That will not do," Aileen said sternly. "We need to make sure that the baby's
all right. Who knows what effect all your stress might have had on it? Not to
mention the fact that you haven't been eating properly."
"You think there might be something wrong with my baby?" Narcissa asked
anxiously, her eyes filling with tears.
"Not necessarily," Aileen replied. "But we need to have you checked, just to be
sure."
"But do you know a Healer we can trust?" Narcissa asked.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Aileen said. "Poppy Pomfrey."
"Madam Pomfrey?" Narcissa asked, her eyes widening. "The school nurse at
Hogwarts?"
Aileen nodded. "She's very discreet. When we were students, she helped a friend
of mine with...shall we say, a problem of a personal nature."
"I never heard about that," Narcissa said.
"As I told you, she's discreet," Aileen replied. "I've consulted with her
occasionally over the years, whenever a girl at the factory gets into
trouble--an unwanted pregnancy, or an embarrassing illness, both caught from
some rake who can't be bothered to look after the girl once he's had his fun."
"But I can't be seen consulting with Madam Pomfrey," Narcissa argued. "It will
cause gossip among the students, even if Pomfrey doesn't tell them why I came!"
"Poppy is very discreet," Aileen repeated patiently. "I will arrange for you to
meet with her secretly. We'll come and go directly by Floo, and none of the
students will see you."
Narcissa dithered and protested awhile longer, but eventually her concern for
her baby won out. Besides, she was used to trusting Aileen and following her
lead, a habit picked up in their schoolgirl days, which came in quite handy now.
"All right," she said. "If you're sure that we can trust her."
"We can," Aileen promised, and it was true. Pomfrey really had helped Aileen's
friend and the factory girls, and had never spoken a word about it to anyone
else. She would never break confidentiality with a patient. But this time, for
Narcissa's own good, Aileen intended to see that the secret was leaked...
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aileen arranged a meeting with Madam Pomfrey for the next morning, and they took
the Floo to her office at Hogwarts. "The hospital wing is empty," Pomfrey
assured them. "And I've locked the doors. If there's an emergency, I'll have to
admit the patients, of course, but you will be able to get out of sight before
anyone comes in." Narcissa nodded, still looking nervous.
"Why don't I keep watch outside, to give warning if I see anyone coming?" Aileen
suggested casually.
"But what if someone sees you?" Narcissa asked.
"Then I'll just say that I've come to consult with Madam Pomfrey about a factory
worker who fell ill," Aileen replied glibly.
Pomfrey smiled and shook her head. "It worries me a little, how quickly and
easily you can come up with such excuses, Aileen."
"It's a Slytherin trait," Aileen said lightly, and Pomfrey laughed.
"I suppose so," the nurse said. "Although sometimes I think that you Slytherins
talk yourselves into trouble as easily as you talk yourselves out of it."
Narcissa flushed guiltily. "Well, keep watch then, Aileen," Pomfrey continued.
"It's probably best if Narcissa and I talk in private, anyway."
So Aileen left the room, but she did not stand guard outside the door. Instead,
she hurried down to the Slytherin dorm in search of her son, and found him in
the common room.
"Mum!" Damien exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Is Dad all right?"
"Everything's fine," Aileen replied reassuringly. "One of the factory workers is
ill, so I asked Madam Pomfrey to take a look at her."
"Why not take her to St. Mungo's?" Damien asked.
"Well, she can't really afford it," Aileen replied, "and besides, her illness
is...of a personal nature, shall we say?"
"Oh," Damien said knowingly.
"And I thought I would come say hello to you while I was here," Aileen said,
giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, and Madam Pomfrey needs to see Master
Diggory. I'm not sure where his office is, so would you mind giving him the
message for me?"
"Okay," Damien said. "But what does she want with him?"
"I'm not sure," Aileen said. "She didn't tell me. But it seemed to be urgent."
"I'll go get him right away, then," Damien said.
Aileen noticed Draco lurking nearby, and that his attention had immediately
focused on her when she had mentioned the werewolf's name. Deciding to kill two
birds with one stone, she said, "Why don't you go with him, Draco?"
Draco gave her a suspicious look. "You don't need two people to carry a
message."
"No, but Narcissa is always worrying about you," Aileen replied casually. "So I
thought I could visit with you and Damien for a little while afterwards, and
assure your mother that you're fine."
Draco still looked a little suspicious, but nodded his consent. "My mother
worries about me too much."
"On that we are agreed, Draco," Aileen replied with a smile. The two boys
hurried off, and Aileen headed back to the hospital wing at a more leisurely
rate. Along the way, she encountered Snape and Lupin. "Why hello, Severus," she
said pleasantly. "Professor Lupin."
Lupin nodded at her politely, while the Potions Master gave her a penetrating
look with his cold black eyes. "And what are you up to, Aileen?" he asked
suspiciously.
"Up to?" Aileen asked innocently.
"That innocent act might have fooled most of the teachers, but it doesn't fool
me," Snape retorted. "We went to school together and I remember your little
escapades quite well. Not to mention that your son takes after you."
"And it is rather unusual for a parent to drop by the school unexpectedly,"
Lupin added gently.
Aileen grinned at them mischievously. "I see that I can't fool you, Severus. If
you want to know what all the excitement is about, come with me to the hospital
wing."
"Excitement?" Snape asked warily.
"Well, things are quiet now, but there will be a great deal of excitement in a
few minutes, I think."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
A confused and worried Lukas followed Damien and Draco to the hospital wing. He
couldn't imagine what Madam Pomfrey might want with him, unless it had something
to do with Aric, but Damien assured him that Aric was back in the dorm and
seemed fine. Draco remained silent, just staring at Lukas with a sullen and--was
it his imagination?--slightly guilty look on his face. Lupin, Snape, and a
pretty red-haired woman were waiting for them outside the hospital wing.
"What's going on?" Lukas asked.
Snape shrugged. "You'll have to ask Aileen," he said, motioning to the
red-haired woman.
Aileen Pierce--at least, he assumed that she was Damien's mother from the red
hair and mischievous glint in her eyes--just smiled, looking very smug and
satisfied, and tapped the lock on the door with her wand. It gave way with a
little "click," and she opened the door and stepped aside.
Lukas wondered why the door had been locked, but then that thought flew out of
his head when he caught sight of Narcissa sitting on a bed, being examined by
Madam Pomfrey. She was clad only in a thin silk slip that did nothing to
disguise her figure. Lukas noticed that her breasts and her stomach were both a
good deal fuller than when he had seen her last. It obviously wasn't the sort of
weight one gained simply by overeating.
"Aileen!" screamed Narcissa. "You were supposed to be watching the door!"
"What is going on here?" Pomfrey demanded.
"You...you...you're pregnant!" Lukas stammered.
"Merlin's Beard!" Damien and Snape chorused, while Lupin merely said, "Oh my,"
and Draco said nothing at all, although his face turned sheet-white. But Lukas
was barely conscious of their reactions, as nearly all of his attention was
focused on Narcissa.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Lukas whispered.
Narcissa burst into tears. "Because we had already broken up by the time I found
out," she wept. "Because I thought you'd be angry. And because I couldn't tell
Draco."
"A baby," Lukas whispered, still feeling stunned. He slowly made his way towards
Narcissa, feeling none too steady on his feet, then sank to his knees in front
of her. "A baby," he repeated, laying his trembling hands reverently on
Narcissa's rounded stomach, a look of mingled joy and terror on his face. "We
have a baby?"
Narcissa nodded, tears still running down her face. "You...you aren't angry?"
she asked in a small, hesitant voice. "You said before that you didn't want any
children..."
Lukas looked up at Pomfrey. "Does it...I mean, will it...develop lycanthropy?"
"There is no reliable way to test a fetus or infant for inherited lycanthropy,"
Pomfrey replied. "At least not yet. But as far as I can tell, HE appears to be
in fine health, although--" She gave Narcissa a stern look. "--his mother should
make sure to eat regularly and take better care of herself."
"He?" Lukas asked eagerly. "I'm going to have a son?"
"Narcissa is going to have your son, yes," Pomfrey said, then whacked him on the
head with her wand--not casting a spell, merely striking him sharply with the
stick. "And if you didn't want to have children, you should have used a birth
control charm!"
Lukas rubbed his head and smiled sheepishly. "I did have a charm," he said,
reaching up with his other hand to touch the enspelled charm on his earring that
he had bought to replace the old one--for all the good that had done. "But it...er...came
off when we were...um..."
"I get the picture, perhaps a little more vividly than I'd really like," Pomfrey
said dryly, and both Lukas and Narcissa blushed. "Well, what's done is done, and
in approximately five months, the two of you will be parents to a baby boy. It
is possible that he might develop lycanthropy, although the symptoms don't
usually show up until about age four or five. However, thanks to the Wolfsbane
Potion, lycanthropy is a manageable condition these days--as you should know,
Lukas. It won't always be easy, but your son can lead a fairly healthy and
normal life."
"Things aren't the same as they were when we were children, Lukas," Lupin said
gently. "Your son won't have to suffer the madness of the change, or the pain
and nausea that accompany it, so long as he takes the potion. He will be a
person, not a monster, under the law. He won't have to suffer the humiliation of
being registered, or the constant fear of his secret being discovered. He will
no doubt encounter some prejudice, but that is not a problem restricted solely
to werewolves. Hermione was taunted because of her Muggle blood, Dylan for his
father's crimes, and the Weasley children for their family's lack of money. And
yet they all survived and grew up into wonderful young men and women. Even if
there are a few people who are rude to him, your son will grow up surrounded by
family and friends who love him. And one day, I hope, he will enter Hogwarts and
I will have the chance to teach him." Lupin smiled. "Maybe he'll be a
Gryffindor, and annoy Severus to no end with his pranks. Or perhaps he'll be a
Slytherin, which he means that he'll still play pranks, but will be too clever
to be caught."
Lukas smiled at Narcissa, with pure, unadulterated joy this time. She smiled
back at him, and they simultaneously reached out to clasp each other's hands
when they heard a strangled cry, and looked over to see Draco staring at them
with a look of pain and betrayal on his face.
Chapter 148
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