Aftermaths, Part 149

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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The school was soon abuzz with gossip about the upcoming wedding. Everyone was shocked to learn that Master Diggory and Narcissa Malfoy were lovers, but predictably, the girls all thought it was very romantic, and it was the main topic of conversation during lunch in the Great Hall.

"A secret romance!" Pansy sighed. "That's so romantic!"

"It's like one of Ariel Zoltaire's novels!" Yvonne declared, and Blaise nearly choked on his food as Theodore snickered.

"You have no idea," he muttered under his breath. Aric, with his newly-sensitive werewolf hearing, gave his cousin a puzzled look.

For once, Draco found himself the center of attention, as the other students all wanted to know how his mother and his teacher had met, and how long they had been seeing each other. He actually knew only a little more than they did, but that didn't stop him from enjoying all the attention and holding court over a spellbound table of students.

"It all started at the Yule Ball," he said dramatically.

"Oh yes, I remember, they were dancing together!" Pansy exclaimed. "They really did look good together, but they started fighting, and your mother stormed out of the room."

"But Master Diggory followed her," Millicent said thoughtfully.

"Remember how Professor Snape and Professor Lupin used to fight all the time?" Yvonne asked excitedly. "But they really loved each over! We should have guessed that your mother was Master Diggory's secret lover, Draco! It's so obvious when you think about it!"

"So what happened next, Draco?" Pansy asked eagerly.

"Well, I don't know all the details, but apparently they went for a walk in the rose garden..."

"Oh, that's so romantic!" the three girls squealed in unison.

When Hermione came over to the Slytherin table, at first Dylan thought that she had just come to offer Draco her congratulations about the wedding. But then he noticed that she was carrying a set of red-and-gold robes, and that she was followed by a giggling Luna, who was wearing the huge lion's head hat that she used to wear to the Gryffindor Quidditch matches. And then he recalled a certain bet they had made during Lady Selima's Easter party...

"Why hello, Hermione, Luna," he said with a nervous smile. "Come to congratulate Draco about the wedding? It's wonderful news, isn't it?"

"It is," Hermione agreed. "And congratulations to you and your mother, Draco. I'm sure that she and Master Diggory will be very happy together. But that isn't why I've come."

"Why have you come, then?" asked Draco, who knew nothing of the bet.

"To make Dylan keep his promise," Hermione replied with a smug smile.

"Promise?" Dylan asked, feigning a bewildered look.

"The promise you made at Lady Selima's party," Hermione said firmly. "You said that if Aric and Theodore ever became friends, you would run around the school in Gryffindor robes and Luna's lion hat."

"Did I really say that?" Dylan asked weakly.

"Yes, you did," Hermione said mercilessly. "And if I'm not mistaken, Aric and Theodore have been very friendly lately. Don't you agree, Theodore?"

Theodore grinned wickedly at his foster brother, who was staring at him with pleading eyes. "So what do you think, Aric? Are we friends?"

Aric glanced at the red-and-gold robes, then at Luna's hat, which opened its mouth and roared. "Oh, sure," he replied casually. "Best buddies." He slung an arm around his cousin's shoulders and they both grinned at Dylan.

"Thanks a lot, you two," Dylan said sarcastically, glaring at the duo.

"Anytime," Aric said airily.

"Are you a man of your word or not, Dylan Rosier?" Hermione demanded.

"Oh, very well," Dylan sighed, giving in to the inevitable. He took off his robe and draped it over his chair, saying, "I guess I should be glad that I didn't say I'd run around the school naked!"

"Now that I would have liked to have seen!" Millicent purred, and the other Slytherin girls giggled.

Hermione glared at them, and then at Dylan, who was grinning rakishly. "Well, that would be one stunt that my father never pulled at Hogwarts!" he laughed.

"You can keep your clothes on, Dylan Rosier!" Hermione said sternly, sounding rather like Professor McGonagall at the moment. "Just put these on over it."

Dylan took the Gryffindor robes and slipped them on over his shirt and trousers. They appeared to be a set of Quidditch robes, rather than the regular Hogwarts uniform, which was mostly black except for the House crest stitched across the breast. Hermione was obviously going for the dramatic.

"It's Harry's Quidditch uniform," Luna informed him helpfully. Dylan glanced over at the Gryffindor table, and saw Harry and his friends grinning and laughing.

Dylan sighed, then decided that since he was stuck with carrying out the bet, he might as well play it up for all it was worth. Instead of just throwing on the robe like a loose cloak or jacket, he made sure to fasten it up and made a show of adjusting it so that it draped over his body in a flattering way. Not bad; he and Harry were nearly the same height, so it fit pretty well. Then he took off the clasp that held his hair back, letting it spill loose across his shoulders, then tossed his head back, and the girls at the Slytherin table--and the girls at the other tables as well--all let out a collective sigh.

"Oh, he looks so much better in those robes than Potter does," Yvonne sighed.

Dylan conjured up a mirror that floated in midair, and admired his reflection for a moment. Like most Slytherins, he regarded the Gryffindor colors of red and gold as gaudy and slightly distasteful, but his fair skin and black hair contrasted with the red and gold to nice effect. He decided that they looked more dramatic than gaudy, at least on him. He made a show of adjusting the robes slightly and brushing an imaginary speck of lint off his sleeve.

"Oh, stop preening!" Hermione snapped. "You're starting to remind me of Professor Lockhart!" But she was blushing just a little, and Dylan grinned; Hermione must think that he looked good in the robes, too. And the Gryffindor boys had stopped laughing.

Dylan dispelled the mirror with a snap of his fingers and said haughtily, "Don't be silly. I'm much better looking than Lockhart is. Luna--hat." Luna grinned, took off the hat, and held it out to him. He took it and firmly placed it on his head as the lion head roared again. "Well, here I go," he said cheerfully, and took off running. The students all began cheering and clapping, and a number of them jumped up and followed him as he ran out of the Hall.
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The teachers stared in varying degrees of amazement and amusement as they watched from the head table. "Disgraceful!" Filch said. "Running around the school like a bunch of hooligans! You should give them all detention, Headmaster!"

"Now, now," Dumbledore said indulgently. "School is nearly over. A bit of high spirits from the students is to be expected. What do you say, Severus? Your student seems to be at the center of things."

"I would say that the fault lies mainly with Miss Granger," Snape said coolly. "Clearly she put him up to it."

"Now, that's hardly fair, Severus," McGonagall said, trying to look indignant, but she was clearly trying not to laugh. "Miss Granger gave him the robes, but Mr. Rosier is the one running through the halls--with half the school following him."

"There seem to be an approximately equal number of students from each House running through the halls right now," Branwen observed. "So if we were going to deduct points, we would have to deduct the same amount from each House, which seems rather pointless, no pun intended, since it wouldn't affect the House Cup standings."

"It's the principle of the thing," Filch argued.

"Well, Mr. Rosier has been remarkably well-behaved for the past four years," Snape said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Considering who his father is, I would say that he has shown considerable restraint in managing to stay out of trouble up until now. So perhaps we could overlook this incident, just this once."

Lupin chuckled. "He ought to have a few stories to tell his children and grandchildren someday. How boring it would be if he did nothing but study and stay out of trouble."

"He really does look good in red and gold," Sinistra said musingly, then laughed at the expression on Snape's face. "Oh, don't glare at me like that, Severus. I'm not planning to rob the cradle; I was just making an observation."

"I wonder what he, or Evan for that matter, would have been like as Gryffindors?" Lupin asked with a grin, and Snape turned his glare on Lupin.

"It's not as bad as the time that James ran through the snow in his underwear when he lost a bet with Sirius," Branwen said with a smile.

"I remember that!" Pomfrey sighed. "The idiot nearly caught pneumonia."

"Well, seeing as how it's the last day of classes, and I doubt that the students are really doing much studying at this point anyway, I see no reason to hand out detention, as long as they return to class on time after the lunch period is over," Dumbledore said. "Lunch is a free period, after all."

Filch heaved a sigh of disappointment and disgust, and the students returned to the Great Hall, red-faced and panting, before the lunch period was over.

Somehow Dylan still managed to look gorgeous even with sweat running down his face, and the girls sighed again. "Have I carried out the terms of our bet to your satisfaction, Hermione?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes, you have," she replied, grinning back at him. "And you even managed to do it with style!"

"I do everything with style," Dylan declared. "Like this." And he swept Hermione into his arms, dipped her down low, and kissed her in front of everyone in the Great Hall. The lion hat roared approvingly, and the students laughed and cheered, although more than a few of the girls also sighed wistfully.

"Yes, he certainly does take after his father," Branwen said nostalgically.

Filch pointed at Dylan and Hermione, a look of outrage on his face. "Improper displays of public affection! Surely you have to do something about that, Headmaster!"

"Indeed I do," Dumbledore said sternly, then raised his voice. "Mr. Rosier, Miss Granger!"

Dylan and Hermione straightened up and separated, Dylan grinning unrepentantly, and Hermione blushing furiously. "Yes, Headmaster?" Dylan said cheerfully.

"Five points to Slytherin for your style," Dumbledore said with a wink. The students cheered again, and Filch slumped back in his chair with a loud groan, shaking his head.
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The next morning, a nervous Lukas prepared for his wedding. He had dressed in the green velvet robes that Lady Selima had given him for Christmas, tied back his hair with a matching green velvet ribbon, and was staring in the mirror, adjusting his father's gold snake-headed torc around his neck, when Lupin said soothingly for fifth or sixth time, "Everything will be fine, Lukas. There's nothing to worry about."

"Easy for you to say," Lukas grumbled. "You're not the one getting married."

"It will be perfect; Lady Selima will see to that," Lupin said with a smile.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Lukas said gloomily. "That Selima will kill me if I mess up her vision of perfection."

Lupin laughed. "It's your wedding, not hers, Lukas."

"Tell that to Lady Selima," Lukas said dryly. "All right, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Do you have the rings?" Lupin asked.

Lukas nodded, slipping his hand into his pocket just to reassure himself that they were there. His fingers touched cool metal--the simple but elegant and expensive gold-and-platinum bands he had purchased in Hogsmeade. He had already given Narcissa her engagement ring yesterday. Her engagement ring from Lucius was set with a huge diamond that could have fed Lukas's pack for a year, so rather than try to outdo his bride's first husband, Lukas had decided on an emerald encircled by tiny diamond chips, because he had noticed that Narcissa often wore emerald-and-silver jewelry. However, he knew that Selima would consider sterling silver "beneath" Narcissa's rank and his own, so he had the emerald set in platinum instead. All this added up to an outrageous amount, but the jeweler had been more than happy to extend credit to the new Lord of the Diggory estate. Other people in the village had also treated him with a new respect that they had never shown him when he had been a penniless werewolf, which made him feel uneasy and a little bitter. But he didn't want bitter thoughts to spoil the happiness of the occasion, so he tried to forget his misgivings, at least for now. He reminded himself that Narcissa had seemed genuinely pleased with the emerald ring, which cheered him up slightly.

Selima had indeed pulled off the impossible, with the help of Dumbledore and the Hogwarts elves. There was a little pavilion set up in the castle courtyard, a simple cloth canopy (Slytherin green) held up by a few poles, but with green ribbons wrapped around the poles and flowers hanging from the canopy, it looked properly festive. Students, faculty, and guests were either gathered in the courtyard to witness the ceremony, or were watching from the castle windows.

"Maybe you should have had the wedding on the Quidditch Pitch," Lupin whispered to Lukas, grinning mischievously.

"I suppose we could have sold tickets to it as well," Lukas replied sarcastically.

"I've no doubt that there are people who would pay to witness this wedding," Lupin said cheerfully. "I wouldn't be surprised if Rita Skeeter and her photographer had managed to sneak inside the school somehow."

"Oh, please don't say that!" Lukas groaned.

A beaming Arthur Weasley, who had happily volunteered to conduct the ceremony, was waiting beneath the canopy for them, along with Lukas's groomsmen. Selima had insisted upon symmetry, so since Narcissa had chosen five attendants (Aileen, Delia Avery, Gwendolyn, Branwen, and Selima herself), Lukas needed five attendants as well. So in addition to Draco, Tristan, and Aric, Lukas had asked Lupin and Ash to stand with him. Since there was no time to order custom-made robes, it had been decided that all the attendants would wear simple black dress robes--slightly morbid by normal standards, but acceptable for a Slytherin wedding. Everyone but Ash already owned a set of black dress robes, and Lukas had been able to buy new robes for his friend at Gladrags Wizardwear in Hogsmeade.

Ash fidgeted nervously, looking uncomfortable in his new robes. "What's the matter, don't they fit?" Lukas asked.

"They fit fine," Ash replied, tugging at his collar. "I'm just not used to wearing fancy clothes. I feel a little silly."

"You look fine," Lupin assured him. "Very handsome, in fact."

"Don't let Snape hear you say that," Lukas cautioned with a wry smile.

"He the jealous type?" Ash asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Lukas replied.

"Oh, he's just a tad possessive," Lupin said casually.

Lukas snorted with amusement. "Possessive enough to be a wolf himself."

Tristan looked a little bemused to hear them joking about the dreaded Potions Master so lightly, while Draco and Aric merely snickered.

"Do you have the rings, Stepfather?" Draco asked, and Tristan's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Yes, Draco," Lukas replied, suppressing a smile, and turned the rings over to his soon-to-be stepson for safekeeping. Originally, Lance was going to be the ring bearer, but when he had learned that his sister Lyra was going to be a flower girl, he had insisted on being one too, never mind that he had no idea what either a ring bearer or flower girl were. But it was easier to give in than to argue with a stubborn six-year-old, so it was decided that the best man would hold the rings. And when he saw how proud Draco looked to be entrusted with them, Lukas was glad that they had made the change.

"Shouldn't the women be here already?" Ash asked, then joked a little nervously, "I hope that your bride hasn't gotten cold feet."

Lukas smiled. His pack was still getting over the shock of learning that his mysterious lover was the very proper and pureblooded Narcissa Malfoy. They might well be worried that Narcissa would come to her senses and think twice about marrying a werewolf, but Lukas had no such fear. His inner wolf growled contentedly; he knew that his mate loved him just as much as he loved her, and he had absolute faith in her.

"Oh, don't worry," Draco said dismissively. "Mum's probably still primping. She takes at least an hour to get ready for parties. And since this isn't just any party, but her wedding, she'll probably take even longer."

"Lovely," Ash muttered.

"But they shouldn't be much longer," Draco added hopefully. "She's been holed up with her bridesmaids for the past two hours." The women had arrived early in the morning and immediately locked themselves up in a room set aside for them by Dumbledore. Selima had informed Lukas in no uncertain terms that he was not allowed to see his bride before the ceremony; it was tradition. Of course, it wasn't exactly traditional for a pureblood to be marrying a werewolf, but Lady Selima tended to follow the traditions that suited her and ignore the ones that were inconvenient.

While they were waiting, Lukas looked out at the assembled crowd in the courtyard. Dumbledore and the other teachers were there, of course, including Snape. Standing next to Snape were Theodore and Dylan--and Lupin's new pet dog, Cabal. Dylan was holding the dog's leash, but Cabal was sitting quietly, wagging his tail, and didn't seem inclined to run around. Someone--probably Lupin, or maybe it was one of the Slytherin girls--had draped a wreath of flowers around the dog's neck.

Harry was there with his Gryffindor friends, and Bane was sitting on his shoulder. (Selima had balked at the idea of allowing a raven to participate in the ceremony, so Branwen had left her familiar with Harry.) Bane was also wearing a wreath of flowers, although he looked rather sulky about being separated from his mistress. Tonks was chatting cheerfully with Harry; her presence was proof of how much Narcissa had changed. Her older sister Andromeda had been disowned by the Black family when she married a Muggle-born wizard, and except for Sirius, none of them had ever acknowledged Tonks's existence, let alone invited her to a family function. Tonks and Narcissa still had little in common and saw each other only rarely, when their paths happened to cross at Sirius's house. They'd all had dinner together a few times, which Narcissa said had been slightly awkward, but her niece had been cordial to her, when she could have taken revenge by gloating at how far the Malfoys had fallen. So Narcissa had invited Tonks to the wedding, a combination peace offering and apology. There was, after all, not much point in snubbing a half-blood niece when one was about to marry a werewolf and bear his child.

And mixed in with the crowd of students and teachers were most of his werewolf pack. They grinned and waved when they saw him looking their way. Takeshi smiled and waved as well. Augustus Pye had finally returned from his honeymoon and was more than happy to cover Takeshi's shift at the hospital, and Mr. and Mrs. Kimura had closed up the restaurant for half a day so that they could all attend the ceremony.

The string quartet that Lady Selima had hired suddenly began playing the wedding march, and a hush fell over the crowd.

"Is it finally starting?" asked Ash.

"Yes, hurry up and get into place, everyone," Arthur urged.

The groom and his attendants quickly lined themselves up properly as Lyra and Lance made their way down the path from the castle to the canopy, grabbing handfuls of flower petals from the baskets that they carried, and strewing them across the path. They proudly held up their empty baskets when they reached the canopy.

"Did we do good, Uncle Lukas?"

"You did very well," Lukas whispered, giving each of them a pat on the head.

The bridesmaids and the matron of honor then made their way down the flower-strewn path, walking with slow, measured steps while Lukas tried not to fidget. And then finally his bride walked down the aisle towards him, on the arm of her cousin Sirius, since her father was deceased, and in any case would never have willingly given his daughter to a werewolf even if he had still been alive.

Narcissa was dressed in a simple, sleeveless gown of pale green silk--it would have been too simple and plain for a very formal pureblood wedding, but it was perfect for an outdoor summer ceremony among friends. It had been purchased off the rack at Madam Malkin's yesterday, needing only a few minor alterations, including the addition of a bit of delicate silver lace trim. The gown clung to the curves of her breasts, then fell in loose folds to her feet, effectively concealing her pregnancy, although it would not be a secret much longer. Her hair had been done up in some very complicated arrangement that was probably part of the reason why it had taken her so long to get ready. She wore a wreath of white roses on her head in place of a veil, and carried a matching bouquet tied together with silver and green ribbons. Lukas thought she looked beautiful, but all the primping was probably wasted on him, as he would have thought she was beautiful even if she had been dressed in rags.

Sirius placed Narcissa's hand in Lukas's, then smiled, bowed, and retreated into the crowd to stand next to his godson. They had agreed in advance to keep the ceremony short and simple, and Lukas certainly did not intend to tempt fate with the tradition of asking if anyone had just cause to oppose the marriage, so they went straight to the vows. Arthur cleared his throat and recited, "Do you, Cyril Lukas Gravenor Diggory, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, comfort, and honor her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Lukas replied in a soft but steady voice, gazing into his bride's eyes.

"Do you, Narcissa Black Malfoy," Arthur continued, "take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, comfort, and honor him, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others so long as you both shall live?"

The word "love" was often left out of pureblood ceremonies, since the marriages were often arranged ones, and the woman's vow usually read "to honor and obey," but Arthur had sheepishly informed them that Molly had declared that it was an antiquated and offensive tradition. Lukas had merely smiled, because he had the distinct impression that it was usually Arthur who obeyed Molly and not the other way around, even if the Weasleys were purebloods. But he agreed with Molly that the "obey" part should be dropped from the vows; he wanted a wife and partner, not a servant, after all.

"I do," Narcissa said, tears of joy welling in her eyes.

Arthur motioned to Draco, who stepped forward and handed the rings over to Lukas and Narcissa, who then placed the wedding bands on each other's fingers.

"Then with the authority bestowed upon me by the Ministry of Magic, I do hereby pronounce you man and wife." Arthur beamed at Lukas and Narcissa. "You may now kiss the bride." And Lukas kissed his bride as the crowd started cheering and his inner wolf silently howled with joy.

Chapter 150

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