Aftermaths, Part 15

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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Soon after Dylan returned home, they had their friends over for another visit, and Theodore and Blaise were able to sneak off into the woods for a little time alone. Theo was finally able to tell Blaise some of the things he had kept hidden over the years: his uncle's murder, what he knew of the Death Eaters, and what his life at home had been like. It wasn't easy; the memories were still painful, and a lifetime of keeping secrets was difficult to overcome, but when his voice began to falter, Blaise would put his arms around him and hold him tightly, and Theodore found himself able to continue.

Theodore finished talking and fell silent, and Blaise said softly, "I'm sorry, Theo. I had no idea things were that bad for you at home."

"It's not your fault."

"I know, but I just wish there was something I could have done..."

Theodore smiled a little, although his eyes were still grave. "You did. I could endure those summers at home because I knew I'd be coming back to Hogwarts and to you in the fall. You gave me..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "Something to believe in, something to fight for. If I hadn't wanted to protect you, maybe I would have just given in and become a Death Eater like my father wanted."

"I don't believe that!" Blaise said fiercely, pulling him close. "You're a good person; you'd never have become a Death Eater!"

"I didn't want to," Theodore said in a low voice. "But I was scared of my father, too scared to fight him..."

"But you did, in the end," Blaise reminded him gently. "You put yourself at risk to keep me safe, and you fought the Death Eaters in the end." He kissed Theodore. "I love you, Theo. You'll never be alone again; I'll always be here for you from now on."

"Always?" Theodore whispered, his voice trembling slightly.

"Always," Blaise said firmly, kissing him again.

"What about your family?" Theodore asked uncertainly. "They'll want you to get married someday; they won't like it when they find out about us..."

Blaise sighed unhappily. "No, they won't," he admitted. "My dad especially will be furious, but they'll come around eventually." Theodore gave him a dubious look. "Really. There'll be a lot of shouting and screaming, but when they see that I won't change my mind, they'll give in. They're good people, Theo, just a little narrow-minded, but they'll like you when they get to know you."

"Right," Theodore said skeptically.

"Well, they can hardly object, since their marriage was a love-match," Blaise insisted, then he grinned. "And Professors Lupin and Snape have already scandalized the wizarding community; by the time we go public, maybe we'll seem tame in comparison!" Theodore laughed in spite of himself, and Blaise looked relieved. "Besides," he teased, "they should be happy that my lover is a rich pureblood heir!"

"Perfect, except that I'm the wrong sex," Theodore said dryly.

Blaise laughed and kissed him. "You're just right for me!" he insisted. He hesitated, then said in a more serious tone, "I think we should wait until after graduation to tell them, though. If we tell them now, they'll make a big fuss and try to make Professor Snape give me a new roommate again. And if we have jobs and a place of our own, it won't matter if my dad kicks me out of the house--"

"He'd do that?" Theodore asked, looking concerned; he knew how much Blaise loved his family.

Blaise shrugged. "Maybe. My father doesn't get angry very often, but when he does, it's like a volcano exploding. But he doesn't stay mad for long. In fact, it would probably be a good idea for me to move out for at least a few weeks to give him a chance to cool down." He grinned. "And for my family to miss me. Don't worry; my mother won't let my father disinherit her baby boy no matter what I do. And Allegra likes you; I'm sure she'll be on our side. You've seen how persuasive she is--she'll wear Father down eventually."

"Okay," Theodore said. He wasn't sure that Blaise's family would come around as easily as he claimed they would, and he was relieved to be able to put off that confrontation for another year.
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One day in the latter half of July, an owl brought Lupin a letter. "Hmm," he said as he read it, raising his eyebrows.

"Who is it from, Lupin?" Snape asked curiously.

"It's from Lukas," Lupin replied. "He says he needs my advice about something."

"Lukas?" Dylan asked, his eyes widening. "Lukas Bleddri, the werewolf leader?"

"The very same," Lupin said with a smile. His reluctant ally had gained a measure of fame in the Daily Prophet after Rita Skeeter had potrayed the werewolves as heroes in her series of articles on the war. Lupin still wondered what Hermione had over the reporter to make her write honest, even sympathetic, portrayals of the Order and their allies.

"What sort of advice?" Snape asked, frowning a little.

"I don't know; he doesn't say." Lupin wrote a reply inviting his werewolf friend over for tea.

Lukas showed up the following afternoon, looking as feral and disreputable as ever. Lupin poured some tea for everyone, then he, Lukas, and Snape sat down together at the kitchen table while Dylan and Theodore played a game of chess in the living room, surreptitiously trying to listen in on the adults' conversation.

"You said you had something you wanted to discuss with me, Lukas?" Lupin asked.

"Yes," Lukas said, scowling down into his tea cup. "Dumbledore's offered me a position at Hogwarts."

"What?!" exclaimed Snape.

Lupin looked equally surprised, but smiled and said, "Why, that's wonderful, Lukas!"

"The very idea's ridiculous, Lupin!" Lukas protested, looking offended, outraged, and bewildered all at the same time. "Me, a teacher?!"

Lupin grinned. "Why Lukas, you have faced down the Death Eaters without flinching; don't tell me that you're daunted by the thought of a classroom full of children!"

"I don't blame him," Snape muttered sympathetically, even though he didn't like the werewolf very much. "Who in their right mind would want to teach a bunch of noisy, insolent brats?"

"You and I would, for starters," Lupin pointed out.

"I didn't exactly have many job offers after the first war was over," Snape retorted sourly. "And as a spy, I needed to remain close to Dumbledore so that I'd be able to pass on information to him."

"But the war, and your role as a spy, have ended," Lupin said patiently. "You could resign if you wanted to, but you haven't. And I know for a fact that Mr. Jigger offered to make you a partner in his apothecary shop; he has no heir, and he's worried about who will take it over after he retires."

Snape, who had just taken a sip of tea, choked and spluttered, "How did you find out about that?!"

"Oh, Mr. Jigger told me," Lupin replied cheerfully. "I stopped by his shop to discuss some business regarding the Wolfsbane Potion distribution program, and he told me that he was disappointed that you turned him down, but he understood that we would want to remain at Hogwarts together."

Snape groaned, "Is everyone and his mother gossiping about my love life?!"

Lupin continued serenely, "But if you really wanted to take him up on his offer, we could have worked something out. We could still have lived together at Hogwarts, and you could've used the Floo Network to commute to work. I think the real reason you turned him down was because you love teaching, no matter how much you complain about it."

"Your Gryffindor imagination is working overtime, Lupin," Snape snarled, his face turning red. "You haven't been ingesting any of my potion ingredients, have you? Hellebore has narcotic properties, you know..."

"Well then it must be me that you love," Lupin said with a mischievous grin. "So much that you can't bear to be parted from me, even to be rid of those noisy, insolent brats."

Snape's face turned even redder. "Oh, shut up, Lupin!" he snapped, unable to come up with a more witty retort.

"Excuse me," Lukas said, a little peevishly. "This is all very entertaining, but can we get back to discussing MY problem?"

"I don't see what the problem is," Lupin said calmly. "Most werewolves would jump at the chance to take a stable, respectable, well-paying job."

"But I'm not respectable!" Lukas wailed in an almost plaintive manner.

"There is already one werewolf on the staff," Lupin said patiently, "not to mention a former Death Eater. Dumbledore isn't overly concerned about respectability."

Snape was still fuming, but curiosity got the better of him. "What exactly is it that the old man wants you to teach?" he asked Lukas.

"Karasu has gone back to Japan with Chizuru," Lukas said sullenly. "But Dumbledore wants to continue the lessons in Physical Defense, and he's talking about creating something called Interspecies Relations or some other such nonsense! He's already got one pet werewolf to promote open-mindedness; what does he need me for?!"

Lupin did not take offense at being called a "pet werewolf". "You are a warrior," he pointed out helpfully. "I think you are well-qualified to take over Karasu's class, at least, although I agree that you are certainly no diplomat."

"I'm no martial artist or master strategist like the crow!" Lukas argued. "The kind of fighting I'm familiar with has no rules, and you use every dirty trick you can think of, if necessary, to keep your opponent from killing you!"

"Which might well be more valuable than formal, ritualized martial arts lessons," Snape said thoughtfully. "Although Karasu seemed to be an effective teacher."

"I'm a street rat, not a Professor!" Lukas continued, ignoring Snape. "What is Dumbledore thinking?!"

Snape's eyes narrowed, and he looked at the werewolf leader closely. "You may look like a common thug--" he started to say.

"Gee, thanks, Snape," Lukas said sarcastically. "I think the world of you, too."

"--but you don't speak like one," Snape finished. "And you don't really act like one, despite your rough manner." Lukas began to regard the Potions Master with an air of wariness, and just a touch of fear. "I have no doubt that you have spent many years living on the street, and that you are just as dangerous as you appear to be, but you speak like an educated man, beneath that veneer of a street rat, as you put it. You are more farsighted, and have more knowledge of pureblood politics than your average thug or gang leader."

"And Bleddri isn't his real name," Dylan said suddenly, looking up from his chess game with Theodore.

Snape, Lupin, and Theodore all looked startled. "What do you mean?" Lupin asked.

"Bleddri is a given name, not a surname," Dylan replied. "It's an old Welsh name that means 'leader of the outlaws'. 'Blaidd' means 'wolf' and 'rhi' means 'king' in Welsh, so the literal translation would be 'wolf king'."

The werewolf glared at him, and Dylan was suddenly reminded that Snape had told him on more than one occasion, "You are too clever for your own good, Rosier."

Snape chuckled, a low wicked-sounding laugh that sent shivers up and down Lupin's spine. His blue eyes went a little glassy, and his tongue darted out to lick his lips, but fortunately, no one noticed, because everyone's attention was fixed on Dylan and Lukas.

"Clever lad," Lukas said dryly; he didn't make it sound like a compliment.

"Isn't he, though?" Snape said proudly, and beckoned for Dylan to join them. Dylan walked over to the kitchen table, but stood behind Snape's chair, prudently keeping the Potions Master between himself and the werewolf leader; Theodore seemed content to watch from a safe distance. "What else can you infer from your observation, Mr. Rosier?" Snape asked, as if they were discussing a Potions experiment in the classroom.

"Merlin's Beard, Snape, you sound like a teacher even when you're at home!" Lukas interjected, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice. "I think Remus is right about you and teaching, after all!"

Snape shot a quick glare his way, but otherwise ignored him. "Well, Mr. Rosier?" he asked.

Dylan thought over Snape's question as carefully as he would have in Potions class. "I would say that Mr. Bleddri chose his surname for its meaning, obviously. It's not a common name these days, and not many people outside of Wales speak Welsh. So I would surmise that either his family is Welsh, or that he spent a significant amount of time in Wales; perhaps both. But he doesn't have a Welsh accent, so he probably hasn't lived there for many years."

Lupin had managed to get his inner wolf under control--although he was looking forward to getting Severus alone later after Lukas left--and laughed and said, "Well done, Dylan! If we were in school, I would award ten points to Slytherin!"

"Twenty," Snape corrected, pretending to be offended. "No need to be so stingy, Lupin. Hmm...so what prominent pureblood families live in Wales? The Donners...the Gravenors--although they fell into disgrace after Anwir was revealed to be a Death Eater..." Anwir Gravenor had been one of the Death Eaters who had attempted to murder Branwen near the end of the first war; his death had exposed his status as a Death Eater and brought shame upon his family--although it had taken the Aurors awhile to identify his body, since it had been found in pieces...

Lukas scowled at him. "You seem very sure that I'm a pureblood, Severus."

"You have a contempt for the purebloods that is bred of familiarity," Snape replied, staring back at him coolly. "And why else would you need to change your name?"

Lukas gave him a feral, humorless grin. "If I come from a pureblood family and I have such contempt for them, wouldn't I keep my surname just to spite them?"

"They wouldn't let you, and you know it," Snape said gravely. "My own family disowned me at the slightest threat of their name being dishonored, and I was never arrested, nor charged, nor put on trial. Barty Crouch sent his own son to Azkaban to protect his family name. I have no doubt that some of the more ruthless purebloods would not hesitate to permanently remove a potential stain to their precious family honor."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin," Lukas said softly, his yellow-green eyes filled with bitterness.

Lupin frowned. "Wait a minute; Lukas is about our age, but I don't remember ever seeing him at Hogwarts as a child..."

Dylan looked at the werewolf leader closely; he did appear to be somewhere in his late thirties, about the same age as Snape and Lupin, give or take a few years. He could be younger or older than he looked, Dylan supposed, but his hair wasn't streaked with gray like Lupin's was, or maybe it just blended in less noticeably with his blond hair.

"I never went to Hogwarts," Lukas said. "Which ruins your theory about me being an educated man, Snape."

"You don't need to go to Hogwarts to get an education," Dylan said, earning another glare from the werewolf. "I was tutored at home until I was thirteen. There was little to do on the estate but study, and when I finally entered Hogwarts, I found I was at the same level as my classmates, or even a little beyond them, in some cases."

Lupin looked thoughtful. "If not for the Headmaster's compassion, I would have been educated at home and brought up in isolation." He frowned again; if Dumbledore had gone out of his way to admit Lupin to Hogwarts, wouldn't he have done the same for Lukas? He might not have felt so much like an outsider and a misfit if there had been another werewolf at school with him...

"Perhaps his parents didn't want him to go to Hogwarts," Dylan said, with a speculative look in his eyes. "Maybe they were afraid people might find out his secret." Lukas flinched, just a little, and his face went red with anger. {Bingo,} Dylan thought, but did not say it out loud because the werewolf looked like he had reached the end of his patience.

Lupin also noticed the dangerous look in the other werewolf's eyes, and quickly said, "Well, it's not really any of our business."

"That's right," Lukas said firmly, but relaxed a little. He turned to Snape and said sarcastically, "Although I am glad that I was able to entertain you with speculation about my rather dubious pedigree. Your student has a clever, analytical mind; perhaps he will be an investigator or a teacher one day--although he will live longer if he learns when to keep his observations to himself."

"Was that a threat, Bleddri?" Snape demanded, looking just as feral and dangerous as the werewolf at that moment.

"Merely an observation of my own, Snape," Lukas replied smoothly, then added in a more serious tone, "I've seen too many people--including my own wolves--come to harm for letting their mouths flap too freely. So lower your hackles, Snape--I'm not going to hurt your cub."

Snape continued to glower at Lukas, but the air of tension seemed to disappear from the room. But the werewolf's words left Dylan feeling chastened and a little shaken. "I apologize if I have offended you, Master Bleddri," he said contritely.

Lukas waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, and smiled, a little sardonically, but without any hostility. "I'm not your teacher, yet, boy--you needn't call me 'Master'."

"'Yet,'" Lupin repeated. "Does that mean you're going to take the job, then?"

Lukas frowned, looking more unhappy than angry. "I don't know," he replied.

"Do you want my advice?" Lupin asked. "That is why you came here, after all." Lukas nodded reluctantly. "Then I advise you to take the job."

"Because I should be grateful to be offered a job at all?" Lukas asked, the bitterness returning to his eyes and voice. "For the chance to have a roof over my head and three meals a day?"

"For the chance to make a better life for your people," Lupin said, in a soft but earnest voice. "You--no, we," he corrected himself, "have been living on the fringes of society for years. Living hand-to-mouth, accepting charity, or resorting to illegal methods of earning income." Lukas and his gang were rumored to be thieves, smugglers, and murderers; Lupin did not believe the last, but the first two were probably true, to some extent. Lukas had to feed his pack, and legitimate work was hard to come by for werewolves. "You will inspire your pack and make them proud, I think, by accepting a teaching position at a prestigious school like Hogwarts. And after people grow used to seeing not just one, but two, werewolves in such prominent positions, perhaps employers will be less afraid to hire other werewolves. And the next generation of wizards will grow up less prejudiced, because they will have learned to view us as people, not monsters."

"That's a lot of 'ifs,' Remus," Lukas sighed. "And what about my pack? They need me to look after them."

"It's not like you'll be a prisoner," Lupin told him. "You'll be free to visit them during your off hours and on the weekends. Besides, they're adults, Lukas. Certainly they look to you for guidance and support, but you don't need to baby-sit them. I hear that Arthur has found jobs for some of them, and others are volunteering at the clinics that distribute the Wolfsbane Potion. You will do them more good by becoming a leader in the public eye--or do you want your wolves to live in the shadows for the rest of their lives? This is what you fought for, Lukas; will your throw away the best chance you have to integrate them into society? They spilled their blood in the final battle; will you make their sacrifice for naught?"

Lukas sighed, knowing he had been beaten; if he had been in wolf form, he would have hung his head down and laid back his ears. Still, he made one last protest: "What if I'm a lousy teacher?"

Lupin smiled mischievously. "Could it be that you're afraid of failing, Lukas?"

"I'm not afraid!" Lukas snapped.

{Touchy, touchy,} Lupin thought with amusement. Lukas could be as prickly as Severus sometimes; perhaps he really did come from a pureblood Slytherin family as Severus claimed. "The mighty pack leader," Lupin said aloud, "who would not bow to Voldemort, admitting defeat at the hands of mere children?"

Lukas glared at his friend, but before he could make a retort, Snape said impatiently, "For heaven's sake, Bleddri! You can hardly be a worse teacher than Professor Trelawney!"

Dylan and Theodore both snickered. "That's true," Dylan said. Then it belatedly occurred to him that maybe he should not have been annoying his future teacher--particularly one that would be drilling him in physical combat. "I'm sure you'd make a very good teacher," he added, and it was not all blatant flattery. The werewolf was a fascinating if rather intimidating man, and he was sure that Lukas Bleddri would have a number of interesting stories to tell, and whatever else his classes might be, they could certainly not be dull!

Lukas sighed again. "I guess I'll accept the job, then," he said unenthusiastically.

"I suppose I'll have to make the Wolfsbane Potion for him, too," Snape said sourly, sounding rather put out. "Well, I guess it's not that much more work to double the recipe..."

"I can help with the potion," Dylan volunteered.

"Oh, that's just great," Lukas said in a cranky voice. "Turn the potion into a class project and let them poison me by accident..."

"Mr. Rosier and Mr. Nott have already assisted me in brewing the Wolfsbane Potion for Lupin, and he has suffered no ill effects, as you can see," Snape said coldly. Then he grinned and added, "If I really wanted to poison you, I'd let Potter and Weasley brew the potion..."

"Severus!" Lupin snapped.

Lukas laughed, his mood slightly improved. The two of them really were quite amusing to watch--a good thing, too, since he would apparently be stuck working with them. He rose from his seat and said in a resigned voice, "Well, I'd better go contact Dumbledore. Thanks for the tea, Lupin." He gave Dylan a wide smile that exposed his sharp, almost fang-like canines. "I'll be seeing you in class, Mr. Rosier."

Dylan gulped and went a little pale, then told himself he was overreacting--after all, he had survived both Snape and Blackmore; how much worse could the werewolf be? But just to be on the safe side, he said in a meek and polite voice, "Yes, sir."

"And you, too, Mr. Nott," Lukas said, nodding at Theodore on his way out.

"Uh...yes, sir," Theodore said. He and Dylan exchanged nervous looks. "Well, school should be...interesting...next term."

"Yes, life is never dull at Hogwarts," Lupin said cheerfully.

"That's one way of putting it," Snape muttered sourly.
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Not long after Lukas Bleddri's visit, Snape received a letter from the Patils and the Browns, requesting a meeting. "I don't get paid to work during the summer," Snape grumbled, and would have ignored it, except that he also got a letter from Dumbledore that was worded as a polite request, but was nevertheless an order to meet with the Gryffindor girls' parents.

"The old man ought to pay me overtime," Snape complained as he and Lupin prepared to leave for The Three Broomsticks, where they had arranged to meet the parents. Lupin's presence had not been requested, but he had offered to come along, and Snape supposed it couldn't hurt to have Lupin along as a sort of mediator. Besides, his company would make an unpleasant task slightly less disagreeable.

"Oh, don't be such a grump, Sev," Lupin said cheerfully. "Albus has done a lot for both of us, more than any amount of money could possibly repay." Snape just grunted, which meant that he knew Lupin was right, but he wasn't about to admit it out loud. "And besides," Lupin added, "we can stop by Honeydukes on the way home."

Snape just grunted again, but he looked a bit more cheerful. "I don't know why they want to meet with me, anyway," he said. "Miss Patil and Miss Brown aren't even in my Advanced Potions class."

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Lupin said.

"Let's get this over with," Snape sighed.

They Apparated into Hogsmeade, headed to the inn, and joined the Browns and Patils at a booth in the corner, where they were waiting with their daughters. Mr. Brown ordered a round of butterbeer for everyone as the girls stared at Snape nervously. Lupin sipped at his tankard, but Snape ignored his and said brusquely, "Well, what do you want?" Lupin frowned at him and kicked him under the table; Snape scowled at him.

Mrs. Brown said, "The girls would like to be admitted into your Advanced Potions class."

Snape turned his scowl on her. "It's too late for that now. If they had wanted to continue in Potions, they should have applied to my Advanced class and taken their O.W.L.s at the end of their fifth year with all the other candidates."

"But Lavender didn't know she had a Healing Gift back then," Mrs. Brown protested. "She's decided she wants to pursue Healing as a career, and your Potions class is a prerequisite."

"Too bad," Snape said, with a complete lack of sympathy. "No one is allowed into my class unless they pass their Potions O.W.L. It would hardly be fair to the other students if I made exceptions for Miss Brown and Miss Patil--who didn't exactly strike me as outstanding students in my regular Potions classes to begin with."

"Now see here--" Mr. Brown said indignantly, but Mrs. Patil reached out and placed a restraining hand on his arm, and he fell silent, though he still looked rather offended.

"The Headmaster made special arrangements for them to take the Potions O.W.L. this summer," she said quietly. "Here are the results."

She handed Snape their exam sheets; he looked them over and raised his eyebrows. "So...it seems that Mr. Potter was not the only one who was giving less than his best effort in Potions. These test scores do not reflect your work in my class, which was always 'Acceptable,' but no better than that." The girls blushed, looking shamefaced. "Why didn't you apply to my Advanced class at the end of fifth year, and why do you want to apply now?"

"Your class was hard," Lavender mumbled, staring down at the table, unable to meet his eyes. "And you were...well...um...ah..."

Snape leaned back and regarded the girls with a look of sardonic humor. "Unfair? Cruel? An ogre?"

"A big meanie?" Lupin suggested helpfully. The girls' faces went even redder.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Snape said, torn between disgust and laughter. "Is that really what they call me? Honestly, you'd think even a Gryffindor could come up with a better insult than that!"

"Well, you were always unfair to the Gryffindors," Parvati said defensively. "You took points off our House for no reason."

"My dear," Mr. Patil said mildly, "that's no way to ask your Professor for a favor."

"Yes, I was unfair," Snape told Parvati in a cool and unrepentant voice. "Life isn't fair. But you'll notice that it didn't stop Miss Granger from getting good marks in my class. If she had to work twice as hard as the Slytherins to get ahead, she did it, without any whining about unfairness. Even Longbottom, as incompetent as he is, tried his best in my class, which I can respect more than a talented student who merely coasts by, expending only enough effort to get a passing grade."

The girls' mouths dropped open at hearing Snape offer indirect praise to two Gryffindor students that he had always seemed to hate. Lupin grinned widely at him and Snape flushed as the implication of his words belatedly sank in. {Damn it,} he thought to himself sourly, {I've been spending too much time around the werewolf!}

"We're sorry," Lavender said timidly. "Neither of us were interested in Healing at the time, so we thought it would be easier to drop Potions after fifth year. But now, after taking Professor Chizuru's class and working in the field hospital..."

Snape frowned and regarded them thoughtfully. They had always struck him as being silly and flighty, but Chizuru had reported that they had worked hard during the battle, tending the wounded and defending the makeshift hospital. "I can understand why Miss Brown has changed her mind, but you have no Healing Gift, Miss Patil. Why do you want to join my Potions class? If it's simply to keep Miss Brown company, that's not a good enough reason."

"It's true that Lavender and I are best friends," she said, looking more serious than he had ever seen her, "and that we do everything together. But I want to take the class for my sake, too."

"Do you wish to pursue a medical career?" Snape asked.

She looked at her parents, who sighed heavily. "No, not really," she admitted. "My dream is to run a fashion boutique someday." Snape frowned, and she hurriedly continued, "But that doesn't mean that learning about Potions and Healing isn't important, even if I don't intend to do it for a living. We practiced what Professor Chizuru taught us when we were working with her on the battlefield. If I'm ever in a battle again--" Her parents looked alarmed at that thought. "--or if someone around me gets hurt, say, in an accident, I want to be able to help them. I may not have a Healing Gift like Lavender, but I'll learn as much as I can without it. And I don't need a Gift to study Potions."

"Please, Professor Snape?" Lavender said, and the two girls stared at him with wide, pleading eyes.

Snape was amused by the irony of two Gryffindor students begging to be admitted to his class, but he still had some reservations. "How do I know this is not merely a passing fancy?"

"That's what I thought too, at first," Mrs. Patil said, "but they studied hard for the O.W.L., and they've both been volunteering at St. Mungo's all summer--four hours a day, three days a week, and they haven't missed a day since summer vacation started."

Snape raised an eyebrow, and Lavender said, "We serve meals, change beddings, read to some of the bedridden patients, play with the children who are patients there...that kind of thing."

"Help Professor Lockhart sign autographs," Parvati added with a giggle.

"They don't let us do any actual Healing, of course," Lavender continued, "since we're still students, but we wanted to show our parents--and you, sir--that we were serious about this."

Snape looked down at their exam sheets one more time. Lupin touched his arm and said, "Severus--"

"This is my decision, Lupin," Snape interrupted curtly, and the girls' faces fell. He gave them his sternest, most sinister Potions Master look, and said, "I can't admit you to my seventh-year class; there's no way you can make up a year's worth of studies over the summer. But..." He paused for dramatic effect. "...I will admit you to my sixth-year class." Their faces lit up and Snape's eyes narrowed as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "This had better not be some kind of ploy to be able to take classes with Mr. Rosier," he warned, upgrading his menacing look and tone of voice from Potions Master to Death Eater.

"No, Professor!" Lavender insisted, turning a little pale, while Parvati vigorously shook her head. "We like Dylan, but that's not why we're doing this; we really want to take Potions, honestly! I really want to become a mediwizard!"

Snape looked straight into their fearful eyes and decided that they were sincere. "Very well," he said. "But I warn you, it won't be easy. There will be no slacking off in my class; I will expect you to work to the best of your abilities. And I don't intend to change my teaching methods after sixteen years--which means that you needn't expect any fairness from me. Do you still want to take my class?"

The girls gulped and quailed for a moment, looking as though they were about to reconsider, but then Lavender said in a shaky but determined voice, "Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir," echoed Parvati.

"Very well," Snape said. "You understand, Miss Brown, that you'll still be a year behind in Potions when you graduate. Potential employers might demand that you take further schooling before you can apply for a job."

"I understand, sir," Lavender replied. "I'll stay back another year to finish Potions if that's what it takes. Padma's promised to help me study, and Professor Chizuru has invited me to come to Japan for a few weeks to study with her."

"Really?" Snape asked, startled. "I thought she was busy negotiating a marriage contract with Master Karasu's clan."

Lavender giggled. "She is, and she says that she needs a break from all the haggling. She says she's going to get back to teaching and let the clan elders fight over all the petty details since they're the only ones who care about them. She and Karasu just want to get married; I think they would elope if they could."

"No doubt," Snape agreed in a sour tone, although he felt sympathy for the two lovers caught between the political demands of their families. But he showed no sign of it on his face; he didn't want people to think he was going soft, although he feared his reputation had already suffered irreparable damage. It was all Lupin's fault...

Lavender continued, "And she says if I do well in my classes this year, she'll take me on as an apprentice next summer. I talked to some of the administrators at St. Mungo's; they didn't make any promises, but they said that they would probably accept the apprenticeship in lieu of the missing year of Potions if Professor Chizuru gives me a good recommendation."

"Intensive training under a talented Healer would be a valuable addition to your resume," Snape admitted. "But you'll have to work hard, both in my class and under Professor Chizuru."

"I will," Lavender said. "I promise."

"Then I will see you in September, Miss Brown, Miss Patil," Snape said, rising from his seat. "I'll send you a list of your required textbooks, and I'll expect you to study them during the summer and be prepared when school starts in the fall. And you should go back over your old textbooks and refresh yourselves, since you haven't studied Potions at all for a year."

"Yes, sir," the girls chorused meekly.

"It was nice seeing you again," Lupin told them as he rose to follow Snape. "Good luck with your studies."

"Thank you, Professor," Lavender said. "And...um..."

"Yes?" Lupin asked pleasantly, as Snape tapped his foot impatiently.

"Dylan's not here with you today, is he?" Parvati finished.

Snape sighed in irritation and rolled his eyes. "No, he and Theodore are visiting their friend Damien today," Lupin answered politely.

"Oh," Lavender said, looking disappointed. "Then can you tell him we said hi?"

"Of course," Lupin replied. "I'm sure he'll be sorry he missed you."

"I'm still not convinced that Dylan isn't their ulterior motive," Snape grumbled as they left the inn.

"No, I think they're sincere, Severus," Lupin said, then grinned. "I think sharing a class with Dylan is more of an added bonus!"

Snape rolled his eyes again, and Lupin laughed and slipped his arm through Snape's as they headed to Honeydukes.

"Damn it, Lupin, I told you not to do that in public!" Snape snapped, but Lupin ignored him, and the Potions Master did not push him away.

 

Part 16