Aftermaths, Part 17

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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"Aw, Mum, do I HAVE to go?" Draco wailed.

"Yes, Draco," Narcissa said with uncharacteristic sternness. "It's an honor to be invited to the birthday party of the savior of the wizarding world."

"Aw, Mum, you don't really believe that, do you?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe, Draco. What matters is what the outside world believes. Befriending Harry Potter will help cancel out the taint of being branded a Death Eater and go a long way towards ensuring your future. You've seen how people have snubbed us since the battle, but if Harry Potter accepts you as a friend, you might be able to regain your standing in society. Or do you want to labor at a menial, obscure, second-rate job for the rest of your life?"

"Okay, okay!" Draco said sulkily. "I'll go!" He had liked it better when he was the one that people sucked up to, rather than the one doing the sucking up.

"Cheer up, Draco," Narcissa said, kissing him on the cheek. "At least the fines have been settled with the Ministry."

"Yeah, and they took almost half of what was in our account at Gringotts," Draco said sullenly.

"That, in combination with the gold your father secretly hid away, is enough for us to live comfortably on," Narcissa told him. "We can't be quite as extravagant as we used to, but you won't have to dress in hand-me-downs like the Weasleys, either."

"I doubt they'll be dressing in hand-me-downs much longer," Draco muttered, "now that their dad is the Minister of Magic."

Narcissa sighed and felt a touch of bitterness, as she thought of all her hopes and dreams for the future, which had been shattered when Potter had slain the Dark Lord--no, which had been shattered even before that, when Lucius had tried to use their son as a shield to protect himself. But she had to be strong now, for Draco's sake; sitting around feeling sorry for herself and bemoaning the past would not do her son any good. And...deep down, she was secretly more relieved than regretful that the Dark Lord had been defeated. She was glad that Draco would never be subjected to a Cruciatus Curse, or worse, suffer the fate of Karkaroff, for displeasing his Master.

"Well, come along, Draco," Narcissa said briskly. "We've got to go shopping for a birthday present. An expensive one, I think--we want to make a good impression, after all."

"Yes, Mum," Draco said in a gloomy voice.
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The party was being held at Blackmore Manor instead of Grimmauld Place, since the noise would probably wake Mrs. Black's portrait, and this way the children could play games outside without having to worry about being seen by Muggles. Tonks and Shacklebolt arrived early to help Sirius and Branwen set things up for the party. The Weasley children were the next to arrive, followed by Lupin and his family.

"What are the Slytherins doing here?" Ron whispered to Harry as a sullen Theodore and Snape accompanied a cheerful Lupin and Dylan into the living room, which had been decorated with streamers and balloons.

"Blackmore made me invite them," Harry whispered back.

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Lupin said, giving Harry a hug and handing him a wrapped present.

"Thank you, Professor. It's good to see you."

"Happy birthday," Dylan said politely, handing Harry a present, while Theodore just grunted, "Here," and shoved a package at him rather ungraciously.

"Uh...thanks," Harry said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than he felt.

Just then, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy entered the room. "What?" Ron exclaimed. "You invited Malfoy, too?!"

"Calm down, Ron," Ginny told him. "The Slytherins aren't the enemy anymore, remember?"

"If you say so," he said dubiously.

"Rosier!" a startled Draco said. "Nott! Professor Snape! You were all invited, too?"

"Yes, isn't it nice that we could all get together like this?" Lupin chirped in a sunny tone as Snape glared at him.

While Draco was trying to decide how he should reply to that, Hermione arrived carrying a brightly-wrapped parcel and a large shopping bag. "Happy birthday, Harry!" she said, handing him his gift as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She looked startled, then pleased to see the Slytherins there. "Oh, hello, Draco, Mrs. Malfoy," she said. Narcissa nodded at her, a polite but stiff gesture; she wasn't used to associating with the Muggle-born wizards she had been brought up to despise. "It's good to see you Professor Lupin, Professor Snape, Theodore..." She smiled warmly at the last person in the little group. "...Dylan."

"Hi, Hermione," Dylan said casually, smiling back at her just as warmly. "How was your trip to Europe?"

"Oh, it was great!" she said enthusiastically. "I especially loved Paris! And I brought back souvenirs for everyone..." She reached into the shopping bag and began handing them out. There were snowglobes containing a tiny model of the Eiffel Tower for Harry and Ron; perfume for Ginny; a beret for Lupin, who grinned and immediately placed it on his head at a jaunty angle; bars of fancy French chocolate for Snape, who flushed and mumbled an inarticulate "thank you" after Lupin elbowed him in the side; and a book on the Louvre for Dylan.

"Wow, this is great, Hermione!" he said, flipping through the book. "Thank you."

"It's in French," she said uncertainly. "I hope that's okay. I remembered that you said once that you speak French."

"Yes, it's fine," Dylan assured her. "And if there's anything I don't understand, I can ask Rem...er, Professor Lupin to translate it for me."

"You speak French, Rosier?" Draco asked. "I didn't know that."

Dylan nodded absent-mindedly as he continued flipping through the book, which contained many beautiful color photographs of the museum. "Yeah, and Welsh and Latin."

"Really?" Ginny asked, sounding impressed; Ron scowled at her. "You must be very good with languages."

Dylan shrugged modestly. "Well, I was born in Wales, so I grew up speaking both Welsh and English. And I was stuck on the family estate for thirteen years, so I passed the time by studying. My mother taught me French and Latin. She said it was important to know Latin since so many of the spell commands and incantations are based on it, and she just liked the way French sounds. She used to say it was a beautiful language and very romantic." He grinned mischievously at Hermione, who blushed. "And Professor Lupin has been teaching me and Theo Japanese."

"Really?" Hermione asked, sounding interested. "Do you think you could teach me, too, Professor? I've been wanting to learn ever since Professor Chizuru started teaching at Hogwarts. She taught us a few things in her afterschool club, but there wasn't enough time for formal language lessons..."

"Only Hermione would go looking for extra lessons in the middle of summer vacation," Ron muttered.

"Of course, Hermione," Lupin replied cheerfully. "You could stop by the cottage and join Theo and Dylan for their lessons." Dylan looked very pleased; Theo looked a bit sulky, but didn't object; and Snape just heaved a sigh of resignation.

"I--I'd like that very much, Professor," Hermione stammered, looking a little flustered. She smiled shyly at Dylan.

Draco stared at Hermione and Dylan with a look of slowly dawning suspicion and horror. Hermione enlisted Dylan's help in stacking Harry's growing pile of presents neatly on a table in the corner of the room, and the pair chattered with each other about their summer vacations, oblivious to everyone else around them. "Nott," Draco whispered, tugging urgently on Theodore's sleeve, "don't tell me that those two...that Rosier and Granger..."

"Are a couple?" Theodore finished, still looking a little sullen. "Not yet, but I imagine they will be soon. Might as well get used to the idea, Malfoy."

"But...but...but..." Draco spluttered indignantly. "He's a Slytherin; she's a Gryffindor! It's...it's...unthinkable!"

"No more unthinkable than Severus and I," Lupin pointed out, winking at Snape, who glowered at him. "And no more unthinkable than a Malfoy siding with the Order against the Death Eaters," Lupin added gently.

Draco was spared from having to reply to that when Sirius, Blackmore, Tonks, and Shacklebolt entered the room and Sirius announced, "Well, let's get this party started, shall we?"

Sirius and Branwen had created a very elaborate treasure hunt on the grounds of the estate. They divided the children up into teams--Harry, Ron, and Ginny; Fred and George; Draco and Theodore; and Dylan and Hermione--then gave each team a clue that would lead them to another clue and then another and so on until one team found the prize. Some of the clues were word games and riddles, while others were disguised or protected by magic--for example, one clue was protected by a warding spell, another was disguised by an illusion, and a third was located in a pond guarded by a grindylow. Not surprisingly, Hermione and Dylan were the winners, the first to locate, decipher, and dispel all the clues and find the prize, a small wooden chest which had been transfigured into a tree stump. Hermione broke the enchantment with a flourish, and the adults, who had been watching the proceedings with amusement, applauded, although Narcissa did so somewhat halfheartedly. The chest was filled with candy and small magical trinkets like a deck of self-shuffling cards, a couple of good-luck charms, and a cheap Sneakoscope.

"It's not fair that the two top students at Hogwarts got paired together," Draco whined.

Harry grinned and asked, "Does that mean you finally admit that Hermione's smarter than you?" Draco scowled at him and Harry laughed, "Hey, no offense! She's smarter than me, too!"

"That's not saying much, Potter," Draco sniffed.

Ron was too miffed with Dylan and Hermione to notice Draco's insult. "It's your birthday, Harry," he grumbled. "You should've been the one to win the prize."

"Oh, don't be such a sore loser, Ron," Ginny said.

"It's okay, Ron," Harry assured his friend. "They won it fair and square; I don't mind. It's great just to have a party, whether I win anything or not!" He wasn't lying; he really was thrilled to have a birthday party for the first time that he could remember, and it showed on his face, so Ron relaxed.

Snape said to Branwen with amusement, "I noticed that this little game you created for the children was very educational."

"Of course," she said smugly. "There's no harm in them learning something while they're having fun. Actually, I got the idea from that obstacle course you created for Harry's third-year Defense class," she told Lupin.

"I'm flattered," Lupin laughed.

"Don't tell them that, though," Sirius said with a grin. "You'll spoil their fun if you tell them you've tricked them into taking extra lessons disguised as a game during their vacation."

After the treasure hunt was over, Sirius let the children take rides on Buckbeak. The Hippogriff was thrilled to be able to spread his wings and fly after being cooped up in Grimmauld Place for so long. He flew with enthusiasm, soaring high and swooping low, and flying in acrobatic loops in the air. The twins shrieked with pleasure during their ride, and after they landed, Fred said, "That was great! Can we do it again?" Theodore looked a little pale, though, when he finished his ride, and Ron looked downright queasy.

"Oohh," he groaned, clutching his stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick! It was that last loop that did me in."

"It wasn't so bad," Hermione said calmly. "Sort of like riding a roller-coaster."

Draco was the only one who declined a ride. "Er...no thanks, I'll pass," he said as Buckbeak gave him a hostile look, no doubt remembering their first meeting.

They capped the festivities off with a fireworks display, courtesy of Fred and George, then returned to the house for lunch, followed by cake and ice cream. Hob, who had prepared the food, had outdone himself with the cake, a splendid creation which depicted a Quidditch player in red and gold robes on a broomstick chasing a Golden Snitch, all made out of sweet buttercream frosting. Written in red icing below that were the words, "Happy Birthday, Harry!"

"Blow out your candles and make a wish, Harry!" Sirius said.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment as he thought. Voldemort was finally dead, and he had a loving if slightly eccentric family, good friends, and even a birthday party; what more could he possibly wish for? {I wish for things to continue as they are,} he decided. {To be happy and safe--no more Dark Lord, Death Eaters, or Dursleys. For once, I would like to have a normal school year, and not have to worry about anything but Quidditch and homework.} He paused, remembering the way Sirius had talked about adding "spice" to a relationship and had knowingly said, "you'll understand when you're older". {And maybe girls,} he hastily added with a grin. Then he opened his eyes and blew out the candles with one breath.

After the cake had been demolished, Harry began opening his presents. Sirius gave him a magical music box similar to the one Lupin had, which was all the rage with the wealthier students. He tentatively touched one of the jeweled stones set in the box and a Weird Sisters song began playing.

Branwen winced at the raucous sound of the music and sighed, "I must be getting old."

"Never, my dear," Sirius said gallantly, kissing her on the cheek. "You're as young and beautiful as the day I entered Hogwarts." Harry laughed at the way Draco's eyes bulged out in disbelief.

Blackmore gave him a book, of course, one on protective circles and runes. "It'll come in handy next term," she told him with a wicked smile, and he gulped, but managed to thank her politely.

Shacklebolt also gave him a book, one on defensive magic. "Since I heard you were thinking of becoming an Auror," he explained. "We could certainly use some young blood in our ranks!" Tonks gave him a Quidditch action figure mounted on a tiny broom that zipped about the room.

Harry opened the present Lupin had given him next. The tag said, "From Professor Lupin and Professor Snape." Snape muttered sourly, "It's really just from Lupin," but no one paid any attention to him. Harry tore off the wrapping paper, revealing a large box. He lifted the lid to find a thick book entitled "A Modern Herbal," although when he flipped through it, he discovered that it was not really modern at all, having been written in the early 1900's. It was an encyclopedia of herbs and their various uses.

"That's a very good book, Harry," Hermione said approvingly. "It'll be a good resource for Potions class, and Herbology, too."

Harry supposed that Snape must have picked it out--probably under duress from Lupin. "Thank you, Professor," he said politely.

"Don't thank me, thank Lupin," Snape growled.

"Hey, there's something else in the box, Harry!" Ron said.

Harry had nearly overlooked the small object, which had been hidden beneath the book. It was a framed photograph; the frame looked new, but the picture looked a little creased and dog-eared. Harry didn't care about the battered state of the photo, though, because he was captivated by its subject: a teenaged James Potter, flanked by a smiling Lupin and Sirius.

"That was taken at the Potter home during our fourth year," Lupin told Harry. "Sirius and I had gone to spend the Christmas holidays with James." He hesitated, then added, "I had some other pictures of James, but Peter was in most of them, and well...so anyway, I picked this one."

"It's great, Professor," Harry said, blinking back tears. "I hardly have any pictures of my dad. Thanks so much!" He impulsively hugged Lupin, who laughed and hugged him back.

"You're welcome, Harry."

Theodore watched this with a hint of jealousy and resentment in his eyes, but he said nothing, so Harry didn't notice, and continued opening his presents. The ever-practical Hermione gave him a new homework planner, and Ginny gave him a Quidditch rules manual. "The very latest edition," she said with a grin, "updated to forbid hitting the Snitch with another object, including a Quaffle."

Dylan just laughed good-naturedly. "Well then, we'll have to come up with a new strategy this time around, right, Draco?"

"That's right!" Draco said. "We'll beat you Gryffindors again this year, just wait and see!"

Harry grinned and said, "I'm looking forward to a rematch, Malfoy." He opened the twins' presents next: a box of Canary Creams and a Headless Hat. Wearing the Hat while eating the Creams proved to be an interesting experiment, producing a giant headless canary. Draco and Theo sighed and shook their heads in a slightly patronizing manner as the Weasley boys laughed uproariously.

Mrs. Weasley was too busy to attend the party, but she had sent him a big jar of homemade cookies. "Plan on sharing those?" Ron asked hopefully, and Harry laughed and offered Ron a cookie, then passed the jar around the table. Ron's present to Harry was a model flying dragon. "It reminded me of the First Task in the Triwizard Tournament," he said. The boys soon had the dragon chasing the Quidditch action figure around the room, although Blackmore made them put the toys away after they crash-landed into the remains of the birthday cake. Ron wiped them off with a napkin under Blackmore's stern gaze while Harry finished opening his presents.

Narcissa and Draco gave him an expensive book on wizarding history. "Since you're going to be a part of wizarding society," Draco said stiffly, "you ought to know how it works." It was more the sort of thing that Hermione would enjoy reading, but Harry thanked them politely. And he reluctantly supposed that he should learn a bit more about wizarding politics and things like blood status. He didn't agree with the snobbish ways of the wizarding elite, but he ought to know what he was up against.

Harry finally opened his last two gifts: a box of Chocolate Frogs from Dylan, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from Theodore, who had selected them knowing that there was a pretty good chance that Potter would be biting into a booger, liver, or vomit-flavored bean. A spiteful thought, perhaps, but he was a Slytherin, after all. Theodore had to admit to himself that the party hadn't been too bad, though...almost fun, in fact. He'd never admit it out loud to Lupin, though. Lupin glanced in his direction and gave him an amused smile, and Theodore nervously wondered if Lupin could read minds. Dylan had explained how Snape's Occlumency lessons had protected him from the Dark Lord, and he wondered if Lupin was able to practice Occlumency and Legilimency as well...

Harry thanked everyone again for the presents, and the party broke up soon after that. Sirius and Branwen sent their guests home with party favors: licorice wands and little baskets shaped like witches' hats that were filled with candy. Harry gave his godfather a hug, saying, "Thanks, Sirius! That was a great party!"

"You're welcome, Harry," Sirius said, hugging him back. "But you should also thank Branwen. She let us use her estate, and she thought up the treasure hunt, too."

"Thank you, Professor Blackmore," Harry said. "I really appreciate it." He hesitated, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

To his great relief, she didn't turn him into a toad for his presumption, but just smiled and gave him a motherly kiss on the cheek in return. "You're welcome, dear."

Bane flew over and landed on Harry's shoulder, peering at Harry's gifts--particularly the edible ones--with interest. Harry wondered what would happen if he fed Bane a Canary Cream, but regretfully decided that it would be safer not to find out, and gave the raven one of Mrs. Weasley's cookies instead.

There was one more person he needed to thank; Hob had remained out of sight during the entire party, but Harry knew that the little household spirit must have worked hard preparing the food for the party and cleaning up afterwards. So he left a Chocolate Frog beside the fireplace before going to bed that night.

Hob had already eaten the piece of leftover cake Sirius had left on the kitchen hearth, but he always had room for more sweets. He smiled at the sleeping boy, quietly picked up the piece of candy, and took it back to his cupboard under the stairs. To his delight, when he unwrapped the Chocolate Frog, he found a Dumbledore card enclosed with the treat. He stuck the card to the wall of his cupboard with a piece of tape, and the kindly old wizard smiled down at him and winked as Hob contentedly munched on the piece of chocolate, thinking to himself how much more pleasant the house was now that it was inhabited by a family: the Mister, the Missus-to-be, and their godson. And maybe in a few years, there would be a few more children running through the halls, annoying the portrait of Mrs. Black...

 

Part 18