Aftermaths, Part 18

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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That night at dinner, Lupin said to his foster sons, "Your birthdays are coming up soon, too." The guardianship application papers he and Snape had filled out before officially gaining custody of Theodore and Dylan had required detailed personal information--including birthdates--about all the parties involved. They had checked the boys' school records for some of that information, and Lupin had made a point of remembering Dylan's and Theo's birthdays--August 5th and August 9th, respectively. "Your birthdays are only a few days apart, so I thought maybe we could have one combined party."

"We could do it on Theo's birthday," Dylan immediately offered. "Uncle Math and Aunt Goewin wrote that they'd like me to spend my birthday with them in Wales, if that's all right with you and Professor Snape."

"That would be fine," Lupin said with a smile, and Snape nodded. "I'm sure they miss you and would love to see you. We'll have the party on the 9th, then."

Theodore was rapidly warming to the idea. He'd had birthday parties in the past, of course, but they hadn't been much fun; they were more of an excuse for the Death Eaters to get together and demonstrate the social pecking order, with the less powerful members flattering and catering to the more powerful. Theodore's father had been somewhere in the middle of that hierarchy, while Lucius Malfoy was of course at the top, which meant that Theodore had always deferred to Draco even at his own party. But now he could have a real party, with his real friends, and not have to suck up to anyone... "Can we invite Blaise and Damien?" he asked.

"Of course," Lupin replied. "Would you like to invite any of your other friends?"

Theodore frowned; he didn't really have any other friends. "Well...I guess we can invite Draco," he said without much enthusiasm. But he knew it would make Lupin happy and besides, Malfoy had been behaving himself of late. "And maybe Serafina." He and Sera had never really quite been friends, but she had fought on their side during the battle, and they shared a certain bond, both being the offspring of abusive Death Eater fathers.

"Hermione," Dylan added, and Theodore sighed, but did not object; Snape looked similarly resigned. "And maybe we should invite Allegra?" Dylan suggested with a grin. "I'm sure she'll be disappointed if she has to stay home while Blaise goes to a party."

"Good idea," Theodore said, although it meant that he and Blaise probably couldn't sneak off to spend some time alone in the woods together. It wasn't a bad idea to butter up Blaise's parents by being nice to their daughter.

Lupin got up to fetch a piece of paper and a pen, and began jotting down names. "Anyone else?" he asked. "What about Vincent and Gregory?"

Theodore scowled a little; Crabbe and Goyle weren't really his favorite people, but on the other hand, they had become a lot less obnoxious after the battle. In fact, they had become downright devoted to Lupin, following him around like adoring little puppy dogs. "Oh, all right," he said. "We can invite them too, I guess."

"I'm not sure their mothers will let them come," Dylan said. "Draco said they've been forbidden to see him during the summer; their mothers don't want them associating with anyone connected to the Death Eaters."

Lupin frowned. "Well, we'll send them an invitation anyway. Maybe I can talk to their mothers and convince them to change their minds."

"You don't have to invite all of Slytherin, Lupin," Snape said. "Besides, the cottage can't hold that many people."

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss, Sev," Lupin said. "We can have the party outside."

"It'll probably rain," Snape predicted dourly.

"Do you really have to be such a pessimist, Severus?"

"It comes with being a Death Eater, Lupin. We don't tend to be optimists."

"Former Death Eater," Lupin corrected, kissing him on the cheek.

"Cut that out, Lupin," Snape said, but in a halfhearted way, since by now it was obvious even to the boys that he didn't really mean it and that Lupin never listened to him anyway.

Dylan and Theodore smiled. "Okay," Dylan said. "Hermione, Damien, Blaise and Allegra, Serafina, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. I think that about covers it."

"What about Harry and Ron?" Lupin suggested in a slightly too-casual manner. "And perhaps Ginny, since she's Ron's sister and Dylan's classmate."

"What?!" Theodore shouted.

"It would only be polite," Lupin said mildly, "since Harry invited you to his party."

"I didn't ask him to! I didn't even want to go, remember?" Theodore protested. "Professor," he wailed, turning to Snape for support, "we don't have to invite the Gryffindors to our party, do we?"

Snape hesitated, looking from the pleading face of his foster son to that of his lover, whose deceptively mild and reasonable expression disguised the stubborn glint in his blue eyes. "Ah...well..." Snape temporized, stalling for time. He wanted to side with Theodore, but he knew that Lupin wasn't going to budge on this one, and he hated losing an argument in public. Maybe it would be better just to agree with Lupin and avoid the humiliation. On the other hand, he couldn't quite bring himself to actually invite Potter into his home. Severus Snape, hero of the war, who had not hesitated to risk his life spying on the Death Eaters, decided to take the coward's way out. "I just remembered...I have some business to attend to at school," he said, rising from his seat. "I...ah...need to meet with the Headmaster regarding my lesson plans--"

"In the middle of the night?" Lupin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You exaggerate, Lupin," Snape snapped. "It's early evening, and besides, you know the old man keeps odd hours!"

"It's not really respectful to refer to the Headmaster as 'the old man,' now is it, Severus?" Lupin chided. "You have to set a good example for the children."

"If the old man wanted more respectful employees, he shouldn't have hired a former Death Eater and two werewolves!" snarled Snape. "Your friend Bleddri isn't exactly Mr. Manners himself, either. I also have some potion ingredients at my office that I need to pick up for your Wolfsbane Potion--unless you'd prefer to howl at the moon next month!"

"But Severus," Lupin called out as Snape headed to the fireplace, "what about the party plans?"

"It was your idea, Lupin; you handle it. I don't exactly have much experience planning birthday parties, after all." Theodore opened his mouth to make another plea, and Snape said hastily, "The three of you work it out amongst yourselves; I'll be back in a couple of hours." Then he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the mantle, shouted, "Hogwarts, Potions Master's office!" and fled.

Theodore gave the empty fireplace an accusing look. Dylan chuckled and leaned over to whisper into his foster brother's ear, "Remember what Snape said? That it's usually easier to give in to the werewolf when he has his mind set on something?"

"Do we really have to invite them?" Theodore asked plaintively, though he already knew the answer.

Lupin said gently, "Well, I'm sure Hermione would be more comfortable with a few of her own friends present. I know it's not easy for you--or for Harry and Ron, for that matter--but I think it's a good idea for all of you to learn to get along with each other. If Hermione and Dylan are going to...um...become friends, you'll be spending time around them, anyway; you had might as well start now. And I have ties to Gryffindor myself, remember? Surely we're not all bad..."

"You're different from most Gryffindors," Theodore muttered.

Lupin laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment!" He gave his foster sons a tender and loving smile, and Theodore felt his resistance crumble.

"Oh, all right!" he groaned, as Dylan laughed. Lupin laughed as well, giving both boys a hug, and suddenly the idea of having a few Gryffindors at his birthday party didn't seem so bad to Theo after all.
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Snape puttered about his office, working on his lesson plans for the coming school year and picking up the potion ingredients he had told Lupin he needed. He didn't really need them, of course, but it never hurt to have a little extra on hand, just in case a batch of potion got ruined, and it had provided a convenient excuse to leave. Although he probably hadn't fooled anyone, he had to admit to himself; maybe it would have been less humiliating to stay and give in to Lupin, after all.

Oh well; the boys had to learn to stand up for themselves and fight their own battles--although if Snape, a hardened Death Eater, was no match for the werewolf, two teenage boys were hardly likely to fare any better.

"The werewolf is ruining my reputation," he complained to the empty room, but smiled, since there was no there to see it. He was glad to have the werewolf around, even if Lupin did drive him crazy at times. Of course, the werewolf drove him crazy in more ways than one...Snape spotted a dusty bottle of brandy next to some potion ingredients, and pulled it down from the shelf. Perhaps he and Lupin could have a nightcap together after the boys went to bed. Yes, that sounded nice...sharing a drink together in front of the fire, warmed by the alcohol and the flames, and later, sharing the warmth of their bodies together in bed...

Snape glanced at the clock on the wall; he still had some time to kill before heading back home, and Lupin's gift to Potter had given him an idea. He could buy expensive books or Quidditch equipment for Dylan's birthday present, but he had something that he thought his foster son would value even more, if he could find it. He gathered his things and headed to his personal quarters.

He pushed aside the robes in his closet and pulled out a cardboard box he had shoved back there about sixteen years ago, when he had first started teaching at Hogwarts; it contained mementos from a past that he had wanted to forget, and he had not touched it since. He opened the box and began removing its contents: a framed family portrait of himself and his parents, posing stiffly, none of them smiling; academic awards he had received as a student; notes from his fifth-year Summoning project with Lupin; books on the Dark Arts he had obtained as a Death Eater, which were definitely on the Ministry's proscribed list and could have gotten him arrested if anyone from the Ministry knew that he still had them; and there, on the very bottom of the box, the envelope he was looking for. It contained photos of himself, Lyall Wilkes, Evan Rosier, and Ariane Donner, taken at a housewarming party to celebrate Evan and Ariane moving into their new flat together shortly after graduation. Snape had not exactly been close friends with the trio, but he had helped cover for Evan when he was sneaking around seeing Ariane in secret, and Evan had warmed to him after that. He suspected that was why Evan had invited him to the party, since he had helped in a small way to facilitate their romance. Snape stared at the pictures and his thoughts drifted back to the past...
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"Listen, Snape," Evan said, "if Malfoy asks where I am, tell him I'm in the library, okay?"

"Do you really think he'll believe that, Rosier?" Snape asked sarcastically. "You're not exactly a model student."

Evan grinned. "Tell him I snuck into the restricted section of the library to look up curses to cast on the Gryffindors."

"That he might believe," Snape said, with a small, sardonic smile. "But why don't you get Wilkes to cover for you?"

"Because he won't believe Lyall, but he'll believe you."

Snape crossed his arms and gave Evan a cold look. "That's because Lyall is willing to get into trouble for your sake, but I'm not. You're going to meet that Ravenclaw girl, aren't you? Why should I risk Malfoy's wrath for the sake of your romance?"

"Oh, come on, Severus," Evan cajoled. "I'll return the favor if you ever want to sneak off and meet a girl."

Snape snorted. "Like that will ever happen." Even if he had been interested in girls, there weren't any who would find him attractive; the Gryffindors weren't the only ones who teased him about his beaky nose and greasy hair. But he didn't want girls; he only wanted Lupin, who claimed that his hair was shiny, not greasy and that his nose was distinguished and hawklike. Personally, Snape thought that Lupin needed glasses, but if the beautiful Gryffindor boy thought that he was handsome, then who was Snape to argue? He suddenly felt a sense of comradeship with Rosier; they were both carrying on clandestine romances that would get them in big trouble with Malfoy if he ever found out. He couldn't let Evan know that, though; he couldn't risk anyone finding out about himself and Lupin until they graduated, because Malfoy would see Snape's romance with a Gryffindor boy as a kind of defection, a betrayal of Slytherin House. He might even hurt Lupin...Snape repressed a shudder at that thought. So although Snape had already decided that he was going to help Evan, he feigned reluctance so that Evan would not be suspicious. "Easy for you to pledge a favor that you know I'll never need."

"I'll make it worth your while, Snape," Evan pleaded, beginning to look a little desperate. "What do you want?"

Snape paused, pretending to think about it. "A favor. Not a favor to help me romance a girl--just an open-ended favor, whenever I decide to call on it. On your word as the Rosier heir."

Evan was reckless and impulsive, but he wasn't stupid. Slytherins rarely pledged a favor when they didn't know what they might be called upon to do. "That's asking for a lot, Snape. You're basically asking me to write you a blank check."

Snape shrugged. "Take it or leave it, Evan. Besides, it's not totally one-sided...it's not a bad thing to make an ally of the Snape heir, after all." Evan hesitated. "And I'll continue to cover for you when you want to meet Ariane."

"Done!" Evan said. He and Snape shook hands, then Evan ran off to his secret tryst.

Later, in the Slytherin common room, Lucius Malfoy asked Snape, "Have you seen Rosier?"

Snape shrugged. "Last I saw, he was in the library trying to sneak into the restricted area. I left because I didn't want Madam Pince to think I was with him if she caught him; I've had my fill of serving detention."

Malfoy's suspicious expression relaxed a little. "What was he looking for?"

Snape shrugged again, looking bored. "New curses to try out on the Gryffindors, I think." Then he smiled slyly. "If he actually manages to find some without getting caught, then maybe I'll help him..."

Malfoy laughed. "I thought you said you had enough of detention, Snape! You won't avoid it hanging around with Rosier and Wilkes."

"That's true enough," Snape agreed. "But I do like to see Black and Potter taken down a peg or two."

Malfoy smiled, smugly and knowingly. "Oh, the Gryffindors will get their just desserts, Sev...eventually. Play your cards right, and perhaps you can have a role in taking them down."

Malfoy had been dropping hints of late, of a secret organization that would advance its members to the top of the wizarding elite, of a mentor willing to teach the Dark spells that Hogwarts forbade. Snape was intrigued, but he knew that it would be dangerous to get entangled with Malfoy's plots now that he had Lupin to worry about, so he just smiled and said noncommittally, "Perhaps." And Lupin wouldn't approve of him learning the Dark Arts, idealistic Gryffindor that he was; Snape felt a pang of regret for a missed opportunity, but he would rather give up his chance to learn the Dark Arts than risk losing Lupin.

But then he did lose Lupin, and he no longer cared what anyone thought of him--not Lupin, not Dumbledore who had pretended to be his friend but always sided with the Gryffindors, and not even his favorite teacher Professor Blackmore, who told him that Lucius Malfoy and his cronies weren't really his friends. As if he didn't know that already! Snape didn't want any friends; he would settle for having political allies, and at least he wouldn't be surprised if they betrayed him, since that was what was expected in Slytherin politics.

Ariane's mother found out about her secret romance from one of her housemates, and threatened to disown her, even take her out of Hogwarts if she didn't break it off immediately. And that was how Lucius Malfoy caught Snape and Evan in a weak moment, both of them half-mad with grief and anger. Malfoy said in a silky voice to Snape, "I can give you enough power to bring your enemies low," and to Evan, "enough power to deal with meddling parents and win your lady fair." And so the two boys, eager for revenge, agreed to meet with Malfoy's mysterious mentor.

Lord Voldemort was a compelling and charismatic figure; the force of his personality had a nearly tangible aura even though he mostly hid his face within the shadowy folds of the hood of his black robes, with only the red glint of his eyes visible. Other times he masked his features with a glamor, appearing as a handsome, dark-haired man. Some of his young followers believed that his red-eyed visage was also a glamor that he used in order to appear more mysterious and intimidating; others said that it was real, that his magical experiments with the Dark Arts had transformed his face into something hideous, and that was why he hid his face or disguised it with magic. No one quite dared to ask Voldemort the truth, though.

Voldemort--or the Dark Lord, as his disciples referred to him--promised to uphold the teachings of Salazar Slytherin and rid the school of Mudbloods and half-breeds, and more, to dethrone the Muggle-lovers and blood traitors who held sway in society. They would become the elite, he promised, the rulers of the wizarding world.

"We are bound together by our ideals and ambition" the Dark Lord told his disciples. "Together we can accomplish what no one of us could accomplish alone. Some of your families are committed to my cause." He smiled approvingly at Lucius Malfoy. "While others have family members who, alas, are somewhat...misguided." He glanced at Regulus Black, who grimaced at the thought of his wayward Gryffindor brother. "I myself have no living family of my own. But it matters not. We--" He spread his arms out in a sweeping gesture, to include everyone in the room. "--are all family now. True family, bound by ties stronger than blood. Pledge loyalty to me, and likewise will I do to you, and teach you, protect you, and guide you, and together we will claim what is rightfully ours."

His voice was so persuasive, so hypnotic, that Snape almost believed him. He had been alone all his life, except for his brief friendship and romance with Lupin, and he desperately wanted to take what Voldemort was offering, and finally have a family, one that would care for him and protect him the way his parents never had, and finally, perhaps, to have some friends--ones who would be loyal to him the way the Marauders were to each other.

But he could not quite bring himself to do it. After Lupin's betrayal, something had hardened inside him, like a sliver of ice in his heart, ever-present and always aching, yet somehow numbing him at the same time. He could not bring himself to let down his guard completely and risk letting someone else hurt him the way Lupin had. So he smiled and nodded along with everyone else, but secretly held himself aloof from them. He still intended to remain one of the Dark Lord's followers and reap the benefits of the Dark Arts lessons and a position of power in the future, but he would never consider them his family. He doubted that Lucius Malfoy did, either; Malfoy cared for nothing but his own ambition. That was fine with Snape; even if he didn't consider the Dark Lord and his followers to be family, they could still have a mutually beneficial relationship.

But others did seem to be impressed by Voldemort's words: Evan and Lyall, who listened raptly, their faces filled with awe; Regulus Black, who nodded enthusiastically as the Dark Lord spoke; the Lestrange brothers and Bellatrix Black, their eyes shining with fanatic zeal; and Lorcan Foley, who was staring at Voldemort with a look of utter devotion, tears filling his eyes. Snape looked away, finding such a raw and naked display of emotion to be distasteful and unnerving. Lorcan had even better reason than Snape to want a surrogate family: his father was a bully and a sadist, and it was an open secret in Slytherin House that he abused Lorcan, and it was also whispered that his mother had not died of illness as had been officially reported, but that she had been beaten to death by Mr. Foley. Lorcan eventually became a full-fledged Death Eater, and their Master rewarded him by allowing him to torture his father to death in a Blood Magic ritual.

Snape would later tell himself that he hadn't known that Voldemort actually intended to have them murder people and start a revolution, that he had assumed it was merely more political game-playing, but the signs had been there for him to read; he had simply pretended not to see them. In a way, he had been as stupid as Regulus Black, believing that he could extricate himself later if things got ugly. But he soon realized that he had been wrong, when he took the Dark Mark and witnessed his first execution--Voldemort would never let anyone just walk away from him.

So Snape turned coat and became a spy for Dumbledore, and felt even more alone than he had before. He had found a sense of belonging with the Death Eaters, even if he had never fully given himself over to them, and had developed a kind of camaraderie with Evan and Lyall. They were not friends, exactly--or at least, only casual friends, not close ones, but it had been better than nothing. They were the only two people in Slytherin that he had actually liked, but then, it was difficult to dislike Evan, who was always so charming, and Lyall, who was always cheerful and good-natured. Even though he knew he was doing the right thing by spying for the Order, he still felt guilty for betraying his two almost-friends. He knew they would never forgive him if they found out, but that was the least of his worries--he was very afraid that they were going to wind up dead or in Azkaban before all this was over.

But making Evan suspicious would also make Voldemort suspicious, so Snape, with long experience, hid his emotions and continued to socialize with Rosier and Wilkes as if nothing had changed.

Snape's parents did not quite approve of "friendship" with Malfoy and the others; they probably suspected that he was a Death Eater, although they never asked him about it. On the other hand, Lucius's father was too powerful a man to offend, so neither did they openly object. But the atmosphere at home was rather tense, so Snape moved out not long after graduating and being Marked. He probably would have moved out anyway, actually, since escaping his home had been his fondest dream--at least until he met Lupin.

Voldemort, through the Malfoys, obtained a job for Snape as a researcher, but it was only for show. Or rather, his real job was to research Dark spells, potions, and poisons for his Master, to teach those spells to his fellow Death Eaters, and to brew the potions and poisons that his Master commanded him to. The job paid enough for him to rent a small flat on his own, although he didn't enjoy his newfound freedom very much, since he was not really free at all, being bound to both the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix.

After being disowned, Ariane stayed with Evan at the Rosier mansion for a short time, but his indulgent parents gave him enough money to put down a deposit on a flat of their own. Lyall also rented an apartment in the same building. Evan decided to throw a housewarming party, and decided, on a whim, to invite Snape.

Lyall showed up with a bottle of wine, while Snape brought a chocolate cake for dessert. He was struck by the absurdity of the situation: four young wizards taking time out from their busy schedule of killing Mudbloods and plotting to take over the world in order to have a dinner party! With morbid amusement, he thought that perhaps he should have decorated the cake with sugar skulls--that ought to be appropriate for a Death Eater party, after all.

"I see you still have a sweet-tooth, Snape," Evan said with a grin. "Just as well; at least we'll have something to eat if Ari ruins dinner!"

Ariane laughed as she stirred a pot on the stove. "Well, I never really had to cook before!" she protested. "The house-elves did all the cooking at home--just as they do at your house, Evan! I'd like to see you do better."

"Just teasing, my love," Evan said, slipping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek. "Besides, this morning's toast wasn't too bad, once we scraped off the burnt parts..." Ariane raised her spoon in a threatening gesture, and Evan threw his arm up in front of his face, as if to ward off the coming blow. "Just kidding!" Then he pulled her close and kissed her. "I love a woman with a temper!" he declared.

Snape regarded Evan's and Ariane's antics with a sour look. Although he had helped cover up for Evan out of sympathy when he had been sneaking around seeing Ariane on the sly at Hogwarts, he resented them for remaining together when he and Lupin had broken up. Ariane had sacrificed her House standing, her fortune, and even her family for Evan, while Lupin couldn't even bring himself to stand up to his friends for Snape's sake. Then again, Snape thought bitterly, why should he? Evan was handsome and charming; Snape was neither. Who in their right mind would give up the friendship of Potter and Black, the two most popular boys in the school, for a Slytherin misfit who didn't have any real friends even in his own House?

"Cheer up, Snape," Lyall said, mistaking the reason for his sour expression. "There's not much you can do to ruin spaghetti, after all." He paused. "At least, I hope not."

"I may lose my appetite just watching those two," Snape complained, watching the pair kiss and coo like a couple of newlyweds.

"Hey, tone it down you two!" Lyall obligingly called out. "There's only so much billing and cooing we can take without throwing up, after all!"

Evan and Ariane pulled apart, laughing. "Someday you'll fall head over heels in love, Lyall, and then I'll have the last laugh!" Evan told his friend. "Maybe someday even Snape will fall in love--that I'd like to see!"

Lyall doubled over laughing at the thought of a besotted Snape fawning over some girl, while Snape repressed a strong desire to throttle Evan. "Never happen, Rosier," Snape said lightly, acting as if the joke didn't faze him. "I'm a Snape; I don't have a heart."

Snape's father, along with most of the previous Snape Lords, had a reputation as a cold, calculating bastard--a trait that was for the most part admired rather than scorned among the pureblood Slytherin elite. And Snape's mother was sometimes referred to as "the Ice Queen" behind her back (although never to her face) by the other pureblood women for her air of hauteur and icy composure which was impressive even by Slytherin standards. Evan and Lyall both laughed, then dropped the subject, and Ariane served dinner.

Lyall was right; the spaghetti was edible, if not exactly gourmet cooking, and the wine washed it down nicely. As they ate, Snape noticed a ring glittering on Ariane's left hand--a near duplicate of the one Evan wore as the Rosier heir, if a bit more slender and delicate, being made for a woman's hand rather than a man's: silver engraved with a design of thorny vines, set with a red stone cut to resemble a rose. Snape said nothing, but Evan noticed the direction of his gaze and said, "That is an engagement ring; my gift to Ariane."

"Congratulations," Snape said, although he was a bit puzzled. Evan had sworn that he would make the Donners agree to their marriage; had he changed his mind? Personally, Snape thought that hell would freeze over before Deirdre Donner would allow a Slytherin to marry her daughter, so Evan had might as well go ahead and marry her now, with or without Deirdre's consent. "Have you set a date?"

Evan smiled, but his eyes were filled with anger and malice and determination. "I will marry Ariane when we triumph over the Muggle-lovers and take our rightful places as the rulers of the wizarding world. On that day I will make the Donners bow down to Ariane and grovel at her feet to beg her forgiveness. They will beg me to marry her, for as a gift to my wife, I shall spare their worthless lives. On that day I will marry her, and not before; we shall wed in triumph and glory, not run off and elope like thieves in the night." Caught up in his vision of revenge, he did not see the wistful look that briefly passed over his lover's face; Snape suspected that Ariane would prefer to elope now rather than wait for that day of triumph and glory. Then Evan turned to Ariane and his expression softened as he lifted her hand to his lips. "But to prove my honorable intentions to my lady--" He kissed her fingertips. "--I have given her this ring as a token of my pledge to make her Lady Rosier someday. You shall be Lady Donner and Lady Rosier, my love, and rule over not one, but two, estates."

Ariane smiled back at him, showing no sign of any misgivings she might have. "I shall be pleased to rule by your side, my love. But I would still marry you whether you were a prince or a pauper."

"Whoa," Lyall laughed, "you guys are starting to sound like a bad play! Just remember there's only so much lovey-doveyness that Snape and I can take in one day!"

Evan and Ariane smiled, and then Lyall and Evan began talking, in vague and veiled terms, of how great things would be when the purebloods were "in charge of things". Snape thought they sounded almost like first-years spinning fantasies about how someday when they grew up they'd become famous Quidditch players or mighty wizards like Salazar Slytherin or something equally improbable. They still hadn't realized what Snape already had: that even if Voldemort won the war, he was never going to share his power with his followers. There was room for only one ruler and that was the Dark Lord; everyone else would become his slaves. The Death Eaters might be favored slaves, but they were still slaves nonetheless. Snape wondered just how much Ariane knew; he had never seen her at any of their secret meetings or ceremonies, but unless she was a complete idiot, she had to realize that Evan was a Death Eater--and she would never have been Sorted into Ravenclaw if she had been an idiot.

To Snape's relief, the conversation eventually turned to safer, more trivial topics, such who was dating or getting engaged to whom in their social circle. Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange had recently gotten engaged, and Lucius Malfoy was said to be paying court to Bellatrix's younger sister, Narcissa--probably at his parents' behest. Lucius enjoyed playing the field, dispensing his favors freely among both sexes, but his parents were eager to see him settle down and produce an heir. "I'm sure they'll make beautiful blonde babies together," Evan said with a mocking smile. "I'm not sure which of the two is blonder, prettier, or more vain."

"Lucius, definitely," Ariane said, and they all laughed.

Snape was almost enjoying himself as they lingered over wine and cake (which had been store-bought, of course; Snape's cooking skills weren't any better than Ariane's). Suddenly Lyall took out a camera and said, "We should take some pictures of your new home for posterity! You know, to show your kids one day or something. 'This was Mummy and Daddy's first apartment. This is the kitchen where Mummy used to burn dinner...'"

Ariane picked up the bottle of wine and said, "Lyall, if you don't want to be wearing this instead of drinking it..."

Evan quickly plucked the bottle out of her hand and refilled his glass. "But that would be a waste of good wine, my dear!"

Lyall took several pictures of the happy couple posing in their apartment. Then he said, "Hey, how about one of you guys with Snape?"

Snape looked up in alarm. "No, we wouldn't want to scare Evan's hypothetical children, after all," he joked nervously. In an attempt to distract Lyall, he said, "Here, give me the camera, and I'll take a picture of you three."

Lyall allowed him to take the picture, but then grinned and said, "Come on, Snape, I'm not letting you off that easy."

"But--"

"Aw, come on, Severus," Evan said, perhaps feeling a little mellow because of the wine, the euphoria of moving in with his lady-love, or both. He grabbed Snape's arm and pulled him over. "You may not be as pretty as Lucius, but it's not like you'll break the camera or anything."

"You're too kind, Evan," Snape said sarcastically.

"C'mon, Snape, smile," Lyall urged as he snapped the picture. "You look so gloomy!"

"I am smiling," Snape said sourly without changing his expression, and his three companions laughed. Lyall set the timer on the camera, positioned it on a shelf across the room, then hurried over to join his friends, just in time as the flash went off.

 

Part 19