Aftermaths, Part 2

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 next day, Snape left for London on some mysterious errand. The boys helped Lupin make some minor repairs to the house and reinforce the wards on it; Lupin supposed it wasn't really necessary anymore, but better to be safe than sorry and besides, it was good practice for the boys. They still seemed a little subdued--not surprising, considering everything they had been through--so Lupin spent a quiet afternoon playing card games with them. Dylan and Theodore didn't feel much like talking, but listened with interest as Lupin talked about his schoolboy days at Hogwarts. They smiled a little as he described some of his adventures with the Marauders, but he didn't hesitate to describe his friends' shortcomings as well as their good points.

"They were kind, compassionate, and loyal," Lupin said with a sad smile as he shuffled the deck of cards. "They didn't care about my lycanthropy; it didn't make the least bit of difference to them, and I Ioved them for that. But they were also narrow-minded and stubborn, with the self-righteousness of young Gryffindors certain that they knew what was right and what was wrong; black and white, absolutes with no shades of gray." He sighed and just stared at the cards in his hands instead of dealing them out. "That's why they hated the Slytherins so much; I suppose they were no different from most Gryffindors, believing that all Slytherins were destined to become Dark Wizards."

"So what made you different from the rest of the Gryffindors?" Theodore wanted to know.

"I never really felt like I belonged, I suppose," Lupin replied. "James, Sirius, and Peter accepted me, but I was afraid that some of the other Gryffindors might not, if they ever learned the truth about me. I always felt like a bit of an outsider, so it was easier for me to remain detached from the House rivalries. My friends could be quite cruel to the Slytherins sometimes, Severus in particular, and it was difficult for me to reconcile that cruelty with the loyalty and kindness they showed me."

Theodore's eyes narrowed in thought. "You told us that night in the dorm when you brought us the hot chocolate that you were afraid to make up with Professor Snape after the two of you fought, because you were scared of losing your Gryffindor friends. So how loyal could they have been, really, if they would abandon you that easily?"

Lupin looked up, startled; he had never really thought of it that way before. Gryffindors sometimes tended to see things through rose-colored glasses, while Slytherins tended to view everything in a cynical light, and Theodore--with good reason--was more cynical than most. Lupin had been so grateful for the Marauders' friendship, and so desperate to keep it, that he had never once stopped to consider whether THEY were worthy of HIS friendship. He blushed with shame as he remembered all the times he had stood by and done nothing as James and Sirius taunted Severus.

"They were good to me," Lupin said softly. "They became Animagi in secret to help me through my transformations, and they would have given their lives for me--at least, James and Sirius would have. But they considered being a Slytherin far worse than being a werewolf. I'm not sure what they would have done if I had continued to pursue a friendship with Severus; I was afraid to find out. But that was due as much to my own insecurity as it was to their prejudice: I had no friends before I came to Hogwarts, and I was terribly afraid of losing the only friends I had. I really don't know...James was kind to me after Severus and I broke up, but I knew that in his mind the whole incident proved that nothing good could come of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin mixing together."

Lupin sighed heavily, and Theodore felt guilty for making him feel bad. After all, Theodore himself was hardly in a position to pass judgment--he had gone along with everything Draco told him to do, including walking into a Death Eater gathering. "I'm sorry, Professor," Theodore said contritely. "I shouldn't have said that."

"It's all right, Theo," Lupin said with a gentle smile. "Things have changed since then--Sirius has finally matured and accepted my relationship with Severus. And the current generation of Hogwarts students has fared better than mine: you learned to work together with the Gryffindors..." Lupin laughed at the grumpy expression on Theodore's face--not unlike the one Severus usually wore--and added, "Even if you didn't enjoy it! And some of you have formed friendships with them--or at least, Pansy and Millicent have."

"They just enjoy mooning over Dylan together, that's all," Theodore muttered peevishly.

"Don't blame it on me," Dylan protested with a sheepish grin.

Lupin just laughed, then he dealt out the cards and they concentrated on the game, speaking only of trivial matters until it was time for dinner.

The boys helped Lupin make dinner, a simple stew. Theodore said with a wry little smile, "Well, I guess chopping potatoes isn't that different from chopping roots in Potions class."

"Consider it good practice," Lupin said, with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Snape returned just as Dylan was setting the table, and when they sat down to eat, he explained where he had been.

"I spent the day talking to a lawyer and wrangling with the Ministry," Snape said, looking a little cross. "We've filed a petition to have the Rosier estate restored to Dylan, and another to keep the Ministry from confiscating the Nott estate."

"Did they give you a hard time?" Dylan asked. "Even though the new Minister of Magic is your friend?"

"He's not MY friend!" Snape snapped. "He's Lupin's friend!"

"Now, now, Severus," Lupin said mildly.

"Sorry, Professor," Dylan said apologetically. "But even so..."

"Power has its limits, Rosier," Snape said in a didactic tone, as if they were in the classroom instead of sitting at the dinner table. "Weasley has instituted many changes in a short period of time--such as granting the non-humans equal rights, which he has been able to do only because he's riding out the wave of goodwill the public feels towards a 'hero' of the war. But he can't afford to go overboard, or he'll risk offending people in high places and losing his position. And a great deal of fear and resentment towards the Death Eaters has built up over the years, and people are only now feeling free to express that resentment..."

"Are you worried about vigilantism, Severus?" Lupin asked, looking concerned. "Are the boys or your other students in any danger?"

"I don't think it will go that far," Snape said. He turned to Theodore and Dylan, and added gravely, "Although you can expect to be insulted by people who blame you for what your parents did."

Theodore shrugged indifferently. "That's nothing new."

"In any case," Snape continued, "certain people in the Ministry--the Aurors in particular, except for Shacklebolt and Tonks--want to punish the Death Eaters beyond a prison sentence, and to gain some sort of posthumous revenge on the ones who are dead. The lawyer says she thinks she can prevent them from confiscating the Nott estate, but it will take some time to sort everything out. There's talk of fines being levied against the various Death Eaters' estates, and we might not be able to prevent them from doing so, since Thaddeus and Marta were Death Eaters even though Theodore was not. For the moment, the Nott account at Gringotts is frozen but--" Snape's voice dripped with sarcasm. "--the Ministry has graciously granted us permission to go to the Nott mansion to retrieve Theodore's personal belongings." Theodore blinked in surprise. With uncharacteristic patience, Snape asked, "Isn't there anything at your house that you'd like to retrieve?"

"Nothing I can't live without, but...yes," Theodore said slowly, as he thought it over. "Some clothes and books." He had plenty of clothes with him, but they were mostly school uniforms; he wouldn't mind picking up some of his plain robes and casual clothing, as well as books he'd left at home because he didn't have room for all of them in his dorm room, not to mention that some of them dealt with Dark Magic and might be frowned upon at Hogwarts. "And some...ah...personal things." Hidden in his room were a few treasured toys and keepsakes--mostly gifts from his Uncle Rafe--that he was too old to play with but had too much sentimental value for him to throw away.

"I'm surprised that they're letting you into the mansion before the investigation has been completed and a final decision made," Lupin said.

Snape scowled. "Apparently the Aurors have already combed the house for Dark Magic items, so they feel it's safe. But we're to be accompanied by an Auror, I suppose to make sure that we only take Theodore's belongings and don't run off with the silverware before the Ministry can steal--ahem, I mean, confiscate it."

"Severus!" Lupin exclaimed, appalled at both the Ministry for its petty vengefulness, and at Severus for making light of the matter in front of Theodore, although the boy didn't look particularly disturbed. In fact, he looked mildly amused, if in a rather cynical way.

"Oh, don't get so worked up, Lupin," Snape said. "It's only a formality. Your friend Tonks volunteered for the job; she seemed rather embarrassed by her colleagues' attitudes. I'm sure she'll let us pick up Theodore's things without breathing down our necks to make sure we don't take anything we shouldn't."

Lupin relaxed. "Ah, she's feeling better, then?"

Snape shrugged. "Apparently. She seems quite healthy to me, although her hair was shocking pink today instead of violet. It's a pity St. Mungo's can't do anything about her sense of taste, or lack thereof."

Lupin chuckled. "Then we'll all go to Nott Manor tomorrow." He hesitated for a moment; Theodore revisiting his home might be a rather personal and sensitive matter. "Unless you'd feel more comfortable going with just Severus..."

"No, Professor," Theodore said hastily. The thought of facing his childhood home and the memories it contained was a rather daunting one, and he needed all the moral support he could get. "I'd like it if you and Dylan came with us."

Lupin smiled at him. "Then we'll be happy to come along. But we're not in school right now, so the two of you don't really have to keep calling me 'Professor' all the time. You may call me 'Remus' or 'Lupin' if you wish."

Before the boys could respond, Snape scowled and said in his best intimidating Potions Master voice, "Well, you can call ME Professor Snape!"

Lupin sighed, in that long-suffering way of his. "Is that really necessary, Severus? We're not in school, after all...right now we're their family, not their teachers."

Snape flushed a little but refused to back down. "I don't see anything wrong with children addressing their guardians in a respectful manner. Besides, if they call us by our first names all summer, sooner or later they'll slip when they go back to school. It's better to remain consistent."

"Would the world really come to an end if Dylan or Theodore accidentally called you by your first name in class?" Lupin asked, with equal amounts of irritation and amusement in his voice.

"You can do as you like, Lupin," Snape retorted. "They can call you 'Moony' for all I care--everyone knows you're a soft touch, anyway. But don't presume to tell me what to do."

The boys kept looking back and forth from Lupin to Snape as the argument progressed, Dylan with amusement, because he knew Snape well enough by now to be able to tell when he was really angry and when he wasn't. This was a great deal like their feigned arguments at the dinner table at Hogwarts; maybe they had simply gotten into the habit of quarreling at dinner even when they didn't have to.

But Theodore, who was not aware that his Head of House had a sense of humor at all, could not tell that they were only joking. "Please, sir," he said to Lupin anxiously, "I don't think I'd feel comfortable calling you or Professor Snape by your first names."

"Of course, Theo," Lupin said gently, and silently scolded himself for upsetting the boy. He doubted that the Notts had indulged in playful banter very often, so he would have to remember that Theodore might take their mock-arguments seriously. "Whatever you feel comfortable with. But please feel free to call me by my name if you change your mind."

Snape also looked a little guilty. "Don't worry about it, Nott," he said gruffly. "If I got upset over every idiotic idea the werewolf came up with, I'd give myself an ulcer."

Lupin smiled at his lover affectionately; it was not much of an apology, but that was the most that they were going to get out of Professor Snape at the moment, and certainly more than his students were used to receiving. "It's all right, Theo," Lupin said cheerfully to his foster son, who still looked a little nervous. "Severus isn't really happy unless he has something to complain about."

Snape snorted, rolling his eyes, but chose to ignore that remark, and changed the subject. "You should be thinking about which N.E.W.T.s you plan to take next year, Theodore. It's not too early for you to start thinking about it as well, Dylan."

"Yes, sir," Dylan said.

"Really, Severus," Lupin said, "school just let out yesterday. You can let them enjoy their summer vacation a little before getting them worried about exams."

"This is important, Lupin," Snape insisted. "Theodore's going to graduate next year, and he needs to decide which N.E.W.T.s to take so that he can properly prepare for them. If he doesn't take the right classes, or if he doesn't score high enough on his exams, his career options will be limited."

"Have you given any thought as to what you'd like to do when you graduate?" Lupin asked kindly.

Theodore squirmed nervously under Lupin's kind gaze and Snape's stern one, and stared down at his bowl of stew. "I don't know," he muttered, a little sullenly. "I never thought about it before. It's not like I had a choice; my parents were planning for me to become a Death Eater..."

"You have a choice now, Theo," Lupin said gently, placing his hand on Theodore's shoulder.

Snape's expression softened a little and he said in a kinder voice, "Well, you needn't decide right now, of course. But take some time to think about it over the summer, all right?"

Theodore looked up timidly; this nicer version of Snape was not unwelcome, but it took some getting used to, after living in fear of him for so many years. "Yes, sir," he said meekly.

Snape nodded and concentrated on his food, giving up any further attempts at conversation, since he seemed unable to find a safe topic of discussion. However, Lupin blithely filled up the ensuing awkward silence with cheery mindless chatter, much as he did at Hogwarts to get on Snape's nerves--or at least to keep up the pretense of getting on Snape's nerves. Snape smiled a little, and he and the boys relaxed, soothed by Lupin's good cheer.

After dinner--and dessert (Snape had picked up a box of fancy pastries after completing his errands in London), they all spent the rest of the evening sitting quietly together in the living room. Lupin and Snape sat in front of the fireplace reading--Lupin a novel and Snape a Potions journal--while Dylan and Theodore played a game of chess. As Theodore waited patiently while Dylan pondered his next move, he felt a pleasant but very unfamiliar feeling come over him, like the warmth of the fire slowly seeping into his body on a cold winter night. It was so unfamiliar that he could not put a name to it, but finally he realized what it was: he felt completely safe and content for the first time in his life. He had experienced moments of happiness, even joy, with his friends and with Blaise, but he had never truly let his guard down before--not with his friends, not even when he was alone with his lover, and certainly not with his family. But he no longer had to worry about what his father or the Death Eaters might do to him; he no longer had to worry about keeping Blaise safe from them. A nearly inaudible sigh of relief escaped from his lips, and a look of contentment filled his usually sullen face.

"Theo? It's your turn."

"Huh? Oh, right."

The boys leaned over the chessboard, and did not see Lupin smile at them tenderly, but Snape did, and--since no one was paying attention to him at the moment--smiled at Lupin with equal tenderness. He hastily turned his attention back to his magazine when Lupin glanced in his direction. Lupin bent his head down, pretending to be peering closely at his book, letting his hair fall across his face to hide his grin. If they had been alone, he would have started teasing Severus, letting him bluster and growl, then disarmed him by nuzzling his neck and running his fingers through Severus's thick, shiny black hair...but he could indulge in that sort of thing after the boys had gotten settled in and used to living with them; poor Theodore had probably been traumatized enough for one day. But later, after the boys were feeling more comfortable and secure...

Lupin chuckled softly, a surprisingly wicked sound for the good-natured werewolf, and Snape gave him a suspicious look. Lupin just smiled back at him with a look of wide-eyed innocence.
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After a quick breakfast the next morning (Theodore felt too nervous to eat much), they all headed to the Nott estate, where they were greeted by a young witch with spiky violet hair.

"Hello, Remus," she called out cheerfully. "Hello, Severus."

"Hello, Tonks," Lupin said, giving her a hug. "Feeling better?"

"As good as new," Tonks said with a grin, flexing her recently-healed right arm.

"I thought Severus said your hair was pink yesterday."

"Oh, I was experimenting, but I decided that I didn't like it. Besides, Kingsley thinks that violet suits me better..."

Snape cleared his throat impatiently. "Perhaps you two could exchange beauty tips some other time?" he suggested sarcastically.

Tonks just smiled, and Lupin sighed in that long-suffering way of his that Snape always found so annoying. "Tonks, you know Dylan already, of course, and this is Theodore. Theodore, this is my friend Nymphadora Tonks."

"Nice to meet you, Theodore," Tonks said pleasantly, extending her hand. "Please call me Tonks; I can't stand my first name."

Theodore hesitated, then reached out and shook her hand--very cautiously and with obvious reluctance, as if expecting it to turn into a snake and bite him. If Tonks was offended, she didn't let it show, and continued smiling at him cheerfully.

"Well, I don't want to keep you waiting," Tonks said, winking at Snape, who just glared at her. The Nott estate was surrounded by a tall black iron fence, much like the Rosier estate was. The gates were locked with a length of chain and a large padlock covered with glowing runes of warding. The lock and chain were a recent addition; they had not been there when Theodore had last seen his home. Tonks took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the gates, and they headed towards the mansion. There were more wards placed on the door--by the Ministry, no doubt, Theodore thought--but Tonks bypassed them with a brief incantation and a wave of her wand.

They entered the house and got a shock: furniture lay overturned; paintings hung askew on the walls; cabinet doors had been flung open and drawers pulled out of their desks, their contents dumped on the floor; and even the floorboards had been pulled up in a few spots.

Snape was livid. "How dare they?!" he shouted at Tonks. "The Aurors may have had a warrant to search for Dark Magic items, but that doesn't give them license to tear the house apart in the process! Particularly when there's still an heir to the Nott estate who has committed no crime!"

"I'm so sorry, Severus," Tonks said, looking genuinely surprised and distressed at the state of the house. "We lost two of our own in the battle; some of my fellow Aurors are still bitter and probably took the opportunity to vent some of their frustrations." She turned to Theodore. "But that's no excuse for what they did; I'm very, very sorry, Theodore. I apologize on behalf of my colleagues. If Kingsley or I had been here, this wouldn't have happened, but..."

"But you were in St. Mungo's," Lupin reminded her, "and of course Kingsley wanted to be by your side. It's not your fault, Tonks."

"Well, it's somebody's fault!" Snape fumed. "I want an apology and compensation from the Ministry or I'll--"

"Never mind, Professor," Theodore interrupted, kicking a fallen vase across the room. "I hate this place; the Ministry can burn it to the ground for all I care!" Theodore's gray-green eyes glittered with some dark, intense emotion composed of equal parts of hatred and pain.

Snape's anger vanished, to be replaced by concern. "That's not the point, Theodore," he said, but in an almost kindly voice. "They don't have the right to do that. Even if you don't want the mansion, I won't let the Ministry have the satisfaction of destroying it or stealing it. You can always sell the estate--once the title is restored to you, and you come of age, of course."

"I don't want it!" Theodore said vehemently.

Lupin exchanged a worried look with Snape, then placed a hand on Theodore's shoulder and said gently, "You shouldn't make any snap decisions right now, and it will take awhile to sort out all the legalities, anyway. Take some time to think things over, and if you still want to sell the mansion when you're eighteen, then Severus and I will help you. I just don't want you to do anything you'll regret later."

"I won't change my mind," Theodore muttered, but he calmed down a little. They carefully made their way through the living room, trying to avoid broken glass, piles of debris, and torn-up floorboards. Lupin paused to pick up a chair that had been knocked over, but Theodore told him, "Don't bother, Professor."

"I thought your family had a house-elf," Snape said, feeling puzzled now that his anger had abated. No self-respecting house-elf would allow its house to remain in such a state; even Kreacher had taken better care of the Black home than this.

"My father killed it a few years ago," Theodore said in an almost offhand manner. "He lost his temper one day when it spilled a cup of hot tea on his lap, and hit it with a Crucio spell. I don't think he meant to kill it, but it was kind of old and decrepit..." Theodore had not felt any affection for the house-elf; its sniveling, groveling manner had always disgusted him--perhaps because he knew deep down that he was no better than the elf. He had always done whatever his father told him to, had always cringed and accepted whatever punishment his father dealt out without trying to fight back, even when Thaddeus had killed his favorite uncle, the only person who had ever been kind to him as a child. So Theodore had felt little sadness or regret at the house-elf's death, except for the fact that Thaddeus, angry at being deprived of his servant, had taken out his frustration on his wife and son.

Lupin stared at Theodore in horror, not just because of Thaddeus's cruelty, but because of the casual, almost callous way the boy spoke of the house-elf's death. Theodore saw the way Lupin was looking at him, and flushed with guilt and shame, realizing how he must have sounded. He felt a sudden surge of fear; what if Lupin thought he was no better than his father? What if he regretted taking in a Death Eater's son?

"I couldn't stop him!" Theodore said defensively; his voice sounded shrill and slightly whiny to his own ears. "He would have done the same to me! You don't know what he was like--"

"It's all right, Theodore," Lupin said gently, placing a hand on his foster son's shoulder, and felt a tremor run through the boy's body. "It wasn't your fault; I don't blame you." He knew that the Death Eaters--and even many of the other pureblood families--had brought up their children to feel contempt towards non-humans, and to regard the house-elves as property, not people. He didn't blame Theodore for that attitude; he blamed Thaddeus. It would take some time, Lupin reminded himself, for Theodore and the other Slytherins to learn to see beyond their parents' prejudices. "And I know what Thaddeus was like." The kind of man who would take pleasure in torturing his own son; the kind of man who would willingly sacrifice that son to save his own life. Lupin's inner wolf stirred, roused by the thought of someone hurting its cub, and he suddenly regretted not tearing out Thaddeus Nott's throat on the battlefield while he had the chance...

"Look at what those horrible men did to the place!" one of the portraits on the wall exclaimed, causing Lupin--and everyone else in the room--to jump. It was a picture of a gray-haired woman dressed in old-fashioned robes. "They just came in here and started breaking things; they were dreadfully rude to me when I told them to stop!"

"They even manhandled my portrait!" the painting next to her said indignantly; this one portrayed an elderly man in equally old-fashioned black dress robes, and was hanging crookedly on the wall. "Straighten me up, boy," the portrait ordered; it appeared to be addressing Theodore. "It's giving me a headache to look at you from this angle."

Theodore just gave the painting a cold look. "Portraits don't get headaches," he snapped. "And don't call me 'boy'!"

"You wouldn't be getting so cheeky with me if your father were here, boy!" the portrait retorted.

"Yeah, well, he's not here, now is he?" Theodore said belligerently. "He's never going to be here again!"

"Then it's true, what those Aurors told us," the first portrait said softly. "Thaddeus is dead."

"Yes, and good riddance!" Theodore snarled.

"How can you say such a thing about your own father?" the female portrait asked accusingly.

"You always were a sullen, insolent child," the male portrait said, glowering at Theodore. "Why, if I weren't in this portrait, I would--"

"I can see where Thaddeus got his winning personality from," Snape interrupted in a smooth, if slightly sarcastic voice as he stepped forward and raised his wand. "But if you don't keep a civil tongue in that painted head of yours, I shall blast your portrait into splinters."

"How dare you!" roared the portrait. "What right do you have to come into my house and threaten me?!"

"First of all," Snape said coldly, "this is not your house; it is Theodore's. You are nothing more than a bit of paint and canvas, and a portrait cannot own property." The portrait began to splutter with rage. "And I have every right to be here, as Theodore's foster father."

"Foster father?!" the portrait howled, then gave Snape a closer look. "You're a Snape, aren't you?"

"There's no mistaking that nose," the female portrait interjected, and Snape scowled at her.

"Severin Snape?" the male portrait asked.

"Severus," Snape growled. "Severin is my father."

"What is a Snape doing meddling in Nott business?" the portrait demanded. "Is this your way of absorbing our estate into the Snape holdings, by controlling the boy--?"

Snape turned and pointed his wand at one of the other paintings hanging on the wall; it appeared to be a normal painting of a landscape, not one of the magical portraits. A red beam of light shot out from his wand and the picture exploded into a shower of splinters, shreds of canvas, and paint chips. "That is the only warning you will get," Snape said in a voice that would have made his students break out in a cold sweat, because it usually preceded a very nasty punishment. "Open your mouth again, and that will be you."

The man in the portrait gazed fearfully at the remains of the landscape, and Snape smiled at him in a very nasty way. Lupin thought the portrait might have a stroke--if such a thing were possible--from the effort it took to keep silent: the unnamed Nott kept his lips firmly sealed together in a thin line, but his face was turning red, and a vein was visibly throbbing on his forehead. Lupin marveled at the lifelike detail of the painting and almost felt sorry for him, although from what he had seen, this Nott had probably been as cruel and domineering as Thaddeus. Still, he reached out and straightened the portrait with an apologetic smile.

"You're such a soft touch, Lupin," Snape muttered disapprovingly.

"Who are those people, anyway?" Dylan asked Theodore.

"My grandparents," he replied in a flat voice.

Meanwhile, Lupin straightened the other pictures hanging on the wall, although except for Theodore's grandparents, none of them appeared to be "living" portraits. As he worked his way down the wall, he came across a very large and slightly moth-eaten tapestry. It was made of faded green velvet, and embroidered on it with silver thread was the Nott family tree; it closely resembled the tapestry hanging in Sirius's house. Lupin examined it curiously and noticed something interesting.

"Look, Severus," Lupin said, pointing at the tapestry. "There's a Snape on Theodore's family tree!"

"Really?" Theodore asked. He had never much cared about his family history, and rarely looked at the moldy old thing, but now he moved closer to look at the name Lupin was pointing at. Dylan, Snape, and Tonks peered over his and Lupin's shoulders.

"Yes," Lupin replied. "Your great-great-great grandmother, it looks like," he said, tracing his finger along the tree. "One Melisandre Snape, married to Tyrone Nott. Did you know that, Severus?"

Snape scowled. "My mother is the one interested in such things, not me; I'm sure she can rattle off the entire Snape family tree without blinking. I'm not sure who this Melisandre is; probably a daughter or younger sister to the then-Lord of the Snape estate." He added sarcastically, "You could always ask my mother; I'm sure she'd just love to hear from you."

"I'm related to Professor Snape?" Theodore asked, looking shocked.

"Cool," said Dylan, although his friend didn't seem to know whether he should be pleased or appalled.

"All the pureblood families are related if you go back far enough," Snape said in a didactic tone of voice. "There's only so much pure blood to go around, after all." He took a closer look at the tapestry and pointed, "See there, one of your great-great aunts married a Black, and here, another ancestor married a Talbott--that was the maiden name of Elin Rosier, Dylan's grandmother."

"Perhaps you and Sirius are related too, then," Lupin said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Perish the thought, Lupin!" Snape said, shuddering.

"We're related!" Dylan said happily to Theodore, who smiled back at him. Both Lupin and Snape were pleased to see it, since Theodore smiling was a rare sight at the best of times, and even more rare since his parents had been killed. "Does this make us cousins or something?" Dylan asked.

"Second or third cousins several times removed," Snape said. "But yes, more or less."

"You're closer than that," Lupin said gently. "You're brothers, or at least, foster brothers now."

The boys smiled again and Snape harrumphed loudly as his face turned red, and he said in a gruff voice, "Come along, then, Nott! We haven't got all day!"

Dylan, who was used to Snape's behavior by now, was unperturbed, but Theodore looked anxious. So Lupin leaned over and said in a stage whisper, "Don't worry, Theo. Severus just likes to act grumpy so that no one will notice when he's feeling sentimental."

"Lupin!" Snape said indignantly. "Would you mind not destroying what few shreds of dignity I have left?"

"I'm afraid your reputation is ruined, Professor Snape," Lupin said with an unrepentant grin. "You've already revealed yourself to be a hero." He moved closer to Snape and nuzzled his cheek affectionately. "And I know that deep down inside, you're a softie."

"LUPIN!" Snape bellowed as Tonks giggled and Theodore's eyes went wide with disbelief. Lupin just wrapped his arms around Snape's waist and continued to nuzzle him, but Snape's irritation suddenly dissipated when he saw Dylan with his hands clamped over his mouth, trying--unsuccessfully--to muffle his laughter. Dylan had naturally been subdued and depressed since Ariane had died, so Snape supposed that the embarrassment was worth it to hear him laugh. He sighed and said in a much less sharp tone, "Could you please do that later, Lupin? I don't really want to linger in this house, and I doubt that Theodore does either."

Lupin released Snape and smiled apologetically at Theodore. "Of course. Let's go get your things, Theo." As Theodore headed upstairs to his bedroom, Lupin leaned over and purred in a nearly--but not quite--inaudible and very suggestive voice, "We'll continue this later, Severus." He belatedly remembered his promise to himself that he would tone things down until Theodore got accustomed to living with them, and appeased his conscience by telling it that at least Dylan was laughing and smiling again. Besides, it was good for children to see their parents being affectionate with each other, wasn't it?

Snape's face, which had just begun to return to its normal color, turned beet-red again. "LUPIN!"

He wasn't the only one turning red: Theodore blushed and ran up the stairs as fast as he could, a laughing Dylan following close behind.

"A rug," Snape said, glowering at Lupin as they followed the boys at a more leisurely pace. "A wolfskin rug for my office." But Lupin had heard that threat so many times that it held no power over him, and besides, he could hear the affection beneath the sour tone in his lover's voice. So he just smiled, slipping his arm through Snape's, and the Potions Master heaved a long-suffering sigh, and let him.

But they hurried up the stairs and down the hall when they heard Theodore cry out in dismay; Tonks followed close on their heels. They paused in the doorway of Theodore's bedroom, which was in the same state as the rest of the house: books had been pulled off the shelves and thrown carelessly onto the floor, some of them with pages bent and spines creased; and his desk and dresser drawers had been pulled out and obviously rifled through. But what seemed to upset the boy the most was that the floorboards beneath his bed had been torn up, and beside them, a wooden box lay open, its contents spilled onto the floor.

Lupin felt his stomach twist itself into a knot of anger and pity as he stared at his foster son's face, realizing how violated the boy must feel. His lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl, and felt a low growl rumbling in his throat as the wolf rose to the surface again. Beside him, he heard Severus say in a quiet but deadly voice, "I am going to kill the Aurors responsible for this."

"I am so, so sorry," Tonks said helplessly.

Theodore ignored all of them, and shrugged off the sympathetic hand Dylan laid on his shoulder. He fell to his knees and began picking up the items spilled on the floor, groping clumsily because his eyes were blurred with tears.

Lupin managed to get his inner wolf under control--the process being made slightly easier when its protective instincts overrode its anger--and said to Severus quietly, "You and Tonks take Dylan downstairs; I'll stay with Theo."

Snape gave him a grateful look, feeling a cowardly sense of relief that he would not have to comfort the boy; he was not really good at such things, and would probably botch it up somehow. "Come, Mr. Rosier, let's give them some privacy," he said, placing a hand on Dylan's arm, guiding him out of the room. Dylan followed him without resistance, and Tonks trailed after them just as meekly, looking as though she were close to tears herself.

Lupin knelt down beside Theodore and helped him pick up the scattered objects and put them back in the wooden box. Theodore sniffled, wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and said in a shaky voice, "I hid the box under the floorboards with a spell of concealment, but I guess the Aurors saw through it and thought I was hiding some Dark Magic items or something..."

There was nothing of the sort here, Lupin saw, only the kind of childish treasures a young boy might hide: marbles; a kaleidoscope; a gold-colored feather from some unknown bird; shiny or colorful rocks and pebbles; Famous Wizard cards; a battered action figure of some Quidditch player Lupin didn't recognize; a toy dragon with one wing broken off; and a photo of a handsome young man with black hair and laughing brown eyes, who had his arm around a small, dark-haired boy who was smiling up at him adoringly. The boy, of course, was Theo, and Lupin recognized the man in the photo as Rafe Dietrich, a fellow Gryffindor who had been a few years behind him at Hogwarts. Nevertheless, he handed the picture to Theodore, and asked gently, "Is this your Uncle Rafe?"

Theodore nodded, his eyes filling with tears again. "Yes," he whispered. "He gave me most of these things. The dragon was a Christmas present, and this--" Theodore touched the action figure. "--he bought when he took me to a Quidditch match when I was seven." The year before his father had killed Rafe. His hands began to tremble as he put the photo back in the box and closed the lid. He hated the Aurors for tearing up his room and going through his most personal and prized possessions; he hated his father for killing Rafe; but most of all, he hated himself, because it was his fault that Rafe was dead. He closed his eyes tightly, but the tears still squeezed past his eyelids and slid down his face. "It's all my fault," he whispered. "If I hadn't told him what my father was doing--"

"Theodore," Lupin said softly, "it's not your fault."

"It is!" Theodore insisted, opening his eyes; they were filled with anguish. "He was trying to protect me, and my father killed him for it, and I didn't even try to help him! I just stood there and did nothing!"

"You were only eight years old," Lupin reminded him. "There was nothing you could have done to stop a full-grown wizard. If you had tried, your father might have killed you as well."

"But afterwards," Theodore cried out, on the verge of hysteria, "if I had told someone, if I had testified against my father, at least Rafe's family might have been able to take revenge for his death! But I was a coward, I was too scared--"

"You were eight years old," Lupin repeated firmly. "You were only a child, and your father had threatened to kill you. And knowing Thaddeus, he probably would have followed through on his threat. Your uncle loved you, Theo. He would not have wanted you to put yourself in danger for his sake."

"It's my fault," Theodore sobbed. "He was the only person in my family who ever cared about me, and I just stood there and watched him die!"

"It's not your fault, Theo," Lupin said, gathering the boy into his arms. Theodore shook his head, but didn't resist as Lupin pulled him closer and held him tightly as he wept. "It's not your fault, it's not your fault," Lupin murmured over and over; if he said it often enough, maybe one day Theodore would finally begin to believe it. "You were only a child; it's not your fault." Lupin was filled with a sense of mingled tenderness and protectiveness; he didn't bother trying to separate the wolf's feelings from the man's, because it didn't really matter. He held his son, his cub, and whispered fiercely, "I will never let anyone hurt you like that again! You don't have to be afraid anymore; you are my family, my pack, you and Severus and Dylan, and I will protect you."

Theodore heard Lupin growl in a very wolf-like manner, but he felt no fear, only relief. He had never felt safe in his own home, and in a strange way, it was almost comforting to have a werewolf guarding him. He remembered the way Lupin in his wolf form had saved him from his father and Voldemort on the battlefield, and began to relax a little. It was strange; he had not wept since he was eight years old--or at least, he had done so only in secret, where no one, especially his father, could see him and accuse him of being soft, of acting like a crybaby, and punish him for not behaving like a future Death Eater should. Yet this was the third time in the past two weeks that he had wept in either Lupin's or Snape's arms, as if he were a little boy once again. A small part of him felt ashamed, but the rest of him didn't care, because it felt so good to be held and comforted, to temporarily let go of his fears and worries, knowing that he had an adult, a parent--no, two parents--who would take care of everything.

In truth, Lupin was relieved to see Theodore and Dylan starting to act like children instead of miniature adults, wary and calculating beyond their years. Though actually, they were nearly adults, and he wanted to return at least a small portion of their stolen childhood years to them. The wolf stopped growling when it felt the tension drain out of Theodore's body, and Lupin said tenderly, "I love you, Theo. Everything will be all right; you'll see." Theodore gasped in surprise, then began crying even harder, but Lupin smiled, because that edge of hysteria and guilt was gone from the boy's voice, and his sobs contained more joy than sorrow. "It's all right, shh, it's all right," Lupin whispered, and he had to blink back a few tears himself, because not so long ago, he had resigned himself to never having children, to spending his life alone. But he had won back his long-lost love, Severus, and they now had not one, but two, foster sons. It was not in his nature to be bitter, but he would never forget those many years he had spent alone before returning to Hogwarts, and it made him all the more grateful for the family he had now. "I have a family," Lupin whispered joyfully, more to himself than Theodore, but Theodore heard him and smiled through his tears.

"I'm sorry," Theodore said, looking a little embarrassed when he finally stopped crying and pulled away from Lupin.

"Don't be," Lupin said with a smile, and handed Theodore a handkerchief when he started to wipe his face on his sleeve. "That's what families are for, after all--to love and support each other. I assure you that I've wept on Severus's shoulder a time or two, and vice versa."

Theodore gaped at him openmouthed. "Pr-Professor Snape's...wept...?" he stammered.

"Oops!" Lupin said with an impish smile. "Guess I let the cat out of the bag. Don't tell Severus I told you that; it'll just make him grumpy."

"Ah...don't worry," Theodore said weakly. "I won't say anything." That was the last thing on earth that he would do! He still found Snape rather intimidating, even if Dylan didn't. Lupin grinned at him, and he smiled back shyly, and they began packing up his things.

"Serafina would have a fit if she could see this," Lupin said as he picked up the fallen books and put them back on the shelves or added them to the stack that Theodore was taking with him. He carefully smoothed out a creased page on a Quidditch rules manual before placing it on the "take with" stack.

Theodore laughed as he threw some clothes into the trunk they were packing. "I wouldn't want to be in those Aurors' shoes if they treated Sera's books the way they did mine! You saw what she did to that Hufflepuff kid who ruined her books--" He abruptly broke off his sentence, remembering that Lupin wasn't--officially, at least--supposed to know that.

Lupin just grinned and winked at him. "Oh, everyone knows who hexed the boy--unofficially, anyway. And besides, I'm not your teacher during the summer, remember?"

"Yes, Prof--," Theodore said started to say, but something in Lupin's eyes prompted him to change it to, "um, I mean...Remus." It felt a little strange and awkward to be calling his Professor by his first name, but Lupin beamed at him so happily that he decided to try and do it more often--when Snape wasn't around, of course.

"Is anything missing?" Lupin asked when they were done packing, looking more serious now. Nothing seemed to be broken, but the room had clearly been ransacked. "I don't blame Severus for being angry; it's disgraceful, the way the Aurors tore the house apart. If they've taken any of your personal belongings, I'll speak to Arthur and make sure they're returned to you--"

"It's okay, sir," Theodore assured him. "Nothing's missing except for...well, except for a couple of books on the Dark Arts." Theodore flushed and hastened to add, "They aren't on the Ministry's proscribed list!"

To his relief, Lupin just smiled at him, looking a little amused. "I know Severus always calls me a softhearted Gryffindor fool, but I'm not so naive that I don't realize that most of the Slytherins have more knowledge of the Dark Arts than is taught at Hogwarts, Theo."

"They aren't quite illegal, but they're sort of on the borderline," Theodore admitted, since Lupin didn't seem to be upset about it. "Not the kind of books I could bring to Hogwarts."

"Do you want me to get them back?" Lupin asked calmly.

"No, that's all right," Theodore said. "It would probably look bad to the Ministry, wouldn't it?" He smiled ruefully, thinking of the Death Eaters and his Dark Arts lessons with Snape, and added, "Besides, I guess I've had more than enough of the Dark Arts this past year!" Despite his words, he still felt a slight twinge of regret at losing his books, but it vanished when he saw Lupin's approving smile. "All I really wanted from the house was this." He held up the box containing his keepsakes from Rafe. "The Ministry can have everything else."

"Severus won't let them," Lupin said, with just a hint of vindictive pleasure. He could forgive a great deal; he could understand that the Aurors who had searched the house were still filled with anger and grief at their comrades' deaths. He might have forgiven, though he could not condone, what they had done to the rest of the house, but he could not forgive them for ransacking a child's room and leaving what were clearly harmless, childish, and well-loved treasures strewn across the floor. At the very least, they could have put things back where they had found them after the search was done; Theodore was not to blame for his parents' crimes. Lupin resolved to have a word with the Minister of Magic about this, even though he knew that Severus was probably going to deliver a blistering, scathing lecture to Arthur, the Aurors, and just about any other Ministry employee who happened to cross his path. Then he made a mental note to check on Serafina, Draco, Vincent, and Gregory, whose homes had probably also been searched, and make sure that the Aurors had not mistreated them or their mothers in any way.

Lupin and Theodore returned downstairs to find Tonks, Dylan, and Severus straightening up the living room. The overturned furniture had been set upright again, spilled contents returned to the proper cabinets and drawers, and Tonks was sweeping up some broken glass. From the flushed, chastened look on Tonks's face and the way her former Professor was glaring at her, Lupin concluded that Snape had already delivered a tirade to the only Ministry representative currently present, even though it was hardly her fault.

"You didn't have to do this," Theodore said, looking a little shocked.

"It's the least I can do," Tonks said earnestly. "I feel really bad about what the Aurors did to your home, Theodore. When I find out who was responsible, they're going to get an earful from me!"

"And they're going to get a bill from me," Snape said in an acerbic voice, staring pointedly at the broken glass.

"They broke your grandmother's good china," Tonks said apologetically. "I was able to cast a Reparo spell on most of it, but these were too far gone, I'm afraid."

"It's no big deal," Theodore told her, feeling a little more friendly towards the young Auror now. The portrait of his grandmother started to protest, but Snape glared at her and raised his wand, and she quickly fell silent. "But...thank you," he said, then turned to include Dylan and Snape in his gaze. "All of you. I really appreciate it."

Dylan smiled, and Snape's icy glare thawed a little. "All packed, Mr. Nott?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Theodore replied, motioning to his trunk. Then he asked in plaintive voice, "Can we please go now?"

To his surprise, Snape actually chuckled and patted him on the shoulder in an almost indulgent manner. "Yes, Theodore, let's go home."

So Theodore left the mansion without a backwards glance and with no regret; although he had lived there for sixteen years, it had never been his home. Tonks escorted them out, locked the gate, and bid them farewell, and Theodore returned to his real home--Lupin's cottage--with his family.

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