Aftermaths, Part 23

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 children went to bed early that night, tired out by the long day, although Lupin and Snape stayed up much longer, with Lupin claiming the dance Snape owed him in the privacy of their bedroom, and then they shared a dance of a different sort between the sheets.

The next morning they all sat in the kitchen eating leftover wedding cake for breakfast, something that Mrs. Weasley would never have allowed them to do, Ron gleefully pointed out.

"How wicked of you," Theodore muttered sarcastically, marveling once again at the naivete and innocence of the Gryffindors. He both scorned and envied them for having led such a sheltered life. "How can you bear the guilt of it all?"

Before Ron could react, Lupin said, "Theodore," in a warning tone, and his foster son fell silent. When they finished eating, Lupin cheerfully suggested to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, "Why don't you show Theo and Dylan around the house?"

"Um, sure," Harry said, attempting to paste a friendly smile on his face although he wasn't sure that he succeeded. "Come on."

Dylan smiled in a friendly enough manner and followed willingly; Theodore shrugged and joined them. They went up the stairs leading out of the basement where the kitchen was located, and paused briefly at the Entrance Hall on the ground floor. "This is where the family portraits are kept," Harry whispered, pointing at the curtain-covered wall. "You have to be quiet when you come through here or you'll wake them."

"I know," Dylan whispered back. "We've already had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Black."

"She reminds me of my grandmother," Theodore muttered under his breath.

Harry almost felt sorry for him then; maybe that was why Nott was always so sullen, if his family was as nasty as Sirius's. He continued up the stairs to the first floor. "Here's the drawing room, the living room, and the dining room is over there. We eat up here sometimes, but mostly we just eat in the kitchen unless we're having company over or something."

"Hermione's and my room is down the hall," Ginny added.

"Maybe you shouldn't be telling them that," Ron said darkly, giving the two Slytherin boys--particularly Dylan--a mistrustful look.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Ginny said impatiently. "We're all on the same side, and besides, it's not like anyone's going to be..." She hesitated. "...doing anything they shouldn't with Professor Snape in the house!"

Theodore and Dylan glanced at each other, wondering if that was supposed to be a warning or just a statement of fact. Well, she was right either way.

"I have no interest in trying to sneak into a Gryffindor girl's bedroom," Theodore sneered, with a slight stress on the "I". Dylan flushed and glared at his foster brother.

Harry sighed, wondering why Nott had to be so insulting even when he was essentially assuring them that he wasn't up to mischief. Maybe it was a Slytherin thing...

"Why don't we go upstairs and see the rest of the house?" Hermione said brightly, blushing a little. She quickly headed for the staircase without waiting for a reply, and Ginny hurried after her, muttering something under her breath about how immature boys were. After a moment, the boys followed.

"Harry's and Ron's room is up here," Hermione said, her cheeks still pink. "Also, the library and Professor Snape's workroom."

"Professor Snape has a workroom here?" Dylan asked.

"Yes, he stayed here last summer," Hermione explained, "along with Professor Lupin, so he needed a place to brew the Wolfsbane Potion. And the Mind Restoration Potion, too."

"Why exactly was Snape staying here?" Theodore asked, his curiosity temporarily overriding his hostility towards the Gryffindors. "He said something about his duty to the Order..."

Hermione and Ginny giggled. "Well, supposedly he was here to protect Harry and give him Occlumency lessons," Ginny said, "but I think it was more because he wanted to be near Professor Lupin."

Dylan's eyes widened when Ginny mentioned the Occlumency lessons, but he said nothing. Theodore gave Ginny and Hermione a disgusted look, wondering why all the girls seemed to get so giggly over Lupin and Snape, when after all, most of them had despised the Potions Master before. "And Professor Lupin was here because...?"

"Professor Lupin was doing a lot of work for the Order of the Phoenix," Hermione replied, "and this was the Order headquarters. And I think Professor Dumbledore wanted to make sure there were a lot of wizards here to protect Harry. And because, well...Professor Lupin didn't have a job until the Headmaster was able to hire him again last year. Because of the anti-werewolf legislation and all."

"Oh," Theodore said, looking a bit shamefaced. Lucius Malfoy had been the main force behind it, but Thaddeus Nott had supported him on it.

"It's not your fault," Hermione said kindly. "And obviously Professor Lupin doesn't hold a grudge against you."

Theodore flushed and said nothing as they continued with the tour, but Dylan smiled at Hermione.

"Professor Lupin's a very forgiving guy," Ron muttered in a disapproving tone. Ginny glared at him, and everyone else pretended not to hear.

"Well, your room is up here on the third floor, of course," Hermione said.

"It used to be my brothers' room," Ginny added. "Fred and George."

"Their shop is really cool," Dylan told her.

"Mum was really upset that they dropped out of school," Ginny said with a grin, "but Dad said he was just glad that they found gainful employment."

"Professor Lupin's and Professor Snape's rooms are down that hall," Hermione said. "And Sirius's and Professor Blackmore's are down that way, and..." She frowned and fell silent, and they could all hear a hammering noise coming from the other end of the hallway.

"Um...is anyone else supposed to be here?" Dylan asked.

"No," Harry said nervously. "That's the guest bedroom; it's supposed to be empty."

"Maybe it's a ghost," Ron said in a hushed voice.

"It's probably just a doxy or a boggart," Hermione said, "but I thought we'd gotten rid of all of them the first summer we spent here." She took out her wand.

"Maybe we should go get the Professors and let them deal with it," Ron suggested.

"We can handle a little doxy by ourselves," Hermione said. When she put it that way, Harry had to agree with her. He could just imagine Snape's reaction if they went and asked for help: "Is handling a single doxy beyond the capabilities of the savior of the wizarding world, Potter?" the Potions Master would sneer.

"But what if it's not a doxy?" Ron protested. "What if it's a ghoul--there was one in the toilet when we first moved in, remember? Or some nasty Dark Magic item that we missed the first time around?" But the other children were already following Hermione down the hall. Ron headed after them, grumbling to himself, "I thought we weren't supposed to use magic outside of school; whatever happened to Miss Follow-the-Rules?"

They opened the door and walked in, wands upraised, and confronted--not a doxy or a boggart or a ghoul, but Hob, who was hammering together a crib. He dropped his hammer and looked up in surprise.

"Sorry, Hob," Harry said, pocketing his wand as he grinned sheepishly. "We heard noises and thought it might be a doxy or a boggart."

"Hob did not mean to disturb you," the little man said apologetically.

"That's okay," Harry said. "Er...what are you doing?" He suddenly noticed that the walls of the room had been painted in pastel colors of yellow and green, and that Hob had apparently brought down some old toys that had been stored in the attic, as well as the crib.

Now it was Hob's turn to look sheepish. "Hob was converting this room into a nursery."

All of the children gaped at him in shock. "Pr-Professor Blackmore's not pregnant, is she?" Harry exclaimed, feeling like he was going to faint.

But Hob shook his head, much to Harry's relief. "No, but the Mister and Missus just got married, and that means there will be children eventually...or at least Hob hopes so." Hob smiled wistfully. "Taking care of families is what Hob does best, and it has been a long time since Hob has had young children to look after." He gave Harry a worried look. "Doesn't Harry want brothers and sisters?"

"I, uh, haven't really thought about it," Harry admitted. It had never occurred to him that Sirius and Professor Blackmore might want to have children, but most married people did, didn't they? It was difficult to picture Blackmore being a mother...but on the other hand, she had always treated Lupin and Snape--and even Sirius, before they became engaged--in a motherly fashion. And hadn't Harry once thought to himself that it would be nice to have a brother or sister, someone whom he could be close to, unlike his cousin Dudley? He envied the Weasleys their large, loving family, even if the brothers did fight and tease each other a lot. "I guess it would be okay," Harry said. "It's just that the idea was a little shocking at first."

"Do you need any help?" Hermione offered.

"No, Hob can manage just fine."

"Well, then, we'll leave you to your work," Harry said, turning to leave.

"Er...the Mister doesn't know about this," Hob said hesitantly.

Harry grinned; it was clear that this was Hob's secret project, and it wouldn't do any harm to indulge him in his little fantasy. It would've been funny, though, to see the reaction on Sirius's face when he learned that Hob had been building a nursery. "Don't worry, it's our little secret, right, guys?"

"Right," Hermione, Ginny, and Ron chorused.

"Of course," Dylan said with a smile, then elbowed his foster brother in the side.

"Ouch! Oh, all right, what do I care, anyway?" Theodore said. "I won't say anything."

"Hob thanks you," the little man said, then returned to working on the crib.

"Well, that's about it," Harry said as they left the "nursery". "Buckbeak's room is upstairs, but he's gone off with Sirius and the Professor, and the attic is above that. It's mostly filled with junk."

"Buckbeak's room used to be Mrs. Black's room," Ginny added with a mischievous smile. "Sirius didn't like his mother very much."

"Having seen her portrait, I'm not surprised," Dylan said.

"I don't think it's funny," Hermione said, frowning. "I think it's sad that Sirius and his family were estranged and that they didn't get to make up before his parents died."

"Yeah, Mum was really upset when Percy wasn't speaking to us," Ginny said guiltily.

"Oh, come on!" Ron said, rolling his eyes. "Does Mrs. Black look like the making-up type to you? She could have lived for another century and she still wouldn't have made up with Sirius!"

"You're probably right," Hermione reluctantly admitted, thinking of the portrait downstairs. "But still..."

"Sirius says that family isn't always determined by blood," Harry said firmly. "I'm his family now, and so are Professor Blackmore and Professor Lupin!"

Theodore scowled, not really liking the thought of Lupin belonging to another family, even though he was aware that Lupin loved Sirius Black like a brother, but Dylan smiled as he thought of his new family.

"Yes," Dylan said quietly, "Professor Lupin and Professor Snape and Theo are all my family now, even though we're not related by blood." Theodore's expression softened a little at that. "Although I guess that's not really true. We found out that Theo and I are distant cousins; Snape says that all the pureblood families are related if you go far back enough."

"Maybe you and Snape are related," Ron teased Harry.

Harry shuddered. "Don't even joke about something like that!"

Everyone laughed, even Theodore. "I'm sure Snape would be even more appalled than you if that were true, Potter!" he said.

"So what did you think of the house?" Hermione asked Dylan.

"It's nice," Dylan said politely.

"It gives me the creeps," Theodore said.

"Oh, don't be such a prat, Theo!" Dylan scolded, beginning to get annoyed with the way his foster brother kept baiting the Gryffindors.

"I mean it," Theodore said unhappily, and Dylan saw that he wasn't just being rude to get on the Gryffindors' nerves this time. "I wish we were back in Lupin's cottage."

"What's wrong, Theo?" Dylan asked in a gentler voice.

"It's just that it's your typical Slytherin pureblood mansion," Theodore replied. "Big and gloomy and you can almost smell the Dark Magic on it..."

"Hey, you should've seen it before we cleaned it up!" Ron said. "It was full of doxies and rats, and there were house-elf heads mounted on the walls..."

"It's actually a lot more cheerful and homey since Hob moved in," Hermione finished with a smile. "And Sirius got rid of all the Dark Magic items he could find."

"It reminds me of my home," Theodore whispered, his gray-green eyes looking murkier than usual. "Nott Manor, I mean, not the cottage."

Now that Theo had mentioned it, Dylan noticed that it did resemble Nott Manor, although it was a bit bigger and grander, since the Blacks had been wealthier than the Notts. He reached out and laid a hand on his foster brother's shoulder, not knowing what else to do.

That touch snapped Theodore back to reality, and he noticed that the Gryffindors were staring at him with looks of concern on their faces. It had been ingrained into him as a child never to show weakness in front anyone, especially an enemy, and it was a difficult habit to break, and just as hard to break was the belief that the Gryffindors were his enemies, no matter how many times Lupin assured him that wasn't true. So he threw back his head, laughed, and said lightly, "I can't believe this place was actually the Order of the Phoenix headquarters! It looks more like the sort of place a Death Eater would live!"

But his laugh was brittle and his eyes still looked haunted, so Ron bit back the reply that came to mind, which was: "Well, you should know!"

They headed downstairs in silence and found Lupin waiting for them in the drawing room. By that time, Theodore had managed to compose himself, so Lupin didn't notice anything out of the ordinary; if his foster son seemed a bit sullen, he chalked it up to his antipathy towards the Gryffindors.

"I did promise you some Japanese lessons, Hermione," Lupin said cheerfully. "We could start now, if you'd like."

"Oh yes, thank you, Professor!" Hermione said.

"You're welcome to join us," Lupin told Ron, Harry, and Ginny.

"Sure, it sounds interesting," Ginny said.

"Extra lessons?" Ron asked, sounding horrified. "During the summer?"

"I can see why your grades are so lousy," Theodore muttered under his breath.

"It's strictly voluntary," Lupin said with a smile.

Ron and Harry hung back uncertainly as Lupin settled down to work with Dylan, Theodore, and the girls. "Well, if everyone else is going to do it..." Harry said.

"Aw, come on, Harry," Ron said. "Let's go play Exploding Snap or something."

"Stay," Hermione urged. "It'll be fun."

"You have a strange idea of fun," Ron said.

"Stay or go, but please just be quiet," Theodore grumbled.

"Well, we can't play cards all day," Harry said with a shrug, and joined the study group. So Ron stayed too, but he spent more time leafing through Lupin's Japanese comic books than he did studying.

"Hey, these are kind of cool," he said.

"Yes, and if you'd pay attention, you might actually be able to read them one day," his sister told him dryly.

After about an hour, Lupin said, "That's enough for today; you kids go have some fun."

"What about studying for my N.E.W.T.s?" Theodore asked.

"This is your summer vacation," Lupin said firmly. "Skipping one day won't hurt."

"But we didn't do any studying yesterday because of the wedding and Professor Snape--"

"I'll handle Severus," Lupin said with a smile. "Go have some fun; that's an order."

That order might be easier to follow if he hadn't been stuck in a house full of Gryffindors, Theodore thought to himself disgruntledly, but he followed the other children out of the room.

"Geez, Nott, you study almost as much as Hermione does," Ron said.

"If you did too, you'd get better grades," Hermione told him in a huffy voice.

"It's not really my idea," Theodore said. "Snape makes us study for at least an hour or two every day."

"He says it's important, especially for Theo, because his N.E.W.T.s are coming up," Dylan added. Hermione nodded approvingly.

"Man, I'm glad Snape's not my dad!" Ron exclaimed.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you're not my brother!" Theodore snapped.

"It's not so bad, really," Dylan said, keeping his voice calm and level although he was privately thinking that before the two weeks were up he'd probably be sorely tempted to strangle both Theo and Weasley. "It's not like there's much else to do but study anyway, living in the middle of the woods. And Lupin makes sure that Snape gives us a break every now and then. Although one nice thing about living in the woods is that we can practice our Quidditch moves. You can't fly around in the middle of the city without risking Muggles seeing you."

"Yeah, that's true," Harry agreed regretfully. "I'd sure like to get some practice in before school starts. Especially since you Slytherins have already started practicing!"

"What?" Ron asked. "Hey, no fair!"

"Well, maybe Remus will let us go back to the cottage one day, and we could have a practice match," Dylan suggested cheerfully. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin!"

"Do you think Snape will go for that?" Theodore asked skeptically.

"Remus is the only one we need to convince," Dylan said dismissively. "He always gets Snape to do whatever he wants...eventually."

Theodore smiled. "Don't let Snape hear you say that!"

Dylan laughed and the girls giggled, while Ron muttered, "I still can't get used to those two being together!"

Later that night, they all gathered together in the drawing room after dinner. Dylan and Hermione sat in one corner of the room, quietly discussing a book they had read, while Harry and Lupin played a game of wizard chess. Ginny cheered on Lupin, while Ron rooted for Harry, offering advice every now and then.

"Hey, no coaching from the sidelines!" Lupin laughed. "I'm already handicapped to begin with; chess isn't really my game--Severus says I'm not devious enough."

"Not in chess, anyway," Snape muttered sourly to himself as he read a Potions journal. "He's devious enough when he's trying to get his own way about something."

Theodore was reading a book on runes, but he glanced up every now and then to watch Lupin and Potter, and every time he did so, he felt a little stab of jealousy and resentment. He wasn't sure why; he'd known all along that Lupin was a Gryffindor and that Potter's father had been one of his best friends, but he just didn't like sharing Lupin with Potter. Lupin, Snape, and Dylan were the only family he had now--his parents had been willing to hand him over to Voldemort, and his remaining blood relatives wanted nothing to do with him, while Potter was the Boy Who Lived, the savior of the wizarding world, who had no shortage of people who adored him. Theodore conveniently chose to overlook the fact that Potter was an orphan like himself, whose parents had been killed by Theodore's parents' Master.

Snape saw the look in Theodore's eyes and sympathized, because he knew that feeling all too well. He hated sharing Lupin with anyone but his two foster sons, and he especially hated sharing him with Potter, although the worst edge of his animosity had been blunted after the war ended. Snape was finally content now that he and Lupin were able to openly live together as lovers, and as much as he complained about the werewolf's exhibitionism and public displays of affection, he secretly enjoyed them because they were proof of Lupin's devotion to him. But still, he understood what Theodore was feeling, so he set aside the magazine he had been reading and said casually, "How about a game of chess, Mr. Nott? You're the first challenging opponent I've had in a long time; it's no fun playing against the werewolf--I can beat him in less time than it takes Longbottom to melt a cauldron."

Theodore laughed, looking very pleased, while Ron glared at Snape. Harry would also have taken offense at the comment about Neville, but somehow he had the strange feeling that Snape didn't really mean it. Lupin seemed to agree, because he just grinned and winked at his lover. Dylan laughed, and the girls looked startled but impressed; it wasn't often that Snape handed out compliments to his students, even the Slytherins. Theodore Apparated to his room to fetch the chess set that had been Lupin's birthday gift (Dylan cheerfully called out, "Show-off!" as he vanished), and the rest of the evening passed pleasantly.

Later that night in bed, Snape told Lupin, "Theodore is jealous of Potter," and explained why he'd proposed the chess game.

Lupin sighed, looking worried. "It's only natural for Theo to still be feeling a little insecure, considering what his life was like before he came to live with us; I should have realized that he might resent Harry. I'll try to be more aware of it, and to reassure Theo that we love him."

"Subtly, Lupin," Snape warned, his pale face turning a little pink; he was still uncomfortable about throwing the word "love" around as freely as Lupin did. It was hard enough for him to verbally express his affection for Lupin, much less the boys. He supposed it was a good thing that Lupin was sentimental enough for the both of them. "He'll be embarrassed if he realizes that we noticed."

"Of course, Severus. I do know how to be subtle, you know."

"Oh, really?" Snape asked skeptically. "I didn't think that Gryffindors knew the meaning of the word; your idea of subtle seems to be pouncing on me at the head table..."

"I wasn't trying to be subtle, then," Lupin grinned, wrapping his arms around Snape's neck. "My idea of subtle is playing footsie with you under the table." Snape rolled his eyes and Lupin laughed. "But seriously, Severus, I'm glad you told me about Theodore." He sighed again. "It's going to be difficult, trying to spend time with Harry without hurting Theo's feelings. And I think Harry was a little hurt that I haven't been around much this summer, but we were just so busy with the boys moving in and all..."

Snape laughed and said, "It's your own damn fault, Lupin, for being so popular! Every brat in the school seems to adore you, from Potter down to Crabbe and Goyle, and even Malfoy! Now I, on the other hand, don't have that problem..."

"You're more popular than you think, Severus," Lupin said, smiling tenderly at him. "The Slytherins know how much you care about them now."

Snape looked horrified at that thought. "No, I don't think so, Lupin!" he said, shaking his head. "They're just grateful to me because I brought you into the dungeon."

Lupin thought it was more than that, but he let the matter drop. "Maybe if you could spend more time with Theo, he won't mind so much when I spend time with Harry. Your approval means a lot to him, too, you know."

"I'll try," Snape said dubiously, "but I think I make a rather poor consolation prize. And I think that Theodore's needs should come before Potter's; he is your foster son, after all, and Potter already has a godfather."

"Of course Theo is my son and my first responsibility is to him and Dylan," Lupin said, sounding very upset, "but Harry is like a nephew to me! His father was one of my dearest friends, and Harry is dear to me as well; I can't just cast him aside." But he felt better when Severus gently stroked his cheek in what was obviously an apologetic gesture; it was unrealistic to expect his lover to shed all those years of bitterness at once, but he was working hard to move beyond it, and that was what mattered. Lupin caught Severus's hand between his own hands, and brought it to his lips and kissed it.

"Slytherins are greedy," Snape said softly, tracing Lupin's lips with his fingertips. "We don't like to share."

"Well, that I can understand," Lupin said, nipping at Snape's fingertips playfully. "Because the wolf doesn't like to share, either. In fact--" He growled and bared his teeth. "--sometimes it's downright possessive."

"I love it when you go all wolfish on me, Remus," Snape purred.

"I love it when you purr like that, Severus," Lupin said, licking his lips. He tilted his head back, exposing his throat, and let out a little yelp of mingled pleasure and pain when Snape bit down there, hard.

"That does sound very wolfish indeed, Lupin," Snape said, grinning wickedly in a way that made Lupin whine in anticipation. "But what I would really like is to make you howl for me."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Lupin growled.

That was all the invitation Snape needed; he pushed Lupin down on the bed and covered his lover's mouth and body with his own.

A little while later, Harry and Ron sat bolt upright in bed as they heard what sounded like a wolf's howl echoing through the house. It awoke Mrs. Black's portrait, and she began shouting, "Begone from the house of my fathers!"

"What was that?!" Ron exclaimed.

"That sounded like Professor Lupin," Harry said.

"It's not a full moon tonight, is it?" Ron asked. "Snape didn't say anything about brewing the Wolfsbane Potion. What the hell are they doing up there?"

It was the middle of the night, so they were probably in bed...oh. Harry's face turned scarlet. "I think I'd rather not know," he mumbled, pulling his pillow over his head in attempt to muffle any other sounds that might be coming from upstairs. Downstairs, Ginny and Hermione were giggling and blushing furiously.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom directly above Harry's and Ron's, Dylan flushed and said, "I think they forgot to set a silence spell on their room."

"As if it isn't hard enough to sleep in this house as it is," Theodore grumbled. It was bad enough that the mansion reminded him of his childhood home, without having to listen to screaming portraits and libidinous werewolves!

"Sev," Lupin panted, as Mrs. Black's shouts finally sank in through the lust-filled haze fogging his thoughts. "Sev, stop!"

"What?" Snape asked, his voice just as breathless as Lupin's, but also tinged with impatience and annoyance. "Is something wrong? You certainly seemed to be enjoying yourself a minute ago."

"I am, very much," Lupin replied. "But I, um, think we forgot to cast a silence spell before we started."

Snape's black eyes widened as the significance of Mrs. Black's shouting finally dawned on him, and he cursed and lunged for his wand as Lupin laughed.

"Oh, shut up, Lupin! It's not funny!" Snape snapped, which just made Lupin laugh even harder.

 

Part 24