Aftermaths, Part 27

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 summer drew to a close, and somewhat to Snape's surprise, Penelope proved more than a match for her future mother-in-law in stubbornness, and succeeded in having the small wedding she wanted instead of the huge production Molly would have orchestrated.

"Unless you invite everyone in the wizarding world, someone's bound to feel snubbed," Penelope pointed out to Arthur, who sighed and nodded wearily. Sometimes he preferred being an impoverished nobody to being the Minister of Magic, whom everyone wanted to curry favor with. "But if we only invite family and very close friends, then no one can claim that they're being excluded. Or rather, everyone else will have been excluded too, so there's no reason for them to feel singled out."

Arthur had agreed that it was the perfect solution, and Molly had no choice but to go along with it; Arthur couldn't afford to make too many political enemies as a new, untried Minster of Magic.

"Would people really try to get him fired just because they didn't get an invitation to a wedding?" Harry asked incredulously when Ron and Ginny told him about it over dinner one night.

"Haven't six years at Hogwarts taught you how petty the pureblood wizards can be, Potter?" Snape asked in his usual scornful voice, looking at Harry as if he were an especially dimwitted student. "I assure you that careers have been ruined over less."

"I don't see why anyone would want to come to Percy's wedding so badly," Ron muttered.

"Of course they don't care about that twit Percy!" Snape snapped, pounding his fist on the table in frustration.

"Temper, temper, Severus," Lupin scolded.

"Sometimes I forget how thickheaded you Gryffindors can be," Snape grumbled, calming down a bit. "Would you care to explain it to them, Mr. Nott?"

"Certainly, Professor," Theodore said, looking a little smug. "People don't really care about seeing your brother get married, Weasley. They just want to feel important enough to rate an invitation because your father is the Minister of Magic. And the reception would be a convenient opportunity for them to suck up to your father and ask him for favors."

Ginny nodded; this was not news to her. "I think Daddy's relieved that he can just enjoy the wedding and not have to worry about playing politics."

"Oh," Ron said, feeling a little stupid. Okay, he should have been able to figure that out on his own since his younger sister had, but did the Slytherins really have to be so obnoxious about it? "I guess being Minster of Magic isn't all it's cracked up to be. I thought the Minister could do anything he wanted, but it seems like Dad always has to worry about what people think."

"Unpopular Ministers have been deposed in the past," Snape said in a more serious voice, "or strongly encouraged to resign. Despite all the status that his title confers, the Minister of Magic is not immune to power plays; your father cannot afford to make too many enemies." He added waspishly, "Potter, if you'd read that book Malfoy gave you for your birthday, you would know all this. Are you using it as anything other than a paperweight?"

"I've been reading it," Harry said defensively, which was true, but he hadn't gotten very far; it was long and boring, and he couldn't read more than a few pages at time without yawning--better than hot milk for putting someone to sleep. Admittedly, he hadn't put much effort into reading it, not when there were a lot more fun and interesting things to do: playing cards or chess with Ron, Ginny, and Hermione; the casual Quidditch matches against the Slytherins; and even Professor Lupin's Japanese lessons. However, from the stern look Hermione was giving him, he suspected he would be spending a lot more time reading it under her watchful eye. "It's really long," he complained. "I'm only up to the 1400's right now. The Ministry hadn't even been founded yet."

"Haven't we covered all that stuff in History of Magic?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, but didn't you sleep through most of it?" his sister retorted.

"I can't help it!" Ron protested. "The way Professor Binns just drones on and on..."

"Speak of your teachers with more respect, Mr. Weasley," Snape said sternly, although privately he agreed with the boy. Binns had been his teacher, too, and he remembered what a challenge it had been trying to stay awake in that class. "In any case, Potter, if you continue to read the book you'll find that it gives you more of a sociological perspective than Professor Binns does on things like blood status."

"Yes, Professor," Harry said, obediently if glumly.

"It wouldn't hurt Mr. Weasley to read it as well."

"Yes, Professor," Ron echoed, just as glumly.

"Look at those gloomy faces!" Lupin laughed. "I don't think it would hurt to spend, say, one hour of each day reading or studying, and you can still have the rest of the day to do as you please."

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Professor," Hermione said brightly.

"Of course you would," Ron muttered under his breath, but decided that it was fortunate Lupin was here; Snape probably would have had them studying all day. Then again, if Lupin hadn't been here, then neither would Snape. He liked Lupin, but he was very grateful that Sirius and Professor Blackmore would be returning soon, and then he and Ginny would be returning home as well, and he wouldn't have to live with Snape anymore.

For his part, Snape was relieved that the Weasleys had decided to keep the wedding small, because it meant that he wasn't invited. He'd been afraid that the werewolf would badger him and the boys into going, but as it turned out, only Lupin was invited--more for Molly's, Ron's, and Ginny's sakes than Percy's, since Percy had never been particularly close to Lupin. Molly apologized profusely for not being able to invite Snape, but he assured her that he was not offended in the slightest.

"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Lupin teased. "I think I could still wangle an invitation for you..."

"Try it and I'll turn you into a wolfskin rug," Snape threatened, and Lupin just laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

Snape, Dylan, and Theodore passed the day quietly, reading and playing chess until Lupin, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione returned home.

"Well, how did it go?" Dylan asked.

"It was a lovely wedding," Lupin said with a smile.

"Mum wept bucketloads of tears," Ron said.

"Percy had the goofiest grin on his face during the entire ceremony!" Ginny giggled.

"People in love tend do that," Lupin said, grinning at Snape in a rather goofy way himself, and bent down to kiss his lover, who was sitting in a chair beside the fireplace in the drawing room.

"Cut that out, Lupin!" Snape huffed.

"Oh, don't be so grouchy, Sev," Lupin chided, then handed him a small cardboard box wrapped with a pink ribbon. "Here, I brought you some leftover wedding cake."

Snape eyed the box with interest. "Did Molly bake it?"

Lupin rolled his eyes. "Do you really think she would let anyone else bake her son's wedding cake?"

"No, I suppose not," Snape said, pulling off the ribbon and opening the box.

A mischievous gleam suddenly appeared in Lupin's eyes, and he took the box from a startled Snape and sat down on his lap.

"LUPIN! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Feeding you cake," Lupin said innocently, breaking off a piece with his fingers and holding it up to Snape's lips.

"I just remembered something I have to do upstairs," Theodore said, jumping up and abandoning the chess game he had been playing with Dylan.

"Yeah, me too!" Ron added hastily, and he and Harry ran out of the room, right on Theodore's heels. Dylan just chuckled, and the girls blushed and giggled, and they hurried after the others.

Snape opened his mouth to yell at Lupin and perhaps threaten to turn him into a wolfskin rug, but Lupin took that opportunity to pop the bit of cake into Snape's mouth. Snape automatically chewed and swallowed, still glowering at his lover, but the sugar calmed him down as Lupin had hoped it would.

"Do you recall that fairy tale you told the boys about the blacksmith who stuck his hand down a wolf's throat?" Snape growled. "And what Theodore told you would happen in the Slytherin version of it?"

Lupin grinned and broke off another piece of cake. "Yes, but we Gryffindor idiots like to live dangerously. I will take my chances with the wolf's jaws--or should I say the serpent's?" The Potions Master's glare changed into a sinister smile that would have caused his students to break out in a cold sweat, but in Lupin's case, it caused a burst of heat to spread through his belly...well, a little lower, actually. He held out the scrap of cake and Severus's mouth closed over his fingers. He felt teeth nip playfully at his fingers, then the softer pressure of Severus's lips sliding down his fingers. A little whimper escaped Lupin's throat as Severus slowly licked every last bit of crumb and frosting from his fingers, then Lupin whined in protest when his fingers fell free from his lover's mouth, and Severus grinned wickedly at him.

That grin was all it took for Lupin to lose his self control; the box of cake hit the floor. The Potions Master opened his mouth to complain about the waste of a perfectly good piece of cake, but Lupin instantly sealed his mouth over Snape's, kissing him fiercely, his tongue greedily exploring inside Snape's mouth, tasting the lingering sweetness of the cake. Lupin broke off the kiss and shifted position slightly, throwing one leg across Snape's lap so that he was straddling his lover, then began undoing the fastenings on Snape's robe.

"Lupin!" Snape gasped. "Wh...what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Lupin retorted cheerfully, letting the robe fall open as he started working on the buttons of Snape's shirt. "A clever Slytherin like you ought to be able to figure it out."

"But...but..." Snape stammered weakly. "We're in the drawing room! The children..."

"Aren't likely to be interrupting us anytime soon," Lupin finished smoothly as he glanced at Theodore's and Dylan's abandoned chess set, "considering how fast they ran out of here." Then he laughed, "I can't believe that a naive Gryffindor like myself has actually managed to shock a jaded Slytherin like you!"

Snape tried to glare at him, but was distracted by the fact that Lupin's hands were now caressing his bare chest. "You're not as naive as you used to be, Lupin," Snape said sourly. "In fact, I'm beginning to think that sweet and innocent act of yours is exactly that--an act."

"You're so cynical, Severus," Lupin said reprovingly, then kissed him on the tip of his nose. "But I love you anyway."

"Hmmph!" Snape snorted, and forced his lips into a scowl even though they kept trying to curve up into a smile. "You know, we could continue this in the bedroom."

"But we've never done it in the drawing room before," Lupin pointed out.

Snape gave up his attempt at scowling, and burst out laughing. "Exhibitionist!"

Lupin grinned. "Oh, look who's talking! I remember how much you enjoyed our office trysts; tell me you don't find this at least a little titillating." He squirmed on Snape's lap, just a little.

"It's you that I find titillating," Snape said in a ragged voice, "not the room."

"You know," Lupin said slyly, "Sirius would be utterly scandalized if he knew what we were doing in his drawing room."

That wicked smile Lupin loved so much was back on Severus's lips. "Now that I do find titillating," he purred.

Lupin also loved the sound of that low, husky purr. "You're so sexy when you're being evil, Sev," he said, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a feral grin that exposed his fang-like canines.

"You're so sexy when you're being wolfish, Lupin," Snape panted. He felt Lupin's fingers drift slowly down his chest, then slip just under the waistband of his trousers and teasingly skim across his waist. He groaned as Lupin began to unfasten his trousers, then said, "Wait, wait!" and fumbled in the pockets of his robe for his wand. Despite Lupin's assurances that the children would not be back, he wanted to make sure that they would be uninterrupted--and unheard as well.

"What are you doing?" Lupin asked impatiently.

"Looking for my wand."

Lupin grinned and raised his eyebrows as he looked down at Snape's lap. "Oh, is that your wand I feel? And here I thought you were just happy to see me!"

Despite his state of arousal, Snape still managed to roll his eyes and say sarcastically, "Very original, Lupin; just the sort of humor I'd expect from a Gryffindor." He cast a warding spell on the door and a silence spell on the room, then turned his attention back to Lupin. They kissed, and he felt Lupin's sharp teeth nip at his lower lip, not quite hard enough to draw blood. Snape in turn nipped at Lupin's neck, and the werewolf moaned and began struggling impatiently out of his clothes with Snape's help, although Snape wasn't sure if he was more help or hindrance, since their hands seemed to be getting in each other's way. He was tempted to use the spell that would make Lupin's clothes fall apart at the seams, but just then, the last button was undone, and Lupin shrugged off his robe and shirt. To Snape's regret, Lupin did have to slide off his lap for a moment to take off his trousers and underwear.

One tiny part of Snape's brain was still able to think logically despite being befuddled by lust. "Er...Lupin, we don't have any lubrica--oh!" Snape gasped and leaned back in the chair as Lupin knelt in front of him, finished unfastening Snape's trousers, lowered his mouth, and proceeded to prove that he could provide any needed lubrication on his own, thank you very much. Snape groaned and stroked Lupin's silky gold-and-silver hair which was now fanned out across his lap. A little while later, Lupin lifted his face and smiled at Snape, a thin thread of saliva still hanging from his lips, his pale blue eyes looking feral and wanton. Snape thought it was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and wondered, {Did I ever really think Lupin was shy?} He seemed to vaguely recall that the teenaged Lupin had been shy and inexperienced, and that even the adult Lupin blushed from time to time, but he seemed to be having trouble thinking coherently at the moment.

Lupin climbed back onto Snape's lap, straddling him once more, and slowly lowered himself down. Snape's fingers closed around his hips, halting his progress, and Lupin moaned impatiently. "Are you sure...you're ready?" Snape asked, his voice hoarse and his words coming out in ragged gasps. "Don't want...to hurt you."

There were times when Lupin liked making love at a slow and leisurely pace; this was not one of those times. "Can't wait," he growled. "The wolf wants you now." He leaned forward and nipped gently at his mate's neck. "And werewolves are resilient, remember?" Snape's hands were still resting on Lupin's hips, but now they were urging him downward, and Lupin was more than happy to oblige, groaning out loud as he felt his lover's hardness sliding into him; he heard a hoarse, deeper groan echo his own. He gripped Snape's shoulders to brace himself, raising himself up, and then down again, slowly at first, but quickly increasing the pace. Each time he ground down into Snape's lap, driving his lover deep inside of him, it sent an intense jolt of pleasure through his body. Mingled groans and growls escaped from his lips as he felt the wolf taking over, even though it wasn't really that close to the full moon.

Snape tried to thrust upwards, but found it a bit awkward with his body pinned between the chair and the weight of the werewolf's body, so he leaned back, letting Lupin do most of the work, and drank in the sight of his lover. Lupin looked so beautiful, his pale skin flushed with desire and exertion, his long hair falling in sweaty strands across his face. Lupin bared his teeth in a playful snarl, and his blue eyes were filled almost completely with the feralness of the wolf and very little of the man. Snape found that sight incredibly exciting, and pulled Lupin's face down and kissed him hard, running his tongue along Lupin's sharp canine teeth. Lupin growled into his mouth, exciting Snape further, and despite the awkwardness of the position, braced himself against the chair and began thrusting up into Lupin, who cried out in pleasure. "Oh God," Snape gasped. "Remy...so beautiful...love you..."

Even as his body was driven by the wolf's desires, Lupin's eyes filled with tears and his heart filled with tenderness as he was reminded once again just how fully Severus embraced both sides of him: he did not merely tolerate Lupin's lycanthropy; he loved Lupin the wolf just as much as he did Lupin the man. He leaned forward and bit Severus on the neck, stopping just short of breaking the skin; Snape moaned and began thrusting harder. Lupin marveled at the trust that implied--even though werewolves were not contagious in their human form, how many people would allow one to bite them? For that matter, how many people would sleep with a werewolf, much less love one? For so many years he had nearly torn himself in two, fighting his wolfish nature, but now he joyfully abandoned himself to it, crying, "Severus, I love you!"

That seemed to excite Severus even more, and he raked his nails down Lupin's back. They were blunt and neatly trimmed, of course--God forbid that long nails should hinder the preparation of potion ingredients in any way, Lupin thought with amusement--too blunt to do any damage, but the sensation was enough to make him arch his back and cry out, and he began riding Severus even harder and faster than before. His own erection rubbed against his lover's belly as he ground and writhed on Severus's lap, and he heard himself whine. He felt Severus's hands slide from his back around to his chest and drift down lower, but Lupin batted them away before they could touch him. Severus looked startled, and Lupin growled, "Not yet, not yet," in an apologetic tone. He felt like he would explode if Severus touched him there, and he wanted to prolong the pleasure a little longer. Severus seemed to understand, because he smiled and ran his hands up and down Lupin's back instead. But even so, he knew he wouldn't last much longer.

"Howl for me, Remy," Snape whispered, and Lupin groaned and flung his head back, exposing his throat. Snape wrapped his arms around Lupin, pulled him close, and sank his teeth into Lupin's throat. That sudden surge of pain and pleasure sent Lupin over the edge and he howled as he came, a howl that sounded remarkably like that of a real wolf's and that would no doubt have alarmed--or at least embarrassed--the children if not for the silence spell set on the room. Lupin's hands clenched down on his lover's shoulders, fingers digging into flesh hard enough to leave bruises, and he felt Severus come inside him a moment later with a hoarse, guttural shout.

Lupin fell forward, collapsing against Snape's chest as Snape slumped back against the chair. They simply sat there for a few minutes, holding each other as they tried to catch their breath.

"Wow," Lupin finally said in a soft voice.

"At a loss for words, Lupin?" Snape asked, smirking. "That's quite unusual."

Lupin planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. "Well, thanks to your masterful lovemaking, I'm not feeling up to being very articulate right now."

Snape snorted. "That sounded quite articulate to me! Although I do like being referred to as 'masterful'..."

"Well, how would you describe it?" Lupin laughed.

Snape paused to think for a moment. "Truly amazing, mind-blowing sex?"

"I'll settle for that," Lupin chuckled, and kissed him again, this time on the lips. Then he lightly kissed the bruises starting to form on Snape's neck and shoulders. The part of him that was the man felt apologetic, while the part that was the wolf regarded the bruises with smug possessiveness and said with great satisfaction, {My mate. Mine. All mine!} But he didn't feel too badly about it, because Severus was regarding him with equal possessiveness, reaching up to lightly caress Lupin's throat; it often seemed to Lupin that there was a bit of wolf in Severus as well.

Snape gently ran his fingers across the dark, purpling bruise on Lupin's throat. "I didn't mean to bite you that hard," he said, sounding apologetic and pleased at the same time. "Does it hurt?"

"In a good way," Lupin said, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin. "Besides, I told you that werewolves are resilient. We don't heal quite as fast in our human forms as we do in our wolf forms, but it should start fading away by tomorrow."

"Pity," Snape said, grinning back at Lupin. "That just means I'll have to mark you again tomorrow night, I suppose." He gently nipped at Lupin's neck.

"Only if I can mark you, too," Lupin laughed, and added another bruise to Snape's neck. Those would last longer, Lupin thought with satisfaction, since Severus didn't have the supernatural healing powers of a werewolf. Though it was a pity that the bruises would just be covered up by Severus's high-collared robes; the wolf would have liked everyone to see its claim upon its mate. Ah well, on the other hand, divesting Severus of his clothing, with so many stubborn buttons and fastenings, while frustrating, was also pleasurable--not unlike unwrapping a birthday or Christmas present.

"You look less like a wolf at this moment, and more like a cat with a bowl of cream," Snape laughed. "I half expect you to start purring!"

Lupin ran his tongue across Snape's throat and shoulders, and did a fair facsimile of a purr, and Snape chuckled. Suddenly Lupin's expression turned serious, and he kissed Snape fiercely, then said, "I love you, Sev!"

Snape blinked, looking startled. "I love you, too, Remus, but what brought that on?"

"Thank you," Lupin said softly, caressing Snape's face, "for loving the wolf as well as the man. For teaching me to accept the wolf. You don't know how much it means to me."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," Snape said gravely. He pulled up the left sleeve of his robe, exposing the pale, smooth skin of his forearm where the Dark Mark had formerly been branded. "Most people would have recoiled in horror from the Dark Mark, but you never hesitated to touch it or kiss it. You accepted the part of me that was drawn to the Dark Arts and the Death Eaters. How can I do any less? You never chose to become a werewolf, but I chose to join the Death Eaters of my own free will, and still you love me."

"Severus, I..." Lupin said, then stopped, too overwhelmed by emotion too continue.

Snape suddenly looked embarrassed and said jokingly, "Struck speechless twice tonight, Lupin? That must be a record! And as for accepting the wolf, it wasn't that hard--for a Dark Creature, you're not very scary, Lupin, what with the way you go around wagging your tail and slobbering all over everyone."

Lupin smiled and kissed him. "I love you, too, Severus."

"Hmmph!" Snape said in a gruff voice that didn't fool Lupin one bit. "Not that this hasn't been fun, Lupin, but I don't really want to spend the night in this chair. Plus you're starting to get a bit heavy and my legs are going numb."

Lupin laughed and crawled off of Snape's lap. They cast a couple of cleaning spells, gathered up Lupin's clothes, removed the wards and silence spell from the drawing room, and Apparated back to their bedroom.

Hob entered the room a few minutes later and began straightening up, putting away the chess set the boys had left out and the book Snape had set aside when Lupin and the others had returned from the wedding. He also swept up the spilled cake Lupin had dropped on the floor and forgotten about.

"What a waste of good cake," Hob said sadly. "They could have given it to Hob if they didn't want it." It was very unusual for Snape--or the Dark Man, as Hob thought of him--to let sweets go to waste, but he tended to get distracted when Lupin was around. Hob shook his head a little; he was used to living with families--parents busy raising young children--not young couples still in the throes of passion. Well, actually Snape and Lupin were busy raising their two sons, but they still seemed to have plenty of time for passion. Hob was just relieved that they had cleaned up after themselves, aside from the cake--especially since they had been using Mister Sirius's favorite chair. Hob thought to himself that it would probably be best if the Mister never found out about this little incident.

Hob headed to the kitchen and was delighted to find a cardboard box containing another piece of cake beside the fireplace. Harry had been diligent about carrying out the Mister's duties in his absence, and never forgot to leave Hob's gift beside the fire every night. Hob settled down to eat his cake and thought to himself that even if his wizarding family was a little strange, they were still very nice people.

Part 28